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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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| Belong to a business which is active in the business of exporting I can assure you that Canadian spec vehicles exceed all US emission controls inc California,they all meet DOT requirements as well. The auctions in Canada are full of US buyers,they probably buy 50% of all the Big Three lease returns forcing prices up in Canada. At the Seattle Auto Auction,a gentleman from Canada is the 4th largest seller of vehicles. Where do you think he gets them. All they need is a factory speedo change. Canadian vehicles typically have lower mileage also. We don't drive as much. (we use dog sleds and ski-doos half the year)HA HA. | |
| rroyce10: In a recent post you stated "Honda will not honor the warranty work. Some GM dealers will give you a hassle, VW won't warranty the work, etc.. etc...". Are you sure about this? I know that if a Canadian buys a Honda, GM, or VW and has any problems while driving through the U.S. the manufacturer's warranties will be honored at any of the manufacturer's dealerships. A friend of mine (an owner of a Chrysler dealer here in Canada) tells me that if he sells to an American that the original warranty WILL be honored in the U.S. at any Chrysler dealership no questions asked(my friend, on the other hand, will be fined heavily by Chrysler.) | |
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I've checked into this situation and here's what I've learned: On the vehicle I'm looking to purchase, a 2002 Nissan Maxima, the savings I could realize from importing from Canada would be a minimum of $3500, and perhaps as much as $5000. With the options I'd want the US invoice is ~$27500 USD. I know of folks that have purchased the same vehicle, with identical specs, in Canada for $36000 CAD (~$22500 USD). Let's say duties and transportation come to $1000 USD. That's a net savings of $4000. I could save even more if I got the price down from $36000 (that represents ~$1800 over invoice), or if I could get there and back for less. Now, if I plan to keep the car forever, such that resale value is a moot point, that's basically the end of the story. However, if instead I try to sell it in, say, 5 years, the questions to ask are 1) how much is it to convert the gauges, such that the car is indistinguishable from US versions (my conservative guess is <$500); 2) can I do so without being branded TMU (my guess is "yes, no problem"); and 3) how much less would the car sell for if I left the gauges unchanged (I'd almost certainly need to seek a private buyer, and at a discount ($1K? $2K?) off the going rate of, say, $12000 for 5-Yr Old Max's). Given all the above considerations, it seems pretty much inconceivable that I'd lose MORE than the ~$4000 I saved originally (which, incidentally, I invested and is now worth ~$5600  7% ROR). Terry, your point is well taken though -- I've never actually tried this, so who knows what unpleasant realities might await. Also, as has been mentioned, this works great for Nissans, but other manufacturers go to great lengths to put up barriers to this sort of transaction. Dave
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....... I'm not disagreeing that there is Canadian vehicles sold in the States.. because they are. And this is not any type of Canadian bashing .. Me personally, I could care less .. IF, the market warranted it. But the reality is ... the nice folks in Seattle and Tacoma, when or if they try to trade that vehicle in SF, New Orleans, Boston, Miami, will or are, in a state of shock. When you convert the mileage, the title will show TMU ... Carfax will show TMU, the service records will show TMU. There is enough problems with a 2 yr old Lexus, BMW, VW, Chevy etc, etc (that's a Stateside).. that if the Odo bust's and they re-new it, the new miles start at -0- . The Federal stamp in the door, from the manufacturer that shows the time, the day, the Tech who did it, is on a worldwide computer system from the manufacturer, those vehicle themselves are hard to sell. I probably go to 6/8 auctions a month, from Florida to N. York and I see Canadians all the time, but each and everyone sell (depending on the vehicle) for $2/$3/$4,000+ less. When a dealer has to "try" to explain away the "mile" discretpency it turns customers Cooold. But, if they can buy it for, let's say $4,000 less than the one next to it ... and they can prove all the facts, which is time consuming and then try to prove that the re-sale is just super (when they are buying it for much less) .. it's hard to get the consumers faith. Hey, then when you get into the warranty issue ... woooof, that can kill it in 5 seconds. I understand that one of the "Human" trait's is greed. I understand that most of the dealers selling the vehicles across the border are making $1,0/$1,5/$2,000 more than if they sold them on their own turf .. Hey, it's business. The only point is ..... I have been done this road in 88/89 .. 92/93, and when the smoked all cleared, there was just a couple of thousand buyers who couldn't get the warranty and got killed at trade time. I feel, the Manufacturers and both Govt's should address this. I really don't feel that they are both on the same page --- and until they are, the consumer takes it in the "you know what" ...again..! I hope this makes sense ... Terry. |
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lofquist, I can't seem to get your e-mail address. Can you e-mail my profile about the ins and outs of this process. I'm going to get an Altima in Montreal if I can |
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| Not a big deal, but all the labels on the car will likely be in French. | |
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shoeless2, Yeah every once in a while someone says they can't get my address out of the Edmunds db. I'll just start adding it as a tagline. Email is jonlofquist aol.com (don't shoot me for the 'aol', - it's a long story).  But a couple comments. Nissan is not currently letting the Canadian dealers sell Altimas to the US. At least that's what the dealers I trust are saying. Too hot a vehicle. Maybe a little later. It's ok for Pathfinders, Maximas, QX4s, I35's, Q45's. On all of those you'll find selling prices are way under US dealer invoice. As much as $5600 at my last look. Also Quebec is the only Canadian province that charges you the provincial sales tax, but then won't refund it. For example, Ontario refunds it, and BC won't charge you at all as a non-resident. Toronto is the hot spot for the best prices in the 'east', Vancouver in the 'west'. The exchange rate hit a new al-time high last week. So much the better for us! -Jon jonlofquist aol.com
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I don't know how this would play, but my brother bought a pathfinder in Canada, and is looking now at a Toyota Sequoia. The Dealer up there said no problem. For an additional $750 or $800 they would meet him south of the border, in the USA, and change out the Speedo for him. So from day one the car would be in miles, not kilometers. The savings due to the exchange rate is something like $5,000. So if the car is delivered with a speedo showing miles, how is he going to get hit with a TMU loss? Also if a certified shop changes out the speedometer why would the car be hit with TMU lable? |
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..... It's been titled, and the klicks will show. Terry. |
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You seem to be saying that it's impossible to convert an odometer from kM to Miles without the car being labeled TMU -- no way, no how. I thought the whole reason a repair shop would obtain certification to perform odometer repair/replacement is that so they could do their work WITHOUT rendering a car TMU. Otherwise what good is the certification, right? What am I missing here? |
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