Importing a Viper to Canada? Insurance??

[Falconeer]

Hey there..
I know most of you guys out there have been at this point in your lives.. That is to buy your first Viper. Why? Well.. we all know why! Now my time has come !!
For me there is just a little problem. Currently I live in Denmark, but is moving to Canada this August. First I will travel to the US to buy my Viper.. (which one to buy is still not decided, but I have my crush for a GTS Coupé ).. and then I will drive it all the way up to Regina, Saskatchewan. I really look forward to this trip! I just don't now exactly how to import it into Canada from the US. I've read the web site http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html , but I don't know what all the different documents are. Plus I don't know which ones I will get from the car salesman. It would be really nice if some of you had experienced something like this.
I know some of you Viper owners out there live in Canada, so maybe you can help me out? I have tried to call the RIV, but they were not as helpful as I hoped they would be !!

I cry for help , because this is the car of my dreams and why should something as stupid as paperwork be the reason for problems..
Thanks..
The soon owner of a Viper..

PS: What about insurance?!? Can a get a car insurance in the US, that also works in Canada? Or can I do the opposite.. get a canadian insurance for the car that works from the day I buy it in the US?

[genXgts]

It's a diaster pulling a US spec car into Canada to drive it in Canada. Find the car you want in Canada that is Cdn spec is my advice.

The dash has to be converted to Cdn sepc gauges and once that is done the orginality of the mileage is out the window. You can document, photograph and anything else on the swap out but when you go to sell the car the value takes a huge hit as the mileage is undetermined and must be sold with a flag as non original odometer. Not good!

Call Bill Pemberton at Woodhouse and he'll tell you all about it. He drops 10,000 in his book on a swapped odo car. That was enough for me to limit my search to Canada.

Keep in mind if you do buy a US car, you take the US value fo say 45K, convert that to Cdn funds then hit 15% GST and PST on that amount, putting you into the low 70's and you have not paid broker import fees nor any mod fees such as the dash swap out.

Interestingly enough GenII come across with little done other than the gauge issue, GenI are non admissable due to the seatbelt design.

Hope this helps, email me if you have any other questions.

[Falconeer]

Thanks for the quick answer!

Damn.. I didn't know that there would be any problems at all besides the paperwork that comes with the importation. Which good web sites are there for buying Vipers in Canada? I used www.autotrader.com and www.dupontregistry.com to find this dream car in the US, but they are not very helpful in Canada! If I find a good offer for a GTS Coupé (under 50k US$) then I am definetely interested..

[Wayne Finch]

Ryan, the rules have changed a lot. You do NOT have to change anything on the car now other than to add a daytime running light module and getting a safety inspection. You can drive the car across the border and be done at Customs in 20 minutes - no big deal anymore. It is now no different than buying from a Canadian dealer - you have to pay the tax either way.


BTW - Gen 1 still unadmisable I believe.

[Schulmann]

It isn`t so difficult to import a car from the States
I imported a Stealth from the States 2 years ago and I know a guy who imported his Viper from the States.

READ VERY CAREFULLY ON www.riv.ca ADMISSIBLE VEHICULES FROM THE UNITED STATES.

And read as much as you can that web site ! You can also call RIV they are "friendly" but stupid as a group of donkeys. Call 2-3 agents because they might give you 2-3 different answers to your questions. Take always the name of the agent. As long as you are able to show that you got a stupid answer from an agent they will always fix the problem no matter what it takes. This is why I called them "friendly".

Regarding the Viper: I think you can import anything from 1997. Newer the car is less trouble you will get.

Insurance: MUCH CHEAPER in Canada. My Viper cost 1100$US with 600$US deductible. If you buy a car in the States you will have to insure it in the States.

US customs: 3 days before importing the Viper in Canada you have to notify the US custom office where you export the car. They will investigate if the car is not stollen. They will give you the less trouble.

Canadian customs: REAL TROUBLE MAKERS. If you get the paper work properly done by the Canadian Agent everything else will be easy after. You need to fill out everything properly. I STRONGLY advise you to check every single note that the papers contain. When you live the Canadian customs you will have in hands two papers. Form 1 copy ; Form 1 original; for the RIV.

Viper are more expensive in Canada. Espetially newer versions. Try to get a 2001 or a 2002 (yellow or red). They have higher value in Canada.

If you need more info send me a mail.
A.

[genXgts]

Well take heed to the above then, I've had my car three years now so my info is from 2001.

I had enough of a hassle shipping my GTS thru the states in an enclosed carrier from BC/Washington to Michigan/Ontario, what a pain on my Cdn purchase simply shipped thru the US.

You are no longer required to rip the dash out and put in a Cdn spec speedo and odo? Good news.

Now about that 1000 dollar a year health tax they just slapped on us provincially, nice.

(keep in mind a 50K US GTS will be well over 80,000 cdn be the time it is landed here, that's without shipping which will be a few thousand as well. I was told a 10 day temp permit is not valid in the US for driving, but that may have changed if my original news has as well)

[Falconeer]

Thanks a lot for all the answers! These forums are really exellent!!

Andkovacs: What is the name of your insurance company? Just for future reference

Now I can relax a whole lot more. In 3 monts I will post a picture of my Viper.. and maybe somebody is out for a spin

[Jim C]

Falconeer - There is a chance my '97 Blue/White GTS (Canadian) will be for sale by the time you are buying. I am in Edmonton, not a bad drive from Sask... You will certainly save serious bucks if you buy mine rather than one from the U.S. PM me if interested for details.

[Craig 201 MPH]

depends what you want for your 97. Our dollar has gained some serious ground against the US $.

A $50,000 GTS from the states converts to only $68,571 today. With all your taxes (which you pay here anyway) you would have the car in your garage for under $75K. Just try to find a GTS for that up here now. In the states you have a huge used market. I bet there are under 30 GTS's for sale up here at any given time (aside from stealerships)

The market up here is so small that our cars are much more expensive.

[Tom, F&L GoR]

The seatbelt switch is easy. As I bought a Canadian '94, I had to go the other way. The Canadian requirement for seatbelts is what newer airbag cars now have - both ends of the belt attach to the floor (not door) and one over your shoulder (inside shoulder instead of outside.) A dealership did the work (presumeably more official that way) and part of the importer's job is to document it.

I can't tell you it's worth it, only that it's physically possible to get a Gen 1 car, install Gen 2 airbag car belts (not the steering wheel and airbag itself, though) and be "Canadian, eh."

[thebigsnake]

Call the fellow at Delmar Brokers at the Plattsburgh NY. border in Quebec. He did everything for me. A real gentleman. Tell him Jerry from Ile Bizard with the black Viper sent you.

[Schulmann]

My insurance is Alliance Industrial: 1450CAN premium and 1000CAN deductible. However I have a 5 start insurance file. You can also check with Bell Air they have good rates for Viper.

It isn`t so difficult to import a car from the States as long as Canadian paper work is filled out properly.

The best is to own the car under your name when you import it from the States. I saw a guy on the TV who bought a US GMC from a dealer in Montreal. After 2 years he was not able to register the car under his name because the ownership papers were missing (The car was sold on an auction without papers ...).

I will post a doc on this discussion forum about the paper work/inspection necessary to import a car.

[Rocketman66]

I gave up last year trying to get answers to that question. What I did find out was that the viper needs to be 1996 (dual airbag model) or newer.

I purchased mine in the Toronto area. You should be able to find one in Canada with lower miles considering our winters. As everyone has said, its a pain trying to import one. Good luck

[Falconeer]

I will follow your advise and buy the Viper in the US. I checked on the internet and there are a lot of money to save in the US. Hope the canadian customs are as gentle as you guys say they are

I look forward to be part of your Viper society.. it won't be long!!

Once again.. thanks for all the advise..

[Craig 201 MPH]

Do they have paved roads in SK? You better not use it to pull around wheat shipments.

Enjoy the car