[Auto] WOW ---- New and used cars from US up to 30% cheaper - Read post #1

[Dave_]

It just requires you replacing the the dash guage cluster behind the steering wheel. You do not have to replace the entire dash or ecu.

What about the digital climate control portion of the dash?

Dave

[camber]

What about the digital climate control portion of the dash?

Dave

When you change out the cluster that will change from farenheit to celsius. The part of the car that controls the Imperial or Metric conversion from the cars sensors is located in the guage cluster assembly.

Check out legacygt.com in the Canadian section.

[windsorguy2007]

can anyone tell me where these stickers are located? do I look for them on individual air bags? or are they on the dash ?.....does anyone have a pic they can share?....I am interested in a Nissan Altima

[windsorguy2007]

another question. Do we have to pay GST+ PST on used cars as well?....Toyota dealers in michigan want you to pay the state tax for all new vehicles.....wonder why?.... they say the vehicle should be registered in michigan before it can be taken to canada.....how come some dealers want you to pay state tax and some don't?

[Monsieurmaggot]

Why on earth would anyone want to change out or reprogram the US car display just to get a metric display anyway?

I have a dual speedometre and that's all that really matters. The fact that the car's odometre measures distance in miles is irrelevant since you only really need to refer to this when maintenance is required.

My digital status displays in Imperial (Inside/outside temperature, miles to empty, fuel economy, etc...) but since I grew up learning both systems so this isn't a bother for me either. Temperature is temperature. Fuel ecomony goes up, that's good. If it goes down, that's bad. Who really cares that you're using 11.1 or 11.2 litres per hundred kilometres or 29.3 miles per gallon? You really only care where the average is going.

For the money I saved buying in the US, I could easily afford to replace the entire dashboard into any format I would choose. Better still, I can buy a second low-priced car! The displays ain't broke so why try to fix them?

Sure it would be nice if Subaru offered both options (like many others) but it certainly doesn't impact cross-border sales. During the whole purchase process, I never once worried about the display format.

You can get picky and say that some american-market cars display "BRAKE" instead of the graphic version. Mine does. It also has a little display that says "DRL" instead of the usual graphic seen on Canadian cars. I suppose my French-speaking Canadian relatives could be affended since "BRAKE" and "DRL" are really not French terms.

Heck if I was underhanded, I could keep the odometre measuring method quiet so when I resold the car someone would think I have hardly any mileage on the car. As someone pointed out to me, I'm not accumulating any kilometres on my car so I can market it as "very low kilometres".

[andyhkng]

I have been researching the US/Canada border importation of new vehicles for a while and the math works out.

The problem is trying to find a person that can get you a new car.

I am trying to look for a MINI COOPER S, and there is a dealer in California that I can get the car from. I am trying to find one that is closer.

Any suggestions?

[canadianguy_001]

another question. Do we have to pay GST+ PST on used cars as well?....

You pay the GST at the border, then PST when you register it in at your provincial motor vehicle office

Toyota dealers in michigan want you to pay the state tax for all new vehicles.....wonder why?.... they say the vehicle should be registered in michigan before it can be taken to canada.....how come some dealers want you to pay state tax and some don't?

SHOULD be registered? This procedure is generally frowned upon by dealerships as they can be penalized by their auto manufacturer for selling to Canadians so they'll tell you anything to discourage you. Many other car dealers just don't knowConsider this: you buy a vehicle and get it shipped or have it towed home to Canada, car never gets registered in the US, why should you ever pay state tax?

You will usually just have to pay for a temporary trip permit to drive it back to Canada if you decide to do so, but thats usually no more than $30.

Find a good dealer to work with, some are much more willing than others.
Import Car to Canada

[Beradon]

Why on earth would anyone want to change out or reprogram the US car display just to get a metrice display anyway?

I have a dual speedometre and that's all that really matters. The fact that the car's odometre measures distance in miles is irrelevant since you only really need to refer to this when maintenance is required.

Well that's the problem. For most people it's a question of habit. I'll say for myself, I'm used to metric and remembering the different maintenance markers are key to getting the vehicle compliant with warranty.

It's easy to remember that every:
5000km is oil changes
12000km tire rotation
50000km spark plug check
60000km bumper-to-bumper warranty ends
80000km tune up
95,000km transmission oil change
100000km timing belt replacement/water pump (depending on car) -powertrain warranty ends
etc....

[sonicDX]

Yesterday I picked up my new Subaru. The process couldn't be any easier.
Next step, provincial licensing....

congratulations !!!
I guess one of the problem of detering people from buying car from US is finance .
Say , not everyone can dish out 30K-50K out of their checking account .
So , if they want to buy from US , they need to sell some equity or borrow from the bank paying prime interest .
On the other way , even you pay prime , and can't enjoy the 0% finance , you still save a lot of money !

Question for you : which dealer you are working with ? Is it Van borte ?

How do you ask for free options since you are a cash buyer ?

thanks !

[perfchris]

congratulations !!!
I guess one of the problem of detering people from buying car from US is finance .
Say , not everyone can dish out 30K-50K out of their checking account .
So , if they want to buy from US , they need to sell some equity or borrow from the bank paying prime interest .
On the other way , even you pay prime , and can't enjoy the 0% finance , you still save a lot of money !

Question for you : which dealer you are working with ? Is it Van borte ?

How do you ask for free options since you are a cash buyer ?

thanks !

I looked up the Royal Bank Section on US banking for Canadians and it seems that if you open a US account at the RB of Canada, they offer you the possibility of opening an account in US dollars with RBC Centura, a US bank. These accounts are linked to each other, meaning you can freely transfer money between the Canadian and US bank AND get financing on the US side using your Canadian credit history. I think I might have found the perfect solution to the financing issue for Canadians that do not have the money up front !

Here is a direct quote from the web site:

As easy as Banking at Home

We understand that as a Canadian who visits or travels to the U.S.A. regularly, you have a very specific and unique set of banking needs, on both sides of the border. That's why we created RBC Access USA to help you take full advantage of our services when you are in the U.S. through RBC Centura® Bank, a member of RBC Financial Group®.


Travelling to Florida or the southeastern states? RBC Centura has over 27 branches in Florida to serve you in person if you are an RBC Access U.S.A. client. More




Your money is There when You need It
With RBC Access USA, you have the option to enrol at no extra charge for RBC Centura Web Banking. Sign in once to access both your RBC Online Banking and RBC Centura Web Banking at the same time.

As an RBC Access USA Client, you can also take advantage of:

Transfer money instantly between your RBC Royal Bank® account in Canada and your RBC Centura account in the U.S.A.
An extensive network of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) for convenient access to your money.
A range of U.S. mortgages1 and lending products that are tailored to the unique needs of Canadians.
Your Canadian credit history, so the process of taking out a loan or acquiring a mortgage in the U.S. can be easier.

[sonicDX]

congratulations !!!
Question for you : which dealer you are working with ? Is it Van borte ?

How do you ask for free options since you are a cash buyer ?

thanks !

one more question :
If I buy a used car in US . do I pay GST and PST ?
Or just one tax ?


thanks !

[Monsieurmaggot]

congratulations !!!
I guess one of the problem of deterring people from buying car from US is finance .
Say , not everyone can dish out 30K-50K out of their checking account .
So , if they want to buy from US , they need to sell some equity or borrow from the bank paying prime interest .
On the other way , even you pay prime , and can't enjoy the 0% finance , you still save a lot of money !

Question for you : which dealer you are working with ? Is it Van borte ?

How do you ask for free options since you are a cash buyer ?

thanks !

If you send me a PM I will let you know what WNY dealer I bought from. I can safely say if you're looking for a Subaru, pretty much ALL of them will sell you a car. Van Bortel is a good starting point since you can build a car on their website (using invoice pricing) and use that as a HIGH POINT. I got my car for about $2000 off the Van Bortel Internet price.

When you're a cash buyer, you have unbelievable clout (in the US). I simply made a list of options and accessories I wanted. There were three dealers I was speaking to, they each whittled away at the driveaway price until no one could move anymore. Then they started offering me accessories in place of cash. Overall I paid the price I was after but I suspect it had more to do with their internal accounting. While Canadian dealers as still sizing up your ability to pay, the US dealer has already sold the car and moved on to the next client.

Here's an example; price wheel locks at any Subaru parts store in the US or through sites like Edmunds or Yahoo cars. See what you can get them for (about $15 - $22). Then price them in Canada. There's really no cost for some accessories so throwing them in means little to the dealer.

Regardless of what you buy in the US, you will pay both GST and PST if you purchase from a dealer. Can't say if you pay GST buying privately. I'm sure there are others on this post who can say for sure.

[Monsieurmaggot]

You will usually just have to pay for a temporary trip permit to drive it back to Canada if you decide to do so, but thats usually no more than $30.

Find a good dealer to work with, some are much more willing than others.
Import Car to Canada

If you're importing a car from New York, the cost is actually $77.50 for a thirty day NY state permit. My insurance company insisted that I also put on a 15-day Ontario Transit permit ($15) when driving across the GTA.

For about $100 I covered all my bases.

[Monsieurmaggot]

another question. Do we have to pay GST+ PST on used cars as well?....Toyota dealers in michigan want you to pay the state tax for all new vehicles.....wonder why?.... they say the vehicle should be registered in michigan before it can be taken to canada.....how come some dealers want you to pay state tax and some don't?

This guy is obviously giving you the runaround or is unfamiliar with the export process. You should look to other Nissan dealers. If you really want a Nissan and be assured of a US sale, drive to Buffalo NY (3.5 hours) and buy your car from www.Westherr.com. I've seen a few Nissans in Toronto with the West Herr license plate bracket.

All you need to do is provide the US dealer proof of non-residency (I was asked to show my driver's license.) and no US sales tax will be payable.

My New York dealer told me that by registering the sale to the address listed on my license (out of state) no taxes would be incurred. As I have mentioned in past posts, the only US (non-dealer) cost I incurred was the $77.50 NY State Department of Motor Vehicles transit permit.

Good luck.

[Monsieurmaggot]

In today's mail I got my RIV Certificate of compliance sticker to attach to the side of my door frame. It's basically the same Transport Canada sticker that is seen on most Canadian cars.

The accompanying letter said my vehicle recently passed all requirements and that it conforms to all Canadian transportation standards. There was no mention of a odometre sticker or anything else.

The import process has finally come to a close. A mere six days after I imported my car. For those of you near the GTA, it certainly pays to visit the RIV site personally. My car was imported, certified and licensed in about two days.

If someone knows how to post a picture, I would be happy to upload the certification sticker.