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Importing Car into Canada from US

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Comments

  • cbdleasecocbdleaseco Member Posts: 15
    There are a lot of specifics that dictate weather or not a dealer will charge you tax or not. The logistics of the transaction, the particular state and local county or city guidelines, any corporate policy of the individual dealerships all are factors. I think the point here is that certain manufactures will only sell to Canadians if the vehicles are first registered in the US and therefore are subject to the above factors regarding sales tax at the time of purchase. Also, the majority of dealers will not and/or cannot release the MSO/MCO so in this case you were fortunate.
  • alaurentalaurent Member Posts: 2
    I just bought an Audi 2004 A4 3.0 in Florida from a resaler in Clearwater. I already received the TITLE but I never paid any sales tax.
    The used car dealer told us at the signing, that we were not suppose to pay any taxes because we were registering the car in Quebec and we were not using it in Florida at all. Is that true or false? Should I pay the sales tax here in Florida or at the border ? This resaller is suppose to give me a tag good for 30 day when I'm ready to go home in Quebec :)
  • cbdleasecocbdleaseco Member Posts: 15
    If he did not collect any then do not worry about it. The Canadian side of the border will collect any applicable Canadian taxes / duties and all you will need at the US side is your title, bill of sale, and of course your new car. Make sure you check it against the RIV list of acceptable vehicles to import and get your documents to US Customs at the border 72 hours in advance of crossing.
  • nowarranty3nowarranty3 Member Posts: 17
    For info only.
    These were Toyotas and the state was Nebraska.
    As far as the MSO/MCO, I know of more people getting this document than didn't.
    You sound like an experienced person in this regard.
    I'm only stating facts that I know of 1st hand , which is a miniscule amount of transactions in the big picture.
    The CDN border people told me Wednesday night on my way through they are seeing about 100 vehicles per day coming into Canada.
    Not saying you are trying to make things appear harder than they are to import a car, but I have been reading & posting since November, 2007.
    There is people posting for no other reason than to dissuade people form importing on their own.
  • hacheyimportshacheyimports Member Posts: 69
    I see your point, but I thought the poster made some valuable comments. MSO is not a given, and title concerns are always to be taken seriously. I see over and over again folks taking the salesman as the only source of knowledge, and when dealing with import/export issues I wouldn't take the word of a desperate salesman in Tampa to be my decision maker.

    State taxes can be avoided 100% of the time...they can. As a Canadian importing you should not accept that the conditions in one state or another will require payment of state taxes to buy the vehicle. You may need to ship rather than drive the car and other conditions will need to be worked around, but "needing" to pay those taxes is incorrect.

    Now I say all of that and I am sure we will see examples of people who have paid them, but that was a matter of choice, not necessity Choosing to drive the car home may lead to paying those taxes in some states indeed.

    Take care.
  • cbdleasecocbdleaseco Member Posts: 15
    You are correct that if done correctly a Canadian would never need to pay US state sales tax, if done correctly. Pre-Owned or Used vehicles it is very simple but it gets considerably more difficult when dealing with new cars from many new car dealers in the US, not all. There are of course ways to deal with that as well. I am by no means trying to discourage anyone from buying in the US and importing to Canada, by themselves or otherwise, that is how I make my living, so it is important for me to provide as much assistance as possible whether I am handling the transaction or not and frankly given the financial climate in the US currently I think it should be encouraged and not discouraged!
  • pathrunnerpathrunner Member Posts: 12
    After months of mailing/calling/talking different dealers in Washington i think i might have found one who is willing to give a rebate to Canadians. I don't know if i can post his name on the site. Just mail me gordm135@yahoo.ca
  • kylewang1987kylewang1987 Member Posts: 3
    hey, my name is kyle, i want buy a bmw or benz, could you tell me which dealership can sell you a car with MSO. i dont want a title. thank you a lot
  • eddy11eddy11 Member Posts: 11
    Hello guys,

    I was away for a couple of months and did not follow up on the issues of immobilizer, but reading fresh messages on this forum I feel that this issue is not hot any more. Is it solved now? Thank you.
  • doc911doc911 Member Posts: 56
    If you have Bill of Sale, Title and Registration all in hand, (for a used car...2007)...Why is a MSO needed????
  • shawnd3shawnd3 Member Posts: 11
    It's not needed. An MSO is basically a "title" before the car is actually titled by the new owner. I think it stands for "Manufacturers Statement of Origin" or something like that.
  • hacheyimportshacheyimports Member Posts: 69
    MSO is Manufacturers Statement of Origin, and is only in existence for the sale of new vehicles. Upon sale, you take this to your DMV and purchase a "Title"...a statement of ownership.

    It is called different things in different states, but it represents the origin whereas title represents ownership. It is not transferable.The title is and will be "signed over" upon each used car sale for the life of the vehicle.

    Hope this helps.

    Take care
  • hacheyimportshacheyimports Member Posts: 69
    Kyle,

    I can arrange sale of new Mercedes to you with ease. I can not however provide MSO for you. I have a dealer that buys and titles, then sells to my customers. They have <500 miles on them but getting a MSO is not in the picture. Why does this matter to you?

    Getting 2007 models with MSO is possible of course...is this what you want?

    Take care.
  • kylewang1987kylewang1987 Member Posts: 3
    i can tell you the truth, i am a exporter, i export car into many countries, I must have MSO.
    first, title take up to 30 days to get
    second, if car have been titled, the import tax rate will be a lot higher. if i pay sell tax, i will make no money.
    i export 20 cars per month, all car i brought via middle men in U.S. if you can help me get MSO, please email me at kyle_wang@hotmail.com
  • doc911doc911 Member Posts: 56
    Anyone have experience with them? And perhaps have their phone number to check on document arrival??
  • cbdleasecocbdleaseco Member Posts: 15
    All of the vehicles I do and have done I get title on in 5 business days and do not charge any US sales tax to Canadian customers. I am not aware of a "higher" tax rate if you bring it across with title instead of an MSO? Now, if the vehicle was not manufactured in the US the duties are different of course.
  • onecaptainonecaptain Member Posts: 2
    I am buying a motorhome private next week and in order to get a trip permit I will have to pay the taxes 6% in Florida on the purchase price then a whole $5.00 for the trip permit. Any ideas to avoid paying tax there as I am going to pay the PST & GST at the canadian border...Thinking of borrowing a dealer plate from my friends garage.....
  • onecaptainonecaptain Member Posts: 2
    Tell me how I can avoid paying state tax in florida buying a used motorhome private as the registry office states in order to get a trip permit I have to pay the 6% tax and $5.00 for trip permit. I would like to know how i can avoid this as am are aware I will GST & PST bringing it into canada. Thinking of borrowing a dealer plate from a buddy's garage....Get back to me. please and thank you
  • ronz1ronz1 Member Posts: 3
    I have a couple of questions: (actually 3)

    1. Does anyone have any comments on using a U.S. vehicle inspection service? I have heard of SGS and CARCHEX but don't know if it's worthwhile or not.
    2. According to Minnesota DMV I have to pay 6.5% state sales tax- can this be avoided or refunded?
    3. Would the major modification the daytime running lights or would other items have to be added (speedometer in KM ? for example).

    THANKS
  • hacheyimportshacheyimports Member Posts: 69
    ronz1,

    I recommend you use a manufacturers inspection..such as a dealership near the vendor. They know the vehicle and while they may charge more, I am not a big fan of private inspectors.

    Do not pay the state tax. You will not be registering the vehicle in Minnesota so no need to pay it. The vendor is not required to collect it if you do not register.

    Call your local Ford dealer and ask the service department about compliance work. I doubt much on an '04 Ranger, but not sure. Certainly the odometer/speedometer and DTR...

    Take care.
  • slowturkeyslowturkey Member Posts: 5
    Hi, just to make sure I'm not forgetting anything, here's what I came up as far as extra cost, let me know if I'm forgetting something.

    letter of admissibility 350.00$
    daytime running lights 220.00$ + labor
    recall clearance letter 500.00$
    RIV 197.00$
    Climator 100.00$
    Shipping 1200.00$
    Duty tax of 6.1%

    Once in Canada,

    PST 8% (New-Brunswick tax, only thing I need to know though, is this going to be calculated on the price I paid for it, or on the value of the car here in Canada)
    GST 5%

    Am I forgetting something?

    Thanks!
  • usacars2canadausacars2canada Member Posts: 14
    What year and model of BMW is that? If it has an i-Drive, you will have to change the cluster and IHKA as well. Have you checked with a BMW Canada dealer?

    You forget the tax too:
    RIV - $204.75
    letter of admissibility - $350.00 + tax
    recall clearance letter - $500.00 + tax

    GST and PST are based on the price you paid for the car. Bring your invoice or sales receipt as proof.
  • slowturkeyslowturkey Member Posts: 5
    a 2003 M3
  • victorynissanvictorynissan Member Posts: 1
    I can sell ya a New Nissan over in Canada, save you 8-10 g's and because I'm near the bridge here in Michigan, you can still service your vehicle under warrenty. Your warrenty doesn't transfer over there, unless its been registered here in the states first. But your warrenty is still valid over here. You pay your own GST's in Canada, so you don't pay for it here. Only catch is, we can't finance you. You have to get a line of credit for yourself in Canada, or pay cash. Not everyone here knows how to do it, but we do it all the time. Only 3 of our cars cost additional import tax because they weren't manufactured here in the US. The rogue, murano, and 350Z, but that's just an additional 6.1%. No Biggie!!!
  • b_lum81b_lum81 Member Posts: 25
    I agree on getting a manufacturers inspection instead. When I brought over my 2004 Mercedes CLK I was debating on using carchexs and with the type of car I was bringing over there's a lot more that needs to be checked over compared to a regular car. After reading the following review on carchex I brought my car to Mercedes Portland instead to get teh 155 point presale inspection done.

    http://www0.epinions.com/content_261377789572

    I started to rethink carchex when I called them to ask a few questions and the high pressure of getting it done through them kind of set a few warnings for me.

    It cost more, but they were able to do a star diagnostic on my Benz and they know my car better than a general inspection company.
  • toyorav4metoyorav4me Member Posts: 5
    Hi all, just want to thank all you guys and gals for your help and info. I got my 2008 Toyota Rav4 sitting outside and it is worth the drive back. Special thanks to the Canadian sales guy who told me to "run to the US". Good luck to the rest still looking for their vehicle.
  • newmuranobuyernewmuranobuyer Member Posts: 4
    hello,

    I am looking to buy a 2009 Nissan Murano LE AWD by the end of the month, can you please email me your best price with the navigation, moonroof and leather package. Also if I am to purchase from your dealership will you help or give me advice with the paperwork process?
  • regrahamregraham Member Posts: 26
    I am from Northern BC. After following the 2008 Sequoia forums and finally getting to test drive one, as they are finally available in Canada, I was very disappointed. I will save this story for the Toyota forum.

    I have decided to purchase a 2007 Cadillac Escalade that a broker/dealer has imported into Vancouver. It was built in Apr/07, put into service Oct/07 but the deal must have fell thru and the vehicle has now been brought into Canada. The price is right and the vehicle only has 140 miles (225 km), so is like new. The problem is, I understand GM Canada won't warrant the vehicle until it has 12,000 km. I am told I can buy an extended warranty to cover the first 12,000 km for about $1,500 or wait until I have that many km's on it to fix minor warranty claims. But what if the motor or transmission goes? Should I purchase this additional warranty or are there other options? For eg. pay the repair bill and send it to somewhere in the US for reimbursement? We live 750 miles from Vancouver so it would be an expensive tow bill to tow it to the USA.

    I hope someone can reply soon as I am currently dealing on this vehicle.
  • pathrunnerpathrunner Member Posts: 12
    Are you on the west coast? I just purchased a brand new Pathfinder from Washington state and have absolutely no regrets. Mail me for more info gord135@yahoo.ca
  • pathrunnerpathrunner Member Posts: 12
    Oops, sorry newmuranobuyer, try gordm135@yahoo.ca! I missed one very important letter in the previous e-mail add.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    DRL has to be done by BMW dealer, right, in order to get the recall clearance letter? So the labour portion may run into the hundreds or thousands of $$?
  • toyorav4metoyorav4me Member Posts: 5
    Hi Sergio, I would answer your questions here. No, I did not pay state tax and I took my time and drove back; not worth paying shipping. As for the name of my dealer, I do need to know your name on this forum. Over the last month, I have also spoken to a few dealers who would sell.
  • jmlleungjmlleung Member Posts: 11
    Hi toyorav4me,

    Congratulations on your new Rav4! How much do you pay and save? Do you need a US address?

    I am interested to know the name of the dealer too if you can. My email address is jmlleung at yahoo dot com. Thanks.
  • rjmbcrjmbc Member Posts: 51
    If you are looking from either Alberta or BC send me an email at rmcgll.ccgi at gmail.com and I can give you a reference or two.

    Russ
  • chnauz091382chnauz091382 Member Posts: 3
    Hey guys sorry to beat a dead horse on this issue....I've searched the forum and found something in regards to a cbsa tariff 98500.0.0 or something...Just trying to find out what the policy is on privately selling an imported truck? time frame? also I believe there are some fee's associated to do this when notifying cbsa? every $10K or something? I'm not and not looking to be a dealer (i.e. many vehicles) just trying to find out the policy on a private sale(s).

    Thanks
  • rjmbcrjmbc Member Posts: 51
    Typing error in mailing address - should be

    rmcgill.ccgi at gmail.com
  • toyorav4metoyorav4me Member Posts: 5
    I still working on the total cost and I don't need a US address. I also went into RIV today and was out in three and a half minutes with my paperwork; have a talk with the girl at the counter.
  • sam_masam_ma Member Posts: 5
    Hi again toyorav4me,

    Can you please send me the name of the dealer? As you know my address is eussoay@hotmail.com. Thanks

    Sergio
  • slowturkeyslowturkey Member Posts: 5
    Hi, are duty and canadian taxes paid on the US price or the canadian value for a used car?

    you guys know any good US to Canada cheap and reliable car transporter as I have to ship mine from Dallas, Texas
  • doc911doc911 Member Posts: 56
    Try A-A or DAS... both have good internet sites. Will cost about $1500 Dallas to Toronto...Add a broker like Peninsula for about $200 more and they will do all the paperwork and deliver to your door.
  • hacheyimportshacheyimports Member Posts: 69
    The duty and taxes are paid on purchase price, unless it is significantly off reasonable and the Canadian value of the car will be used for payment assessment. You are paying in Canada, not the US.

    Do not use Southern Auto Transport when looking into shipping. A recent import I brought up encountered several issues and overcharged my customer almost $250.00 over quoted price. I absorbed the cost as I had quoted him based on their numbers...very disappointed in them.

    Take care
  • slowturkeyslowturkey Member Posts: 5
    I've just got a quote from Dallas, TX to Halifax, Nova Scotia and they came up with 950$, pretty darn good price, only thing I'd need to know is if they're really reliable
  • caramelcaramel Member Posts: 43
    Check out 17 reviews of them at http://www.transportreviews.com
  • doc911doc911 Member Posts: 56
    Does Canada Border accept Visa for duty and Tax payment??

    Is Lewiston Bridge border facility open 7/24?

    Thank you all...
  • hacheyimportshacheyimports Member Posts: 69
    Lewiston - Queenston Bridge is open 24 hours a day and can accept imported vehicles at any time, providing you have given your 72 hours notice of course.

    Visa and MCard are accepted yes.

    Take care
  • doc911doc911 Member Posts: 56
    Thank you... I was referring to Canada side... I don't believe they require 72 hours notice...but was unsure of their hours.. USA side is definately 8-4 only...confirmed..."and don't arrive after 3:30pm"
  • hacheyimportshacheyimports Member Posts: 69
    doc911,

    You are correct. US side is 8-4...and they have an attitude as well. I had forgotten this fine department crossing......

    Canada does not require the 72 hours as you mentioned.
  • subahondasubahonda Member Posts: 75
    I used Lewiston and the US people were absolutely quick and cooperative - ahead and there. No "attitude" on either side of the border. Just follow the rules - they know exactly what they are doing. Counting for the US wait is three full business days - weekends and US holidays do not count as a day. They have holidays thta we don't so be careful. Also, confirm by phone that they have received the fax of your title document.
  • 9jakester9jakester Member Posts: 5
    Does anyone know if there are any isues or complications with importing a new Dodge????
  • usacars2canadausacars2canada Member Posts: 14
    There will be no warranty coverage. No sure if you are aware.
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