[Rewted]

Originally Posted by jigga

Hold on a second... I'm not understanding your mathematics here so let me try to break it up: How do you get $37,000?

It was an attempt to see if he was actually reading, as he blatantly ignored previous postings regarding 2008 updates to the oil cooler and fuel pump replacement.

I refuse to waste time helping people that cannot be assisted, hence my proposal to "do the math" and question me. He failed to do so.

[jigga]

Originally Posted by fxie

Just a FYI, if you are purchasing a car in California and you are an out-of-state purchaser, you do NOT have to pay state tax. The only time the state tax is applied is if the car is used within the state after purchase. If you are simply purchasing the car for export, no state taxes apply to you.

Check this link for California laws: http://www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/faqex.htm

i thought that applies to any state. i bought in ohio and i didnt pay any tax because it was being sold to a canadian resident. or does ohio not have a sales tax?

[fxie]

Originally Posted by jigga

i thought that applies to any state. i bought in ohio and i didnt pay any tax because it was being sold to a canadian resident. or does ohio not have a sales tax?

Again, I believe this varies state to state, so its always best to double check just to make sure. I know Oregon and Washington state do not have sales tax for out of state buyers as well, but I can't comment on other places.

Given the loonie is at par with the USD, it is a great time for us Canadians to buy, especially with 07s coming off lease and the new 2011 models hitting showrooms.

[MaxL]

A short report on my M3 purchase in the US:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373620

BTW, most (or all) states do not charge sales tax unless you are getting plates from that state.

[kingofwale]

Hi, I have one question. I read all the posts, but I might've missed the question. so I apologize first if it has already been answered.

if I bought a CPO BMW from US dealership and import it, will I get to keep the warranty??

Thanks,

[tcc230]

you get the factory warranty (4 years...80 miles)...you do not get the extra 2 years...6 years 100 miles....

[jjy2]

^
To be specific. The warranty will be honored if you go through BMW Canada's import process(Recall letter, they modify everything) but will it be honored if you don't go through BMW C (Vehicle Warranty Inquiry)?

[fxie]

Originally Posted by jjy2

^
To be specific. The warranty will be honored if you go through BMW Canada's import process(Recall letter, they modify everything) but will it be honored if you don't go through BMW C (Vehicle Warranty Inquiry)?

Yes, the base warranty is honored (CPO is not, however), and no you do not need to go through BMW Canada or do any major modifications (cluster changes, etc etc). The only thing you need to do is get the recall letter and make sure to activate your DRLs.

[chrisuoft]

This is a great thread! Thanks OP! I have a quick question about this process now that the HST is here in Ontario.

Are we paying GST on import (5%) plus HST on registration (13%)?

Also, I have seen alot of conflicting information on whether or not I need to follow BMW Canada's import process in order to get base warranty coverage. Can anyone provide the definitive answer? http://www.bmw.ca/ca/en/general/import/content.html

Thanks!
Chris

[fxie]

Originally Posted by chrisuoft

This is a great thread! Thanks OP! I have a quick question about this process now that the HST is here in Ontario.

Are we paying GST on import (5%) plus HST on registration (13%)?

Also, I have seen alot of conflicting information on whether or not I need to follow BMW Canada's import process in order to get base warranty coverage. Can anyone provide the definitive answer? http://www.bmw.ca/ca/en/general/import/content.html

Thanks!
Chris

Chris,

I'm from BC, but I called up ICBC as well as the RIV and asked them this exact same question now that the HST is in effect in the province. The answer is: you will pay the GST (5%) part of the HST on import, and the rest (since you are in Ontario, the remainder is 8%) upon registration.

Keep us informed of your importation progress. Always good to hear other people's experiences!

[silvermist99]

Originally Posted by MaxL

A short report on my M3 purchase in the US:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373620

BTW, most (or all) states do not charge sales tax unless you are getting plates from that state.

thanks for the detailed post! Very helpful

question, which shipping company and broker did you hired? Also how did you pay the seller?. last question, did your broker grab the recall clearance letter or you did it yourself? Thanks!

[jcf118]

I was just wondering if anyone has actually purchased a car and imported on the same day? Is it possible? I would like to avoid having to wait the full 72 hours or making a second trip.

Or could a title and bill of sale be sent that was pre-dated?

Thanks!

[jigga]

Originally Posted by jcf118

I was just wondering if anyone has actually purchased a car and imported on the same day? Is it possible? I would like to avoid having to wait the full 72 hours or making a second trip.

Or could a title and bill of sale be sent that was pre-dated?

Thanks!

not happening.

it doesnt matter if you pre-date the bill of sale. the date and time you fax it to the US export office is the date and time that counts. from the minute they get that fax, you have to wait 72 hours and then you can bring the car through.

[Laguna3]

What if the US owner of the car drives it across the border, does the import/duty fee of 6.1% get bypassed?

[Crumb1]

As per http://www.bmw.ca/ca/en/general/import/content.html -- It seems that BMW Canada is adamant that a "kilometer only" cluster is the requirement. Yes you can successfully import without changing the cluster or dlr's through BMW, as Jigga has demonstrated. But will BMW Canada honour the warranty since his cluster is not compliant to BMW Canada's import standard. Any one tried this out yet?

[gobrigavitch]

I'm considering doing this next spring/summer for a 1-2yo M3.

Being that I live in Prince Albert, SK any US car is going to be 1000 and likely 2000+K away. Has anybody else done this over a long distance? How do you do it without making multiiple trips to the US dealer. As I see it I'll have to be nearly 100% certain I'll want the car before I start the process. If I do it in person I'll need to fly down, purchase the car, send the bill of sale to the border and then arrive there no sooner than 72hrs later.

Now how about paying for the car? Would I need to negotiate the exact price before I got there and get a certified cheque or money order from a bank here? Or can I still negotiate the price once I get down there and then get a Certified Cheque made there? I dont know much about international banking so I'm not sure how this part works.

I need to get temporary plates from the US dealer and a service record with a statement that no recalls are necessary. I also get him to turn on DRL's. Now once this is all done I can drive the car to the border with bill of sale, this piece of paper (lots of copies) and make sure it's no sooner than 3 days before I sent the bill of sale to the border.

Now I'm a litlle uncertain on the RIV timeline. Is that all done after I arrive here, or do I need to send something to them while in the US or before I leave Canada?

Sorry if that's a lot of questions, but it seems most people just drive across to a dealership close by. I wish I could do that, but I highly doubt that will be the case.

[Rossland]

Originally Posted by gobrigavitch

I'm considering doing this next spring/summer for a 1-2yo M3.

Being that I live in Prince Albert, SK any US car is going to be 1000 and likely 2000+K away. Has anybody else done this over a long distance? How do you do it without making multiiple trips to the US dealer. As I see it I'll have to be nearly 100% certain I'll want the car before I start the process. If I do it in person I'll need to fly down, purchase the car, send the bill of sale to the border and then arrive there no sooner than 72hrs later.

Yes, that is correct

Now how about paying for the car? Would I need to negotiate the exact price before I got there and get a certified cheque or money order from a bank here? Or can I still negotiate the price once I get down there and then get a Certified Cheque made there? I dont know much about international banking so I'm not sure how this part works.

Talk to your bank before you go. A wire transfer will probably be best.

I need to get temporary plates from the US dealer and a service record with a statement that no recalls are necessary. I also get him to turn on DRL's. Now once this is all done I can drive the car to the border with bill of sale, this piece of paper (lots of copies) and make sure it's no sooner than 3 days before I sent the bill of sale to the border.

correct.

Now I'm a litlle uncertain on the RIV timeline. Is that all done after I arrive here, or do I need to send something to them while in the US or before I leave Canada?

No. The RIV process is started at the border.

Sorry if that's a lot of questions, but it seems most people just drive across to a dealership close by. I wish I could do that, but I highly doubt that will be the case.

You will also need a letter from your insurance agent that the car is insured. Talk to him before you go, then phone him with the car details ser# etc, and ask him to fax the letter to the dealer.

US dealers are now selling so many cars to Canada, that most are familiar with the process and will help you. A few even have a special web page eg. www.carsforcanadians.com/

[gobrigavitch]

Originally Posted by Rossland

You will also need a letter from your insurance agent that the car is insured. Talk to him before you go, then phone him with the car details ser# etc, and ask him to fax the letter to the dealer.

US dealers are now selling so many cars to Canada, that most are familiar with the process and will help you. A few even have a special web page eg. www.carsforcanadians.com/

So basically you have to buy the car before you make your final trip down there. As you would need to have Bill of Sale to give to your insurance company.

Is there a way that you can hold off final payment until you actually get down to the American dealer and see the car? Could I somehow do the insurance once I got down there via phone fax? What about the other documents?

I have been perusing the classifieds and I didn't find one car I wanted that was closer than 2000K away. Most were even further. If I'm going to make the trip down there then it's likely I'm going to buy the car. I just don't want to finalize the deal until I can actually drive it. How can I make that work?

[gobrigavitch]

I have another question. Has anybody from SK or MB done this? Here the insurance and registration are bundled together. We can get extra insurance for liability, glass, etc, but they only supplement the government insurance that comes with registration. I'm wondering how we insure it before registering it? Will one of the private companies sell us insurance without it being registered?

[Rossland]

Originally Posted by gobrigavitch

So basically you have to buy the car before you make your final trip down there. As you would need to have Bill of Sale to give to your insurance company.

Is there a way that you can hold off final payment until you actually get down to the American dealer and see the car? Could I somehow do the insurance once I got down there via phone fax? What about the other documents?

I have been perusing the classifieds and I didn't find one car I wanted that was closer than 2000K away. Most were even further. If I'm going to make the trip down there then it's likely I'm going to buy the car. I just don't want to finalize the deal until I can actually drive it. How can I make that work?

Talk to your insurance agent/licensing office before you go. You should not need to give a bill of sale to your agent. I expect that you can make arrangements to do everything by phone and fax from the dealers office after you buy the car. In Ontario, the agent will fax a letter saying that the car is covered for 15 days. They only need the serial number which you can phone in. I would think that Sask would be similar. Then after you get home see your agent again to arrange permanent insurance and registration.

The dealer should also fax all the documents to US customs at the border, but remember that you can't cross the border until 72 hours after the documents are faxed. The dealer should also arrange for a temp licence (a paper thing you stick on the window). These are also usually good for 15 days. This will allow you to drive home, and do the necessary emissions and safety checks, Hopefully RIV will complete the paperwork quickly (they usually do) so you will have your new plates before the temp license expires.

Good luck. You will save big bucks over buying the same car in Canada.

[gobrigavitch]

Can anyone confirm whether the US CBP office needs the bill of sale and title 72 hours before crossing or 3 business days before crossing? (Do they count saturday and sundays as business days)

If I do this in the future I'd like to be able to fly down and buy the car on a Thursday/Friday and then cross the border as soon as I can. If weekend days don't count then that could mean 5 days from when I buy the car to when I can cross the border. I also want to miss as few workdays as possible so I'm hoping Saturday and Sunday can be counted as part of the 72 hours.

[Laguna3]

The weekend does not count as part of the 72 hr. The earliest I've heard is sent on Wednesday night and crossed on Monday morning, technically you are supposed to wait until Tuesday.