Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2007 12:17:26 -0400
Reply-To: Karl Mullendore <groups@WESTYVENTURES.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Karl Mullendore <groups@WESTYVENTURES.COM>
Subject: Re: That $42 K syncro is Canadian?
Don, all Canadian-spec Vanagons are also US-spec, and meet not only DOT and
EPA but have the stickers that state so! The only changes to bring one in is
the speedometer and the brake warning light. I've brought in two. :-) The
'other' item needed is the VW 'Letter of Conformity' (or Letter of
non-conformity , whatever VW now calls it). VW will state that "we are not
in the business of enabling US citizens to import gray-market cars to the
US", but when presented with the facts and afore-mentioned stickers plus a
little tirade I was able to get the letter no problem. There are 'other'
ways of getting the letter, p-mail me if you get srerious again about buying
a CA-spec van. NOTE: German-spec vans are a whole 'nuther story! Look for a
US-type VIN, if it has ZZZ in it, it is not a US/CA VIN.
Karl
On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 21:51:53 -0700, Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET> wrote:
> First, I thought the asking price was so high I didn't even bother to
more than scan it, to see if the driveshaft was titanium and the wheels were
gold, for that money. Didn't even see it was Canadian..
> But if it is a Canadian vehicle, forget it (even more). I bid on and
(almost) won a Syncro about a year ago up on Vancouver Island, taking the
seller's word that she'd "sold half a dozen vehicles to US citizens and
they exported/imported them to the States very easily, with no problems
whatsoever."
>
> So, when it became clear that I was probably going to win the auction with
a strong bid at what I thought I wanted to pay, I started doing my own
checking on the procedure for importing a Canadian VW into the US...You can
add about $10k and 6months of messing around with paperwork and form and
beaurocrats to that $42k. By the time you got it here, paid the duty,
paid the customs broker, paid to have the instruments federalized, smogged
the Subie motor, etc. etc.etc......That was if the Customs guy you happen to
'draw' for your "file" is a reasonable federal employee...Then I called a
customs broker...He asked me what vehicle was I trying to import, I said "VW
Syncro 4wd Vanagon"...He said.."Nope, can't do that car" I says, "Huh?" He
says.."it is not on THE LIST" of allowed cars, period!"
> I "punted on third down" and called my 'seller' and told her that
contrary to what she'd said in her Ebay ad text, it was not "easy or problem
free", and in fact I didn't care to spend a bunch of extra time and money to
buy a Canadian car.
>
> Now, Victoria BC was close. The VW is the same as the ones you get here.
But try convincing our government that having your speedo in Kilometers is
OK, and it's only an old VW vanagon, what's the 'beef"? They wanted a
frigging 100 page, 4 or 5 different agents and beauro document file before
they would allow me to drive that dangerous vehicle over here in 'Murika.
>
> So now I think that is extraordinarily expensive..though it sounds like a
great vehicle..
>
> Don Hanson
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