I found my previous post regarding the importation of my vehicle. I will re-post the whole (slightly edited) hoping you and others will find helpful. Just a few comments on the posts and questions I've read in this thread. My car was fully paid in excellent condition and still under warranty, and since I had no guarantee of employment it made sense for me to keep it. I drove from South Carolina over 2 days and entered as a visitor last summer. The distance was about 700 miles or 2 tanks of gas so it cost about $80 plus one hotel and some meals. I imported it several months after I landed even though the vehicle was already in Canada.
For the poster who said Crappy Tire just turned the car lights to always on...I believe that is fraudulent and the only way they got away with it is that they also did the inspection. I set mine this way, but I was told by several mechanics (including one at Crappy Tire) it wasn't sufficient that I would have to have DRLs installed to pass inspection. If the car is licensed in Canada and your lights are not on, you can be pulled and ticketed, so be careful.
My experience from the forum is that it is very difficult to get lenders or leasing agents to agree to exportation for reasons previously stated though I have heard of one exception. I don't believe duty free importation of a PR's goods extends to items purchased specifically for immigration. In other words, you are not supposed to buy a bunch of new goods (or a car) and try to import them duty free as goods. The only exception to this rule that I know of is wedding gifts for newly married couples. Customs expects the items you bring to be, well basically, owned and used by you in your home country.
I was able to exchange my driver's license for an Ontario one without my driving history and without taking any tests except the vision test. Most states have an exchange program like that with Canada, but there are 4 or 5 that don't (for some reason Ohio and Illinois come to mind...or maybe it was just some states in that area). The DriveTest workers were striking at the time, but I was able to exchange my slightly expired license once the managers opened a few driveTest centers. I did have to tell the person I was dealing with about the exchange program, but she took my word for it.
As to the poster who wondered if the could register the car in the US once it has been exported I don't believe that would be a problem. It satisfied US standards when you got it and exportation is only a check to determine proper ownership and that the vehicle being exported is the same as the one on the title. And one last comment, when I registered my vehicle in ON the guy kept my US title which put me in a panic. But apparently here, your registration paper counts as proof of ownership.
So here is my old post. I hope you find it informative.
...finished importing my car from the US. The RIV (registry of Imported Vehicles) instructions require that you have a clear title (or a written agreement with your lender to allow you to export to Canada). The owner's name on the title must match the name of the immigrant importing it as goods. In addition the car must be deemed "importable" by the RIV and they provide a list of cars on their website. The car also has to be exported from the US and you must provide copies of the title several days before you wish to export. The US export officers will check your title, identity, and the VIN on the vehicle to insure they all match. The export office is only open Mon through Fri work day hours and Friday is their busiest day (reference to Buffalo border crossing at Lewiston).
All imported cars require a recall clearance letter which is easier to obtain (and get any recall work done) while you are still in the states. While you are still in the states get copies of your driving record from the DMV and copies of your claims record from your insurance company. You will them both either to get your license, get insurance or both. In Canada you will have to pay for any recall work and THEN request reimbursement and the clearance letter from the US branch of your car manufacturer.
Then there are required modifications to your vehicle (like day time running lights) to meet safety and emission standards in Canada; because it meets US standards does not mean it meets those in Canada.
Here are the costs I incurred in the process...
Cost of the Recall Clearance letter $0, but I had to have several updates which required I return to the states if I didn`t want to pay the CAN car dealership then request a refund.
Cost to export $0, but took over an hour due to the volume of exporters...mostly truckers loaded with multiple vehicles
Cost to import $204.75 payable to RIV which can be paid online or at the border
Cost to install day time running lights $80 after some searching...Crappy Tire (the nickname for Canadian Tire) wanted over $400 to do the same work!
Cost for safety & emissions testing $39.99 and $89.99 cost controlled, I think, had this done at Crappy Tire
Cost to register and get tags in ON $125.00
Cost for US driver record for insurance purposes $7
Cost to insure the vehicle in ON even with highest driver safety rating (no insurance claims, no tickets and they want proof for the last 10 years) $1741 which almost $1000 more than my US insurance plan
Some of these costs also included taxes and some were tax exempt because it was on my goods to follow.
Geez, I'm exhausted just proofreading and remembering all the hurdles I had to jump through to get this done. But you'll get an idea of what you are in for. I also bought winter tires and special winter wipers for the vehicle that are not included in the costs above but were important for the safe operation of the vehicle in snow. I think some provinces require at least two winter tires, but I'm not sure.
I suggest you run the recall check now and get fixed anything that shows up, and then request the clearance letter. Get a 10 year driver's record from the state where you are licensed and a 10 year claims record from your insurance company (make copies). You will need one or both for exchanging your license and qualifying for insurance. Make sure you have your car title and make several copies (export office requests two) in preparation to export. Then start saving for all the costs involved. I'm NOT kidding, the insurance prices in ON were quite a shock.
it's coming up - I'm assuming it was/is to be paid with the 204.95. 
