Recommend a car dealer

[dirk diggler]

i was reading this thread and i thought i would call down and get a price on a car down in Montana, apparently Toyota dealers will not sell new cars for export... too bad really...

[amorak]

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

i was reading this thread and i thought i would call down and get a price on a car down in Montana, apparently Toyota dealers will not sell new cars for export... too bad really...

If you read the Redflagdeals link I posted twice, there is a very easy way to get around that. A kind, retired lawyer has set up a shell corporation out of Alaska (don't worry, tis just registered there) where there is no state tax. He then buys the car in the corp's name and you have a bill of sale from the corp to you for $1 pre-signed - you pick up the car as an agent for the corp and you own it with the letter of transfer.

I believe the guy charges a few hundred bucks to cover the cost of keeping the corp registered and to do the paperwork - it's the same as you buying it personally, but you get all the rebates and the at-cost pricing that everyone and their dog can negotiate out of the US.

The above is only really needed for Toyotas, as they are the ones who wont' sell to Canadians, the rest usually will.

[amorak]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

I'm thinking about buying from the States... but is it easy to change the speedometer to Km/hr instead of Miles?

All N.A. cars have KPH and MPH on them, so what would you change? Just to get the KPH bigger? Depending on the car its hundreds to thousands of dollars, for no reason -

[Dynamic]

My Equinox it is as simple as pressing a button to change from mph to kph. There is no markings on the speedo itself, just numbers. When you switch from one to the other it just lights up a kph at the bottom of the speedo.

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by amorak

All N.A. cars have KPH and MPH on them, so what would you change? Just to get the KPH bigger? Depending on the car its hundreds to thousands of dollars, for no reason -

Well considering how small the MPH on Canadian cars and how that's probably the most looked at thing in the car... it's a big PITA to look at the small numbers.

[psicodude]

Originally Posted by amorak

If you read the Redflagdeals link I posted twice, there is a very easy way to get around that. A kind, retired lawyer has set up a shell corporation out of Alaska (don't worry, tis just registered there) where there is no state tax. He then buys the car in the corp's name and you have a bill of sale from the corp to you for $1 pre-signed - you pick up the car as an agent for the corp and you own it with the letter of transfer.

I believe the guy charges a few hundred bucks to cover the cost of keeping the corp registered and to do the paperwork - it's the same as you buying it personally, but you get all the rebates and the at-cost pricing that everyone and their dog can negotiate out of the US.

The above is only really needed for Toyotas, as they are the ones who wont' sell to Canadians, the rest usually will.

I appreciate your passion here, but you have to admit that sounds really damn sketchy.

[Shin Pad]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

I'm thinking about buying from the States... but is it easy to change the speedometer to Km/hr instead of Miles?

I recently rented a vehicle in the states. It had both km/hr and mph (the MPH was more promanent). So, you probably don't have to change the speedometer.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by amorak

All N.A. cars have KPH and MPH on them, so what would you change? Just to get the KPH bigger? Depending on the car its hundreds to thousands of dollars, for no reason -

Nope, my car only has KM.

[wooohooo]

I just found a quick speedometer of a 05 Camry. The KPH is evident, but when driving it really seems like it would be hard to see. That's probably the biggest gripe I would have... but it's probably worth saving the $10K

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

I just found a quick speedometer of a 05 Camry. The KPH is evident, but when driving it really seems like it would be hard to see. That's probably the biggest gripe I would have... but it's probably worth saving the $10K

You get used to it in like 1 day. I don't even notice the mph when I drive my van even though it's huge compared to the kmh.

Also guys you can find a Toyota dealership that will sell to you without that Alaska thing...just call some more places. Try some Washington dealerships - it worked for me.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by psicodude

I appreciate your passion here, but you have to admit that sounds really damn sketchy.

Unless family/friends is involved, that's one of the issues with buying from the US. Typically it involves wiring cash ahead of time before picking it up to get the paper moving and let payment clear (or you can stay longer down there...)

It's not the end of the world but I know it's unsettling to give cash to strangers like that.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Also guys you can find a Toyota dealership that will sell to you without that Alaska thing...just call some more places. Try some Washington dealerships - it worked for me.

My guess is a lot of Toyota dealerships will go the extra mile these days to make a sale. Their image is absolutely battered right now and I'm sure it's affecting their bottom line.

[worth]

Just learn MPH > KPH conversion. It's easy to do and you get to know it after a while. Drive like that for 2 weeks and you get used to it. I don't get the bitching. I converted the Celsius to Fahrenheit in my car so I could learn the conversion between the two. I can basically go back and forth now and can convert off the top of my head from guessing. It's a pretty handy skill to have. Most people are totally clueless when it comes to the "other" system. No harm in learning both.