Shopping for cars in the US

[TheMikey]

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

[staceyd72]

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

[Ron99]

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.

[Samw]

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."