I have been reading this forum as well as many other write ups on importing cars from the US and I still have a few question.

1. If I buy a car in state X, and there are a bunch of states between Ontario and X, can the car be driven back relatively easily?

2. If I don't use a broker like TFX to do it all for me, what happens when I get the car past customs in Canada. Do I have to put it on a trailer? Is there a "legal" way to drive it back with temp tags or something? What about insurance? Can I get temp insurance from my company (state farm) until I get the car registered?

3. Can someone confirm that the car is allowed to be in Canada for 45 days before it has to be registered? (After the RIV inspection?)

Thanks

 

1. Depends on the states. You have to check with each one that you are driving through.

2. Ask you insurance company and the provincial department of motor vehicles. The person at Canada Customs said to me that they don't care if the car is licensed or has insurance. So, in my case I could have driven the car across the border and into Canada with a temporary license from ICBC.

3. Call RIV.

 

1) Make sure you can get a temporary permit from the state you are purchasing it. Your dealer should be able to provide this.

2) See #1. Also, the dealers in the US (esp authorized ones), will ask you for insurance coverage and your driver's license before giving you a temporary plate. And the dealer (atleast mine) did verify with my insurnace company that I had coverage.

3) I've been driving mine around Toronto with my temporary plate without incident, even with police cruisers following me. As long as you have the Form 1 with you at all times, and ofcourse your insurance. Form 2 should arrive within 10 days, and you can get it registered for Ontario then.

*MAKE SURE* you submit the title to the US Customs office 72 hours beforehand and make sure you cross when they're open. Other than the points abovce, just read what's on the RIV site (www.riv.ca) and you'll be fine.

 

Note that certain states will demand a sales tax on purchase price to issue a temp permit. Florida & Connecticut are 2 that told me this. The others I checked all said no tax. You don't pay it if you ship the car out of state. Call the DMV of the state where you are looking.

Ian

 

Ohio charges sales tax too if you're not shipping it out of state.

 

I never got that far in Ohio. Alabama, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Illinois, New Jersey & New York are no tax, I believe - but check.

Ian

 

California too... argh...