Import a Ferrari into Canada? | FerrariChat

Import a Ferrari into Canada?

Discussion in 'Canada' started by zackster101, Jun 24, 2010.

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  1. zackster101

    zackster101 Rookie

    Jun 16, 2010
    9
    Hi everyone, new to Fchat and I have been thinking about buying a 430 from the us and bringing back home to Ontario. Has and one had the experience of doing this? Any tips or pointers would be great. The 430 is still covered under warranty... can that warranty be transfered to a canadian dealer?What are your experiences dealing with the dealer in Vaughan. Any help would be great. thanks
     
  2. TravisJ

    TravisJ Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 9, 2008
    626
    Austin, TX
    Full Name:
    Travis
  3. rhyno

    rhyno Formula Junior

    Oct 3, 2006
    572
    If you want to import a Ferrari into Canada then I would talk to James Simpson. He can give you all the right answers!
     
  4. zackster101

    zackster101 Rookie

    Jun 16, 2010
    9
    Thanks that link is very helpful...Anyone know anything about transfer of warranty between dealers? different countries?
     
  5. JamesSimpson

    JamesSimpson F1 Rookie

    Jun 29, 2005
    3,624
    Toronto,CANADA
    Full Name:
    James Simpson
    Warranty is good up here. Make sure you have the proper documents required including the ridiculously overpriced $7000 letter Ferrari Of North America wants you to buy. There are LEGAL way's around buying this letter by the way.

    I do this for a living and it counts for %95 of my business, I have imported over 25 Ferrari's in the past 6 years since starting in this business.

    Good luck to you and make sure you get it inspected!!! even if it's being sold by a Ferrari dealer!!!!


    Cheers
    James Simpson
     
  6. ToddB

    ToddB Formula 3

    Nov 4, 2003
    2,241
    Vancouver B.C./OC
    Full Name:
    Todd
    I have been told you do not need any letters anymore, I will confirm this tonight
     
  7. JamesSimpson

    JamesSimpson F1 Rookie

    Jun 29, 2005
    3,624
    Toronto,CANADA
    Full Name:
    James Simpson
    You don't need the actual letter anymore BUT you do require a screenshot from a authorized dealers service dept's computer showing VIN:bla bla bal has no outstanding recalls and as about 3-4 months ago EVERY u.s dealer was threatened with having their franchise pulled and or a BIG fine if they provided ANY kind of recall documentation whatsoever.

    And the R.I.V periodically sends in recall documents to Ferrari for verification on their authenticity so the threat is real to the dealers.

    But like I said IF you can get a screenshot from the service dept's computer then you're good to go, the same goes for Roll's,Bentley's,Porsche's,Lambo's(but you can just buy a letter for $2000) or any other car.


    Cheers Big Ears
    James Simpson
     
  8. zackster101

    zackster101 Rookie

    Jun 16, 2010
    9
    that $7000 letter what a scam.anything for the extra buck!
     
  9. Spurkey

    Spurkey Karting

    Jan 15, 2010
    54
    Nanaimo, BC
    I imported an F430 into Alberta that showed up at the end of April - I asked the dealer for a printout of the service history, it automatically includes the VIN and all recall work performed to date, and they gave it to me for free. I phoned the RIV (Registrar of Imported Vehicles, the government group responsible for overseeing importation) directly prior to importing and they told me the printout was sufficient for entry.
     
  10. JamesSimpson

    JamesSimpson F1 Rookie

    Jun 29, 2005
    3,624
    Toronto,CANADA
    Full Name:
    James Simpson
    I highly doubt they accepted just the service history unless it said 'no outstanding recalls' on it somewhere.

    I go through this at least once/month and last time I had the service history from a ferrari dealer and R.I.V wouldn't accept it.

    It' was ALOT easier when Carlos was there as he actually knew what he was talking about, it seems everytime I call I get a different answer.
     
  11. Spurkey

    Spurkey Karting

    Jan 15, 2010
    54
    Nanaimo, BC
    Weird, mine crossed the border in the middle of April and all it had was the printed service history which includes the recall work done. I'd phoned the RIV directly (for anyone else looking at importing the number's here: http://www.riv.ca/ContactUs.aspx) and that's what they told me. I also have an e-mail from the RIV stating the same thing, I wanted a hardcopy answer I could show in case there were problems.

    The RIV states that it currently accepts 3 types of recall clearance information, I'm going to cut 'n paste from the e-mail in case anyone's interested. This information is valid as of April 2010:

    Since the most current information is required to confirm recall clearance, please note that recall documents need to have been issued no more than 30 days prior to the date of importation.
    There are three types of recall clearance information acceptable to RIV:

    • A letter from the manufacturer’s U.S. or Canadian head office, written on company letterhead, stating clearly that there are no outstanding recalls for the vehicle. This letter must be dated and duly signed by an authorized employee of the manufacturer, along with his/her name and position within the company. The letter must include the vehicle identification number, make, model and model year. If the manufacturer's logo does not appear on the letter, it will not be accepted. RIV routinely forwards a copy of these letters to the manufacturer for authentication.

    • A printout from an American or Canadian dealership’s vehicle service database. This document must be produced by an authorized dealer and not a reseller. You can confirm whether or not a dealership is authorized by visiting the manufacturer’s web site or by calling the manufacturer’s head office and providing them with the location of the dealership in question. The printout must also contain the 17-digit vehicle identification number, year, make and model of the vehicle and with no indication of an outstanding recall. RIV routinely forwards copies of these printouts to the manufacturer for authentication.

    • Some manufacturers make their recall information available on their public web sites; if this is the case, RIV will verify the information and release the inspection form. (Ferrari does not make this inforamtion available)

    For further details on your vehicle's recall clearance and contact information for your manufacturer, please visit https://www.riv.ca/RecallClearance.aspx.
     
  12. JamesSimpson

    JamesSimpson F1 Rookie

    Jun 29, 2005
    3,624
    Toronto,CANADA
    Full Name:
    James Simpson
    The printout they're talking about is not the service history, they're asking for a special screenshot that is only accesible by a ferrari dealers service dept's computer.

    You were VERY VERY lucky they accepted, unless it say's somewhere on there that 'there are no outstanding recalls'.
     
  13. PbPedis

    PbPedis Formula Junior

    May 6, 2007
    710
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Dennis
    They did not even look at my paperwork. When my car arrived, the paperwork was all still in a sealed envelope.
     
  14. shawsan

    shawsan Formula 3

    Jul 2, 2004
    1,090
    Vancouver, Canada
    Though I've only imported 2 cars into Canada, I find two things that seem confirmed by the experience of others. First, is that when you call someone for specific information or clarification, everyone seems to provide answers that vary. This contributes to confusion and a sense of vunerability when importing. Second, exceptions seem to apply to some but not others, perhaps due to some oversight or incorrect practise -- by a border guard, for example. This again contributes to confusion and a sense of vulnerability.

    Doesn't mean it can't be done. Many just walk, or stumble, the talk. It also means there are endless posts, such as this one, whereby individuals are trying to clarify confusion.
     
  15. PbPedis

    PbPedis Formula Junior

    May 6, 2007
    710
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Dennis
    I agree with this. IMO the bottom line: make sure you have one of the 3 documents as outlined above in the post by Spurkey and you should be okay. I would not risk trying to import without one of those documents.
     
  16. Ferrari355Spider

    Jul 18, 2006
    235
    Ottawa
    Full Name:
    Tony
    I would like to add that when I recently called the guy @ FNA who used to issue the $7,000 letters he mentioned to me they do not do that anymore because the people @ RIV would scan the VIN into the Carfax database on the day of importing to see if there were any recalls. He gave me two contact number of people @ RIV and they both confirmed this to me. I will let you know if it works.
     
  17. bubbajoe

    bubbajoe Karting

    Nov 8, 2003
    71
    Alberta
    Full Name:
    Bubba J.
    So you called up 2 people at Riv and they confirmed there is no longer a need for the recall letter? This is great, I just checked the Riv website and it's still showing recall letter required. Could you pm the contact for the people at Riv you talked to?
     
  18. JamesSimpson

    JamesSimpson F1 Rookie

    Jun 29, 2005
    3,624
    Toronto,CANADA
    Full Name:
    James Simpson
    #18 JamesSimpson, Jun 30, 2010
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2010
    I heard the same thing as well, but when I called they said absolutely 100% that carfax's were not accesible, but now it seems some people they're are telling you they are!

    This is the problem like shawsan posted is that most of the employees don't 100% know the rules thus people get different answers.\

    The best thing to do is to email [email protected] and as there, I did this a few weeks ago and they responded saying no way!

    I'll try and find the email.

    Believe me I WISH they would accept carfax's!!!

    EDIT: must have deleted the email from them.

    But email [email protected] and put a fake case number int he subject line or they won't answer you! By any good luck hopefully they'lll respond IN WRITING that they do accept carfax's so if you do go that route and they turn you down you'll have something from them saying it is acceptable.
     
  19. Spurkey

    Spurkey Karting

    Jan 15, 2010
    54
    Nanaimo, BC
    *heh* I was also told that Carfax's were not acceptable - they weren't mentioned explicitly in the e-mail I received that I cut 'n pasted from but I was told over the phone (since I actually had a copy of the Carfax in-hand at that point) that such a thing was not sufficient, the printout had to come from the vehicle manufacturer's database and that the printout "could be sent on to the manufacturer for verification". God bless the government, how many different ways can there be to spread the same information... :mad:

    I honestly think the best way is to get an e-mail directly from the RIV, this way no matter what they tell you (which seems to change from hour to hour) you've got a hardcopy of their response, as well as a case number. If anyone wants to use my case number for further inquiries, since my car's cleared, inspected and registered, it's G390985.
     
  20. Spurkey

    Spurkey Karting

    Jan 15, 2010
    54
    Nanaimo, BC
    The recall letter isn't required, but proof of recall clearance is definitely required - the recall letter is simply one way of indicating recall clearance, there are 2 other ways to indicate clearance according to the e-mail snippet I posted above. I dunno who trains the people who answer the phones, but us taxpayers certainly haven't been getting our money's worth if this thread is any indication.
     
  21. fire_n_ice

    fire_n_ice Formula 3

    Jun 9, 2006
    1,087
    Anybody know if imported vehicles will now be subject to HST? If so, plus foreign origin tariff (i.e. Italy) now equals 19% in extra taxes?
     
  22. of2worlds

    of2worlds F1 World Champ
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    Apr 6, 2004
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    ON
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    CH
    19% total is correct for the taxes and import duty.
    CH
     
  23. of2worlds

    of2worlds F1 World Champ
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    Apr 6, 2004
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    CH
    #23 of2worlds, Jul 1, 2010
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2010
    They have removed the private purchase single tax exemption now to. Buying privately or from a dealer and there is no longer a tax advantage to buying privately. Their reasoning- they are making a 'level playing field' for the dealers.
    CH
     
  24. fire_n_ice

    fire_n_ice Formula 3

    Jun 9, 2006
    1,087
    Yeah, I was reading that, which was what made me think of the importing Fcars situation. An extra 8% sure takes a bite out of any potential deals down South.
     
  25. Ferrari355Spider

    Jul 18, 2006
    235
    Ottawa
    Full Name:
    Tony
    There shouldn't be a change. You would have to pay the 8% anyway when importing.
     

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