I just did this a few weeks ago. Bought a used 335 (2009) in Central Florida. It was very time-consuming thanks to a LOT of trial and error with insurance, funds transfer and license plate issues. Simply put: the majority of people you contact for help have no frickin' clue what they're doing. Be patient. The car will be totally worth it.
Here were my detailed steps after test driving the car and negotiating a price:
1. Called RIV. They told me I needed a Warranty Vehicle Inquiry, daytime running lights and a speedometer in kilometres. The DRL was a checkbox in iDrive. Speedometer had both km/miles already.
2. I contacted BMW Grand River in Kitchener. They e-mailed me the Warranty Vehicle Inquiry PDF in minutes, no charge. I bounced the PDF to RIV, they replied with an approval.
3. Contacted my insurance company in Canada. It took a few HOURS on the phone to sort this out, but they were finally able to insure a car that wasn't yet registered in Canada. Had to fax them a copy of the bill of sale and send them a picture of the VIN plate for them to process it.
4. Another few hours on the phone with my bank (RBC). Getting a wire transfer initiated from Canada by me while in the United States was a no-go. In the end, I opened a free online account with RBC Bank (US) to transfer the funds. Cost me $25 in wire transfer fees. The dealership had the money the next day.
5. Picked up the car. The dealership charged me $31.50 (it's $7.50 directly from the DMV) for the temporary Florida plate. It was valid for 28 days.
6. Faxed the title document (provided by the dealer) to the Vehicle Import/Export Department at the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit. They require a fax confirmation page -- so get one! They're also open 24 hours/7 days, unlike Buffalo.
7. Enjoyed driving my new purchase all the way up I-75.
8. Presented the vehicle, title, release of liens document and the fax confirmation page to the nice folks on the US side in Detroit. They stamped them all. I was in and out in 15 minutes, most of that time spent waiting for security to let me in and out of their gated compound.
9. Claimed the vehicle as a purchase with Canada Customs in Windsor. Showed the Bill Of Sale. Got the yellow slip and was sent inside to the secondary inspection area.
10. Paid 6.1% duty, as the vehicle is not covered under NAFTA (made in Germany). Paid GST. Paid the $100 air conditioning enviro fee. (??!) Paid $195 + tax for RIV fee.
***NOTE: They will charge you the taxes/duty on the full out-the-door price. (eg: purchase price + dealer delivery fee + battery fee + document handling fee + tag/title/registration fee + state sales tax.)
I felt a tad screwed at this point, but I ended up with a spiffy RIV Form 1 and a "Casual Goods Importing Document."
11. Received RIV Form 2 link via e-mail. Printed and took it and RIV Form 1 to the only non-Canadian Tire location near me for the compliance check. He kept RIV Form 2 and stamped my RIV Form 1.
12. Took it to a local shop for the Safety Inspection ($70 + $15 for certificate) and Drive Clean ($35).
13. Brought everything to the MTO. They needed to see the RIV Form 1, Safety Certificate, Drive Clean and the Casual Goods Importing Document forms.
14. Bought a front license plate holder from the dealership for $45.
That's it! Tedious as hell, but well worth it. Even after being taxed twice, I'm still ahead by a few grand.
Any questions? PM me and I'll be happy to help out.
Cheers,
Craig