Importing an SL from the US into Canada

[strolee]

Hello everyone. I am a new member and excited to be part of this group of Pagoda enthusiasts. I am not an SL owner yet but have always loved them and now interested in exploring the possibility of purchasing one. I have owned a number of Mercedes over the years so I am a big fan of the brand in general.
Ideally I am looking for a 1971 model that has been nicely and properly restored, but certainly I have a lot to learn and will be spending quite a bit of time reading this group discussion and getting educated.
As I will likely end up sourcing the vehicle in the US and importing into Canada where I reside, I was wondering if anyone here has any recent experience with importing an SL into Canada. Also trying to figure out what the additional total costs of importing will be.
Any advice and tips would be helpful and greatly appreciated. Thanks very much!!

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

This subject has been discussed quite a few times on this site. If you use our

"Serch"

function you can read quite a bit about it. We have one member in in London Ontario that imported with the help of Benz Dr his car from the US his Forum id is PJ

have a read here -----> https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=11506.msg77165#msg77165

Dieter
London Ontario

PS. Contact the Benz Dr. (Dan) he may know of some Pagodas for sale in Ontario.

[Jordan]

Strolee, it has unfortunately become more arduous than it was when I started that thread.  I did import a 230SL into Canada later in 2009 and it turned out to be a surprisingly simple operation.  Not so much today.  You use to be able to get all the paperwork together yourself and send it to the US border where you would be crossing (not all will do this for vehicles).  Now you need to hire an agent to handle the paperwork with US Customs.  Not sure about the Canadian side.  You will just have to pay the GST when you import it.  There was no duty involved.  An internet search will tell you everything you need to do.  Both US and Canada Customs sites as well.  Good luck with your search. 

[MarkCan]

You can do it all yourself. Message me when COVID is behind us and we may go together. It takes 3 business days.

[Jack Jones]

I have imported many vehicles and you used to be able to handle it yourself. It is still simple but you need the assistance of a broker to get the required paperwork to US customs to release the vehicle for import into Canada. Once the documentation is sent to US Customs, they require 72 hours (no less or they will make you wait) to check the vehicle is free of any leans and is not part of any crime. You go to US customs with the car on the American side of whatever crossing you use to get the stamped documentation and continue into Canada. Once on the Canadian side they will have you pay GST on the total amount paid (Converted from US to CDN funds) along with ~6% duty and $100 if the car has air conditioning. All vehicles not manufactured in North America pay 6% duty unless previously registered in Canada.

You can also hire an auto transporter to bring it directly into Canada although the price will generally be substantially more.   

I also know of a really nice 1969 280SL manual trans from California already in Ontario if you are interested. No affiliation to me but if interested let me know and I will direct you. 

[Jordan]

Either the rules changed or I got lucky.  I paid no duty when I brought my car across, just the GST.

[Jack Jones]

Either the rules changed or I got lucky.  I paid no duty when I brought my car across, just the GST.

It has been that way for as long as I have been bringing cars in so if it was built outside of North America, you got lucky. Me not so much. 

Jack

[dakman29]

I had my 68 280 sl transported in a closed truck from Spokane, Washington to Port Lambton, Ontario, Canada in December, 2020.  My situation was a bit different as I wasn't transporting it to sell but for repairs at the SL Barn.  It still required the services of a Canadian customs broker, and the way it went, the US carrier delivered the car to a storage facility owned or controlled by the company that I arranged the transport with.  The car sat there for about three weeks before a Canadian transport vehicle picked it up in Pt. Huron, Michigan and drove it from there to Port Lambton.  During that waiting period customs checked the title and made sure the car wasn't stolen although it certainly didn't take that long to complete the search.  The delay was the result of the company I signed up with waiting to fill a closed transport vehicle on the Canadian side.  Fortunately I wasn't in any particular hurry as I don't drive the car in the winter in Spokane anyway.  So, again, I don't know how helpful this is to your specific situation but it certainly is possible to get cars across the border now, you just aren't allowed to drive them across yourself.

[hansr433]

Hey Dakman, can you share what the transportation cost and are you planning to drive to back once repaired?  Would be an amazing road trip.

Finding the right broker/transporter also makes a huge difference when importing/exporting.  I bought a brand-new 911 in Florida and had it imported to Canada by a company specializing in cars.  The Canadian office in Montreal handled all the paperwork and had the car ready for plating in a week from the day they picked it up in Florida.

[dakman29]

I am planning to drive back from Detroit.  This means I've also had to arrange a short flatbed transport from Pt. Lambton to Detroit (about 75 miles).  With all the work done by the SL Barn including the installation of a limited slip 3.27 differential and rear axle, I can't wait for the trip!  I used a company called Canadian Car Shipping for the transport from Spokane.  The way that worked was that they contracted with an actual truck and driver based in Spokane who picked up the car from my home.  That went very smoothly and the driver got to the border in Michigan in less than a week.  As I said in the earlier post, the delay in crossing was the result of Canadian Car Shipping having to get a truck with a full load to pick up my car at the border and bring it into Canada. It was stored at an indoor facility during the wait.  If you're in a hurry then another company might be a better option. I wasn't so it worked out well.  Canadian Car Shipping was less expensive by quite a bit than the other quotes I obtained. 

[Benz Dr.]

I am planning to drive back from Detroit.  This means I've also had to arrange a short flatbed transport from Pt. Lambton to Detroit (about 75 miles).  With all the work done by the SL Barn including the installation of a limited slip 3.27 differential and rear axle, I can't wait for the trip!  I used a company called Canadian Car Shipping for the transport from Spokane.  The way that worked was that they contracted with an actual truck and driver based in Spokane who picked up the car from my home.  That went very smoothly and the driver got to the border in Michigan in less than a week.  As I said in the earlier post, the delay in crossing was the result of Canadian Car Shipping having to get a truck with a full load to pick up my car at the border and bring it into Canada. It was stored at an indoor facility during the wait.  If you're in a hurry then another company might be a better option. I wasn't so it worked out well.  Canadian Car Shipping was less expensive by quite a bit than the other quotes I obtained.

And is this ever a sweet ride now. Fresh engine, 4speed gearbox, and that rebuilt axle really work well together. Speedo shows 10 MPH slower than actual road speed but that's it. Almost perfect power to weight ratio.

[Hugh]

I drove my 250SL that I purchased in Ohio across the border to my home in London ON Canada March 2018. Rules can change, but  as mentioned earlier you then needed a broker. I used "Simplified Trade Solutions" and for a $35 fee they got me the required "ITN" for the US side of Customs. You will need the title, so I had to pay in full for the car 1 week before crossing to get that title. I didn't have the car. yet, so you need to trust your seller.  This is needed to get all sorted the minimum 72 hours before you cross.

You must deal with both US & Canadian Customs. Without knowing you could drive by US Customs & just pay Canadian taxes. You then would find out you didn't do it correctly on your next trip to the US when their computer tells them it wasn't exported out of the US properly and the fine was $5,000 when I asked in 2018. You would hate to pay that when the fee was $35 if you did it correctly at the start. I hope this helps.

[parklandmb]

I just imported a 111 coupe from the US to Canada.
Fairly straight forward process but I recommend using a broker.
The broker fee was $250 and taxes were 5% of the purchase price to get it across the border.
I live in Alberta so no Provincial taxes not sure about other Provinces that have PST you may have to pay PST as well.
I would also recommend that you send a copy of the title to the broker before purchasing the vehicle so they can make sure that the
car is actually admissible. If you want the contact for the importation broker let me know happy to pass on any additional info.
Hope this helps.
Sven