So, I am dedicated to become a proud S2K owner in.. hopefully less than a month
Looking for 06+ GPW or Black or Yellow

I know many Canadians imported their S2K so I would like some pointers before I make any mistake and lose more $$ than saving $$ importing one
As far as I know there's the tax part (6.1% duty tax and also 13% HST). I know they charge these taxes according to the sales receipt when you buy from a US dealer
Now here's the question.. What if I bought the vehicle from a private seller instead of a US dealer? How are the taxes applied in this case?

Where will you find someone to lend you a fax machine in the US to fax the recall clearance letter to RIV suppose you buy the vehicle privately? Or do you have to go to a Honda Dealership? I know car dealerships usually would obtain it and fax it for you.
And you have to e-mail the sales receipt (title & registration) to US CBP, so if the vehicle is sold privately, how would the sales receipt work (is there even sales receipt if the car is sold privately?)

Anyone bought from private sellers instead of from dealers before?

This website in my opinion, is a very good site for any first time vehicle importers (the RIV website has too many words.. Well I'm just lazy )
http://www.importcartocanada.info/visual-overview

 

Ill just drop this right here....

https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/841..._hl__importing

 

Sales tax is the same. Make a bill of sale with the seller. Don't lie about the price, especially if it's a good deal. Canada Customs really thoroughly checks to make sure you aren't lying.

You don't need the recall letter at all. You can't get it from USA Honda, they don't support the exportation of their vehicles. RIV knows this and will check online for you (Honda/Acura only, don't quote me for other makes). Just make sure there are no existing recall's on the vehicle that haven't been fixed, before you buy it. (Check on Honda.com). You don't need to fax or email the title to US CBP. (Applies only to Lewiston/Queenston. Detroit/Windsor you need to fax the title). Just email the vehicle information (description, make, model, vehicle identification number) for the vehicle to be exported to CBP at buffalovinnyoffice@dhs.gov.

 

I have done 3 cars now and the process is easy, but there are places where you can get in trouble. To answer your questions:

1) I haven't bought from a private seller just dealers but the issue of how much you paid is much bigger on the Canadian side, the Americans don't care what you paid. You are faxing them the. Bill of sale, the title, and the registration 72 hours ahead of your arrival simply so they can ensure there is no lien against the vehicle before you take it out of the country. For Canada customs however, you have to prove to them that what you are claiming you paid for the car is what you actually paid. It hellos if you have copy of the original ad for the car. Remember they have people presenting false receipts for low ball amounts on cars to avoid taxes. If you are honest, you shouldn't have any problems. If I were to buy a car from a private seller, and I would, I would tell them they may get call, and keep all the documentation you can ie. online ads, emails, etc. Taxes are applied on the purchase price, converted to CDN dollars, duty of 6.1 % added, exemption deducted ( max $750 if you are not bringing anything back after more than 7 days) and then GST calculated, no different than if bought at a dealer. They only collect GST, the PST portion is paid when you get your plates.

2) there are plenty of businesses that sell fax services. There are chains such as Staples, UPS stores, and lots of mom and pop places. I have even done it from the hotel I was staying at.

3) you do not need a recall clearance letter to bring the car across. In fact American Honda will refuse to give you one ever. But you need a dealer or maybe American Honda will tell you if you get the right agent on the phone. But you need to make sure that all recalls are done by an American Honda dealer if there are any outstanding. For Honda, RIV has electronic access to Honda databases to confirm all recalls are done so no recall letter is ever required. Note that this part of the process is different for every brand.

4) you do not deal with RIV until you get back in Canada. You are only faxing to us customs at your crossing point as stated above.

5) there really is no difference in importing if it is a private seller, just get a receipt and keep all your proof, and as I stated above, keep everything honest.

I know this is a long response but there are some hoops to jump through, but if you do it right, importing an S2000 is the easiest import I have done and it was a breeze that I would do again in a heartbeat. If you have any other questions why don't you pm me, and I can talk to you on the phone where you, or anyone else that reads this, can hit me with any questions.

 

OMG, thank you so much for the long replies guys! ><
These are some very useful information that I wouldn't have known just from looking at the RIV site

I will definitely be honest about the price to stay away from trouble for sure!
Thank you once again all, you guys sure make s2ki a heart-warming, family-like forum

Can't wait to tell you guys about my purchase, real soon!

 

Check out redflagdeals forum too there is a thread that will give you some insight as well

 

I purchased my car 2 years ago from an individual in Ohio. When the individual has a lien on the car you need to be careful. I don't believe each state has the same laws. In Ohio the title for a car with a lien resides in the hands of the lending institution and not the individual. The seller can't just sign the slip and give the buyer a receipt. It is actually a good thing too. If the individual does not pay the loan off with the funds you paid him or her, the lending institution could come after you for the car if they don't pay the loan. As Nitshade pointed out, you have some protection in that US border will check for a lien. They are protecting the American lender and not you. So it doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t be screwed. If a lien exists when you attempt to cross, you won’t be able to take the car home until the lien is released. If the seller doesn't resolve this immediately or isn’t honest you could be stuck. Since my deal was in Ohio, I had the seller go to his bank and send a copy of the title to me in advance. I then faxed it to the US border crossing 72 hours in advance of my trip because I went through Detroit. The sale was not yet complete and therefore the title not in my name. That is ok. You will see why in a moment. When I went to pick up the car the seller and I went to his bank. We explained the pending transaction to them. I had a bank draft which was important because it is guaranteed. Other monetary instruments may be held for a period of time until the funds clear. There is an element of trust between you and the bank. The bank applied the funds to the sellers’ loan, instantly released the lien on the car and had the seller sign-off the title to me. The bank notarized the title change. In my case the sellers’ loan was less than the selling price of the car. If the seller owed more than the sale price, he or she would have had to pay out the balance. We then went to get a temporary license plate/sticker, swapped the plates and I was on my way to the boarder clean title in hand. The bank was essentially an intermediary and that was a good thing. If the state you are purchasing the vehicle from does not operate like this then you will need to do your diligence to ensure there is no liens left on the car after the sale. In most cases the seller won't have the means to pay off the loan before receiving your money so this can be tricky. When the title is with the bank it protects the buyer because the seller can’t get the title without paying the loan off. I don’t want to scare you away from buying privately because you can generally get a better deal this way. You just need to be more careful because of the extra risk. If this stresses you out, buy from a dealer.

 

I bought mine an 08 last May in Michigan a Honda certified car from a Honda dealer of course. They were very helpful. I had no issues at all. I personally would only buy from a dealer. My car came with a complete history an an extended warranty. I saved $9-12,000 in comparison to a local car in the same shape. The warranty was a bonus. It however is only valid in the US. My next purchase will be a Boxster from the US. The savings, availability and selection is excellent stateside.

 

I agree with what coolberg said
It is riskier dealing with private sellers due to the possibility mentioned
I think I'm going to buy from dealers instead, the extra $1000 most likely would justify its price
Also dealers can help fax the documents needed to the border right after I buy it, so the process should be smoother

The only turn off is really the extra tax due to the higher price of the vehicle
Though I still save a bunch from buying from the states so i shouldn't be complaining

It was such a nice day today, really wished I had the vehicle, can't wait!

Thanks all for the nice input
I shall be posting pictures of my new vehicle sometime next month
wish me luck!