Date:         Sun, 29 Oct 2006 21:05:33 -0800
Reply-To:     Nathaniel Poole <npoole@TELUS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Nathaniel Poole <npoole@TELUS.NET>
Subject:      FW: Importing a vehicle to USA - need advice
In-Reply-To:  <C16AC7DA.D40%npoole@telus.net>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Not to muddy the waters (which you know as soon as somebody says that they
invariably do), but for the Canucks on this list they should know that
importing into Canada is actually rather tricky. Most non-US vehicles CANNOT
be legally imported, unless, as Jeff says, they are older than 15 years. I
just bought my van from the US so I had to go the whole route - anything
less than 15 years old must meet federal standards and is subject to federal
inspection, for a fee, and must be upgraded to meet federal standards at
your cost (and that's only if the vehicle is on a narrow list of importable
vehicles). You also have to prove to have cleared all recalls for that
vehicle. Once this is done, you must them submit the vehicle for Provincial
inspection, again for a fee, before you can license the vehicle in Canada.
If the vehicle is more than 15 years old you still have to pass the very
rigorous provincial (> 60 point in BC) inspection. If you try an end
run-around this and bring a non-acceptable vehicle into Canada, you will be
forced to immediately export the vehicle or have the vehicle impounded and
destroyed. I know of no legal way to get around these procedures and have a
vehicle that can be insured and licensed in Canada.

Nathaniel


On 10/29/06 8:26 PM, "Jeffrey Schwaia" <jeff@VANAGONPARTS.COM> wrote:

> Rob,
>
> The 25 year rule applies to all vehicles from countries other than Canada.
> Canadian EPA and safety rules are basically the same as the USA.  Therefore,
> any vehicle that was made for the Canadian market and was originally sold in
> Canada is quite easy to import into the USA.
>
> Many people mistakenly think that they can import a vehicle into Canada from
> Europe, and then import it into the USA.  That is fraud.  Canada has some
> pretty easy rules when it comes to importing vehicles.  Any vehicle that is
> at least 15 years old can be imported into Canada.  But if someone wants to
> import one of those vehicles into the US, it must be imported as a
> non-Canadian vehicle.
>
> There really isn't any gray areas when it comes to importing into the USA.
> If you'd like more info try:
>
> DOT:
>
> http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/
>
>
> EPA:
>
> http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/quikover.htm
> &
> http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/factmtop.htm
>
>
> CUSTOMS:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/tmz47
> &
> http://tinyurl.com/8eugs
>
>
> Have fun,
>
> Jeff
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
> Of Rob
> Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2006 7:47 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Importing a vehicle to USA - need advice
>
>
> I've been following this thread, interesting reading if nothing else
> and I am just a 2 1/2 hr drive from Canada.
> I've followed the links, did some reading and it looks legal to bring
> in certain vehicles less than 25 years old without jumping thru too
> many hoops. It certainly doesn't look illegal to me.
> You seem so adamant about it being illegal. Am I missing something?
>
> Rob
> becida@comcast.net
>
> At  10/29/2006 07:18 PM,Jeffrey Schwaia wrote:
>> Hmmm... and I have exceeded the speed limit hundreds of times in the last
> 20
>> years and I've never gotten a ticket.  Obviously, it must be legal to
>> speed...
>>
>> Just because your "friends" have gotten away with breaking the law, doesn't
>> make it legal.
>>
>> Duh.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
>> Of Buffalo 66
>> Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2006 2:43 PM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: Importing a vehicle to USA - need advice
>>
>>
>> I have friends who have imported dozens of vehicles.
>> from Vespas, to Mercedes S class.
>>
>>   No major problems to date, and last year, one of the
>> cars was totalled, the insurance company paid for
>> replacement value, the owner of the imported car was
>> at fault, and there were injuries. Nothing abnormal,
>> no questions were ever brought up, and the case was
>> processed as any other case was.
>>
>> Next....;)
>>
>> "So many people tiptoe through life, so carefully, to
>> arrive, safely, at death." - Tony Campolo
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --- Jeffrey Schwaia <jeff@VANAGONPARTS.COM> wrote:
>>
>>> FYI: There are not any "technically legal" ways to
>>> permanently import a
>>> vehicle that is less than 25 years old without the
>>> use of a registered
>>> importer.  Yes, there are ways to get a vehicle into
>>> the country, and there
>>> are ways to get it registered in your state, but
>>> understand one thing, those
>>> vehicles ARE NOT legally in this country, and you
>>> have committed a federal
>>> crime by circumventing Customs, EPA, or the NHTSA.
>>> One more thing, if you
>>> ever get into an accident in your "technically
>>> legal" vehicle, you will be
>>> considered to be 100% at fault, regardless of the
>>> circumstances of the
>>> accident due to the fact that your vehicle is not
>>> legal for use on the U.S.
>>> highways.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Jeff
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List
>>> [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
>>> Of Buffalo 66
>>> Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2006 6:44 AM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Re: Importing a vehicle to USA - need
>>> advice
>>>
>>>
>>> I know a few grey areas, that are technically legal,
>>> but requires a bit of legwork.
>>>
>>> email me privately if you want the details.
>>>
>>> I've done it personally on 2000 MY vehicles.
>>>

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