I am considering purchasing a car that is located in Alberta, Canada. Has anyone bought a Canadian car recently? Are there any government regulations that would make this more of a hassle than its worth? Can I simply hire an American auto transporter to pick up the car and deliver it here to New York?

Thanks for your help.

Richard

 

I don't believe it's that difficult...Your hurdle would be Customs (and the associated tax they will levy)...I know if I was bringing a car into Canada it would be alot easier if the car was 15 years old or older...I don't know why...

You should be able to locate a government site which should answer most of your questions...Where in Alberta is the car (just curious...I can't fit anymore into my garage)

 

I bought my car in the US and brought it to Canada, and it wasn't that difficult if you do your homework first. Contact Canadian Customs Canada Customs and US Customs US Customs, they should be able to give you an idea as to what you need to do.

It wasn't a big deal because I had all the info beforehand. If you show up without knowing what needs to be done, you might be sitting at the border for a while. (US Customs has a mandatory 72 hour waiting period for exporting from the US to Canada). I don't know if it works the same the other way.

Good luck with it.

ColinM 86 951

 

Mike: Edmonton.

Colin: Thanks for the custom services links. I don't think it should be a problem at all, as I understand that Porsche cars manufactured for North America (US & Canada) are the same, so emission (US/EPA) standards are not a problem (there is probably an english language manufacturer's sticker soemwhere on the vehicle). The US import duty shouldn't amount to much either.

Thank you both. I'll let you know if I wind up adding this Porsche to keep my '87 911 company.

Richard (New York/USA)

 

Whoa! Not so sure it is that easy. To the best of my knowledge you MUST hire a registered importer to bring a car into the US. It should not be too complicated since the cars are essentially identical save speedo markings. But I do not think it is as easy as just hauling it over. The pitfall to the best of my knowledge is that the government wants the RI to take responsibility for the changes made. They also handle all paperwork. Better look closer, it may be more costly than you think.

 

My understanding is that in 2000/1? new legislation got passed that made it so that you only had to get a car to pass emissions to bring it in. But I still don't know what you have to go through.

 

Like i said, I brought mine from the US to Canada, and it was fairly simple because I did the homework beforehand....I didn't research it the other way around, so I don't know how it works. US Customs should clear that up for you...

In Canada, Customs and the Dept of Transportation have contracted "The Registry of Imported Vehicles" to do most of the importation work/inspections, etc. Since my car was just over 15 years from date of manufacture, it was exempt from the R.I.V. But you still have to make sure your car can be brought to Canada without modification, through the Dept of Trans. For any of you Canadians contemplating doing this, the Can. Customs website has links to the D.O.T. and R.I.V. websites.

Confused??? I was until I ended up calling them all several times. After doing it once I figure I should offer an online tutorial to finance future work on my 951! LOL

My initial warning still stands...Do the homework first, and avoid a headache at the border.

Check the US Customs website, and call them if you don't understand the "legal gobbledygook"

Good luck!
ColinM 86 951