ebell

It's been a while since my last post.

I got a job offer from the States, Boston to be exact. I am thinking about bringing/driving my car there. (from montreal, QC)

I tried to search the net and call people on the issue, but in vain.

Two major mod I have are K&N CAI and H&R CO. Will those be a problem to import the car into the States? What are the procedures/documents that need to be done?

If it gets too complicated, I'll have to try to sell it and get something new later on. (The company offers a compensation on the loss due to quick sale).

Any advice?

PPigeon

I moved to the US from Quebec also back in 1998. I imported my "Canadian trim" 98 Hyundai Accent and never had any problems.

Here's some good info:

http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm...ingyourcar.htm

psteng19

You may have issues when it comes to warranty repairs, that's about it.

WhiteDragon07

iTrader: (1)

Congrats on the job offer! I made the exact same move (mtl to bos) 1.5 years ago. A lot of it also depends what kind of visa you're getting (unless you have dual citizenship?) and how long you're intending to stay.

One word of caution (don't learn the $$$ way like I did!) - if you're on a TN visa you might want to think about not importing (you can b/c it's a temp visa). I imported my old car, no problem, thinking it was better b/c of insurance etc. But when I gifted my car to my sis back in mtl, i had to reimport it and pay excise to canada - cost me about $750 altogether to have it registered here for not even a year, all because i wasn't coming back to live with the car!

I don't think your mods will be a problem, they're legal here. The link from PPigeon is a good one. Again, I think all you'll need is a letter from the manufacturer showing your VIN stating that it conforms to US enviro standards etc. I believe you'll have to pay duties if you're on a different visa, and b/c the car isn't made in north america.

And if they're offering you loss due to quick sale... sell it and get another TSX here!
Looking forward to having another mtl-ex-pat here - where in boston are you going to be?

ebell

Hey WD07, thnx for the advice. Glad to know there was one like me b4.
My job is located in Cambridge, across the street from MIT. Urs?
I was in Boston when last snow storm (on Thursday) struck the city. It seemed the whole city stopped functioning. Other than that, I really enjoyed the city during my stay.

I will be getting a TN VISA. Does this mean I don't have to pay the duty?
I am hoping to get H1B VISA later on and then apply for a GreenCard.
If I do bring the car down, I have no plans to reimport back to Canada. (I'll try to sell it in the US in maybe 3-5 years)

If I do bring the car down, do I have to make any changes? (KM>Mile etc).
SOmebody told me that I can't bring my car down unless it's fully paid (on finance). Is this true?

As soon as the holiday's over, I am going to find out upto how much the company is going to offer me the loss due to quick sale. If the program is good, I'll just go back to stock and bring it to a dealership or something.

I'll be renting. Is there any town/are I should avoid? I want to get a place close to a subway station, and am thinking 1000-1400/month for rent (1bedroom). Is it reasonable?

syee99

You shouldn't have to make the changes. The speedometer has both KM and Miles (even though it's in the smaller numbers). It's good enough to pass as long as it's indicated on the speedometer.

You will be able to bring down your car before it's fully paid too. I have some friends who live in Denver and are making payments on their Pathfinder they bought in Vancouver. Absolutely no problems at all.

ebell

Thanks for the info. I was curious about the gauges because our mileage is in KM, not in Miles (not just the speedometer).

I am pretty sure I will be selling the car down the road, maybe 3-4 years. Will there be any problem/disadvantage selling it in the States?

Did your friends keep the BC plates, or register the car in Denver?
I can't believe I have to pay 2.5% duty for the car.
I hope the company's Forces Sale Financial Assistance program is good enough so that I can just sell it for cheap and save the hassle. I'm preparing for any options I have so far with limited info.

Thanks for the help guys

syee99

Ah, the odometer is in KM, but it doesn't really matter. I think the only thing you'd want to note is to tell the DMV folks that it's in KM (in case they didn't know already by looking at the big numbers) just in case there's a discrepency later with the mileage at registration.

My friends kept their BC plates temporarily, but come insurance time, you'll have to switch them over. I don't know what the laws are in MA, but you might want to check how long your tags are good for. Same with on the Canadian side. You don't want to be uninsured. My friends got his switched over within the month after he got his car over there.

WhiteDragon07

iTrader: (1)

Happy New Year to all! Just got back from vacation, catching up now!

ebell: I see you've already discovered what snowflakes do to this city, they're just not equipped to clear snow... Other than that, Boston reminds me a lot of Montreal so I felt pretty much at home when I moved here.

If you're on a TN visa, you should be able to bring the car duty-free, as long as it conforms to US regulations (environmental, etc.). Honda/Acura Canada will provide you a letter (with your VIN number and car details) stating whether or not it has passed - the website quoted earlier has contact info. However, you won't be able to sell it in the US unless you pay duties on it to permanently import it (since you'll be on a TN, you're allowed to bring your personal belongings (including the car) duty free. But if you sell it here later on, there'll be issues with the odometer, etc, and you'll end up paying duties to permanently import the car to the US. Plus, if you were to try to sell it here, I don't think the buyer could register it with the RMV without the proper import papers showing you paid duty...

What I did with my previous car, cuz I imported it based on my TN, when I got the TSX and gave the car to my sister, I had to re-import it to Canada, pay excise etc ($$$$!) because I wasn't returning to Canada with the car. Then I had to re-register it in QC and register the transfer (gift) to my sister. REAL PAIN, it was a lot of money too (considering the car was a GIFT). If you decide to sell it in a few years, import it now on your TN, and one year, when you leave the US to renew the TN, you reimport the car at the same time, then return on a new TN without the car on your way back in. I wish someone had told me that before I imported the previous car back to Canada... :-( Would have saved me tons of money.

I'm not exactly sure how it works if you import the car on a TN then switch later to H1B... I would imagine you will still have to import the car eventually... Hmmm... Maybe try calling the US border crossing at either Phillipsburg or Champlain NY. They might be able to help you.

You won't have to change the odometer/speedometer/etc... as long as you don't sell it here. The Canadian TSXs have both miles and kms on the speedometer. That becomes an issue if you try to sell it in the US though... I was told they have to be changed then. Oh, and when you go to the RMV they'll ask you the mileage. I had mine in both KMs and I converted for them to miles.

As for financing... I think it's OK as long as you are financed, not leased. I didn't have that problem as my previous car was fully owned (8.5 years old!)

The car, once you import it, will need to be registered in MA within a small period - I think it was 30 days. You'll also need to get your driver's license (you can't drive a MA plated vehicle with a QC license, and you can't drive a QC plated car with a MA license... I found that out at a border crossing once). The Watertown RMV is crazy, but less busy slightly than the Boston RMV, try to take a morning to do that, it's less busy then. There may be another RMV closer to Cambridge too, check out http://www.mass.gov/rmv/ for branches and wait times.

I'll PM you with info on towns :-) Sorry if this post is confusing... it can be complicated with visas and import duties etc... and my brain is still on vacation!

ebell

Thank you so much for the input.
As for the car, I contacted the company in the states, and they told me that they'd reimburse me upto 25% of the retail value. Now I have to get the canadian red book and find out the retail value. Then, I'll see what the dealer is willing to pay for the car. I'll go back to stock except for the ingalls camber kits. I hope they don't mind/find out.

ebell

putting in a stock air box/resonator is going to be a b***h.
Oh, and I broke the the cover where the air is going in from the hood. I hope they don't charge too much for it.

Populuxe

If you end up keeping the car and it's an '06+, I might want that metric gauge cluster from you.

ebell

I'll likely sell it here in Canada. I am willing to let it go for cheap if anyone's interested.

Anyone know where I can get a hold of the Canadian Red Book? I tried their website, but it gave me an error page.

WhiteDragon07

iTrader: (1)

Re: Canadian Red Book

Call Canada Customs and see if they'll give it to you. Good luck and I hope you get someone nice! I found out when I got there to reimport my old car, that was the wrong way to do it.