^ this. I had the guy I bought my car from bring it to a independent tuner shop that I've dealt with and trust. They see s2000's far more than a dealer does. A friend of mine had a guy bring his toyota supra to get inspected at toyota and the tech said it was all good and "stock". The next day my friend stumbled across the car online, and it was making like 500hp.

 

I purchased my car with a "wire money transfer" through Royal Bank of Canada (my bank). It is a secure debit transfer that costs $30. This might be what you need since this goes straight to the bank (specific american numbers Canadian banks will need to know). You pay off the remainder of the loan, then once you get the car you pay the rest in cash. This will give you some insurance and piece of mind.

As for not getting scammed sorry I do not know of anyway other than buying from a dealership.

Also where is this car located? Some states make you pay a state tax which will most likely be non-refundable and non-transferable.

 

Hey guys, thanks for all the feedback.

To answer a couple Q's:

I had a friend visually inspect the car a couple weeks ago and she said it was in really nice shape. I also had a long chat with the service manager at the dealership and asked him specifically what to look for when doing the inspection. I was satisfied with his report.

The car is in Colorado and the title has already been sent from head office to his local bank branch. I'm going to call his branch tomorrow and ask what the options are. I was hoping that if I paid the bank directly the title would be in my name, but I understand we need to go to the DMV to get that title transferred from his name to mine.

From what I'm hearing here, I should be patient, fly down, inspect the car myself, and pay the bank directly, then go with him to the DMV and get the title changed into my name. The BIG issue is that I need to send all the documentation to the border at least 72 hours (doesn't include weekends) prior to getting there. This is problematic as I'm flying in on July 4th and doing all the running around on July 5th. I'll need to send the paperwork which includes title, registration and sales receipts days before I'm scheduled to land.

Another option is to have my friend broker the deal for me. If I send her the check, then she goes to the bank on my behalf with the seller, then goes directly to the DMV with him to change the title into my name would that work? Do I need to be at the DMV in person for the title to be transferred?

The reason for the import is that the price on used S2000's (if you can find them) in my province is absolutely ridiculous. I've been looking for a black on black S for a long long time. I've been reading the board here and can't help but be excited to own one.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. Thanks again guys!

 

You'll need to be onsite for title transfer into your name.

I imported a car into Canada. We didn't give them 72 hours. I'm fairly certain it was something like 24 hours. They didn't like it but we showed up with everything else in order.

Your drive back could take an extra day. You're flying into one of the nicest areas in the country. Make sure you add the car to your insurance policy before you get too carried away.

What I'd do:
- Pay bank
- Fly down to pick it up
- Goto DMV myself
- Fax docs off to boarder (July 5th)
- Take 3 days with my new toy and drive home having a blast
- Show up Mon-Tues and try to import the car.

FYI I think the boarder guys are a bunch of tools. It's a huge tax grab machine and they like their power. That said I generally find they're pretty reasonable people if you call and let them know what you're doing in advance. Speak to someone at the crossing you're planing on doing and get them in the loop.

 

Unless your friend is qualified to do inspections I'd highly recommend using an inspection service.

 

Just wanted to follow up. Flew down to Denver to pick up the car last weekend. All I can say is love at first site, the car was exactly as described. Transaction, paperwork, and getting the permit at the DMV went smooth. Driving through Wyoming and SD was not the best experience, there's a whole lot of nothing for 100's of miles. Top that off with very little lumbar support in the drivers seat + 16 hr drive = very sore back. I was able to improvise by rolling up a shirt and placing it on the small of my back.

Thanks to everyone that provided feedback, it was super helpful. I'll definitely do things differently next time to alleviate some stress. If there are any Canadians thinking about importing I'd be happy provide guidance.

Cheers!

 

Cool!

 

Pictures!

 

Here's my S.

 

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