danleblanc Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 (edited) I got to live vicariously through all the Facebook posts from friends who were able to attend Hershey this year (missed it this year because my wife booked a cruise for December - only have so much time off, you know). In some of the posts, I did notice some cars for sale with Canadian license plates. I'm interested in hearing from Canadians who have brought and sold cars at the car corral. What did you do at US customs when entering the US and how did you handle the transaction? The transaction part should be the easy part - I'm assuming cash, wire transfer, or some sort of other guaranteed funds. It's bringing the car across the border for sale that I'm more curious about. I'm thinking of bringing my 24,500mi 1961 Fleetwood Sixty Special to the car corral next year. Unrestored survivor, 90% original paint, 100% original interior and chrome. First Junior 2013, First Senior 2015, both won at Hershey. I'm hoping to go down with one car and come back with something different. Something a little less garage/trailer queen and something more driver quality to enjoy. Edited October 11, 2016 by danleblanc (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 Best bet is to call customs or go to their web site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danleblanc Posted October 11, 2016 Author Share Posted October 11, 2016 I know I can call. Heck, I can even drive there as it's only 25 minutes away. What I would like is to hear from someone who has actually done it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 I know the rules drastically changed for importing past spring and have not tried the new system yet. For exporting I have never done it yet and you have to do all the procedures correctly or sit in a compound for a few days and wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danleblanc Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 I went through the new import process into Canada recently and it wasn't that bad. Everything else is the same as before. The only new requirement is the AES filing with the US Census bureau to give you a SED (Shipper's Export Declaration). A customs broker has to do it, however, I found a company online that does it for $75.00. Filled out the online form, paid my fee, and had my SED within 48 hours. Dropped off all the documents at my local border crossing 72 hours before export, went and got the car, stopped in at US Customs on the way back, they checked the VIN and then over to Canadian Customs. They charged me the GST and I was on my way. The whole thing at the border took about 20 minutes going through both customs offices. Of course, I had proof of value (a copy of my bank draft), and a bill of sale, so there were no questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theKiwi Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 (edited) I purchased a 1926 Franklin car at Hershey this year that had been brought in to the country a few days earlier from Canada. It came from "Old is New Again Inc", and he handled all the necessary import paperwork at the border as he came from Canada on the Tuesday before Hershey Right now I have from the seller copies of a Canadian Export document, and a US Import document as well as a copy of the Ontario title. Today by Fedex I am expecting to recieve the original Ontario Title and a US Customs form 7501. The 7501 is generated by ICE as a result of the papers filed at the border when he entered. With these two items apparently I can then title the car in Michigan. I paid him some cash as a deposit, and the balance by Wire Transfer which I did from my computer that I carried around Hershey with me for just such an eventuality. If you do go ahead with this, for the sake of your buyer you should come with a paper from your bank showing exactly what data is needed to be able to make the wire transfer to your bank in the way of account/routing/bank numbers, SWIFT Code etc. (I had some trouble with this as my money was in a bank that it turns out can't do international wire transfers, so I first had to transfer it to my other bank (of America) where I could make an international wire transfer from.) Roger Edited October 12, 2016 by theKiwi (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danleblanc Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 Thanks Roger! This is what I needed to know. Now, I wonder if the car didn't sell, if he would have to re-import the car back into Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I can't offer any help on the actual procedures but would say, be careful of the true value in the purchase transaction! Recently, it was said on the news here that a local car guy (in Canada) sold a car to the US and the value was found out to be higher than reported. The fine was not disclosed but.... with today's technology, crossing the border in his future will be time consuming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I had a 59 Plymouth Fury for sale at Hershey a few years ago, and had a real serious buyer from Canada, after he did the research the deal went south he said it was too much of a hassle for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 "I want to sell my really nice car and buy one not so good." Stay after and write that on the blackboard 500 times. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danleblanc Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 Unfortunately, Bernie, it's one of those cars that's just so well preserved, it's too nice to drive. I'm sure there are other folks here that can relate. Can't drive it because I don't want to put the miles on it. Can't add A/C because it would alter the car. It's not truly my car because everyone has an opinion on it. You drive it to a show because someone makes you feel obligated to take it because of what it is. Then, on the way home, you hit a moose. Then everyone says he was so foolish for not taking it on a trailer. How could he let that happen? It's only original once, yadda, yadda, yadda. It gets to the point where the car owns you. Excellent, unrestored, low- mileage original "preservation class" and ultra high point restored concours vehicles are usually owned by the curator Class in the hobby. Members of this class universally commit substantial resources to provide an environment for the storage and maintenance of their vehicles. Often this is conveniently done as an accessory to their business or enterprise with similar facilities' requirements. Less frequently but more spectacularly, storage and maintenance of these cars occurs as part of an elaborate personal residence having outsized architecturally compatible garage space. The Curator Class is composed of just that: curators. They house, preserve and display their vehicles. They too grow tired of vehicles and rotate and exchange them among each other mostly away from the public eye. The significant characteristics here are that they do not "consume" the vehicle by any form of "use" and have major open ended investments in proper storage. Curators are personally divorced from the utility of vehicles. Sure, they enjoy them, but on a level completely different than someone who has had major wrenching time freeing a stuck engine, lungs full of filler dust and reducer fumes, and all the other enjoyables of "needy car" ministrations. They do not suffer "needy cars" or "needy people". This is an important critical distinction for both the curators and their cars. Most people in the hobby do not have the financial resources of curators and are not of the Curator Class. The irony is that the Curator Class holds items commonly coveted and aspired to by hobbyists and enthusiasts without the resources to attain and properly own them. Most of the hobby is dedicated to the eradication of this distinction by the notion of DIY to the desired end and this defines the hobby for the "Other-Than-Curator-Class". I am wise enough to know that I own a Curator Class car but have come to realize that I am presently not, nor do I want to be, a Curator anymore. That is great wisdom that many in the hobby never achieve. This hobby is a process of shared continuous self-discovery and shared ambition involving mental and manual labor. The only important "judging" is the judgment you make in your personal selection of vehicles and level of engagement with them. I would hope that someone would continue the preservation of the car when it changes hands. But. Their car. Their money. For me, I can't justify taking this car and driving into something that's worth half of what it currently is. I don't have those resources to take that kind of hit. Instead, I'll sell it, get a driver that maybe has had a repaint, more miles on it, with more miles to go. Something that is worth half of what this car is and always will be. Something like my Impala was. I bought it for $6000. Sold it for $6000, and with regular use and care, proper storage, and proper maintenance, will always be a $6000 car. Those folks seem to have more fun with their cars than I do with this one. Sure, winning national awards was nice, but, now that that's done, now what? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danleblanc Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 4 hours ago, dei said: I can't offer any help on the actual procedures but would say, be careful of the true value in the purchase transaction! Recently, it was said on the news here that a local car guy (in Canada) sold a car to the US and the value was found out to be higher than reported. The fine was not disclosed but.... with today's technology, crossing the border in his future will be time consuming. Last thing I want to do is to have a customs record. I enjoy travel too much for that. So, it sounds like Joe's advice is the most sound. I'll ask the question of customs officials on both sides of the border and make the determination from there as to whether or not it's worth the hassle to bring it across for the car corral. I may end up just listing it in Hemmings and calling a day and letting a customs broker settle the transaction should the car sell. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theKiwi Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 5 hours ago, danleblanc said: Now, I wonder if the car didn't sell, if he would have to re-import the car back into Canada. I think he was going to sell the car no matter what... And there certainly was interest in it - there were other people behind me if I'd decided not to go through with it. He brought 2 cars from Canada and had them both sold by Thursday morning. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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