Importing a diesel from Canada

I'm aware of how rare diesel vans are in this country, especially nice ones, and with that in mind, I've located one in Hamburg, Germany, a LWB one at that. It's a low mileage 97' VW Eurovan. The seller has included shipping to Canada in his asking price. Before I get too excited about it, how much BS am I in for to get it LEGALLY into this country. I'm aware of the procedure for gassers, but this is a diesel. Any help will be appreciated.

Uncle said:

I'm aware of how rare diesel vans are in this country, especially nice ones, and with that in mind, I've located one in Hamburg, Germany, a LWB one at that. It's a low mileage 97' VW Eurovan. The seller has included shipping to Canada in his asking price. Before I get too excited about it, how much BS am I in for to get it LEGALLY into this country. I'm aware of the procedure for gassers, but this is a diesel. Any help will be appreciated.

Click to expand...

To import a non certified vehicle into the US you need a certificate of conformability from the EPA and a certificate of compliance from the National Highway Transportation Saftey Authority (NHTSA). EPA makes sure the vehicle conforms to emission standards, and the NHTSA makes sure the vehicle conforms to saftey standards.

You will have to bring in the vehicle under a bond (150 percent of the dutieable value) and sign a contract with a registered importer. This starts at 6,000 usd and up. However prior to all this, the EPA and NHSTA needs to be petitioned to allow the vehicle to be converted by a commercial importer. You can only make petitions for a few cases, one being a like vehicle was already manufactured to meet US specs. After all this paperwork is done, the registered importer has 4 months to complete the modifications, and submit the paperwork of compliance to the governmental authorities. If it takes to long, the govt can keep the bond, and seize your car and send it back to where it came from, or have it destroyed. You can see if there is a petition on file for your vehicle you want to bring in by visiting the NHTSA or customs website. The EPA certificate of conformity costs $25,000 usd per "Class" of vehcile/engine combo, and fees for the conversion by a registered importer start at 6,000 usd and go up to an unlimited amount. If the vehicle has never been privately imported then your looking at a very costly process.

Your also looking at a costly process to get the vehicle into Canada, as they have similar restrictions pertaining to private party imports. The big difference is in the US vehicle restrictions for vehicles over 25 years old, and Canada it's 15 years.

An added caveat is the magic year 1995. Vehicles prior to that date are held to different emmissions standards, essentialy what was in effect when they were new, hoeever after that they must meet current standards. I've gone through this with unimog trucks and some are allowed in and some cannot be. The unimog iddues aren't as great becasue they are classed as "equipment" rather than passanger vehicles but the pesky parts remain.

I've also been asked about bringing in ex-heer VW vanagon "crew cab" trucks and things of that type and as long as you can claim it as an off highway or special purpose vehicle it's do-able except you will not be issued a registerable VIN. Depending on your state you *may* be able to then declare this as a home built or kit built vehicle but I'm not going to swear to anything.

Scott_DeWitt said:

To import a non certified vehicle into the US you need a certificate of conformability from the EPA and a certificate of compliance from the National Highway Transportation Saftey Authority (NHTSA). EPA makes sure the vehicle conforms to emission standards, and the NHTSA makes sure the vehicle conforms to saftey standards.

Click to expand...

Scott_DeWitt said:

You will have to bring in the vehicle under a bond (150 percent of the dutieable value) and sign a contract with a registered importer. This starts at 6,000 usd and up. However prior to all this, the EPA and NHSTA needs to be petitioned to allow the vehicle to be converted by a commercial importer. You can only make petitions for a few cases, one being a like vehicle was already manufactured to meet US specs. After all this paperwork is done, the registered importer has 4 months to complete the modifications, and submit the paperwork of compliance to the governmental authorities. If it takes to long, the govt can keep the bond, and seize your car and send it back to where it came from, or have it destroyed. You can see if there is a petition on file for your vehicle you want to bring in by visiting the NHTSA or customs website. The EPA certificate of conformity costs $25,000 usd per "Class" of vehcile/engine combo, and fees for the conversion by a registered importer start at 6,000 usd and go up to an unlimited amount. If the vehicle has never been privately imported then your looking at a very costly process.

Your also looking at a costly process to get the vehicle into Canada, as they have similar restrictions pertaining to private party imports. The big difference is in the US vehicle restrictions for vehicles over 25 years old, and Canada it's 15 years.

Click to expand...

YIKES When I said BS, I wasn't expecting the combined tonnage of the world! I did make a typo error, the van is a 1992, not 97'. However from what I'm reading that doesn't make much of a difference, does it?

thermopylaetech said:

An added caveat is the magic year 1995. Vehicles prior to that date are held to different emmissions standards, essentialy what was in effect when they were new, hoeever after that they must meet current standards. I've gone through this with unimog trucks and some are allowed in and some cannot be. The unimog iddues aren't as great becasue they are classed as "equipment" rather than passanger vehicles but the pesky parts remain.

I've also been asked about bringing in ex-heer VW vanagon "crew cab" trucks and things of that type and as long as you can claim it as an off highway or special purpose vehicle it's do-able except you will not be issued a registerable VIN. Depending on your state you *may* be able to then declare this as a home built or kit built vehicle but I'm not going to swear to anything.

Click to expand...

I'd have to check the 500 page document the EPA sent me but IIRC, emission standards apply to the year the vehicle was manufactured, not the date of importation.

This has changed quite a bit with respect to engines. Refer to the EPA's site at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/. Refer to the NHTSA website for vehicles, http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/FAQ%20Site/index.html. Even with off-road vehicles, if vehicles have "on-road capabilities" you may be subject to NHTSA.

Read up it's all there.

However as stated earlier there are ways to get vehicles in country, and registered, however there are issues. This topic has been covered by several other posts, you may want to do some searching.

Basically to get a non conforming vehicle in the US...

Lie on the customs declarations (jailtime and destruction of vehicle if your caught)
Have it legally imported and registered (very very very very expensive)
Have it shipped in pieces and reassemble is and register it as a "Kit car" or something of the like (time consuming and expensive and federal legality is questionable)
Do a conversion with a like US spec vehicle (most often done).

Uncle said:

YIKES When I said BS, I wasn't expecting the combined tonnage of the world! I did make a typo error, the van is a 1992, not 97'. However from what I'm reading that doesn't make much of a difference, does it?

Click to expand...

Sorry you asked.

It won't make a difference in the US until it is 25 years old. However in Canada that number is 15 years. Still doesn't help you much unless you become a canadian resident.

thermopylaetech said:

An added caveat is the magic year 1995. Vehicles prior to that date are held to different emmissions standards, essentialy what was in effect when they were new, hoeever after that they must meet current standards. I've gone through this with unimog trucks and some are allowed in and some cannot be. The unimog iddues aren't as great becasue they are classed as "equipment" rather than passanger vehicles but the pesky parts remain.

Click to expand...

thermopylaetech said:

I've also been asked about bringing in ex-heer VW vanagon "crew cab" trucks and things of that type and as long as you can claim it as an off highway or special purpose vehicle it's do-able except you will not be issued a registerable VIN. Depending on your state you *may* be able to then declare this as a home built or kit built vehicle but I'm not going to swear to anything.

Click to expand...

I think you may have noticed in my other post, that I made a typo on the year, it's a 92'. It doesn't look like it'll be much easier or any less riskier. I think I'll just stick to what's already in this country. A couple of years ago, I passed on a diesel Eurovan in Ohio. The guy was having a hard time selling it, maybe because it was green, I don't know. At the time, I was looking for a car, not a van.

The T4 was imported into Canada as a diesel it was in 91-93 I think. We had one for warranty work back in the mid 90's. However it was the lethargic non turbo 2.4 at 74 horsepower or something like that. However without a certificate of conformity from EPA, you got to go through the whole importing process.

Everything you need to know about importing a car into the US:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/

.

Importing from Canada

I want to thank everyone for their input, and responses to my inquiries. I now realize, that it's far more trouble than the van (or any car) is worth, at least to me, and I will forget about attempting to do so. I can't afford that kind of money, nor do I have the patience for something like that.
Thanks again

1992 makes a HUGE difference, and it's why the original vendor allowed for shipping to Canada. Model year 1992 means it is 15 years old, and can be imported into Canada without restriction.

You can NOT get around this by importing to Canada and then to the USA.

Fuggedaboutit.

Well by-gosh-by-golly-gee-whiz! We've just got to put down our differences and all hug and get along! You might one day buy whatever you wanted and drive it ONLY in the CanAMEX Corridor - http://www.canamex.org/ What a beautiful place it's gonna be! And sure to expand!

Initiative No. 5 Smart Process Partnerships-
.
. Facilitating provision of professional services in the region through common registration and licensing which contributes to the creation of a "borderless economy".
.

Cualquier documento sin ingles en este sitio del web son traducciones del texto original escrito en ingles. Estas traducciones no son oficiales y no son vinculantes a este estado o subdivisión política de este estado.



Capitol Hill doesn't need drug testing. It needs IQ testing.

Being a 1992, there will be no problems in principle to bring it to Canada from almost anywhere in the world. Bringing the same vehicle subsequently to the US via Canada will be another problem, with one possible avenue being that you are resident in Canada and have the vehicle first legally titled in Canada and can convince the Border Services department and you're moving south of the border and bringing the van along which is part of your personal belongings. The caveat is that misrepresentation is prosecutable by law with fines and/or prison terms.

The other is via a registered importer already described. In other words, it's a waste of time. Import an exotic or a true collectible that would make the expense and trouble worth the inherent value of the car.

The cut of " Magic "date to get around the safety rules for the US requirement of automatic seat belts or air bag rules is June of 1989 . That is going from Canada to the US .

But in the early 80s we in the US to give the big 3 a brake on their production requirements & reduced the bumper rules making cars & lite trucks sold in the US that only met the later less stringent bumper rules impossible to import to Canada . No way possible around that one unless the 15 year rule gives a loop hole to this .

On most cars the only real way around the rules is not to deal with them . That is get a US spec certified & registered car and do a complete diesel drive train transplant , everything from the complete exhaust to axles .

I know of a few of the mid 90s Canadian Spec A3 Eco-diesels 93-97 being transplanted into US spec A3 gasoline bodies without issues . And I know first hand of quite a few of these 1.9 L IDI Eco-Diesels being put into older A2 & B2 TD bodies to replace warnout 1.6 TDs .

There shouldn't be any issue with importing it, but just to be on the safe side you can try contacting a broker.
_______________________________
Marius Titulescu - Import Broker

You did notice this necro-thread is over 10 years old, right?
Cheers,
PH