Buying a used RV in USA as a Canadian

[Tcalp]

Hey All,

I'm looking to get myself an RV pretty soon, though, there seems to be much better offerings/pricing in the USA over Canada. I assume this is due to demand, and potentially the economy on some level. If figure it is likely best to buy a unit from the southern areas of the USA to prevent the units from sitting in the hard winters (freezing/thawing/etc) that regularly cause leeks/seal ruptures.

I am not really sure the best way to go about bringing it back to Canada and what the related costs would be. Is there a way to buy a unit in the USA and have certifications done in the USA // get license plates online/fax submission etc... ?

I am looking to pick something up in the 10-20K area, from those that have older units. Is it a reasonable investment still, or is everything practically falling apart at this point ? I don't mind putting a bit of labor in on cosmetics, but I am not a mechanic by any means.

If anyone has any dealers that you think I should look at / get in touch with , please feel free to suggest.

[YZ]

[quot]A MH in the 20K or less arena is most likely more than 15 years old so you can bring anything back with no problems
A 10K MH is more than likely a pile of junk

Tis true...we lost sight of that..

Good luck regardless...

[bigdisplay]

Tcalp wrote:
Hey All,

I'm looking to get myself an RV pretty soon, though, there seems to be much better offerings/pricing in the USA over Canada. I assume this is due to demand, and potentially the economy on some level. If figure it is likely best to buy a unit from the southern areas of the USA to prevent the units from sitting in the hard winters (freezing/thawing/etc) that regularly cause leeks/seal ruptures.

I am not really sure the best way to go about bringing it back to Canada and what the related costs would be. Is there a way to buy a unit in the USA and have certifications done in the USA // get license plates online/fax submission etc... ?

I am looking to pick something up in the 10-20K area, from those that have older units. Is it a reasonable investment still, or is everything practically falling apart at this point ? I don't mind putting a bit of labor in on cosmetics, but I am not a mechanic by any means.

If anyone has any dealers that you think I should look at / get in touch with , please feel free to suggest.

A MH in the 20K or less arena is most likely more than 15 years old so you can bring anything back with no problems
A 10K MH is more than likely a pile of junk
That being said and as many others have said also its so simple to simply check the RIV site and see if the model and make you choose(only if newer than 15 years old)is admissible
all B vans over 15 years are allowed as well as all other RV,s cars,trucks etc

[YZ]

Please define BOOk price. As a retired CA I am curious!
Vic

That made me smile 🙂

This shows us how limited other owner's experiences are thrown in with a dash of the provincial dot employees not knowing the rules as well...

On another topic, I am not sure where the OP gets his information. Car made for the American market are sometimes different than the cars made for the Canadian market.. I have been told by 2 different rv companies that work on trailers that they have encountered this problem multiple times..they also complain about the long delays to get these different parts..if cars and trailers are different, why would MHs be different...and don't they have to be brought up to code like American cars that are not antiques that are imported into Canada ? Like auto on daylight running lights ?

If I was the gent wanting to buy south, I would be doing a heap load of homework before ...or you may end up owning a rig that you cannot import or end up paying more than if you bought north...

For every success story, there are also a lot of failures..

Good luck..

[Canadian_Rainbi]

We bought our Itasca Horizon from a dealer in Arizona and imported it to Canada without problems. We had followed the rules on the website posted earlier. Buying privately could be a problem because you MUST have a letter from the MANUFACTURER, both chassis and motorhome builders stating that all recalls have been resolved. This could be hard to get through a private sale. Most large dealers are familiar with the procedure and have the contacts. Also the purchase documents must be Faxed to the US CUSTOMS OFFICE at the crossing you are going to use, 5 business days before crossing. You must check in with them at the border and get a clearance before entering Canada and reporting to Canadian officials.

We were fortunate and bought when the US Economy had just tanked and the Canadian dollar was strong. We bought because of the selection and were able to find the perfect RV for us.

[TeamJesusSam]

Tcalp wrote:

I am not really sure the best way to go about bringing it back to Canada and what the related costs would be. Is there a way to buy a unit in the USA and have certifications done in the USA // get license plates online/fax submission etc... ?

I bought both of my RV's from private parties, so I can't make any recommendations about dealers etc. You might try rvtrader.com, and also Craigslist... but beware scams.

As far as getting it back is concerned: some states, including Virginia, have a trip permit for just that purpose. In Virginia, it's called a prospective buyer's permit, costs $5, can be purchased and printed online with just aVIN and buyer info, and is good for 3 days starting on the date of the sale. It's possible to get if either the origination or destination are in Virginia. Most states seem to equate trip permit with commercial trips of unregisterable vehicles such as manufactured housing, but you may get lucky depending on where you find it. In other states such as Illinois, I seen to remember their website staying that as long as you're stopped by police on the day you purchased it, you're OK. Best bet is to check with the state's licensing authority (DMV, dot, state police, etc), because most people I have talked to didn't even know about the prospective purchaser permit...

Hope this helps a little,
Sam

[moisheh]

I think the reason it is different for RV's is that there is no Canadian book for RV's. To me it is just common sense. If it is a car they use the highest of the "book" value or the paid price.

Moisheh

[SabreCanuck]

I think it's different for each province.. moisheh posted earlier which 'book' was being referred to in Manitoba. If you are not in MB then the rules may be different.

AS was mentioned already, I would also suggest doing the proper research and taking a printed copy of the proper site with you to the Autopac dealer. I have PHONED my local Manitoba Autopac outlet down the street and was told it was BOOK price, not by purchase price. Obviousyly that person doesn't know the exception for Motorhomes.

Even they don't know the right answer according to the previously post by moisheh.

[Wrong_Lane]

I am not sure which "book" is being referred to.

I was told at my local DMV when buying a motorhome that there is no book with Canadian values. They accept the valuation on the Canada Customs and RIV documents as gospel.

Again, follow the RIV guidelines and you will be good to go.

[katoomer]

It's not that difficult really. do your research and make sure your paperwork is in order before you get to the border. We bought ours in Virginia and imported it to B.C.
Saved about 50K over buying one in Canada.

[moisheh]

This is from the horses mouth ( Manitoba RST web site!)

For passenger cars, light trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans, RST is calculated on the greater of its purchase price and its average wholesale price as listed for Western Canada in the Sanford Evans Gold book of vehicle values.

BUT here is what it states re Motorhomes:

For buses, trailers and motor homes, RST is calculated on the purchase
price.

However do not think for one moment you can import a $400,000 MH and state the value as $100,000. They audit all of these transactions.

Moisheh

[vic46]

SabreCanuck wrote:
The OP was talking about a 10-20K unit so I don't think any warranty/dealer discussions need to go any further.. You are on your own in that price range.

We are also looking at moving to a ClassA but as mentioned earlier, the current 25% exchange rate makes a 50K unit equal 62,500. I am finding just as many CDN options at that price range as I am in the U.S. so far haven't done any wheeling/dealing though so who knows how flexible everyone is.

(I hope the CDN dealers are not reading this 🙂

FWIW - In Manitoba we pay the tax on BOOK price, not purchase price. Not sure about other provinces.

Please define BOOk price. As a retired CA I am curious!
Vic

[YZ]

moisheh wrote:
sabre: When you buy a local vehicle privately you are charged according to the bill of sale.
Moisheh

No..only if it looks reasonable...if not, they haul out the book and charge you based on that number...too many folks were lying about what the paid...

[moisheh]

sabre: Unless something has changed every unit I imported was charged tax on actual purchase price converted into Canadian funds. They only use book price if you give them some ridiculous cost. When you buy a local vehicle privately you are charged according to the bill of sale. Why would an imported vehicle be different. If your Autopac agent used book price he was wrong! What book did he use? Many units are not even listed. Did he use low retail or?? Does not make sense.

Moisheh

[YZ]

SabreCanuck wrote:

FWIW - In Manitoba we pay the tax on BOOK price, not purchase price. Not sure about other provinces.

That was what I said for Nova Scotia but I was told I was wrong...gee, and I only live here...

[SabreCanuck]

Tcalp wrote:
I have come across a 2006 Georgetown 319TS (32 foot / Triple Slide out) for ~$30K CAD from a dealer. ... heavily considering this buy.

Tcalp - You didn't say if you are talking about a CDN or U.S. dealer but that 30K in U.S. is 37500.00 CDN. That exact same Motorhome is available in St. Catherine, PQ on Kijiji.. Seller may come down on price and save you the hassle of border/taxes.