Importing a car from the US to Canada.

I just recently imported my car from the US to Canada. I wrestled with whether or not it was worth it, but I came to the conclusion that it was in my case...I got the car for one dollar and the car is in great condition. If you are thinking about importing a car, you might want to consider all that you have to go through before doing it. Hope this helps:

At Canada/US border
-car is inspected.
-wasn’t a big deal. I had my car completely full and they didn’t unpack everything. Perhaps because it was a smaller border crossing.
-You will sign several forms and will get your Vehicle Import Form – Form 1. They will ask for a dollar amount of how much your car is worth.
-Fee of 206.70 which can be paid either at the border or by calling 1-888-848-8240 (Registrar of Imported Vehicles). Once they receive the payment they will give you (they emailed me) Form 2. This may take a few days. This second form is the guidelines for the inspection centre regarding modifications and inspection.

Insurance
-you will need to insure your car in Canada. Find an insurance company (I decided to use Cooperators, since I used them in the past). You will need a Record of Insurance History, which your insurance company (I used Progressive Drive) can fax to you. You will also need a Certified Driving Record (also called a Driver’s Abstract), which is a record of any speeding tickets or offenses on your record. This was one of the most frustrating things for me to get. I had to call The Secretary of the State of Illinois (long wait on the phone) and ask for my record. I could not request this over the phone and needed to send a letter with my signature, date of birth and license number mailed to them (This could NOT be faxed), plus a 12.00 USD fee (I had to get a US money order and there was a 5.00 fee on that. FEES ON FEES!!!). I sent this through FED-EX which was another 32.58. They can fax the driving record back to you and will send the original by mail. You need proof of insurance for this to all work, so get started on this right away.

Out-of-Country Inspection (At Canadian Tire) (No Fee)
-Before going to your inspection centre call your car dealership for a Recall Clearance Record. They can fax this to you. GM (Saturn) charged me 25.00 and this took a couple days. This form basically says the model of your car has no recalls and is safe to drive.
-take the three forms with you: Vehicle Import Form (Form 1), Form 2 and the Recall Clearance Record with you to the inspection centre (Canadian Tire).
-The inspection doesn’t cost anything. I think the initial 206.70 covers that cost. I had to get day-time running lights put on it (84.53 + 133.50 for labor +tax). Other things that may come include: metric speedometer, an infant restraint kit, French SRS Maintenance label if it is equipped with an airbag that requires periodic maintenance, a functioning air bag if your car is equipped with an airbag.
-The inspection center stamps both your Vehicle Import Form (Form 1) and Form 2.

Out-of-Province Inspection (At Canadian Tire) (199.99)

The first step in order to get an Out-of-Province Inspection is both Form 1 and Form 2 (make sure they are stamped by your Inspection centre and Form 2 includes your VIN number) and go to a Vehicle Licensing agency and ask for a Request for Out-of-Province Inspection (No FEE!!!). Then you must take this request form to your inspection centre and begin the Out-of-Province inspection. This Inspection is the toughest. They are checking your vehicle to see if it is road worthy. Fortunately, all I need was a new exhaust system (parts/labor/tax came to 236.09).

Registration and License
Once you are finished the Out-of-Province inspection you can finally register your vehicle for plates and driver’s license. You will need:
-Vehicle Import Form – Form 1
-title or permit of car
-proof of insurance
-two pieces of proof of address
-former driver’s license
-another form of I.D. (birth certificate, etc)
-the fee for registration is 70.54. (This is where they give you your plates.)
-the fee for a driver’s license is 64.54. (They will take your picture and you will receive the license in the mail 2 weeks later. They will also take away your former driver’s license.)

So this cost me around 1,100 Canadian dollars, not including insurance.

Welcome to my world!

Hello and welcome to my world. Well...this is just a snap shot of some of the highlights along the way. This picture was taken on Mount Kea in Hawaii. Mauna (Mount) Kea reaches 13,954 feet above sea level. If you measure it from its base below sea level to its tip, its actually taller than Mount Everest. Nasa has put space observation equipment on top of it because its one of the best places on the planet to view the sky. From the picture you can tell I enjoyed my time up there (I'm lighter than air). Great view above the clouds. Well I hope you enjoy the blog! TGBTG