Any Canadians have any exp importing 80s/450s from the US??

[trk204]

Hey guys, does anyone have any experience importing 80s or 450s into Canada from the US? I had a look at the gov site, and it sounds like there shouldn't be any issues with the model years.

Any gotchas "Canadianizing" it before going to Canadian Tire for the final inspection? Stuff like daytime running lights, baby seat anchors etc.

Thanks

Ryan

 

[doug_w]

Brought one back last year, it's a pretty straight forward process. Everything you need is on the riv.ca website. The only thing Can. Tire told me to do was the daytime running lights. Their inspection took all of 2 minutes. You have to get an out of province inspection as well.

Good Luck,
Doug

 

[Chris Wilcox]

I had the same experience as above in New Brunswick. Pretty straight forward.
Chris

 

[cody c]

if you are in the US for 2 weeks you can deduct $750 more from declarable importation.

The US inspection was super easy, all i did was fax a copy of title to the proper customs a few days in advance and pay some money on the canadian side.

DRL was all they were looking for in the inspection and general running condition.

What end of canada you at?

 

[too tall]

Just imported one about a month ago . DRL's are needed for the inspection . 93 and earlier don't need a federal inspection(15yrs old) . There is a $100.00 charge for a/c equipped vehicles and you'll have to pay duty as they were made in japan . Good Luck .

 

[trk204]

I've heard rumblings that you need a toyota letterhead notice for customs declaring that all recall work has been done aswell? Anyone have any issues with that? And what was the going rate on duty for Japanese imported goods? ~14%?

And thanks for the replies guys.

And I'm out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I was thinking of driving something from somewhere that gets a little warmer winters then we do back here

Ryan

 

[McCulloch]

I imported my 97 lx450 from the US a year ago. Clearance letter was required and supplied via fax from Lexus USA at no charge. 6% duty as vehicle was manufactured in Japan. PST and GST applied as well as $100.00 air conditioning excise tax. Take it to Canadian Tire and have DRL module installed and federal/out of province inspection done. Sounds complicated but really very easy.

 

[jasonmt]

I've heard rumblings that you need a toyota letterhead notice for customs declaring that all recall work has been done as well?

The RIV website is actually quite clear and concise, I trust you have read all of the information there?



There are three types of recall clearance information acceptable to RIV:

• A letter from the manufacturer’s U.S. or Canadian head office, written on company letterhead, stating clearly that there are no outstanding recalls for the vehicle. This letter must be dated and duly signed by an authorized employee of the manufacturer, along with his/her name and position within the company. The letter must include the vehicle identification number, make, model and model year. If the manufacturer's logo does not appear on the letter, it will not be accepted. RIV routinely forwards a copy of these letters to the manufacturer for authentication.
• A printout from an American or Canadian dealership’s vehicle service database. This document must be produced by an authorized dealer and not a reseller. You can confirm whether or not a dealership is authorized by visiting the manufacturer’s web site or by calling the manufacturer’s head office and providing them with the location of the dealership in question. The printout must also contain the 17-digit vehicle identification number, year, make and model of the vehicle and with no indication of an outstanding recall. RIV routinely forwards copies of these printouts to the manufacturer for authentication.
• Some manufacturers make their recall information available on their public web sites; if this is the case, RIV will verify the information and release the inspection form.

 

[trk204]

Ok, just one more question. On the riv.ca website. They say you need a [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Univers,Zurich BT][SIZE=-1]statement of compliance label. Would that just be a proper VIN label in the door jam? [/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[rdang]

Just one more thing I would like to add (applies to MODIFIED vehicles)... after I imported my 80 to Canada and got all the paperwork done, my insurance company would not insure it. Check with your insurance company and make sure they will insure the modified vehicle.

I actually called before I imported and they said it would be fine... when I finally got the vehicle here, they said the wouldn't insure it. It was my word against theirs but obviously they stuck with their policies. I had to cancel all my insurance with them (2 other vehicles and house insurance) and go with a different company.

Just a heads up.

 

[jasonmt]

Ok, just one more question. On the riv.ca website. They say you need a [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Univers,Zurich BT][SIZE=-1]statement of compliance label. Would that just be a proper VIN label in the door jam? [/SIZE][/FONT]

There are two compliance labels involved, the original one stating that the vehicle met US requirements:

RIV will supply you with a new label when the process has been completed:

 

[d0ubledown]

i imported mine from WA back in march. pretty simple, although i was lucky since the vehicle i bought was only half hour away. its a pretty straightforward process, just time consuming. in a nutshell:

-get clearance letter from toyota/lexus USA. call the # on the riv.ca site. provide vin #. i called for mine monday, i think i got it by midweek.

-get clear title

-get bill of sale (basically a form/receipt that states buyer/seller name, price, vin # etc.). we got ours witnessed & signed by sellers bank when he deposited the certified cheque.

-fax copies of these to the customs port which you're planning on going through. takes 3 business days for them to process. i called them on the 3rd day just to confirm theyve processed it.

-obtain operating permit from state which you're bringing the truck from if youre planning on driving it over. also obtain temp permit from your provincial dmv or registrar. you wont be able to register/insure it immediately, so maybe get a multi day temp permit.

-go to US customs, and get your form stamped for OK to export.

-go to canada customs, present your stamped form1, title, bill of sale. pay the taxes PST, GST, 6 (.5 i think?) duty. $100 a/c fee, and RIV fee. go home, install DRL module from canadian tire, ensure they work properly. the federal inspection from CT consists of vin # check, drl check, and a no airbag light when motor running. thats it. theyll mail (ask them to fax immediately) the federal inspection pass form to riv. contact riv and request your inspection letter to come via email. took me 2 days i think. print off the letter they send you. this allows you to get a provincial inspection. ensure ebrakes work, lights are DOT approved, tires are good, glass isnt cracked, etc etc. once you pass that, you can then go ahead and register & insure your truck...



...or you can pay someone the $1000-1500 to broker it for you...so you dont have to do all the leg work.

good luck on your search. crappy time to import now though with our crappy dollar. i was lucky to get mine when our dollar was at par...but even only 7 months ago cruisers were going for MUCH more than they are now...

 

[OPUS1]

So as Too Tall is suggesting - if I'm planning to bring back a 1992 -which is more than fifteen years old I don't need the federal inspection? So what do I do just breeze thru the border crossing and only pay the tax(I'm planning to tow bar it back). Am I correct in assuming this or are there any other considerations.

Thanks

 

[trk204]

Where is the stock location for the US compliance label? I should probably confirm its there

I'm going to be driving through a bunch of states on the way back, my insurance carrier said I won't need any plates on it, just the temporary insurance slip they will fax me. Technically, would I need to get a operating permit for each state I cross?