It’s here, it’s here… HILUX is here!

It’s here y’all!! The Toyota Hilus is stateside! This one can be found roaming around Maryland. Spotted him today in New Market on 75. Yes, it is tagged and registered in the US.

 

Back in about 2004 when my dad was working at the Pentagon, we were living in Northern Virginia; We were on the parkway and saw this silver Mercedes van (not a Sprinter, and much smaller) with Virginia plates, but it was clearly not a US-spec model and was RHD (righthand drive to the layperson) to boot. The emblems on the back identified it as a Viano, and also as having a diesel engine. My dad and I were guessing two things...

1. It belonged to a military family who'd bought it while stationed in the UK (where else it would be righthand drive) and knew somebody who got it through customs.
2. It belonged to the family of a British diplomat who used their diplomatic immunity to get it through customs...

There was a woman driving it, and I believe there may have been kids in the back; I don't think it belonged to a diplomat because it had Virginia plates rather than diplomat plates. I'm guessing that is is a Euro-spec model that someone with diplomatic connections managed to title and register in Maryland; Is the DC metro area part of Maryland?

 

Yes, the DC Metro area is part of Maryland. But in Maryland, diplomats and their families have diplomatic tags, usually with the flag of the region they are from… so I’m not sure if that is the case for this vehicle. These are normal Chesapeake Bay plates. Not saying these people don’t have some sort of special thing going… but it’s here and it’s registered. So I’m stoked!

 

Another dead giveaway is that the bumper is sized for a European license plate rather than an American or Canadian one...

 

Damn

 

Was that a Maryland plate? I just ran it through Carfax and got no results...

 

That Hilux is certainly not 25 years old.

It would be interesting to know how buddy was able to get a legal Maryland plate.


Rocky Mtn Hilux

 

Maybe he's a diplomat from another country, though he would have diplomat plates if that was the case. When my dad was stationed at the Pentagon from 2002-2005, I saw a late model RHD Mercedes Viano (euro-market van) with Virginia plates driving on the expressway, and I was thinking they used some sort of diplomatic loophole to get it into the country.

 

That is a Maryland plate. “Protect the Bay” or something. Extra few bucks to purchase.

Just because a plate was legal at time of reception doesn’t mean the vehicle is legal, or for that matter, even registered lol

Maryland DMV does not inspect vehicles at registration. So theoretically if the vehicle received a state inspection from an independent shop, and somehow the owner managed to get the VIN shored up to pass US specs, the DMV could have no idea this vehicle is not US spec.

Not saying it was fudged, but certainly is possible with enough effort.

 

Looks awful, tacky accessories and highlander running boards.

I'll never get the appeal for these. Tacoma all day.

That said. LC Pickup > All.

 

I spotted this a few weeks ago, in Wisconsin Dells. At a glance, I didn't recognize the truck, and was just gawking at the camper. Then, my friend said "... something, something, Hilux.." and it finally clicked! I wonder how much money it cost to get this imported?

 

You can see yourself out after that egregious comment.

There’s a reason the Hilux made it up to the Top Gear hall of fame!

But the LC pickup is awesome.

 

Old hilux sure, but I feel modern tacoma is more rugged and better design, save for power train.

Every modern hilux is covered in plastic and has a 2006 corolla interior.

I've owned 2 north american "hilux era" trucks and loved them. Similar to the one in the top gear ep.

 

If true, then certain VIN numbers would have been changed somewhere in the paperwork process otherwise the computer at DMV would not have accepted the VIN when it was titled and plated.

My '92 Hilux is originally from Japan. It only has 12 letters & numbers in its VIN. When I had it plated, a supervisor had to manually override the computer to accept the VIN.

The frame number number in considered to be the VIN.




Rocky Mtn Hilux

 

There are many different possibilities. I was more thinking that the owner of the Hilux could have grabbed the VIN from a Tacoma, “fooled” a shop into passing it via safety inspection, then walked into the DMV and picked up plates for their “Tacoma.”

Who knows. Far fetched maybe. But some people will go to lengths to get what they want.

 

There is a lot of government scrutiny when having an "out of province" vehicle inspected here in Alberta.

I took my Hilux to a shop that was experienced in such matters. The shop owner explained to me that by law, he was obligated to use a software program that detailed everything to be completed during the inspection and that it had a secret timer on it when turned on. If that same timer showed that the software was only used to fill out the info and was not used in real time as the inspection was underway as per instructions, a provincial government inspector would show up at his shop and pull his business license.

Don't you just love big brother....?


Rocky Mtn Hilux

 

Varies state by state down here in the land of the free

And also varies shop to shop.

Certain states/counties don’t require any inspections/emissions. You get states like CA that are moving to require fingerprint verification on techs performing smog inspections. Then you go north to Oregon and in the “rural” counties, if your shitbox has 4 wheels and moves you are gtg.

 

Toyota DPF Scandal forces Billion $$ Dollar Payout to Customers!





Rocky Mtn Hilux

 

If you’re a Costco member and don’t take their “Costco Connection” magazine straight from the mailbox to the recycling bin, check out the ad on Page 18 of the November issue. It’s an ad for Interstate Batteries, featuring a late model (ie non-US) Hilux parked in the snow with a guy sitting on the bed rail holding a hockey stick. “Trust Starts With Us”. Weird.