scottw

Are there any drawbacks to purchasing a canadian C3? i.e. any special taxes, costums fee, ect.

74 Roadster

flynhi

Vettes that have lived in northern climates generally have more frame problems than those from dry climates such as Cal or Ariz. Have the frame thoroughly inspected for rust - especially where the frame kicks up over the rear wheels.

paso

There is a lot of good ones up here. I think the majority of the Vettes were put away from Nov to April. = low miles If they were stored properly The frame rust is not any worse than other areas. ( CA and Az excempt from that statement) :)

lbell101

I bought my '84 in Toronto and brought it back to Michigan. You have to make sure that it is legal in the US. I think most are but they do check it at the border.

scottw

I know about the rust problems that they may have. I'm more interested in any extra money involved in bringing it back to the US or any modifications to emissions or anything else.

Paul L

No customs duty owing to the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Depending on the State local taxes may be owing. To echo the other points, in many parts of Canada copious quantities of salt are used in the winter. So check the frame carefully. As noted, however, most Vettes are stored for five months in the winter and tend to be free of salt and have low mileage. Post-1977 you will get a metric speedo and odometer as seen below. Keep that in mind when looking at mileage. The conversion is 0.625 so 100,000km would be 62,500 miles. Or 100kph is 62.5mph on the speedo.

Paul L

To answer your second question, the "Export to Canada" version of the C3 had all the emission goodies as you can see in this photo. The only difference I could find in my research is that the "unleaded fuel only" sticker on the gas fill lid was in both of Canada's official languages: English and French. I would imagine that your State laws as to emissions must be followed but the car when new was identical to the USA.

Allan71

It depends on the year. On the 84, you can flip a switch to turn the gauges and speedo from Metric to English. All Canadian C3s from 1978 through 1982 will have a kilometers dominant speedometer with miles per hour secondary, opposite from US cars. I think this would have to be changed to US spec, although probably some cars have been snuck through. I know they require a speedo change on newer cars that are brought back to the US, but possibly the older cars are not required to make the change. Like Paul said, there is no difference in emissions equipment, and the safety equipment is the same so you should have no problem there. My car was originally delivered to Canada when new and I think spent it's whole life in Ontario. The seller delivered the car to me and dealt with Customs and the border crossing so I don't know what he went through. Titleing the car was no problem. I also agree with those that say that the condition on many cars in Canada is very good, due to the long periods that these cars are stored. One very good thing about Candian cars is the documentation available from GM of Canada on these cars, documenting options and colors and other stuff, and this is not available on US cars. The option code for "Canadian Base Equipment" was RPO Z49.

Paul L

Welcome back Allan! I love trivia so here is the GM Canada information on my 1979 as you mentioned. Production date November 6, 1978; 5,535 exported to Canada of which 1,607 were L-82s etc. Unfortunately these data do not exist for cars sold in the US market. Why GM Canada keeps this info I do not know but I am very happy they do. Contact point is George Zapora (Vintage Specialist) at 905-644-4060 (Oshawa, Ontario). There IS a charge for the information (~25.00US).

Allan71

Hey Paul!, yes there is really something about the Canada cars I like. If anyone is seriously considering a high optioned or high horsepower car, the documentation alone from GM of Canada is worth some peace of mind. I know a few L-88s were original Z49 cars, and don't think anybody would be trying to build a fake one thanks to list of VINs with all of the original equipment that GM kept. My sheet from George says that 823 Coupes in 1971 were imported. I see that he has yours broken down into both total cars and total L-82. I would have to think that 823 is the total number of Coupes since next to model type on mine he has the VIN prefix for Coupes. Since the VIN is the same for all engines until 72, maybe engine specifics would only be listed after then although I might give him a call.

Paul L

I should have mentioned that George is a "vintage" not a Corvette specialist. So readers with Firebirds, Camaros, Chevelles, etc. can get the same info for their cars IF ORIGINALLY SOLD IN CANADA.
http://www.gmcanada.com/english/main...aint_vint.html


[Modified by paul79, 11:12 AM 11/28/2001]

Nag78

WOO Paul!! I was about to ask you were I could get a 240 mph speedo for my ride!! That would be so kewl!! :jester

Paul L

Your reply is obviously tongue-in-cheek ;) . 240kph=150mph.

John Dirks

Canadian cars, especially from the prairie provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) are exposed to very dry climates summer and winter. There are no large bodies of water (fresh or salt) and the cars have less rust.
As mentioned above, most cars, especially vettes, are garaged over the winters and only driven on nice summer days.
Canadian cars are an excellent deal especially considering the exchange rate.

PRNDL

I bought my 68 in Carlisle after the car was brought in from Canada. The seller "smuggled" it in, so I had to go to customs in Newark NJ to get the proper forms filled out before I could go to DMV. If the car is more than 25 years old there is a box to check off on the form, end of story I think I paid a $10 fee. If the car is less than 25 years old it may become more complex. I strongly suggest you contact the U.S. customs service.

As mentioned above, if the car was originally built for export to Canada, then GM Canada can give you lots of info about the car for a small fee. Almost as good, I got a letter from GM of Canada stating that based on my vin my car was NOT originally made for Canada, and they didnt even charge me! :)

Due to the currency exchange rate there are some real bargains up there. Also plenty of chop shops and "spray paint restorations" so like anywhere you have to be careful. MJ


[Modified by MNJack, 2:17 PM 11/28/2001]

RATT7

Cosidering that Canadian dollar is worth peanuts, It would be a good deal for are U.S. allies to purchase are car from Canada. I have thought of selling my 1980 for a 1969, but I would prefer to sell mine in the U.S. because of the strrenght of the use dollar. I usaully drive my car from May to Sept and then store it, this is typicall with users in the north

Paul L

Yes, I drive from May to October. As can be seen above, 70,000km (~44,000 miles) on the odometer. Has not seen salt. Now in secure, heated storage.

76Pitter

You would probably get a better deal up here because of the dollar difference. Other than that all the previously mentioned problems to look for go for any vette you are going to buy anywhere. FRAME FRAME FRAME!!!.
Make sure you are up on your local emissions standards because you will find a lot of Canadians removed all the emissions after buying their cars to get the Horsepower back. Good Luck.

scottw

Thanks for all of your advice.
Checked out the emissions requirements for TN and there are none for 1974 and older cars. The guy did take off the emissions stuff to get the horsepower and now I'll be able to appreciate the extra 100 or so horses if I get this car.

Paul L

Good luck! Hope you found the thread of interest. I did.