plenty of usa inventory?

papperboo wrote: ↑ does it makes sense to go shopping for a car in the usa? Not to save money but to get what you want faster?

do you know there's plenty of inventory of what you want? and US is a big place, inventory in one metropolitan area (or state) doesn't mean it's same elsewhere....just like availability is supposedly better in Alberta generally... doesn't really apply to PHEV, EVs as they get very little allocation from my understanding.

add in many dealers will not sell to out of state (because they want to keep inventory for in state buyers who may buy a subsequent car from them and/or service it there) and some manufactuers definitely have clauses where dealers can't sell cars for people who "export"..just like canadian dealers won't sell to people new cars who "Export" them to the US as they'll get into trouble with manufacture

and then the whole warranty piece

US dealers can charge any price it wants and no regulations to stop them.

spike1128 wrote: ↑ US dealers can charge any price it wants and no regulations to stop them.

Yes, but fierce competition regulates their market / their prices. Just for the moment, let's imagine that you have to pay only msrp.

The problem right now would be the exchange rate, Canadian $1.36 to buy $1 USD.

Let's say that the OP wants to buy a 2023 Toyota BZ4X (electric).

Canadian msrp starts at $47,934 for the L trim with front-wheel drive, but the car is made of unobtanium. I am taking the price from the Toyota Canada website for Quebec, but the waiting time could be "years and years" for an Ontario buyer, according to my local dealer.

Let's say the OP can find one in the USA, the starting price is USD $42,000 or Canadian $56,950 at today's exchange.

In this particular example, it is almost $9,000 more expensive to buy it in the USA. Plus all the extra work to actually go though the process.

MisterWhitfield wrote: ↑ Yes, but fierce competition regulates their market / their prices. Just for the moment, let's imagine that you have to pay only msrp.

The problem right now would be the exchange rate, Canadian $1.36 to buy $1 USD.

Let's say that the OP wants to buy a 2023 Toyota BZ4X (electric).

Canadian msrp starts at $47,934 for the L trim with front-wheel drive, but the car is made of unobtanium. I am taking the price from the Toyota Canada website for Quebec, but the waiting time could be "years and years" for an Ontario buyer, according to my local dealer.

Let's say the OP can find one in the USA, the starting price is USD $42,000 or Canadian $56,950 at today's exchange.

In this particular example, it is almost $9,000 more expensive to buy it in the USA. Plus all the extra work to actually go though the process.

And you ain't getting a Toyota EV at MSRP in the states ... If competition was so fierce, there wouldn't have been the outrageous market adjustments they didn't even try to hide as accessories or value add in USA compared to here.

the exchange will kill you

Garest wrote: ↑ the exchange will kill you

That isn't OP's concern. There's inventory in the US supposedly vs. No supply locally.

I'd imagine with certain cars, you'd quickly become adept at multiplying/dividing numbers by 1.6

Not sure why all the dumping on this guy who wants a new car before 2025.

We bought our last 2 new cars and a high end travel trailer in Michigan and saved $9k on one and $4k on the other two. The dealers had no problem selling to us and didn’t charge Michigan tax.

There are also brokers who will buy the car and sell to you for a commission.

OP - check around and do the math and check that the car is admissible to Canada. You might find it worthwhile as we did.

If inventory is of a concern. Why not buy an over priced “used” one? It might end up costing the same due to

-exchange rate
-gas to drive it back
-time wasted. Time is money honey!

Exchange rate is going to be brand by brand. Tesla, for example, prices its cars in Canada pretty close to its US prices - a M3LR starts at $55k CAD here but $43k USD (~$58k CAD) there so you're not much worse off but then there are no supply issues in either country for that car. GM and a few other brands price their vehicles significantly cheaper in Canada right now.

Kiraly wrote: ↑ Not to mention the taxes. Pay full state sales taxes wherever you buy from, and then pay full Canadian taxes on top of that. And yes, it compounds (tax on tax).

In most cases, you get sales taxes back when you export and some jurisdictions allow the car to be temporary plated with no tax paid up front. The car couldn't be registered and plated in the selling state unless the OP had a local address. Some dealers know how to get this done.

Kiraly wrote: ↑ Not to mention the taxes. Pay full state sales taxes wherever you buy from, and then pay full Canadian taxes on top of that. And yes, it compounds (tax on tax).



If money is no object, then sure. But everyone has his price.

Sure, but OP literally said this is not to save money LOL

UrbanPoet wrote: ↑ If inventory is of a concern. Why not buy an over priced “used” one? It might end up costing the same due to

-exchange rate
-gas to drive it back
-time wasted. Time is money honey!

Cause used is gross!!!

Imagine all the farts and boogers the previous owner released.

EP32k2 wrote: ↑ Cause used is gross!!!

Imagine all the farts and boogers the previous owner released.

Thousands upon thousands of places called "detailers" will take care of that.


I considered going down to pick up a new "used" Rivian as my order has been delayed yet again to 2024 and they are only delivering in B.C. Also, I have a U.S bank account and importation wouldn't have been too pricey, but Rivian refused to do modifications (unless I took it to B.C. service first) for Canada or honor the warranty so that ended my quest before it began. Since I'm locked into the pre-price increase pre-order, it was not worth the extra money or time.

Kiraly wrote: ↑ Not to mention the taxes. Pay full state sales taxes wherever you buy from, and then pay full Canadian taxes on top of that. And yes, it compounds (tax on tax).



If money is no object, then sure. But everyone has his price.

Depends where you buy and where the car was made.

I bought a car in Ohio, and signed something saying I was from our of state, and no tax was charged. It was a North American assembled car, so I paid PST at the border, may have been HST, it was in 2012. I had bought dollar at 1:1 so it was a steal or a deal.

EP32k2 wrote: ↑ Cause used is gross!!!

Imagine all the farts and boogers the previous owner released.

Arent there fake used cars now?
Brand new 2023. Driven around a bit so dealers can use loops holes to sell it above msrp.

I am sure OP could get one really soon, if not right away, if they paid US pricing locally.

papperboo wrote: ↑ does it makes sense to go shopping for a car in the usa? Not to save money but to get what you want faster?

Used vehicles would make the most sense as they are immediately available and there won’t be any barriers to selling to you and you importing - assuming it qualifies and you follow the process/rules outlined here: http://www.riv.ca/Home.aspx

New can be problematic though. A lot of manufacturers don’t allow cross-border buyers going either way as they want to protect their respective market areas. Most of the dealers in most of the border states will be well-aware of this issue though they may also have short memories. In some cases dealers will get slapped after the fact while in others the manufacturer somehow finds out and gets the dealer to renege on the sale.

Overall, for either scenario above, you need to research which manufacturers are export friendly and which are not. You need to know the BEFOREHAND or you risk the manufacturer refusing to issue you a clearance/compliance letter which is a non-negotiable import requirement. Same for warranty work - some don’t care, some will let you fix in Canada + pay for repair and submit for reimbursement, and some won’t honour the warranty.

Things that worked out ok 10 yrs ago may not go the same way today and vice versa.

All that said, it’s not all doom and gloom as thousands of vehicles a year go one way or the other every year and the pitfalls noted above can all be reasearched ahead of time to help you understand what you’re getting into before you jump in with both feet.

Other gotchyas:

- as others stated, exchange rate sucks
- it’ll need to be a cash purchase as lenders aren’t going to give you money for an over border transaction so you’ll need cash or a HELOC draw
- trims in Canada vs can be vastly different - usually our lower and mid models are better equipped than the American equivalent and you may need to go a trim level higher in USA to get what you want. On the flip side, they often have more colour options for both interior and exterior


What make/model are you looking at and are you looking new or used?

EP32k2 wrote: ↑ That isn't OP's concern. There's inventory in the US supposedly vs. No supply locally.

oh ok

OP then do it then - the fk u waiting for then lol if its just an inventory thing