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Importing Canadian Vehicles to the U.S.

391 messages,  Last post on Dec 07, 2008 at 6:29 AM

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#61 of 391 just love it when.... by godeacs Feb 16, 2002 (4:20 pm)
people say they will save $4-5K on a car imported from Canada and invest the difference and make out like a bandit! Yeah, right! I'd say the large majority of folks will NOT invest the difference, rather blow it on something else.   The car guys here who know try to explain but nooo....people don't want to hear, tell them they are wrong, etc. Agree with rroyce....most folks do NOT keep a car 6-7 yrs. They say that up front and then 2-3 yrs later, they're shopping again and then they are shocked when they try to sell....   Folks, there's no such thing as a free lunch...in most cases....lol
#62 of 391 godeacs by im_brentwood Feb 16, 2002 (10:29 pm)
People tend to believe what they want to...   You are right. Its just like I had that 98 Corolla... 86Kish miles (Was in KMs). A clean 98 5-speed.   Couldne get $4,500 for it retail!   Bill
#63 of 391 well, count me as one who refuses to get educuted... by dusti Feb 17, 2002 (8:35 am)
here's what I believe.   Present money is worth more than future money. Whether the money is blown or invested is beside the point.    Manufacturer's ALLEGEDLY don't honor the warranties not because they split themselves up into different national entities and quite rationally and logically don't honor each other's "different" cars ..   but because they quite rationally and logically are in business to make a profit and it's in their interest to put up all the roadblocks possible to keep their profitable market from getting its hands on their products through means that won't give them one.   Canadian cars AREN'T grey market cars. There are no modifications not under the manufacturers' control that would present a rational reason not to honor the warranties.   I say allegedly because there is such a thing as an implied warranty. The product is required to perform its basic function - period.   If Canadian vehicles are such dogs in the market that the loss in value upon resell is greater than the money initially saved taking into account present money calculations...   And this is a BIG if.   Then the American public must have some real phobia against kilometers.   And USED Canadian vehicles must be one heck of a bargain.   Buy one and drive it until the wheels rot. The car won't have this phobia.
#64 of 391 dusti, by landru2 Feb 17, 2002 (10:31 am)
It's great that you BELIEVE all that. Tell us what you KNOW and we'll have something.
#65 of 391 RE: Investing the difference... by prayerfor Feb 18, 2002 (7:26 am)
godeacs:   You're right that in most instances, folks won't come back from Canada with a new car and the next day write a big check to Vanguard for $5K. Instead, if they're buying with cash, they'll withdraw $5K less from what they've already got at Vanguard than they otherwise would have.   Alternatively, if they're borrowing, they'll take out a loan with $5K less in principal. However the end result is the same: the upfront savings *grows* over time.   $25K for 48 months 6.0% => $28182 total outlay $20K for 48 months 6.0% => $22546 total outlay difference is $5636.   In a practical sense, either case represents *investing*.
#66 of 391 BILL by sonjaab Feb 18, 2002 (10:20 pm)
Bring that TOY up here to ALexandria Bay NY.........Crazy money !!!!
#67 of 391 prayerfor...valid pts... by godeacs Feb 19, 2002 (10:03 am)
Excellent summary and you're right on IF someone does that. Guess my pt was that say someone was gonna spend $26K on you new car, then finds out they can get it for $22K in Canada. So...they go thru the gyration (and expense) of importing from Canada and say, "hey, I just saved almost $4K from that trip to Toronto". Let's take that $$$ and take a vacation, buy a second car, remodel the house, etc..."   So much for investing the difference!   Also, guess I'm still skeptical - if bringing a car in from Canada was THAT good a deal, there'd be companies lined up at the borders providing that service....lol
#68 of 391 godeacs by gerapau Feb 19, 2002 (11:08 am)
The reason that companies are not lined up at the borders providing the service is because most manufacturers either do not allow buying in Canada or make it less attractive to either the purchaser (Honda and others by not honoring the Canadian warranty) or the seller (Ford and others by charging a penalty to the Canadian dealer for knowingly selling to Americans). Those manufacturers that do (Nissan/Infiniti)allow Americans to buy their cars in Canada would probably change their tune if a large number of people started buying in Canada. American dealers would start complaining and the manufacturer would put an end to it.   Also, I do believe that any company that would set up shop and try to sell Canadian cars in the U.S. would have to sell them as used (the only way to buy a new Canadian car is through a Canadian dealer) and thus would not be as profitable.   What it comes down to, is who you believe. On one side we have actual buyers who have made the trip north and have saved significant amounts of money and on the other side we have those that believe that these cars will lose any potential savings when the cars are resold. As others have said already though, if you do keep your cars for a long time buying in Canada may save you a lot of dollars. To everyone, I would advise you to contact your DMV before making the decision to buy in Canada. That way you can make sure that you will not end up regretting your decision.   All this said though, some bargains are almost too good to pass on. One example appears to be the new Infiniti G35. Canadian prices have just been released and they appear to be much cheaper then in the U.S. The Canadian G35 with Premium package has a MSRP of CA$41,500 or about US$26,100. The American model with the same options is the G35 Luxury Leather model with Premium Package (with Winter Pakage, Power Sunroof, Xenon headlights and Wood Trim) and has a MSRP of US$33,580. Now, it is hard to compare all options, since the Canadian Infiniti web site doesn't have the specs for the different models yet, but all of the major options are the same (leather, sunroof, BOSE, Xenon, etc...). At a difference of about US$7,500 it should pay (even in the long term) to make that trip north.
#69 of 391 Gerapau ... by rroyce10 Feb 19, 2002 (5:47 pm)
...... So, what happens when you go to trade that G35 in the next 2/3 years ..and the vehicle is worth $10 LARGE less ...?       Call the DMV ...?           Terry.
#70 of 391 by gerapau Feb 20, 2002 (5:57 am)
rroyce10: Do you actually believe that the car will be worth $10,000 less? If you do then you are fooling yourself.   I know people that are/were involved in the used car business here in Canada. Starting a couple of years ago the used car prices started jumping up substantially at the auctions north of the border. There were/are two main reasons for this; American dealers coming to Canadian auctions and driving up the prices and Canadian leasing companies taking their lease returns directly to the U.S. to sell at American auctions (thus reducing the numbers available in Canada). I talked directly to one of the people that were involved in taking a shipment of Chrysler lease returns to an auction in N.Y. state. According to him, it was much more profitable to sell their cars in the U.S. then in Canada. He told me that he would have no trouble selling the entire shipment (more then 500 cars) that they were taking to the U.S. that day. I doubt very much that this would be the case if, as you have been telling us, the Canadian cars were worth so little in the U.S.   You have stated yourself that you have seen thousands of Canadian cars go through the auctions that you have attended. The majority of these (late model cars) are probably from Canadian leasing companies. You have also stated that these cars usually go for half of the normal value. Do you believe that these leasing companies are taking their cars to the states to lose money? Used car prices in Canada are currently slightly less then in the U.S. but if the leasing companies could only get half the going rate in the U.S. then I doubt that you would see many Canadian cars at all. Wouldn't it be much more profitable to keep their cars in Canada? I will agree with you that the Canadian car will probably be worth less in 2-3 years. But definately not $10,000 less, nor $7,500 less.   As far as calling the DMV (department of motor vehicals or whatever it is called in your state) is concerned, if someone is concerned that their vehical will possibly be branded TMU they should be able to find out for sure from their DMV.

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