Importing Camaro to Canada

[Rickerbucks]

Actually I plan on having Davenport Performance in Calgary "do their thing". I just want to buy the base car in the States. That is why I want high mileage so that it has the depreciation....going to replace the motor anyway.

[hairtrigger]

Why is GM so bent on screwing Canadians on their cars?

[gmwheels]

it's not just GM they are all doing it, the government should be doing something about it.

[Canadian_Stig]

Agreed, it is not just GM. All cars are cheaper in the US then Canada from a Kia to a Lambo. It's the % difference in price that determines if it's worth it on a case by case basis.

I don't have an issue with the difference in price, US is a larger market, on average the CDN$ is lower then the US$ and Auto Manufacturers set their prices very few times per year often once per year which forces them to speculate on exchange rates over the upcoming year, obviously, leaning to a more profitable side of the equation for them. When the CDN$ to US$ was $.90 that 10% premium on the price of a US$ Camaro selling for $34 (for example) after exchange would be $37500, yes not $10000 difference but it's closer and not as beneficial going through all the work to import. As the CDN$ climbs above the US$ the difference just keeps increasing and the savings grow and grow. As far as I know pricing as already been announce for the Camaro for 2011, but if the CDN$ climbs above the US$ and continues there for the majority of the year, which is predicted you will likely see price adjustments in our favour for 2011.

Where the government should get involved is in situations regarding warranty, recall letters and non-competitiveness. If you look at the apa.ca site linked on a previous post, there are a number of car companies including North American companies (aka Chrysler) that do not warranty imported vehicles. So, for example, I purchase a brand new Challenger SRT8 (built in Ontario) in the US (Buffalo) and import it to Canada I lose the warranty both in Canada and US. Come on! The car's built for Canada and the US are not different enough to constitute voiding a warranty. Second, recall letters, BMW Canada (for example) some how has gotten away with saying that only recall letters from BMW Canada will be acceptable to the RIV (Registered Import Vehicle of Canada - non-profit organization) and you cannot import a vehicle without one (government rules). Unfortunately, BMW Canada does not give this recall letter for free, in fact the charge for it, and charge A LOT! Most cases a recall letter costs almost as much as the savings you would get by purchasing a BMW in the US. Which is why I'll never buy a BMW in Canada or the US EVER! Talk about anti-competitive. Unfortunately, they are having so much success other auto manufacturers are trying to do the same thing. Hence, why we recommend you get your recall letter in the US for your new Camaro instead of in Canada as GM Canada will charge you for it. Finally, sorry to make this long, anti-competitiveness by auto manufactures is ridiculous! Penalizing dealers for selling to Canadian is hugely anti-competitive. If this was allowed manufactures WOULD have to take exchange rate fluctuations into account more often which would result in more people "Buying Canadian". For example, the dealer I bought my Highlander from in the US can no longer sell directly to Canadians and have been penalized by Toyota US for selling directly to Canadians with restricted allocation for new "premium" vehicles. By removing these three items from the equation and Canada new Camaro buyer would win!

Unfortunately, as long as volume of vehicle sales in Canada far outweighs imports and ridiculous anti-competitive policies/rules as stated above continue to be allowed we will continue to pay a lot more for the same vehicle then our neighbours to the south of us.

Sorry for the long winded response.

[hairtrigger]

Originally Posted by Canadian_Stig

Agreed, it is not just GM. All cars are cheaper in the US then Canada from a Kia to a Lambo. It's the % difference in price that determines if it's worth it on a case by case basis.

I don't have an issue with the difference in price, US is a larger market, on average the CDN$ is lower then the US$ and Auto Manufacturers set their prices very few times per year often once per year which forces them to speculate on exchange rates over the upcoming year, obviously, leaning to a more profitable side of the equation for them. When the CDN$ to US$ was $.90 that 10% premium on the price of a US$ Camaro selling for $34 (for example) after exchange would be $37500, yes not $10000 difference but it's closer and not as beneficial going through all the work to import. As the CDN$ climbs above the US$ the difference just keeps increasing and the savings grow and grow. As far as I know pricing as already been announce for the Camaro for 2011, but if the CDN$ climbs above the US$ and continues there for the majority of the year, which is predicted you will likely see price adjustments in our favour for 2011.

Where the government should get involved is in situations regarding warranty, recall letters and non-competitiveness. If you look at the apa.ca site linked on a previous post, there are a number of car companies including North American companies (aka Chrysler) that do not warranty imported vehicles. So, for example, I purchase a brand new Challenger SRT8 (built in Ontario) in the US (Buffalo) and import it to Canada I lose the warranty both in Canada and US. Come on! The car's built for Canada and the US are not different enough to constitute voiding a warranty. Second, recall letters, BMW Canada (for example) some how has gotten away with saying that only recall letters from BMW Canada will be acceptable to the RIV (Registered Import Vehicle of Canada - non-profit organization) and you cannot import a vehicle without one (government rules). Unfortunately, BMW Canada does not give this recall letter for free, in fact the charge for it, and charge A LOT! Most cases a recall letter costs almost as much as the savings you would get by purchasing a BMW in the US. Which is why I'll never buy a BMW in Canada or the US EVER! Talk about anti-competitive. Unfortunately, they are having so much success other auto manufacturers are trying to do the same thing. Hence, why we recommend you get your recall letter in the US for your new Camaro instead of in Canada as GM Canada will charge you for it. Finally, sorry to make this long, anti-competitiveness by auto manufactures is ridiculous! Penalizing dealers for selling to Canadian is hugely anti-competitive. If this was allowed manufactures WOULD have to take exchange rate fluctuations into account more often which would result in more people "Buying Canadian". For example, the dealer I bought my Highlander from in the US can no longer sell directly to Canadians and have been penalized by Toyota US for selling directly to Canadians with restricted allocation for new "premium" vehicles. By removing these three items from the equation and Canada new Camaro buyer would win!

Unfortunately, as long as volume of vehicle sales in Canada far outweighs imports and ridiculous anti-competitive policies/rules as stated above continue to be allowed we will continue to pay a lot more for the same vehicle then our neighbours to the south of us.

Sorry for the long winded response.

Thankyou for the very informative post.

There should be a rollback in price in Canada for 2011 with the expected par dollar, at least common sense says so.

[msqr]

I'm seriously thinking about doing this in the summer. I want to get a buddy of mine in Oregon to help me out. Does their no sales tax apply to cars too? Since Oregon is only 7 hours away from Vancouver, do people in Vancouver drive the extra few hours to have 0 state sales tax? Does anyone have an opinion on this?

[CDN SS]

Originally Posted by msqr

Does their no sales tax apply to cars too?

No, you only pay sales tax when you bring the car into Canada.

[Rickerbucks]

Originally Posted by msqr

I'm seriously thinking about doing this in the summer. I want to get a buddy of mine in Oregon to help me out. Does their no sales tax apply to cars too? Since Oregon is only 7 hours away from Vancouver, do people in Vancouver drive the extra few hours to have 0 state sales tax? Does anyone have an opinion on this?

Your friend could buy the car and would NOT pay sales tax....He could then 'sell' it to you. You would pay GST at the border and then pay PST when you register the car.

[msqr]

Wow. That sounds so tempting. Only thing is I'd have to get him to get Oregon insurance on the car for the day he owns it, right?

[Rickerbucks]

..... don't even have to do that. YOU need to buy an 'insurance binder' here fromIACBC.....Cost about $130 FOR A WEEK.....so you can drive it home.

He just buys it from a dealer....then signs the title over to you....BUT.....don't let the dealer know...they are not allowed to sell if they know the car it is being exported.

[msqr]

Oh wow. But won't they know something is up if I'm not getting insurance from them right away? LIke if my friend doesn't get Oregon insurance? When I bought my car new the insurance department was in the dealership....

[Rickerbucks]

I guess you could just buy a one day permit from the dealership insurance people. Tell them you are just driving it home for the day.

Then he signs the title to you and you have the insurance binder. Make sure you do all your reading on the process but it really is not a big deal.

If I were you....I'd suggest you try and find a used one....save some money on depreciation. Then you can buy it anywhere.

[msqr]

Ah, I see. That makes sense. I'm not sure how much cheaper used ones are right now... the ones I've seen are barely any cheaper because it's still the current model year. Besides, with a car like this it's hard to tell how much abuse there's been...

[Canadian_Stig]

Having a friend who is willing to purchase the vehicle in the US for you is very fortunate, especially if he lives in a sales tax free state, which Oregon is. What that means is you do avoid the state taxes, however, there still could be other "taxes" payable when the vehicle is registered in the US prior to you shipping it to Canada.

However, I did a quick search for you and you a very fortunate to have someone you know who lives in Oregon as it is the lowest state when it comes to the cost of purchasing and registering a vehicle in the US. See article here.

Another benefit of your friend living the US and in Oregon, is he, and as a benefited result, you have the ability to purchase a car anywhere in the US and using his information, he can register the car for you in Oregon for less then a couple hundred dollars. Once the vehicle is paid for, the original copy of the title would be shipped to your friend in Oregon and you (through him) can arrange the vehicle shipped up to the closest US shipping address near the Washington/Vancouver boarder. As the vehicle is being shipped, he signs and UPSs the original title to you. Once you receive it, you fax it down to your nearest US boarder office, 3 days prior to picking up the vehicle. Once the vehicle arrives at the destination, you call your insurance company and put insurance on the vehicle, provide VIN# then drive (with a friend), walk or take the bus to the receiving destination and drive your brand new Camaro to the boarder. At the boarder to take the original copy of the title into the boarder office to get it "stamped" for export. Once the title is stamped drive across the boarder and declare the vehicle for import. At this point you will pay the GST + A/C tax and they will give you a import form. You go home, fill out the info at RIV.ca site and pay their $196 fee and they send you another import form (Form 2). You take this form with the vehicle to Canadian Tire, they check out the car, fill out the Form 2 (which they fax back to RIV) and you take your form 2 with the Bill of sale to your local ICBC office. Pay your PST, licensing and registration fees. Buy a new 2010 Olympic plate. :-) Then drive the crap out of your new Camaro! About 3 weeks later you will get a sticker in the mail from RIV, which you affix to the side of you door sill.

You a very lucky to have someone in a true non-sales tax state who can register the car for you. Think he'd be willing to buy two? I'm actually surprised, someone in these non-tax states haven't made a business out of helping CDNs buy vehicles through them. Even if you gave them a $1000 to register the car for you, you'd still save a bundle and it allows you to basically buy "new off the lot".