Buying a car in the USA (and bringing it to Canada)

[DrLiver]

I’m looking to buy a car from the US and bringing back to Canada (where I live).

Am I right in thinking that the cars in the states, especially southern states are cheaper (recent good exchange rates), have less rust (warmer winters?) and are overall better value?

If I decide to buy one from down south, would my best bet be e-bay, other internet auctions or auto-trader magasines / newspapers? And which car makes would be the cheapest ones compared to canadian prices?

Also,what kind of trouble should I expect at the border? ( i.e. taxes, insurance, safety check, etc.)

thanks

[DrLiver]

I forgot to mention, I’m looking on spending between $3000 and $5000 USD (or under 8,000 CAD).

And I’d rather have a sports car but would settle for a family one.

[Sunspace]

You’ll have to Canadianize it.

The instruments need to be in metric. You’ll need daytime running lights. You’ll need 8-km/h (5-mph) bumpers, rather thn the wimpy 2.5-mph bumpers required for US cars.

The bumper requirement has blocked a number of models popular in the States or Europe from coming to Canada, such as the Lancer Evo VII and the Mercedes A-class.

The Registrar of Imported Vehicles gives details on importation requirements. For instance, ‘passenger vehicles’ must have:

[ul][li]Recall clearance letter []The vehicle must bear a manufacturer’s valid statement of compliance label at the time of importation, otherwise a manufacturer’s latter of compliance will be required. []The Registrar of Imported Vehicles will mail a Canadian statement of compliance label to you after passing the federal inspection.[]Valid alpha-numeric 17-digit VIN[]Metric speedometer and odometer labels (provided by inspection centre)[]Daytime running lights, if manufactured after November 1989[]Infant restraint kit, if manufactured after 1988[]Child tether anchorage, for most passenger cars manufactured after 1988 (refer to Admissibility List) []8 km/hour bumpers (refer to Admissibility List)French supplementary restraint system label for airbags that require periodic maintenance.[/ul][/li]

Looks like your best bet would be with a ‘classic’ car, older than the mid eighties. And even then, if the seatbelts don’t meet the standards, you can’t bring it in and license it for use on public roads.