Importing a 80 into Canada (1 Viewer)

[87 HJ60]

I'm in the process of getting my first 80 series Land Cruiser (currently own 2 HJ60's).
Has any of you guys in Canada imported a 80 from the US into Canada. Did you experience any problems registering it? Here in Ontario it's required to have a safety check. Now my question is the daytime running light system required for the safety check? I don't think the '93 US spec 80 series have them.
If I do require to integrate the daytime running lights what would I have to do??
Any help for a 80 newb would be appreciated.

 

[trk204]

My importation went pretty smooth. Here's how I remember mine going down.

1. Get VIN
2. Call toyota USA and ask for a letter certifying all recalls are up to date.
3. Wheel and deal with seller.
4. Once done, have seller fax a copy of the title and sales paperwork to the US border crossing you plan on crossing, min 72 hours ahead of time.
5. Call US border office a couple hours later to confirm receipt of fax.
6. 72 hours later, stop at the US customs office, take your sales paperwork and the ORIGINAL title. They can be very sticky on the title, so make sure the seller has his original or can get one easily. When I bought mine, the PO's bank from a previous state he lived was the title holder. So it made it interesting.
7. Cross into the Canadian side, tell the window guy you're importing a vehicle, go inside.
8. The CBSA guy will ask you where you bought it from, how you found it etc. The girl dealing with me even tracked down the mud thread of the fzj I bought! So don't fudge the value when declaring . Here you'll pay a whack of fees, RIV import fee, gst/pst/hst etc.
9. CBSA will give you a special form (forget it's name) to get the ball rolling on the federal safety, you need to contact RIV and tell them the year/model etc. They will then send you a list of whatever you need to do for it to pass the safety. My 97 just required the DRL mod.
10. Do whatever the RIV paper says, call Canadian Tire and ask for the Imported vehicle inspection.
11. Do whatever provincial safety/smogging is required.
12. Pay far too much insurance and have fun

I'm pretty sure that was about how it went about a year and a half ago when I got my 1997 fzj from Salt Lake City.

 

[daveb1016]

importing from US

I have imported 3 80's in total.....a 93,96 and a 97.

Check out RIV.ca for detailed info on how to import them.

modifications required were limited to daytime running lights....about 40 bucks...

title for the vehicle you are buying needs to be the US port you will be crossing into, 72hours prior to the vehicles arrival at that port.

You will need a recall clearance letter from Toyota USA. There is no fee for this letter. This letter states that any recalls issued for this vehicle have already been taken care of.

The paperwork is not a big deal. Not worth paying a broker to deal with it.

Once you arrive at the US port with your vehicle, you have enter the US Border Services office, and they wil inspect the vehicle and stamp the title making it eligible for export into Canada.

You then declare the vehicle at Canada Customs, where they will inspect the vehicle and charge you the RIV fee, GST, A/C tax and duty.

As the 80 series are manufactured in Japan, you will have to pay 6.1% duty on the purchase price.

Customs will also fill out paperwork for you that gets forwarded to RIV, and then they will send you a package. You will have to have the vehicle inspected at a approved site (all Canadian Tire Stores) and you will have to ensure that form gets back to RIV.

Once RIV send you the final paperwork, you go to the MTO and pay the PST, pay for your plates and register your vehicle.

The one thing you have to watch out for is that it states specifically on the RIV inspection form that you get filled out by the inspection site, that a Modified vehicle cannot be passed for the inspection.

Cheers

Dave

 

[Stone]

I imported my FJ80 from Oregon without any issues. Did the inspection through Crappy Tire just because they were convenient.

I installed the Hamsar DRL bought from Crappy Tire according to the info in this thread (the wiring colurs were the same for my 91): https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-...-running-lights-canadian-tire-hamsar-kit.html

I just hooked up the headlights and not the parking lamps...that way the dash lights aren't on all the time. Passed my inspection, and promptly removed the DRL...lol.

 

[87 HJ60]

Thanks for the info. !!
A couple of question though.
1. When you say "a modified vehicle". What is the definition of modified?? Does a suspension lift, bigger tires and wheels be considered modified?
2. What are your thoughts on using a transport company to delivery the vehicle and handle all the customs and boarder paperwork?

 

[Stone]

Mild lift and 33" tires, I wouldn't worry about it. Anything bigger, I'm not sure.

As far as paying someone to do the paperwork...the first time I imported a cruiser I did it myself. This last time, I flipped a guy (retired cop) $100 to do the paperwork and legwork for it, and that worked out well too. There really isn't all that much involved as long as you read and plan ahead.

 

[Kaoscruizer]

I don't know Stone .. I wouldn't say a mild lift is ok. Depends on the person at the window and the Crappy tire mechanic. Both can tell you to remove it. As far as my experience goes, very few make it through customs with a lift kit on. I wouldn't take the chance, too big of a hassle. I brought mine up last year bone stock. Very easy process as stated above and the BIG benefit now is the dollar at PAR!

go for it!!

Stone ... what's going on with the RHD hoopla in BC? I see Quebec has started the process of eliminating RHD vehicles from their roads.

I had a beautiful BJ74, but ditched it when my insurance company stated that they wouldn't cover the full value of it. $20K is a lot of dough to spend on a rig that no one wants to insure.

sorry for spoiling the thread .. back to the fun! go get that cruiser dude!

 

[ForealBoreal]

talk to crushers.
hes got the ups on ontario.

 

[Stone]

I don't know Stone .. I wouldn't say a mild lift is ok. Depends on the person at the window and the Crappy tire mechanic. Both can tell you to remove it. As far as my experience goes, very few make it through customs with a lift kit on. I wouldn't take the chance, too big of a hassle. I brought mine up last year bone stock. Very easy process as stated above and the BIG benefit now is the dollar at PAR!

go for it!!

Stone ... what's going on with the RHD hoopla in BC? I see Quebec has started the process of eliminating RHD vehicles from their roads.

I had a beautiful BJ74, but ditched it when my insurance company stated that they wouldn't cover the full value of it. $20K is a lot of dough to spend on a rig that no one wants to insure.

sorry for spoiling the thread .. back to the fun! go get that cruiser dude!

You should see GregB's white FZJ80 that he brought up from Cali...lifted and armored with 35" tires...I guess it depends on who's at the window, as you have said. Realistically, what's the Crappy Tire mechanic going to tell you? Put smaller tires back on? Unless something looks unsafe, my bet is it's not going to be an issue. Even if it is, lots of stock springs sitting around at wreckers that can be swapped in pretty quick with a Hi Lift...

Haven't been up on the RHD battle for a while...I still see lots and lots of them around...heck, a guy in a RHD Toyota 5 ton followed me home a few weeks ago to chat because he couldn't figure out how I got a LHD diesel 80...lol. I'm guessing that ICBC at this point is just writing off any RHD that gets into any accident.

 

[Kaoscruizer]

Really! .. Greg made it through with that?? wow. Makes me rethink which border I go through next time I want to buy a lifted rig! The CBSA nazi's here are pretty thorough.

Glad to see they have laid off the RHD stuff. It would be a shame to lose the right to buy them and drive them here. There really are some sweet JDM rigs kicking around.

Thanks for the info Stone ..

 

[daveb1016]

instructions on the RIV inspection form is for the inspection site to call RIV if vehicle has been modified, as modified vehicles are inadmissible.

roll the dice.....

 

[87 HJ60]

From what I understand the RIV registration program only applies to vehicles 15 years of age or newer.
The vehicle I'm planning on getting is a 1993. So from what I understand from reading in the Registrar of Imported Vehicles website is that the one I'm looking at is exempt.

RIV exemptions
Vehicles are exempt from the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) registration if they are imported under one of the following conditions:

Vehicles older than 15 years
The vehicles (excluding buses) are 15 years old or more based on the date of manufacture, or are buses (including school buses) manufactured before January 1, 1971. The importer must be able to prove the age of the vehicle.

But I still have to get a regular safety inspection and emissions test before I can register the vehicle at the Ontario MTO office.
Am I correct on this...??

 

[Stone]

The inspection that I had done at Crappy Tire was a Provincial Safety inspection...which was required by ICBC for registration. The inspection facility gave me a decal after passing, and the decal was applied to the back of my inspection form and just needed to be shown to the insurance broker and didn't need to be applied to my windshield.

IIRC, I didn't need to go through Aircare the first time the I registered my FJ80 in Canada. I needed to take it through Aircare and pass before being able to renew my insurance, but by that time, I already swapped it to diesel. Don't know what the particular requirements would be for Ontario though...

 

[option13]

Attention all Americans!!!
Are we going to allow these Canadians (not that there's anything wrong with that) to take our LandCruisers?
What's next......our women?

 

[87 HJ60]

I'll trade you one of my Canadian HJ60's (diesel and H55F) for one of your rust free US Land Cruisers...

Attention all Americans!!!
Are we going to allow these Canadians (not that there's anything wrong with that) to take our LandCruisers?
What's next......our women?

 

[option13]

I guess those Canadian winters really wreak havoc on Cruisers.
Anyway, good luck and enjoy that 80.

 

[IanB]

From what I understand the RIV registration program only applies to vehicles 15 years of age or newer.
The vehicle I'm planning on getting is a 1993. So from what I understand from reading in the Registrar of Imported Vehicles website is that the one I'm looking at is exempt.

RIV exemptions
Vehicles are exempt from the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) registration if they are imported under one of the following conditions:

Vehicles older than 15 years
The vehicles (excluding buses) are 15 years old or more based on the date of manufacture, or are buses (including school buses) manufactured before January 1, 1971. The importer must be able to prove the age of the vehicle.

But I still have to get a regular safety inspection and emissions test before I can register the vehicle at the Ontario MTO office.
Am I correct on this...??

True, RIV process is only for vehicles 15 years old or newer.

 

[87 HJ60]

But seriously, would a Old Man Emu 3" lift, 33" tires and custom front and rear bumpers be considered 'modified'??

 

[Stone]

But seriously, would a Old Man Emu 3" lift, 33" tires and custom front and rear bumpers be considered 'modified'??

The worst that can happen is that the inspector fails you for those things, and you have to remove them to get the truck through Provincial inspection...then you can reinstall them again. Those items are not very difficult to re-re. I doubt you'll have issues...they are "usually" looking for things like DRL, worn belts and brakes, seatbelts, broken glass and lenses, etc. Unless it's a totally unsafe looking booty fab lift, which the OME isn't, chances are they won't be issues.

If you absolutely don't want any troubles, I guess you could go through the effort of putting in all stock stuff before you go for your inspection just to guarantee that it will pass...but if it were my truck, I would just make sure mechanically everything is good and then take it in.