Importing USA Titans into Canada

[tiny]

Originally Posted by kman

when you register it in Ontario will you not also have to pay PST? Also are there not any duties to pay when bringing a new vehicle accross the border?

There is no duty on vehicles brought into Canada that were manufactured in the USA or Mexico thanks to NAFTA (north american free trade agreement).

PST
This is a more complex issue that requires phoning your local Motor Vehicles office. You can expect to pay PST in the province that you initially register/plate the vehicle. For example, if I initially registered the vehicle in Ontario, they would collect PST from me at the time they issued the plate. However, there is a loophole - I am going to register/plate the vehicle in Alberta, which has no PST. (In Alberta, you do not have to be a resident of Alberta or carry an Alberta driver's license in order to register a vehicle. You only need proof of Alberta insurance and a valid driver's license.) In Ontario, when you go to register a vehicle that HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY REGISTERED IN YOUR NAME in another province, they do not charge you PST.

I called the Ontario Dept of Finance basically to find out if this was true and gather information. They indicated that if you had the vehicle registered elsewhere in your name but you changed your province of residence in the last 6 months *OR* you receive the truck as a gift from specific family members (parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, etc. but NOT a sibling) you are exempt from PST - but the vehicle must have originally been registered/plated in another province. Aside from the short list of exemptions (that isn't published anywhere as far as I can tell) you are supposed to contact them to arrange to pay your PST after the vehicle is registered. That is what you SHOULD do. You CAN choose to do something else and risk potential consequences of not telling anybody that you owe them $3000 of PST. How you handle this is a personal decision you have to make for yourself. Other provinces may vary, I just investigated Ontario because that concerns me.

re: Provincial Inspection
This also might affect you depending on your province. When I called the Alberta Transportation Dept to find out if I could register/plate my new Titan without having Alberta residency they also told me that in Alberta, if you provide the "certificate of origin" (which you needed to export through US Customs) for a NEW vehicle you will NOT require a provincial inspection. A used vehicle would require a provincial inspection.
You still require a federal inspection (done after the DRLs are put in), which must be done at a Canadian Tire for free. (The charge for that is free because it is covered up front by the RIV fee.)

I know it is a bit confusing, but basically you have to call your provincial motor vehicles/transportation dept and also Finance/PST dept and talk to them about the rules so you know for sure what you have to deal with.

Sidenote: if I wanted to ship my truck from Alberta to Ottawa on the train with Hansen's Forwarding or SeaRail (2 common options) the cost is about $1500. If I registered the vehicle in Ontario first, the PST would be 8% of $34,000 = $2700. It saves $1000 to go through the hassle of reigstering in Alberta, then shipping it and waiting 2 weeks for delivery in Ontario.

-Tiny

[tiny]

Well, a long day of driving yesterday from Calgary down to Sweetgrass Montana and back, but got my new Truck into Canada with very little hassle.

the guy who flat-bedded my truck up to the border was excellent, had all the documentation for me to sign (sales receipt, nissan rebate 'assign to dealer' form, inspection sheet, etc). All in order except for one little thing:

the Bill of Sale - for whatever reason my dealer's receipt showed the price of the vehicle and then the rebate as "Cash down" so Canadian customs did not have a way to realize that I really paid US$2250 less for the truck than the receipt showed. This is no big deal except that you have to pay GST on the price of the truck in Canadian dollars, so this meant I had to pay GST on the rebate amount too, ie. US$2250 x 1.135 x 6% = about $150 more tax than I would have had to pay if the bottom of the receipt showed the price AFTER the rebate was applied... it never occured to me to ask my sales rep to ensure that the Bill of Sale should have the price I paid at the bottom.

All in all - very painless. It took about 90 minutes at the border in total to get through US & Canadian customs. Next steps - add DRLs, pass a federal inspection at Canadian tire, and get it registered/plated in Alberta.

-tiny

[keane]

Don't forget to keep us informed! I was looking at the new Expedition Max and the price you can get it in the States is way cheaper than in canada. It might be an option for me in a year when I trade in the Titan.

[nissan_rob]

The rebate is a "cash down" rebate, It has to be shown. All in all, still not a bad deal, and sorry it took me so long to get to your messages....

EDIT- I just saw how you worked the system on titling it... Amazing! I didn't realize you could do that. I will definitely have to keep that in mind in the future when people ask me about buying cars to take to Canada.

[keane]

Tiny - When all is said and done, can you list all the costs and things you had to go through in a summary? This will help define the exact savings and nuances of buying from the states without having to go through different posts? I am really interested in seeing your exact costs you finally paid and the configuration you got. The one nice thing I like about the Titan's in the states, is you can get the front bench in a cc that isn't an XE

[tiny]

Originally Posted by keane

Tiny - When all is said and done, can you list all the costs and things you had to go through in a summary? This will help define the exact savings and nuances of buying from the states without having to go through different posts? I am really interested in seeing your exact costs you finally paid and the configuration you got. The one nice thing I like about the Titan's in the states, is you can get the front bench in a cc that isn't an XE

Next step complete - I just got DRL's installed at Sunridge Nissan in Calgary for C$235. Interesting sidenote is that I called Stadium Nissan and was quoted $400, so it pays to shop around between dealerships.

I also called the RIV to find out why I hadn't received any paperwork from them, turns out they did not receive my import form from Canada Customs yet... I will fax them my copy of "Form 1" on Monday. Once I have their form (I believe it is Form 2) I can go to a Canadian Tire for the Federal Inspection, and then I can register/plate the truck and drive it to Ottawa.

-Tiny

[tiny]

So, next couple of steps are complete - with one snag.

After the daytime running lights were installed, a friend took the truck to Canadian Tire for the federal inspection. Apparently, it was kind of a joke. The guy didn't even really check to see if the DRLs worked properly, just verified the VIN# matched the paperwork and was done in about 5 minutes. Interesting thing is that he did not believe he had to stamp the form - which he DOES. I warned my buddy about that, and he made the guy stamp the form. He took the printout I got from my US nissan dealer that says there were no recalls outstanding, and sent that with his copy of the form to Transport Canada.

Then, I mailed a letter to my friend with the VIN# of my truck, giving him permission to register/plate it on my behalf. He produced the "Certificate of Origin" I got from my US dealer, my Alberta insurance pink slips, and the form stamped by Customs & the Canadian Tire guy, and - voila! The truck now has an Alberta plate registered to me, and I haven't been in Alberta for a month! It pays to have a trustworthy friend...

At this point I thought I was done - but not so. Canadian Tire called my friend today to tell him that Transport Canada rejected the "No Recalls" printout from the US dealer, they told him that the letter must come from Nissan Canada or Nissan USA. So I have one last thing to run down. I'll call Transport Canada and then Nissan and get them a letter that has what they need - no cost other than some time & hassle.

-Tiny

[tiny]

As requested - here is a final summary of the costs
(all prices in Cdn$ unless otherwise noted as US$):

1. Of course - you start with the price of truck negotiated with the US dealer - in my case, a 2007 LE King with my options ran me a bit under US$30K (after Nissan USA rebate).

2. Cost to convert Cdn$ to US$, don't use a major canadian bank or you can expect to pay at least C$50 more than going to an independent exchange house like I did with Accu-Rate here in Ottawa. In other words, you can get a better exchange rate if you shop around.

3. Cost to send a wire transfer to your dealer's bank/bank account. This takes a couple of days to be received by your dealer, and I paid about C$30 for Accu-Rate to do it for me. This was about $6 less than the Royal Bank would have charged to send the transfer for me.

4. $100 A/C excise tax + GST at the Canadian border. Note you pay GST on the Cdn$ equivalent of the US$ purchase price of the truck. And if you get a rebate from Nissan USA Cdn Customs will want to charge you GST on the price before the rebate because - at least on my dealer's invoice - the rebate is shown as "Cash down". Since my truck cost US$30K, that is Cdn$34K, so I paid about $2K of GST + 100 A/C tax = $2100 to get across the border.

5. RIV fee (Registrar of Imported Vehicles) - $206.70

6. Daytime Running Lights installed at local Canadian Nissan Dealer $235

7. Auto Insurance from your agent (of course)

8. Canadian Tire federal inspection - free
(if you fail, unlikely in my experience, your second inspection is chargeable.)

9. Alberta Transportation registration/license plate - about $70. Must have "certificate of origin" and import form with both stamps (cdn customs and cdn tire) to avoid an out-of-province inspection.

Incidentals: rental car for Calgary-Montana round trip + gas for it and the truck. 1 full day of driving. A few hours of hassle to get DRLs and inspection.

I probably saved about Cdn$8K when you take into account the extra options that come with Canadian LEs (like Nav system, sunroof, etc.) which I didn't want... Definitely worthwhile.

-Tiny

[g356gear]

I had not see anyone do this yet with a new 07 truck.....mostly 05's and 06's. There is a company locally here who brings up a ton of Titan's and unloads them at the local dealers. Westend Nissan just had 3 on their lot...1 with a CST lift kit....and I think they sold them all within 2 weeks. Sure kills resale for anyone who buys locally.

[tiny]

A couple of final notes:

1. The RIV did not approve of my Montana dealer's Recall Clearance letter (just a sentence saying my truck had no recalls outstanding with my vin#). So the RIV gave me a ph# for Nissan North America, 1-800-NISSAN1, and they actually had a menu choice to check into recalls. The woman there created a letter for me a faxed it over within a few hours. I faxed this to the RIV, and they lost it, so I got a letter a few weeks later saying I was a "delinquent file". I called them, they lost the fax, so I scanned it into my computer and emailed it to info@riv.ca, now that is all finished with.

2. I registered the truck in Alberta, but when I went to register in Ontario, they wanted a formal document that shows the "unladen" or "Curb" weight of my Titan. This is because my Alberta registration did not have the weight listed (the Alberta registry agent didn't bother to put it in because they probably don't care about the weight of regular pickups out west.) In Ontario, all pickups are considered Commercial vehicles. New to me, since I am an Alberta boy. Anyway, I called the Nissan North America number back and they said they couldn't send me a letter stating the curb weight, so I asked for a supervisor who called me the next day, and he thinks it is do-able so I await his response. I'll either get the letter from NNA, or have to go into a dealer for a letter, or pay a place with a weigh scale to weigh me and document it, I guess. So - if you register your truck in Alberta first, make sure you have them put the weight of the vehicle into the registration form/printout they give you!

Finally, I stopped mid-trip last week for an oil change in Saskatchewan, and the dealer recommended I flush the gear oil in the rear diff because I was towing with less than 5000km on the truck. "Just to be safe". I asked him if there were problems with rear axles on Titans that do lots of towing, he said he'd heard about issues, which is why he recommended the diff service "for insurance". I think I'll take his advice.

Cheers,
Tiny

[g356gear]

Originally Posted by tiny

A couple of final notes:

Finally, I stopped mid-trip last week for an oil change in Saskatchewan, and the dealer recommended I flush the gear oil in the rear diff because I was towing with less than 5000km on the truck. "Just to be safe". I asked him if there were problems with rear axles on Titans that do lots of towing, he said he'd heard about issues, which is why he recommended the diff service "for insurance". I think I'll take his advice.

Cheers,
Tiny

I flushed mine twice in the 1st 5000 km's and there were metal particles in the oil both times. Now the oil stays clean with very little crap on the magnetic plug.

[Rob]

Hi Tiny.

My wife and I moved back to Canada after being in the US for 6 years. I had the pleasure of going through all the same steps you went through. I had a TERRIBLE time with the RIV. On the phone I was put on hold for 20-30 minutes at a time, and often after that long wait, I would be disconnected. I was supposed to have my form1 10 days after export, and it finally arrived after 3 weeks (you have 30 days to have the form 1 stamped and completed) I've never dealt with such a terrible government agency in my life. And I went through the entire greencard process in the US as a point of reference! Absolutely horrible service and terrible attitudes.

I was given the run-around with the DRLs here too at my stealership, as there are wiring differences between the US and Canadian Titan. I even offered to lend them my US service manual. After I was given a rediculous quote, I ended up getting the Hamsar kit for $24, and installing it myself. After that, it was just a fortune in taxes.

As a side note, because we were in the US for more than 5 years, I was given a $10 000 tax credit for the truck. (Settler tarrif status). More specifically, We were allowed to bring all of our personal effects with a value of under $10 000 back duty and tax free...

However, the entire process was subject to MANY officials who did not know their job, telling me various things the entire process. Actually, every single person I dealt with, at the border, at the local DMV, even at Canadian tire, did not have a CLUE about the importation process. I'm glad I was well-read and well prepared, and I would highly suggest the same preparation for anyone who is considering purchasing a Titan in the US. I also needed to pay off my truck entirely before the move so that I could have the Title in my hand in order to Export. Not something I was expecting to do while I was in the process of buying my first house.

On a positive note, Nissan North America was great to deal with, and faxed me the recall clearance letter twice (they lost it at the border in a matter of seconds!) with no questions asked.

Glad to hear you made it through. I proudly display my RIV sticker on the inside of my door pillar now with the others. I worked damn hard for that!

Regards,
-Rob

[Darren]

Have things changed since 2006 model year vehicles? I read the 2006 warranty book on line, available at Nissanusa.com. Tiny's post, according to that book, is incorrect. I'm curious, months later, if Tiny has had warranty work done on his new Titan.

Basically, you left out one important fact - the US vehicle has to have been registered in the USA for at least 6 months previous to export. It's a bit confusing; From the 06 warranty book - First paragraph mentions previous registration in the US, and normal operation in US and/or Canada (including territories of the USA: Guam etc). Second paragraph mentions the warranty is void if both are done: export the vehicle, and sell the vehicle within 6 months. Third paragraph deals with relocated vehicles operated out of the normal "zone". Check it out at Nissanusa.com under warranty (need PDF reader): nissanusa.com/pdf/warranty/2006_Wrnty.pdf


It has to be assumed that the vehicle has to be registered in the USA for 6 months. Nissan USA call center confirmed this for me. As far as this is concerned, a new Nissan has no warranty in Canada. A used one does. Was Tiny's Titan used?

BUT - how do they know these facts ("they" being your dealer, and Nissan USA or North America (whomever pays) when it comes time to pay the Cdn dealer for work? Do they have "in service" dates with registeration data : as in what country? What's stopping a new vehicle from waiting 6 months to get it's first work done once in Canada?

Anyone know these points? I'd like a new Pathfinder, and I won't pay $45k for an SE in Canada.

Thanks
Darren

Originally Posted by tiny

Well, I called Nissan North America to ask this question after downloading the "2006 sample warranty booklet" off the Nissan website. The call center employee verified the wording in the website document is correct, which states the following:

The warranty is valid in Canada & US unless you do both of the following:
1. Export the vehicle from the USA
2. Sell the vehicle within 6 months

So, if you buy a used vehicle that is >6 months old, no problem, and if you buy new and retain ownership > 6 months no problem. If you buy it, import it, and **sell it under 6 months then the warranty is void**.

I also called a dealership in Calgary and a dealership in Ottawa and talked to the Service Manager of each. The Calgary guy said "no issues", the Ottawa guy said "you better call Nissan and check with them, but if they say 'OK' then I will be happy to submit claims to Nissan USA".

So, there is a local element at play. Mostly service managers are worried about making money off delivering service, not new sales, so I feel safe enough to proceed, personally. But it's probably best to approach your local service department to verify before making your purchase decision.

-Tiny

[tiny]

I'm not sure about 2006 rules, and to be honest I have had no warranty claims on my 2007 after 4 months of ownership, just 1 regularly-scheduled oil change.

My 2007 LE was purchased new, not used.

When I called Nisan North America as well as local Canadian dealerships, they all told me I could get warranty work done in the USA or in Canada just as long as I did not sell the vehicle for at least 6 months after exporting. They specifically said that the warranty is only void if you do BOTH (export + sell under 6 months). I told them I was going to export immediately, and they said it was fine, i.e. the truck does not have to be registered in the USA for the first 6 months.

They did mention the regional "zone" you speak of, but Canada is within the acceptable zone so this restriction is not a concern.

If I have any issues with a warranty claim, I will come back and post here so everyone is aware.

-Tiny

[RowenMc]

It's been a year Tiny, any issue with warranty claims?