Importing a car from US... odd case

[mattb123]

Hi all,

Wondering if you guys can shed some light on whether or not I need to import a car to Canada from the USA. Here goes:

I am a US citizen who received permanent residence in April 2015. During the four months prior (from January to April) I had possession with me in Canada of a car owned by my parents and registered/insured in the USA while I was living in Canada (Ontario). I last exited and entered the country around April 28 with the car.

The car is still owned by my parents and insured in the US (though with me in Ontario) and we are considering having them transfer the deed to me. I suppose if this was the case I would need to export/import it.

The tricky part is that I think that my partner/spouse and I are probably moving back to the US one year from today for school, so exporting/importing the car is actually kind of stupid due to all that will entail (fees, license and plate switching, etc.).

So do I need to import this thing or can I keep it with me under my parents' ownership as a "loan" provided I cross the border often enough?

 

[MantisToboggan]

I wouldn't do it - I think you're asking for trouble. A better option might be to look into taking over someone's lease using a site like LeaseBusters. I just did a quick search on there and for example there's a '13 Mazda3 wagon with 12 months and 30,000km remaining on the lease for about $300/mo. I'm sure you can find cheaper on there. Either way, it's not worth it to expose yourself to the potential risk of driving a foreign car in Canada for a year.