Bringing US car back to Canada

[nedjel]

Has anyone bought a car in the US and brought it back to Canada?
I’m in Vancouver,BC and many private dealers are buying south and selling local from profit. I have checked a few dealerships in Washington and basically the same vehicle cost $7K less. Does anyone know of a good auto broker, who can assist with the border crossing and paperwork?

[cheap_Deal]

new or used car?
have heard you can save a lot on the new ones. but there was a thread about the warranty not being honored in Canada

[MkmBandit]

If its used why not do it yourself? Since you're in Van, take a trip down to seattle with a trailor, hitch it back to the border. I think they require up to 3 days to clear the vehicle, then you go back to the border, fill in the b15 forms, pay the tax and hitch it home. Very easy, done this with 3 cars now

http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/E/pub/cm/d17-1-3/d17-1-3-e.html

[cheap_Deal]

so the car has to be left at the border for 3 days? i didnt know that. i thought you could just drive the car back.

[MkmBandit]

How can you drive it back with no plates and insurance? With two of the three cars i've imported, they've had them cleared in one day. The third car took 3 days, which is how long Canada Customs claims they require for the clearance. Apart from that the only wait was filling out the forms which took about 4 hours (at Lewiston if I remember correctly)

[Phr3sh]

i believe you can do it yourself quite easily, its just a bit of paperwork

heres the link to find out more

www.riv.ca

If you buy new, the warranty for some automakers is not transferable but some are, you have to ask them specifically

Personally i think you get a better deal if you buy it about 1-2 years old

[visualmami]

I completed all the formalities a few weeks back to bring my vehicle from USA. Here is a webpage that lists the 'to do' and other stuff -
http://askthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/04/how-to-import-car-into-canada-w-bc.html

[cwb27]

Use the search function!

This has been discussed MANY times and I've made quite a few posts informing people of how the process works.

[nedjel]

If its used why not do it yourself? Since you're in Van, take a trip down to seattle with a trailor, hitch it back to the border. I think they require up to 3 days to clear the vehicle, then you go back to the border, fill in the b15 forms, pay the tax and hitch it home. Very easy, done this with 3 cars now

http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/E/pub/cm/d17-1-3/d17-1-3-e.html

Thanks MkmBandit, Unfortunately, I don’t have trailer. That would have been the best option.
I’m looking at 2006 Sienna. I guess I have to phone Toyota Canada and get a Recall Clearance letter or can the dealer I’m buying the car from do that?
Did you have to get temp insurance, in order to take to Canadian Tire? You can’t ICBC insure the car, before it passes inspection. I will be paying around $19,999. Does Canadian Border convert to CDN currency then apply the TAX?
How much is the duty? Do you only pay GST or PST? How much would you estimate is the total cost for duty, TAX, fees, inspection etc? Much appreciated

[cwb27]

Does Canadian Border convert to CDN currency then apply the TAX?
How much is the duty? Do you only pay GST or PST? How much would you estimate is the total cost for duty, TAX, fees, inspection etc? Much appreciated

Again.. Use the Search Function! But because I'm in a good mood.

Duty will be around 6.1% (It tends to fluctuate)

You pay GST at the border, PST when you register the car

Yes, the American dollar value you paid is converted to Canadian dollars THEN the tax is calculated.

Ppplleaseeee use the search function, I can promise you that probably almost every question you have has already been answered at least once.

[MkmBandit]

Thanks MkmBandit, Unfortunately, I don’t have trailer. That would have been the best option.
I’m looking at 2006 Sienna. I guess I have to phone Toyota Canada and get a Recall Clearance letter or can the dealer I’m buying the car from do that?
Did you have to get temp insurance, in order to take to Canadian Tire? You can’t ICBC insure the car, before it passes inspection. I will be paying around $19,999. Does Canadian Border convert to CDN currency then apply the TAX?
How much is the duty? Do you only pay GST or PST? How much would you estimate is the total cost for duty, TAX, fees, inspection etc? Much appreciated


Sorry man, I wish I could help you with this one but I can't. I believe there are certain brackets for the value of the goods being imported. In my case all 3 of my cars fell under the $10,000 bracket so your procedure 'may' be slightly different (in terms of the percentage taxed). Also all the cars i've brought back were salvage, so there was no chance of getting insurance, the trailor was the only option for me. In my case I had to get a salvage safety certificate before I could proceed with the final registration steps(which was done at the local DMV). Your process should be significantly easier.