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Importing Car into Canada from US

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Comments

  • sergelbergeronsergelbergeron Member Posts: 138
    I actually like the arguements that one gives for higher Canadian pricing - I live in Cornwall which is across the river from the US - NewYork - WOW - it must cost a lot of money to bring the cars that are built in Canada back to Canada - just across the river - the same in Windsor and everywhere else - at least 30-40% more - The whole arguement of the Small canadian volume pricing is all bogus...s.. 90% of Canadians live within 1 hour drive from the US borders. We need to call it what it is "price gauging, "charge what you can get away with", invent this special canadian climate story and lastly let's get the Canadian Government to beleive that we need special rules for 35Million Canadians because the rules in the USA for 350 million americans must be unsafe for Canadians??
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    I couldn't agree more!
  • bobbyjoe6bobbyjoe6 Member Posts: 11
    While I do think that a large part of the problem lies with the manufacturers and not the dealers, I do think that it is the dealers responsibility to demand change.

    By change - I mean they should be able to purchase cars from the manufacturer at US price. Of course what the manufacturers are doing instead is - "Don't worry, we will bribe, lobby and threaten till no cars can come in from the US. Then you don't need to worry about US prices anymore!"

    If dealers are too meek and afraid to say "I need prices lower NOW!" then I'm sorry, but that is their problem, and frankly, I don't think I should have to pay for their choices. Just like if we chose to say nothing and buy an item 30% more than it should be, then that is our problem.
  • maxzoey1maxzoey1 Member Posts: 34
    2007 auto and light truck sales in Canada were 1,653362 units last year, up 2.6% from 2006 sales. It was the second best sales number year over year ever. All manufacturers with the excetion of GM, Ford and Volvo were up over over 2006, and in the case of GM and Ford they purposely reduced their rental fleet sales to try to raise their bottom line.

    In all last year there were approximately 170,000 cars imported, or about 10% of the sales. If we want pricing in Canada to get closer to American pricing we have to stop buyng in Canada, and importing more vechicles. As long as the manufacturers are enjoying sales increases, the pricing is not going to come down. We have to somehow spread the word farther and faster for things to start happening.
  • sid11sid11 Member Posts: 13
    I couldn't agree more with you.
    Just STOP BUYING FROM CANADIAN AUTO DEALERS, at least new vehicles for ONE MONTH.
    It will send a strong signal to the Manufacturers and the Government which has decided to SHAFT the Canadians.
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    This condition should put pressure in both markets. We know that if American market suffers, the Canadian market will follow-suit. We can help our American neighbor by purchasing not only cars but all goods that we can buy in US. This will send signals to Canadian businesses to stop gouging Canadians, We are basically shooting 2 birds in one shot. In one hand, we are helping the US economy and on the 2nd hand, we are sending a strong signal to Ottawa and the Canadian businesses that we can't take it anymore.
  • caramelcaramel Member Posts: 43
    Vehicle sales reported for Canada can be confusing. This is what I believe - but please correct.

    1) The data released within 3 days of month end are manufacturers' shipments to dealers.

    2) It takes a couple of months to report sales to customers as this data comes from Provincial registrars of vehicles.

    3) The imports are reported separately as they are compiled by the RIV - and these include both new and used. I think new vehicle imports are less than 20% of all imports thanks to enterprising used car dealers.

    Here is a little from a recent Toronto Star article.

    Purchases of new and used U.S. vehicles jumped 156 per cent, or more than 14,000, to 23,070 in December from the same month in 2006, according to Canada's Registrar of Imported Vehicles.

    A continuing strong Canadian dollar and low residual values on used American autos sparked the increase and smashed the previous record in 2006, analysts said yesterday.

    The December figures pushed Canadian imports from the United States to a record 189,738 cars and trucks for the year. That's almost 77,000 vehicles, or 68 per cent, more than 2006.


    So if imports are about 10% of cars bought by Canadians, manufacturers can still do very well by us. They still rake in those extra thousands from 90% of us. As for the other 10%, well, they still made money by manufacturing them too.
  • trilium1trilium1 Member Posts: 27
    Caramel I love this quote from the Toronto Star article:

    "A continuing strong Canadian dollar and low residual values on used American autos sparked the increase and smashed the previous record in 2006, analysts said yesterday"

    Funny how these analysts somehow missed the point that an average 30% manufacturers "Canadian premium" on new vehicles had something to do with these results. And that is at a dollar that is par value with the US. I am really getting tired of this distorted tale that manufacturers and their paid analysts continually tell that includes every excuse but the truth to explain why prices are so much higher in Canada. How stupid do they think we are? It is too bad that the Toronto Star and others don't apply a bit more diligence when seeking expert analysis. I wonder how many dollars car manufacturers spend advertising in the Star and other newspapers..Hmmmm.
  • francesgfrancesg Member Posts: 19
    If anyone's interested, a Toyota dealer in Buffalo contacted me to say he has a 2008 Highlander Sport for sale with 4,000 miles on it. He's asking $31,900. We've already bought, so we're not interested. But if anyone else is, you can e-mail us at sassmuskoka@yahoo.ca, and I will give you the name of the dealer.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    "Just STOP BUYING FROM CANADIAN AUTO DEALERS'

    Actually all we need to do is to target just one or two brands and boycott them. I would pick the 2 of the greediest SOB manufacturers (Honda, MB and BMW come to mind). If we can force one or 2 manufacturers to adjust prices, you can bet all the others will be forced to follow.
  • sid11sid11 Member Posts: 13
    I agree that we should target the greediest ones of all involved in a DAY LIGHT ROBBERY in Canada.
    Target Honda, MB & BMW. only for one month.
    DO NOT BUY ANY OF THEIR VEHICLES PERIOD.
    :mad:
  • sergelbergeronsergelbergeron Member Posts: 138
    We were stunned last Sunday when we read in the local paper that Toyota Cornwall was advertising great prices on 2007 Rav4 recently bought in US auctions. We are being chastised for buying in the US by many dealers but at least one dealer has the HONESTY to admit that they have been doing this US buying for 3 years. Most dealers have been going down south to buy at good american prices and sellng to us at good canadian prices. With huge profits.

    Now if they could all be honest and lower their prices. The ad was scanned and shown at the CarsWitoutBorders blog Jan 12. http://www.carswithoutborders.com/ :)
  • sergelbergeronsergelbergeron Member Posts: 138
    RIV - What has changed please? Can you give us a little bit of help - I read the rules last week, do I need to read them all again this week to make sure that I understand them. Of course you can change the rules retroactivily any time anyway....
  • kerussokerusso Member Posts: 24
    Same thing out here in the west. Dealerships all over Alberta are selling used cars that were purchased in the U.S.
  • caramelcaramel Member Posts: 43
    Yes, I know of a dealer in Saskatchewan who drives 3 or 4 people to a neighbouring state and they bring back 2 or 3 used vehicles. They do that twice a week. I'm likely to import a good used vehicle.

    eBay is a good place to find a vehicle and especially a dealer. With eBay dealers you know they have to maintain their reputation ratings. If you use AutoTrader, Cars.com, Automart etc you have no idea of dealers' reputations and very poor descriptions and photos of their offerings.
  • sergelbergeronsergelbergeron Member Posts: 138
    If anyone ever finds a valid ad in a paper where a New Car Dealer - like the one in Cornwall - admits to selling used US cars - I would be interested in posting that on our CWB site. All to often, our members get some not-so-smart remarks because they purchased in the USA but the dealers are secretly doing it themselves - any proof would be appreciated.
  • sergelbergeronsergelbergeron Member Posts: 138
    We know that Transport Canada will not give the Eco-Auto rebates for Imports into Canada although its identical twin car sold by a Canadian dealer qualifies. CWB is starting this fight to get the $1,000 to $2,000 owed to Canadians in their wallets.

    We are going to make a list and apply pressure to Transport Canada - If your import would qualify, and you are interested in some cash - please register your case at the http://www.carswithoutborders.com/get-involved/register-your-case/

    If you are unsure if your imported car would qualify you can go to the TC site http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/environment/ecotransport/2008ecoautoeligibility.htm-

    We are due for some action on this file.
  • x5importerx5importer Member Posts: 1
    I have imported numerous BMW's from the US over the past 6 months and have been able to get around the $500 recall document from BMW that was implemented last June by getting a vehicle history report. I have had friends recently tell me that RIV is no longer accepting the vehicle history reports which clearly state the vehicle has no open campaigns. I also had a friend turned away at the border today and had to leave his X5 at the border because he didn't have his $350 admissability letter from BMW. It amazes me that RIV has so little backbone and that they are just puppets for the car manufacturers. I also am amazed that manufacturers like BMW can simply backdate things and say that as of November 26th that you need a admissability letter.

    Can anyone tell me if BMW can make you replace the clusters on the vehicles when they clearly have both miles and kilometers on the clusters. I have done at least 10 BMW's and never once had to change these so how is it possible that they can inforce this.
    I have never bought a BMW from a canadian dealer and never will. It blows me away that the car manufacturers need to result to such tactics instead of simply competing on price!
  • jmlleungjmlleung Member Posts: 11
    So when was the last time that you successfully imported a BMW without the $500 recall letter? Can you tell which BMW dealer you purchase from? You can email me at jmlleung at yahoo.com. Thanks a lot.
  • ccacpccacp Member Posts: 117
    With all due respect Serge, I think the BMW, MB and Volvo not allowing cars into Canada without an admissibility letter is an issue with much more importance than the ecoRebate. There is potential for other manufacturers to follow suit with these protectionist attitudes of requiring clusters being changed when they already have km/h on their clusters !

    What do other people think ?

    P.S. How many hybrid vehicles have been imported vs how many people have been stopped at the border with a BMW-MB-Volvo that need this letter and then need to get approval from these 3 to get their car into Canada AND how many people have reverted to another vehicle manufacturer because of these restrictions ?

    Also, the money savings between US and Canada for these manufacturers is HUGE, so the money factor is definitely there for us to go ahead and complain to TC about RIV requiring these baloney letters !

    Again, what do people think ?
  • doc911doc911 Member Posts: 56
    You are absolutely right. The restrictions are gaining popularity, and there is nothing from others shortly following suit. Volvo was the third; Audi is next; the others shortly after.

    The fox should not be guarding the hen-house. This admissability determination should be an independant review, even at a cost to the consumer.

    If we do not address this now; most every manufacturere will see this as a way out as the big three have already done. Don't be naive!
  • howard19howard19 Member Posts: 5
    Isn´t it interesting that three of the foreign, multinational companies that are scratching and clawing to maintain their outrageous 30-40% Canadian markups don´t, to the best of my knowledge, actually manufacture anything in Canada. But I´d like to make the following two points.
    (1) These posts and CWB are great, but we´re all preaching to the converted. Far more public awareness needs to be achieved because though automobiles may be the most obvious rip-offs, it seems to me that every time, 24-7, that a Canadian buys something, he´s paying the 30-40% Canadian surcharge. If it doesn´t become a political issue, we´ll never get anywhere. To my mind, this is a defining moment in the history of Canadian consumer relations, because if we´re not successful in achieving reasonable prices, you, your children, and their children will be paying the Canadian surcharge for decades to come. How about a protest march on Parliament Hill, picketing of selected dealerships for a few consecutive Saturdays in the spring with the attendant publicity.
    (2) This nonsense of a recall clearance letter being required for a new automobile that was just driven off the dealer´s lot a few days ago seems to sum up the mindlessness of most of the rules and regulations. But since it is required by a Canadian governmental agency or bureau, call it what you will, I don´t understand how any company can either refuse to provide it or to charge for it. What do you think would be Revenue Canada´s response if your employer announced that in order to prepare the statement of wages and taxes withheld that you need to prepare your income tax return, they´ll be a charge of $500? We all know that RC would put an end to then in no time flat.
  • pathrunnerpathrunner Member Posts: 12
    I just purchased a brand new Nissan vehicle from Washington State. I spent a few months shopping around and had a go at a number of Nissan dealers along the I5. All of the dealers would not offer any of the advertised rebates (see official Nissan website) to Canadians. I called Nissan US head-office and their position was that it was up to each dealership. In spite of pointing this out, all dealers were firm on their refusal.

    Having said this, i did manage to find one after 2 months of blitzing the various Nissan dealers (nothing like persistance!). If you are interested in buying a brand new Nissan, e-mail and i will tell you the name and salesmen who should be able to offer the same. Save yourself the time and money. I was also pleased with the service. E-mail me at GordM135@yahoo.ca for more details.
  • sergelbergeronsergelbergeron Member Posts: 138
    And with all due respect - I agree with you all. The recall letters - admissibility letter is very big stuff. Several billions $ at play for Canadians. There are several issues. Bob Lamb and I and several of you from across Canada have been fighting very hard for 2 months to get the immobilizer issue solved. We all won a big fight but it is not over.

    We will need volunteers and leaders to get this recall letter RIV mess fixed. We now have a very good WEB site and it needs to be driven by people that are committed - talking about it won't solve the problems - Bob and I am very willing to put the site at the service of volunteers - we can build the forms - gets surveys on the site - or new petitions - send letters - but we need volunteers - carswithoutborders can only be the enabler - Bob and I have spent more than 1000 hours in the last months and the energy level is low and I also have my full time job.

    But you are right, we are seeing a closing of the border by these companies - we are seeing the RIV continue to change the lists under the commands of the car manufacturers - we see a lack of direction at Transport Canada - the leadership is more concerned about elections than car imports.

    So as we did with the immobilizer issue - anyone wants to be the leader in this fight? please send me your names. - last time we assembled confidential names from members from all across Canada. And the team worked together closely. The media team had great success with the CBC and other media. So the site is there. It is well known. We have visits from over 50 countries, 340 Canadian cities - last week, we had about 1,500 hits on Sunday after the Corus radio show.

    So time for action. Please send me your name - phone number - to build the team - The RIV team. Note that on the site there is a forum there is a thread for the RIV. Our site is not as functional as this nice Edmunds site - but we are doing all of this with very little resources. We want to continue the fight but right now Bob nor I can lead it - so please volunteer.

    P.S. thanks to one member who sent me an ad from the Sarnia paper - I will post shortly.
  • volvobuyer4volvobuyer4 Member Posts: 3
    Hi to everyone and thanks for creating such a great resource.

    I have a general question. After reading all the RIV info I still can't get a straight answer about one part of the import process. How can the consumer know if there is any work or not to be done on the car to bring it up to Canadian standards?

    I'm looking at buying 2 volvo's: 2007 or 2008 S80 and 2008 XC70. Both are new updated body styles from volvo and on bot Volvo has been very, very sneaky. They have removed the KM/Hr on the dashboard for the US car!.

    According to the volvo service people I have spoken to this little problem now requires the entire dash kit to be changed at a cost of about 5000$!!!

    Removing the KM/Hr on the dash serves no other purpose then to be a huge import penalty for moving the cars from US to Canada.

    Even worse, no one at volvo will put the "work" in writing even with the VIN number of the car. They all say the same thing "bring the car in". The problem of course is a 5000$ hit per car changes the value of shopping in the US.

    Can anyone offer any advice on this?

    Thanks to all!
  • spaulsspauls Member Posts: 7
    Hi,
    Please provide information on how to get DRL fixed on CAMRY 2008 LE .
    Any place that fixes it.
    Waiting for Form 2 completion.
    Thanks!
  • dieseldudedieseldude Member Posts: 6
    Wondering if anyone has any info on what to do about licence plates if one wants to purchase a vehicle in the US and drive it to Canada. Not RIV, my provincial vehicle registry, my insurance agent, nor Canada Customs has given me a straight answer me on this. Canada Customs even told me that it is illegal for a Canadian resident to drive a vehicle with US plates within Canada. But this makes my wonder how U-Haul is able to rent all those Arizona plated trucks in Canada. All websites I have checked that offer US import advice and a list of paperwork and procedures ignore this very important issue. It is too risky to face the possibility of fines or vehicle seizure if one has no plates or permits, or has the wrong ones.

    Some sites advise to get a temporary dealer tag. But if buying from a private seller, dealer tags are not an option. But would US dealer tags be considered illegal for driving in Canada once across the border ? And I have been told that state issued temp tags are only good in the state of issue. Would be quite a logistical impossibility to get temp tags for every state one would cross. Some people even say that they put an existing Canadian plate from another vehicle that they already own on their just bought US vehicle just to make the trip, but I have heard that this is considered a felony, very risky if caught.

    I had one guy who imports regularly tell me that there is a US federal law that exempts US vehicles purchased for export from displaying a plate, but he was unable to tell me how and where to look this up. Would be handy to have a print of this to show to inquisitive cops. Are there any law professionals out there who would know how to find this ?

    And then there is the problem of state sales taxes if one tries to get a temp tag in the state of purchase. Its just too expensive to pay both state sales taxes and Canadian provincial taxes and GST. Hope someone out there with some experience at driving across the border with a freshly purchased vehicle can help.

    Thanks to anyone who can can offer some tips.
  • hacheyimportshacheyimports Member Posts: 69
    dieseldude,

    You have a couple of things to consider with driving your newly purchased vehicle back through the US.

    You will need a permit issued from each state you enter as you return home. Contact the DMV at each state and pay the nominal fee to arrange this. You do not need a license plate, the permit is sufficient.

    Sales tax will only apply when you return to Canada..in most cases. Some states do charge this and the only way to avoid it is to never take delivery in that state. If you have the car shipped you avoid this. At the Canadian border you will pay your GST on the purchase price and then your provincial tax at the time of registration.

    To be honest, I almost always recommend to my customers that we use a shipping company. There are a lot of professional and dependable ones out there that will accept the liability if any damage is done and avoid headaches for you. The cost of your travel and mileage added to the new vehicle will often times make the cost of shipping very attractive.

    Hope this was helpful.

    Take care.
  • hacheyimportshacheyimports Member Posts: 69
    Volvobuyer4,

    There most definitely will be work for you to do upon importing your new vehicles, but less than you are being told.

    The compliance work is depends on your specific vehicle, but the gouge is in with some dealerships to be sure.

    If you have your VIN then it is only a matter of finding a dealer in your area that is more cooperative because they most definitely can quote you a price before "bringing it in" for them to look at. I would be glad to help if needed as I broker imports for clients across the country.

    Take care.
  • anquillaanquilla Member Posts: 1
    I recently offered to purchase a vehicle from a family member living in United States. The car is a 2008 BMW 335i that I enjoyed driving while visiting the U.S. late last month. I thought that importing this car would be relatively straightforward. Especially considering that our government has publicly stated repeatedly that Canadian pricing should be in line with that available in the United States.

    To import this vehicle I have learned the following from speaking to RIV (a government controlled agency) and BMW Canada. Needless to say I am completely shocked and dismayed at what we as Canadian’s are being subjected to by both our government and BWM Canada.

    First, I have been told that I must contact my closest CANADIAN BMW dealer prior to bringing the car into Canada. This dealer, for a princely sum of $350 will provide a letter of admissibility. I understand this letter is nothing more that a form letter for which I may have to wait up to 45 days to receive. Why does our government force us to contact a Canadian dealer who I did not purchase the car from and for what possible reason? Why can't an American dealer provide the letter? Why not provide an updated RIV list that determines eligibility for all models? Why am I also paying CDN Tire to determine if the vehicle qualifies? Why does BMW charge an exhorbitant fee? Why does any consumer have to pay a retailer to find out if there is outstanding warranty work to be completed? How dangerous is that!

    It gets better. Once the car arrives in Canada I will again have to contact a Canadian BMW dealer to have it (the vehicle is one month old) physically inspected. The closest Canadian dealer to me is an eight hour drive – each way. Oh yes, the fee for this inspection, $500 PLUS the cost of modifications required to turn on the daytime running lights. Up until November 2007, the modification cost was negligible and the BMW inspection not required. Recently and coinciding with the rise of the Canadian dollar, BMW Canada suddenly determined that to turn on the day time lights requires complete replacement of all interior gauges (try to figure that one out.) The cost, $1,700 plus $210 for programming. Total fee to BMW Canada to import a 2008 car - $3,000.00. For this outrageous amount the only thing that has occurred is that the day time running lights have been turned on. Something I understand is a two minute programming procedure or a $25 kit from Canadian Tire.

    To add insult to injury, the RIV agent also told me from what they have heard you can expect to stand at the back of the line when dealing with BMW Canada. No kidding! They are killing themselves laughing. How humiliating for the rest of us. (The $3,000 is bad enough but I hate being laughed at.)

    There is no defensible reason why these rules are in place except to force Canadian consumers to purchase cars at a significant premium (in some cases) from Canadian dealers. These rules are developed by Canadian car dealers and supported and enforced by our government through a government controlled agency. If we as Canadian’s want to purchase a car in the United States then we can expect to pay a Canadian dealer an amount that exceeds what the dealer would have made selling the car to us in the first place. Who is making the rules, Canadian dealers - or our government and on whose behalf? Why does our government not only condone but literally enforce these rules while at the same time standing on a pulpit telling us that they demand and support fair pricing.

    BMW Canada is certainly not absolved of responsibility in this mess. They should be embarrassed. Have they not learned anything from the historical behaviour of the North American car manufactures? These dinosaurs showed the same arrogance and disdain for the consumer beginning many years ago and look at where they are now!

    Times have changed. Consumer’s are no longer guppies who will blindly accept this kind of abuse. Both our government and BMW Canada better wake up – and quickly. One is going to loose the next election while the other is quickly loosing customers for life.
  • guyfguyf Member Posts: 456
    My local dealer service manager told me about a customer who imported the new S80. He told me he had to change the cluster, but of course not the whole dash. He said the cost was about $1700.

    They first tried reprogramming the computer but that did not work.

    Hope this helps.
  • bloogenebloogene Member Posts: 15
    Hi
    RE 2008 Camry DRLs

    On the steering column lever for lights you will find Drl in small type.
    Turn to that position Walla
    Its been suggested by others they turn on the headlights then turn them off before
    CTC inspector can get to the back.
    If you put it in drl position they stay on for a short duration after turning off the key.
    Hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy ours.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    I feel your pain, and your anger! We have a very good friend who live in Oregon, and we had thought of enlisting her help in selling us a "used' BMW and import it back to BC. Then BMW started playing these games which all but effectively made importation not worthwhile, if you factor in the time and hassle.

    The DRL issue is the one that really takes the cake! To turn DRL on/off is an user-customizable feature via the car's onboard computer. All BMW is doing is deleting that option from the computer.

    If only enough potential BMW buyers could unite and boycott BMW in Canada, then perhaps we can wipe that slimy, smug smirk off of BMW Canada! :mad:
  • bulgurcbulgurc Member Posts: 2
    I was wondering whether anybody used Russ Browning as a broker here and if so what was your impression?
  • savingssavings Member Posts: 9
    doc911, your post (#3473) reads like a reply but there is no reply link showing what message you are responding to. I am interested in understanding in more detail the restrictions you are discussing. Can you either point me to the post you were replying to or reply with a short note detailing the restrictions.
  • savingssavings Member Posts: 9
    In the fall, all you had to do was call RIV and speak to an agent and they would confirm what needed to be done to a specific model. Have you called RIV?
  • manitoumanitou Member Posts: 7
    Hello, I import a new Acura MDX in the month of August this year I had no problem I did not even send my letter of recalls at RIV. The only change is that I would put on the lebel shares sun bilingual. (Posts No. 871)

    Now, I myself also import a BMW 328xi, but since my last experience I see that many rules are changed. I am going to turn to Lexus IS250AWD but one thing is I do not buy car in Canada, you forget that US you can negotiate the price display, me, I saved my MDX. 20000$, negotiate -4000 $ current price!

    Sorry for my English
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    "negotiate -4000 $ current price!'

    You mean you negotiated a $4000 discount from MSRP from the US dealer?

    The problem however, is that when you find a dealer willing to sell to Canadians, more often than not that dealer realizes that he's got you over a barrel and won't budge on price.
  • nyndnynd Member Posts: 8
    Having placed a FACTORY ORDER, picked up and imported successfully on the road, a new 08 BMW, the process has become more difficult. The one thing is most dealers are going to try and make as much as the can from your in terms of cluster replacement to satisfy the DRL fix. This is not necessary but they will argue that the cluster needs replacement (the also want money as your admissibility and recall letter funds go directly to BMW Canada - not dealer). So, Stealers way of making money is through you. I emailed a few dealers and got different responses from each...so, do your homework and don't just go to one! By the sounds of it, BMW tactics seem to be dismaying a few already....all comes down to how much your going to save.
  • bataillon99bataillon99 Member Posts: 2
    Hello to all,

    I do appreciate your comments. I admit that I am a new "future importer" trying to figure out precisely how things work but there's still something that I don't understand well. RIV says that I must advise the US custons 72 hours prior to cross the US border with the car. Let's say that I go to Boston area (6 hours driving) but without knowing precisely in advance which car I will buy (I want to see, bargain, test drive, etc.). If I must advise the US customs 72 hours in advance, does that mean that I will have to go purchase the car first, then come back home, and return picking it up 3 days later ? Or is there another way of doing it in the same day?
    Thanks a lot for the information.
  • manitoumanitou Member Posts: 7
    Yes ! negotiated a $4000 discount from MSRP from the US dealer ! On internet !
    I send email to 5 deallers Acura and only one did not want to sell.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    What part of Canada are you in, if I may ask, and did you have to go further south to find dealers willing to sell? I've heard it is especially difficult to find dealers in towns close to the Canadian border who are allowed, or willing to sell to Canadians.
  • francesgfrancesg Member Posts: 19
    Well, you could sight-see in Boston for 3 days. You'll also have to consider how you'll get the money there - if you are wiring it, that will take 3 business days. If you bring a bank draft after you've made your purchase, you may have to wait 3 business days for that to clear. This is assuming you don't have a bank account in Boston or area. And remember, 3 days is always 3 business days!
  • hacheyimportshacheyimports Member Posts: 69
    bataillon99,

    That is indeed what you would be required to do to complete American Export regulations. There is no way around the 72 hour notice.

    This is certainly one of the complications that causes some to shy away from importing a car. The option to "kick the tires" is limited or comes with added expense. Personally I would recommend finding the car you want, try it out in Canada then buy from a reputable dealer with a Carfax report to protect you.

    Hope this helps and I would be willing to assist you through the process.

    Take care
  • bataillon99bataillon99 Member Posts: 2
    The money is not really an issue as I can travel with US cash.
    But I'm sure that someone on this forum must have gone through this experience before (other than "hacheyimports" that replies to my message just after you and that seems to be a broker).

    The question was "what to do regarding the US border if you don't know the VIN in advance (ref. 72 hours). Thanks again
  • manitoumanitou Member Posts: 7
    I am of Quebec, my dealer is that 4hrs from home, look for the link to the Post No. 871 you are going to see any !
  • hacheyimportshacheyimports Member Posts: 69
    I am indeed a broker. I am also very interested in the current import conditions and would like to inform as able any who have questions or concerns.

    The lack of VIN is simple I am afraid. You are required to provide the US Border Services at the crossing you intend to use with at minimum a faxed copy of both the title and bill of sale 72 hours prior to exporting it from the United States. This is not open to discussion and will cause you undue delay and frustration if you try and cross without doing as they direct.

    I hope this is helpful.

    Take care.
  • aloha_ericaloha_eric Member Posts: 5
    The $3000 BMW screwing the Canadian customer tax actually doesn't sound that bad.

    Who's to say that they won't raise the cost of the admissability letter to $1000, charge oh say $1500 for the recall letter, and for good measure why not charge another $2000 for translating the BMW owner manual into French while we're at it! Who's to stop them? Not Transport Canada, not RIV.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    That's right. All those fees are set by no one but BMW Canada. So they have carte blanche to do whatever they want to protect their predatory pricing. It is amazing, and shameful, that as bureaucratic as Canada is, our government is standing by while its citizen is getting raped by a foreign entity. :mad:
  • canadiantoyotacanadiantoyota Member Posts: 148
    Hi batallion99,

    Please be advised that it is illegal to cross the border with more than $10,000 in cash. You must declare it at the border and fill out paperwork stating where you received it from. You are better to take a certified bank draft. I wouldn't want to get caught at the border with excess cash and the dealer is also forced to produce proof of where he got the money.

    Just some advice.
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