Anyone Buy A Snowmobile In The States And Bring It Back To Canada?

2799 Views 21 Replies 12 Participants Last post by team wisz, Mar 1, 2007

Skidoo_800

Discussion Starter · Feb 27, 2007

Looked all over the net for 3 hrs tonight tryin to find out what it was..

just wondering what y'all paid when you brought a snowmobile back from the states..

thanks
shawn

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team wisz

· #2 · Feb 27, 2007

i think shawn i would just call canada customs.or better yet your right there in windsor go over to canada customs where all the trucks go after crossing the border.they are right off of huron church.head down there just don't go in where the trucks go with your car.then when you walk in the building just go down to the main counter and wait there and ask for the panflet explaining duty,and ask a customs agent directly if you pay duty on a sled.just explain your trying to find out before you buy down there.also be very polite to the officers in there,they tend to be a little moody. and please let us know what you found out,as there are probably alot of folks curious about this. THANKS MAN

doo rider

· #3 · Feb 27, 2007

PM me&mymxz. I am pretty sure James did that a couple years ago.

team wisz

· #4 · Feb 27, 2007

i went to the canada customs website,not very helpfull at all.i will call the local canada customs office and find out forsure today.all i found out is that they rewrote some of the duty laws in 2002 and the panflet i have was from 1998,so it may have changed since then.but i would like to know myself,as i live close to the border myself.and there are some smokin deals in michigan.i know friends of ours bought an r.v last summer in the u.s and they paid duty on it.it was built in indianna.

team wisz

· #5 · Feb 27, 2007

ok i got the scoope.as far as my buddy knows(he did it last year) used sleds are not subject to duty.but you have to pay GST at the border.you also must register it in the system at the border intended for use,which puts it in the mto system and you have to register it and pay the tax on their value.if you tell them its for parts they put it in the systems as intended for parts and you can never register it for use.this includes the tunnel vin number.so your going to pay both taxes forsure plus a registration fee.you are also suposed to stop at u.s customs to get a search done to make sure it isn't stolen.that i know for a fact is a pain in the butt as i did it a few years ago with the hotrod.now on new sleds you are going to pay duty as well as taxes.

also forgot to tell ya there is a $210.00 customs fee you have to pay at the border.imo by the time you go down and get it,pay the exchange rate and all the other stuff.it is the same price to buy up here minus all the headaches

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permafrost

· #6 · Feb 27, 2007

I imported two sleds from MI a year or so ago. It is a bit of a paperwork fiasco, but was WELL worth it. If the sled is more that 15 yrs old it is exempt from the RIV fees. LINK>RIV The RIV fee has gone up from 185 to 195CAD plus GST. Canada Customs will want there money on the spot at the border. Whatever the Bill of sale says is what you will be paying the taxes on when you cross the border.

The RIV fee must be payed within 45 days or there are additional penalties and they will harass...luckily mine was in the mail..lol An inspection was required to ensure that the sled conforms to Canadian laws..it was a Doo from Canada...DUH. I took it into Canadian tire for the FREE inspection which consisted of nothing..it was a joke. They put a sticker on the side saying it was all good.

I ended up with two great sleds for a killer price and would not hesitate on dooin it again.

PM me if you have anymore questions.

Permafrost

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team wisz

· #7 · Feb 27, 2007

well i guess you just gotta get your pencil sharpe and doo your homework and research.i myself can't pass up the deals ski doo has on right now.they have 06 and 07 models there all brand new,and they are only a few dollars more. imo they are so close in price brand new is the only way to go.and all kinds of warranty and goodies come with it.

MikeD

· #8 · Feb 27, 2007

I just bought an '05 Gade in New York in October. I figure I saved at least 1500 to 2000 Cdn over comparable sleds here. You really have to know your pricing to do well.

Oh yeah, I'd suggest NOT bringing the sled back in to Canada on a week end. U.S customs will want to look at your paperwork (outbound) and they only do vehicle exporting on week days.

I got REAL lucky and a US duty dude helped me on a Saturday.

All the info you need is at the Registrar of Imported Vehicles web site www.riv.ca

I too will help if required, just PM me ....

Michael

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poor farmer/logger

· #9 · Feb 27, 2007

A friend of mine does this from time to time. He said to give the canadian border crossing 24 hrs notice before you get to the border. Like others have said what the bill of sale says is what you pay tax on. He's brought back 2 sleds and a boat and managed to save himself allot of money. I think it's a matter of doing allot of shopping and you have to be willing to drive a few hundread miles. That's the way it is for me anyways.

Ryan

sledman92

· #10 · Feb 27, 2007

Some of the price differences between Ontario and Michigan are huge..I have been looking around on both sides of the borders and there are some good deals in the staes, even with the exchange and paying taxs etc..etc... Just have to look around and see what's out there ....

JasonF

· #11 · Feb 27, 2007

I sold my sisters 03 Legend to a guy from the site who lived an hour north of Buffalo in Ontario. He figured that after gas, lodging and fees he still saved $600-$800 over what he could get locally. Its been just long enough that I cant remember all of the details but I know that since the sled was manufactured in Canada that some of the fees weren't applicable. I had to fax all of the sled info along with the buyers name to the border crossing 24 hrs in advance.

me&mymxz

· #12 · Feb 28, 2007

well i guess you just gotta get your pencil sharpe and doo your homework and research.i myself can't pass up the deals ski doo has on right now.they have 06 and 07 models there all brand new,and they are only a few dollars more. imo they are so close in price brand new is the only way to go.and all kinds of warranty and goodies come with it.[/b]

Let us know where these greawt deasl are in Ont. I would love to find a good dealer here

Skidoo_800

Discussion Starter · #13 · Feb 28, 2007

this is all just ridiculous bull#### .. just to bring a sled between two "partnering" countries theres all these taxes and duties.. theres no point to do this.

how are youever supose to puchase anything over there used and your paying as much and as much of a hassle or more then buying a brand new one over here.. its more of a waste of time then saving a few bucks..

so much for free trade

team wisz

· #14 · Feb 28, 2007

well just shop around there are some wicked deals right here in ontario.much the same as our friends in the south you gotta look around.and my guess after the season we just had it will only get cheaper. but i have to agree with skidoo800 it seems like alot of crap to go through to save a few hundred bucks.let me explain a little you find a sled for say 4900 bucks +exchange=5880 then add on the customs feeof 210 and gst and pst=6913.20cdn.now you have to go to canadian tire and get it safety checked plus the gas to go and pick the sled up plus lodging and a meal or 2 now your pushing 7500 bucks.and thats asuming everything goes right.now if you have to take the day off work as you can only come across during the week,both at u.s customs and canadian customs,not to mention us customs wants 72 hrs notice,canada wants 24.and you better make sure all your paperwork is right.now add on the wages you lost for the day i bet now your over 7500. so to me its not worth the trouble just to save a few hundred bucks.

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team wisz

· #15 · Feb 28, 2007

something else,what if you go to all this trouble get the thing home and find out there is a major problem with it.what are you going to do go through all the trouble of taking it back across the border to go and get your money back or at least let the sellerfix it.at least if you buy here you might have a leg to stand on.

billww

· #16 · Feb 28, 2007

well just shop around there are some wicked deals right here in ontario.much the same as our friends in the south you gotta look around.and my guess after the season we just had it will only get cheaper. but i have to agree with skidoo800 it seems like alot of crap to go through to save a few hundred bucks.let me explain a little you find a sled for say 4900 bucks +exchange=5880 then add on the customs feeof 210 and gst and pst=6913.20cdn.now you have to go to canadian tire and get it safety checked plus the gas to go and pick the sled up plus lodging and a meal or 2 now your pushing 7500 bucks.and thats asuming everything goes right.now if you have to take the day off work as you can only come across during the week,both at u.s customs and canadian customs,not to mention us customs wants 72 hrs notice,canada wants 24.and you better make sure all your paperwork is right.now add on the wages you lost for the day i bet now your over 7500. so to me its not worth the trouble just to save a few hundred bucks.[/b]

And nobody even said andthing about time off from work or that cost . 200 a day.
You know and I know that if we are going out state over night gas /food Lodging Thats 250 or 300 bucks. Thats 400 or 500 hunderd . No thanks I,ll buy US and you should buy CAN.

team wisz

· #17 · Feb 28, 2007

hey bill my thoughts exactly.and noone hardly ever factors in those expenses and your right its at least 500 tacked on there.and ya we should leave your deals for you guys anyway lol.ya know if it wasn't for our government being so damn greedy up here it would be alot cheaper for us to buy there.and like someone mentioned a skidoo was built in canada in the first place it just amazes me.now i'm not saying that that fella never got a deal,but he never did tell us what he bought or what he paid.but if he did get a deal good for him.i just know if it wasn't for bad luck i wouldn't have any and i would be the person with a problem.

RAD RACER 38X

· #18 · Feb 28, 2007

got a iq rollor last year for 3000 buck paid like 275 duties than you have to get it inspected by like canadian tire for all canadian regulations as far as safety standards an that cost like another 200bucks!

permafrost

· #19 · Feb 28, 2007

Here are a few more details of our cross border deal. The sleds were purchased from SW members who are sled fanatics. I knew the history of these sleds which IMHO makes a big difference. There is no need to take a day off of work when we have weekends,

. I didn't cross the border either,(no hotel needed) and met them on this side in SW Ontario. It was just a day drive in the Cummins, through a vicious snow storm in April I might add. The Snow gods were with us..

.

I picked up the 2 sleds for approx 4K. They were both 500's, one a MXZ and the other a Form deluxe. We ended up dooin a direct trade for a brand new trailer to a good friend and kept Snomutts Stretched MXZ for my son. I might add that the MXZ hasn't given us one single problem.
The MXZ was also packed with features including a brand new Camo 9819 predator 1.25", stinger can, roller secondary, clutch kit, new reeds / V force cages, seat jack and more...

Radracer I am not sure what you had to change on your sled as the inspection at Canadian Tire is included in the RIV fees.

Here are a few pics :christmas:

Permafrost

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5

qwerty

· #20 · Feb 28, 2007

the only benefit that i can see would be on a new sled. and then you will probably not be covered by any waranty. even dealing locally within the same province or city can be a warranty hassle, because dealers operate on a "good will" system when it comes to repairing machines that they did not sell.

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