Bringing one home from Canada

I bought several cars in Canada over the years and never had any issues. The most recent was in 2017 and that one was a little harder since the speedo was in Kilometers, but had documentation it met all US safety and emissions. Since the Pierce was made in the US and pre-emission, DOT safety it should not be a problem and no duty on bringing it back. Go to the customs website and download the latest forms and fill them out so you are ready at the border. You’ll need the title, bill of sale, ID. Have the sellers phone number in case an issue comes up. Bring documentation about Pierce Arrow since not everyone knows the history of where they were made. Try and cross off hours so you are not waiting for a long time.

Scott, I just retired as a Supervisor with US Customs after 35 years. You should have no problem clearing the car. I suggest, if possible, you clear the car at Buffalo, at the Peace Bridge Crossing, as they are quite familiar with Pierce Arrows. Your car is a US car, so the vehicle enters as “US Goods Returned” and should be exempt from duties. There may be some minor entry fees involved. I suggest you make entry for the car rather than just driving it across the border as many DMVs will balk at issuing a new title on a car brought in from overseas unless the application for title is accompanied by a CBP 7501, formal entry, which shows that the vehicle was legally entered into the US. Go to the CBP.gov website, and you should be able to download the DOT and EPA forms (your car should be exempt from both due to date of manufacture) and read the two publications, one on importing a car (most of it relates to more modern cars) and Importing into the United States, which gives you a good overview of how an import entry is made.