Importing US car in to canada

[prak11]

Hello,

I'm a canadian PR working in the US. I need to decide if I need to import my car to canada.if you can provide me some information regarding this it will be very helpful.

(a) I have a 2001 Nissan sentra. the current price of this car in the US is $3500. If I sell this car in the US and buy a new car in canada would there be a big difference in price I have to Pay in canda? How much would I be saving if I import the car?

(b) I know that I do not have to pay any import duty when I import car to canada. What would be the total cost involved to import the car to canada and register it in canada?

(C) I'm going to leave the car with my friend here in USA, go to india for vacation and then come to canada from india. So when I come to canada my friend would come to the border and hand over the car. is this possible or I will have to be in the US and then bring the car to canada?

Please let me know the answers to these questions

Thanks

[PMM]

Hi

Hello,

I'm a canadian PR working in the US. I need to decide if I need to import my car to canada.if you can provide me some information regarding this it will be very helpful.

(a) I have a 2001 Nissan sentra. the current price of this car in the US is $3500. If I sell this car in the US and buy a new car in canada would there be a big difference in price I have to Pay in canda? How much would I be saving if I import the car?

(b) I know that I do not have to pay any import duty when I import car to canada. What would be the total cost involved to import the car to canada and register it in canada?

(C) I'm going to leave the car with my friend here in USA, go to india for vacation and then come to canada from india. So when I come to canada my friend would come to the border and hand over the car. is this possible or I will have to be in the US and then bring the car to canada?

Please let me know the answers to these questions

Thanks

1.  Check Autotrader or Craigslist to find out the prices in Canada.
2.  You have to export the car see: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/basic_trade/export_docs/motor_vehicle.xml  the fax of the titles has to reach the US office 72 hours before you export. 
3.  Then you have to import the car to Canada.  See www.riv.ca  Don't forget you require a recall letter from the Manufacturer not the dealer before it will be registered in Canada.
4.  The car then has to be modified, usually DRls and tethers bolts for a child seat.  Then it has to be inspected, before you can license and register it.

[prak11]

Hello,

Thank you very much for the reply. Can you tell me approximately how much it would cost totally to import the car?

Thanks

[PMM]

Hi

Hello,

Thank you very much for the reply. Can you tell me approximately how much it would cost totally to import the car?

Thanks

Depending on the required work and the fees $500-$800

[prak11]

Hello,

Rather than undergoing the hassle of importing, I'm thinking of selling the car in the US and buying a new one in canada.Will there be significant cost difference in this?If so how much would be the difference?

Thanks

[can_usa_97]

Hello,

Rather than undergoing the hassle of importing, I'm thinking of selling the car in the US and buying a new one in canada.Will there be significant cost difference in this?If so how much would be the difference?

Thanks

I'd suggest looking at some used car sites in the area your intending on settling.
I did a quick search and on average a 2001 Nissan Sinata in Ontario (on average again) was selling for 5-6K.

[zohal]

if you look in kijiji you can see that this kind car you can find anywhere from 2000 to 4000

[links18]

Anecdotally, cars in Canada are much more expensive than in the U.S., but that may just be the models I am looking at. Still, if you sell your used car in the U.S. to buy one in Canada, expect to take a loss; even with the importing fees factored in.

[AllisonVSC]

I found my previous post regarding the importation of vehicles to Ontario...edited...

 ...finished importing my car from the US. The RIV (Registry of Imported Vehicles) instructions require that you have a clear title (or a written agreement with your lender to allow you to export to Canada). The owner's name on the title must match the name of the immigrant importing it as goods. In addition the car must be deemed "importable" by the RIV and they provide a list of cars on their website. The car also has to be exported from the US and you must provide copies of the title several days before you wish to export. The US export officers will check your title, identity, and the VIN on the vehicle to insure they all match. The export office is only open Mon through Fri work day hours and Friday is their busiest day (reference to Buffalo border crossing at Lewiston). The customs officer on the Canadian side did not check the VIN number on the vehicle (possibly because I had just exported it a few minutes prior, I don't know for sure).

All imported cars require a recall clearance letter which is easier to obtain (and get any recall work done) while you are still in the states. In Canada you will have to pay for any recall work and THEN request reimbursement and the clearance letter from the US branch of your car manufacturer. Then there are required modifications to your vehicle (like day time running lights, but I did not have to convert my odometer to metric) to meet safety and emission standards in Canada; because it meets US standards does not mean it meets those in Canada.

Here are the costs I incurred in the process...

Cost of the Recall Clearance letter $0, but I had to have several updates which required I returned to the states if I didn`t want to pay the CAN car dealership then request a refund.
Cost to export $0, but took over an hour due to the volume of exporters...mostly truckers loaded with multiple vehicles
Cost to import $204.75 payable to RIV which can be paid online or at the border
Cost to install day time running lights $80 after some searching... Canadian Tire wanted over $400 to do the same work!
Cost for safety and emissions testing, federal and provincial, $39.99 and $89.99 cost controlled I think and I had this done at Crappy Tire.
Cost to register and get tags in ON $125.00
Cost for US driver record for insurance purposes $7
Cost to insure the vehicle in ON even with highest driver safety rating (no insurance claims, no tickets and they want proof for the last 10 years) $1741 which almost $1000 more than my US insurance plan

Some of these costs also included taxes and some were tax exempt because it was on my goods to follow. I drove my vehicle in Canada for several months after landing before I imported it and several months before that as a visitor. And though I did not have any problems, I did have police officers do u turns when they saw my vehicle did not have front tags (when they saw my back tag was from the states they did not stop me).

When I finally finished the RIV sent me a sticker that must be displayed on the inside door panel on the driver's side. It is an exhausting process with all the hurdles I had to jump through to get this done. But you'll get an idea of what you are in for. I suggest you run the recall check now and get fixed anything that shows up, and then request the clearance letter. Get a 10 year driver's record from the state(s) where you are licensed and a 10 year claims record from your insurance company (make copies). You will need one or both for exchanging your license and qualifying for insurance. Make sure you have your car title and make several copies (export office requests two) in preparation to export. Then start saving for all the costs involved. I'm NOT kidding, the insurance prices in ON were quite a shock.

If you have questions please feel free to PM me. Allison

[bli]

Hi Allison, thank you for detail postings, that's very helpful.  I am going to have an almost exactly scenario as yours in the coming August.  I got one more question, when you register your vehicle in Ontarion Transportation, do they charge you for any PST/GST/HST?

[AllisonVSC]

Hi Allison, thank you for detail postings, that's very helpful.  I am going to have an almost exactly scenario as yours in the coming August.  I got one more question, when you register your vehicle in Ontarion Transportation, do they charge you for any PST/GST/HST?

The cost to register my vehicle in Ontario is $125. I paid no tax based on the value of the vehicle, but some of the costs I incurred during the import were taxed.

[manianz47]

Hi AllisonVSC

Thanks for the details.

Cost to install day time running lights $80 after some searching... Canadian Tire wanted over $400 to do the same work!

Can you provide the name of the service provider?

[AllisonVSC]

The place I went to was Active Auto, 3211 Wolfedale Rd, Mississauga unit 11. It's in the very back of the building. There phone number is 416.826.5169. And there is a Canadian Tire at Mavis and Dundas where you can go after for the inspections.

[mrngorickets]

Hi

This topic help me a lot in developing my project. I will contribute more when I finished it.

[mrngorickets]

The place I went to was Active Auto, 3211 Wolfedale Rd, Mississauga unit 11. It's in the very back of the building. There phone number is 416.826.5169. And there is a Canadian Tire at Mavis and Dundas where you can go after for the inspections.

If you want to get more materials that related to this topic, you can visit: freeinterviewquestions.net/canadian-tire-financial-services-interview-questions/

Best regards.