Registering Canadian Camry in US

I have a Canadian 2002 Camry which has Odometers in KM. I am moving to NJ next month and in order for me to register my car, I have been told that the odometer has to be in miles. I called up Toyota USA and Toyota Dealer and what I heard from them is not very encouraging. The dealer is not 100% sure whether the odometer can be converted form KMs to miles.

I can't believe this. Surely there must be lot of folks who would have taken their auto to USA. Do they all face this problem.

BTW when I moved to Canada from USA, I did not convert my car from miles to KMs.

Reply to
dcruncher4
Loading thread data ...

KM is fine. This happened to me and my friend. However, you have to pass US Standard Safety. But I think Camry is fine. If your car doesn't have airbag then your car failed. This only applies if your importing your car from Canada. Of course there are a lot of cars in the US without air bag.

When you cross the border just tell them that you're importing your car

Reply to
rogercute2002

Yeah that makes sense. When I got those weird answer from NJ DOMV, Toyota folks I was not believing them. I know that so many Canadians go to US and register their car without this hassle. Plus many of Canadian cars are actually manufactured in US and sold in Canada. My 2002 Camry is also one of those cars.

Yes I have all those documents, including a letter from Toyota Canada saying that my car satisfies all US DOT safety requirements except for minor labelling. I checked DOT site. A letter like mine is acceptable.

However in that letter from Toyota they also stated that my car shows odometer in KM and it may not acceptable in many US states for registration. That only started my concern.

Did you or your friend register your car in New Jersey.

thanks.

Reply to
dcruncher4

I have never heard that the odometer has to be in miles. You may wish to confirm this before you spend any money.

Reply to
Ray O

This is my understanding too and that's why I am posting here.

But I am surprised that no one at Dept of Motor Vechiles, NJ or Toyota seem to knowledgable about it. What sort of people work at customer support, eh?

Reply to
dcruncher4

Not too worry. In NJ it will most likely be stolen, for its parts, during the first week you live there LOL

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

The standards for vehicle safety and emissions are generally set by the federal government. Some states may impose higher standards than the feds. I would check the Department of Transportation and the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration web sites.

Reply to
Ray O

Mine was registered in CO. My friend was registered in San Diego.

This is Federal. Once you clear the customs or border you should be fine on any State. You just need to present the clearance on any DMV.

Just minor requirement, DMV will ask for a Police Clearance on the state you're registering. So just go to the nearest police county.

Also, Insurance companies in the US are private. Some of them don't even even want to recognize your driver license or driving experience in Canada. Geico and Progressive insurance are among of them.

Prepare yourself for the hassle and stress when moving. Hope this helps.

Reply to
rogercute2002

My '88 Supra came from Canada (I don't know when...) and has the original instrument panel in kM. I asked my friend at the inspaction station (Mass.) if it made any difference, he said, None at all. WHich meant that it had to pass Federal emissions...

Reply to
Hachiroku

Same as in some major provinces in Canada.

Same as with Canada private insurances.

However, you may still pay cheaper in US - depend on the state. My first car insurance in US, in IL, was way cheaper than my insurance in Toronto will ever be.

Reply to
S P Arif Sahari Wibowo

Call the "Department of motor vehicles" for the state you plan on moving to. They should have all the information you might need and mail you the paperwork.

Reply to
Danny G.

The last time I checked, US DOT regulations allowed an odometer in kilometres as long as the reading is explicitly labelled as being in km. (Similarly, my understanding is that a speedometer with km/h markings is OK as long as a secondary MPH scale is present.)

AFAIK, a homemade label, made using a personal labelmaker, and stuck on the clear plastic cover of the instrument panel near the odometer, is sufficient for this purpose (i.e., you don't need to take the dashboard apart in order to affix the label directly to the speedometer/odometer). When I imported my car into the US from Canada in 1997, I created a label of this type reading as follows:

ODOMETER READS IN KILOMETRES (km)

and I never had any problems.

As far as state rules are concerned, I'm not a lawyer, but my understanding is that federal DOT regulations override conflicting state rules -- i.e., since federal rules permit a metric odometer, any state law or regulation prohibiting such an odometer would be unenforceable. This is the same principle that, in the mid-90's, forced all states to allow vehicles with daytime running lights, even though many state vehicle codes at the time prohibited DRL's on the grounds that they were unauthorized use of the high beams. Again, though, I'm not a lawyer, and I would recommend that the owner of the vehicle in question should consult with a top-level official of the New Jersey motor vehicle department (I suggest a high-level person because low-level people at field offices may not be aware of situations like these and are more likely to end up giving out misinformation).

Rich Wales snipped-for-privacy@richw.org

formatting link

*NOTE: I've lived in both Canada and the US and have dual citizenship. *DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer, professional immigration consultant, or consular officer. My comments are for discussion purposes only and are not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice.
Reply to
Rich Wales

Here's New Jersey DMV website you should be able to get some information from them regarding registration:

formatting link

Reply to
r.s.

New Jersey has historically been noted as an expensive state for automobile insurance. When I moved from New Jersey to Ontario, my insurance dropped from US$1,300 to CA$800 for the same amount of coverage.

You have to hunt around. Luckily, I was able to find a Canadian insurer who had no problem recognizing my US driving history.

In my mind, though, I can see it being harder to find a US insurer willing to accept a "foreign" driving record. Many insurers have their systems set up to verify driving records with the DMVs throughout the US, but they can't verify driving/insurance histories in foreign countries. The OP may have to shop around.

The OP should get a letter from his insurer in Canada showing his claims history. Also, a letter from the driver licensing authority in the province where he lives showing (hopefully) that he has been a safe driver with no (or few) traffic violations may also help.

But, New Jersey is usually on the high end, so it may even go up, especially if they won't accept a prior driving history.

Reply to
sgallagher

Note, dmv.org is NOT New Jersey's motor vehicle website, nor is it affiliated with any government agency. It's a private company that attempts to sell automobile insurance.

I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with dmv.org, I'm just pointing out that it is not the official authority for driver licensing and vehicle registrations in New Jersey.

The OFFICIAL website for New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commision (MVC), it is at:

formatting link
and they actually have a section forregistering a vehicle from outside the US at:
formatting link
One interesting item to note is that NJ's MVC says":

"If a customer relocating from Canada has a Canadian title already in his or her name the vehicle can be titled and registered at any MVC Agency."

That could cause a problem depending on what they view as being a "title".

In NJ (and most of the US), the "title" is the document separate from the registration, showing the ownership of the car, plus the names of any lienholders on the card. The "registration" shows that the car is licensed to be used on the road, and they are generally two separate documents.

But most Canadian provinces don't issue separate documents. Nova Scotia does issue a separate document that would be equivalent to a US motor vehicle title, - but to add to the confusion, Nova Scotia calls that document the "Certificate of Registration" while the document that would be the equivalent of a US registration in Nova Scotia.

In Ontario, the equivalent of a US title and registration are one single wallet sized document with the ownership section called "vehicle portion" and the registration section called the "plate portion".

I could see someone from Ontario presenting their vehicle permit and NJ MVC saying that they also need to see the title (but the vehicle permit is also the title).

Reply to
sgallagher

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.