Opinions! What car to import from USA to make money?
 

Hey RS,

So my brother is going to pick up a car in California in a couple weeks, he asked me to come down with him to keep him company, and of course I was down.

But... then today I started to think... I have some extra cash laying around, maybe I should pick up a car as well, just to flip it and make a couple thousand bucks.

But I'm not really sure what to import! Ideally something I would enjoy driving, like an s2000 etc. I would love to bring another vehicle up for myself, but between the new civic si, and the ITR, I really dont have room for another vehicle lol.

The car market is very different than it was a few years ago, back in 2007 it seemed anything you bought south of the border would save you a pile of money but it seems to me the market has tightned up a bit and the difference in prices between the USA and Canada have equalized a fair bit.

So my fellow RS-er's, what do you guys think would be something safe and profitable to import?

Cheers
Jason

If you have a little knowledge on em, classics from the rust free south are always money makers up here.

Unless you can funnel it through a company you will most likely break even after taxes etc. Also stay away from MB/BMW because alot of their cars require cluster changes. Also keep in mind you have to pay 6.1% duty.

On the lower end cars say, anything under 25g's there's not much to be made because the market is so saturated.

If you are talking about the 60g's+ then there is some money to be made in that market.

whatever you buy make sure it's a clean title because selling a rebuilt US car is a pain, you also need to do the math:

How much is the car going to cost FOB price,
how much are going you going to pay in taxes? the import tax is something like 18% I think.

also you need to check how much the cars are selling for here (do the research), and see how much you can make if you sell it. If your selling an US import it's always better to sell it for a couple thousand less also compared to canadian cars, you should keep that in mind.

Importing US cars to make a profit was easier years ago, but now it's harder, like you said.

^ THIS.
I wont import a vehicle for worth unless its over 30k cuz its not worth it.

+1 to this being a dumb idea. I do this for a living and you are deluding yourself into a painful headache if you think there's enough spread to cover your tax bill as well as the aggravation and RISK.

and there is a risk the car you choose wont pass all the inspections and you will have to pay more. I got a $55k Land rover in for a family friend. Only charge $1,000 more than we paid for it, but it failed the emissions test and had to pay an extra $2500 just to get it on the road....

Seems like a good idea at first, but not worth your time man

I do appreciate the opinions expressed so far, and i should mention that I have imported vehicles before and know the costs involved.

I'm not 100% set on doing this, mainly looking for peoples ideas in regards to what make/models will be the easiest to sell, and offer the best potential return.

I dont expect this to make me rich, and if the math and probability tell me I will come out losing anything, I doubt i will bring a car back.

60k+ vehicles are not out of the question... but 100k+ sure are lol

Thanks again!!

Lexus.
Plain and simple.
However, you have to have a way of having it registered down there for 6 months before getting the title/MSO. There is a huge pricing gap (specifically on the new GX its about 20k, and on the LX if you can get it at MSRP, over 30) thanks to some contract Lexus USA signed.
Sadly the however will likely be a deal breaker cause you probably don't have a way of getting it registered. Sadly the higher end cars don't have the biggest demand for them.

The 6.1% duty only applies to vehicles made outside of USA/Canada. E.g. imported the special edition camry a few years ago, no duty cause it was made in Kentucky.

car in general is a bad investment. its a bad idea. i suggest you to talk to a financial advisor to handle your "extra cash laying around" and gain real return.

but if you really want my answer, import this:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/1821513510.html

1996-2002 toyota 4runners. Get the 3.4L 4x4, and make sure its from a dry area and is rust free. I brought one up here and sold it in 2 days for top dollar. They are desirable cars, and hold their value.

This is not true. If the vehicle was sold in the US from the factory with a MPH cluster only then it's OK to import here without changing the cluster.

If it's a one shot deal then this wouldn't matter but you're going to need a dealers license if you keep flipping cars.

if you have that much to play around with, you should ask your peers if they need an upgrade their car and get an order first

S2000's are a good idea, as long as it is a newer one with low mileage and isn't a rebuild.
This particular one is slightly over priced. You figure after taxes and exchange, this car is going to cost you over $18,000 to bring it into Canada.

If you can find a good AP2, 04 and newer, for a good price then it may be worth it.

infiniti/lexus.

use this site: http://www.importcartocanada.info/to...ce-calculator/

the exchange rate sucks right now so its not really worth it

BMW X5 or X6 or Mercedes M-Class or GL-Class

They are made in America, so no duty.

^ You pay duty on BMWs. also need a recall letter from bmw which costs 500-3000 and also needs a bmw inspection.

^ no you don't. I imported one. The recall letter + inspection costed total $2000 at AutoWest BMW. Nowadays I heard you can skip the inspection so more savings.

On BMW's/Mercedes you dont change the cluster, as it has KM/H on BMW's and a digital speedometer on Mercedes.

edit: re-read it, no duty on x5 only, but if its a newer model without daytime runners, an extra 2000-3000 to replace the cluster/module..

just becuz bmw is a german brand, it doesnt mean they are all made in Germany. Some BMW are now made in the USA, so there is no duties for importing them. If u get a BMW from a BMW dealer, u can ask them for a recall clearance letter and have it part of the deal. RIV is not that strict on the recall letter as most think. I just had a dealer type up a letter with their letterhead and state that there are no recalls, RIV accpeted that with no questions asked. Also, u only need a bmw inspection if u want the warrenty transefered into Canada. (not 100% sure on this)


Some of the members on here just assume they know it all and are giving bad advice.

E55 AMG

thanks for the lecture bro. I think I realized I misunderstood.

and lol @ first line, car sales 101

anything AMG