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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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
Target Honda, MB & BMW. only for one month.
DO NOT BUY ANY OF THEIR VEHICLES PERIOD.
:mad:
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/
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.
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.
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!
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 ?
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!
(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.
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.
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.
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!
Please provide information on how to get DRL fixed on CAMRY 2008 LE .
Any place that fixes it.
Waiting for Form 2 completion.
Thanks!
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.
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.
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.
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.
They first tried reprogramming the computer but that did not work.
Hope this helps.
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.
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:
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
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.
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.
I send email to 5 deallers Acura and only one did not want to sell.
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
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
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.
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.
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.