Help!! Importing a car from Canada

D

dhauser

The end is fear
Joined
May 20, 2002
This is turning out to be a nightmare. I'm trying to import a 93 Daytona IROC RT through the border entrance at Alexander Bay. So far, I've obtained the needed letter from the EPA stating it meets emissions requirements, and I am trying to get Chrysler to issue a letter to the owner stating that the car meets other mumbo jumbo requirements.

My problems are: 1) Chrysler will only issue the letter to the owner if the car is being used by him personally, and not being resold, and 2) I'm told by the border dorks up there that the only way to bring the car in is through a broker (who essentially charges lots of bucks to do the paperwork I just mentioned) unless the car is worth less than $2k (it's not, and it's obvious, as the car has less than 600 miles on it).

Has anyone imported a car from Canada? If so, how did you do it, and what can I do to get this car in here, preferably without the broker? :mad:
 
Cant the seller drive it over the border for you and take a bus back over :D :D :D

IF Osama's clowns can make it over ,,surely you can get a car over...
 
I wish it were that easy. He's trailering the car from 3 hours north, so they will ask about it. Plus, with only 600 original miles, I don't want to put miles on it (yet!).

I told him to say he was taking it to a 2 day car show, so when he drives back across with an empty trailer, they'd not stop him for it, but we weren't sure that would fly, and he didn't want to risk the trip on that assumption. I don't blame him. :(
 
OK trailer it to the boarder and take it off the trailer a few miles before ,,,then drive it across (only a few miles put on her that way)then he can sneak back thru the bushes:D ,or you can drive him across and you might have to stay over night ,that is if they stamp a time on some kind of ticket,,,dont know neber been there..
 
I have the information at home. And don't kid yourself. U.S. Customs are every bit as much "dorks" as ours are. Be prepared to have the car seized if either of you make the most minute of mistakes and either customs officer is having a bad day.
 
What are the brokers typically charging to handle it all? :confused:

No "discounts" for licensed members of N.A.D.A. from the Canadian brokers (professional reciprocity)? :confused:

How do the Chicago Auction Houses routinely handle all the to/from paperwork? Might call one of them...hmm
 
I've imported 2 TRs from Canada, 1 from Ottawa (i.e. Ontario) and 1 from Montreal (i.e. Quebec). It was a snap. I just called GM Canada, gave them the VIN and my credit card number, and they faxed the necessary EPA and DOT documentation the same day, and followed up with snail mail.

The GM Canada documentation, plus the signed over registration/title (whatever the owner gets from the provincial equivalent of the "DMV"), plus a receipt, with VIN, signed, dated, in US dollars (so I could pay sales tax when I went to register the vehicle), was all that was needed.

Prior to doing anything I phoned US Customs with the VIN and they confirmed that the car was manufactured in the US, met EPT and DOT at the time of manufacture, and was importable, with no duty.

Your problem, I suspect, is Chrysler???

BTW, never, ever lie to a Customs Agent, Canadian or US. They will impound your car, your trailer, anything in it including you, your family, whatever, fine you, throw you in jail, and you will never get ANY of it back. And that's no crap!!!

Oh, and the broker thing is, so far as I know, a load of BS...

:)
 
Wrap a turbin around your head and get a fake ID (use an Arab name)they will let you right on thru....:D :D :D
 
What ever happened to NAFTA??? Only US jobs are allowes over the border???
 
BTW. if you're thinking of sneaking the car into the US (I already told you why it was a real bad idea), you need the Customs paperwork to register it, so just try it...

:)
 
Talk with your local custom agency to see if they can give you any suggestions. I also bought my Gn from Toronto, but like someone said it that the turbo regals were built to US spec. If you have any Canadien parts to meet their specs on the car, they are going to charge taxes at the border.

I talked with the local custom agency and they told me this at that I could file all the paperwork when I brought the car home. A customs agent was having a power trip as I trailed her home and wanted to keep her at the border. I almost lost it, but was able to speak with his supervisor. I told him what the local customs told me, and he said "have a nice day, deal with them". I peeled out of there like my pants were on fire! The kicker is that they never even got off their asses to look at the car or trailer.

Good luck, but if the car is only worth $600 then its probably not worth the hassle.
 
Doug, Strikeagle had some good points....You may be successful tha way too.

In 1982, I was assigned to duty in Alaska at Elmendorf AFB. I wanted to take my guns with me as we drove the ALCAN highway in our motorhome.

I got ALL the paperwork from the RCMP in adavnce, taking care to do it by the numbers (I discovered there were special rules for military people transiting the ALCAN).

Good thing, at the Canadian border, the Mounty had never heard of such a thing. But, with my papers in hand, he called his higherups and I was on my way. He didn't like it much and reminded me he'd never heard of such a thing....But, I was on my way WITH my six guns (rifles and handguns).

Your situation is a good time to do it by the rules.

Take care :)
 
If you want to drive it over the border and not even get a question, take it thru the Detroit/Windsor border. I lived there for 6 years and you could bring Sadam's whole family thru on the Partridge Family school bus, and they would not even bat an eye. :eek:

In fact they would roll out the magic carpet.. ;) And sing songs to ALLAH !!
 
Hahahahaha.....that's funny! Unfortunately, the car is near Ottawa, and that's a long chuck to Detroit. That would make for a very expensive shipping rate I'm afraid. Good idea, though....
 
If you are taking the car to KC it's not out of the way to go threw Detroit and Alexandria Bay is a relatively small entry point[read screwed up]Take it from an ex truck driver find another place to cross.
From Ottawa take 416 S to 401 E and stay on it to entry point to US at Detroit and no tolls and all 4 lane highway.
 
Originally posted by fubar2.5
If you are taking the car to KC it's not out of the way to go threw Detroit and Alexandria Bay is a relatively small entry point[read screwed up]Take it from an ex truck driver find another place to cross.
From Ottawa take 416 S to 401 E and stay on it to entry point to US at Detroit and no tolls and all 4 lane highway.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. Here's the rub, though: Because the car is so low mileage (547 original miles!), I don't want to drive it myself all the way back. Plus, the owner has graciously agreed to trailer the car across the border for me where my shipper will pick it up. I can't ask the guy to drive the car all the way to Detroit from Ottawa. Soooo, unless there are other ideas I'm not thinking of, my only choice is to be extorted by a broker to bring it in on a trailer. I guess I could have the guy just drive the car across, but I was hoping to avoid that...
 
Why not ask him to drive it across? When I bought mine in Toronto, he offered to drive it over the border.
 
I may just do that. I wasn't really hip on adding 200 miles to the odometer (increasing total mileage by 33%!! haha), but it may just be easier in the end.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

X
Buying a car in Canada and importing to the US
Replies
13
Views
1K
TIMINATOR
TIMINATOR
SETXTurbo
Help Diagnosing a Hard Contact Point/Noise
Replies
9
Views
822
AN/GSC-52
AN/GSC-52
T
Amazing 1986 Grand National
Replies
4
Views
2K
Tom Kelly
T
M
  • Locked
Anybody know how to buy a car from canada?
Replies
4
Views
630
Reapersgbodys
R
M
How can i import a car from canada to cali
Replies
7
Views
1K
gofstbuick
G
Top