Importing U.S. Cars

[milani]

Does anyone have any information/experiece on importing cars from the U.S. into Canada? I'm looking to import a Porsche 944 Turbo, and am wondering if anyone knows the ins and outs of getting it into Canada, paperwork at the border, etc. Any help would be very appreciated!

[pump_man]

this is a good start. http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html. I am currently bringing in a '99 540i M-Sport 6 spd. So far it has been pretty easy and if you pick a good carrier and broker, they take of most of the details. Quite a few hidden costs to look out for (for example, you pay GST on the import duty and all the recalls have to be up to date before importation). There is also 2 levels of inspections to perform once the vehicle is in Canada, the first being federal safety (daytime running lights, etc.) and the second, provincial road worthiness, so bank on some more cash for the inspections and bringing the car up to snuff. Watch out for the year of the vehicle, there are limitations. Good luck and have fun.

[milani]

My car would be more than 15 years old, the inspections are not a concern as I have that all figured out. What I'm concerned with is getting the car across the border in the first place. What do you mean when you say carrier and broker? Who are you using, and what do they charge? How do you know that recalls have been up to date, where did you get the recall clearance letter (and how did it confirm that your car specifically had all the recall work done?)? Thanks!

[pump_man]

I used a vehicle transportation company (American Auto Transport or try Hanson's) to haul the car from Boston. They arranged the broker who is taking care of the border details. They are doing the appropriate paper work and paying the GST and duty on my behalf. The carrier is costing me $2150 and the broker is a deal at $150.00. You can get the recall letter from the manufacturer, they track it via the S/N.

[milani]

Thanks. I'll see what I can work out, and I'll keep you posted on progress!

[sovereign]

US Auto Import - Import a Car into Canada