Hi guys,

I've been working on a deal for a car with an engine I want for my 505 Turbo project, but the car and it's current owner are stuck at the Niagra Falls NY border.

Hoping to see if there's anyone in the area that might be able to help (truck and trailer? Tow company contact?). If only to get the car across so that alternate arrangements can be made.

Destination is to be Etobicoke ON (Toronto), but just getting the car across so that alternate arrangements can be made is great.

Car is being repaired in Toronto, so hoping importation isn't required. (Owner was bringing it across so it should have been easy to cross - till they wouldn't let him through)

Any suggestions or advise is appreciated.

Rabin

I'm confused.
Is it broken down and needs a tow or is paperwork required to import it?
You may want to use more words and explain in detail what the problem is.

randyzimmer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm confused.
> Is it broken down and needs a tow or is paperwork
> required to import it?
> You may want to use more words and explain in
> detail what the problem is.


Dayum Randy youse harsher than me!!!
Use more words!!! teee heee.


Truth is I couldn't unnerstand nothing niether noways anyaway what's the problem and whasss needed.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Sorry - that was pretty much jibberish, written in a panic.

Original deal was the car was to be brought up by the owner on a trailer to Toronto. Car was to be repaired with a known good engine and tranny and returned to him as a running car to the States.

Owner was stopped at the border due to some sort of issues (edited) and is now stuck at the border with the car.

Since the car was being brought up to be repaired there was never any paperwork to do. Now that he can't come over - getting the car through the border without him there is a PITA. So now I'm trying to figure if I can salvage this and figure out if we can transfer ownership, or figure out a way for someone to bring the car over for it's repairs.

Called customs and they just need a letter of authorization from the current owner allowing whomever to take it across, but then read that it might be better to take ownership of the car and import it to save any more hassles.

All up - total cluster fuck.

I'm in it for the modded motor that's in it that was never dialed in and that has some very trick rare parts on it with no miles on them. Negotiated this deal from Saskatchewan - so I'm no help at all.

Not sure what can happen now though - guy in Toronto that was going to do the work is unable to go down, and the current owner of the car only has one more night before he heads back to NJ. (After driving 8 hours to get 2 hours away.)

Car is running rough and missing, won't move under it's own power.

Rabin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/2009 07:22PM by bean.

Just talked to the guy stuck at the border - now hoping we can just find somewhere to put the car (cheap or free storage) near the border so that we can set up a proper export of the car to get it across, and then figure out shipping it to Toronto from there.

So close - but so far. If anyone can help out with storing the car that would be most appreciated. Ideas on getting it to Toronto from there - even more appreciated!

This deal was a shoe string deal with a max budget of $3000 CDN for the car including shipping to TO. It'll be a miracle if I can save it now.

Rabin

If the guy at the border is not the guy whose name is on the ownership -- you're probably SOL short term and finding friendly storage in New York is your best option. If the registered owner is the one transporting it, you should be OK to proceed as long as you talk to all the right people at the two borders.

I believe Randy Zimmer is in the phone book, and by all accounts, friendly. Buffalo is only a few minutes drive from Niagara Falls.

I've imported a bunch of cars over the years -- you need to have the ownership faxed to the US border station a minimum of 72 hours before you want to cross if you are not the registered owner. They use the info to search stolen vehicle records and liens before allowing you to leave the US of A. You must check in and get cleared by US customs (usually a pain to find the correct place) before crossing to Canada, otherwise Canadian customs will get seriously cranky and turn you around to be vetted by the US guys (who will give you a seriously hard time because you were a dumb-ass and didn't follow the, difficult to figure out, rules). Sometimes, even after following all the rules, they lose your stuff anyway and you end up sleeping in the car for a couple of days in the parking lot (this is viewed upon with tremendous suspicion at every shift change, coffee, cigarette and bathroom break) until things get re-faxed and re-checked.

Good Luck, Ted

---

Pure mathematics is the enemy of every truly creative man -- Sir Alec

Registered owner of the car is the guy at the border. I'll use names for clarity, but the guy in Toronto is John, the owner of the car is John... lol

So John G is the owner of the 505 Turbo wagon with poor running engine and crappy tranny (but has virtually unused high end parts on it), and he's unable to cross with the car. Not sure what the exact problem is - but end result is John G can't come through with the car.

So now we need to go through importing this car as new owners, and follow all that stuff, but need some breathing room to make it happen.

Doesn't help that John E in Toronto doesn't have a passport and lost his birth certificate...

Hopefully I can get a hold of Randy to discuss.

Edit - Randy - I sent you a PM for your number, if interested and/or able to help please send me your number to discuss. Getting late so I don't want to randomly try Randy Zimmer's in Buffalo...

Rabin





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/2009 08:25PM by bean.

If you need a tow to toronto the guy that tows for me charges 60/cents a km and lives in hamilton. So maybe 200km total. I go with him and push cars on trailers for free!
I can store the car at my place in stoney creek for a short period of time. I'm 70-80 km from the border. In lieu of charging for storage you get to deal with my Sicillian wife instead

---

Gone fishing

Thanks Hank! (David?)

Would he go down to the US side to get the car and bring it to Toronto? I'd rather suck it up and get it done at once.

Still working on finding storage for the car on the NY side so that we can get the papers into US customs for 72 hours and then hopefully get the car through after that.

I have a relative in St Catherines I'm trying to get, but haven't seen him in 17 years and out of the blue I want him to take ownership of a car and bring it through... HUGE favor - and not likely to happen.

So if we can find cheap storage in NY - it buys us time to get John E from Toronto down there to import it himself.

Why or why can these deals never go as planned!

Rabin

Looks like we found storage near the border for $43/mo. That should buy us plenty of time to figure out a way to get the car across.

Hank - would really appreciate contact info for your tow guy. He'd be way easier to work with than a truck and trailer rental - I'd just need to know he's good ID wise and such to go across the border to get the car.

I'll be in Toronto Feb 20th to 24th, and if it comes down to me actually doing it so be it. Plan would then be to get to Hamilton, ride down with the guy, get the car, then ride with it back to Toronto to drop it off.

If your tow guy is up for that (I can discuss with him) that might be my last and only chance to get the car.)

Rabin

BTW - thanks for the help so far guys. I'm not very active on here as I realised I need to actually get stuff built before posting much more on here. Making great progess on the car, but the crazy cold temps in the garage slowed it right down these last months.

Ok...

i'm at a loss here.

John G (the owner of the car) is at the border with truck, and car in tow. For some reason, John G is being denied Entry into Canada. I must assume he doesn't have the right papers etc. So he needs to turn back...but he's made a long drive and it's a shame to take the car back where he came from.

So...you are trying to leave the car close to the border, fax the ownership to customs, and basically SELL YOU the car, so that the car can come over be repaired, and then when it goes back. SELL the car back to John G??

I really do not see need for the car to change ownership at any time.

I have towed friends rallycar's across the boarder with no problems. I was not the registered owner of the vehicle, and the registered owner was not even present.... To make matters worse i was driving a truck which i didn't own...it was owned by the owner of the rally cars WIFE! Surprise...she wasn't there either.

I got to the border:

"Citizenship?"

Me "Canadian..here are my papers"

"Reason for visit?"

me "i'm driving to a race in British Columbia and passing through the states...it's quicker"

"Ok...who's car on the trailer?"

me "Friend of mine, he lives in Toronto, Ownership for the car is in it, i'm going to turn wrenches for him"

"Ok...who's truck you driving?"

me "The guy who owns the race car....his wife"

"Ok...let me go take a look"....customs agent goes and checks the car/trailer/etc. "ok...have a nice drive"



Honestly..it should be no different.

If you can find someone to go down and pick up the car, assuming all their papers are in order. Have John G write a letter, stating that he owns the car, and is giving buddy driving concent to take their vehicle across the border into Canada for repairs. Have John G give the driver the ownership (or leave it in the car) and you are done....

From what i gather...you DO NOT want to import the car into Canada...there are fees, etc associated with this.

John G is remaining the owner of the car...correct?? it's just going to Toronto to have "repairs done". this should NOT be an issuee...and certainly John G does not need to be present for this car to cross the border.

---

Chris

Well - after all the crap he's gone through, 5 days lost, and 3 days in a hotel he's done with the car... He had a hell trip to get the car there to begine with, so this was a nasty end to the trip.

So now my only option is to purchase it outright, and paying him whatever is left after getting it to TO after our agreed price. If he takes it back - it gets messy as we paid a deposit to get the car to Toronto.

The plan was even easier than you suggest with him being the owner, but it fell apart at the border. Tried like crazy to get someone to go get the car and bring it through with John G providing an authorization letter (he could have gone to the crossing to ensure all was well even) - but can't find anyone in Toronto area that can or wants to do it. John G is currently near the crossing now, waiting for some last minute documentation. He'll try one more time to cross, but if he fails the car goes to a storage yard and I make plans to import the car.

If it was closer to SK I'd have my choice of trucks and trailers from buddies and would have done just that, or could have had any one of them do it for me - but no such luck in this short term in a province I don't live in.

Ran out of time to get someone to do the run for John G without transferring ownership, so I'm stuck importing it.

Rabin

Whew,
A lot of stuff going on there.

Sounds like the Lewiston-Queenston crossing.
Once it gets to be a hassle,
they sometimes contact the other bridges but I'd try Rainbow
in downtown NF just to see if that works.

I know what a 505 wagon is and pretty sure that's too big for my trailer.

Lots of stuff - tell me about it! No time to even react properly - thus the long winded - often jibberish like posts...

Finding someone on short notice is the kicker, and asking huge favors from strangers isn't my style - just the situation I'm in.

Randy - if you had a truck John G would just let you take the trailer across, leave the car at a Walmart, and I'll pay Hank's tow truck driver to pick it up and take it to TO.

Time is getting short though as John G is ready to hit the road. His phone number is removed if your at all curious or willing to help out I'll gladly paypal you your expenses. Or get you repayment any way you like.

Rabin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/2011 03:07PM by Administrator.

Just so everyone knows;

If you go into Canada with a car on a trailer,
"I will stay with the car at all times, I am not leaving it"

Found that out when taking the car to the rally train.

"I own the car"
Non owners should not be driving the rig.
also
"The car is nearly worthless"
expensive stuff means duty or bonds.
I've told them, "give me $12,000 for the whole mess and I'll walk home."
So that means the fewer sponsor decals and flashy paint, the better.

A gun(!) or more than a very small amount of alcohol will start
questions as will radio noise and sunglasses.
I haven't tried going with small children but that is
another problem to resolve.

Practice makes perfect.
More crossings without stress make doing it that "special" time easier.

When everything else fails -
go to a different bridge, don't lie and explain why the other guys were dicks.
Other guards probably know them and hate them too.
I once got over by writing down the badge # and name of the guard.
He "just found" the right exemption two minutes later after a three hour stand-off.