I got a email regarding me importing my car and how it was done and thought eh I ll write an updated and in depth how to:P. I will mainly explain the 2gb eclipse because that is what I got
1)BEFORE you even think of even buying a car, check RIV's list of admissible vehicles to canada:
http://www.riv.ca/english/html/us_vehicle_admissibility.html2)See if you can find out the modifications involved to comply with our laws and see if after that it is even worth bothering
3)find a car:)
4)My seller was VERY organized and helpfull and he had everything on his end ready. US customs has to have the title(the US version of an ownership) faxed to them 72 hours in advance, and you should phone them as well just in case. He MUST have with him at the exchange: bill of sale, title and a recall clearance letter(this is somthing he must get from an AUTHORIZED dealer that states the vehicle has no outstanding recalls) He also had to get a payoff letter which stated he had payed off the loan for the car. I dont remember touching this, just make shure you phone both sides of customs to check everythin is cool. He also faxed the recall clearance letter to RIV and made shure they considered it aceptable.
5)Now you make shure your covered by insurance for the trip home and see if you have extra plates. If you do not have extra plates, you suck, it REALLY sucks:P(I learned from experiance)
You CANNOT get a temporary trip permit in your province(really stupid dont ask me why, I would know I kept trying because it would have been alot easier! You must call the nearest US customs, ask for a number for general information. I then phoned general information and through them found the nearest secretary of state building to my cars pickup location(which I could NOT call:s) and mapquested it to find directions. You pretty much have to trust that the person on the other end made sense and you find it. When you get to the building you go talk to the trasportation people and wait there possibly half hour/hour+ and get a transit plate. You put this in your back window and it covers you to get back home(for a period of 14 days)-required proof of insurance to get the transit plate
6)arrange to pick up the car, get your money/check/ect ready, have proper border crossing documentation that is required, exchange numbers/cell numbers
7)get the car(when driving through customs they will check their comp for the title and say if its all OK to go)
for me required a ride from my parents:P I suggest sleeping somewhere near the pickup if it is at an arranged time as I did so you arent late. I am lucky to have family in windsor and slept there and picked the GSX up in the morning.
8) drive back to Canada Customs
they ask you to provide recall clearance letter, the title, proof of insurance?(we cant remember), and the bill of sale. It is highly recommended you dont lie on the price of the car, as they can and HAVE investigated, and it is overall more trouble than it is worth. You get flagged off into a parking lot, where you walk into a Customs building. You pay 5% pst on the price of the car here, and $100 A/C excise tax(only if you have AC). The man behind the computer also requires all the paperwork I have mentioned, and fills out form 1 for you, he takes a copy and that gets sent to RIV, and you keep one to provide to the province and one for yourself. Now you get to drive the rest of the way home(we put on like just over 250 miles:P). When you are home send RIV their money for form 1(for me this was $204.75-195+gst) PROMPTLY! -I think I had about 24 hours but I think I acidentally slacked a little. You can pay online, or send it in the mail.
9) If you pay online they send you a Adobe document to print out(My method)-this is form 2. I guess through mail, they would mail it back. This form tells what your required modifications are required and when they must be done and inspected by(within 45 days or your car could possibly be kissed bye bye, if you are having trouble you MUST phone them) For my 1998 GSX, I had to attatch a child safety teather, and I rewired the fogs into daytime running lights(well my dad did the good chunk of it, lol gota love dads) by splicing into a blue radio wire that goes into the fusebox under the hood, and wiring it into the fuse for the foglights. If anyone needs help just message me and I ll see about getting pictures.
10) get your car inspected by a RIV contracted shop(usually canadian tire) or you can choose your own as long as they are contacted and they approve. You must bring form one and form 2 to the inspection,(mine is tommorow at 2!) and then they fill it out and im not shure who, but someone sends it to RIV. You MUST keep YOUR copy! You will need it when liscening the vehicle!!
11) apparently after they get your form they will send you your amazing sticker that is called a Canadian Certification label, and this typically goes on the drivers door jam with all the other nice little stickers
12)get a saftey and e test
13) liscense vehicle, you must present your RIV forms, title, and all that other fun stuff, so dont loose anything and keep it all handy
14)GO FOR A JOY RIDE!!! lol im just kidding I saved 3 years for mine hardly spending a cent, im 17 and my insurance is already too much:P
anyquestions: mitsumikey@hotmail.com,msg me here, or mitsumikey on tuners, or dsmtalk also mitsumikey(I dont seem to get on that one as often)
hope I help someone(that was like almost an hour of writing!
