[Soni]

Originally Posted by picus

Assuming everything goes as planned, here is how it will break down for me.

2006 Mini Cooper S, ~10,000 miles, sport, prem, multi steering wheels, 17" v spoke, 6spd. List was $20,950. I got them down to 19,950. With 1.081 exchange price was $18,334 CAD. 14% pst/gst and 6% import = ~$3,800. RIV fee, Canadian Tire, Licensing, plane ticket there, gas back ~$600, so total price will be about $24k cad.

Most comparable Mini I could find in the GTA was $32,900, with tax $37k. Savings of approx 13k.

Kev, 24k cad sound good. Now get me one!

[seifufu]

Originally Posted by picus

Most comparable Mini I could find in the GTA was $32,900, with tax $37k. Savings of approx 13k.

unbelievable.... a saving of over 35%.....

[picus]

There is no shortage man. That's part of the appeal, we looked for weeks here and didn't really find anything that knocked us out. Search any major metro area in the US and you get 20x the results.

Originally Posted by seifufu

unbelievable.... a saving of over 35%.....

I know. I thought about this weeks ago but sort of put it out of my mind as too difficult, so I didn't consider it until last week. I've been detailing more and more imported cars and all the guys say it's super easy. So one thing leads to another and here I am; and unless I get cavity searched at the border it looks like it'll be a great experience. So far so good. FWIW, the dealership I dealt with was really cool and accommodating, which helped.

[seifufu]

Originally Posted by picus

There is no shortage man. That's part of the appeal, we looked for weeks here and didn't really find anything that knocked us out. Search any major metro area in the US and you get 20x the results.



I know. I thought about this weeks ago but sort of put it out of my mind as too difficult, so I didn't consider it until last week. I've been detailing more and more imported cars and all the guys say it's super easy. So one thing leads to another and here I am; and unless I get cavity searched at the border it looks like it'll be a great experience. So far so good. FWIW, the dealership I dealt with was really cool and accommodating, which helped.

even more unbelievable is that showroom travel still hasn't drop off dramatically (going by what other posters say) despite the fact that more and more people are importing.. unfortunately, looks like we won't see any real savings from dealers until they start seeing real decline in business...

[chromerl]

Originally Posted by picus

Assuming everything goes as planned, here is how it will break down for me.

2006 Mini Cooper S, ~10,000 miles, sport, prem, multi steering wheels, 17" v spoke, 6spd. List was $20,950. I got them down to 19,950. With 1.081 exchange price was $18,334 CAD. 14% pst/gst and 6% import = ~$3,800. RIV fee, Canadian Tire, Licensing, plane ticket there, gas back ~$600, so total price will be about $24k cad.

Most comparable Mini I could find in the GTA was $32,900, with tax $37k. Savings of approx 13k.

Picus, good on you man. Thats a HUGE difference!

[picus]

News on my front: Car is in Canada, no issues at border, easy breezy. More on that later. RE: recall clearance; if you can get the letter without the inspection you are the man. I can not, and I have tried *every* angle. The US dealer can't issue it, Mini USA says see a dealer in Canada. Mini Canada says see a dealer in Canada. RIV won't take a letter from US dealer, needs to be recall clearance letter. So we're hosed, oh well.

[electricmba]

Sorry to hear picus - unfortunately it is what I figured is going to become a reality. I just hope that the others on the board that are successfully licensed are able to get their warranty work without the letter.

Glad everything else was a breeze!

[picus]

I knew a lot of people were doing it, I didn't realize there would be, literally, 50 people in front of me at the US warehouse. Crazy. G37s, 335is, X5s, 997 911 turbos...

[seifufu]

Originally Posted by picus

I knew a lot of people were doing it, I didn't realize there would be, literally, 50 people in front of me at the US warehouse. Crazy. G37s, 335is, X5s, 997 911 turbos...

good... that's what we need

[Desi]

Sigh, this is depressing. I was just screwing around on autotrader, first .ca then .com. I can theoretically sell my 2007 323i and get a 2007 335i Coupe (more options, less mileage!) and break even...

I am actually seriously considering it right now. I mean, the 335i will depreciate less quickly, especially in coupe form. Plus it is just so much more highly priced in Canada anyways... The problem here though is convincing myself to sell my brand new car...

[electricmba]

Desi - I'm not sure of the math you did on you car, but keep in mind that you've got to pay the taxes again (GST and PST + Duty). Considering you've just paid your taxes on your 323i, it might not break even...but maybe it will?

Also remember that lots of people are aware of the price mismatching, and the market for your car might not be as hot...I guess what I'm saying is, ensure you've got that baby sold before you leap into a US car.

I know exactly how you're feeling - I wasn't even seriously considering a 335i coupe, and one trip to autotrader.com and a few emails later, here I am

[RBP]

Canadian prices would have to go down over 20% for it to make sense to buy a car in Canada.

Go US shopping people! The more the merrier.

[Desi]

electricmba, sadly, I did factor in taxes and the miscellaneous fees (already done this once, a few years back). I end up +/- like $1,000 but at the end of the day, have a car worth $15,000 more.

And ofcourse I would sell mine before jumping into an American car. The market here is volitile right now, whereas the American market is stable. If I could get a solid $42-43k, I'd be all over it (Autotrader.ca lists the same car, with twice the mileage and without sport package for $40,000).

[picus]

It is kind of sad, I know. As I walked out of the US warehouse today the couple with the X5 was checking out the Mini; we got to talking and they said they saved something like $26,000 before the currency conversion. That's obscene. Their car was a "demo" that had basically been run around the block.

[electricmba]

Good luck man - I'm sure there are a bunch of people like yourself that bought right as the tide turned on the Canadian / US pricing. Did you manage to get a rebate for yours, or was it too late?

[electricmba]

Originally Posted by picus

It is kind of sad, I know. As I walked out of the US warehouse today the couple with the X5 was checking out the Mini; we got to talking and they said they saved something like $26,000 before the currency conversion. That's obscene. Their car was a "demo" that had basically been run around the block.

picus - "demo" is the new way the US dealers are selling to Canadians. My Dad was in an Audi dealership in Rochester on the weekend, and was just peeking in the window of a new A4. He got talking to the dealer, who said "Sorry, I can't sell you 'that' car (because it is new, and Audi dealers have the same rules about not selling direct to Canucks), but I've got a couple of "Executive Demos" I can show you.

He showed my dad some of the demos, they still had the plastic on the seats, and had less than 300 miles. Someone must have driven it over a weekend and brought it back...and it became "a demo".

[Desi]

Originally Posted by electricmba

Good luck man - I'm sure there are a bunch of people like yourself that bought right as the tide turned on the Canadian / US pricing. Did you manage to get a rebate for yours, or was it too late?

Nope, delivery in April so its a no-go with the rebate. I am 110% ready to list and get the ball rolling on this, however for insurance/financing reasons I titled the car in my mom's name. Thus I need to get her 'permission' to do this, and she and my dad are currently in the middle of a two month vacation to India...

You know, I've been watching the currency thing closely as it developed. I've also been checking out alot of cars because its almost time to replace my dad's cab. It wasn't until about 2 hours ago that I actually thought about running the numbers on my car. Needless to say, I am incredibly angry right now and will get the process started by listing my car for sale the moment I get the go-ahead from India.

Hell, I can MAKE MONEY by getting any e90, or even a 328i coupe!

[picus]

Originally Posted by electricmba

picus - "demo" is the new way the US dealers are selling to Canadians. My Dad was in an Audi dealership in Rochester on the weekend, and was just peeking in the window of a new A4. He got talking to the dealer, who said "Sorry, I can't sell you 'that' car (because it is new, and Audi dealers have the same rules about not selling direct to Canucks), but I've got a couple of "Executive Demos" I can show you.

He showed my dad some of the demos, they still had the plastic on the seats, and had less than 300 miles. Someone must have driven it over a weekend and brought it back...and it became "a demo".

Ya, that's basically how they explained it to me. The Sales Manager at the Mini dealership said the same when I asked if he would sell new to Canadians. He has a JCW 2007 there with 112 miles on it with a few Canadians looking at it.

[electricmba]

Originally Posted by Desi

Nope, delivery in April so its a no-go with the rebate. I am 110% ready to list and get the ball rolling on this, however for insurance/financing reasons I titled the car in my mom's name. Thus I need to get her 'permission' to do this, and she and my dad are currently in the middle of a two month vacation to India...

You know, I've been watching the currency thing closely as it developed. I've also been checking out alot of cars because its almost time to replace my dad's cab. It wasn't until about 2 hours ago that I actually thought about running the numbers on my car. Needless to say, I am incredibly angry right now and will get the process started by listing my car for sale the moment I get the go-ahead from India.

Hell, I can MAKE MONEY by getting any e90, or even a 328i coupe!

Cool - let us know how we can help or answer import questions...it's pretty easy, outside of the damn $500!

Oh, and as an FYI, I still don't have my recall letter yet. My lovely 335i is sitting in my garage and I can't drive it (my trip permit has expired). I need to borrow my friend's dealer plates to get the inspection done when this stupid letter shows up.

[Rossland]

Welcome to the importers club! I guess I was just lucky that I didn't have to pay for the recall letter. So far my car is perfect. I don't know if I will have to pay $500 for that phoney "inspection" before I can get anything fixed under the warranty. There is nothing in my warranty documents that says anything about a fee. Is BMW really prepared to violate their warranty?

BMW makes great cars, but my opinion of BMWCA is low and going down.
But on the other hand, it looks like most are saving at least $10,000 by importing the car themselves. I guess $500. is small potatoes.

[Rossland]

Originally Posted by electricmba

Oh, and as an FYI, I still don't have my recall letter yet. My lovely 335i is sitting in my garage and I can't drive it (my trip permit has expired). I need to borrow my friend's dealer plates to get the inspection done when this stupid letter shows up.

You are being screwed by BMWCA. I suggest to write a letter to the Minister of Transport with a cc to your MP. There is no excuse for them to take this long to write a letter!!

[electricmba]

Originally Posted by Rossland

You are being screwed by BMWCA. I suggest to write a letter to the Minister of Transport with a cc to your MP. There is no excuse for them to take this long to write a letter!!

They aren't even writing it - they are emailing it, so there REALLY is no excuse!