Importing new cars from the US

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by HockeyPuck

Are you sure Mazda's are all made in Japan? I thought Ford bought them....

Yup all Mazda's are made in Japan. And Ford doesn't own Mazda they only have 33% of the shares. The cars they make are hardly related though. For example I drive a Mazda 3 which was built off the Ford's global C1 platform. So people make the connection that it is similar the Ford Focus. But it's the European Ford Focus that it is similar to, and the platform was designed by Volvo. So people always jump all over Mazda because they think they are made by Ford which is a giant stretch. Most car companies have a stake in the other. Heck, Chrysler and Mercedes Benz are affiliated.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

However, the Mazda tribute is a Ford escape and is built in the US...the Mazda 6 uses a Ford V6 IIRC

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by ken0042

What you guys should do is write into TLC and see if they will do a show based on you called "Flip This Vehicle." You could have plot lines like how everything was going well, but then you found you had to replace the bumper......

Discover Channel already took care of that.

http://turbo.discovery.com/wrecks-to...out/about.html

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

However, the Mazda tribute is a Ford escape and is built in the US...the Mazda 6 uses a Ford V6 IIRC

You could be right, I am really only acknowledge about the 3. Regardless, as far I as I know I don't think Ford having a larger share in Mazda has hurt them. Or had their cars go the way of Ford's cars.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Yup all Mazda's are made in Japan.

The Mazda B-Series, 6 (except for Mazdaspeed 6) and Tribute are all built in the US.

[burn_baby_burn]

I was just talking to a car dealer from southern SK. I asked him if he was losing any business to the US dealers? He said not to much. According to him, it was just a matter of time before the US dealers "got their hand slapped".

Five years ago when the Canadian dollar was so weak. Alot of vehicles were heading south since they were cheaper in Canada than the US. The Canadian dealers had the reins pulled on them and there were penalties for selling new vehicles from Canada into the US. This was done because the US dealers were complaining to the parent company. Now that the shoe is on the other foot. This dealer figured the parent company was going to come down on the US dealers the same way they came down on the Canadian dealers over 5 years ago.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

This dealer figured the parent company was going to come down on the US dealers the same way they came down on the Canadian dealers over 5 years ago.

Big difference in the US market though. The competition is a lot more fierce and the dealerships are a lot more powerful. Some of them might have a dozen different locations with eight or nine makes. Who do you think pushed the parent companies to crack down on the Canadian dealers? It was the American dealers who pushed for it to happen.

[mykalberta]

Alot of the cross border dealerships wont deal with you, but if you go a bit farther south there is no problem. Also, it is true about the possible crackdown, however the automaker only has say on new vehicle sales. The real deals in the US is on leasebacks and the such.

You can get great deals on brand new vehicles, but its the used/lease back market where you can make the killing.

MYK

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Alot of the cross border dealerships wont deal with you, but if you go a bit farther south there is no problem. Also, it is true about the possible crackdown, however the automaker only has say on new vehicle sales. The real deals in the US is on leasebacks and the such.

You can get great deals on brand new vehicles, but its the used/lease back market where you can make the killing.

MYK

I know. That is what I am looking at. There are also people driving a vehicle for a year (similar to what we were doing here 5+ years ago) and then looking to sell it privately into Canada. You need to know people to find these deals though.

[metallicat]

Bumping this for some new advice.

I've been looking into this an awful lot since creating this thread. I've got my financing squared away from my bank, have narrowed it down to which vehicle manufacturers: a) deal with Canadians, b)transfer warranties to Canadians, c)make their vehicles in North America thus avoiding the 6.1% duty, and yet I still can't make a decision.

Toyota seems like the best choice. The Toyota Tundra is something very appealing, at least to me. But the price is going to be something like 35k USD, which is a ton of money. I know the risk/reward is fairly great, but it's hard to pull the trigger on this.

Does anyone have some specific advice? Maybe you've imported a car before for the purpose of re-selling, or know someone who did. Or maybe you even drive a Tundra.

Planning this is actually a lot more stressful than I thought it would be.

[bizrns]

I didn't think Toyota sells to Canadians, but I'm not certain. RedFlagDeals.com has alot of info about this subject.

I bought a Subaru Legacy GT from Portland in June. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

[HockeyPuck]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Bumping this for some new advice.

I've been looking into this an awful lot since creating this thread. I've got my financing squared away from my bank, have narrowed it down to which vehicle manufacturers: a) deal with Canadians, b)transfer warranties to Canadians, c)make their vehicles in North America thus avoiding the 6.1% duty, and yet I still can't make a decision.

Toyota seems like the best choice. The Toyota Tundra is something very appealing, at least to me. But the price is going to be something like 35k USD, which is a ton of money. I know the risk/reward is fairly great, but it's hard to pull the trigger on this.

Does anyone have some specific advice? Maybe you've imported a car before for the purpose of re-selling, or know someone who did. Or maybe you even drive a Tundra.

Planning this is actually a lot more stressful than I thought it would be.

Don't sweat it!

To be honest, I did the same with a Toyota Tacoma, and it was really easy (suprisingly). You just have to do some leg work up front.

I bought the Toyota for the same reason - they seem to be Canadian friendly. At least for my truck, I didn't have to do any modifications - usually newer US vehicles only need daytime running lights and a child safety harness. The Tacoma I bought already had those, and I suppose a new Tundra should have the same. Just call RIV and tell them the make and model of the vehicle you want to import, and they'll tell you what mods need to be made.

It sounds like you have your financing in order here, but you should call whoever you are going to buy the Tundra from that when you purchase the vehicle, they will give you the ORIGINAL title. The border guys will confiscate your truck if you do not have this. If you are buying it used and the seller has financed the truck (this is what I did), get the seller to call the financing institution to see if they will release the original title once the original bank loan is paid. Of course if you buy from a dealer, it should be easier.

Are you planning on using a USD money order, or are you wiring the money down? Keep in mind that wiring money takes 3-4 days (at least with TD it does). Using a credit card will not work (my friend tried this, and the dealer would only give him a copy of the original title).

When you get your hands on the original title, get the bank (or dealer) to fax your original title, bill of sale (pick a few up at a registrar's office) and a coverletter stating the make and model and the VIN. Also put in the coverletter a rough estimate when the border guards can expect you. Remember you have to fax these things at least 72 hours before you cross.

Also, call Toyota to fax and mail you a vehicle clearance letter before you pick up the truck. This just tells the border guards that there have been no recalls on the vehicle, or if the vehicle needs repair.

[HockeyPuck]

double post

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Toyota seems like the best choice. The Toyota Tundra is something very appealing, at least to me. But the price is going to be something like 35k USD, which is a ton of money. I know the risk/reward is fairly great, but it's hard to pull the trigger on this.

Just be sure it is not a Tundra that has one of the buggered camshafts...

[trew]

I just imported a new Toyota and had to work around the no-selling to Canadians thing. I am not sure if you can arrange for non-titled financing, have cash to cover the purchase, and have a friend or relative in the States who is willing to do a bit of paperwork for you, but if you do, then there is a very easy way to buy a new Toyota south of the border, regardless of dealer policy.

What you need is a dealer in a different state than your friend lives. This will create a situation where the dealer will put a temp. permit on the car and give up the Manufactures Certificate of Origin (aka MCO or MSO). No sales tax should be charged as this will be collected when the vehicle is registered. Again, the key is an out-of-state dealer for the person/address who is buying the car. If you buy in the same state, then the dealer is forced to register and tax the vehicle, and extra cost and delay will be incurred. If your friend is out-of-state, then it is assumed that they will be registering the vehicle in their home state.

The next step is to export the car in your friends name. Why? because you cannot transfer a MCO between private individuals in the States. The dealer can assign the vehicle to your friend, but in order for them to transfer the vehicle to you, they need to register it first, OR, export it to Canada in their name. Canada doesn't have any restrictions on transfer of MCO. So you can draw up a bill of sale between your friend and yourself, and present this to Canada Customs.

Essentially you export it under your friends name, and import it under your own name.

If this sounds like a lot of work, it's actually not. You don't need to have your friend be physically present at the dealership. You get the paperwork couriered to them, and you bring the payment when you pick up the vehicle. Get the bill of sale mailed / faxed to you, and then just drive the vehicle home. Fill in the US customs paperwork listing your friend as the purchaser, you as the transporter, and your address as the Canadian address. They will stamp your MCO, and then you can take the car to Canada Customs. Show them the stamped MCO, and the bill of sale, and they will charge you duty, and GST and give you the import paperwork for RIV. The rest of the transaction should be the same as any other car import.

Now I should point out that I have imported exactly 1 vehicle, and this is how things went down for me. Maybe I got lucky with my customs agents, but I asked lots of questions ahead of time and no one told me that this method of purchasing and exporting was not allowed.

[arsenal]

So, this is another way of doing it, which is cool. Is there any added benifit to doing it this way, rather than the other ways?

[trew]

Best way is to get a dealer to sell you the car directly. If you can't find the vehicle you want directly from a dealer because of the "Canadian Rules", then I think the method I used is the best way to work around that.

The reason I did what I did was to avoid registering a new vehicle in the States. You are looking at least two weeks of extra delay and depending on the state, a couple thousand in extra registration fees and sales tax.

I should also add that a dealer who won't sell to you directly, may be very willing to help you "work the system" to sell to you indirectly. A cooperative dealer can help with a couple things to save time. They can send a copy of the MSO to US customs, and also can run a computer service report to meet the "recall clearance" requirements of the RIV in Canada.