:agree:
Very true with respect to the insurance/RCMP harassment issue, with a few exceptions. I've got some info that might be helpful to others. (since I've done this with my Ducati 999, Toyota FJ, Honda s2000 etc.)
Firstly, I insure with State Farm, and have confirmed that there is no issue regarding the length of time the vehicle is out of the country, as long as I am paying my insurance premiums they don't care. I know this, because for a while I was working as a commercial airline pilot based out of Montana, and living in Saskatchewan. I took advantage of the cheaper insurance and cheaper purchase price (back then especially due to the strong Canadian dollar), and purchased the vehicles I mentioned above in California and Texas, then registered them in Montana.
Now, with respect to the RCMP aspect, you are absolutely correct. You have 30 days (technically) to convert your plates to your province of residence. There are two issues here. Firstly, residence is a very loose term. That is, my residence is where I say it is, provided I have a physical address in the U.S. If I say my residence is in Montana, and produce my Montana driver's license (which I have) and my U.S. passport (which isn't really necessary but supports my argument) there isn't a whole lot the RCMP can do. Yes, they can issue me a ticket, but I wouldn't have a whole lot of trouble beating that allegation in Court upon supplying my supporting documents. (I'm a Criminal Defence Attorney now, so that helps). Quite honestly, I have driven vehicles up here in Canada for years and never had a problem with the plates being either California or Montana. The RCMP doesn't seem to care a whole lot, but I think that may have a lot to do with the jurisdiction. In Saskatchewan, if you are doing 120 km/hr you're liable to be passed by the RCMP who is doing more like 130 km/hr with no lights/sirens etc.
But there is another option. What you can do, if you aren't as fortunate as I am with the whole U.S. citizenship/residence thing, is to form a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) in Montana, and then have your vehicle registered under your corporation's name. Believe it or not, this is a very common means of avoiding state sales tax used by people who live in the states. In fact, you don't need to be a U.S. citizen to do this, and it costs about $1,500.00 If you are interested, just for sh#ts and giggles, google Deer Creek Corporate Services in Montana and you can check this out. Then, when the RCMP pull you over, etc., you simply state "the vehicle is not mine, it's registered to my corporation in the U.S.". There is no obligation for you to change the plates over, because the corporation, which as we know is a "person" under the law, resides in the United States. I haven't actually had to do this, since it isn't necessary for me, but it might be some food for thought for those of you considering avoiding the reach of Canada Revenue (GST) and your provincial sales tax, as well as avoiding the payment of inflated prices that always seem to be a punishment for living in Canada. As if the winter isn't enough eh?
Thanx for the info BTW regarding the payment of MSRP+ by Canadian purchasers. You've confirmed exactly what I suspected. The laws of supply and demand are always at play...... fair enough.