Topic: newbie question about buying from the states

[RTE]

I live in Edmonton and my Fiance and I are looking to buy a new car from the states possibly. A dealer here told us that as of Nov./07 we "as in Canadians" are no longer allowed to do so. Is this true or are they blowing smoke up our **s to keep us from buying south of the border.

Any information to confirm or bust this rumour would be appreciated

thanks.

[jcon]

If that is what he said, then he is in fact misinformed (or lying).

Start here: www.riv.ca  <--- This site tells you what can and can not be imported. Plus it helps with the rules.

Some manufacturers will sell to Canadians, and some won't.

Did you have a vehicle in mind? Or a preferred brand?

[RTE]

We want to buy a mustang. I have been price comparing and there really is a huge difference between Canadian and US dollars on a mustang. For what we would spend up here for a V6 pony package we could get a loaded GT/CS down there. Its just a matter of the decision of weather we want to jump through all the hoops to get a V8 or stay up here and get a V6.

[jcon]

I know a lot of dealers (Ford) around here are importing for their customers. You're basically paying an import fee. However if you're dealer is already mis-informed, than they may not be doing that.

I guess if you're willing to pay cash, and it's truly that big of a discount (considering the financing breaks) than go the US route would be good for you. Once you've decided on what you want the actual import process is not that difficult. It will cost you time though.

Maybe look at a local importer? They take care of the paperwork and you hand them a cheque.

[articsteve]

Don't give up.  Get the GT.  The V6 blows and resale is horrible.  Mileage is about the same on the highway.  You'll find a Ford dealer that will sell to you.

[RTE]

Well we actually managed to find a dealer who is honest. He flat out told us to go to the states to buy one. Said a Canadian dealer will never match a US dealer...ever. He said get the paper work done make sure you fax it all to the border where you are crossing 72 hours before you get there, then you have one week to ensure it meets Canadian standards and that we could bring it there to have the work done for $500.00.

I have to say it is was nice to find an honest dealer who isn't out to screw a person over. He was very upset that the pricing is not being equalized to stop canadians from crossing the border to buy. And I have to say if we do buy down south, his dealership will be looking after all of our vehicle maintainence concerns for the future. Including my F-150.

We still asked him for pricing on 3 styles of mustangs to be fair and see if they would be able to keep our purchase in Canada and he said he will do the absolute best he can. Well I can hope to not have to cross the border because I would prefer not to, but I am not holding my breath. I am pretty much convinced that Canadian Dealers are only out to swindle Canadians with inflated pricing, freight charges, overpriced options, ect. ect.

[99 Silver]

"I am pretty much convinced that Canadian Dealers are only out to swindle Canadians with inflated pricing, freight charges, overpriced options, ect. ect."

I understand your frustration, but don't blame the dealers. It's the manufacturers that control the dealers cost and therefore their retail prices.

[JBrill]

Well we actually managed to find a dealer who is honest. He flat out told us to go to the states to buy one. Said a Canadian dealer will never match a US dealer...ever. He said get the paper work done make sure you fax it all to the border where you are crossing 72 hours before you get there, then you have one week to ensure it meets Canadian standards and that we could bring it there to have the work done for $500.00.

I have to say it is was nice to find an honest dealer who isn't out to screw a person over. He was very upset that the pricing is not being equalized to stop canadians from crossing the border to buy. And I have to say if we do buy down south, his dealership will be looking after all of our vehicle maintainence concerns for the future. Including my F-150.

We still asked him for pricing on 3 styles of mustangs to be fair and see if they would be able to keep our purchase in Canada and he said he will do the absolute best he can. Well I can hope to not have to cross the border because I would prefer not to, but I am not holding my breath. I am pretty much convinced that Canadian Dealers are only out to swindle Canadians with inflated pricing, freight charges, overpriced options, ect. ect.

Wow, sounds like you've found a dealer who lives in the real world and understands that he won't win on the purchase front but can win you over on the service front.  That's a keeper.

I had a tough time with Canadian Toyota and Honda dealers when I was in the market for a minivan.  All the CDN dealers pretty much treated me like crap.  In the end, I purchased my Odyssey south of the border and saved about $12k.  Since Honda Canada won't honour the warranty, they also will never see my Honda in any of their CDN service bays.  I've found myself an independent mechanic for the big jobs (none so far) and do the oil changes myself.

[sailor723]

"I am pretty much convinced that Canadian Dealers are only out to swindle Canadians with inflated pricing, freight charges, overpriced options, ect. ect."

I understand your frustration, but don't blame the dealers. It's the manufacturers that control the dealers cost and therefore their retail prices.

While some dealers are sleazy this is one situation where I actually feel sorry for most Canadian dealers. They have no control on what they pay and can only buy from the Canadian division of the brand they represent.

[Cord]

Hopefully you can find a dealer within reasonable distance that will sell to you. Most Ford dealers in border states will refuse to sell to anyone without a U.S. address. We've imported GT500s because the relatively high price allows it to still be profitable. We've found there is no business case for importing V6 or GT Mustangs because once the costs of importing and shipping are factored in the price difference is not significant enough to justify the effort. It may be different for an individual who can afford the time.

Also, in case you aren't aware, there are some significant differences in the standard vs. optional features vis-a-vis US and Canadian Mustangs. For example, all Canadian GTs have a limited-slip axle standard, US GTs do not. Make sure you get what you thought you were getting.

[sailor723]

Hopefully you can find a dealer within reasonable distance that will sell to you. Most Ford dealers in border states will refuse to sell to anyone without a U.S. address. We've imported GT500s because the relatively high price allows it to still be profitable. We've found there is no business case for importing V6 or GT Mustangs because once the costs of importing and shipping are factored in the price difference is not significant enough to justify the effort. It may be different for an individual who can afford the time.

Also, in case you aren't aware, there are some significant differences in the standard vs. optional features vis-a-vis US and Canadian Mustangs. For example, all Canadian GTs have a limited-slip axle standard, US GTs do not. Make sure you get what you thought you were getting.

Cord is right....never assume that an "ABC Limited" from brand "X" has the same equipment in the US and Canada. The name and badges might be the same but the standard equipment and package contents are often different. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples.

[JBrill]

Hopefully you can find a dealer within reasonable distance that will sell to you. Most Ford dealers in border states will refuse to sell to anyone without a U.S. address. We've imported GT500s because the relatively high price allows it to still be profitable. We've found there is no business case for importing V6 or GT Mustangs because once the costs of importing and shipping are factored in the price difference is not significant enough to justify the effort. It may be different for an individual who can afford the time.

Also, in case you aren't aware, there are some significant differences in the standard vs. optional features vis-a-vis US and Canadian Mustangs. For example, all Canadian GTs have a limited-slip axle standard, US GTs do not. Make sure you get what you thought you were getting.

Cord is right....never assume that an "ABC Limited" from brand "X" has the same equipment in the US and Canada. The name and badges might be the same but the standard equipment and package contents are often different. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples.

Absolutely 100% agree.  Even if the models have the same trim designations (i.e. LX, DX, EX, etc), they often have very different option packaging.  As an example, CDN Honda Odyssey Touring all come with DVD and Nav, not so in the US model which made my initial comparison look like the US model was $15k cheaper than the only $12k cheaper it turned out to be