What year was the 355 you brought in? If it was over 15 yrs old i dont think you would need a recall letter. I called the riv a while ago about importing a lambo and they told me that 100% i would need the letter from Lambo and a carfax would not work?
I agree with Rizzo. You might have been lucky in your case or your 355 is over 15yrs old. They would not let my 05 Mas with carfax. I have had communication with 5 people who have imported Ferraris and Maseratis within the past 2 years. Only 1 was lucky with carfax. The rest of us got a signed letter from a authorized dealership stating our car was free from recalls. One got a printout from manufacture database. We all imported our cars ourselves with no help other than info that we passed around. Your $195 is misleading too. The total is roughly about 18% of the total cost of what one buys from US. Approx. 18%=gst+pst+import tax+broker fees+air condition tax+gas guzzler tax+RIV some part is paid at border and the rest at the provincial licensing office. I am not affiliated to any import business or James. You are right is not a hard process. But there are a few steps that need to be followed to get a smooth transaction. Some folks usually just hire it to someone if it takes many steps and you need to do stuff like mailing doc 3 days before crossing border, paying at the border, going to both US and CDN border offices and then paying another chunk at the licensing office and getting approval from RIV and certifying at Canadian Tire. Most ppl give up after my first line.
The $195 broker aint too far off. A good customs broker is usually around there. Plus all the rest of course...
I've brought quite a few cars into Canada,which I still have ,simply becsuse I like southern climate cars and there is a wide choice of colours and options. Include a Touareg,Aston Martin vantage volante,Porsche 993,Bmw 325ci,Mitsibushi Montero, Jaguar XK8.The latest was a 456gt,1995, last year.Get the build date of the car. If it is exactly 15 years or more forget RIV(mine was 15 years and one month) I was driving the ferrari on current california plates the next day getting the e-test and cert. No problem. The Aston,a 2001 had to clear RIV. Recall letter came with the car as part of the sale agreement. Had to do Canadian tire plus headlights. No trip to the Aston dealer whom I contacted in Toronto,seemed like an ass*ole. I avoided FOA for the same reason,and will buy my maranello when the 15 years are up.On principal I wouldnt pay some di*k $8000 for a no recall letter!
I've only imported North American built daily drivers into Canada from the USA. Because of the NAFTA, you don't pay DUTY on the vehicle because it was made in Canada, USA or Mexico, but I understand you must pay a 6.1% duty when you import a vehicle from USA or Mexico into Canada that was not built in North America. I also understand the 15 year old rule, that any restrictions imposed by RIV get thrown out the door (yeah!) when importing a vehicle of this age or older. So, the question is, do you still pay the 6.1% duty on a Ferrari (or other non North American built car) if it's over 15 years of age?
Good day, If you look at item 9966.00.00 it appears that you do not if the vehicle has not been modified... However, a customs broker should be able to verify this. Cheers, Sam
My 355 is a 1998 F1, purchased a year ago. I had to go through the RIV program, not eligible for 15years.
My 1995 456 did have the import duty added. The import duty applies to any age of car not made in North America, just that RIV has no say in its requirements.
Good day Andrew, If you look through the tariff item I listed above, there is no mention of that it only applies to North American made vehicles. I would like to hear from a Customs broker, as it is possible that all cars regardless of where they are made could be duty exempt. I know the next older car I will be importing, I will be quoting this tariff number to Canadian Customs to see if it is applicable or not. Cheers, Sam
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5048-eng.html#s5 Look under Import duties and taxes. NA built cars are not assigned duty. I brought my car into Canada and paid no duties as it was a 1984 model and therefore qualified as per tariff item 9966.00.00(a), 25 years or older. Later manufactured 328s all 348s and up are subject to duty.
There is NO Canadian import DUTY on ANY passenger car manufactured 25 or more years ago, regardless of country of origin. BUT don't be surprised if the CBS guys insist there is and try to charge you the 6.1%. I had a long argument with a Border Officer a couple of years ago when importing my 1970 Mangusta. I demanded that he call his head office to verify what I was telling him. This was after he ordered me to turn off my iPhone (where I had copied the statute in case I was challenged) as I was pulling up the statute number. Amusingly, while I was recounting the story later to a bunch of friends in Calgary, they were shocked to find they had ALL been incorrectly charged duty on their Panteras. The happy ending came when they each received refund cheques from the government after they filed claims. Also of note is that ANY passenger car is eligible for importation into Canada as long as it is 15 or more years old. This INCLUDES kit cars and others that don't show up on the RIV list of acceptable vehicles. All you need to do is get your provincial safety inspection (varies by province) when registering the car for plates. Duty of 6.1% will apply however if not a North American built vehicle. Mark
I appreciate the clarification on the Duty issue. Thanks. Given the current exchange on the Canadian $ which is hovering around 2 - 4%, once you add the duty of 6.1%, you're potentially looking at a 10% increase (in Canadian dollars) when purchasing a vehicle in the USA...not counting the cost of getting down there and bringing it back up, RIV fees, excise tax, certification et al. I've found many vehicles in Canada are priced quite a bit higher than what you'll find in the USA, but with a 10% "surcharge" < my term> on these USA vehicles, maybe waiting and finding the right vehicle in Canada will prove to we the wiser move.
I Agree with Johnny, Prices are getting pretty good in Canada, limited selection, but prices are comparables to the states.
Sam, I may be wrong, but I think the reason these is no import duty on North Americn built cars is because of the free trade treaty. If we had free trade with Italy or GB,I would be in heaven.
Absolutely - comparable, and in many cases, less expensive in Canada. I researched an LP560 for MONTHS. After paying the exchange, and the 6.1% import duty tax I would have to pay with an American car, I was far ahead with my purchase. Also, because I bought used in Canada, the GST is considered already paid, so I save another 5% (someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this to be so). I'd have to pay GST for a car that I purchased in Canada. I ended purchasing a 2009 LP560 with 2600km on it. Warranty until late November 2012. I figured in order to get to the same numbers for this car, I'd have to buy one in the States for US$165,000. Wasn't really anything I'd consider, anywhere NEAR 165K! Nice to see that Canadian pricing is coming down, relatively.
Good day Andrew, I am sure that you are correct here. Indeed, NA built vehicles receive special treatment which I am sure has to do with NA's Free Trade Agreement. That being said, my comments were intended to be about cars 25 years of ago and so the tariff item I mentioned indicates that no duty should be assessed regardless of the vehicle's origin (provided that they have not been "modified"). Cheers, Sam
That tariff # also works for parts for 25+ year old cars. Ferrari of UK sent me a bunch of parts with that code a bunch of years ago. Gerrit
I am looking at importing a 2000-01 360 in 2012, I have imported other cars in the past but nothing this high end, I hope I don't run into any issues at the border when it comes to this while recall clearance letter stuff.
May I ask what you would be paying for a 360 south of the border? They are pretty cheap here and you can see what you are paying for. Many items now cost more in the USA than in Canada. Electronics is now one of them.
Plenty of good 2000/2001 360 available at market correct price around here, so I ask why go south of the boarder?
Exactly. They are going for well under 100gs and theres a couple of nice ones at Daytona. I wouldnt buy an F-car from the US without going down with a mechanic to see it. Chances are you will not buy it after seeing it and the cost of the 2 airline tickets are down the drain. The majority of cars brought up from the US sight unseen are garbage and will require at least 15gs to get them anywhere near right. The deals south of the border just arnt that great on almost anything lately.
Yes, one at $79,000 and the other one asking $69,000 at Daytona, I can't see how when you factor everything in, you could put a US 360 on the road here for under that price, unless it's a total pos.
Like others have said, the 360 market in Canada is priced well, I don't think you will save much buying a us car
But look at the price of 355s.Maranellos and 456s. Look at the choice of colors. Look at the milage.For cars like a Porsche,I see them on the road all winter long. They are leased and people dont want to put them away in bad weather.
