a unique situation: importing vehicle

[coldwatersurf 5]

I don't think you need to register the car to find out whether it's importable; your dad or whoever the owner is could get the letter of compliance now if you wanted. You just need the VIN (and that's on the title and on the car.)

But if you're just borrowing the car, you don't need to do all that, because you're not importing the car or planning to. It might not be a bad idea to have a letter from your dad handy that explain you're borrowing the car to move down and you'll definitely want to check the insurance information. (Just like you would if you were renting a car.)

yeah I talked to my father about that. And if i remember correctly I have to make up a story for my father about where he is moving to and etc as they asked for that info when I called the manufacturer. They said they cant tell me on the phone even if I give them the VIN number

[coldwatersurf 5]

its just not meant to be and i'll just leave it at that.

[Texanadian 10]

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/canadian.htm

Should be able to find your vehicle on the list above.

[Texanadian 10]

I don't know why Chrysler is giving you the run around. When I phoned up GM, they told me on the phone that it satisfied all US requirements for importation. Of course I still had to pay the $89 to get the GM letter of compliance. I got that long after I was in the US. I needed it to register the car in Texas.

At the border, they just took down the VIN and checked to see if I had car insurance and that the car was registered in my name. They didn't look at the car at all. The VIN, registration, insurance was all in my insurance paperwork that I keep in the glovebox.

[Krikit 1,164]

Well I just talked to ICBC, my insurance company, Geico in US and DMV in US. Basically I'm F'ed up in some many ways and the easiest way for me is to buy a car in US.

1. My Father's name is on the title for the van. So i cant even get the compliance letter. And my father and I dont want to go through the whole hassle of transfering names on a van

?? All you're doing is transferring ownership.... which is what you need to do, anyway, if he is giving it to you.

2. Since ICBC is not a private insurance company & owned by gov't ( and BC has the worst and most expensive insurance system in Canada). For me to cancel my insurance, I have to surrender my license plates and register the vehicle in the US to get US insurance.

3. I need my husband in my insurance as it has something to do with property law or something or other to do with marriage and blah blah blah (as the insurance company in US said). If I dont have him under my insurance now, then he will be excluded in my insurance forever for any vehicle I get in the future unless I go with another insurance company that is willing to include him on my insurance. But if i exclude him (let's say with Geico) then I cannot get another Geico insurance with my husband. It would be up to an Auditor to determine if I can put him back or not. (#######?!)

Sorry. Can't make heads nor tails out of this. This is what I did.... when we married, my husband added me and my car to his (Geico) insurance. All they needed was the VIN, the license plate number, and my Ontario driver's license number. Once the car was registered in the US and I had received my US driver's license we called to let them know. It was painless.

4. My husband's license is suspended and has to pay his remaining balance from his tickets $600 (no its not dui or anything crazy-something super stupid & careless), to get a valid WA driver's license and have to do the whole testing again. He would need to get his license within 20 days of when I sign up for my insurance and 30 days for me to convert my BC license to WA license.

Again, this appears to be specific to whichever insurance agency you are speaking with. Those are some pretty crazy restrictions. Personally, I'd be quite concerned about insuring anything with them. Geico baby.

5. I talked to the DMV - they said i need a Social Security # for me to get a drivers license and If i dont have one - then I have to sign this declaration form and that can result in a felony (#######?! x 2). And since I am K3, it would be more than 30 days for me to get my EAD approved and get my SSN.... but hey DMV says i have 30 days to convert my license to Washington?

Yes, this is normal. And the 30 day "convert license" is also normal..... for people who are moving there from another State. Believe it or not, they do make allowances for immigrants. Again..... call Geico. You'll be insured with your Canadian license until you can convert.

[coldwatersurf 5]

i think i have found a way around most of the above. good news today that my husband's long awaited tax return has arrived and have paid all of the things that were outstanding. Money makes the world go around baby!

At this point, I really dont care anymore about these crazy car rules. I am over the frustration and going with the flow. all that's really painful is paying $300 for 1 month of insurance in BC b/c I need to insure the vehicle so I can transfer and drive it to Washington. Versus paying $300 for 6 month worth of insurance in US. Oh dont you just love Insurance Corporation owned by Province.

This immigration has taken me in a crazy journey. I just never know what I am going to freak out about and all turns out ok at the end. At least I come out with more knowledge and options.

As for the 30 days to get my Washington license -it is only based on when I establish residence. So I guess until I get my SSN, I cant establish my residence. There is a loop hole. ha!

Edited April 18, 2009 by borderdriver

[Texanadian 10]

Hahahaha, you're complaining about ICBC? The most I ever paid with them was $700/year for car insurance. All my friends that moved to Alberta were shocked when they were handed bills for $2000-3000 a year for Alberta car insurance. Many of them chose to keep their ICBC insurance and risk it instead.

Geico shouldn't have any problem with insuring you on your BC license. They insured me on my BC license no problem. In fact in Texas by law you have to purchase car insurance before you're allowed to get a Texas driver's license.

If you get a speeding ticket, how is the cop going to know you're a K-3? You've got BC plates and a BC license. There are tons of people like that in WA state. I don't see too much trouble in bending the rules a tiny bit. As long as you go and get your car registered in WA and get the license/insurance whenever you can in the future.

As for transferring a car from a parent to you? In BC, it's a 1 page form. No tax (the car is a gift right?). Go to any ICBC branch. Doesn't have to be a head office.

[wowswift 3]

agree with geico not having a problem insuring canadians. just did my husband today but he does have to have his car registered and he needs to get his TX DL within the next 30 days or it gets canceled, though, not a problem since i wouldn't have insured him otherwise lol

[coldwatersurf 5]

Hahahaha, you're complaining about ICBC? The most I ever paid with them was $700/year for car insurance. All my friends that moved to Alberta were shocked when they were handed bills for $2000-3000 a year for Alberta car insurance. Many of them chose to keep their ICBC insurance and risk it instead.

HOw is that possible? 2k-3k insurance in Alberta? wth! I was just talking to my coworker who's from Alberta and didnt insure his vehicle in BC b/c he had to pay 3k a year and was shocked. He only had to pay $600/year in Alberta and he took advantage of that as long as he could. You must have had a roadstar or at least have been driving over 10 years. My father has a 50% discount and he has to pay $120/month which is half of what I pay since I only have 20% discount. And we have the most simplest and safest plan. $700/year w/ ICBC??? which office did you go cuz i want to go there.

I am planning to go to Geico. At first they told me I need to register my car in Washington. Then I told them I dont have to and disagreed a couple times. And then she finally agreed but said I had to change my license to WA within 30 days of insuring with Geico or else they cancel my plan which is the same thing as wowswift said.

Edited April 18, 2009 by borderdriver

[wowswift 3]

Hahahaha, you're complaining about ICBC? The most I ever paid with them was $700/year for car insurance. All my friends that moved to Alberta were shocked when they were handed bills for $2000-3000 a year for Alberta car insurance. Many of them chose to keep their ICBC insurance and risk it instead.

HOw is that possible? 2k-3k insurance in Alberta? wth! I was just talking to my coworker who's from Alberta and didnt insure his vehicle in BC b/c he had to pay 3k a year and was shocked. He only had to pay $600/year in Alberta and he took advantage of that as long as he could. You must have had a roadstar or at least have been driving over 10 years. My father has a 50% discount and he has to pay $120/month which is half of what I pay since I only have 20% discount. And we have the most simplest and safest plan. $700/year w/ ICBC??? which office did you go cuz i want to go there.

I am planning to go to Geico. At first they told me I need to register my car in Washington. Then I told them I dont have to and disagreed a couple times. And then she finally agreed but said I had to change my license to WA within 30 days of insuring with Geico or else they cancel my plan which is the same thing as wowswift said.

try progressive too, progressive in california would account for my hubby's canadian driving record, but for some reason not in texas. i just went with geico since it was the cheapest (for texas, california, progressive was), so just try out your options. there are a lot of places, state farm wasn't too bad, just get your quotes, but the big two usually are the cheapest.

[coldwatersurf 5]

OH yeah... i have gotten a speeding ticket too. lol. I was going to dispute it b/c the COP was an a$$ and told me I was speeding 15mph over the limit. I asked him why he gave me a ticket when I wasnt speeding and demanded for him to show proof. His answer is classic "my speed reader is in my vehicle but you are not allowed to approach my vehicle" and replied "how convenient for you". And he kept my BCID just cuz i grabbed my ticket and license from him and drove off. But the ticket cost less than my 1 day's time of work plus its out of BC's jurisdiction so it wasnt worth disputing.

Edited April 18, 2009 by borderdriver

[Texanadian 10]

HOw is that possible? 2k-3k insurance in Alberta? wth! I was just talking to my coworker who's from Alberta and didnt insure his vehicle in BC b/c he had to pay 3k a year and was shocked. He only had to pay $600/year in Alberta and he took advantage of that as long as he could. You must have had a roadstar or at least have been driving over 10 years. My father has a 50% discount and he has to pay $120/month which is half of what I pay since I only have 20% discount. And we have the most simplest and safest plan. $700/year w/ ICBC??? which office did you go cuz i want to go there.

I am planning to go to Geico. At first they told me I need to register my car in Washington. Then I told them I dont have to and disagreed a couple times. And then she finally agreed but said I had to change my license to WA within 30 days of insuring with Geico or else they cancel my plan which is the same thing as wowswift said.

The high price of insurance for all my Alberta bound friends was probably age related. We were university age at the time.

When I started driving in BC, the discounts were rather simple. Every year with no at fault accident, you went up 10% until you hit 40%......A couple years ago they changed it to 5% a year. So it takes you 8 years instead of 4 years to get to a Roadstar level. It also used to be that you didn't have to buy insurance to get the 1 year of safe driving chaulked up on your record. So people who turned 16 would drive on Mom and Dad's plan until they were 20 and then get their own plan. Now you have to actually buy insurance to get the safe driving discounts adding on year after year.

You probably live in Vancouver. I lived on Vancouver Island. Our rates have always been lower than the mainland. We don't have the traffic jams, million side roads, and cost of a million+ people all driving at the same time when it snows.

Make sure you do the online Geico safe driving course. It's a nice discount and easy as pie. I had to laugh taking their "snow safety" lesson. I'm a Canadian who's used to driving in snow and living in Texas where it never snows.

Here's another tough bit of knowledge to remember

American car insurance may be cheaper. But you're covered so much less. In BC, the minimum liability is $200,000. Just about everybody gets 1 or 2 million dollars worth. In the US, most states minimum liability is $25,000. A lot of people don't buy more than the state minimum. And although you don't have to, you really should buy some medical or PIP (medical + lost wages) insurance when you buy car insurance in the US. This isn't much worry in BC since medical coverage is free at point of use.

Uninsured drivers are a real hassle in the US. Let's see if we can follow the bouncing ball. In Texas you need to be able to show proof of coverage to a police officer should you get pulled over. This would be the glove box paper. But unlike BC, when you cancel you insurance in Texas, you immediately get a full refund. You keep the license plate and sticker. They don't ask for anything back. So people show insurance to get their yearly inspection and registration stickers, then promptly cancel their insurance for the rest of the year and get a refund. Even if a cop pulls you over, at the moment he can't verify if you truly have insurance. He just has to go by that piece of paper in the glovebox you have. He has no idea you canceled it 9 months ago. The paper says it's good for another 3 months. Is it any wonder we have 25% uninsured on the roads?

In BC it's darn near impossible to drive around with no insurance. Somebody would phone you in or the police would pull you over. But a Texas vehicle is impossible to know if the insurance is good or not. The plate is on there. The stickers are on there. Even the paper in the glove box says it's good. Police will fine drivers that they catch with no insurance. But they still let them continue on driving after getting a ticket. In BC, your car would be towed to an impound lot.

Underinsurance, in BC I think you get $150,000 by default? Might be 1 million if you have 1 million liability. In the US this is optional. But with 25% uninsured in TX (and other states have it even worse), you need to buy underinsurance. I've read of countless people in the newspaper who have been hit by uninsured people and simply lost their car because of it. Even when they do have underinsurance, they still have to pay a $250 deductible to get their car fixed because some A-hole was driving without insurance and hit them.

One speeding ticket in BC shouldn't change your ICBC rate at all. Typical speeding ticket is 3 points. You pay points to ICBC when you have 4 or more points. Your points go down by 3 every year until they're 0. So if you got 1 speeding ticket every year in BC, your ICBC rates would be the same as if you'd never gotten a ticket.

[coldwatersurf 5]

LMAO ROFL. Yeah my hubby calls me lead foot. it took me 2 suspensions to quit it. But then again, I'm N and been driving on it for the last 5 years. And when I got my N, a new law passed and of course, I had to restart my 2 year every time i got a ticket. My brother got a ticket for not having his N magnet displaying and had his license suspended too. yeah. crackin down pretty bad.

I always wondered how the hell people in Washington drive w/ license plates and license when they are suspended. My hubby cant explain it cuz he just doesnt know any other way and I asked too many questions. But he got caught driving w/o insurance so yeah.... I was totally shocked when he told me that and told him its not ok to do that. of course b/c ICBC was the only driver's system i knew. I told him how it works with us and that its impossible to drive w/o insurance in BC. Now I know why. YOu've been really helpful texanadian.

[Texanadian 10]

Take the common liability in the US of 25/50/25. This is the most common minimum liability required by the state. $25,000 in bodily injury (per person), $50,000 in bodily injury (total of all persons), and $25,000 in property damage (the other guys car, the traffic pole, the guardrail etc).......This isn't going to cover me T-boning somebody else's new BMW. Nor will it do much if I put somebody in a wheelchair.

I like to go with higher liability just as a matter of principle. But it irks me to no end the amount of completely uninsured drivers out there. For me to buy the bare bones state minimum (25/50/25) with nothing else. No comprehensive, no medical, no underinsurance. Just the min. liability, it would be $285/year. For my wife it would be $125/year. Insurance rates in the US differ even depending on which zip code you live in. So if you're living in a poor part of town where a lot of people drive without insurance, your rates will be higher than if you live in a richer part of town where everybody buys insurance. The cycle repeats itself as more people drop their coverage. Because hey, the fine if you get caught is only $175-350.

To really make it easy, Texas has ruled that roadside checks for insurance and driver's licenses are illegal. Roadside drunk driving checks are also illegal here. So unless you've done something wrong (speeding, tailgating, whatever), you'll never be pulled over here. I didn't go with them thought because they don't offer comprehensive/collision for my car (too old).

Actually I could buy insurance for $122/year using Milemeter. They're a Texas only insurance company at the moment that charges you by the mileage or 6 months. Whatever expires first. They sell 1000, 2000, 3000 mile etc plans. If you use up all the miles, you renew. If 6 months go by and you haven't used up the miles, you renew. Of course it makes sense to offer a mileage insurance program in Texas where almost all the cars are high mileage. I didn't go with them though because they won't sell me collision/comprehensive. They say my car is too old.

Edited April 18, 2009 by Texanadian

[leapoffaith 0]

I don't know if there is anything about the age of the vehicle that made our case special (and I think it may have), but when we imported my husband's 1971 MGB GT from England we just turned everything over to a shipping agent, paid about $1000, picked it up at the docks in New Jersey and drove it home to Connecticut. Nobody ever mentioned anything about it being on any list of importable or non-importable vehicles. Is there something different about Canadian vehicular import?

Well, this beats me ?? How can you drive that car which has steering wheel on the right side on the right side of the road.

I am having the same problem and overcoming it.