Jerseygirl

Interesting so we could take the car into Canada...then go to customs in Brampton.

Just thought as American citizens we would have to hand in the licence plates and explain the whereabouts of the car...I think.

dbd33

That'll be a state matter, not a federal one. The OH (an American) still has the CO plates for the Honda (and for that matter UT, MN and NC plates that once hung on it and other vehicles). Other states may want the plates back.

What happened with the Honda was that it'd been here for a couple of years on the CO plates, then the OH became a resident and we then took it to Brampton. The car has since been in and out of the US without drama. The LC we went and fetched intending to keep it here but because the insurance on US plates is about a tenth of the price of the same cover on Canadian plates we're not inspired to legalize it.

Jerseygirl

Thanks...I'm with you now. You may have problems with the LC if you need to make an insurance claim.

Bill_S

Lord, give her strength

dbd33

Oh I know, however it's a 1987 model mostly used to drive on fields, and I'm quite risk tolerant.

dbd33

Yes, boyfriend in quotes. They've been an item for three or more years, some months ago she announced that she'd given up on him as he was never going to finish his doctorate, was only using it as an excuse to spend months in exotic locales and she couldn't stand his mother who expected her to have lots of children while living on the family money. However, she's still driving the car and they've recently been in the Bahamas so what's happening there is anyone's guess. I suspect she thinks she may as well have wheels while she looks for someone more, er, driven.

nooka

We're in a similar position, brought up our US lease car, with the intention of keeping it here temporarily (with permission) then hit an issue (because VW were very slow with their paperwork) and ended up having to buy it out. So now it has become an import rather than a visitor. My OH thinks that we'll have to take it down to the border, and then hang about for 72 hours before we can bring it back. Given that it is a good two days drive to the boarder, and nothing much exiting on the other side this seems like a colossal waste of time, when we have a Canadian customs post in town. I don't see why it physically has to cross the border (again).

dbd33

Again, taking it to the US and formally exporting it is a nicety for the US authorities, the Canadians don't care. If you can get the recall notice paperwork sorted you need only go to CT for the conversions and then to the nearest customs office and then to the plate issuing authority.

That said, I don't think you'd have to hang around for 72 hours; just tell them you'll be crossing 72 hours in advance and drive to the border at that time. Alternatively, you could have perfectly aligned ducks if you registered the car in Canada and then, next time you happened to be going to the US, called the US customs and formally exported the car.

Piff Poff

Hubby said one reason the US customs like 72 hours is so they can check that the car you are exporting from the States has not been stolen, they check the State the car comes from and the neighbouring States.

He also thinks that you need some sort of paperwork to be able to register an Out of Province Car but he is not sure it's been a few months since th last car came accross - this also could be an Alberta thing too.

nooka

Yes that would be the ideal. Well we'll see what Canadian Customs say once we get the paperwork through from VW. We won't actually have the the transfer approved by New York for a few months apparently (they are apparently incredibly slow, and will require the plates to be sent back), but we will have the deed of sale, which hopefully will be enough for customs and ICBC. Too complicated by far, but there we go. No more leases for us!

R I C H

Nooka, leave here at breakfast and you can get to the Sumas border crossing in the Fraser Valley and be back by early/mid afternoon. It's an easy journey.

nooka

Really? That would make a big difference. When we came up it took us a couple of days to get from the border, but I guess that might have just been because we came over much further east. If we could do it as a day trip then that would be much much easier!

PS Sorry for not coming and visiting - I went past your drive the other day - the drive out of Barnhartvale that way is lovely.

R I C H

I've often driven down to Abbotsford and Langley for meetings and been home by early evening. That area's only an easy 3hr drive from here.

You're welcome to drop in whenever you can, it'd be nice to meet you.

Jerseygirl

Just wanted to thank everyone for replying...thank you.