Shopping for cars in the US
 

Just wondering if anyone has shopped for/bought cars from the US. What is the best source to look for such cars?

I bought my 1999 3000GT a few years back in the St. Louis.

Sites I checked regularly were:

Carsoup.com (where I hit the jackpot after 5 months searching)
autotrader.com
cars.com
Craigslist (though this is sketchy)

There's a few other places you might be able to find, but depending on what you're looking for those were the best ones I found. Use zipcode 58701 - I think this is North Dakota. You can then specify search area. It's closest to North Portal in Saskatchewan... It might also want to be the place you bring yours up.

There's a few other hurdles to jump through in regards to bringing back the vehicle once you purchased it. PM me if you have any questions.

I've brought two cars from the US over the last few years. Was looking at doing a few more before the economy tanked. It's pretty straightforward. Check out this website for more info and links to resources etc.:

http://www.carswithoutborders.com/

I don't remember how exactly I found my wife's Volvo. Might have been some specific car sales website. My Audi was found on craigslist in the SF Bay area.

I found Autotrader.com and Craigslist to be useful. I ended up buying one from Florida on EBay. It will work out to be about 20-25% cheaper than buying one here once all fees and costs are added in. This is consistent with all of the articles that I've read.

http://www.vancouversun.com/cars/soa...305/story.html

http://money.ca.msn.com/retirement/g...entid=23735410

My car is currently in transit on a truck. Hope it turns out OK. I plan to take delivery in Bellingham and drive it back.

What I still don't understand is whether or not I need to buy a trip permit at the border to drive it into BC even though I will have temp plates from the car dealer in Florida. Some ICBC Autoplan agents say that I need it and some say that I don't. Some websites say I can drive into Canada with Florida temp plates and some websites say that I can't. I have binder insurance of course.

I think you still need a permit for Washington, around $40 i believe. I bought a trailer from Oregon with temp plates but still needed one to drive thru Washington.

What was the shipping from florida?......I have been looking at Texas trucks

I got a reply from the Dept of Licensing in Washington State that stated that if I have temp tags from a car dealership (in Florida), then I don't need a trip permit from Washington State. My understanding is that if I bought a car from an individual, then I will need to get a trip permit since I can not get temp tags from individuals.

"The Florida registration should be sufficient as long as you have all of the paperwork from the dealership. "

It was $1125 USD. Here's a website that you can use to get a feel of what people are paying for transporting cars from one State to another. Just select the states that you are interested in from the dropdown lists.

http://quotes.transportreviews.com/d...sp?OS=FL&DS=WA

Wow shipping is expensive...or maybe they don't like me :cry:

You have chosen a vehicle transport route from Texas to Montana,
which has an average rating of 4 stars and avarage cost of $67,649.

On average customers shipping a vehicle from Texas to Montana
paid $120,902 to ship with a 5 star rated company.

http://quotes.transportreviews.com/d...=TX&DS=MT&RR=5

Haha. I'd throw out the 1 price ($1,200,900) that is skewing the results.


Reviewed: Bluebonnet Auto Transport
Poster: Bob Davis
Subject: Delivered!
Rating:
Date: 9/11/2009 9:21:00 PM
Cost: $1200900 Driveaway Carrier

When I went down I took two days off work (thursday and friday). I flew down to St. Louis for Thursday morning (landed at about 10am) the seller of the car picked me up. We went to the bank, transferred the title, and I was on the road back to Canada by 5pm. The drive took a lot less time than I thought it would and I was back in Saskatoon by 11pm on Friday night.

If you're buying a car I'd say fly down and bring it back yourself. Road trips kick ass :D

HI,

I rented a flatbed locally, drove to Chicago, put car on flatbed and drove back. Flatbed rental was $75 for a weekend, rented a truck from National($240). No problems.

I was told that you needed a temp permit for each state that you drive through, border patrol in Sarina confirmed this for me.

I would do it again for my next car, you'll save a lot of money(depending on exchange rate and the car)

Found mine at a dealership, which to my surprise had great service :surprise:

Don't know about a permit from each state really being needed. I bought my car in California and drove it up through Oregon and Washington with the California trip permit which was a sticker in the front windshield. No plates on the car and never even got stopped for a check because of that.

Trip permits can be confusing. Different sites say different things. Glad that I bought my car from a dealership with temp tag/registation and don't need to buy trip permits.

http://www.importcartocanada.info/category/faq/

What kind of Documents and Paperwork are needed to Import a Car into Canada?

"Registration - If you are buying from a dealer, they will provide you with temporary permits, if not, you will need to go purchase one from the local Motor vehicles office. If you are driving through more than 1 state on the way back to Canada and did not purchase from a dealer, this will be tricky because you will need a temporary permit for each state that you drive through. Once you reach Canada, your American temporary permits are sufficient enough to drive home with, as long as you have the Completed Form 1 (see below) with you. "

http://ucanimport.blogspot.com/2009/...temporary.html

"With a trip permit purchased in one state, you may operate the vehicle through all states that fall between your origin and your destination. For example, if you purchase a trip permit in Texas, you can use that permit to operate your vehicle through all the states up to the Canadian border and to your residence. You are not required to purchase a trip permit for each state."

http://www.auto-broker-magic.com/Canada_Import.html

"3. After purchasing your car at a U.S. Dealer, they will issue you a one-month temporary license plate. You can drive in the U.S. and Canada (while you are completing the import process) with the temporary license during this period."