Importing a car from Vermont, need a shipper and some help

[Speed_RaSiR]

hey guys,

Going to import a car from Vermont, I need to know who to use for shipping? Also are there any companies or agencies that take care of all the logistics and can get the damn thing across the border for you?

So let me see if I have it in the right order

- Arrange deposit on the the car
- Get bill of sale
- Fax to Montana border
- Insure the car and register it?
- Ship it
- Pick it up at the border (where? do you just arrange with shipping?)
- Pay duty etc
- When in Canada take it to Canadian Tire for federal inspection

What else did I miss?


I read Jaymes thread, for this part I just do it after????

- You will also need a written notice from the manufacturer of the vehicle stating that any recalls that may be in effect have been done to the car .. This letter does not include dealerships , so it could be a little pain in the ass. ( The only place I showed this was at Canadian Tire for the Federal Inspection , just contact the US car branch ) ( You can also get the seller to do this for you , the form can be faxed to the seller or the buyer.)

[GTS Jeff]

My advice...don't use Jay-Mez's thread as your sole guide. It has lots of helpful tidbits buried within misinformation from many different posters, plus the policies and regulations are always changing, so everyone has a different experience. The bottom line is that importing can be much more difficult than that thread would lead you to believe.

If I were you, I'd check out riv.ca and just go by that.

[Speed_RaSiR]

Who do you guys use to ship?

[Speed_RaSiR]

And are there any companies that handle everything for you?

[soloracer]

I know a guy in the Porsche club that uses a broker to clear his car through the border. Having said that, I don't know for sure if the broker will acquire all the paperwork for you (ie: recall letter, etc.)

The first step though should be to determine if the car you are importing is even allowed to be imported. Don't assume that because the car is sold here that you can automatically import one. For example, I saw a nice F355 GTB here a month or so ago however I also know that it's not on the RIV list of vehicles that are allowed.

Also, it's not the bill of sale that you fax to the border. You need to fax the Title - big difference as only the Title will show that the vehicle is free and clear of leins.

Personally, I would only send a deposit on the car and only send the rest when I have a 3rd party handle the transaction for me. I actually hired a lawyer in Utah to do the deal on my RX7 for me. He met with the owner, went to the bank with them to get the title cleared (as the bank still was on the title) and then held the car for me until I got down to pick it up. You may want to consider doing the same.

As for the recall letter, I would get it as soon as possible so that you know there are no issues to be dealt with. RIV gives you a time limit to get things done so why make things harder on yourself?

Oh, and listen to GTS Jeff as what he says makes the most sense.

[soloracer]

I also noticed that you just said "Montana Border" - you actually need to fax the title to the Whitlash crossing and your car should cross at Coutts/Sweetgrass which is designated as being the crossing that allows car importation. The US government has a worksheet that you must fill out. Here is a link with the information you need:

http://www.importcarcanada.com/main/index.php?page=8

I assume you are aware that the Title must be recieved at least 72 hours prior to crossing. It is important to note that these are to be 72 business hours - weekends don't count. Prior to going down to get the car I would call Whitlash to confirm that they have a copy of the title. It would suck to have them misplace the paperwork and find that out after you made the trip to the border.

[Team_Mclaren]

you need to search/ read up n riv / search more

[Speed_RaSiR]

I found these guys http://aa-auto.com/services.html they can take care of everything, they ship and take care of all the paperwork, you have to arrange a broker on the Canadian site but for everything the cost isn't that bad.

Have you guys had any experience with AA?