Just wondering if anyone has or knows if you can buy an fc from the states, and bring it back.

 

Start by going to www.riv.ca and check out the list of admissible vehicles....The bottom line is you can bring an FC from the US as long as you hook up some foglights to act as daytime running lights. I've brought in FCs many times in the past, most recently in 2005. I recently imported two other vehicles, one was an FD. All in all the process is quite simple. Familiarize yourself with the requirements per riv.ca.

 

Thanks, I'll look into it. So if they dont have foglights, I ABSOLUTELY have to get them installed before it comes over the border?

By the way, if I do go with buying a t2 from the states, I would be picking it up...

 

You don't need daytime running lights at the point of entry, only when you take it for the federal inspection (Crappy Tire in ON...not sure about BC).

1. Send a request for a recall clearance letter to Mazda USA (takes 2-3 weeks)
2. Have the current owner fax you a copy of the title so you can fax it to US Customs where you expect to cross the border. Do it this way and don't rely on the current owner to fax it....this is very important. This must be done 72 hrs in advance.
3. Have a copy of the fax and a fax confirmation with a time stamp. They typically don't do their check until you get there, but they want to see that you've done your homework and sent it in advance...in the event that they migh have had time to do their check.
4. Get to the border, stop by US Customs, do your thing there and proceed to Canada Customs.
5. Pay your dues there and the car is in.
6. Get some daytime running lights and take the car for all inspections at once if you can (safety/e-test/federal).
7. When you're done there, they'll fax a copy of the report to RIV and you take your other certificates to the Ministry and pay PST and you're done.

 

Is there an age limit for daytime running lights? I don't want gay *** lights on my classic..nor futz with the wiring.

 

Hi, I looked into this issue for an FD and then found one in Canada.
As far as I can recall, the law says that if a car is less than 15 years old, it enters the Registrar of Imported Vehicles.

This means that it has to be in the list of vehicles allowed to be imported (if you wanted to import an Alfa Romeo from 2002, for instance, you wouldn't be allowed period, since it is not on the list of "importable vehicles"); if it is on it, than it has to comply with Canadian standards for road vehicles to be allowed to drive on the streets while it's registered in Canada. One of the requirements is, indeed, daytime running lights. Another one is a Kms speedometer. The FD also needed a front bumper change (not the bumper cover, the actual bumper underneath it).
Depending on the car and depending on its features, there might be other requirements (child seat tether, whatever). They should have a list of all the things that need to be changed on each importable model.

If the car is older than 15 years of age, then it doesn't enter the RIV, it is allowed to be registered in Canada without any changes, at least as far as I remember.

So, in your case, unless I'm completely allucinating, you don't have to worry about the RIV as FCs are all older than 15 years of age and therefore you can just go, buy it and do whatever else (in terms of paper) is necessary to register the car in Canada.

One little side-note: the car's age is determined by the registration year and month, not by the model year. In other words, there are FDs that were registered in 92, however they were the first " 93 models" for the RX-7. Those FDs don't enter the registrar, provided that they were registered befoe October 1992.

I know this because before I bought mine in Pickering, I found an FD in Detroit and I went to see it (I live in Hamilton, I was going to the Auto Show there regardless) and this car was registered in April 1992, so by April it wouldn't have had to do anything as far as the RIV was concerned, which would have saved me a pretty penny (think about the cost of buying and replacing the front bumper and the gauge cluster, without even touching the daytime running lights, which are pretty straight forward.

Some issues prevented the seller from getting the car over, then the Pickering deal came through and I ended up with a Red FD instead of a Black one... This one is in way better shape, anyway.
Giovanni

 

Any imported car needs to be inspected and needs to have some basic things like DOT lights, the proper safety gear and so on. Go the the RIV site and read up.

 

It sounds big and scary, but from what I read it looks relatively safe and easy. I couldnt find the text document on the site though that listed the fees you paid for it. Any ideas?

 

It should only apply to vehicles which were built after DRL came into effect in Canada (January 1990)...man that seems so long ago....That awesome little FB of yours with that shiny new engine should be fine....

 

Yep, if it is more than 15 years old, you dont have to pay the fee for the Registrar of Imported Vehicles
I just brought a 90 vert in from Texas (the faded red one in my profile pic), you have to pay the $100 A/C charge and the 8% PST. at Canadian Customs. I brought it over, dropped a new engine in it and put a plate on it last week.

NOTE:
Make sure you send the title and reciept of sale to customs 72hrs before you bring it across or they won't allow it across the border (I had to run min over the Ambassador Bridge with customs, now homeland security ,chasing me because i sent the info a month ahead of going to get it and they dont keep them on file for that long so they wanted me to leave it for another 72 hrs).

Guess i wont try to cross the border with that car anytime soon.

Good luck.