Importing from US - Here's my experience
06-03-2008, 11:47 AM
#1
Audi Forum - Posts like an S6
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Oakville
Posts: 1,155
Importing from US - Here's my experience
here's how it went. Make sure your car is on the transport Canada approved list (link below), and that there are no big $$$ safety modifications that need done. Then when you buy...
1. fax title to US headquarters of the manufacturer requesting RECALL CLEARANCE LETTER (received next day from Audi USA)
2. fax title to your chosen US border crossing 72 hrs before you get there
3. get dealer to install temp plate for trip home and so you can drive the car while you're getting it registered here (30 days on mine...s/b free or $10)
4. cross US border with title, bill of sale and identification - 2 mins...all they do is stamp your title
5. cross Canadian border with same docs, and stamped title - 10 mins...they fill in FORM 1 for you and give you a copy. Then they levy the following charges based on purchase price converted to CDN$ at previous day's BankofCanada.com USD/CAD rate
a) 6.1% duty on total car value if built outside of North America (link below for a good list of qualifying 'imports' that are built in N.A...I'm importing a Lexus RX350 next year, and happily its made in Cambridge ON.)
b) 5% GST on total amount including the duty
c) $100+gst for Air Conditioner
you now have 45 days to complete the rest of the steps (or until your temp plate expires)
6. fax FORM 1 to Registrar of Imported Vehicles RIV: How to import a U.S made vehicle into Canada and while you're at it, pay your RIV fee online ($195+tax)
7. fax RECALL CLEARANCE LETTER to RIV.ca. RIV will then email or fax you FORM 2 (INSPECTION FORM)
8. take car to RIV approved locations for Federal Inspection (free - part of RIV fee). Takes 10 minutes.
9. take car to MTO approved location for Emissions test ($40) and Provincial Safety Inspection ($90-110)...issued certificate if you pass
10. take ALL your docs to an MTO office to get your plates/register the car in your name. They will levy the following fees
a) 8% GST on C$ value of car
b) $74 for license
c) $10 for paperwork
questions? fire away...
references:
Transport Canada Admissibility List
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/impor...list/VAFUS.pdf
List of Duty Free 'Imports'
Duty Free Cars | BORDER DEALS
1. fax title to US headquarters of the manufacturer requesting RECALL CLEARANCE LETTER (received next day from Audi USA)
2. fax title to your chosen US border crossing 72 hrs before you get there
3. get dealer to install temp plate for trip home and so you can drive the car while you're getting it registered here (30 days on mine...s/b free or $10)
4. cross US border with title, bill of sale and identification - 2 mins...all they do is stamp your title
5. cross Canadian border with same docs, and stamped title - 10 mins...they fill in FORM 1 for you and give you a copy. Then they levy the following charges based on purchase price converted to CDN$ at previous day's BankofCanada.com USD/CAD rate
a) 6.1% duty on total car value if built outside of North America (link below for a good list of qualifying 'imports' that are built in N.A...I'm importing a Lexus RX350 next year, and happily its made in Cambridge ON.)
b) 5% GST on total amount including the duty
c) $100+gst for Air Conditioner
you now have 45 days to complete the rest of the steps (or until your temp plate expires)
6. fax FORM 1 to Registrar of Imported Vehicles RIV: How to import a U.S made vehicle into Canada and while you're at it, pay your RIV fee online ($195+tax)
7. fax RECALL CLEARANCE LETTER to RIV.ca. RIV will then email or fax you FORM 2 (INSPECTION FORM)
8. take car to RIV approved locations for Federal Inspection (free - part of RIV fee). Takes 10 minutes.
9. take car to MTO approved location for Emissions test ($40) and Provincial Safety Inspection ($90-110)...issued certificate if you pass
10. take ALL your docs to an MTO office to get your plates/register the car in your name. They will levy the following fees
a) 8% GST on C$ value of car
b) $74 for license
c) $10 for paperwork
questions? fire away...
references:
Transport Canada Admissibility List
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/impor...list/VAFUS.pdf
List of Duty Free 'Imports'
Duty Free Cars | BORDER DEALS
06-04-2008, 08:42 PM
#4
Audi Forum - Posts like an S6
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Oakville
Posts: 1,155
Re: Imported 2007 S4 - Here's my experience
The deal I got was kind of ridiculous, so I'll temper this fee calculation with that. They listed it at $42,000, a good price for the car. I bought from a BMW dealer where the internet sales manager confessed they were about to wholesale the car. I gave them a very low offer, and after a day, they accepted ($38,000 USD). Buying from an offmake dealer may not be as re-assuring as buying a certified preowned Audi, but this was a new car basically...and they didn't know a frigging thing about it and wanted it off the lot. They took it as a trade in for a guy who bought a new M3 (zoom). They didn't own an Audi dealer, so had few options. When I was talking to them, they said things like "This thing fast man? That engine sounds serious." Ask them anything about Bimmers and they're brilliant. Ask them what Vorsprung Durch Technik means and their eyes glaze over.
Now that this is out of the way, here are the fees, in summary, from memory (I'm away from home and don't have the receipts etc.). First, here's the car summary, including options and their original USD pricing...
2007 S4 6MT ($49,000ish USD)
23,000km
- NAVI package w. CD changer and SD Media slots ($2000)
- Convenience package ($1000)
- Bluetooth Phone Prep ($500)
- Premium Audio with BOSE system and SIRIUS Satellite Radio SDARS ($1000)
- Silver Paint (stll makes me laugh that this costs $750)
- Gas Guzzler Tax, Predelivery etc. (no idea what this cost)
Price to me - $38,000 USD (I converted my cash at 0.998, and customs used a rate of 0.992 to calculate car's value here. Both rates mean C$ was slightly stronger than US$)
1. duty $2301 CDN
2. AC Tax $105 CDN
3. RIV fee $204.75 CDN
4. Shipping $760 CDN
__________________
Total 'USA vs Canada' Import Fees $3370.75
Therefore I bought a 2007 loaded S4 for $41,294.75 CDN+ PST+GST etc. Best deal I could find here was in the $54,000+tax range and the car was the wrong colour without the NAV or Bluetooth or SatelliteRadio. The selection in Canada sucks. There are 3 Audi Certified Pre-Owned 2007 S4 cars in CANADA ...total!
There are about 30 in the US, and another 30 that are not at Audi dealers. A HUGE factor in pushing me south...too hard to find the right car here.
Anyway, those are the 'import' fees. The other fees below, you'd have to pay if you bought it in Ontario anyway, so can't really count them here on the subject of imports.
5. MTO safety Inspection (CDNTIRE) $80+$10 + gst = $94.50
5a MTO Emissions inspection (CDNTIRE) $40 or so
6. PST $3199 CDN
7. GST $2001 CDN
8. License and docs at MTO $84
Total Savings = $10,000-15,000 depending on what you can find up here.
CAVEATS - Bear in mind you lose the ability to offset PST with your trade in (if you have a car to sell) since you have to sell it in Canada seperately. That may factor into your decision (I was coming off a lease, so I didn't). You may also like to know that dealers in Canada are offering amazing financing rates (if applicable). Your bank may finance the car at 7%, whereas Audi dealers might offer 2% on a preowned. Doesn't sound like much, but on a $50,000 car, that's about $6500 savings over 5 years. Do your math first, and check all angles.
That being said, on a 2007 S4, you'll still come out ahead, and you can't put a price on getting the exact car you want vs. buying a horrible colour without the options you wanted. IMO buying a 2007 S4 in Canada is like looking for palm trees at the North Pole.
06-04-2008, 08:43 PM
#5
Audi Forum - Posts like an S6
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Oakville
Posts: 1,155
07-04-2008, 11:08 AM
#6
Audi Forum - Posts like an A1
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Campbell River, BC
Posts: 21
Re: Importing from US - Here's my experience
riv.ca admissability list updated. clicky. Now we can import all the 4.2L V8 powered C5 variants we want. Yay! Now to find the Allroad I want.
07-04-2008, 11:12 AM
#7
Audi Forum - Posts like an S6
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Oakville
Posts: 1,155
Re: Importing from US - Here's my experience
riv.ca admissability list updated. clicky. Now we can import all the 4.2L V8 powered C5 variants we want. Yay! Now to find the Allroad I want.
The other beautiful thing is that Transport Canada has relaxed the bumper requirements. Anything that's good for the US is good for Canada now.
i.e. RS4 (my next overpowered little sedan!)
07-14-2008, 07:29 PM
#9
Audi Forum - Posts like an A1
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 5
Re: Importing from US - Here's my experience
Hi all,
I Just wanted to share my website I created after I bought my Audi A4 in the states back in April. It includes the process, math formula to calculate your import costs and a good dealer recommendation in New Jersey - which is a 5 hour drive to Brockville (who I bought my car from).
How to import a vehicle from US to Ontario - Free Information - KARma Import Services BUY a USED vehicle in the USA and SAVE MONEY <!-- google_ad_client = "p
Enjoy!
I Just wanted to share my website I created after I bought my Audi A4 in the states back in April. It includes the process, math formula to calculate your import costs and a good dealer recommendation in New Jersey - which is a 5 hour drive to Brockville (who I bought my car from).
How to import a vehicle from US to Ontario - Free Information - KARma Import Services BUY a USED vehicle in the USA and SAVE MONEY <!-- google_ad_client = "p
Enjoy!
09-02-2008, 02:02 PM
#10
Audi Forum - Posts like an A1
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 24
Re: Importing from US - Here's my experience
Just got back from my trip to pick up our 'new' 2001 Allroad. This is the THIRD U.S. vehicle (all Audis) that we've bought, but we had the other two shipped. This one was particularly appealing because it was in an adjacent state (Montana) to our province (Alberta), so it made more sense to get there and drive it back.
I was at the Piegan, MT crossing, and while the process was smooth, it was more like 8-10 minutes while the U.S. official worked through the paperwork. Maybe at a busier port they have it more down to a science and it goes quicker. And I had heard some horror stories about the U.S. office not getting the documents in enough time (the 72-hour thing) & being turned back at the border, but it all went smoothly.
At the Canadian crossing (Carway), it took probably 20 minutes total, with several officers doing different parts of the process. Again, not a particularly high-volume crossing station. Also, contrary to the RIV web site, they did NOT facilitate me paying the RIV fee there (and faxing in the Recall Clearance letter) - the officer at the end said I had to do that from the RIV web site. I had heard of other border stations being more helpful and offering an Internet terminal to use right on the spot, but not this one.
I would add to the list above that before step 8 you do need to have had the required modifications done before getting the federal RIV inspection done - kinda obvious, but might be worth sneaking in there as a 'step 7a' or something.
Oh, also, I did have the (private) seller get me a temporary permit - affixed to the inside back window - to be able to drive it to the border, but my understanding was that it was NOT valid in Canada, so I had an Alberta "In Transit" permit ready to go (affixed to inside front right windshield). $8 for the U.S. permit, good for 40 days (!), $24 for the Alberta one, good for 7 days!! Hmmm...
Anyway, just a few more thoughts on the process. This will have saved us probably $4-$5K from buying locally, and as others have mentioned, it's just plain hard to find some of these models locally anyway.
Bart
I was at the Piegan, MT crossing, and while the process was smooth, it was more like 8-10 minutes while the U.S. official worked through the paperwork. Maybe at a busier port they have it more down to a science and it goes quicker. And I had heard some horror stories about the U.S. office not getting the documents in enough time (the 72-hour thing) & being turned back at the border, but it all went smoothly.
At the Canadian crossing (Carway), it took probably 20 minutes total, with several officers doing different parts of the process. Again, not a particularly high-volume crossing station. Also, contrary to the RIV web site, they did NOT facilitate me paying the RIV fee there (and faxing in the Recall Clearance letter) - the officer at the end said I had to do that from the RIV web site. I had heard of other border stations being more helpful and offering an Internet terminal to use right on the spot, but not this one.
I would add to the list above that before step 8 you do need to have had the required modifications done before getting the federal RIV inspection done - kinda obvious, but might be worth sneaking in there as a 'step 7a' or something.
Oh, also, I did have the (private) seller get me a temporary permit - affixed to the inside back window - to be able to drive it to the border, but my understanding was that it was NOT valid in Canada, so I had an Alberta "In Transit" permit ready to go (affixed to inside front right windshield). $8 for the U.S. permit, good for 40 days (!), $24 for the Alberta one, good for 7 days!! Hmmm...
Anyway, just a few more thoughts on the process. This will have saved us probably $4-$5K from buying locally, and as others have mentioned, it's just plain hard to find some of these models locally anyway.
Bart
