Hey Guys,

I am thinking of importing a 2006 Cayenne.

The buyer offered to drive the car up to Montreal for me. My question is: " How does this effect the import to do list? Do i still have to go the border for paperwork?

Also, the Cayenne's speedomoter is in MPH, what do I have to do to make it conform?

thanks,
sam

 

Yes, I think you will need to go to the border to complete your paperwork. You need to go to the US Export Office (on the US side) to get your export clearance paperwork and then to the Canada Customs (on the Canadian side) to pay your GST & Duty. BTW, you will need to submit the papers via fax to US Export Office at least three business days before you take the car across the border. You may want to go down to where the buyer is and drive the car up yourself.

As for the speedometer, you should be able to leave it in MPH. There should also be a digital speed display which should be easily converted from MPH to KmPH and that should be enough for you to pass inspection (along with the DRL's). I did the same on my 911 (I'm assuming that the Cayenne has a digital speed readout somewhere).

 

check with the US border crossing about faxing title. some crossings require actual title document 3 days in advance (won't accept fax). You will need actual title when you cross if they accept a fax.

 

can anyone check the redbook value for me? I called the local library and the guy seemed lost on the phone.

 

You'll need to present the car at the border when completing the paper work.

 

You can have them drive the car to the champlain border crossing and meet you at the peterbuilt truck stop that is just passed the border on the US side.

They will charge you $7 to park it. They lock it up and it will be in good company with some other nice cars waiting to cross the border.

Deliver the original title along with 2 additional copies of both sides of the title and a copy of the bill of sale to the US export control office. YOU CAN NOT FAX you can fed-ex originals if that works for you.

Leave the car at truck stop for 72 hours or more and then pick it up. When you return to export control they will give you back your paperwork and stamp the title which is required for the import.

The export control office is opened 6AM to 8PM.

I assume you are aware of all of the other details re RIV etc. If not there is lots of info on the RIV web site. I imported a 91 so it was RIV exempt.

I got a temporary tag in New Jersey where the car was so I was able to drive it home from the border. Not sure how you will get it home if you don't have a temporary. You can't get one from Quebec until you pass the border and even then it is only a 12 hour temporary which is completely ridiculous in my opinion.

Good luck

 

Very informative...!

 

Just did it last month so it is fresh in my mind!

 

I am not sure if I will go down to pick it up to make things simpler, or have him drive it up. Will figure that out. If he drives it up, I will have to take a drive down to the US Border to present the paperwork.

Now I have some new questions:

1) Is there a specific form for bill of sale, since it is a private sale? Or can it be a 1 paragraph document drafted by me and signed by me and the seller?

2) The seller says he has a loan to pay off on the car and he needs me to pay him 1st topay off the loan. How do I pay him and not have any risk of getting screwed? SHould I just go to the bank with him and pay them directly, and then have him "sign over the title" to me? Please advise.

3) "The title" another foreign term for us Canadians. IS this a registration that he needs to give me, sign it and give it to me or what?

4) Finally, for the plates. The seller said I can leqave his on untill I get my new ones, or atleast to drive up...is this a problem?

thanks guys for all the help!

FYI...the truck is going thru PPI tomorrow.....crossing my fingers!

 

I used a template that you can get from the Microsoft word templates. Go to Microsoft downloads and search for bill of sale. The border was happy with this form.

MAKE SURE that the title is clear and there are no leans on the car before paying him ANYTHING. Not sure how this is done but if not you can get screwed. You may want to ask that question to some US members as I am sure the process will be the same for you as them. Clear title with no leans is one of the things they check at export control and you don't want any issues with this as they can impound the car and who knows what it takes to break it out.

Title is proof of ownership in most states in the US. You have to make sure that the person you are buying it from has a clear title for the car. It has to have his/her name as the owner. Export control may call the person on the title to make sure that they are aware of the transaction. The title process varies from state to state but normally there is an area on the title to indicate that the title is being transferred and to who. You have to make sure that this part of the title is blank and will be filled in with your information. Along with the bill of sale you both sign the title transfer area and the car is yours.

 

Thanks MHR for all your help.....1 more (for now):
for the plates. The seller said I can leqave his on untill I get my new ones, or atleast to drive up...is this a problem?

 

Don't know. Call the license bureau in whatever state it is plated in and ask. They asked me for the Temporary Reg at the Canadian border because I was driving it so you want to make sure it is legal to drive with his plate.

 

Call the bank that has the lien on the car. Confirm any details that the seller gave you and, if you want, pay the bank directly. They, technically, own the car and won’t release the title until it’s fully paid (sorry for stating the obvious).

Make sure the seller doesn’t cancel the plates behind your back. Best to get your new plates as soon as possible.
Edit: A friend and I imported a car using the seller's plates. No issue at the border. Alternatively, you can get a temp plate from the state license bureau.

 

I would get a 30 day temp plate form the states. Which is a sticker for your car.

I found out the hard way when my US plates were cancelled!!!

Towing and a ticket from officer freindly

Good luck

 

Here's what I suggest.

Have the seller make arrangements to sell the car to the dealer. Have the dealer CPO it, negotiate a nominal cost for the administration, have them activate the DTRLs, print the recall letter, and deal with the lien.

Last I heard, a dealer with a good relationship should charge $300-500 for the paperwork fee, $2000-$3000 for the CPO (good investment) and then maybe 1 hour labour to activate the DTRLs and print the recall letter. (recall letters usually cost $1000 in Canada because they claim it requires a complete inspection of the car and DTRL activation through a dealer is about $300).

The most important part of this is that you have the security of dealing with a company and not a private party with a lien and some other complications. Only thing you should know is that in order to qualify for a CPO the car will need to meet some requirements regarding condition of components such as tires and maintenance.