[Always] WOW ---- New and used cars from US up to 30% cheaper - Read post #1

The speedometer in the US is in miles and in Canada it has to be in Kms.
How do people get around this? Is it cheap to replace the entire dash?

After reading all these posting, I'm with information overload...

Can someone tell me exactly what I need to do to import a used car that is given to me by a relative? The car is just over 5 years old...

Thanks..

Urgent Question:

Which insurance companies are you guys using once you have imported the car here?

I just called TD Meloche Monnex, and they said they aren't insuring ANY vehicle from the USA, even if it is brand new. Something about how hurricane katrina resulted in alot of salvage vehicles, so they don't want to risk insuring any USA vehicles now.


UPDATE:

My cousin called TD Meloche Monnex, and they clarified that they will insure a USA vehicle that is already registered in Ontario.

THe problem is, they won't offer temporary insurance in order for him to drive it from NY State back to Canada.

Where are you guys getting temporary insurance from?

Another quick question...

What is the 'Manufacturer's Statement of Compliance", and where does one find it on the car? I'm looking at importing a Volvo (yes, that means some duty, but still a huge savings), but talking to the guy in the US, he thought it meant compliance with emissions standards, etc...

Anyone able to fill me in?

nealf wrote:The speedometer in the US is in miles and in Canada it has to be in Kms.
How do people get around this? Is it cheap to replace the entire dash?

Most cars have both mile and km mark. Even your current car may have both. As long as it has both marks, it is fine.

Otherwise you only need to replace the dial, not the entire dash.

dcxx wrote:Most cars have both mile and km mark. Even your current car may have both. As long as it has both marks, it is fine.

Otherwise you only need to replace the dial, not the entire dash.

As dcxx mentioned, this isn't an issue with most cars but I just wanted to add that I think you actually can just add stickers on the face of the existing dial at the appropriate locations to mark km/h so you don't even need to replace the dial.

We just imported a Sienna from Montana to Alberta and TD Meloche Monnex insured us based on the VIN effective the day we planned on picking up the car.

Yannai wrote:We just imported a Sienna from Montana to Alberta and TD Meloche Monnex insured us based on the VIN effective the day we planned on picking up the car.

Maybe Ontario is different than Alberta. >

I called twice, and my cousin called 4 times, and every time, every single customer service representative said the same thing. They can only insure the vehicle once it has been brought into Ontario and is registered for Ontario. They won't insure the car during the period between vehicle pickup in the states, and when it is brought into Ontario.

aZnRYcEbOi wrote:Maybe Ontario is different than Alberta. >

I called twice, and my cousin called 4 times, and every time, every single customer service representative said the same thing. They can only insure the vehicle once it has been brought into Ontario and is registered for Ontario. They won't insure the car during the period between vehicle pickup in the states, and when it is brought into Ontario.

Same thing here. The agent said the NY transit permit would cover me for liability though.

aZnRYcEbOi wrote:Maybe Ontario is different than Alberta. >

I called twice, and my cousin called 4 times, and every time, every single customer service representative said the same thing. They can only insure the vehicle once it has been brought into Ontario and is registered for Ontario. They won't insure the car during the period between vehicle pickup in the states, and when it is brought into Ontario.

Maybe Alberta is different... I called my insurance company, and they said so long as it was only a few days travel (California pickup to Canada) they would be OK with covering it - but again I am in Alberta...

Maybe call around to a few different insurance companies and see if another is willing to help you out...

'Manufacturer's Statement of Compliance" is simply a recall letter from the manufacturer. If you purchase a new car from a US dealer who is familiar with exporting vehicles, he will ensure you get a letter from the manufacturer indicating that the vehicle is free from any outstanding recall notices and that it is up-to-date.

It needs to come from the manufacturer and must be on corporate letterhead. Once you purchase a vehicle in the US, the dealer will process this request for you. Until that letter arrives, you cannot pick up the car. From what I've read on the 'net, it takes a couple of days. The Subaru dealer I am dealing with in WNY has a direct contact at Subaru America who processes the requests for him directly.

As far as travelling with a temporarily-plated vehicle, I deal with State Farm Insurance. I called my agent and he tells me that as long as I have the ownership in my name, as soon as I take possession of the car, my US purchase will be covered regardless of whether it's in transit or not.

According to post#12 in this thread, you need BOTH:

Statement of compliance label is usually not a letter you get from the manufacturer. It is the label you will find on the door jam of the vehicle saying that the car meets all US standards. Goto [rfdlink=/forums/autolink/redirectpage.php?linkid=78]EBAY[/rfdlink] and look at some of the listings and usually they show a picture of that label. Here is an example on a Volvo XC90.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003-XC9 ... dZViewItem

You're right raymondy. That one got right past me.

The www.cars101.com/canada.html site shows a picture of the door label and outlines in detail the importation process.

As dumb as this may sound... Can you lease a Car in the United States and register/insure/drive the Car in Canada or can you only purchase and bring over?