Topic: Auto Manuf's Better Get Real On Supremacy Cdn Dollar

[safristi]

Most Canucks are a STONER THROW from any BORDER......a wee bit of initiative OR HIRE A SPECIALIST (Many) in cross border buying KARS..........1   2   3     4     .........

[No H2O]

And even if there were a net savings...say $1000 or more, they still couldn't be bothered. OK, so use another word...not lazy...rich enough to not care to be bothered. Hey, I don't care...more choice for me.

[2latecrew]

And even if there were a net savings...say $1000 or more, they still couldn't be bothered. OK, so use another word...not lazy...rich enough to not care to be bothered. Hey, I don't care...more choice for me.

Did you not hear what I said?

How many people can buy a new 20 K plus car without manufacture supported financing?

A 1000 would make a big difference to me and I do care. The reason I don't import is not because I can't be bothered. You talk like its no big deal to spend 2 days fly for hours and figure out how to self finance at  reasonable rate 20 K plus.

[johngenx]

It depends on the make and model.  On some vehicles, the savings are thousands, sometimes more than $10K, even on non-exotic cars.

What do people think about buying a US-bought car in the used market?  Personally, I find that buyers are asking the same as Canadian-origin vehicles.  For some reason, knowing that people paid far less originally I expect to pay less for the used vehicle.

[my2cents]

I refused to buy a car for an extra 5 years - waiting for prices to come down. Somebody lost a sale 5 years ago.

It just so happened that my Rav4 deal just happened to work out to about $3000 less than the US version because of a $1000 rebate and a good Touring Package. The fact that I had a trade and wanted cheap financing (.9% for 4 years) made it a perfect storm for that month.

If any of those variables were different - I'd still be waiting.

Every now and then I think of buying a radar detector. I see a price and check the model on Amazon.com for reviews.

The Source has a sale for 30% off so I checked a couple of Cobras (they only sell 2 detectors).

Never mind the reviews - I didn't get that far.

The Source price is $399 - minus 30%

Amazon price is $137.58

I see this all the time and just don't bother buying anything. If I knew what Amazon charges for shipping - and if they ship to Canada - and if I have to pay duty etc. I would be ordering things.

It just seems too iffy. Some people get a pretty hefty charge for brokerage when ordering from the U.S.

[No H2O]

Some people get a pretty hefty charge for brokerage when ordering from the U.S.

I can't remember the last time I've paid brokerage charges....maybe twenty-plus years ago.

Don't ship using UPS, FedEx, or similar. Ship USPS to Canada and if thats not possible, have your orders shipped to the nearest UPS Store in the US...about 100 kms from you...maybe there is one closer than Bellingham.

Not worth it? Depends on your order. My orders, the tax savings on the dollar difference in savings pays for my gas. My net savings have been at about 43%.

[my2cents]

^^^^^^

Here's an example.

When I was deciding where to order detailing supplies from and checking their stock - I decided I wanted a bucket with a lid on it.

Chemical Guys had one and included a bottle of car wash soap and a fuzzy wash pad and grit guard for $24. They don't ship to Canada.

But Amazon had the same thing for the same price. Trying to find a shipping charge was useless. I came across a chart with a per item fee and cost for weight that could be $9 per pound.

So it could be $30-$40 for shipping plus any other fees if they shipped to Canada which I also couldn't find.

I got my local guy to order it (he picks up at the border) for $39.99  Same price as Auto-obsessed which is where he got it from. I'm not sure how that happened - but that's how it worked out.

Another item I was considering is binoculars. Again they were less than half the Canadian "on sale" price at Amazon.com

I'll buy lots of junk if it's any good at a good price. Not things I need - just good deals for things I could use.

I can live without them and because of the huge price difference - I do.

[2latecrew]

I think that things are going pretty off topic. Ordering stuff online to be shopped to Canada is completely different from car buying.

None of us like it but I'll bet good money that nothing is going to change in terms of pricing.

[No H2O]

About the Jetta...we weren't overly impressed with the build quality...

RR, I had some time to kill last Friday and being next to a Ford dealer, I popped in to see what America's so-called best car company had to offer.

What I saw had me think back of your above comments and also to those made by a review found here a few weeks back...the plastics and such.

I looked at a Fiesta, a Focus and a Fusion in the showroom. The sticker prices had me roll my eyes for what I was getting...$22K, $26K and $33K (rounded down) respectively.

At $33K, the door panel of the Fusion was mostly Mattel plastic except for a few small areas of inlaid cloth and leather/leatherette. For that kind of money, there is a lot out there to choose from. Same for the $22K Fiesta and $26K Focus.

I was not impressed.