Bringing a carry from the US to Canada?

[hudson]

Ok so in Canada we can only import vehicles 15 years old. But the US seams to be different importing laws. However in Canada we can drive these anywhere on the road without restrictions. I was wondering if anyone has brought a minitruck from the US that is newer, say 2000-2005 model and insured it without any headaches?
I currently own an 89 550cc carry and would like to upgrade to a 5spd 4x4 model. I use this truck everyday and commute to work and back with no hassle what so ever. Best damn truck ever!!
Thanks for your help if any.

[MiniBrutes]

Well, if it was ever done, it was done so illegally.

It is against the law 100% to have them newer than 15years old, EVEN for off-road only use.

Please do not even attempt it. Transport Canada is looking for ways to shut down this import market. People trying to break the rules give them more ammunition.

Honestly, if I ever found such units on the road in Canada, I would promptly report them. This is my livelyhood, and breaking the rules is not the proper way to go about it. It gives the entire industry a bad name, and I can't afford to have it shut down by the government. Not to mention all the other dealers and owners who dont want it shut down either.

I say be happy we can drive them on the road at 15yrs old, and we are not stuck like the majority of the Americans as off-road only.

If some states legalize the trucks for on road use, this will be ammunition for US to get the laws changed to bring in newer models.....

[MiniBrutes]

Oh, and there are lots of 5 speed 4x4's available 1993 and older.

[hudson]

So it is illegal to bring them up from the US then. But they have landed in the US and have a US vin on them, doesn't that then make the truck a US vehicle?
I am not trying to make a loop hole or anything I just want all the facts.
I know the 5spd 4x4's are available but they do not have a high-low in them, or am I not searching hard enough?
thanks

[MiniBrutes]

Yes, they are not a US vehicle. Although they are IN the USA, they are not built/stamped/marked as a product built for the US market and safety standards and are therefore not allowed. There are many US legal vehicles that are actually built for the US that we cannot import.

A couple off the top of my head are the Toyota MRSpyder, Mercury Capri (Well, they are old enough now for the exemption...) and certain Corvettes, and many many other US spec vehicles.

But no, you cannot have the 5 speed and a Hi-Lo transfer case. For most people it doesnt matter anyhow. With the 5 speed you get an ultra-low gear for any low speed operations. But the 5th gear is nearly useless as well. There is no torque left in the engine by the time you get into 5th. Therefore you spend a lot of time downshifting any time you come into some wind or a small incline. It isnt a big fuel economy advantage if thats what you are after, and it doest give you any more speed either as the engine simply cant turn the taller ratio gear effectively. Still only get about 110KMH out of our 4 speeds or our 5 speeds...... Now a 2WD is a bit different of a story. I have had 2WD units up to nearly 130kmh....

[hudson]

Ok here is the messed up thing then.
So I spoke with a guy named Kevin at the VIA and he said this is no problems to bring it in from the US. He said as long as it has a VIN# and a statement of compliance then you are good to go. Now the funny thing, you say that they are not up to Canadian Safety standards, but how are the old ones we are driving considered safe then? They are the same thing, but Transport Canada says that if we bring anything 15 years older form Japan that they are safe? I am not seeing the difference here.

[MiniBrutes]

Kevin is correct. But, you cannot get a statement of compliance for these trucks. This statement has to come right from the manufacturer. You will not get a statement of compliance for these trucks, as they do not comply.

Safety has absolutely nothing to do with it. Its just at 15 years old they are exempt. I WILL tell you that most 15 year old imported Japanese vehicles are considerably safer than most 15 year old domestic vehicles. But this is what Transport Canada wishes to stop. They want to change the rule to 25 years old. Then you cant have anything unless its 25 years old. Not many folks want something that age.

Also, its not Kevin you have to get by. Its the RIV (Registrar of imported vehicles). They will reject you at even the mention of it.

Plus, these vehicles are not built for the US market. You will not get the recall letter, you will not get a compliance letter, because they simply do not comply.

Trust me. I have been importing for many many years. I have talked to Transport Canada and the RIV on several occasions. It is not (legally) possible. I put legally in there because I have seen many, many illegal vehicles on the road in Canada. There are ways to get them through, but not legitimately.

We have imported bikes (Dirt bikes, atv's, off-road vehicles) from overseas. These even have to comply. We tried to bring some back from a show in the USA and they were not allowed.

Here is a quote from the RIV
"The new Act allows vehicles originally manufactured in compliance with US laws for the United States market to be imported into Canada provided they comply at the time of main assembly with mandatory Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) such as CMVSS 210 (seat belt anchorage)"

These trucks did not comply at the time of manufacture.....

[glenn]

Safety has absolutely nothing to do with it. Its just at 15 years old they are exempt. .....

In a nut shell....correct

markets in the US are different...they mostly use the trucks for off road use and do not require all the paperwork that we need to put them on the road here...if you are missing some thing in the paperwork.....no tag.....and yes vehicles from the US can be put on the road here....only if they were made for the North American market....mini trucks are not.....back to the 15 year rule....

minibrute, some people don't like to take no for an answer :mad:when you tell them these rules.....

http://www.toilette-humor.com/commercials/french_fries.shtml

lol, glenn:D

[MiniBrutes]

I didnt want to take no for an answer in the beginning either. Many of the rules just dont make sense.

The worst part is you cannot get any real information from any goverment agency which adds to the frustration.

We still pester them now and again, but mostly have other fish to fry right now and havent put much effort into trying to get the real low-down.

[Mighty Milt]

But no, you cannot have the 5 speed and a Hi-Lo transfer case. For most people it doesnt matter anyhow. With the 5 speed you get an ultra-low gear for any low speed operations. But the 5th gear is nearly useless as well. There is no torque left in the engine by the time you get into 5th. Therefore you spend a lot of time downshifting any time you come into some wind or a small incline. It isnt a big fuel economy advantage if thats what you are after, and it doest give you any more speed either as the engine simply cant turn the taller ratio gear effectively. Still only get about 110KMH out of our 4 speeds or our 5 speeds...... Now a 2WD is a bit different of a story. I have had 2WD units up to nearly 130kmh....

maybe i've misunderstood the topic here? but i have a 5 speed 4wd with high / low transfer case. first gear is a bit low, but not the EL variety, and in 5th gear i go down the freeway 135+ if i want. typically i cruise it about 110since i don't have a tach and don't want to wing it uptoo high, but when i need to pass i floor it and get it up to 135 no problem!

[MiniBrutes]

LGC, you have a newer model though correct? In Canada we are talking 15+ year old units. None of the Suzuki's 93 and older I have sever seen have had a 5 speed
AND hi-lo transfer case. Only the 4 speeds.

And no, not a single one of the 4WD's we have had will break 120. (Other than the supercharged Subie) The 2WDs will usually exceed 120 though.

[littlenginethatcould]

I have a 91 suzuki 4x4 and have had it due 121km on my way to port albernie this may long weekend but normally go about 110km to 115km.

[MiniBrutes]

Yeah, wind will make a huge difference. Very little tailwind will push us up over 120. But, on the flipside, the same headwind gets us down to just over 100. Haha


"Yes sir, they will do 110KMH, BUT, if you come to an incline or have a headwind, you will be slowing down"

Actually, drafting makes a huge difference I have found, in both speed and increasing fuel economy.

[glenn]

Yeah, wind will make a huge difference
.


I have a 91 suzuki 4x4 and have had it due 121km on my way to port albernie this may long weekend but normally go about 110km to 115km.

WOW.....wind does make a difference! l.e.t.c, are you gas powered?:sly:

http://www.toilette-humor.com/farts/gas_problem/gas_problem.html

I'm happy doing 90-100....don't want to attract any un-needed attention...a clean driving record has its advantages....

glenn:D

[glenn]

okay, back to topic,

hudson, you can try to bring a vehicle in from the US..but why? since we have dealers here in Canada......some people here want one of two things...either a cheaper price from the US or a newer model that Canadian dealers are not bringing in....either one of these reasons will result in problems trying to get tags for your truck....I looked at both options and found it too difficult to attempt....my choice was to get one from a Canadian dealer and avoid all the hassles......end result is I have a nice '91 suz on the road without any problems....now if I wanted a vehicle just for off road'n.....I might try to get one from the US...but I will not be able to change it to road use once I get it here...so I have been finding out.

Best, glenn:cool:

btw....minibrute has lots of good advise as well as knowledge;)

[hudson]

I think my intentions are a bit misunderstood.
Here is my issues....
My 89 will only do 80km/hr on the highway and if I take it to 90-100 a buzzer goes off in the cab. So I am trying to find a better solution to the problem, so I figured getting a newer model, and the only answer to the question is using the US because they have the models.
So I was trying to find out some answers like Minibrute has been trying to and every agency I talk to give us a different answer.
So I guess I need to search for another answer to my problem other than what I had originally come up with. So where can I get one of these trucks that will cruise at 100km without blowing up in a few months.
Thanks for your help and info, I am just trying to solve a problem

[MiniBrutes]

Ahhhhhhhhhh... that clears things up then.


First off, remove the speed buzzer. I have never seen it on a minitruck but it is on almost everything else we import. (Sports cars, SUV's Etc)

2nd - DO IT. Run the truck WOT on the highway. No big deal. You should get 110KMH on it, and as long as its taken care of, it will not be an issue.

So, you are saying your truck WILL go 100kMH (Or more?) But you have the buzzer? The buzzer is a speed warning device. Has nothing to do with the engine or otherwise, but is just due to their speed limits.

The Lexus's we import have their cruise control locked at 108KMH. Haha. It can be modified to work beyond that speed, but aver 110 in Japan is a big big no-no.

So, if your truck goes that fast, dont worry about it. We put hundreds of highway miles on at WOT in many different trucks without any problems to date. In fact, it seems every truck I drive has only 2 throttle positions. Off or On.

Haha

[Gregkabob]

OH, That buzzer..... I forgot all about them. While stationed in Japan I found that vehicles have a max speed there to be operated at and if you go over that speed the buzzer goes off. And like Mini Brute said I think that speed is 110 KPH. I would find the thing and kill it.

I once drove from Misawa Japan to Tokyo on the toll road with the buzzer going the whole time ( over 6 hours) Yep, it drove us crazy but it wasn't my vehicle or I would have found it and killed it. Most of the GI's found them and disabled them in their cars. I had 4 different vehicles while there and I disabled all of them.

[MiniBrutes]

Also, plans for the slower winter months are an engine transplant from a Cappucino or Jimny. (Turbo F6A) We will see how that goes.

[glenn]

I think my intentions are a bit misunderstood.



AH-HA 2,

see, I told you minibrute has knowledge!.........when you get the buzzer out...send it to me so I can put it into our chevy work truck....my guys run the s*** out of it.

I stand by my original opinion......bringing in a mini truck from the US is full of headaches when you want to get tags for it here..of course the other way it's easier for Americans to bring one from here over there since they mostly use them for off road'n

btw...what part of the great white north are you from?....please don't tell me you're a senators fan...even the habs are better than them...but not as good as our buds....and yah I know... we haven't won a cup for a long time....we need to get rid of the swede, but we are the most profitable team going eh?

glenn

[hudson]

ok I took out the damn buzzer and ran it WOT all the way to work today. I have to admit it was a little nerve raking, it sounds like the pistons are going to hit themselves the damn engine is reving so high. And you are sure this is normal to drive these this way?
If so you say it needs proper care, can you elaborate on this
Thanks
From the B.C. boy

[MiniBrutes]

Yeah, we do it all the time.

You have to remember the engine is more like a bike engine than a truck engine. It makes power with RPM.

Basic maintenance is all i mean. Oil changes and very importantly, the air filter. You must make sure your air filter assembly is tight, as some filters do not fit right. Then you suck in dirt.
Nothing real special, but just basic stuff. Keep an eye on your temps and odd sounds or otherwise, but you should be just fine.

I have put hundreds and hundreds of miles on at WOT. No problems yet.

[Mighty Milt]

i agree that these are designed to rev, as i have said before from past experience with toyota, i had a lot of problems with fouled plugs, bad o2 sensors and stuff, a mechanic told me to rev the piss out of it, it ran a lot better and cleared up the problems.

when i lived in germany, i bought a bmw M5, i loved it. i ran it hard, it was fast and fun to drive. a week later i was passing the dealer, i stopped in and asked him how hard i could rev it? he asked where the redline was on the tach. i asked again, not during acceleration, but running wide open on the autobahn, how hard could i rev it. he once again asked where the redline was. he then added to keep an eye on the oil level because the harder you rev them the more oil the go through, but my model had a level indicator in the overhead display just for that reason. i managed to get that thing up to 255kmh... what a blast!

[Mighty Milt]

i've only been driving my mini on the streets for about 3 weeks. i have topped it out at about 135, and it sounded like if i went any fast the pistons would start swapping cylinders!!

today i was following one of our drivers to drop a truck at the dealership for repairs. he was absolutely unaware of the fact that my little truck doesn't exactly keep up with traffic on I10.

well, in an effort to keep up with him i had the speedo needle burried. past 140kmh and it was handling it. i wasn't accustomed to hearing it work that hard but i was deffinately handling it. i never run anything WOT except my old drag car.

turns out chris is right, the daihatsu speedo is off. he said the governor on the work truck is set for 75 and that's as fast as he could go, i should have been doing 85ish at 140kmh.

so on my way home from my dads house tonite, i decided to try the WOT technique. i ran it home 30 miles on the hiway with the pedal pushed through the floorboard.

the first couple minutes are a little sketchy, but i was telling myself it would be ok, after a few minutes you get used to it and keep it hammered, and turn up the radio. it ran smooth, to maintain speed on grades i would turn off the a/c (or drag chute as i like to call it) and ran home between 130-140kmh.

my only reassurance was that i just took it in for a lube and had all sythetic added to it (but that's a whole nother story)

keep 'em revvin guys!!

thanks minibrutes for the advice!!

[glenn]

.........and ran home between 130-140kmh.





how does that compare to a womans speedo?

http://www.toilette-humor.com/photo-albums/women_ruled/women-ruled1.jpg

glenn

[Mighty Milt]

how does that compare to a womans speedo?

http://www.toilette-humor.com/photo-albums/women_ruled/women-ruled1.jpg

glenn

HUH? i don't get it :confused::confused::confused:

[glenn]

HUH? i don't get it :confused:

were you at hold on or bit lips speed?:p:p:p

glenn

[Mighty Milt]

were you at hold on or bit lips speed?:p:p:p

glenn

AHA, GOTCHA!! i was traveling alone, the MRS. was at work, but oddly enough she's very comfortable with my driving... or should i say accustomed?

she loves zipping around town or even on the freeway in that thing with me, refuses to drive it, but loves to ride shotgun.

her driving on the other hand, is always hold on and bite tongue to keep from screaming... and that's just backing out of the garage :)