Slinks

Looks like cars are cheaper in Canada right now:

RDX AWD has MSRP of 36,770 in US

In canada it has a MSRP of 44164CAD --> 33713USD

That's a nice discount.

Anyone have experience buying an acura from Canada and bringing it into the US (and specifically to NY); and what the process is

I did a quick search on the border/customs page and it all looks somewhat straight forward

Some questions: Do I pay Canada sales tax?
Any problems with insurance/driving the car from Canada into the US?
Can it be financed in Canada and still registered in the US or does the title have to be fully in my name?

rockyboy

I got the 2016 RDX Elite (Canadian version fully loaded). You should consider getting the Elite because it has everything including power folding mirrors and colour combos not available in the US. Not sure about customs as I'm Canadian.

mrgold35

I thought there was some type of warranty issue not being support by Acura dealerships from US to Canada or the other way around? If there isn't a warranty issue, might be worth checking to see if extended warranties are supported on both sides. It might be cheaper to get that at the same time also north of the border.

CanWat

I have a few friends who bought cars from US and brought them to Canada. In each case, the car had to be paid in cash and cross-border financing wasn't allowed. I'm assuming this would also be true for your case.

The retail tax comprises of HST(5%) and PST(8%). Visitors can claim HST portion back but not the provincial (PST) upon leaving Canada. Is the car still cheaper in Canada after adding the 13% tax?

MrGold is correct about the warranty. Some manufacturers don't honor warranty if the car is moved across the border so you'll have to verify that with Acura. The extended warranties have always been much cheaper in US compared to Canada.

Good luck shopping....

ceb

It isn't that easy. There are several differences between US and Canadian regs and importation to the US is a difficult, time consuming and expensive undertaking - even from Canada.

You also have to consider that your warranty issues (you lose warranty EXCEPT if you are temporarily in the other country and have a breakdown).

The $3000 in saving will be long gone once you add the taxes and fees as well as your costs to get the car to conform.

Manufacturers price cars differently in different countries to make the prices equitable after taxes. The base car is cheaper in Canada but costs make the car far more expensive when all is said and done.

This isn't like the EU where you can buy a car in Denmark (where cars are cheap because of ridiculous taxes) and export it to Germany where taxes are far lower but the basic car costs more. The EU works because the safety and emission regs are the same - they aren't here - even if they are close.

RDX10

Is 3k worth the difference in taxes, importing fees, losing your warranty, the headache, the odometer in kms (here in Canada. US cars sell for 25-30% less vs the same Canadian counterpart), resale value, and resale value. Yes I did mean to say that twice.

You may also have to pay some sort of out of state fee. Personally 3k would not be enough for me. When the Canadian dollar was not tanking, it made sense to purchase used us cars for like 1/3 of the price here because you would still come out on top with the poorer resale value.

hand-filer

And you will have the additional expense of having to replace the speedometer head unit with the US version to read in mph.

Comfy

Is moving to Canada an option?

rbreeze

Certain car companies will honor the OEM warranty when a vehicle is imported into the USA from Canada or vice versa - but many car companies will not. Honda and Acura definitely DO NOT play ball where this is concerned. Companies that do play nice regarding cross-border OEM warranties include Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors (certain conditions apply), Infiniti, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. Several auto companies mentioned above prohibit their dealers from selling a "new" vehicle to citizens from the opposing country (i.e. from the U.S. or Canada, accordingly), however there are no such restrictions on "used" vehicles (some conditions may apply) that had already been titled.
If I lived in the U.S. I would be very tempted to buy a late-model/lightly used/very low mileage/1 year old or less premium or luxury vehicle from Canada (from the list of companies listed above) at a very good discount, especially right now considering the current dollar exchange. Many (but not all) new vehicles require zero modification to be imported to the other country (U.S. >< Canada) due to the speedo delineations (both analog and digital speed presentations) changing over from metric to imperial or vice versa at the push of a button. Such is the case with my '11 Cadillac CTS4 Premium that I imported into Canada (Ontario) from the U.S. (Pennsylvania) a few years ago. That was a great deal at the time due to the Canadian dollar being worth more than the U.S. dollar.
In all such events/considerations the buyer must enter into the importation game with his/her eyes wide open.

gregestell

Slinks, I am an American citizen, working in Calgary, and I am going to buy my 2013 Acura RDX AWD at the end of my lease term in 30 days. A month later, I will move back to Texas. Here is what I am finding thus far. The economics are there, as I will buy my 2013 RDX for $29.5K CAD or $22.5K USD. US dealer trade in value for that vehicle is $27K USD. So I have a significant amount of room.

Challenges are getting a clear answer from American Honda on honoring the balance of my warranty. Plus I may purchase a U.S. extended warranty on this vehicle (if possible). My local Acura dealer in Dallas does not want to "deal with" the instrument cluster change nor the recalibration of electronics from metric to miles/F. So I believe it will be a bit of frustration dealing with American Honda, the competency of your dealership and a resale hit of selling a Canadian vehicle in the States sometime in the future, versus the advantage of purchase price today. In my scenario, I think it's worth it, but a bit of a hassle of importation, manufacturer and dealer support.

ceb

All conversions MUST be done by a Registered Importer. A local dealer may not make the conversions.

Please keep us posted on your dealings wit Honda. In general, the warranty will not be honored but they may make an exception as it is clear that you did not buy (or in this case lease it) the vehicle with the intention of export.

gregestell

CEB, thought I would provide an update and request for help. I brought my 2013 RDX back to the States in January. Although the vehicle was manufactured in the States, the compliance letter from Acura was an absolute MUST HAVE to bring it back in. I have notified Honda and they are dealing with my request to have the warranty continued. They say they do this on a "case by case" basis. Since I leased the car for 3 years while living in Canada and then purchased the vehicle and subsequently moved back to the States, then they appear to be willing to extend my warranty.

My current challenge is finding an RI now that the car is back in the States. Although we have lived overseas, my wife is hating the fact that the display and speedometer are metric (the nav can be changed back to miles) so if I don't find an RI to do the conversion, I am sleeping in another bedroom. Unfortunately, there are no RI's in Dallas Texas, and I'm still not sure of the cost to convert......

gregestell

CEB, thought I would provide an update and request for help. I brought my 2013 RDX back to the States in January. Although the vehicle was manufactured in the States, the compliance letter from Acura was an absolute MUST HAVE to bring it back in. I have notified Honda and they are dealing with my request to have the warranty continued. They say they do this on a "case by case" basis. Since I leased the car for 3 years while living in Canada and then purchased the vehicle and subsequently moved back to the States, then they appear to be willing to extend my warranty.

My current challenge is finding an RI now that the car is back in the States. Although we have lived overseas, my wife is hating the fact that the display and speedometer are metric (the nav can be changed back to miles) so if I don't find an RI to do the conversion, I am sleeping in another bedroom. Unfortunately, there are no RI's in Dallas Texas, and I'm still not sure of the cost to convert......

ceb

Houston or Laredo, nothing in Dallas.

I hope you checked pricing with an RI before you started this. Have you already posted your 150% bond of the value of the car?

gregestell

Thanks....looks like I need a road trip to Houston. The car was brought in to the States, inspected and now titled in Texas. So the "conversion" will be to see if the electronic display module can be reprogramed for miles vs. metric and to possibly change the speedometer to display MPH more prominently.


Not sure I understand your question on the bond on the vehicle? Imported the car myself, followed all Fed/State processes. Did not pay anything other than for title and registration in Texas.

ceb

Gotta love TX. You lucked out. Your vehicle should have been imported under "box 3"

As long as you got it titled you are golden.