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Sarasota50's avatar
Sarasota50
Explorer
Jan 22, 2015

Buying a fifth wheel in the U.S.A.

I am thinking about buying a new 5th wheel in the U.S. or a unit that is a year or two old. Would anyone have info on what is required for new and used units being imported into Canada ? What costs are involved when bringing in a unit from the U.S. and any info on the subject would be greatly appreciated. How do you get an Ontario plate put onto the unit ?
  • I bought from the US, new saved $15,000 over what any dealer was even willing to 'bend over' to give me the best price, of course dollar was close to par then.
    Cost are transportation if you are getting delivered, brokerage fees to get across border ( hire a broker to facilitate, or have RV dealer set up) and inspection for canadian certification.
    Many dealers WILL work on your unit, just may not be at front of line, do not beleive what is being sadi about that. Or find an independant RV repair only shop that can get factory permission to work on your unit.
  • Also many Canadian dealers will not do warranty work on US bought units. Call around.
  • Is there a reason for buying down here? Ontario dealers, like Hitch-n-Go, can usually come close to the prices without the trouble of inspections and temporary tags.
  • If you go to the website for RIV (registry of imported vehicles) and the procedure is explained. It is easy to import a trailer because it is not motorized. We did it 4 years ago and had no difficulty. The RV dealership provided a temporary permit for transporting the trailer. Once the inspection at Canadian Tire was done, we got a certificate from RIV & were able to take all our paperwork to a registry office & get the license plate. You pay the GST at the border, the inspection fee ($206) was paid online & you will pay PST when you get the license plate.