I’m going to be in Florida in December and I would really like to pick up a nice s13 that’s rust free and drive it back. I would get it shipped but I don’t have another $3k to blow.
Can anyone tell me the process involved? How/where would I register the car?
i’ve done it before (thought not an S13)
this is for cars over 15 years old - it’s a different process for newer cars
the main thing to remember is to fax a copy of the signed ownership to the US side of the boarder you’re going to cross at least 72 hours before you cross with the car.
you can go about this a few ways:
after you’ve paid for the car and faxed your ownership to the boarder and switched insurance over, you’ll have to get a temp permit for it… i was hassled about it a bit due to the fact that it’s an ontario temp permit on a car with a US title, as far as i know a temp permit counts just as well as a proper plate… this seems even more true with the new temp plate system.
so now you have your temp permit, insurance and have waited 72 hours from faxing the ownership. time to drive the car back.
pretty straight forward - once you get to the boarder, tell the US crossing guard that you’re importing the car to canada, he’ll tell you to go to a building there. go where he says, tell them that you’re importing it, they’ll ask you some basic questions and fill out a form for you.
you then go to the canadian side of the boarder and repeat the process, you may have your car inspected at this time, depends how sketchy you look… i look like an average person so the car i was importing didn’t get searched, however my friend that drove me down in his car always looks like he’s up to something, so his car was searched for 20 minutes or so. other than that, you’ll just have to pay some taxes and the A/C fee if the car is equipped with it. the car i imported didn’t have A/C so i’m not 100% sure where you pay the fee, i believe it’s at the boarder.
once you’re done there, take it home, the hard part is done. now you have a time limit (i forget the length, i believe it’s 90 days?) to complete a safety check at a canadian tire. before this check you may have to modify some things on the car to comply with canadian laws such as airbag stickers, day time running lights, etc. check with the RIV for what needs to be done to your specific car.
next up, get your e-test if the car is an '88 or newer and then plate it, you’re all done.
it’s actually a fairly simple process as long as it’s an older car. from what i’ve been told it’s a bit more complicated for cars less than 15 years old, but still not that bad.
feel free to ask me about it if you need some more info.
if I stay in the states for 3 days where am i gona get the plates from? is it possible to transfer my old plates so i can put them on and drive up
that’s the problem, i can’t think of a legal way to do it.
obviously you can’t get a temp since you can’t get to the licensing office in ontario. i’m not sure about state laws, but here in ontario as soon as a car is signed over to someone else the plates are considered to be no longer registered to the car… so that rules out driving with the previous owner’s plates.
best option if you want to stay in the states is to come down with a truck and rent a dolly/trailer from a uhaul in the states for a one way trip to drop it off in ontario.
my buddie bougth is car there and the way it works is that they give u teir plates too i think or he got lucky
Read This http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html#before
It would be a much nicer drive in the summer.
In Ontario, when you buy a car, your current car’s (registered) plates are valid to be put on the new car for 7 days without penalty. You don’t have to do anything… just slap them on.
I don’t know how this works in the states, but it’s worth a shot… at least you could get the car to the border with whatever they have set up, then slap yours on and drive the rest of the way.
The solution to the plates is to go to the DMV in the state that you are purchasing the vehicle and when you register that the title of the car is being transfered they will offer you a temporary permit that will allow you to pass through the border. You will have to fax the in paperwork to the border 3 days prior to your arrival. That is just 3 regular days not business days they work everyday. I recently brought a car in from Michigan but it was an easy trip for me as I live in Windsor.
If you have any further questions about the process let me know.
Nick
wait… how does this work? can you please explain in more detail?
ive never heard of this before, but i know you need cert and insurance to get a temp licence here.
yes, please do explain more about the plate rule, theo.
i got pulled over with the previous owner’s plates on a car i had bought a couple days before, they took the plates and the female officer mentioned something about this but me and her partner both looked at her like she was on crack.
this would be amazing to know.
That’s about all I know… I just did a quick search, but didn’t find anything.
What I do know, is that when you buy a car here, you can bring your currently registered plates from an insured car in your name, slap them on the new car to drive it home. Thats it.
Hopefully someone a little more skilled can find the info online… I failed at that 
seriously theo? hmm somtihng i hadn’t ever heard of before… be interesting to find out the details
I’ve heard of this before but was told it was 3 days… I may or may not have done it myself… I talked to a police officer however, they were unaware of this “law”. I also asked my insurance broker, didn’t get a straight answer from her either.
spd-dmn, use your mad skills!
Yeah, I’ve been waiting for Mike to chime in here as I’m not 100% on the stipulations.