Crossing into the US on British plates from Canada (Please read BEFORE making mean comments)
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- Опубликовано: 25 сен 2016
- CBP Officers here were polite and friendly; if a little baffled when I rolled up in a Ford Puma on UK plates in 2016.
They got initially stuck logging the car into the country because they (understandably) only had codes for Canadian provinces & US states!
I had exited a week or so before on a J1 visa and was re-entering in an ESTA (Visa Waiver).
With all paperwork in order for both the car and myself, CBP processed my visiting status and wished me safe onward travel.
I began filming my documentary here in Detroit MI continuing onto San Fransisco CA. See the episodes right here under the playlist:
The Lucky Black Cat
Thank you for watching. 
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"How did the car get here?"
"On the boat.. 😂"
I wish you'd have said "I drove it across the Atlantic" (Sir) 😩
You try and crack a smile out of an American border official and you are in trouble...........
Keith.. I did tell people that a few times!
Those times in life when you wish you had a camera to film people's reactions after telling them you drove across the Atlantic 🤣.
It could have been flown in as international air freight. If they are querying the US Customs databases it helps to narrow down the mode of importation. The inspection officials may ask about the transportation arrangements to determine if you are being honest and forthright with them. You would be expected to know the basics of importer's name, port of exit, contact information, etcetera.
Yeah, I drove it across the Atlantic. What model is it? It's a Moses 4.2 GT all wheel drive.
US border guard: "I don't understand! I can clearly discern your indicators from your brake lights............and your rear license plate really stands out, I can read it from quite a distance!..........WHAT SORCERY IS THIS???"
And I can see your registration when I'm standing in front of the ver-hic-cle!
Oh don't even. I used to live and work in the US, and showed some of the local Police the differences between US and UK vehicle standards....their minds were boggled at the simplicity of having reflective number plates and orange indicators.
They're a simple and primitive lot.
Yes, we can't have you doing something where the state might not be able to see on their cctv's.... Then proceed to tax, fine, and/or regulate... Welcome to the new world...
And why can't we go back to the days of actual mechanical flag arms popping up and down to indicate a turn?
@Steve Terry
1. You don't need to use your own number plates to be tracked. If your plate is "HaHa" ANPR is still more than capable at tracking your movements across the country.
2. Actually a number of individuals do end up using their real number plates due to crimes of opportunity.
3. A non matching plate (or one that has been reported stolen) is more likely to get you rumbled before you get very far too.
*THE BRITISH ARE COMING, THE BRITISH ARE COMING!!!*
Funny thing is, the early Americans said that the "regulars" were coming. Everyone was straight from Britton back then😂
Its ok they search them for matches and lighters the white house is safe
$1200 to bring a car over....not bad
@Alexander Jones containerization
Mine was 1500 from japan to USA
@@JonathanLong was it a skyline?
@@bardanke i have several cars but no I didnt want a skyline. I have a Honda Beat, Toyota Estima, and im looking for an rx7
@@Samaryas the little car
As Dutch guys we crossed on bicycles when visiting the Niagara Falls. Not as complicated as this, but also certainly not something they were used to.
Dutch on bicycles, whoever heard of such a thing
Dutch people and bicycles go about as well as Belgians and frites.
That's when you come to realize how amazing our borderless Europe is!!
@@osasunaitor Our countries are like a thousand times smaller than Canada and the US...
Don’t forget arrogant That seems to be a European thing like I know your country better than you do because I watch CNN so I know all about America type attitude
Next time for laughs take a Reliant Robin.
New York-Paris-Peckham
The border guards will tell him that toys valued over a certain amount must be declared.
Justin Hawkins has already done it, said it nearly killed him.
Bad idea. US customs would be forced to charge him with crimes against good taste.
How so?
Did he try to shelter behind it in a gunfight?
Ahh true British apologies within 30 seconds of meeting them.
i take it you. ever been to england lol
I found it more amusing that the Henry Ford Museum wanted to see a Ford Puma of all things
It was as the novelty of seeing a car the US would never ultimately get :)
@@chrisjamesbehan can confirm, I live near the U.S.-canadian border and in the summer months I see Canadian only models all the time (such as the Chevrolet Orlando and the Nissan Micra) and it's always quite the novelty to see them
Interesting, I knew the U.S. never got the first-generation Smart car, but didn't know you guys never got the Nissan Micra either. Meanwhile on the Canadian side it's a novelty to see U.S.-only cars such as the first-generation Scion models.
@@OntarioTrafficMan yeah, we didn't get the Micra simply since every other small hatchback flopped horribly here. I didn't know you guys didn't get the first generation Scion models tho.
Also of curious the rarest Canadian only car I saw was the Pontiac G3 Sedan. The hatch version flopped horribly in the U.S. (with many people calling it The worst car ever, ever.) And in Canada sales also flopped, but they tried adding a sedan version as Pontiac had better luck in Canada in it's final days, it also flopped. Due to being in production less than a year and none of them really being purchased plus the great recession going on, I read somewhere that less than 800 (of the sedan at least) were ever sold, which also makes it one of the rarest cars I've ever seen.
And he spend loads of money getting it shipped. lol
Those border staff are as friendly as my doctor's receptionists.
I've travelled to North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia. I've very rarely met border staff who are courteous, and if they are, they're probing to see if there's any inconsistencies in the given reason you're visiting (planning to work illegally, overstay, etc.).
Rotweillors
All border staff are cunts, at least these ones don't openly steal shit from your bags. Travel in Africa, it's almost hilarious when they are just taking stuff and smiling at you lol
I got stopped by an American copper and I showed him my licence and he asked where I was from. I said Britain , the cop said “which state was that!? “ So I said Europe. He was not amused. He didn’t realise there was a world outside of the US. 😂🤣
Lier.period.
It's TRUE, I'm from South Africa and was asked by a few Americans if that was next to Kenya..... Hello, Kenya is East/ Central Africa and South Africa is South.....
@@scottfirman Learn to spell next time you try a comeback at someone, ok? It's " Liar " not " Lier, " 😂😂😂
Semper verum “Crash”.
As a Brit from London, England I know that some US citizens are unaware of the rest of the world. For example thinking that the whole world uses 115v 60 Hz electricity, thinking that all Brits talk like Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins, having my wife asked if we drove to Florida and asking if it was Heathrow or Gatwick airport that was nearer Düsseldorf, not to mention that they think we are Australians because we don.’the speak like Dick van Dyke does in Mary - well you get the idea.
Fun at the border! I took a moped from the US to the Bahamas by boat, in the 80s. To license it, I had to get insurance, but to get insurance, but to get insurance it had to be inspected, but to be inspected it had to be licensed! $20 US to a guy sitting at a desk in a room full of guys sitting at desks got things done, and I had a dual registered moped! But the cops in Florida were not amused by two plates on a moped driven by a hippy.
Good heavens. Those americans certainly make easy things more difficult
Just to be clear, the red tape occurred in the Bahamas. But when I took it back to Florida I kept getting stopped.
This is on my bucket list to take my UK registered Mini Cabriolet to the US and tour for a holiday. Thanks for sharing your experience, it has re-doubled me wanting to do it.
Done it yet?
On my bucket list to take my Irish VW Amarok to the US. A Volkswagen pickup with Euro plates in the US would be a sight to see
Its really cool driving round the US and Canada on a British plate.
Is it possible with a Swedish plate, though? I'd really want to go to the US to just go on a road trip and then go back home.
@@tntfreddan3138 It's possible on any plate
Interesting to watch. Thanks for sharing!
These border staff are simple folk and British plates would confuse them. Americans get confused when they ask for ID and you show them a UK driver's licence. Shipping your car does seem a lot cheaper than renting or trying to buy if planning a US road trip for a few weeks.
Its cause of all the dumb regulations we have on vehicles. If you think Michigan is bad check out how California regulates vehicles.
A dinner plate would confuse some Americans, never mind a car registration plate! 😂😂😂😂😂
obrbob194 Depends in the duration, and as he mentions in the video, it is difficult for a non-resident to get insurance etc, so shipping a car from Europe and back can be cheaper AND less hassle.
obrbob194 Not for a week no,but if you think about it,it depends on how long you would be renting for. That guy said it cost him $1200 dollars,don't think it would take long to do that in rental fees..
I had a worse time going to the UK on us plates and I drove there from Bulgaria. Only country in the EU where I had a problem.
Did this once many years ago from Seattle to Vancouver with a Swiss Passport and a rented car.
Funy experience, especially after being "recognized" as an Red Cross Official with my CH Passport.
Car from Europe?
Felix Niederhauser "...especially after being "recognized" as an Red Cross Official with my CH Passport."
That's funny! It's amazing how many people don't know that the Coat of Arms and national flag of the Swiss Confederation feature a white cross on a red background.
What I’ve always found funny is how in Switzerland you call yourselves “Confederation Helvetica,” or something to that effect. It means you get these weird abbreviations like “CH” when referring to Switzerland.
Lucky they did not ask you for your work permit as a foreign nurse assistant, LOL
My cousin bought a BMW direct from Germany, did the whole tour thing and brought it back with the German plates on it still while he waited for paperwork. He got pulled over in Texas and while they were baffled about it, they let him go with a fix it ticket to replace the plates. Texas........yep.
Rudolf Dubrovszky Euro Delivery program
Rudolf Dubrovszky I don’t get what you’re saying about Texas. Texas is the most relaxed, freedom loving state. That sounds like something that would happen in California.
@@gizdonk
This particular Texas state trooper never seen European car plates before. Thats all I am saying.
They were baffled that other countries exist?
@@SnabbKassa They were baffled with the EU plates and how he was driving it without US plates on it.
When returning home to the USA from Mexico once, I saw a Citroen DS with Irish plates going the opposite way. I would not have wanted to be that guy!
Mike V border patrol at the mexican border have better things to do than stopping irish tourists.
Since I can see Mexico from my house, I well know that! The Irish guy was already out of the USA and lined up at Mexican customs/immigration. It is his dealings there that would have put dread into my mind. Anything the least bit out of routine throws those guys and their bosses into total confusion and opens the door for bribes being asked, rather than finding out what proper procedures are and how to apply them. Getting a Mexican tourist card and temporary vehicle importation permit are fraught with enough red tape and fees, but for anyone without a credit card on an American bank, it can be quite expensive under the best of circumstances.
Well why not? We r just humanoidsephoren pantherman kung pao long chi irishemanchooooik
Classic DS or modern like DS3?
@@MikeV8652 I hope to come one day to make the route 66 with my corvette convertible!Im from Seitzerland!
Seeing cars from all kind of strange countries is so common-place here in Europe, I guess we forget that on a continent with only three countries it's something slightly strange.
And the population of the US alone equals the 4 most populated countries in Europe combined.
What's your point?
Robert Evans That is completely irrelevant to what I said. The size of population of a country has no relevance to the frequency of seeing car plates from other countries. And if you don't understand my point, then why should I be held accountable for your stupidity? My point is so obvious I find it very hard to believe you actually missed it.
None. Most cars within the EU already have the international vehicle registration code printed on the plates, and the cars who don't (or aren't from the EU or associated countries) need to have a sticker with it in order to get in. There is no need to recognize a plate, all you have to do is look up the code if you don't know it.
Robert Evans Funny how you take the numbers which suit you. The population of the US is 325,000,000 (on an area of 9,800,000 km²). The population of the European Union is 512,000,000 (on 4,500,000 km²) and the population of all Europe 742,000,000 (on 10,180,000 km²). Compare what is comparable.
@CaptJericho and you're why Americans don't like talking with Europeans. You see one loud mouth asshole on the internet and assume that alot of us are like that. Just calm down, ignore him. Judge each American as an individual, just as most decent Europeans already do. That guy's an idiot, no need to say anything about others for simply living in the same country.
We cool? Okay
how weird did they feel seeing a steering wheel on the correct side of the car ?
They were actually more taken back by the VIN being on the same place as a lefty!
It's probably not all that odd an occasion for them. Importing JDM vehicles from Japan into Canada is very common and then these import owners often take them to the US for shows and events.
They just figured it was a mail truck!
How weird do you feel asking a stupud question?
considering there are only about 20 countries that have on the " right " side I would not say that it is the "correct" side lol :D
I did a route 66 trip on a rental bike and one of the group i was in brought his own bike over from the UK as he was was doing extra trips before and after the route 66 ride. He had worked out that after 6 weeks it was cheaper to take your own bike than rent so as he was there for 11 weeks he air freighted his bike to New York and his trip ended in Vancouver where he was flying it back from . The only problem was when he brought it in and US customs kept him waiting 3 days saying they needed to check his vehicle for smuggling as it was a BMW. They did not realise it was a motorcycle. Didnt take long to check when they finally got round to it.
Next week, driving through North America on license plates from Mongolia and Egypt. Will law enforcement be surprised? I just can't imagine.
Nah man, they don't even know egypt or mongolia is a country
ed and 69 others but bruessels is a country isn it?
Welcome to North America, brother.
Cryptonymicus I saw many super cars from saudi arabia in beverly hills california
Be careful not to get shot
I’ve been to the states lots of times (I’m English by the way) and I must say it’s a ball ache, the officials forget you are a tourist doing the USA a favour spending lots of money !
Agreed mate. I work in the states a lot and the authorities treat you like shit. Especially at the airport "you here on pleasure or business"?😡
As an American, only thing I can say is, that's isolationism for ya
W C Emmons, but it’s not. When you arrive in the USA by aeroplane the customs officials interrogate you like you’re some sort of war criminal. They ask personal and incriminating questions and I just don’t see the point of it. It’s not “bullshit.”
Why go to that shithole country of all places?
Carpet Climber, where, the USA?
Its nicer in Canada should have turned around.
It would’ve been colder driving through Canada to get to San Fransisco
timmo491 I would love to go and take all my family and go and live in Canada, it’s a wonderful place.
its nicer in england but he's a long way from home!
but canada is better than america!
Better some ways, but worse in others.
timmo491 yeah Canada is great in the winter. LMAO
Apart from the questions asked to categorise the car's origin, that is standard border crossing routine at that particular crossing, I drove across in a Canadian rental, being a non-US/Canadian (UK in my case) passport holder, you automatically get pulled over for paperwork & ID check and a vehicle search.
Now that we know how much cheaper it is to send your car across instead of renting for longer periods, they really should add the UK to the list of vehicle origins, there's bound to be more people doing this. :))
It is not an automatic pull in for non-US/Canadian passports.
Used to cross on Polish passport and never got pulled in till got a Canadian one.
but the UK is part of Europe as far as the US is concerned customs wise, at least until the Brexit shenanigans is sorted out.
There are countries in the EU such as Poland and Rumania who cannot freely travel to the United States. They need to apply for VISA at local embassies.
Imagine, just imagine, there is a whole world of different countries full of people just outside U.S. borders.
Beyond Canada and Mexico there are other countries?!? Crazy stuff, I know.
Profezor Snayp And imagine the earth is not flat!
Auuuuurhhhhhhhhhh
But this was at the US/Canada Border, people usually don’t DRIVE across the Atlantic, so it would be unexpected to have British plates, or even plates from farther south than Mexico that far up north. The only country with a land connection to the US north of the US is Canada, so it would make sense for them to not be 100% familiar with this situation.
they didn't have british plates, idiot.
Oh, we're well aware of those countries.
Every one of them has one hand in our pocket and a finger from the other in our face.
In around 2000 I was living in Mountain View California, one Friday afternoon I saw a Bristol 603 (it was a kind of orange/mustard colour) on UK plates. I never saw it again, I don't know if maybe there was a wormhole or something.
A year later I was leaving the US and took the opportunity to drive (with a mate from the UK) from CA to Boston. We took a trip over the border to stay in London Ontario. It was the time of the Foot and Mouth epidemic in UK wild-stock, my mate lived in London but had visited friends somewhere outside of Manchester and may have _seen_ a farm. Being so very honest, when the Canadian border official asked him if he'd been in the country side recently he said yes and we ended up in the office waiting for him to have his shoes cleaned (although he'd bene in the US for a week already). Their foot wash tray was dried up (it looked like a cat-litter tray) and after about 10 minutes a more senior office came in to ask what these guys were here for. When he found out my mate hadn't actually been _on_ a farm, he got a bit annoyed with his own staff, apologised for us being brought in and stamped our passports as a courtesy. God bless Canada ;-)
"how did it get here?"
Well, I hopped a right when Endeavour was still in operation, I drove it to South America and waited for the landing of the space ship, then we boarded and it was flown around the world several times to land in Florida, then we got a shipping container to smuggle it all the way into Canada and now here we are... took a lot longer than just a freighter and so much more money, but you can understand that it was worth it.
The most criminal part of this is that you were driving a Ford Puma 😂🤣😂
Alan Jackson FORD IS 100% MERICA 🍓
@@Interestingworld4567 except the German and English divisions
I live close to the Canadian border and regularly see Dutch and German plated Mercedes vans. Lots of older people doing grand tours to national parks.
Pretty interesting, I intend to do a road trip in the US soon together with my dad in his '69 MG, which was originally a US market car but has been with us since 1996 and has been on Dutch historic blue plates from that point. Might be interesting to see how confusing it will get when they are faced with a Dutch registered car that has previously been on US registration and might still have the VIN in the database (although it was legally exported in 1996).
Lot od comments about the border authorities being a bit rude, I thought they were fine in the video. OK number plates through them for a second, but they got in processed in 12.5 minutes, not bad for an exception. Spent longer in a queue as a UK citizen coming back to Heathrow.
Agreed, this isn't bad at all, if you wanted to see bad, try some of the border crossings in developing/unstable regions. The inspectors often steal in the form of "confiscations" (even though said items are legal) among other things. I know in some African nation's the wait to lasts anywhere from 3 days to a week
As an Australian returning to Sydney airport it takes about thirty seconds lol
Imagine this every time a foreign vehicle came into the UK.
Mike Kerley
Don't be ridiculous. Didn't happen before we joined and there is no reason for it to happen afterwards
No because both the UK and EU understand each others systems.
Pre EEC and EU
ruclips.net/video/llQUrH8eEHM/видео.html
Clearly you were born post EU membership otherwise you would know different. As Stephen Catton says, if didn't happ;en before we joined.
No, it didn't! Yes, papers were checked mostly randomly. Mind you, the French still practised "occupation" bureaucracy by collecting passports and sending them to the police at every hotel stop. Different uniforms same habit!
If this was a Yank trying to get a car into Britain and he was being asked all these questions, the Yank would be whining and whingeing about harassment and that it would never happen in the states.
Drop Bear Gee, do you know this for a fact?
"But I'm American! Don't you know I'm American? I'm American! American....... AMERICAN"
@listerone yeah very nice, American border officials are still uptight, and take themselves way too seriously however polite or rude you are....
Drop Bear... Is that a fact? It’s a bit too judgemental if you ask me.
Drop Bear wow you can see things with out being there that's amazing. Why didn't you see England becoming a muslim cesspool it has become? LMAO
Saw a guy and his family a month ago here in southern Ontario. Came all the way with his family from New South Wales (Australia). Was traveling through the US and Canada. Passed him on the highway and stopped at an on route. Happened to pull up beside me shortly after. Decided to speak with him but never asked about crossing the border.
Can't imagine the confusion and head aches the guy probably went though trying to cross the borders.
$1200? That's much cheaper than I assumed it would be. How long did shipping take?
shipping was about two weeks to GA - to NY, it was 9 days I think
I crossed over the Ambassador Bridge in July with my uncle & cousin who both have Canadian passports,I have a British one.I found the American officials rude and discourteous.We were three men travelling to the University of Michigan to see a football match and our ages were in our late 50's,early 60's and 80's.There was no need for the disgusting attitude of the border officials and I really objected to having my finger prints taken like I was a criminal.The experience put me off ever wanting to visit the USA again.
I have not and will never visit the US again, especially since 9/11. The US is not a welcoming place at all.
I landed in Toronto with my wife on July 20th, the difference between the Canadian & American officials was stark
You get finger-printed entering the UK as a foreign national, too. In fact, the British authorities make life very unpleasant for foreign nationals living in the UK to appease the right wing press. I am sure you would be put off visiting your own country, if you didn't have the express lane with your 'correct' passport.
@@Fordnan right wing press? So are you suggesting open borders!
There's a resurgent of the right & far right across Europe because of their open borders policy ( are you not aware of what is going on in Germany?) it's telling but there's a map of Europe that have had Islamic attacks, strangely two have had none, Hungry & Poland, the press will have you believe it's because of their "racist" policy's, but frankly they are just nationalists protecting their people from an Ideology that's incompatible with western values!
Right, so because I criticise harsh treatment of people *with leave to remain in the UK* by the authorities, I must advocate open borders. Is everything in your life a choice between two extremes? Do you either starve or cram yourself so full of food that you burst and die a horrible death? Try exercising some thought.
Is all that security (camera's etc) to stop Americans escaping?
its to stop Canadian Mexicans...
You'll find that the UK has a CCTV camera on every corner, one can't do anything without being constantly monitored. I recently travelled to France by ferry and at the Port of Dover are virtually dozens of CCTV cameras filming absolutely everything. I reckon soon the British government will install cameras in our homes to make sure they know that you don't misbehave within our own four walls.
Make sure Trudeau doesn't sneak in.
Its to stop the world from sending their low life’s from coming into the United States of America.
@@hanshartfiel6394 they have Google apple MS and Amazon doing that. My house is full of phones and smart speakers.
Asking Border Staff which of My Three Passports they Want is always interesting.
Some countries it can be illegal for you to give them the "wrong" one, for examle if you hold a US passport, it's a federal offense to not use that when entering the US.
Irish Passport when Entering Ireland, British Passport when Entering England, British or Irish when Entering the EU trough another Member Country and My Australian Passport when Entering Australia or New Zealand.
Blackwater House Cork ,
Interesting. Does the fact that you have three passports have anything to do with Australia having once been part of the British Commonwealth?
David Hoffman No. it has Absolutely No Bearing What So Ever.
Ian Stevenson ALL of these countries are still owned and controlled by the Vatican anyway no matter what passport you have via their Cestui Que Vie Trusts. They also own YOU and every single person on this planet via their birth certificates plus they own everything that you own as well via these trusts - you own NOTHING. Every single person is also being traded on the Stock Exchange via these trusts as well and everyone has a Cestui Que Vie Trusts worth BILLIONS that our corrupt controlled governments/political parties do not tell us about. Countries, Governments, Political Parties, Councils, Courts, Police, Health Boards are all just CORPORATIONS listed on Dun & Brad street and being traded on the Stock Exchange for profit. The Vatican/Rothschilds/Queen etc are trying to rearrange their Countries (CORPORATIONS) into three huge blocks as per George Orwells 1984 - Orwell being a 33rd Degree Freemason knew what their plans were - that is why they are filling up countries with immigrants etc to get rid of the countries. There is a Universal Cleanup going on just now to take out this Deep State that really runs our countries/world. Go watch the channels such as In Pursuit of Truth reporting on the QAnon announcements of the take down in the US - QAnon being Military Intelligence. Google Paisley Expressions and the Jesus, Hitler and Wizard of Oz post on there just now exposing the Elites agenda that has been going on for thousands of years - the masses being pretty brain dead it has been easy for them. Part 2 coming soon exposing this Universal Cleanup and how all of these CORPORATIONS including our Governments were Foreclosed (SHUT DOWN) in 2103/13 only our corrupt controlled governments/political parties are not telling the people this.
Must confuse the hell out of them when you’re driving the car on your own!
I definitely get a lot of double takes 😁
Just goes to show that being polite and courteous can make your life a lot easier.
So what happened next at the end of the video?
its a pre- requisite with US customs officials I guess, otherwise they taser you for not saying please and thank you!!!
There is no good reason not to be polite at actual entry points the much bigger problem is in the US with inland, some as much as 100 miles, checkpoints, they are simply wrong and should be shut down.
Would of been nice to hear the border control have good manners as well.
16vastraturbo, mostly I think they don't because the job is one of control and we are the sheep that will obey or else, that is the way with all agents of government.
American military members who were stationed in Germany back in the 1960s-1970s had USAREUR plates with "USA" stamped on the top (United States Army-Europe) on their (POV) privately owned vehicle.
This was regardless of your Branch of Service.
In the 60s, they were Red/White and in the 70s Green and White. There was no expiration sticker on them. It was all on the documentation that went with the plates. In 1964, I shipped my car from Germany to the US; but had to go get it from Canada when the shipping company decided to drop it off there??? I drove it from Canada back to WA state with the military plates on it and was never questioned about the "odd" plates. Other than the single letter and the numbers; plus the "USA" letters there were no other distinguishing items on the plates.
The plates were good in every country we went into during our time in Germany.
On my second tour there, when we returned from Germany with our car in 1973; it was shipped from Germany to New Jersey. Never had a problem with the plates. We drove it across the US and was amazed to see so many people drive by, looking at the plates and we could read their lips as hey would be saying "USA", where is that"? According to our vehicle paperwork, we had 30 days to exchange the "USA" plates for a State plate; which we did once we arrived in WA State. Both era plates were the standard American sized license plates. I still have both sets in my footlocker for memory sake; along with my USAREUR/German Drivers License, which looks like a small passport book.
When I was stationed in Germany, I came across a group of Porsches with US plates. They paid to bring their cars there to drive on the Auto Bahn.
Interesting video ☺ i love Canada, I stayed with family last year in Toronto...so much hassle crossing the border into the USA
In Suffolk UK there are US Air force bases there are always loads of American cars on US plates driving around, when they go back to the States the owners sell the cars cheap, you can get some good bargains.
Glad that I live in the EU! Sometimes I drive from Austria to Slovakia just to buy groceries. No hassle at all.
Cool story, I can drive over 2000 miles without crossing a border in the US
Zechts I can drive across 27 different countries in Europe without crossing a border checkpoint or currency change!
@@nick21614 and ? Europe is much more beautiful and people are much more competent. I can drive to France and back from the U.K. before you reach the nearest shop
@@millitaryofficial913 All false but keep believing!
@@nick21614 I don’t need to believe Anything it’s the stone cold truth. The USA is a mess. When will you degenerates over there learn that bigger isn’t always better
Good to see all the trucks stick to the slow lane.
I was saw an oregon licence plate when was still staying in western australia. It was in the suburb of Claremont. It was a rare sightings
Did you leave the car there? Or ship it back to the UK?
Legally the car has to be scrapped or shipped back 12 months after entering, and I doubt it was scrapped, so yes
So this video finished rather oddly, did he make it through that boarder check, is he in jail for smuggling decent petrol across the boarder in his fuel tank, what's going on? answers on a post card.
Ha! Sorry... I should put st the follow up really. I did make it across yes :)
Well that's good to know, especially considering what I've been reading in the papers about how the Americans have been treating Canadians ie throwing them in Jail for crossing a border when it is not clearly defined in certain places.
Anyway good know you made it.
What was the name of the international insurance used? Also I've always wondered how exactly would an accident be handled with the insurance? Would you be able to get your car repaired at any garage near you? Is it only third party? Do you have to tell your UK insurance as well? If it's written off abroad then do you get any payout? Does it come with Breakdown cover?
Hi Jordan. Are used local insurance; progressive. I had to use them because they were the only company that could accept my car; which was never sold in the USA.
Hope you’re ready for this…
In my particular case, the Vin number was recycled because the car was never sold in the US. That meant that they were two different cars in the US with the same vin number and no other insurance company would touch me.
That said, they were very good. Contacting them was never a problem and fortunately, did not need to make a claim. It did not come with breakdown cover and I took out AAA anyway. Technically, a temporarily imported vehicle does not need to be insured (believe it or not), but one would be an absolute moron on every level to not take out insurance.
I did not need to tell my UK insurance as I was not there and there was nothing they could do about my US Adventure anyway. I even SORN’d it.
Being able to repair my own vehicles, I never really worried about mechanical failures. These cars can be repaired with gaffer tape and zip ties, but yes of course any garage would be able to take care of the majority of it if needed. After all, I did not have specific tools.
You ask a lot of great questions. Allow me to give you the long and short of taking the car with you to the United States for a prolonged period of time.
Everything in the United States is way more complicated than it needs to be when it comes to car ownership. Insuring a vehicle in the UK presents the most difficult choice as “do I want fully comprehensive cover or third-party, fire and theft”. In the US, they want you to decide how much you want to cover for personal injury of yourself, for others, property damage, other vehicle damage… The list goes on. You cannot just have a bump and it be taken care of.
Breakdown cover is by state, so be sure to take out the cover that will look after you across the states.
This might help too:
usapuma.blogspot.com/2016/01/what-is-part-of-well-oiled-plan.html?m=1
@@chrisjamesbehan Thank you for your detailed reply, really appreciate it. I'm just really paranoid about things like this and want to have everything done and done properly. That blog you linked is brilliant, great in depth info. Top guy cheers
I fly a private jet into Canada on a regular basis (American pilot, American registered aircraft), and there are times when I get quite a bit more rigorous inspection than this.
I came through on Puerto Rican plates once, which is US, but that really confused them.
Border patrol agents are not very bright
I'm Canadian and even I understand that Puerto Rico is an American state, by what I see from the news, doesn't look like too many Americans know it...
Devin Heida It's not a state and it's not even considered part of the US although it belongs to it. It's called an unincorporated territory which pretty much means colony. I don't think the border guards questioned that PR belonged to the US, but they wondered why a PR car would be going through Canada. It would obvously have to be shipped so it would be easy to smuggle drugs on such a car that would be travelling on a container.
Devin Heida You’re making Canadians look bad! LoL
Puerto Rico is not a state.
Royal Caymanian yeah my bad, David corrected me, confused it being a state with a colony. Nonetheless, I still understand that it's a part of the US as the get to vote for the president too.
CBP Officer: “We don’t want you to accuse us of stealing $20, your in Detroit now.” Lol
Hey I’m looking at taking my 5.5T Unimog from the UK to USA and then Mexico as a tourist. Do you have any resources you’d recommend? It’s not something I’ve found easily researchable as it’s not for import, just for overlanding.
Can’t help you with Mexico, but my old blog usapuma.blogspot.com should help. Head to the earlier posts and the journey will tell all. Chris
Ford Puma, such a great car, loved mine 👍
How easy is it to ship your car over to America from the UK for 3 months and how easy is it to get insurance over there to cover you .
Read my blog USApuma.blogspot.com as to the process. It was pretty straightforward but took A LOT of research and planning.
As for insurance, it depends on the state. My car was odd because it shared he same VIN as another vehicle somewhere else in the country. Progressive insured me but it wasn’t cheap on a ‘foreign licence’ and a local licence wasn’t that easy to be applicable for.
FL for example required that I already had current insurance, which I didn’t fully understand- so a bit of sweet talking and an existing UK policy later, I was in.
MA it’s much simpler - you just call up but again, they need a residence to work with.
Why bother? Just rent a car in Seattle then you won't have any problems. I've done it 5 or 6 times.
Spike Spillane If you listen he says it was cheaper to ship it than to rent.
ut he said that it was 2-3 times more expensive to rent
You basically living my dream
if it cost $1200 to ship the car over how much did it cost for US insurance cover etc? was that $1200 return or are you just gonna leave the car there once you've finished?
Insurance was $305 for 6 months
Nice vid..... Wished ive seen you on the roads in Canada ..... Hi, from Ontario :) is there a part 2....hope you enjoyed your trip :)
How did the car get here .? SCOTTIE! BEAMED ME OVER
David Hoffman: I dread to imagine the cost of flying a car by freight, especially a 20 year old Ford Puma 😁 Even excess baggage when flying on charter flights is £10 per kilo !
It was like 760 quid at the time. 👍🏼
Chris Behan Pretty good value really,interesting vid!
How did you do this? I read about it want to take the car to the us but seems complicated. Americans can take their car to europe for 6 months.. easy thing.
You can take a car on a tourist entry for up to a year. Check out the blog I put together usapuma.blogspot.com
I completed a ten month road trip through Canada, the US, Mexico and Belize a few years back with Western Australian licence plates.
The only problems I encountered were small town cops with plate recognition software (a new innovation) and people wanting to buy my licence plates 😏
Welcome to Detroit!....
Just a general rule I use is to be polite. When I (as an American) have traveled to Europe , or the Middle East I always respect the culture. You wouldn't believe how friendly the English are when you just use manners.
Tip to any American traveling to England is to be polite, and try to learn the culture. You will have a much better time.
Before the EU my husband and I drove from Calais to Rome in a rental with Italian plates. When the border guardd saw our Canadian passports they waved us through unlike the people who were having their car torn apart.
You said you were going to the Henry Ford museum im curious what car are you driving? I'd love to bring my Cortina to the states or Canada that would really confuse them.
Nice speedy crossing compared to crossing Essex to Kent or vice versa... Thanks for sharing :)
The Atlantic Bridge is finally open.
From which harbor, in the UK, did you take the ship to US? I am struggling to find information regarding road trip to the US. Seems most available information is only about how to rent a car in the US.
Read my blog usapuma.blogspot.com
All the details in there.
Did you ship with carshipuk? Are you only allowed to keep the car there for 1 year? I'm taking my car from London to Nyc
XxCATdestroyerxX No - I did it all myself. I used Willaneus Wilhelmsen for the shipping and did all my own paperwork. Check out the blog I wrote going through the process USApuma.blogspot.com
How do you get into North America with a car? Is there a ferry or something?
HexoSlaya369 not exactly. I had to book commercial shipping but it was called RORO (Roll on Roll off).
Once booked, I took the car to Southampton and gave up the keys and then picked it up stateside a couple of weeks later.
Chris Behan ah ok. Thanks for the answer.
I have a friend that works in Southampton docks (UK) loading cars on to ferries. He loads a special car ferry with 8 levels, all for cars. He drives different cars all day. Anything from a Fiat to a Ferrari.
Chris Behan I know someone who used a similar service. The car had an extra 200
Miles on the clock when it got stateside...
You take The Holland tunnel you fool, it comes out lower Manhattan. Easy
Closed boarders seem so old fashioned.
"a nation without borders is not a nation" -i don't remember, Trump I think
>I began my documentary here in Detroit MI
I'm so sorry you had to see Detroit
may i suggest using the sarnia-port huron crossing next time? the people there are a lot nicer and there is less traffic in my experience. we always get through a lot quicker.
RUclips Knows I'm a license plate geek
BigDannyK iam too lol
never give an american a uniform
Molly O'Brien put anyone in uniform and they go a bit Hitler youth on you.
@zondaintheair I prefer those uniforms and people than most police lol
Yes yes......raaatha.
Britain no longer bleeds the world. The Britt uniform murdered more people than any army in the world.
Will remember that next time we have to save your sorry asses from tyranny.
@@godblessamerica6613 The problem is that "next time" looks like it's going to be on American soil, like a civil war or so
The Guard was confused as to why the steering column was on the wrong side of the dashboard 😂🤣.
I am swiss and planing to make a road trip trough the us from new york to los angeles with my corvette convertible. can anyone tell me if this is possible and how it works? paper insursnce ect thanks
It’s pretty straightforward. Check out the very beginning of my blog where I’m going through it myself. I document everything, it’s just not all in one place.
usapuma.blogspot.com
Over 50 boarder crossings in four years riding my motorcycle around the world and without a doubt the American Customs and Border staff were without a doubt the rudest and most aggressive I encountered on my entire adventure.
Wanted huge amount of information, but you cannot take your electronic devices that hold this info into the office. Even insisted on a phone number for my long dead father.
Peter Forde the U.S. likes to keep trash out.
STUBS 1960, but you are already in.
Semper verum it was the easiest way to get to Mexico and the friendly and cultured country’s of Central and South America. You should perhaps get a passport a visit.....you might learn something.
It was probably the Hell’s Angels badge on your jacket!
Corvette Dude yeah right.....riding a BMW.
The Ambassador Bridge, where the armpit of America meets the armpit of Canada!
Keith McIntyre Detroit's not any worse than any other large City! & the suburbs are beautiful!
@@cascorick8253 by suburbs, do you mean Windsor?
Keith McIntyre no just south of Port Huron st. Clair River area!
walt charamba never been to Japan, but I dare to say they don't have the native problems we have in Detroit! Like I said just like any major city you got to know where to go and when!
@@cascorick8253 ....oh, near Sarina, Canada's other armpit.
....P.S . Are there any vids of the trip with interaction with the natives....e.g....where you from Bwoy ?? what kinda tag is that on that there carrrrrr ? I got some funny comments the first day I used the C.B radio in the Tanker truck I was driving in VA. . The other truckers really used their imagination when it came to giving me a "handle".....give up ? " The Limey "
Last year I saw a car with Canadian plates in Bournemouth. I was totally confused how or even why?
Probably the same reason as me. Travelling for a year
What car were you driving?
If only we patrolled the Mexican border this well. Lord forgive a British Citizen gets into the USA.
Actually, nearly all of the US-Canada border is unfenced.
@@jonathantan2469 It is indeed but if you don't show up at the nearest documentation centre you're ducked
Does that include Muslim Brits with dark skin or only white Christian Brits?
just actual brits, no such thing as a muslim dark skin brit, no matter what a piece of paper says.
Be a big boy racist and say what you mean... cryptic bullshit just makes you look like a pussy...
So did you ship the car back to the UK or sell it at a profit as a rare exotic?!
I once saw a caravan with Belgium license at Grand Canyon... that was confusing
I'm not the least bit surprised.
I'm German, in 1999 I returned from a 4 days tour in Canada back to the US. Despite a valid visa and all papers it took the US officers ages to accept that I just want to complete my excursion. I was just a passenger in my friend's car, he is US citizen. The most stupid questions they asked me were why I don't stay in Canada and what's the purpose of my travel to the US. Even showing my ticket for the return flight to Germany from JFK airport didn't help much. Despite there was really no reason for suspicion, it took the Officers almost an hour to accept the situation and to let me in. If this happens to me, how much worse it will be for someone of color and from a less wealthy country?
Sounds like you got a rough CBP officer with an authority complex
@Frank Neser I've been to the states loads of times on a Zimbabwe passport and ever had any trouble. You must have had an attitude.
Nah, bullshit, it's nothing to do with having an attitude. I've been to the states on a British passport many times as well, some border officers are the coolest people you can meet, whereas some have a genuine problem with having any sort of authority in their hands. I found New York border officers, in particular, to be the absolute worst.
No attitude, I was calm and followed all orders, patiently answered all questions. From time to time the officer sat down, looked again in my passport, then checked his PC again and then it looked like thinking about something, before getting back to me to ask questions, the same over and over again. I was just waiting for the final insight that he has to let me go. I can't complain about rudeness, the man seem to be just stubborn.
Next to Switzerland Germany and Germans are one of the most racist people on the Planet....Your implication that American border guards are racist is nonsense!
They seemed a bit grumpy.
Especially the guy who asked what the point was.
I get it was a British car but more than likely you and the car would have checked out.
So I don't get the fingers near guns and the whoa whoa whoa attitude.
Paul because some Americans have big egos, and like to wave their guns around because it makes them feel powerful and intimidating
Plus they wanna show off to tourists, it’s pretty pathetic actually, and laughable
Some Americans, not all
I remember being in Germany, we drove American cars with American plates for awhile anyway.
It's legaly for 9month in germany after that you're not a tourist anymore and you have to change your car to the DIN Standarts and make a new Driving license cause americans are too easy
LOL at all those cameras at the check point xD
People make mean posts on youtube videos??? I dont believe it. people are kind hearted and decent! ^_^
Those flickering `open` signs belong on a peep show :-O
marshalllucky ,
That is the old frame rate on the camera trying to deal with the electricity cycles in the signs. It's the same reason rotating propellers look like they are stopped sometimes in videos. Frame rate issues.
only shows up on camara, its LED lights, the flickering has to do with the voltage pulses,called frequency. You dont notice it with the human eye because your brain compensates. A camara cannot. Floresent lights do this also. Some people like myself, get headaches from those pulses, because it screws with our brain. I was told tinted glasses fix that. I have worn tinted every since I found out. No headaches in years.
I also transported my own car to the USA and it was quite easy. Recommend doing this to anybody.
Ford puma secret code for Colin McRae rally 2 coolestcar... If anyone needs the unlock
Please don't clog up our roads with your typical politeness. You can pass on the left or right, those signs with numbers on them like 65 mph are just suggestions, some Stop signs don't really mean Stop, Yellow light means hit the gas at least 2 of us can make it, pass that Bus don't sit behind it, only in a few States do pedestrians have the right of way, we don't expect you to launch your vehicle into a triple barrel roll because some nutbag wandered onto the highway. Last tip don't smash on the brake in white out snow storms, just follow the tail lights in front of you. Welcome to America
ManufacturedLack obviously you live in Detroit!
This is actually the correct way to drive moron. I wish people in America drove like how you said but it’s literally the opposite. No one has balls to go through yellow lights and EVERYONE stops on stop signs like they about to get shot if they don’t
Sounds a lot like Italy.
Self important Jobsworths. They must be so bored.
Not really. They are trying to screen screen people as they cross into their country for safety reasons. The guy has been presented with a car he has never seen before and probably not processed before. On top of that he is dealing with import papers and a tourist visa. These are all possible red flags and I think the guys at the boarder were very polite and professional. These "jobsworths" deserve more respect but I guess it's easier to ridicule them rather than say thank you.
Ive travelled between the US and Canada,and the Canadians are as friendly and courteous as anything,the yanks on the other hand,different kettle of fish altogether...
What car was you driving
You lucky bastard, you got ZERO traffic on the bridge!