Are car import restrictions to Canada different than the U.S.?

Question

Want to import a new car from Japan to Canada, but cars have to be 15 years or older(Canadian Govt regulations). Is this the same rule for importing a car to the US? Also, seems a bit unfair since in Japan you can buy new cars from all over the world.

Answer 1

The Canadian market is more flexible than the US market for Japanese car imports. A couple months ago I imported a 1993 Toyota Supra from Japan to Toronto. I got my vehicle in about 4 weeks and it turned out better than anything I could get from a dealership.

Frankly, there's no problem in importing 15-year-old Japanese cars to Canada because most of them are very well maintained by their owners. They're good to run as long as they meet emission norms and import regulations. You can always fit them with performance kits to get the power boost, but overall, Japanese cars are a delight to run in their original form.