How do I get one of these for use in the U.S.?  What is the step by
step process and cost to get one of these Beetles to Dallas, TX for me
to use (and what about environmental compliance?)  I can't be the only
one who would love to have one of these.

They are making the last in Mexico (I believe ending July 30, 2003).
See:

http://www.clickondetroit.com/automotive/2326021/detail.html

Hello.

Well, you're right. You aren't the only one interested in doing this. 
The very same question was recently posed in a VW newsgroup:
"I'm looking at importing one of the "Final Edition" VWs that will be
made
this month in Mexico..."
See discussion thread hosted by Google Groups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=riVQa.6257%247O4.53721%40twister.rdc-kc.rr.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26selm%3DriVQa.6257%25247O4.53721%2540twister.rdc-kc.rr.com

In a July 15th message in the same discussion thread, a company called
BTLMEX is mentioned:
"...I contacted Btlmex and they say they can get one for $13,800
including the
US registration from 64-75."
see: Google Groups
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=hn4Ra.3617%246a3.99507%40twister.rdc-kc.rr.com

Thus, your best bet may well be BTLMEX, which is a company that has
specialized in importing new "old" Beetles from Mexico and
sufficiently modifying them in such a way as to meet U.S.
requirements.
http://www.btlmex.com/company.htm
Contact information:
http://www.btlmex.com/company.asp


An MSNBC report on July 3rd also mentions BTLMEX:

"It's no longer legal to directly import a Mexican Beetle into the
United States, and Volkswagen has shown little interest in doing so.
At least, it's not possible to import a whole Mexican Beetle. But the
Beetle community resounds with what Henning calls "urban myths" about
how to obtain a new Beetle from south of the border. One method,
according to Beetle lore, calls for a buyer to find the most junked
classic Beetle they can find and drive it to Mexico. Then they buy a
new one, switch the license plates, dirty up their new baby and drive
it back.
 Btlmex Inc., in the border town of Nogales, Ariz., tried a different
method: merging the pieces of a new Mexican Beetle with the skeleton
of an old one. “We restore U.S. Beetles,” says owner Miguel Padres.
“We get an old U.S. Beetle and we restore it with all the parts of a
new car."
source: MSNBC: "Beetle nears the end of the road"
http://www.msnbc.com/news/933184.asp?0si=-

Also see this discussion thread on the Vintage VW mailing list:
"It's not possible without major legal complications - the whole
reason outfits like BeetleMex exist is to circumvent the NHTSA and EPA
requirements that a
Mexican Beetle fails to meet."
http://www.blueglue.com/archives/vintagvw/mhonarc/2003/06/msg00392.html

As mentioned above, the Classic Beetle doesn't isn't EPA- and
NHTSA-compliant, so it's probably not realistic to think that there is
any cost-effective way (other than BTLMEX's method) of bringing an old
Beetle into emissions and safety compliance. For more information,
see:
EPA- Importing Cars
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/
Specifically, see the
"A. What is a non-U.S. version vehicle?
Non-U.S. version vehicles generally are those that are sold in foreign
countries. They will not have the U.S. EPA compliance label. Non-U.S.
version vehicles may also include U.S. version vehicles that have been
modified or altered.
Besides EPA, several other Federal agencies regulate the importation
of nonconforming vehicles, including the Department of Transportation,
Customs and Internal Revenue Service.
EPA does not recommend the importation of nonconforming vehicles.
Conversion of nonconforming vehicles is usually very expensive, and
sometimes impossible or impractical."
source: EPA.GOV
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/quiktext.htm

NHTSA information about importing cars:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/
FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/FMVSS/index.html

As mentioned in the newsgroup thread above, though, one long-shot
strategy might be trying to import the car as a "Show & Display" model
for historical significance. Note, though, that even if you were to do
this successfully, you couldn't drive the car more than 2,500 miles
per 12 months.
see: NHTSA Show & Display
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/ShowDisplay/howtosd072003.html

search strategy:
google groups,
beetle, ultima
beetle, importing
btlmex,
epa.gov
nhtsa.dot.gov

I hope this helps. If anything is unclear, please use the "request
clarification" feature. Good luck!

---

Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 28 Jul 2003 21:57 PDT

Sorry for that typo in the middle of my answer. It should have read:
"... the Classic Beetle isn't EPA- and NHTSA-compliant..."