Does anybody have any insight or suggestions about buying a car from Canada? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou,
Help me out!! Is there a tax of some sort you have to pay or anyway of getting around it. I've heard if the seller brings it across the border you're OK. Thanks,
I get around it sending that direction by it being a gift. IE the package says "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" on it. But I don't know about comming in this direction. I wouldn't think you would pay a tarrif on a salvage item.
It is super easy to import a car into the US. I have sent two over the boarder and brought a couple into canada. You need to notify the port of entry on both sides that you are bringing a car over 72 hours in advance by faxing them a copy of the ownership and telling them when you are going to bring it over. Then just show up when you told them, with a bill of sale or sellers package of the car (depending on the province its coming from), and they will fill out the exportation forms and stamp them. You then go to the US side and do the same thing and pay the sales tax if any. And they will out your import form. Then you just go to your state with the import form and the original ownership and get it transferred into your name and get a new ownership from your state.
Is it a complete & driveable car, or a project? If it's driveable, do you plan to come up and drive it home? Also, what kind of car is it?
I brought one back from Canada into the states..... Had NO problems .... NO prior paperwork at all ..... drove up to customs,filled out the paperwork,showed the bill of sale ( MUCH less than the actual cost) .... They didn't even LOOK at at the car !!! My ONLY experience with doing this .. and it seemed simple !!! Getting it TITLED in Jersey was another story however ........ !!! Jersey Skip
I was told by a US Customs official that you need to send them the ORIGINAL ownership/title of the car. And make sure it is there 72 hours in advance of your arrival. If you are there at 71 hours, the pricks will make you wait an hour.
Thanks so much you guys. This info really helps out. So you only have to pay sales tax into the US?? This car does not run so it will be on a trailer.
The 72 hour paperwork rule is what the US side of the border needs when you are taking the car out of the states to check the title and such before they clear it as an export. Going into the states out of Canada would be a different story. When I brought my car into Canada I notified the US border in advance but just showed up at the Canadian side with my car and paperwork and other than sales tax had no problem -- Best advice is to look up the phone number for the exact border crossing you are going to cross (I phoned US customs at my local airport and they were able to supply me with the number for the US crossing I was coming through) and talk to the people who work the crossing you are coming over to avoid any confusion. Calling ahead never hurts.
According to US Customs as of a few weeks ago...they wanted it to import a car into the US also... i would call the boarder crossing you are going to use and find out exactly what they want.