Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:44:46 -0700
Reply-To: Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Importing van from Canada to US (Victoria BC to Seattle) ?
In-Reply-To: <6D2EC079-D847-4578-8767-AE3F0F01F493@varotto.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Talk to Jeff Schwaia, he does it for a living and knows the process inside
and out. I'll be damned if I can remember or find his new email
address.....
Jeff Schwaia, Autostadt West, www.vanagonparts.com, Registered
Importer.
Here's Jeff's post on US importation.
"Bill,
It's not as bad as you think. If this is a true Canadian market vehicle
(i.e., it was sold brand new in Canada by VW of Canada), then import is a
relatively simple and inexpensive process.
The first thing you should do is to have your friend contact VW of Canada
and tell them that they plan on moving to the USA and need a compliance
letter for their vehicle. It is extremely important that you have them
contact VW , and that they tell VW that they plan on moving (not selling the
vehicle) to the USA. Most manufacturers will provide a letter of conformity
to people who are relocating.
If you get the letter, and it states that the vehicle meets all USA safety
standards, you're golden and won't need anything further to import and
register. You may also get a letter that states the vehicle meets all
safety standards except 'xxxx'. In that case, you would need to have a
Registered Importer change those items and label your vehicle as compliant.
Any changes should be minor.
Emissions is a non-issue as the Canadian and U.S. EPA's have an agreement
accepting each others emissions standards.
If you can't get the letter, talk to a Registered Importer who deals with
Canadian imports, other than Customs fees, the cost shouldn't be more than
$1,500. We only charge $700 for direct Canadian imports.
This is only true for true Canadian market vehicles. A vehicle that was
imported into Canada and then brought to the USA will be treated as
non-Canadian market vehicle and any attempt to disguise it as a Canadian
market vehicle is considered smuggling & fraud. Sure... they probably won't
throw you in prison, but they will take away your vehicle if they catch you.
BTW: I am a Registered Importer out here in California, so I'm pretty
familiar with the rules and regulations.
Let me know if I can provide you any other info.
Cheers,
Jeff
Autostadt West (RI #: R-06-346)"
On Fri, Aug 22, 2008 at 6:17 AM, Hugo Varotto <vanagon@varotto.org> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> first post here :-) I'm currently a Eurovan Weekender owner who's
> looking to get into the Vanagon world (Syncro most specifically). I've
> been soaking/reading all the e-mails here for a month or so, learnign
> as much as I can.
>
> I'm currently looking at a very nice (read, nice price) Syncro Westy
> in Canada, and would like to know if anybody has any experience/tips/
> recommendations on how to import it to the US (paperwork, process, etc).
>
> Is this something feasible, or should I forget completely about it (am
> I asking for lots of trouble ?). Should I do it on my own or see if an
> importing company could do it easier ?
>
> Reason I'm looking for a Westy Syncro: my idea would be eventually to
> do a Zetec conversion and prepare it for an Alaska trip in the medium
> future (couple of years).
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Hugo
>
--
Jake
1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
Crescent Beach, BC
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27
