I bought my '71 Malibu from a guy in Canada, but it was registered in
Canada.
The car has to pass EPA and DOT regulations before you can import it
from Canada, but fortunately, any car older than 25 years old is exempt.
I shipped the car from Vancouver BC to NY, and used the shipper as the
go-between person, ie, the shipper actually paid the guy for the car. I
worked with a customs broker to get the car imported properly.
As far as inspection goes, service stations in Canada have a standard
used car check list they go through. The list is very thorough. I had
the owner take the car to a local service station, they inspected the
car and faxed me the results. It was well worth it, as the report
covered everything that was wrong with the car.
It may seem like a big hassle, but the whole deal worked out well for
me. At the time, the Canadian dollar was 30% less than the US dollar, so
total cost of the car purchase and shipping was about $5k.
However, some newer cars (1980's) that come from Canada don't pass EPA
and DOT standards, and can't be registered in the US. Makes them tough
to sell.
Tom Tomlinson
Daniel Mascheck wrote:
What kind of problems can you have buying a 64 Chevelle from Canada? I live
in Texas and wonder if there are some legal problems? The car is supposed to
be registered in the states, and the person tells me it costs too much to
license and title the car in Canada. Is that true? If the car is sold
through Ebay will it cover any problems that might arise if the guy stiffs
me!
I'm just curious if this is a good thing to pursue? Being the guy lived in
Texas, but now lives in Canada, I have no clue how the law works across the
border or I have a good chance on getting the big weenie on the deal!
Are there people or a service you can hire in Canada to inspect the car and
be a go between on the finances?
Dan Mascheck
Wharton, TX
