hi everyone
havent posted anything in a while...still looking for a bus...
saw one on ebay 1983 mci 9
it was close (driveing distance) and the price was right....
i just got off the phone with "the powers that be" (goverment)
i cant bring this bus across the canadaian. boarder......any guess.....
its because (i was told) it has no seats it it!!!!! yes thats right no seats???
up here they look at that as a modified bus and that would not pass a "bus inspection"
the real kicker is the guy in the u.s.a has it titled as a r.v, and that doesnt matter??
also if i did find a bus with seats and got it across the boarder i was also told that i "might" have to get it inspected(some kind of bus safety check) first!!!! then i could change it to a R.V. title.. $$$$
crazie,crazie,crazie!!!
scottie :(
Hi Scottie,
Words are invaluable!
Don't call it a bus to the goverment. Call it a Motorcoach or Motorhome.
Good Luck
Nick-
Hi Scottie
I have brought in 2 buses from the US and there is a few things that can be done to ensure that you can get it into Canada. Have you been to the approved Vehicle/ Bus site the Gov't has??? Should have been no Problem for the MCI But they have buses on a list that cannot be brought in. I don't have the web site link handy maybe somebody else has. I also have a name of a top dog in the Customs process that made my first crossing a breeze. The second crossing they didn't even Bat a eye.
hi nick
yah with my luck ,i would hate to pay for it,drive it across the country,and then canadaian customs says sorry cant let you in....then what ??? sorry cant park that "thing " here, takes up too much room..
mmm i wonder if walmart in Ogdensburg n.y would let me park it in their parking lot with a sign in the front window "FOR SALE" CHEAP !! BUS /HIGHWAY COACH /MOTOR HOME /R.V./ MOTOR COACH / PARDICE ON WHEELS /MOTOR HOUSE ...LOL LOL
SCOTTIE
get all your ducks in a row including letters from the authorities.
get a letter from MCi stating that one could buy the exact same bus with no seats......they did sell shells and still do
HI PASO ONE
from what i have heard its the EAGLES that you cant bring in to canada
this bus, which is a M.C.I would have been fine ...but the owner took the seats out...and thats what the problem is NO SEATS...canadaian customs just take one look at it and say...thats not a bus because there are no seats in it :P,.... go figure...WELCOME TO CANADA....
scottie ???
First thing is to check if your choice of coach is permitted to be imported, many have never been issued a "Certificate of Compliance" with Canadian regulations.
Dave.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/impusae.htm
hi tekebird
now do all thoses ducks have feathers ;D...because if they dont,then there not really ducks and they would not be allowed into canada....
im not going to give up yet!!!
ill head down to the d.o.t. and ask them about modified buses,buses with seats and ones without.
gee back in june when i started looking for a bus,and got hooked up with this wed site (and started getting the bus conversions mag) i figured the hardest part of this whole project would be working on the bus engine,brakes etc...not trying to get the thing across the boarder :-\
scottie
hi dave 870
thanks for the link
i think another thing im going to do is next time i cross over the boarder , chat it up with the boys in the office on both sides of customs.
problem is some of them dont know a lot,and like i said before i would hate to pull up with the 40 footer i just bought and i get the good old goverment dead end ..and im out $100,000 ... ::)...just kidding
scottie
I would not refer to it as a bus or modified bus.
MCI Coach or MCi Motorhome.
once you get your duck's with or without feathers authorized in writing...the monkeys at the border won't have much to say when you show the a letter from above.
hi tekebird
i was speaking to a woman at the registrars of imported vehicles,she the one what told me, sorry no seats in it,cant bring in ,then i told her the guy in mass. has in titled as a R.V ,she say it didnt matter what its title as ,because its a bus,it has no seats ,and there for it will not pass a bus inspection...
i told her i would be takeing the seat out anyways and turning it into a R.V /MOTOR HOME etc,didnt seem to matter ....its one of thoses thing where i dont know at this stage if she 100 right or shes dead wrong....im just worried about the guys at the boarder crossing.....i just want to get it home and ill worrie about all the b.s later. i just dont want to go through and the time,effort and money and its parked at the boarder.... :'(
scottie
Scotty,
You might try talking to Ian at Busnut.com. He is the moderator for the board and I think he lives in Canada. Maybe he could give you some good advice.
Good luck,
David
Scottie: There are a multitude of laws, rules and regulations covering the import of vehicles. If you follow all the rules and have all the paperwork completed and sent to the appropriate places (US Customs where you will export the vehicle and Canadian Customs where you will import the vehicle) it is pretty straightforward. After you have it in Canada, you have to have it inspected and if there are things like 'daytime running lites" you have to have them installed before you can use the vehicle.
In your case you want to import a modified vehicle which comes under the rule
QuoteVehicles that have been modified from their original state, other than regular maintenance, may not be eligible for importation into Canada.
The key word here is 'MAY' which means that modified vehicles are not outright banned. Your argument of a bus without seats is reasonable when it is being imported for conversion. My suggestion would be to get a customs broker to do the paperwork and they will try to get the approval if you tell them what you are doing. Customs Brokers are bonded and they can get away with a lot that individuals can't. They are dealing with the bureaucrats every day and know how to make an end run.
Guys there's a lot of conjecture and supposition in this thread. Not meaning to throw cold water on the OP's dream but ........... he's screwed by the dweebs in Transport Canada. The sticker that he is going to run up against is that he needs to get a certificate of compliance from the manufacturer (in this case MCI) stating that the coach in its current configuration meets all applicable Canuckian safety regs as of the date of manufacture. He simply can't get that certificate - MCI won't issue it because the coach has been "modified". And that's as far as it will go. He can spend money, hire brokers and take his chances but the bottom line is it ain't gonna happen.
BTDT got the t-shirt.
The only way you get a converted coach across the Canuck border today - note - TODAY - is if it is converted from a new shell by a converter that is registered with Transport Canada as a manufacturer. That way the converter rather than MCI/Prevost issues the certificate of compliance. And that's a really short list - Marathon, Liberty - I'm not sure who else but its a short list.
In days past you could smuggle coaches across the border, strip off the US plates, go into the local yokel who sold registrations, tell him the coach was from out of province and he'd enter the S/N and issue a registration. Not anymore - all that stuff is computerized and linked across country - as soon as the coach shows up as never registered in Canada you are up $hit creek with no paddle.
Again - BTDT got the t-shirt.
Hello scottie
Quit yer bitchin'.
These rules are to protect manufacturing jobs, create government work and to trip up fools.
You ain't any of those, are you?
If the bus is admissable, and if you have the ca$h to make it worth my while, I got the grea$e.
e-mail in the profile
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Scottie,
NO SALE! People have just said THEY DID IT. One key with govies is to talk to people till you get the answer you want. Try this for this case and forever after: When someone in authority tells you you can't do something ask "If I could do that, how would I do it?". You will be absolutely AMAZED at how often you get a straight faced answer of exactly HOW TO DO THAT. That woman was nuts, really. nuts!
HTH
John
This is a subject that comes up frequently and usually takes aim at the BAD Canadian laws.
However, the US and Canada introduced very similar laws effective 1st January 1971 regarding a requirement for a "Certificate of Compliance".
The differences are in how US and Canadian manufacturers and Government agencies responded.
Most Canadian manufacturers obtained Certification for both countries, not to have US certification would be suicide - the US is their largest market by a large margin. US builders, Eagle for example were selling few coaches in Canada and I'm sure were reluctant to submit models to both national agencies for what I understand is almost destructive testing.
Eagle and others quickly found that Canadian enforcement was near non existent and they continued to sell buses in Canada without certification until a frustrated Canadian Government handed enforcement over to RIV - the Registra of Imported Vehicles in the mid 90's. Unsure of the legal or corporate structure of RIV but operates almost as a privatised Government department doing the dirty work of Transport Canada who still issues the regulations.
The "Vancouver Air Porter " system operates a fleet of RTS's and I've heard they purchased about six additional buses in the LA area in 1997 and RIV advised Canada Customs to turn them back if they appeared at the border.
I understand that the early enforcement was so lax that even GM of Canada was selling buses in both countries with only a US Certificate and people later had difficulties bringing the back into Canada. I believe it is now understood at the border that these buses were built to comply with all Canadian requirements and can now be repatriated without certificate.
Its a long story, Dave.
hi again everone
as i said before ,im not giveing up yet !!!!
another problem,i will have is that,i have been looking at ebay.
im sure that the powers that be want to know all the imformation about "the bus" ....so what do i tell them, i dont have one yet,and what is their answer going to be, come back when you do.....and then on the other hand do i buy one first and risk it that i might not get it home....know what i mean...
most of the people selling buses on ebay want it picked up in a week....we all know how fast it is to deal with the goverment :( mmmmmm maybe a sports car.. ;D
scottie
Hi Scottie
There is a proper procedure to getting a Vehicle / Bus into Canada The post above by Stan is 100% correct.
Go to the RIV site and they have a list of buses you can bring into Canada ( with or without seats )
They Also have a list you cannot bring into Canada. ( converted or not converted ) ( modified or not )
There also is HUGE LOOP holes on getting Buses into Canada. ( age and type of title )
I best shut up as I hold a dealer license and I enjoy owning it. :)
There is Plenty of good buses in Canada to chose from if your concerned Buy a unit already here.
The link above Dave provided is correct it clearly tells you what buses are allowed Your MCI is on page 29 on the PDF list
If the bus is 15 yrs old and it is registered as a motorhome there should be no problem, because it isn't a bus anymore. The problem I see is it only has the seats removed and in most provinces to be reg as a MH you have to have a bed / sink / toilet / and a stove all premently mounted but they don't have to be hooked up to any thing, because no one at the boarder is going to check them out.
You have to get rid of the word "BUS" it is a "MCI Motor Home" or RV. I have a friend that has bought 6 bus conversions in the US and imported them into Canada and resold them, none are on the RIA list but they are all over 15 yrs old ... he's never had a problem.
Ron
Quoteyou have to have a bed / sink / toilet / and a stove all premanantly mounted
this means "it must be removed with a tool" [this is a quote i got from RIV] not just pick it up and walk away with the item!
les r
Another "tip " is don't fall into the trap question "when was it converted " If you answer the question ie: 1999 all of a sudden the vehicle has to meet 1999 standards. Don't lie or mis lead but you need to know what your doing... and how to answer the trap questions...
The suggestion of bringing something in built before 1971 is very good as you have another choice of being able to bring it in under antique or classic .....
Yes Les ... it has to be remove with a tool. But it doesn't have to be hooked out to anything ... like I said no one will check.
Ron