Exporting Tacoma from US to Canada

I want to buy a new short box Tacoma, however they are not available in Canada with auto transmissions - only short boxes with manual tranny's are sold here.

So, I've been looking for a US dealer that will sell a new Tacoma to a non-US resident (Canadian, in my case). Unfortunately Toyota has a dealer agreement in place that prevents US dealerships from selling new vehicles to Canadian residents. So, it's been a challenge to actually get what I want....

Anyways, now that you know my story, I'm looking for any suggestions or hints from anyone who has knowledge of the processes involved with importing new vehicles into Canada. I've done my homework and know the requirements, but I'd be happy to hear any real world experiences or lessons learned.

 

Couple threads on this already

I'll see if I can find one

 

Get a US resident to buy a new Tacoma, then buy it off him in canada.

 

the dealer could claim it as sold, then sell it as a used unit.

we do it with our Infiniti line up from time to time, for other reasons, but same thing.

 

Found one

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...orting-tacoma-has-anyone-ever-had-issues.html

 

Exact reason I bought my Shortbox sport brand new in the USA. I ran into the same roadblock you did OP, but there is a way around it. I saved thousands, but more importantly got the truck I wanted, that is not available in Canada.

The 'way' around it involves using a middleman that buys the truck for you. There is a company set up that acts as this middleman, and you pay them a fee for buying the truck for you. Sounds complicated but I did it all from home. PM if you want more info and the contact info of the guy with this company.

 

Ok, so I ended up buying a used 2011 Tacoma TRD from Denver. The truck has 4,000 miles on it, and I got it for $29,500 USD (about $28,000 CAD). That’s almost free !!!!!

I looked into a broker, and their fee was approximately $3,000 to purchase a new Tacoma in USA and sell it to me so I can import it into Canada. I will realize significant savings from buying the used Tacoma, but either way it is a lot cheaper than a new Tacoma in Canada (would’ve cost about $42,000 CAD).

I found some super cheap OEM parts from www.TRDsource.com and had them ship to Denver so I can install the accessories and this way I will avoid paying duties / taxes at the border. The parts will arrive beforehand, so with any luck the dealer will install the TRD exhaust, etc. before I pick it up.

Only problem with purchasing a vehicle from the States is I have to wait 72 hours from the time I fax the title to US Customs to when I can actually export the truck (cross the border)…. Guess I’ll just have to drive really slow or find a good strip club between Denver & Alberta!

 

Sweet truck man! I love the look of the short boxes.

Now you have the truck what is the process to get it in to Canada? Only an out-of-province fee? Or some other shit around?

Seems almost cheaper to buy a very new used truck in the states and bring it up to Canada. Be an exciting/fun drive from Denver up to Calgary in your new toy

 

Nice!
just don't blow all the savings in the back room!

 

Don't they hit you with a VAT tax when you cross it?

 

No vat, only 6% duty if the vehicle was manufactured outside of North America, which it wasn't. Just applicable taxes (6% in Alberta I believe) and the $200 RIV fee.

Good work OP, I saved a ton of $$$ buying in the USA too, feelsgoodman!
You could try and get the dealer to fax the title to the border before you go and pick the truck up. That way you won't have to wait.

Congrats and post pics when you get the truck

 

Process as follows:

1) Fax title document & Bill of Sale to US Customs a minimum 72 hours before I cross the border. Once I get to the border, I will go into the US Customs office and then they will allow me to export the vehicle (assuming my faxed paperwork is in order).

2) Once I have clearance from US Customs to export the vehicle, I will go into Canada Customs and fill out a form to import the vehicle into Canada. At that time, I will only pay pay 5% GST + $200 RIV fee when I cross the border into Canada (there is no sales tax in Alberta - GST is paid on new and used vehicles). At that time, Canada Customs will perform a recall clearance check and, depending on the outcome, I may or may not need to send them a formal recall clearance letter from the manufacturer (Toyota, in this case).

3) Once I get home, I have 45 days to have the vehicle inspected for use in Canada (about $60 at Canadian Tire). Once the inspection has passed, I send a copy to Transport Canada for their records. I can then register the vehicle in Canada.


Some things to note:

- Daytime Running Lights required for use in Canada

- Metric speedometer (showing km) required for use in Canada

- EIS (Electronic Immobilizer System) required for use in Canada
- No vehicle modifications are allowed to import into Canada (i.e. no lift kits, etc.)

- It's best to contact US Customs and RIV before exporting / importing to ensure you understand all paperwork requirements, vehicle admissibility, etc.

- Most banks won't give you an unsecured loan, so if you don't have the cash you will need to secure temporarary funding (i.e. borrow from Mom & Dad) until the vehicle is registered in Canada. Once registered, the banks will provide a loan (using the vehicle as security) and you can pay back Mom & Dad, your pimp or whoever lent you the money in the first place.



- You will be hard pressed to have a dealer issue title before the vehicle is paid for, so you have two main choices:

1) wire money before picking up vehicle (carries some risk). This means you have paid for the vehicle before seeing it, but you will have title in hand and can fax it to US Customs beforehand, which means you won't have to wait 72 hours from the time you pick up the vehicle, or

2) pay for the vehicle in person once you have seen the vehicle. This carries no risk, but you will have to wait 72 hours before crossing the border.

In my case, option 2 wass preferred as there is no risk of being ripped off because I'll have the vehicle in my position when funds are transferred. I'll just take my time getting back home, which I'm ok with.

Option 1 carries the risk of being de-frauded of your money, should the person not be who they say they are, or the vehicle not exisitng. During my search, I did run into some fraudsters. I've attached a funny document to prove my point.






Some useful links:


Registrar of Imported Vehicles: http://www.riv.ca/Home.aspx

Transport Canada: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safevehicles-importation-faq-index-452.htm#pt14

Canada Border Service: http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5048-eng.html

US website: http://www.ucanimport.com/

US Customs told me to use this form as a cover page when faxing title & bill of sale to US Customs: http://www.ucanimport.com/docs/CBPGeneralVehicleExportWorksheet.pdf

 

Funny, I was just reading into your post because similar to your buying in US and bringing into Canada, I had to go through the whole broker/rep thing to get Canadian Satellite here in the US, it sounds like similar hassle (without all of the big import taxes and US Custom stuff, but Dude, I read your fraud letters, they were hilarious man, I laughed my ass off!! Good luck to you with your new truck.

 

72 hours to drive up. Make a little holiday out of it I guess. Sounds like a bit of a headache as gov paperwork always is. Thanks for the post, be a good reference for anyone else in the future trying to get a car up here.

How did you pay for your truck at the US dealership?

 

Haha awesome fraudster letter!

The amount of times on Kijiji that ive come across them for housing rentals and cars is rediculous. I love the way they are so obvious too.
" I recently moved to Italy as my mother is very ill with Cancer. I am a registered Chiropractor here so I cannot get back to Canada -email only. If you send me the $1500 damage deposit I will mail you the keys. etc etc etc." and the response is generally at least 3 paragraphs of bullshit.

 

I transferred money to a US bank (Chase) and paid with a cashier's cheque once I had taken the truck for a test drive. I could've brought cash with me, but didn't want to travel with $30,000. I also could've wired the money beforehand, but wanted to avoid any risk as I hadn't any experience with the dealer. I would be comfortable wiring money in the future to the same dealer now that I know they are completely legitimate.

All in all it was pretty easy. Less than two hours at the dealership (including a 30 minute test drive and trip to the bank). About five minutes at US Customs to get my export papers, and twenty minutes at Canada Customs to fill out the import form and pay GST & air conditioning fee ($100).

I would definitely do it again....

I'll insert a plug here: www.autosearch.com in Denver, CO (800) 772-6489. Terry Schleski was great and I'd definitely recommend his services to anyone local or any Canadians looking for a good deal. They'll broker new vehicles as well as selling good quality used vehicles.

 

good trip report. does the broker go both ways? Say someone in the USA with something from Canada?

 

I'm not sure - probably not but if you want a vehicle from Canada it would be worth asking.