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Need help importing Pro Street car into Canada from USA

sugaryuk

sugaryuk

New member
Anyone here ever try importing a highly modified car into Canada? Me and my brother bought a Pro Street 1975 Vega off ebay (we haven't paid in full-only the deposit) and are having problems finding out if we can get this thing across the border. According to Canada Customs, if it's over 15 years old and the mods were done over 15 years ago, then it can be imported. Problem is that they want proof that it was originally modified 15 years ago and the current owner doesn't have any proof. Any suggestions or past experience?

link to car:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHEVY-VEGA-PRO-STREET-BLOWN-ON-NOS-CAMARO-NOVA-MOPAR-EATER-/321242196320?nma=true&si=ygvOQikh8Bqlh%252BYa%252F3jruLBeJSY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
 


they can't seriously want that kind of specifics on it. no one would ever be able to import a car...
 
If he's got what he claims invested in the car, then he has receipts. If those receipts don't match the 15 year timeline, your probably SOL. If he doesn't have a single receipt (For the "Professional" work done), then I wouldn't buy the car anyways.

-Rob
 
Now I see you're bringing it into Canada.

You're screwed.

It needs all of the emissions systems it was originally equipped with.

http://www.riv.ca/ImportingAVehicle.aspx

That lovely site covers what you need.

Canadian Tire does a lot of RIVs, if it has to pass the regular safety inspection. So Daytime running lights, all lights it came with have to work, if it came with AC it has to function, no broken glass, working seatbelt for every seat, has to have two wipers, working washerfluid system, working horn.

Typical safety stuff.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how it's going to translate into BC.

Looks like you have to actually get that thing to pass a tailpipe sniffer emissions test too.

[TABLE="class: stdstable"]
[TR]
[TH]Driving Mode HC Standard:[/TH]
[TD]238 parts per million[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Driving Mode CO Standard:[/TH]
[TD]1.79 percent[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Driving Mode NOx Standard:[/TH]
[TD]2302 parts per million[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Idle Mode HC Standard:[/TH]
[TD]348 parts per million[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Idle Mode CO Standard:[/TH]
[TD]3.89 percent[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Click to expand...

Might not be impossible if you get some good cats on there.

On the modified bit: The guy can't produce even one receipt? I'd call BS on that.

Not to nit pick or anything, but the all caps ad, and the lack of will to run it through a spell check would be a turn off for me. The lack of receipts would be the last straw for me.
 
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RivMan said:
If he's got what he claims invested in the car, then he has receipts. If those receipts don't match the 15 year timeline, your probably SOL. If he doesn't have a single receipt (For the "Professional" work done), then I wouldn't buy the car anyways.

-Rob
Click to expand...
He's got receipts for all the work he's done, but nothing from before. The car has passed through a few owners so he doesn't know when the original mods were done. He has replaced just about all of the original mods, which is allowable, but I have to somehow prove it was modded 15 years ago. I've talked to a few people who say that it all depends with who you deal with at the border, some are by the book and others don't even look at the car. I think I'm just going to take a chance and hope for a car newb. I'd like to pick it up and drive it up here but the 10 gallon fuel cell and with the weather starting to get near freezing, make transporting my only option. I've got quotes from $1100 to $1700.
 
sugaryuk said:
He's got receipts for all the work he's done, but nothing from before. The car has passed through a few owners so he doesn't know when the original mods were done. He has replaced just about all of the original mods, which is allowable, but I have to somehow prove it was modded 15 years ago. I've talked to a few people who say that it all depends with who you deal with at the border, some are by the book and others don't even look at the car. I think I'm just going to take a chance and hope for a car newb. I'd like to pick it up and drive it up here but the 10 gallon fuel cell and with the weather starting to get near freezing, make transporting my only option. I've got quotes from $1100 to $1700.
Click to expand...

That makes the receipts issue a little better.

Best of luck to you.

Some people might be car guys and let it pass simply because they like it.

Could get a tree hugger and get sent packing.

Hope it turns out well for you hah.

Only thing I found was this page: http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/safevehicles/importation/usa/vafus/list2/Section2_0.htm

Which just says "see notes" which don't talk about heavily modified vehicles at all.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5048-eng.pdf

This says no restrictions, simply prove the month and year it was produced.

So if you still have that stamp/sticker great. If not, perhaps contacting GM for that information would be wise.
 
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matt5112 said:
Why would Canadian Customs care?

Does the car have a clear title? Do you plan on plating it?

Edit: It does have a clear title, nice.

But still, I'm curious why Canadian customs cares about any of that.

The car will need an EGR, AIR, charcoal canister etc to pass emissions inspections if they bother to have one at the boarder.

Some sites are saying over 25 years old doesn't matter, others are saying that specific year needs emissions certification from GM USA and/or an emissions compliant sticker on the hood/fender/rad support.

Replica stickers are pretty cheap though.
Click to expand...

It's up to Canada Customs to decide if the car meets all of Canada's vehicle safety codes. Without the pass you can't import it into the country, if I bring it in as a race/show only, then I'll never be able drive it on the road. If the car is over 15 years old it doesn't have to pass current codes, but I'm not sure about it being highly modified, kind of a grey area left up to the boarder guards. Hopefully I get someone hung over who doesn't want to look at it!
 
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/canada/916916-importing-modified-vehicles-into-canada.html

Seems they tend not to ask many questions if it's over 15 years.

Some of the other links I've put in my second post there suggest they can't enforce anything. It's just up to passing the RIV inspection once you get it home.

RIV says it's up to CSBA.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5048-eng.html#s3x1

You can import a vehicle from the United States without registering it in the RIV program if the following applies:

  • The vehicle is fifteen years old or older (excludes buses). You determine the age of a vehicle by the month and year it was manufactured. Do not use the model year. You may find the age on the manufacturer's compliance label located in the doorframe area of the vehicle. If no compliance label is attached, you should contact the manufacturer to find out the exact date that the vehicle was manufactured and obtain a letter from the manufacturer as proof of age of the vehicle.

Before importing your vehicle, contact Transport Canada to determine if the vehicle qualifies for importation
Click to expand...

They say it's transport canada who says: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safevehicles-importation-faq-before-import-1278.htm

If it's over 15 years no problem with one set of rules, but it still applies to another.

Once modified (other than having general repairs or routine maintenance), the vehicle no longer maintains its original factory issued certification. This certification is required for importation into Canada. This also applies to Canadian certified vehicles modified in the United States and returning to Canada.
Click to expand...

Roll the dice?
 
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You might be better off finding a broker/importer that knows the ins and outs and has connections to get it through smoothly.
1975 car should be fairly easy to get through as far as Emissions and RIV go, there was no Canadian buyers package in those days and it was made before metric sytem was implemented here so any of those conversions that come with RIV should not be applicable.
 
Couldn't you take it apart and take parts across the border? That's what I would try to do.

Keep the title, Bill of sale, frame and body on a trailer with truck #1.

Go to the next entrance with truck #2 hauling the powetrain, fenders, hood, etc.

The logic (or what you would tell border patrol) here being that once you arrive home, you would be restoring the car to stock form. From what I recall, this is similar to one of the legal ways that Skylines were being brought into the U.S.




Do they search enclosed trailers at the border? The only time I've passed through canada, they asked me some questions and sent me on my way.



What if you tell them that it's not going to be a street car? You can't register a COPO camaro because they don't have vins.
 
You might try posting on HAMB or Yellowbullet I bet those guys have dealt with importing modded cars quite a bit and could probably give you the quick and dirty of it all.
 
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