Hey guys, my dad owned an Evo 6 back in Sri Lanka and the car is usually delegated to me as he drives the SUV.

Anyways I'm currently here as an international student for the next 4 years or so and was wondering on wether I could purchase my own Evo, but I noticed all the problems in legally owning one here.

Now I just read up that a Foreign Resident can bring in whatever car they want into the country but it had to be taken out when their visa runs out.

I have a couple of questions. First, if I went and bought an Evo 8 in the US and drove it up here, does anyone have any idea what the registration process is and wether they will classify it as street legal.

Next question is that if my status changes here, ie. I become a landed immigrant do I still have to get rid of the car or is there a legal loophole where I get to keep it here?

And lastly, would I be able to get insurance for the car here and does anyone have any idea how much it would be?

 

First off, welcome to Canada and I wish you a pleasant stay.

Unfortunately, the US-spec Evo VIII is definitely not importable as the front crush structure isn't strong enough to meet Canadian standards. You will not be able to get it registered in Canada. If you have connections in US, then you can register the Evo in whatever state, and just operate it in Canada. The car will obviously be insured in the US, but US policies usually cover incidents in Canada and Mexico. For someone under 25 years old with no American driving experience, expect to pay a lot to insure the Evo.

I'm not familiar with immigration laws, but you probably want to find out what they mean by "bring in whatever you want". You can bring in the car as a "personal item", but whether or not it's street legal is up to the Ministry of Transportation, not Canada Customs. In other words, you may only use it on private roads/tracks (like the first-gen Lotus Elise).

If your status change from Student to Landed Immigrant, it still won't affect the street-ILLEGAL designation for the Evo. So better stick with a US plate, or wait for the Evo X, or get an STi.

 

Thanx for the info Dr. Fob. I'm waiting to hear from Transport Canada. Lets see what they have to say. I called them and they said that they would have to look into the matter. *keeping fingers crossed*.

My only fear is that if they do allow it, I might not be able to get it insured here.

You were talking about registering and insuring it in the US, now wouldn't I have to have a legal address there for that? I have alot of friends and family friends who live there and there wouldn't be a problem giving one of their addresses. Also I have a 10 year multiple-entry into the US, but I don't live in the US.

Right now its a mental exercise, but I currently have a very good deal on a Evo and I've seen it and its been inspected too and checks, I wouldn't want to lose out on it.

 

I amn pretty sure that the vehicle has to be purchased in the country of citizenship and then must be returned there with you when your visa expires.

 

I wish you good luck with this deal. If you decide to run U.S. Plates and your family friends are cool with you using their address, then all you need to do is sweet talk you way through the boarder. Some officers are cool and won't bother you with it.

 

I researched Canadian import laws extensively (even with a lawyer)...you won't be allowed to bring in a US spec Evo VIII unless you are a US citizen and have owned the Evo in the US for at least 12 months....you could bring in your Evo 6 from Sri Lanka and keep it here as long as you're going to school....you're also allowed to keep it here, I believe, up to 3 years if you move here perminantly (the government gives you a 'settling-in' period)

so if you're keeping it here for 7 years all together, you could send it back to your dad after that and the Evo 4's will be legal around that time to bring into Canada

 

I have some good news. Due to the 15 year policy in Canada, you will soon be able to import an Evo I, and a little later, an Evo II. If you can wait 2 or 3 years.

I don't know what to tell you about your VI, though.

 

Forget it dude, just buy a SLOWBARU STI, or them ****ty R/T Neons if u wanna be bad time. Ppl here dont know what mitsubishi evos are or even mitsu for that matter. or wait for the evo x, but it so ugly!

 

In the past Canada has been rather loose with Landed Immigrant vehicles and often let them in even if they didn't quite meet spec. There where even some cars that where brought in by diplomats under the provisions that you referred to that ended up staying. All this is no longer the case since the Transport Canada List.

 

Slowbaru? Suburu STI's are definatly not slow cars.