Buying new vehicle driven to Calgary by US resident?

[GREENBOY]

Here's a question for anyone with any knowledge of importing or buying US vehicles in Alberta. Kind of a tricky one.

My Dad lives in the U.S. and I'm proposing he buys a new vehicle for cash down there and drives it up here for a vacation in Calgary and sell it to me while he's here. So not technically importing it, just buying from a visitor. Anyone have any advice or see any obvious floors with this plan? Ha. It sounds good to me but not sure what hoops I'd need to jump through to make it a reality? Any advice on this one?

[pheoxs]

Originally posted by GREENBOY
Here's a question for anyone with any knowledge of importing or buying US vehicles in Alberta. Kind of a tricky one.

My Dad lives in the U.S. and I'm proposing he buys a new vehicle for cash down there and drives it up here for a vacation in Calgary and sell it to me while he's here. So not technically importing it, just buying from a visitor. Anyone have any advice or see any obvious floors with this plan? Ha. It sounds good to me but not sure what hoops I'd need to jump through to make it a reality? Any advice on this one?

If you ever want to drive it here, under your name, you will need to insure and register it. To register it you will need an OOP, and RIV inspection, which also means importing it, and paying GST and fees.

Just because the car is physically here, doesn't make it any different for buying a vehicle from the states. You could buy a car in the states, lie about it, and get across the border into Canada, but you still can't just go and register it.

[GREENBOY]

I figured it might not be as straightforward as I'd hoped it might be. Thanks for the info. Still easier than having to go down there myself and source and drive a vehicle back up here so might still look further into it. Wouldn't mind doing all the import paperwork etc so much when the vehicle is physically sat in my driveway waiting to be driven.

[Cos]

I remember a thread about this. AFAIK you need to have documentation at the border so even if you buy it in Calgary you would have to send the paperwork to the border. Drive down, cross, turn around, and 'import' the car.