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Importing Car into Canada from US

4507 messages,  Last post on Dec 01, 2009 at 10:45 AM

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#48 of 4507 Re: More questions about importing a new car [tonytan1999] by subahonda Jan 23, 2006 (12:53 pm)
Replying to: tonytan1999 (Dec 22, 2005 1:44 am) There are a lot of errors on some of the posts. The state sales tax is not collected on a car that is being exported unless you are plating it in that state. You cannot be a resident of the state because residents have to pay the sales tax. So a Canadian can buy the car and take it out. Some dealer associations have deals with their counterparts in Canada to prevent the sales but they are legal by NAFTA. I just went through this. I also got the full rebate as advertised. The title goes with the car and will be signed over to you by the dealer and you will be given a transport certificate. The recall clearance letter is required at the inspection when you complete form 2 at Canadian Tire. The RIV web site has all the steps and they are correct. The US export clearance requires that a copy of the MCO (which is the title or manufacturers certificate) be faxed to the US border office where you will enter Canada "at least72 hours" ahead. This is incorrect. They want three full business days. They don't count weekends or holidays. So count three days after they receive the fax (and call to confirm that they received it). You then have the US Customs officer stamp the title upon presentation of the vehicle. You drive across the border with the title and bill of sale. Look at the certificate of compliance label on the car for its date of manufacture because that will be required for Form 1 on the Canadian side, as well you must pay the GST and Air Tax. It states the site of manufacture as well. The matter of duty is not clear. Expect to pay it and be happy if you don't - include it in your calculations. The RIV fee is $209 and you have to pay whatever provincial inspection fee and sales taxes are required in your province when you get to the provincial licencing office. Remember that the Customs people are not your enemy. They are making sure that everything is in order. The biggest problem is the US clearance - people think they can just show up. The manufacturer will only give the letter after you have the title showing that you own the vehicle in question. They will not do it ahead of the purchase and it is not needed at the border. The US dealer required a US taxpayer identification number (Social Security), which you can get if you don't have one. There are also Patriot Act requirements of disclosure of the owner's past record. Everything is okay if you do the things as required. Check with the manufacturer on both sides about the warranty. Replies to this message: tmalik (Jan 24, 2006 9:16 am)
#49 of 4507 Importing Honda to Ontario by 4runnerrip Jan 24, 2006 (8:22 am)
Hi all,   I've read through the RIV website but there still seams to be some manufacturer-specific loose ends. So I'd like to know if any Canadian has bought a new Honda in the US and imported into Canada (even better if to Ontario)?   Will the warranty be honoured in Canada? Did you have to pay any type of tax in the US? How did you arrange for trip permits while transporting back to Canada? Were the border staff in both countries already familiar with this sort of thing or were there hassles? Any other hiccups?   I ask because the CDN dollar at the moment is trading at almost 0.87US which means for the Element I was considering buying here in Canada costs about 30,000C$ (excluding taxes) whereas the same model bought at a US dealership would be about 21,500US$ (24,712CS)   Thx, Ian Replies to this message: tmalik (Jan 24, 2006 9:09 am)
#50 of 4507 Re: Importing Honda to Ontario [4runnerrip] by tmalik Jan 24, 2006 (9:09 am)
Replying to: 4runnerrip (Jan 24, 2006 8:22 am) Hi Ian,    I'm in your boat as well, sitting in Ontario tempted to roll the dice and bring in a Honda from the States. I've found a few clues on other forums of this being done. I'll e-mail them to you if you'd like. Generally, my understanding is.   1. warranty likely won't be honored. For the cost savings ($5-6k on an average vehicle) I'm not concerned. $5-6k will buy a lot of repairs, Hondas tend to be very reliable and if anything major does happen (powertrain), you can tow it back to the states for repair.   2. no significant tax - no sales tax since you and I would be non-resident in the state of purchase. GST and (possibly) duties at the border, but nothing major in the states.   3. Not sure on this one. You'll need insurance (from your Ontario insurer) for driving in the states. Don't know if you'll need anything from the state you buy vehicle in.   4. Customs officers know the procedures and handle it regularly.   5. Lot of little details to sweat, but definately doable.   Unfortunately this seems to be one of the few forums where no one seems to actually have tried this lately.
#51 of 4507 Re: More questions about importing a new car [subahonda] by tmalik Jan 24, 2006 (9:16 am)
Replying to: subahonda (Jan 23, 2006 12:53 pm) subahonda, share your wisdom, please.   How did you get a social security number? Can non-residents (e.g. Canadians living in Canada) get a number? That to me seems the stumbling block for a Canadian wanting to buy in the states. WIthout that, I assume a US car dealer isn't going to be able to transfer title to me.   What state did you buy from and what vehicle did you bring over to Canada?   Thanks!
#53 of 4507 Payment by westcoastkid Jan 30, 2006 (9:35 pm)
Looks like I found a clean used car at a good price (I'm willing to gamble that it is as good is they say). It is out on the boonies. The dealer seams legit. Payment seems to be an issue though. It will take days 2-3 three days for a certified canadian check to clear before he can releasing the car, wire transfer seems like a good option (they cost $40 and takes a couple days). Any idea's on doing this in one road trip (I could leave the car at friends in the states and make a second trip if customs is held up). Are there issues with declaring US$20K going across the boarder to buy a car if I do a wire transfer? It seems strange in this day and age that the wire transfer takes 2 days.   Cheers,   WestCoastGuy Vancouver Replies to this message: mlhoopr (Jan 31, 2006 10:06 pm) tmalik (Feb 01, 2006 6:16 am)
#54 of 4507 Re: Payment [westcoastkid] by mlhoopr Jan 31, 2006 (10:06 pm)
Replying to: westcoastkid (Jan 30, 2006 9:35 pm) Don't do it!!! Sounds like a scam. I have heard of many people having these same issues with dealers in the U.S. and finding out it is a scam and then having no way to get the money back.   Please research the dealership more by checking the phone number on the yellowpages.com for that area of the Country, if it doesn't match or you can't find the dealership listed, it is probably a scam.
#55 of 4507 Help with importing the "Right" car into Canada by mlhoopr Jan 31, 2006 (10:16 pm)
I am looking for some advice or place of direction about importing vehicles into Canada. I am not a begginer as I have imported two Mitsubishi Eclipses already and re-sold them for a decent profit.   Now I am looking for a vehicle to re-sell in Canada that has a larger profit margin. The problem is that I can't seem to find any sources of information on what type of vehicle to buy.   I am sure there is someone else out there that could give me some assistance/guidance and I am sure it would be appreciated by more than just myself. Replies to this message: tmalik (Feb 01, 2006 6:09 am) tonytan1999 (Feb 03, 2006 11:21 pm) mlhoopr (Feb 06, 2006 1:45 am) sahota (Jul 20, 2006 6:14 am) jagadeesh (Jul 26, 2007 7:35 pm)
#56 of 4507 Re: Help with importing the "Right" car into Canada [mlhoopr] by tmalik Feb 01, 2006 (6:09 am)
Replying to: mlhoopr (Jan 31, 2006 10:16 pm) Sorry, but if you've already done it twice at a profit, then you classify as a pro in my opinion. I doubt anyone on this forum imports cars into Canada for profit. If you are intending to, good luck.   I do wonder how much profit there is left after you resell. You bring a car into Canada for personal use and there's a savings for sure. But when you try to resell on, the buyer would have to buy PST (depending on the province you live in), lose any warranty (if its a new car) and overcome the fear of buying an imported vehicle, which means they won't pay you the same price they'ld pay a Canadian dealer for the same car. Is there enough margin left?
#57 of 4507 Re: Payment [westcoastkid] by tmalik Feb 01, 2006 (6:16 am)
Replying to: westcoastkid (Jan 30, 2006 9:35 pm) Firstly, you will likely need to make two trips. One trip presumably to inspect the car before deciding on the purchase. Then you won't be able to bring in the car right away. US customs need documentation at least 72 hours prior to your crossing the border, so you won't be able to drive the car across the border the day you purchase. Read elsewhere in this forum and the net for details.   Secondly, if you do wire funds, you're not carrying them with you across the border, so nothing to declare. If you held cash, bank draft or money order when you cross, then you have something to declare. But not a wire transfer as that is an electronic transfer of funds.   No surprise that wire transfers can take 2 business days. That is standard response from a bank. They usually happen the same business day as long as your bank starts the process early enough, but can take more than 1 day to show up on the recipient's bank account, especially Canada to the US.

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