|
Hello everyone!
I just completed the import of a 2003 Lexus IS 300. It was a private sale, seller in Tacoma. While the info from Lowside is excellent and appears to be complete and accurate, I'll add a few tips from my experience.
IGNORE THE NUMBERING SYSTEM. I tried to organize it and gave up. My mind is all over the place.
1) The duty is based on the purchase price of the car. The border wanted a copy of the cheque which I didn't have, but I did have the bill of sale (just a purchase agreement signed by both parties) and I had a printup of the ad which was fine. If Canada Border Services is skeptical about your price, they'll charge you what THEY think the car is worth, so backup your claim.
1b) Duty is not paid on North American made vehicles (or MOSTLY NA made). If your VIN starts with a 1,2 or 4 (I think) you shouldn't have to pay duty. My lexus VIN starts with a J (Japan) and I paid.
2) Calling Lexus for the Recall Clearance letter was brilliant. They were helpful and friendly and it was faxed to me the next day with hardcopy in my mailbox in 72 hours. Don't bother emailing (I got no response), call the 1-800 number and say hello.
3) I bought a travel binder to bring the car up. It lasted 10 days and cost 60 bucks with extended coverage and comprehensive.
3b) I spoke to insurance agencies in washington... No washington insurance was required. The seller left his plates ('tabs') on the car, which is what you need plus your insurance binder to get the car to BC.
4) Bring copies of everything! Bill of sale, ad (if applicable), cheque, email from US customs stating that the car can be exported, etc. The guy at the US border said the car wasn't ready despite the email they sent stating it was. I didn't have a copy but I pushed and he released it.
6) Your insurance binder is only for point A to point B, once the car is in BC it should go straight to your home, you need temporary insurance for getting the inspection done.
7) Form 2 gets sent to you by RIV once you've entered the country and paid the import fee (despite info on some websites, I didn't pay this fee at the border). If you request it at time of payment, you can get form 2 faxed or emailed to you instead of snail-mail, saving lots of time. I was registered and driving happily (and legally) friday in a car that was imported on tuesday!
Those are all the tips I can think of at the moment.
Even though I had to pay duty and GST (no GST on private sales in Canada), the GST/PST was on a lower purchase price than if I bought it here, and I'd have paid PST anyways. Even the cost of driving 2 cars to Tacoma (twice) to buy and take home the car, licensing and finally inspections, I still saved myself about $4,000 on a used vehicle. I considered it worth the work, which isn't work if you can follow directions.
Most importantly, I got to extend my options to really find the car I wanted since these aren't exactly abundant...
Good luck!
Brandon
|