E90Post
 


 
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > Regional Forums > Canada > Steps to import a car from the USA.



Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      03-09-2010, 11:55 PM   #1
jigga
First Lieutenant
Canada
30
Rep
334
Posts

Drives: 2013 X6 50i
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: toronto

iTrader: (1)

Exclamation Steps to import a car from the USA.

I've been getting quite a few PMs on this and since people couldnt locate my post in one of the other threads, I thought I would dedicate a new thread to it.

With the Canadian $ doing so well and BMW Canada being a little more relaxed with their requirements, it's become less difficult to import used cars. Not to mention, they are pretty damn cheap in the US.

here were the steps I took:

- found car ad online (ebay, actually)
- do as MUCH research as you can: carfax, autocheck... heck, I even Googled the VIN and found the previous owner of the car on E90post simply because he wrote his VIN number down in a vehicle order/tracking thread back in 2007! What are the friggin chances? Helped me out big time because I found out he really took care of the car and was the only owner.
- start talking with dealer
- drove to Cleveland to check out the car
- the dealership let me take it out for a few hours and drive it and have inspected.
- to my luck, there was a Firestone center just down the road that does free used car inspections and they checked my car out for free and said its in beautiful shape!
- went back to dealership and struck a deal. this basically involves leaving some form of deposit and then coming back and wiring them the money. if you have the money and go down with a check or bank draft/money order, I'm sure that works too.

Once your deal is done, before your new car gets on a flatbed for shipping to Canada or before you go down and drive it up, make sure you get insurance for it! The last thing you want is the car damaged in transit and you'll be SOL.



Transport:
Depending on where you buy from there are lots of automobile transport companies who will bring your car to you. If you go with a bonded carrier who brings the car all the way to you in Canada, it will cost more. I bought my car in Cleveland and had an auto transport company bring it to me in the Town of Niagara (on the US side). It only costed me $400 as opposed to the $900 it would have cost if I got Hansens, a popular Canadian bonded carrier to bring the car through the border and to my home in Toronto. Depends on your schedule and time. I had the time to go down to Niagara which is right across the border and meet the carrier there to take my car, so that's what i did. If you do this, see my notes below on getting the temporary permit.

at this point, the importing part comes in:

- Firstly and most importantly, you have to figure out which border crossing you will bring the car through. In Ontario, there are only 2: Lewiston and Detroit. The title and bill of sale have to be faxed to the location you cross through and must be there at least 72 hours before you cross. I strongly suggest you call this office and confirm that they received your documents at least 72 hrs before you go there. Otherwise, you may end up going and coming right back. Please note, this is all you need to get across the border. NOTHING else. EDIT: the way their phone system works is that when you call, nobody will answer. Do not try to call and speak to a live person because it will not happen. You have to call them and leave a message for them to call you back and they will call you back.

- When you buy the car, if you are not having it shipped over with a carrier/broker (a bonded carrier) who can cross the border with your car, you should make sure to apply for a temporary permit with the state you are buying from. It's only $20 for this and the DEALER will do it for you. This will allow you to drive the car across the border yourself, even though it has not yet been registered in Canada and it does not have any Canadian plates. This is what I didn't do when I was there and learned from my mistake!

- When you hit the border, you go into the US vehicle export office and show them YOUR copy of the bill of sale and the title. Make sure you go there with at least 3 copies of each, because they will want some. If you go there without photocopies, you will be forced to find an office in the same building who will make a photocopy for you and well, it's just a pain in the ass to ask people because Im sure idiots ask them all day long. Dont be one of those idiots. If you forget to make copies, be nice and ask one of the customs brokers offices to make one for you. Oh yeah, you will need your passport too! An officer will come out and have a look at the car, check the VIN and then send you on your way into Canada.

- once you have cleared the US vehicle export office you will roll up to the Canadian border. Let them know you have purchased that car and they may ask you to see a bill of sale. They will then send you into the office where you will fill out a "Form 1." This form will be used later, so hang on to it. On the form you will also indicate the price you paid for the car. Don't lie, because they do audit. The attendant will give you an invoice which charges you the 6.1% import tax on the car, as well as the A/C tax and the GST on the sale price. The current day's exchange rate is used to determine the value in Canadian Dollars. Then you will go over to the cashier and pay this total amount. Again, it is: 6.1% duty, A/C tax ($100) and GST on the vehicle.

- after that is paid, you are free to go. your next step is to register the vehicle with the RIV (registrar of imported vehicles). Firstly, you have to pay the RIV fee of $206. Then, you can email or fax a copy of your "recall clearance letter" and also, you will notice on the top right corner of your FORM 1, there is a number. That number has to be provided to the RIV. I forget if I did that in the same fax via a cover letter or if I told them on the phone, but chances are I had faxed that info along with the recall clearance letter.

- IMPORTANT info on getting the recall clearance letter: you can get this from BMW Canada and they will charge you $500 for it... OR... better off, the dealer that you purchase the vehicle can get it for you for FREE. My dealer was not even a BMW dealer. It was just some used car dealer, but they called up their local BMW dealer and had it faxed over. All you have to do is before you close up the deal with your dealer, just make sure with him that he can get you a copy of this letter because without it, you can't import the car. I'm sure they will get this letter for you.

- within a day or 2 of faxing/emailing the recall clearance letter to the RIV, they will email you back with an INSPECTION FORM. If they send you this, it means that your car obviously had no recalls or work to be done to it from a recall standpoint. The inspection form is a form you can take to your local Canadian Tire along with your new car and have them inspect it. You have 45 days to get the car inspected at Canadian Tire.
They will check for basic things, including the following:

- The vehicle must bear a manufacturer's valid U.S. Statement of Compliance (SOC) label at the time of import.
- Valid alpha-numeric 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN)
- Metric speedometer and odometer labels (provided by inspection centre)
- Daytime running lights
- Child restraint tether anchorage hardware kit
- Child restraint tether anchorage point locations
- French supplementary restraint system label for airbags that require periodic maintenance
- Air bag equipped vehicles are required to have functioning air bags at the time of inspection.
- If the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of the vehicle is less than 10,000 lbs. and the manufacture date is after September 1, 2007, it must be equipped with an electronic immobilizer system that meets Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 114.[/LIST]
- NOTES on Canadian Tire inspection: first off, it is free! Secondly... all recent American BMWs have a metric speedometer labels. Do not let any Canadian dealers sucker you into believing you need to change the whole display or cluster to pass Canadian inspection. I have heard that many dealers try to sucker clients when they go there to attain the recall clearance letter. They will tell you that you need to change the gauge cluster to comply with Canadian laws first and only then can they give you the letter. This isn't true. Just come see my car if you don't believe me.
The cluster costs about $1500. That's why they tell you that.
Also, Daytime running lights can easily be turned on using your iDrive or the stalk. AMerican cars don't have them running by default.

-If all of the above checks out (it did for me), then you will get a stamp on your inspection form and you can now proceed to getting your safety and emissions test done and then getting your plates.

-before you go to the licensing office to get your plates, you need to get a safety and an emissions test done and present the records at the MTO. I used the local Midas guys to get mine done.

-next step is to go to the MTO and get raped. Make sure you have all your documents with you: the title, bill of sale, the emissions and safety test papers, your insurance papers and the inspection form that was stamped by the Canadian Tire. They will charge you for the plates, obviously. They will also charge you the PST for the car. The rape occurs when they charge you PST on top of the GST you already paid. I didnt really care because at the end of the day, you still end up paying less than if you buy the car in Canada.


Once you get your plates, enjoy and be safe. The process is over and you're done. I know this sounds like a lot of work but really, it isn't. I would do it again considering the savings and I know it'd be a breeze since I've done it once already. It should be even easier for you because now you have my experience to learn from.

If you need more info, the web site for the Registrar of Imported Vehicles is http://www.riv.ca and you can feel free to PM me if I haven't answered any of your questions in this thread.

Hope this helps!

jigga



edit on april10/2010: i made a calculation error guys. you don't get charged PST on the GST that you paid. The amount of that you are charged PST on is the Canadian value of the car plus the $100 excise (a/c) tax. better than i thought

Last edited by jigga; 04-10-2010 at 04:21 PM..
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 12:55 AM   #2
dpwr
Captain
No_Country
35
Rep
852
Posts

Drives: a good one
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (0)

question, i heard if the car is made in north america you don't have to pay 6% and if it's made outside you do?
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 07:23 AM   #3
kaycar
Enlisted Member
Canada
5
Rep
45
Posts

Drives: Mineral Grey M4
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for the post Jigga. Very informative.
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 08:14 AM   #4
sathees siva
$*~TIVU EMPIRE~*$
sathees siva's Avatar
Canada
124
Rep
2,194
Posts

Drives: 2008 335i E92
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Toronto, Canada

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the Info. This will be helpful in the future. Not sure if rules will change by then...
__________________
Retired: 08 E92 335i
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 08:50 AM   #5
Saturn
Private First Class
Canada
4
Rep
177
Posts

Drives: E92 M3
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Toronto, Canada

iTrader: (0)

Thanks for the info.
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 08:51 AM   #6
bulldog_yyc
Major General
bulldog_yyc's Avatar
127
Rep
5,040
Posts

Drives: GT3RS
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: probably work

iTrader: (28)

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGl...3/s1D_BH5GkH8/

CND dollar should be improving by the summer.........
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 09:08 AM   #7
jigga
First Lieutenant
Canada
30
Rep
334
Posts

Drives: 2013 X6 50i
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: toronto

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by dpwr View Post
question, i heard if the car is made in north america you don't have to pay 6% and if it's made outside you do?
This is correct. If the car is built in North America, there are no duties to be paid.
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 09:12 AM   #8
jigga
First Lieutenant
Canada
30
Rep
334
Posts

Drives: 2013 X6 50i
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: toronto

iTrader: (1)

Please see the edit!
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 12:06 PM   #9
mekeni
Second Lieutenant
mekeni's Avatar
6
Rep
242
Posts

Drives: LCI E90
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: cowtown

iTrader: (4)

Good Job !

How much did you end up saving though, if you factor in everything (gas, food, flight, gst etc)?
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 12:37 PM   #10
MIC328i
Captain
MIC328i's Avatar
Canada
41
Rep
782
Posts

Drives: E90 M3
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Markham

iTrader: (18)

Wonderful writeup!!
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 01:22 PM   #11
f30Seth
Futuristic
f30Seth's Avatar
South Korea
23
Rep
774
Posts

Drives: f30 328i AW
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Seoul, Toronto

iTrader: (1)

Aren't X5s built in the states? Maybe someone who's trying to purchase a X5 should take an advantage of importing
__________________
2007 E92 335i Jet Black -RETIRED-
2013 F30 328i Alpine White
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 02:07 PM   #12
jigga
First Lieutenant
Canada
30
Rep
334
Posts

Drives: 2013 X6 50i
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: toronto

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by mekeni View Post
Good Job !

How much did you end up saving though, if you factor in everything (gas, food, flight, gst etc)?
Probably somewhere between $10k and $12k.
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 02:08 PM   #13
jigga
First Lieutenant
Canada
30
Rep
334
Posts

Drives: 2013 X6 50i
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: toronto

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by kaycar View Post
Thanks for the post Jigga. Very informative.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sathees siva View Post
Thanks for the Info. This will be helpful in the future. Not sure if rules will change by then...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Saturn View Post
Thanks for the info.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MIC328i View Post
Wonderful writeup!!
You're all welcome. I learn enough from this forum, just trying to give back.
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 02:19 PM   #14
Chiggy
First Lieutenant
Chiggy's Avatar
Canada
12
Rep
305
Posts

Drives: E92 335i, E70 4.8
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (1)

Great write up! Do you know where you can find more info on carry over of warranties, etc by manufacturers? I know BMW is transferrable and heard others aren't.
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 03:59 PM   #15
max_asdf
Private First Class
22
Rep
176
Posts

Drives: e90
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: ca

iTrader: (1)

whats the process when you buy from a private seller in the USA ? no dealer to get the clearance letter from .
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 06:54 PM   #16
jigga
First Lieutenant
Canada
30
Rep
334
Posts

Drives: 2013 X6 50i
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: toronto

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chiggy View Post
Great write up! Do you know where you can find more info on carry over of warranties, etc by manufacturers? I know BMW is transferrable and heard others aren't.
from what i know, BMW Canada honors the existing US warranties however they do not honor the free service (oil change etc.)

I don't know about other manufacturers.
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 06:55 PM   #17
jigga
First Lieutenant
Canada
30
Rep
334
Posts

Drives: 2013 X6 50i
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: toronto

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by max_asdf View Post
whats the process when you buy from a private seller in the USA ? no dealer to get the clearance letter from .
No clue about this. My guess is you can ask the seller to go to his BMW dealer and try to get it. If he can't, might not be worth it... and if the price is TOO good, then you gotta ask yourself why.

Personally, I wouldn't buy from a private seller in the US. You'd have even less recourse if something were to go wrong (compared to buying from a dealer).
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 08:05 PM   #18
CanadianDriver
Captain
99
Rep
614
Posts

Drives: P3D-
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Canada

iTrader: (0)

OP: Thanks for the write-up. Congrats on the new car and the money you saved!
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 08:41 PM   #19
BavFan_08
Dreamer
BavFan_08's Avatar
Canada
34
Rep
837
Posts

Drives: '12 E88 6MT | Ret '08 E90 335i
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: T.O. Canada

iTrader: (2)

Congrats on your new car!!! Thanks for the information!!!
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 09:22 PM   #20
MechUT
Captain
MechUT's Avatar
Canada
16
Rep
854
Posts

Drives: 06 SG 330i
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Mississauga

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2012 BMW 335i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by jigga View Post
The rape occurs when they charge you PST on top of the GST you already paid.
Nice...
... tax on a tax, on a used product that has already been taxed...
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 10:02 PM   #21
PBureno
Second Lieutenant
22
Rep
235
Posts

Drives: BMW
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Earth

iTrader: (0)

Excellent write-up!

Thanks!
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2010, 10:08 PM   #22
halB
Colonel
halB's Avatar
Canada
53
Rep
2,384
Posts

Drives: W211 E350 4M MkV GTI 987.2 S
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Just north of Toronto

iTrader: (0)

Sticky!!!!
__________________
07 E93 335i - Returned at lease end
09 W211 E350 4Matic Avant Garde - Blk/Blk, AMG pkg w/18". Sport Susp. F1 Asym. Debadged.
09 MkV GTI w/Leather & 18" Huffs. F1 Asym

10 987.2 S w/Leather sport seat, Sport Chrono, 19" Carrera S II wheels
Appreciate 0
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:23 AM.




e90post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST