Importing Car into Canada from US

username5

What was the year of the Camry you imported? If it was a 2008 how long did it take RIV to get your paperwork to you? Was your process at the border srtaightforward?

ridgeline

Seems like Honda has different rules for Cdn dealers than they do for their customers. I just spoke with a Cdn dealer about a Cdn Ridgeline on his lot. However he also informed me that they are importing two Ridgelines from the U.S. later this week: "Alternatively, we also secured 2 demo units from Honda U.S." I asked if, since they were from the US would they have prices comparable to those in the States. Of course, the answer was no. I can post back when I get the prices if anyone is interested. He said they were slightly freight damaged. I assume they were sold at auction - so not new, not used, but never registered either. It seems like Honda has no problem exploiting grey areas (or allowing their dealers to do so) when it suits them. I was actually told this was an effort to bring more affordable Ridgelines to Cdn customers. So selling heavily marked up previously damaged vehicles bought at U.S. auction rather than permitting Cdns to purchase directly from U.S. dealers is helping us? (Yes Honda please while you are holding me down kicking me, please throw a few punches as well.)

wonderfred1

I want to buy a new 2008 Honda Ridgeline in Michigan. How can I avoid paying the state sales tax? Thanks for your help !!

jpsv70r

Hi DW,

Sorry about the delay in getting back. I found mine through ebay and I guess I lucked out. Don't know of a centralized database.

Sorry

jp

pathrunner

OK, we know Toyota dealers are not going to sell to us from the north but i'd like to get some feedback from you folks about the following scenario:

Cousin from another U.S. state (who is also a Cdn citizen)purchases a Toyota for me...registers the vehicle in BC (she has a BC drivers licence) and transfers ownership to me. I know we have to pay GST at the border and possibly another tax as the 4-runner is made in Jpn (anyone know the tax for that?). We don't pay Washington state tax as she does not reside there...will New york ever find out that she made the purchase and charge her later?

Apparently if we do this, Toyota would have to honour the warranty...

silverboy

After my last post (#1055) about RIV drawing a distinction between vehicles built before and after Sept. 1/07, I did a little more digging. It appears the advice I got from RIV wasn't completely made up. If you look at the "Explanations" section at the beginning of the List of Admissible Vehicles, paragraph 9 talks about this Sept. 1/07 cut-off date. The issue is the vehicle immobilization system and whether it complies with the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) no. 114. In my case, I would be importing a vehicle that comes with a factory installed immobilization system. However, I have no idea what standard is imposed by CMVSS 114 and whether the Toyota system meets this standard. You would think that Toyota has only one immobilization system that they use on all their vehicles regardless of whether they are destined for Canada or the US. Therefore, you would think that whatever system they are using must necessarily meet the Canadian standard. I guess what bothers me is that RIV seems to put the onus on the importer to prove that the system is compliant and I'm not sure that making reasonable assumptions and logical inferences would be sufficient "proof". Anyone have any thoughts on this?

ryandk

I noticed yesterday that a Westminster Volkswagen is advertising their US Price Adjustment sale this weekend only. Their website shows this pricing on two models -- a 2008 Jetta and 2007 Passat.

2008 Jetta 2.5L
US Price: $23,632
Their Price: $21,732
Automatic/Air Conditioning/Keyless Entry/Heated Seats/Power Group/Comfortline Package/16" Alloy Wheels

2007 Passat 2.0T
US Price: $29,762
Their Price: $28,792
200HP/Power Group/Sunroof/Alloy Wheels/Climate Control/Keyless Entry/6 speed Automatic/A/C with climate control/Comfortline Package/Keyless Entry/16" Alloy Wheels/Heated Seats/Power Group/8 Air Bags

I also got a call from Open Road Lexus in Port Moody, BC. I had requested a brochure from them, and they called to ask if I was interested to come in for a test drive. When I told the salesman that I was going to buy a Lexus through a broker in the US, he told me to give him the price I'd pay through the broker, and he'd do his best to give me a deal. I'm not sure how good the deal would be, but I think it's encouraging that he would say that.

The dealerships are feeling the pressure. We need to flat out tell them that current Canadian pricing is not acceptable and that it needs to fall in line with US pricing, or we're not buying.

nsbirdie

Info. given seems to depends on model/yr. & who you spoke with & where you buy (N.E. for us). Sienna 07. This is what I know: Toyota US said their dealers can sell pre-owned 2007s or earlier (not sure if pre-owned & used are same thing nor what has to go on sales document to prove this?), Toyota Canada will honor warranty, must get temp. plate at dealer (NH a& ME do; Mass. does not); you have to send 2 copies of title & 1 bill of sale via courier to US border (Calais)- not faxed - 72 hrs before arriving; show original title & bill of sale to US then take documents to CDN customs, pay: $206 +$100 A/C + 6% tax (remaining 8% paid in Nova Scotia when register),DRLs can be done here for $175 (Can Tire do not do 07s); recall letter must be from Toyota US office (owner can faxed to registry before going there), Sienna 07 is duty free.
Metric speed/odometer are on it, French airbag label Can.Tire did not seem to care. Some of this seems to conflict what others were told??
I am not sure what MSO is and why people are trying to get this with others names? Is this for 08s? :confuse:

scrolllock

I would appreciate any news if this dealer has any Accords or Civics on his lot that came in from the U.S!! Take Pictures please!!

scrolllock

From what I can determine, the standard for the Imobilization system was set in 1992, and therefore all of the Manufacturers should be on board by now, but this is what I know:

1- even if the system does not meet the Standard, then you can take it out and put another one in that meets the standard??

2- even those units sold in Canada have not been approved by the IBC ( Insurance board of Canada ) check out their website. Therefore apparently if you buy a Civic or Accord 2007 or 2008 with this system, you are not entitled to the discount from your insurance company. Honda Canada has not yet sent in their system for testing.

3- I hope I am wrong.

This seems like a very small item to hold up the RIV approval.

The RIV should be more proactive. The system used in the Honda is probably the same one used in other car manufacturers and it has been approved!!

bmm34

You should look at the Subaru Tribeca. Easy to import and great pricing.

savings

Thanks JP, no worries about delay. After my post, it occurred to me that edmunds.com was actually a pretty good resource. I've also tried the US Auto Trader website. Either way, you do have to sort results by zip code which makes the searches regional. As you say, there is Ebay, which is probably the most "centralized".

crownseven

I'm trying to find a Toyota dealer who will sell to me. Did the michigan dealer know you we're exporting the vehicle to canada? If not did you get your name on the MCO?

Thanks for the help

mmd6

Hi, thanks for the information. Would you be willing to email me and let me know if you purchased a new camry from a dealer in michigan, and if so, what the dealer's name is. I'm interested in an 08 Highlander and hope to find a dealer to sell it to me.

Thanks!

importgirl

Sorry to take so long in replying.
I drove both the cars home to Alberta.

From Texas: it was shipped to my brother in Washington State and I drove it home with my Alberta plate on it. I didn't get the 3 day temp Washington licence and I had no problem at all at the border.

From Seattle: I drove home with an Alberta plate AND a three day Washington temp permit, which actually confused the border officials a bit but nobody cared, past asking me why I had two types of "plate" on the vehicle. They're seemingly not interested in how it's licenced - the Americans are only interested in stamping the paper work "exported" and the Canadians are only interested in processing the paperwork (seeing that you have the "export" stamp from the Americans on your title, your recall letter, the bill of sale, and the fees that go along with all that.

And again I'll mention, in neither case did I pay sales tax. The Washington state 3 day temp permit was issued in my name, and I didn't provide an American address, and they didn't ask for sales tax. Perhaps this is different in Washington than other states? I don't know.

easym1

Just out of curiosity, I called Mazda Canada about their warranty on imported vehicles from US. The person advised me that they'll first check all my paper works, VIN number and in almost all cases, she said that warranty is covered.

I was looking at the Enclave earlier and found out that GM Canada will cover warranty after 6 months. Also, the 6.1% duty under NAFTA is exempt for the Enclave since it's made in North America.

The CX-9 that I was checking is more likely not exempt since it's made in Japan.

There are also auto brokers from both Canada and US that will buy you a car from US for a fee if you want to avoid doing on your own and delivery is included. Make sure you find one closer to where you live if possible. There's an up front fee and it's better to see them in person to get all the details.

I also found that A&A Custom Brokers can arrange to bring your car from US to Canada if you're successful in buying one yourself in US. They won't buy it for you but the fee is very minimal. The delivery charges is extra and would depend on your distance.

I decided to delay my purchase of SUV next year hoping for the automaker's price adjustments here if we got lucky.

nynd

sent yo a PM....

nsbirdie

I have now gotten another view (formerly Toyota US head Office said that dealers could sell pre-owned 07 or earlier), now they say NO.

Quote from their FAQs section.

If you are interested in purchasing a Toyota vehicle to operate outside of the U.S., Toyota recommends you contact the Toyota authorized distributor in the country in which you intend to operate the vehicle to assist you in locating a local dealer. Toyota dealerships in the U.S. and Alaska are not authorized to sell Toyota Motor vehicles for resale or use outside the United States.

SO how have those on this forum done :sick: it??

hybrid10

I have not done it yet but did correspond with another Edmumds.com member who did in the last few weeks. That is Toyota US official policy and the dealers will quote it to you and some of them will try to find a way to bend the rules. Some make you register in the US and then take it across. Some are still willing to break the rules and sell direct. Others are not prepared to do it at all. You have to find a cooperative dealer who's prepared to bend or break the rules.

hybrid10

I suspect you did not pay local sales tax because your vehicle is a low mileage "used" car and the Toyota dealers I have talked to are all willing to sell me a "used" car directly becuase that does not offend Toyota policy AND no sales tax on used cars sold out of state, so they tell me. Some also told me that once sales tax has been paid once on a vehicle by original buyer, it's not charged again on re-sale of the used vehicle. They are also very clear that buying a new car and registering it in US first WILL attract sales tax if the state has state tax like WA.

thfwong

I saw you post and I was in the same boat so I gave RIV a call this morning to get their prospective. The guy I talked first suggested getting a letter from the manufacturer then I said how about using the specification sheet for the vehicle since immobilizer is a standard feature. Then he put me on hold for a couple minutes (getting clarification from another agent?) then came back an told me that if the vehicle is manufactured after Sept 1, 2007 then Canadian Tire will be looking for the immobilizer so just make sure it has one and thats all. I also asked about the CMVSS 114 and he said that's what the CT guy will check for but he said having one from the factory in the vehicle should be fine.

scrolllock

Thanks for your input. The immobilizer should not be an issue. From what I understand the immobilizers in the 2006 Civic and 2007 Accord were approved by the IBC ( Insurance board of Canada). Honda Canada has just not submitted the paperwork.

But even if it does not pass the test, then I am sure for a few hundred bucks Canadian tire can rip the existing one out and replace it with one that has been approved??

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks

thecannyscot

Did you have any problem getting a recall notice for teh vehicle. My brother-in-law is buying a new toyota Highlander for me but what happens when he asks for the recall notice letter??

defrederick

Actually, yes, I'm still having trouble getting the recall letter and I'm not at all impressed with the RIV.

As I've mentioned before, my dealer was cooperative, and wrote me a recall clearance letter on his dealership letterhead, which I emailed to RIV for their comment. When they never replied, I assumed we were good to go. Now they tell me it has to be accompanied with a printout from the dealership's system with my VIN on it. I've asked them for this, but since I've already got the van in Canada, there's not much incentive for them to do anything. I've also called Toyota US and although they appeared to be very accommodating on the phone, I still haven't received a fax (I just called them this morning, so I haven't given up yet.) If neither of these avenues yield dividends, I'll try Toyota Canada, but I'm not holding my breath.

It's almost amusing how difficult all the parties involved try to make this process. I can't figure out what incentive the RIV has for being such a pain. "Government employee syndrome" perhaps? :confuse: And Toyota US? I've already made my purchase, the least they could do is to try to create some brand loyalty.

importgirl

So don't register it. Use your own plates. I was told by AMA that I had three days to drive directly home with the plate on the car, even though the plate didn't belong to the car. I put insurance on the vehicle as soon as I bought it. I don't know if I got the correct info from AMA but I went with it and had no trouble. Just don't get pulled over, I guess!
Why is everyone so determined by buy new? Save even more money and buy used.

watts3

Great deals on the Tribeca, Just picked up a 2008 limited from a dealer in ontario, just over 38000 instead of 53000, thats out the door for 38

nsbirdie

Well, Toyota US says no sales to Canadians when you call and on their site. Dealers (in general) seem to think they can sell used; though others seem to thing they cannot sell period. What is the difference between used and pre-owned?

I have had trouble getting the Sienna we want - LE FWD with power sliding doors in a used one in this area that is why we thought new would be better. Ideally, we would like more options already on it but this is the minimum.

Has any one found a cooperative dealer in Maine or NH?

hybrid10

Of course if the choice were mine I would not register it, but many Toyota dealers are only willing to "bend" the rules IF you register the car in the State you bought it; that way on paper it appears they sold to a US resident who is a Canadian citizen. New vs Used is a personal and financial choice I guess.

hybrid10

Pre-owned = Used. Sale of a pre-owned used car does not take a sale away from a Cnd dealer; the dealerships are only concerned about taking sales of new cars away from each other.

andrew87

I talked with RIV Canada and they are addament that cars manufactured after September 1, 2008 must have an immobiliser which passes CMVSS 114.
The BMW cars do not pass this test so I guess you would have to install an aftermarket immobiliser which could be inferior to the factory installed model.
It does seem strange that BMW dealers in Canada are able to sell cars without the immobiliser which passes CMVSS 114.
I would appreciate any help.

kerusso

I can see Toyota blocking the sale of their new vehicles to Canadians but not pre-owned! Surely Toyota is not so stupid to think that they can block all Toyotas (New or Used) from coming to Canada. Someone needs to tell Toyota that there are a thousand or more dealerships other than Toyota selling good pre-owned Toyotas on their used car lots. I purchased a pre-owned Tacoma from a Ford Dealer in South Dakota and am loving it!

sawa

I finding it weird with all this backlash from Toyota. Canadiandriver got only one reply from manufactures about importing vehicles from US and that was Toyota. They indicated that they will hold true to American Warranty. Now by doing that, they are admitting there is no difference and if a Canadian wants to get a better deal, than so be it.

Here is the video reference:
http://drivingtelevision.com/CarReviewVideos.php?ccID=452

scrolllock

I have the same problem. The RIV doesn't seem to be thinking straight. The Canadian built 2008 Honda Civics and Accords that are sold in Canada have the same system as those 2008s built for sale in the United States....

I think, we need to put more pressure on Transportation Canada.

ksierah

Does anybody in the forum has an idea of what sort of websites can help me in getting some information on importing vehicles from US to Canada???????????

Please i want to import a car but don't have any idea on which one is admissable and which one not??????

silverboy

Thanks for your input thfwong (and scrollock). All this conflicting advice from RIV is making me cranky. How hard can it be to establish a formal policy and post it on their website? But I'm so ticked off at the car manufacturers for shamelessly ripping off Canadian consumers that I'm more determined than ever to find a way to make this happen. I think I will talk to Canadian Tire and see what they can tell me. If I find out anything useful, I will let you know. At some point I will have to see if I can screw up enough courage to move forward without something definitive in writing from RIV. I really don't want to have a $30,000 ornament sitting on my driveway.

scrolllock

http://www.carburner.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

this is a great site and should get you off and running...

tidester

You might try this one: Importing Car into Canada from US

Read through the postings there and try the "Search This Discussion" feature at the top of the page.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

nynd

bodble2

:confuse: :confuse:

Did you just referred the member back to the current thread?

Kirstie_H

Yes, it was an attempt at humor, and also a way to say that there is a LOT of great info already posted here if one takes the time to read previous posts.

ryandk

Hi --

Is there a website that tells us which cars need to be modified and which don't?

For example, I'm assuming there aren't many modifications required for a Civic because the dash is digital and you can change things to metric with the touch of a button.

But I hear that bumpers are quite expensive to replace or modify.

Is there a site that tells you what modifications need to be done to specific makes and models?

Thanks.

defrederick

After waiting for my dealer to print out a copy of my vehicle's service screen from the Toyota system, I called Toyota US and they were much more cooperative than I anticipated. They faxed me a recall clearance letter within 4 hours and within 24 hours I received the inspection form 2 from the RIV via email. I think my four month journey is finally nearing completion. Here's what I've learned:

In Nevada:
- I paid no sales taxes, since the vehicle was not going to be registered in Nevada. We received a 10-day temporary Nevada in-transit permit from the dealership.

On the export side (faxed 72 hours prior to your border crossing):
1. You need MSO or Title in your name (there is still uncertainty about whether you need your legitimate Canadian address, or any address, US or Canadian, on the title document).
2. Export worksheet.
3. It has to be free of liens.
4. When you get to the border, you'll need your bill of sale. (which, from my experience, doesn't even need to be in your name) This does not need to be faxed ahead of time.

On the import side:
1. You'll need the compliance stamp with the VIN on the driver's door post (pretty standard on all US vehicles I assume)
2. You just need the paperwork from the US side.
3. I recommend you have your insurance and a bill of sale in your name (we printed an Alberta BoS between my friend and I, since the dealer BoS was in my friend's name), even though no one asked me for it.

When you get home:
1. You'll need to go online to RIV.ca and pay for the import inspection using the info off Form 1 that you should have received on the CA side of the border.
2. You'll need to fax a recall clearance letter from either the manufacturer's head office, or from your dealer. If it's from your dealer, you need to include a printout of the manufacturer's service screen for your particular VIN.
3. In Alberta, (from my experience) you can fully register your vehicle using just Form 1, your MSO/title, and your bill of sale (again, no one noticed that the dealer BoS was in my friend's name). I didn't need to have a provincial inspection (because it was new - I had the MSO) and didn't need to wait for the RIV paperwork or RIV inspection. This (theoretically) could take place the day you bring your vehicle home.
4. When you receive Form 2 from the RIV, you need to take your vehicle to an inspection centre to finalize the importation. There are many inspection centres besides Canadian Tire! A list is on the RIV website.

I hope this helps,

Dan

j233

GM/Saturn also don't show 2008 model list details..

j233

Has anyone successfully imported a 2008 GM/Saturn SUV or a minivan ? I am interested in getting a 2008 Outlook - RIV says it is admissible (section 5.3) but GM will not issue a Recall Clearance Letter for ANY 2008 models, passenger or SUV/minivan yet until they complete the 2008 models list for Transport Canada. Apparently things are in works but no firm date yet...

gowings

Dan how long before your Form 2 came in the mail. Went thru border on Thurs. the 18th and paid the fee when we got home online. I emailed the recall clearance letter and payment receipt with reference # on the 19th. I phoned RIV today the 23rd and they have not received their copy from the border at Portal yet.
Thanks
Blaine

savings

I can't speak for others, but buying new in the US eliminates the usual "used" concerns - who owned it? who drove it? has it been abused or damaged? plus you avoid the cost and inconvenience of inspection at a far away dealership. Also, some manufacturers are currently offering "trunk money" (ie money from manufacturer to dealer on a sale that customer finds in the "trunk") to customers to clear out existing '07 stock. Not arguing the general principle (used costs less), but there are valid reasons that people have for buying new.

scrolllock

What model & year?

Thanks

savings

If you link to the Transport Canada list, it has some information on required modifications but it's not complete. Best bet is to call RIV (see www.riv.ca) and ask them about specific models.

http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/VAFUS/list/VAFUS.pdf

bodble2

Sometimes you have to hit me over the head with a baseball bat!

goldring

Is there one way of converting Canadian to US dollars that costs the least? I don't want the favourable exchange to get eaten up in fees.