So, my dad is 80 and is a resident of Canada (Montreal). He wants to buy a car from a family member who is in the US. Since both are elderly, I am trying to find out the process and help them out.

What does my dad have to do to buy and bring the car back to Canada?

 

You need to make sure the vehicle is street legal in Canada. There was a list of all permissible vehicles allowed into Canada (I can't find it right now but I'm sure you could google it) The most important part is that you will have to contact the US customs office by faxing them the title of the car along with a vehicle export worksheet (which I have and can email to you upon request, or can be accessed at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/bas...r_vehicle.xml) 72 hours prior to your arrival at the border (You will more than likely have to work something out with the seller you are buying from in order to do this).

After all the paperwork is done, all you will have to do is contact your insurance company and get insured. You can do this by calling them and telling them you will receive your vehicle on "x" date. They will then activate your insurance on said date so you won't have to pay for insurance while you do not own the vehicle. You also have to make sure that you inform the insurance company that you will be buying from the States so they will cover you outside of Canada until your vehicle is on Canadian soil. At the end of this, they will fax you a temporary copy of your insurance policy until you get the actual one.

Upon arriving at the border, you will have to pay 12% tax + $195 import fee which is based upon what you paid for the vehicle (make sure you have your bill of sale with you). It is very possible to have the seller write the car off well below what you actually pay him/her, but doing this isn't the best decision. If the border guards suspect that this isn't the true value of the vehicle they will do one of two things: 1) contact the seller and threat him/her to give the real value of the vehicle or 2) charge you 12% of the market value (Keep in mind, they usually mark up their values a bit so you will more than likely end up paying more than you should be). If the car you are purchasing is made in North America you will only end up paying 12%. If the vehicle was made outside of North America and thus exempt from the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the States, you will then be charged with an additional 6.1% duty tax which is also based upon what you paid for the vehicle.

Upon arriving in Canada, you will now have to get a a safety inspection within a month (if I recall correctly) if the vehicle you purchased did not have day time running lights. After all of this, you should be set and ready to go!

 

Hmm are day lights required in canada, remember seeing in the s2000 owners manual that day lights are on Canadian s2000s. Might make it non-street legal.

 

Yes, all cars in Canada are required to have day time running lights. If you import a vehicle that does not have it, you have 30 days fix it. Whether you do it yourself or let a mechanic do it, it's up to you just as long as you get it inspected after.

A vehicle not having day time running lights from the factory doesn't make the car non-street legal here. What determines if it's legal or not here if I recall correctly is some sort of material or something between the bumper and the structure of the car.

As for cops caring, I have never seen or heard anyone being pulled over for not having day time running lights. A friend of mine who owns 3 American cars installed "temporary" day time running lights to pass the inspection. He later removed it and has been driving his cars for the past 4-5 years without any hassle from the police.

 

One neat feature of the S2000 is that a simple button push toggles the speedometer, odometer and trip odometers back and forth between metric (km) and English (miles, mph). I can't think of any other car that has this feature. Great for Canadians, eh?