Topic: How to Import a Car into Canada ???

[guy10]

Is it possible to import a 1998 Mercedes-Bens SLK200,
from Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain ( Located in the Persian Gulf )
to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

[inco]

I don't see why not unless it has somehow made it to the prohibited list. Check out the government website.

[Ex-airbalancer]

I don't see why not unless it has somehow made it to the prohibited list. Check out the government website.

here is the website http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html try calling the # here since I think site deals mostly with importing from the US

[tpl]

If it is a Canadian or US  spec car originally AND it is not on the forbidden list.  If it is specified for another country then no.

www.riv.ca  on M-B  US spec vehicles

Please contact Mercedes-Benz Canada
Inc. to determine if the vehicle you wish to
import is admissible and the required
safety certification work can be carried out.
Prior to reviewing your request for a letter
of admissibility, the following information
must be provided:
- Model
- Model Year
- 17 digit VIN (Vehicle Identification
Number)
Please send the above information to
Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. Customer
Relations, 98 Vanderhoof Ave, Toronto,
Ontario M4G 4C9, or via fax at
416- 425-6370.

CBSA on other vehicles

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pub/cp/bsf5048/bsf5048-eng.html

[danceswiththewolf]

Forbidden list. What!?
I'm thinking of working in Calgary from June next year, but I am in Scotland at the moment.
I want to bring my car with me. It's has never been sold in the US so does that mean I can not drive it in canada?
The thought of 6 years in Canada with no TVR does not sound nice.
I've looked the list of 'approved' cars but TVR do not even get a mention.
I'm sure I've heard of them being in the gumball rally before and Travolta has a Tuscan, so there must surely be a way of driving one in North America....
Can anyone help with some advice? Do you have anything like small volume manufacturer type approval. How does anyone in North America Customize or make small volume specialist cars if they all have to be on an approved list??

Thanks for any help.

[tpl]

Travolta could have had his TVR "federalized" quite legally by an EPA/NTHSA approved independent shop in the USA.Canada specifically does not allow cars modified by those shops or any similar shops  to be imported into Canada.
Canada's rules are very specific.   private imports must be either >15 years old OR a US spec car that is on the acceptable list.    There used to be some exceptions but not any more.

 Travolta  has it registered in the USA presumably and he could in fact drive it around Canada as a tourist for 6 months.   You, as a resident of Scotland could drive your TVR around here as a tourist as well.    You as a Canadian resident may not drive that car on a road at all.

Thems the breaks.    Now if you found a nice 15 year old TVR in perfect condition........ you could bring that with you although I think that Alberta is cracking down on imports like that by insisting they have DOT approved lighting ( I mean the actual DOT numbers and so on stamped on the plastic)  and so on which could be a pain to deal with.

[DriverJeff]

I don't see why not unless it has somehow made it to the prohibited list. Check out the government website.

Don't think the SLK200 was ever sold in Canada; of that vintage, only SLK230 and 320 models came here I believe.

[Diesel Advocate]

Is it possible to import a 1998 Mercedes-Bens SLK200,
from Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain ( Located in the Persian Gulf )
to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

As far as I am aware you will NOT be able to bring your car into Canada as it is less that 15 years old. Please refer to the Transport Canada link provided.

http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/impxus_e.htm

I would love for Canada to change the rules allowing us to import cars from other parts of the World and this rule should be changed for the following reasons:

1. New cars sold elsewhere, especially in Europe, are just as safe or safer than NA made cars.
2. Now that the bumper laws have been harmonized, there should be no reason where we cannot import from Europe where Kmh and left hand drive is used.
3. European cars are just way sexier than NA cars.

As soon as the rules are changes I will be importing one of these:

Ford Focus RS, Honda Civic Type R, VW Golf Mk V R32

[tpl]

You can import an R32 from the US now.  It was only the bumpers that stopped it before.


i don't think that they will change the rules. Too much grief politically from the safety people as the crash standards are slightly different, the manufacturers who have chosen NOT to import or build certain cars for our market and last but not least, the greens as a good number of those Eu cars do not meet the EXACT NA emission requirements... yes, they are very close but they are not actually certified to meet our regulations.

Oh and I forgot the CAW.

[Diesel Advocate]

You can import an R32 from the US now.  It was only the bumpers that stopped it before.


i don't think that they will change the rules. Too much grief politically from the safety people as the crash standards are slightly different, the manufacturers who have chosen NOT to import or build certain cars for our market and last but not least, the greens as a good number of those Eu cars do not meet the EXACT NA emission requirements... yes, they are very close but they are not actually certified to meet our regulations.

Oh and I forgot the CAW.

I believe European emission standards will match the US standard by 2011.  So here's hoping.

[tpl]

I think that the main point is that if, for instance, Honda, wished to import the Civic R or Ford wished to import the Focus RS they could have made the changes required and done so. But if they felt that the NA market, the biggest in the world should not have those cars then why would they permit you or I to import them privately.

They could easily refuse to allow spares to be imported, no warranty and so on.

I agree that us car enthusiasts possibly would be well served by a completely open market in cars.  I'd like to be able to buy a  BMW 325  diesel the day it was announced in Germany.  I don't care if it pollutes a couple of percent more or is a couple of percent more "unsafe".    But I would only do so if warranty service and parts were available.