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Smart Shopper Importing Canadian Vehicles to the U.S.
391 messages, Last post on Dec 07, 2008 at 6:29 AM
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Replying to: dusti (Apr 16, 2002 3:53 pm) tboner brings up the idea of what his company did - charge the equipment owner for an inspection, upgrade, and certification and then sign them up for a service contract. Would you be willing to pay for that process and pay an ongoing charge (service contract as I know it is a monthly charge for a warranty) in order to buy your car in Canada? IIRC correctly, terry and bill, (our used car gurus) have said the inspection and certification process costs about $1,000 to do depending on the make. Is this a cost you are willing to pay? The $100 metioned above will barely cover 1 hour of tech time to go over the car. The buyer should also be prepared to pay for a new speede/odo and that labor, emissions testing, et al. Pretty soon, I think the savings will dwindle to almost nothing. As for the manufacturers only dealing with people who bought from a Canadian dealer rather than an importer, it may be possible. But the onus should be on the buyer who is gaining the advantage rather than the manufacturer. But eventually you'll have someone who bought from an importer saying they are entitled to the same deal because after all it is a new car. Also you must remember that many of these importers are US new car dealers, so some of the problem is created by the dealers you want to certify your auto with. |
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Replying to: dusti (Apr 16, 2002 3:53 pm) Ideally for the consumer, the carmaker would stand behind the product they build and not hide behind a byzantine distribution network. Such a network really does nothing to help your customers and mostly serves only to make the organization more complex. But then I work for a company that provides 24x7x365 coverage for your systems if you want to pay. The warranty is M-F 8-5, but you can buy additional service. But we don't draw the line at where you bought the machine. You buy it here and ship it to Germany to use at Rhine Main AFB, you still get service. And we usually come to you too. With a few exceptions (software and encryption export laws and regulations require slightly different distributions outside USA) the products we sell here, are the same as sold worldwide. TB |
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Replying to: dusti (Apr 16, 2002 3:53 pm) |
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Replying to: dusti (Apr 16, 2002 3:53 pm) And as has been established before, it is not illegal to buy a vehicle in Canada, as long as it meets US safety and emissions standards. Now, many vehicles that are not offered here, such as a Mitusbishi Lancer Evo7 are not cost effective to bring here. But, they can be legally brought here. But that comparison is apples to oranges, please show me where it is illegal to bring a vehicle sold in Canada into the United States. TB |
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Replying to: dusti (Apr 16, 2002 3:53 pm) So let me get this straight. I have found some computer components to be cheaper in the U.S. than in Canada even after the exchange rate. The problem is that many of these U.S. companies refuse to deal with Canadian purchasers. Are they in violation of NAFTA? |
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Replying to: dusti (Apr 16, 2002 3:53 pm) What tboner mentioned does not apply in this case. He is talking about used equipment that his company knows nothing about its use. I am talking about brand new cars. Why would they have to be certified? I am sure tboners company does not ask you to pay for a certification on brand new equipment that you buy form them and they provide the standard warranty (apparently anywhere in the world, according to his post). landru---I do not feel that i am entitled to anything that I want. But I can express a desire for the way that I would like things to be, not only for me, but for every buyer. I do not single myself out to be ahead of anyone else. I am not sure about your use of the term "rights" so I will not argue that point. But I will agree with tboner that people have certain reasonable expectations and I agree with what he posted above. And as for the airlines, consumers have been taking your advice, Here in the US Southwest and Airtran (the low cost, no frills, no fancy fare rules airlines) were the only ones to make a profit the last couple of quarters. All of the big 7 are losing millions. |
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Replying to: dusti (Apr 16, 2002 3:53 pm) |
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Replying to: dusti (Apr 16, 2002 3:53 pm) IMHO, the manufacturer will not set up a system to exclusively deal with what you say are just a few people who would do this. The mfrs are huge companies and to establish what you think would be an easy system, would require huge investments of their time, money, and resources. Big companies do not easily set up simple programs. Additionally, by doing so they undercut the sales potential of the US dealers that would have to handle the process in the field. This policy does not apply only to autos but most consumer electronics. Try calling Sony, IBM, Panasonic and see what they say. As for the certification process, you noted before that tboner "hit the nail right on the head". I presumed you agreed to paying for certification and conversion to US standards. The system is what the system is. Pricing is different in Canada due to the nature of their economy. Canadians have to pay their national GST (15%??), some AC fees, etc. We may not like it, but that's the way it works. The manufacturers make less money in Canada than they do in the US. The US market is priced higher because it can be. The mfrs protect that pricing differential because a reduction in US sales in exchange for Canada sales is not a zero sum gain. As a shareholder in more than 1 auto company (and most of us through mutal funds/401ks, etc.), I'd prefer to see them earn more profits. As for your warranty card in the coffee maker, did you ever notice they ask more questions about what magazines you read and what you do as opposed to your name and address? Those registration cards are more for marketing purposes than for warranty/recall purposes. Your name may be registered in a database, but guess how many times I've been contacted about a recall that I know about other than by an auto mfr - 0, zip, zilch, never. As for pricing differences, look at a Honda CRV LX equivilant in the UK - 17,595 british pounds. At today's rate that is US$27,272. A US unit is US$19,260 - about 12,425 pounds. And they are made in the UK and shipped here!! |
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Replying to: dusti (Apr 16, 2002 3:53 pm) Landru, you said that consumers don't have the right, and that is what I took exception to. Consumers have the right to buy anywhere, provided what they are buying is legal (I.E. consumers don't have the right to purchase illegal drugs, kiddie porn or whatever the laws the society forbid.) Any seller can refuse to sell the vehicle, that is true. But again it may not be right to refuse based on Nationality. But they do have the right to sell to anyone they want. However, because of the Byzantine system the carmakers have set up, you can't by a car from the carmaker. You buy the car from the dealer. So now the carmaker is telling the dealers who they can and cannot sell to. As a dealer, I would be a bit concerned about that, as it seems to limit your market place. However, as I think about it, I do know that there are often geographical restrictions on rebates or other incentives. But I know of no restrictions stateside that prevent say dealers in Missouri from selling to citizens of Illinois or other. I guess I'm just a free market kinda guy. These additional layers, from the consumers point of view, only add costs to the car. What benefit do I as a consumer get from additional layers between the selling dealer and ultimate parent company? None that I know of. Please notice that I don't say the carmakers can't do what they are doing. They certainly can. However, the bottom line is, consumers don't know about Ford of Canada or Ford of USA or Ford of Fill in the Blank. They simply see Ford on that blue oval and want Ford to stand behind their product. Let them do what they want, but don't complain about the consumer when he or she begins to look at another brand. Sure, the other brand may do that too. But why take the chance that the consumer might get a perfect car than never needs warranty service from the other brand and it is never an issue. The hardest customer to win is one you've previously lost. TB |
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Replying to: dusti (Apr 16, 2002 3:53 pm) So a Canadian dealer should be concerned about losing the market of American buyers but shouldn't be concerned that these sales result in no service/parts/bodyshop business? |
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