This is a summary of what I did to get a car from the USA into Canada. I bought it through E-Bay (phew, more anxiety).
The whole thing went well - that is the bottom line. Do your homework, plan and rely on a little luck!
You MUST read and understand http://www.importcartocanada.info. That was my reference at all times. The following is supplemental to that information.
My story - a 2003 BMW Z4:
An early morning flight to Chicago (July 2007). The border people have to have a US address, so I wrote the dealers address (have it with you). They didn't blink as I explained I was flying out and driving back the same day. The dealer picked me up at O'Hare airport, provided breakfast then on the see the car. The formalities did not take long, so within about 90 minutes I had programmed the NAV system and was on my way. I had a temp tag attached to the rear windscreen which is/was good for seven days. So,with no license plates and the temp tag folded down with the convertible roof, I was off.
Just a note about the transfer;It would be perfect if the vehicle title is in the name of the dealer you are buying from, if not, you should get a bill of sale from the registered owner to the dealer - as well as a bill of sale from the dealer to you. This is so that, when registering the vehicle in Ontario, there is a proper paper trail back to the registered owner. A change of ownership document with a chain of "owners" may not be enough. This is a tricky area as only 1/2 a dozen US States insist that dealers have their vehicles registered in their name. My title document (Illinois) had space for eight different owner changes. My dealer's name was written there and we added mine onto the title. The first Ontario licensing office I went to insisted that I obtain that missing bill of sale. I went to another office where they processed the paperwork without question. Had I known the above information, I may have convinced the first office to process the registration.
At Port Huron, my declared exit port, I stopped 100 m before the toll booths adjacent to a concrete barrier. The problem is that I had to report to the US side, but there is no real facility (parking) to do so. So I locked the car and headed over the the US customs/border building. A security guy was not too happy at me approaching the building from an unconventional direction with a briefcase. Inside, after a very short wait (line-up) I was dealt with quickly and efficiently. I had the dealer fax the title and bill of sale to that office and the official found it after searching through his computer. That was my biggest worry; that somehow the faxed documents did not get through 72 hrs beforehand. The official even said the it was useless phoning for confirmation as they do not do that....
So, then across the bridge into Canada where I was directed to the customs building. There I answered questions, paid the money (credit card), and left with the form 1.
I took the car to BMW Mississauga for the safety check, the E-test and (more importantly) the Recall Clearance Letter - Which they charged $500 for!!!! BMW, to their credit ($500 Credit!!!), will honour any US warranty - that is more than can be said for other manufacturers (see list).
The car needed a new front sway bar (covered by warranty) and some brake work (not covered). They also programmed the daytime running lights. That is not standard in all US States. That was a $115 reprogram.
For two weeks I was running around with no license plates - just the Form 1 and my insurance to "protect" me. I was never stopped although I was using the car. I received the RIV letter about a week after the crossing. They could not proceed until they received the BMW Clearance letter. I got that about the same time, so I faxed that to the RIV Office and within a week, received the Inspection letter from them. Armed with all that, I went to my local Canadian Tyre who signed it off. A couple of days later (15 days from the border crossing), I registered the car and attached Ontario plates. RIV sent me a sticker to attach to the driver's door frame indicating that the world is perfect....
That is my story, I hope it helps somebody. (August 2nd 2007).
Value reviews: www.nadaguides.com/, www.nada.com/ and http://www.edmunds.com/
Registrar of Imported Vehicles: http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html
US Customs: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/cmcs/
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/menu.htm
http://www.importcartocanada.info/