Buying a car in Canada

[JustBreathe 22]

If I was to fly to Canada, and buy my dads car and drive it back to Louisville what would have I have to do before hand?

What paperwork/tax/legal stuff would I need to do??

Edited September 14, 2014 by JustBreathe

[Rob L 3,811]

Here are some resources to read

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/

[Udella&Wiz 325]

one would imagine the process would be about the same as any other person importing a car from Canada to the US, a few threads about that can be found recently I think.

[Rob & Monika 87]

There are many threads regarding the import process itself...we should have a sticky thread for it.

One additional note is that you will have to look into your state DMV for information on what the taxes are, as they will charge you when you go to register it.

[Rob L 3,811]

There are many threads regarding the import process itself...we should have a sticky thread for it.

One additional note is that you will have to look into your state DMV for information on what the taxes are, as they will charge you when you go to register it.

I kept this somewhere planning on an upcoming import, If I dig this out can you make the sticky?

[Rob L 3,811]

Here is one snippet of data, I dont know if you need an importer for a personal car. There is also a small duty on personal cars over your exemption.

"As the manufacturer, Hyundai Auto Canada can only provide a compliance letter which states that your vehicle complies to all “Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) and Canadian Emissions Standards”, not “US FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards)”. This is because your vehicle was manufactured for the Canadian market and not for that of the United States, or any other country. Each country’s Motor Vehicle Administration has a list of standards to which manufactured vehicles for the specific country need to be compliant with.

In order to confirm that your vehicle is compliant with all US FMVSS, you will have to have the vehicle inspected by a Registered Importer in the United States. We would suggest contacting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to obtain a list of Registered Importers in the United States who can easily inspect the vehicle and advise on the next steps. We have attached a list of Registered Importers to this email for your convenience. If you require additional information regarding the importation of your Canadian vehicle, we invite you to visit the following websites: http://www.epa.gov/oms/imports and http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safevehicles-importation-index-443.htm. Please note that the Canadian Compliance Letter is still useful since it indicates that there are no open recalls on the vehicle. This is something that either the US border or the State registry may require proof of"

[Rob & Monika 87]

I was thinking something more like http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/485961-importing-a-vehicle-from-canada-to-us/

The process is very DIY unless your auto manufacturer doesn't like to issue a letter of compliance, otherwise you may end up using an importer.

Mentions the 3 forms that end up getting processed at the border, people have different experiences at different crossings. Many people have had the CBP handle everything, in our case the CBP handed us the 3 forms and said "fill them out" as if I understood what 1/2 the stuff on the cbp7501 even meant.

The main thing that concerns me is that you might not be able to drive the car here as if it were yours and import it, because I'm assuming it would still have your father's plates on it and is still registered to him. It may not be an issue, but you could call the CBP crossing you plan to use and ask.

[NikLR 13,232]

After immigrating to the USA you have a year in which to import your car. You may be asked to be prove you've owned the car for more than 1 year. Otherwise you have to pay duty on the car.

[Texas22 50]

I imported my van during POE and required a letter of compliance from GM (cost $107.00).
The rest of the paperwork was done at the border. They gave me everything I needed to register the vehicle

in my state.