Lesson learned: Importing a Jeep to US from Canada

[welp 2]

--tl;dr-- Spent over 2 months looking for the perfect jeep. Discovered there's a 6 month ownership requirement to get a compliance letter from Chrysler. I saved myself a bunch a money and frustration by realizing this before actually paying for the car.

 

Hi everyone,

 

I am just dropping this here in case anyone is curious about importing a Jeep to the US from Canada. I got my L1 back in August and was planning to fully move to the US at the end of the year. As a treat to myself, I was hoping to buy myself a new car before I moved down south. I did some homework on importing a vehicle and I felt it was feasible at the time. If I am able to pull off getting a work permit/visa in the US, I can do anything else right? So I spent over 2 months shopping around and hanging out at numerous dealerships. Last week, I finally found a great deal on a used jeep and the dealership is just waiting for me to write them a check. I wanted to do one final sanity check because I have read in some corners of the internet that Chrysler had some obscure rule about importing a car that's been owned for less than 6 months.

 

Most posts about importing a Jeep are usually about 1) Getting a compliance letter on time, 2) Finding that VECI sticker, and/or 3) Having a lien on the car. I did find an old post that was about the 6 month requirement so that casted some doubt in my pursuit of importing a car. This morning, I gave Chrysler a call to get a final confirmation. I had the VIN on hand and briefly explained my situation to the representative. The representative put me on hold for a minute and came back with disappointing news. She said that the car has to be owned, registered, and operated in Canada and by me for at least 6 months before I can get that compliance letter. For context, a person who's importing their jeep for personal use and without the aid of an importer will need to supply CBP with a manufacturer's compliance letter. The compliance letter was key to my being able to import the car. Since I am planning to move to the US at the end of the year, I would have only owned the car for a little over a month before I tried to move it to the US.

 

Anyway, it was disappointing to know I can't buy a car at this time but good to know I saved myself from an even stickier situation if I was stuck with a car that can't be imported. I hope my experience serves as a cautionary tale for those who are (or will be) in a similar situation as me.

Edited November 9, 2020 by welp

[TBoneTX 45,543]

Thanks for this helpful information, and welcome to the forum.

[databit 328]

Depending on the State in which you plan to live, registration can be even more troublesome. And each State has different rules. For example, California's: "Unless the vehicle was originally manufactured to meet California emission standards or the owner or vehicle qualifies for an exemption, California law prohibits California residents or businesses from bringing into California or registering in California, a motor vehicle which is less than 2 years old and has less than 7,500 miles on the odometer at the time of purchase, trade, or acquisition." And even if that doesn't apply,  you would still be charged a hefty registration fee based on your purchase price: "California’s current license fee is based on 65 percent of your vehicle’s value. Because the tax is tied to the value of the vehicle, the fee goes down each year as the vehicle depreciates. On new vehicles, the tax is adjusted downward each year for eleven years. On used vehicles, it is calculated on the vehicle’s value at the time it is acquired." 

[welp 2]

21 hours ago, databit said:

Depending on the State in which you plan to live, registration can be even more troublesome. And each State has different rules. For example, California's: "Unless the vehicle was originally manufactured to meet California emission standards or the owner or vehicle qualifies for an exemption, California law prohibits California residents or businesses from bringing into California or registering in California, a motor vehicle which is less than 2 years old and has less than 7,500 miles on the odometer at the time of purchase, trade, or acquisition." And even if that doesn't apply,  you would still be charged a hefty registration fee based on your purchase price: "California’s current license fee is based on 65 percent of your vehicle’s value. Because the tax is tied to the value of the vehicle, the fee goes down each year as the vehicle depreciates. On new vehicles, the tax is adjusted downward each year for eleven years. On used vehicles, it is calculated on the vehicle’s value at the time it is acquired." 

 

California sounds like a headache for sure. I am moving to Texas where regulations can be expected to be different. On the bright side, car sales taxes are lower in Texas compared to BC (where I currently am).