Car Import Options.

[MrsCat 6]

I am getting some mixed messages about importing a car and any outstanding loans in the car.

Is there any truth to the fact that I would have trouble importing a car if it still had an outstanding loan in Canada? I would of course plan to continue to pay any loan in Canada.

Also, what happens to any new car warranty after the car has been imported?

Sly

I think the car warranty depends on what you have. My car's warranty is only valid for Canada and the lower 48 states. Which did me no good in moving to Hawaii.

Read over your warranty documents, and if it isn't specified, I would call either the dealer or whoever the warranty is through.

Not too sure about the loan stuff. I always thought you could just keep paying your loan while out of the country. However, I think with the loan company, its don't ask don't tell. It all has to do with seizing the asset if you default on your payments. A company that gives out a Canadian loan, may be unable to repossess the car in the United States. And I think with most banks that is the concern, if the property leaves the country, its harder to get back if they need to.

You can always call the bank to ask what your options are. They might be okay with the property being in the United States.

[MrsCat 6]

Hey Sly,

I found this old quote. I guess it sounds like this person got a letter from their loan company indicating that they were aware of the move and ok with it, and that there was a lien on the title of the car. Sounds like it was needed for registering the car. I guess that part might depend on which State you're moving to.

The other option would be to get an unsecured loan/line of credit, which would mean that the bank has no actual interest in the car, and therefore no liens on the title. You could then register it without showing a letter from the bank, since the whole title would be in your name.

I guess its weighing your options and which you're most comfortable with.

i imported my car the end of june and had no hassles whatsoever at the border. most manufacturers can fax the compliance letter to you quickly, but be aware that some require two or more weeks to process the request. i have a mazda that i've owned since 2003 and was manufactured in japan, and the only way Mazda North America would accept a request for the letter was by me faxing in their form, and their processing time was minimum two weeks - and they do NOT do rush requests. i actually ended up having to call to find out what was going on after 4 weeks time because i hadn't received anything yet. annoying, but i got my letter emailed to me.

other paperwork i had on hand at the border, just to be on the safe side, was all my loan paperwork, my full insurance policy and pink card, registration AND a letter from my bank with my vehicle's info on it, indicating that they were aware that i was bringing the car into the states permanently. for those who have a lien against their vehicle, i would highly recommend getting a letter from the lien-holder just in case.

also, on a K1 visa (not sure about any others), you are allowed to import ONE vehicle duty-free into the US. most people are not aware of this. however, if you've only just purchased a brand new vehicle and intend to bring it down with you, that may be a different story, i'm not sure.

i know every state is different, but here in kansas i again brought all the above paperwork to the registry with me, including the import document that the border agent completed. you have to have this document in order to register your car. also, since the US uses 'titles' for their vehicle (the 'owner' of the vehicle has this document; if the car has a lien on it, then the lien-holder has the title until the lien is paid off at which time it is transferred to the registered owner of the car) and canada doesn't, i was worried what would happen since there was no way i could produce a title like they are used to seeing. the registration for your car in canada is, in essence, your title for it; since i still had a lien on my car it was a good thing i had a copy of my loan with me as they needed that information in order to create my registration and US title for it.

hope this helps!

[sly_wolf 199]

Hey Sly,

I found this old quote. I guess it sounds like this person got a letter from their loan company indicating that they were aware of the move and ok with it, and that there was a lien on the title of the car. Sounds like it was needed for registering the car. I guess that part might depend on which State you're moving to.

The other option would be to get an unsecured loan/line of credit, which would mean that the bank has no actual interest in the car, and therefore no liens on the title. You could then register it without showing a letter from the bank, since the whole title would be in your name.

I guess its weighing your options and which you're most comfortable with.

i imported my car the end of june and had no hassles whatsoever at the border. most manufacturers can fax the compliance letter to you quickly, but be aware that some require two or more weeks to process the request. i have a mazda that i've owned since 2003 and was manufactured in japan, and the only way Mazda North America would accept a request for the letter was by me faxing in their form, and their processing time was minimum two weeks - and they do NOT do rush requests. i actually ended up having to call to find out what was going on after 4 weeks time because i hadn't received anything yet. annoying, but i got my letter emailed to me.

other paperwork i had on hand at the border, just to be on the safe side, was all my loan paperwork, my full insurance policy and pink card, registration AND a letter from my bank with my vehicle's info on it, indicating that they were aware that i was bringing the car into the states permanently. for those who have a lien against their vehicle, i would highly recommend getting a letter from the lien-holder just in case.

also, on a K1 visa (not sure about any others), you are allowed to import ONE vehicle duty-free into the US. most people are not aware of this. however, if you've only just purchased a brand new vehicle and intend to bring it down with you, that may be a different story, i'm not sure.

i know every state is different, but here in kansas i again brought all the above paperwork to the registry with me, including the import document that the border agent completed. you have to have this document in order to register your car. also, since the US uses 'titles' for their vehicle (the 'owner' of the vehicle has this document; if the car has a lien on it, then the lien-holder has the title until the lien is paid off at which time it is transferred to the registered owner of the car) and canada doesn't, i was worried what would happen since there was no way i could produce a title like they are used to seeing. the registration for your car in canada is, in essence, your title for it; since i still had a lien on my car it was a good thing i had a copy of my loan with me as they needed that information in order to create my registration and US title for it.

hope this helps!

Thanks. The fact that I have a lease on this car is becoming a real pain. I was thinking of buying it (bank loan) but I dont want that to become an import or NY state registration problem as well ... grrrrrr.

Sly

[MrsCat 6]

You've probably already seen this for NY, but just in case:

http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/register.htm#import

I think at least to register the car in NY you need a bill of sale. So I guess that would mean having the lease discharged into a formal loan, and showing the legal owner as yourself and the current registration.

This part of moving sucks!

I registered my car here on Monday and it took an hour to explain that in AB, we don't have title, just registration.

[sly_wolf 199]

You've probably already seen this for NY, but just in case:

http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/register.htm#import

I think at least to register the car in NY you need a bill of sale. So I guess that would mean having the lease discharged into a formal loan, and showing the legal owner as yourself and the current registration.

This part of moving sucks!

I registered my car here on Monday and it took an hour to explain that in AB, we don't have title, just registration.

Yes as a matter of fact thats where I was. They say "acceptable proof of ownership" but nothing about liens. Maybe I should try and call them.

Sly

[cdn_in_wa 1]

You've probably already seen this for NY, but just in case:

http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/register.htm#import

I think at least to register the car in NY you need a bill of sale. So I guess that would mean having the lease discharged into a formal loan, and showing the legal owner as yourself and the current registration.

This part of moving sucks!

I registered my car here on Monday and it took an hour to explain that in AB, we don't have title, just registration.

Yes as a matter of fact thats where I was. They say "acceptable proof of ownership" but nothing about liens. Maybe I should try and call them.

Sly

I just gave up on the thought of importing and sold my 2 year old Honda back to the dealer. The thought of having to convert the KM to Miles was just too much - especially as I've spent so long doing the opposite in Canada (I grew up with miles and have barely gotten used to KM). Driving it down here was bound to get me into trouble, sooner or later. Took a beating on the truck from what I originally paid 2 years earlier, but overall, I got a brand new identical truck with the addition of Navi system for about $5K more than I received for the old one. And the dollar was at par or thereabouts when I moved the $$$.

I'm now wondering how to go about importing my trailer. Anyone imported a non-motorized vehicle? Do I need a letter of compliance for something that has no emissions?

[bluegreen 0]

I am in limbo with my car. It is an '05 Toyota with 2 yrs. left on my (extremely low interest) loan with Toyota. They would not issue me with a compliance letter because I am not technically (according to their loan terms) allowed to have the car out of Canada. So they would not give me a compliance letter without releasing me from the loan, which I can't afford to pay off. BUT, I called the inland port in Denver, and they said as long as I have the two stickers, I don't need the letter. The guy was really offhand about the letter, since I have the two stickers (my car was built in Japan, as denoted by the "J" in my VIN). Now I have moved to California, so I don't know if they are more strict here.

The other problem is proof of ownership. I know they will ask for the bill of sale if I try and register the car (closest thing to a title). I think it is fine to have a lien company on the bill of sale as "part owner", but my feeling is that they may contact the lien company to check that it is all legit.

Sooooo, I have had my car down here as a "visitor" (it's visiting, not me, heheheh) while I figure out what to do. Basically it is a pain the butt and a bit stressful to continue insuring it in Canada (you have to do it in person). I can't afford to pay it off, I have no credit down here to refinance it...so, I guess I should sell it. But I LOVE it....

However, the woman I spoke to at Toyota said not ALL lienholders are as strict about the vehicle being out of the country. She said part of the reason that my loan has so many restrictions is that it was a long term at a very low interest rate.

Anyways, that has been my experience so far. Not sure if that helps!

Oh, just as an FYI: I did not have to take a written OR a practical test in Colorado to get my DL, just a straight swap (but they punched my Canadian license). Now I am in CA, I will just have to do a short written test to change my CO license into a CA one, rather than the whole thing that they make Canadians do in this state. Yay!

[sly_wolf 199]

Yes, I never realized that the car thingy could become such a pain in the butt. I am going to list it to see if I can get rid of it before I move. I rather do that sooner than later since it could take some time. Worst case I will be forced to buy it but I need to make sure any Canadian loans don't turn into another problem for me.

Sly

[cdn_in_wa 1]

Oh, just as an FYI: I did not have to take a written OR a practical test in Colorado to get my DL, just a straight swap (but they punched my Canadian license). Now I am in CA, I will just have to do a short written test to change my CO license into a CA one, rather than the whole thing that they make Canadians do in this state. Yay!

Yeah, I was totally choked that they punched my BCDL.

Here in WA, they made me take a written and practical test, so I might as well have had no DL at all. #######? If I didn't tell them I had the BCDL, it would still be intact. I have wondered whether they actually contact Canada about the DL or just punch it?

[bluegreen 0]

Oh, just as an FYI: I did not have to take a written OR a practical test in Colorado to get my DL, just a straight swap (but they punched my Canadian license). Now I am in CA, I will just have to do a short written test to change my CO license into a CA one, rather than the whole thing that they make Canadians do in this state. Yay!

Yeah, I was totally choked that they punched my BCDL.

Here in WA, they made me take a written and practical test, so I might as well have had no DL at all. #######? If I didn't tell them I had the BCDL, it would still be intact. I have wondered whether they actually contact Canada about the DL or just punch it?

That's odd. In CO I had the option of keeping my BCDL intact, but then I would have had to retake the practical test. I think it is completely arbitrary, to be honest...luckily, I have another BC license, becasue last year I lost it, got a new one, then found the old one:)

[MsZ 6]

In NY you just need a letter from the actual owner of the car (whomever you leased it from or whomever holds the loan) that gives you permission to register the car. Ford sent me one for my car in a couple of days after I requested it. Not a problem.

[sly_wolf 199]

In NY you just need a letter from the actual owner of the car (whomever you leased it from or whomever holds the loan) that gives you permission to register the car. Ford sent me one for my car in a couple of days after I requested it. Not a problem.

But I was told by GMAC that you were not allowed to import a leased car. Is this only a state by state thing?

Sly

[wowswift 3]

sorry sly for hijacking a little of your thread, but....is it ok if the compliance letter says it meets everything cept for the daytime running lights?

[MsZ 6]

I'm telling you what NY wants -- not what the US government wants to import a vehicle. If GMAC is your lease holder then they get the final word. And since they'd have to give you a letter allowing the vehicle to enter the US and to be registered in NY, they're the only people who count here.

[MrsCat 6]

sorry sly for hijacking a little of your thread, but....is it ok if the compliance letter says it meets everything cept for the daytime running lights?

I think that will depend on who you get at the POE.

I didn't get my day running lights done and no one asked for my compliance letter at the POE. I think Trailmix didn't have them done either.

Do you have a Ford?