I live fairly close to the border and have been doing some comparing before I buy a new RX-8. It looks like there is some money to be saved, especially with the strong Canadian dollar these days, by purchasing in the USA and importing to Canada.

I called Mazda Canada and they told me that the warranty is transferable, so that shouldn’t be a problem. The import process is somewhat time consuming, but probably worth it.

Have any of you considered, or actually did, purchasing your RX-8 in the USA?
Are there any differences between the Canadian and American models which are not listed on the Mazda website?

Thanks for reading.

 

Not an Rx8 but a freind purchased his STi down there last year. Got it for 46K on the road, the sticker for 47 here I think, then add taxes etc. So he saved a bunch. The dollar is stronger now so you could save even more. It's a good plan, I was thinking about doing it for the 8 if the offer colours down there which they don't sell up here for the '06s. Rumor has it a phantom blue will be a colour available in the US but not in Canada.

 

American models don't come with the DRLs you will need to register the car. After installation you can get it 'out of province' inspected. You may need the headlight washers, too.

I think if you do the math, the GT package is still a little cheaper here, than ordering the options on a US car. The base model may be a better buy stateside.

S

 

I suggest you call Mazda Canada to confirm the warranty coverage.

The American 8 comes with a 4 year/50K miles bumper to bumper, but NO powertrain warranty.

The Canadian 8 comes with a 3 year/80K km bumper to bumper PLUS a 5 year powertrain warranty.

If you buy an American 8 and plate it for Ontario, you get the 3 year/80K km bumper to bumper and NO powertrain warranty.

That's screwed.

I know 'cuz I phoned Mazda Canada today and asked the exact question!!!

 

Thread jack:

I was considering purchasing through a U.S. dealer who would import the 8 from the U.S. They would get all the paperwork done, but they claim they have to charge me 6.1% duty. Is that true? If I factor that in, the U.S. car is less of a deal than I originally thought.

 

i understand the need for DRL, but headlight washers??? there aren't even standard on all cars these days.

 

The US model has a GT package as well. As far as I can tell, the US GT model includes a moonroof, while the Canadian one doesn't. The Canadian model includes "Anti-theft alarm system" but the US one might not.

MSRP in US: $30,885 which is $38,173.38 CAD.
MSRP in Canada: $39,995 + $1000 for Moonroof (for comparison) = $40995

That's about $2822 difference. The car is made in Japan, so there might be Customs Tariffs. I'll call CBSA tomorrow to find out.

If anyone has any information, please share.

 

In some countries if the car has DRLs or xenon lights they must be equipped with headlight washers or wipers--not sure if Canada is one of those countries. The reasoning is because as HIDs get muck on them the light pattern could be deflected and become a nuisance to other drivers.

 

Damm...I really thought this thread was about something else. :D

 

Check out www.riv.ca for exact requirements. On many cars, including Mazda's Miata, the US-spec car's rear bumpers meet the US impact requirement of 2.5 mph, less than Canada's rear bumper impact requirement of 8 km/h (5 mph). On such cars, upon import you are required to retrofit the Canadian-spec bumper system. (On a Miata, this means the Canadian bumper mounts.) In addition, you MUST attach airbag warning stickers in French, and fit DRLs, then have the vehicle inspected with paperwork proving that an approved garage made the required modifications.

2 years ago when the RX-8 was introduced, the exchange rate was higher, and after converting the US-spec car's price to Cdn, the Canadian GT with similar options was ~$5k cheaper than the US GT.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Spend your money in Canada boys and Girls. Support your locals.

 

^what he said.

 

also, be aware of taxes. there may not be any duty if you bring it over, but there could be taxes on the canadian value of what you bring back when you purchase it.... that could also inflate the costs. i dont know for sure if this applies to cars or not though. when i bought my digital camera, i thought i was getting a great deal since there are no duties on electronic equipment. until i got to the border. they looked at my reciepts and said there was no duty and then they proceeded to charge me taxes on the candian dollar value of the camera, even though i didnt spend a penny in Canada. I argued it and had the car searched because of my "unnecessary objections". in the end, i didnt save any money, but spent the extra 20$ in gas to get to and from the states, the 3 hours of driving as well, when i could have just gone to the store down the street in 5 minutes and spent 50cents in gas....

just a heads up of the possibility... you can probably find information on the Canadian Border Services website, or some other government department (i forget which one deals with stuff like that, used to be CRA)

 

LOL.. Yea i thought it was about something else to... , i think canadian models are much better


MrJynx

 

Well a Canadian is currently "Miss Universe", so I guess that settles it! :D

http://www.missuniverse.com/index2.html

 

If you are buying an RX8 from the U.S. Canada Customs will charge you duty as it was made in Japan...(I think the 6.1 % is pretty close.. I don;t have the tariff guide in front of me). Duty is charged on the US value you paid for the car converted into Canadian dollars ....next is the Goods and Service tax ....oh and don;t forget the excise tax of $100 for Air Conditioning.( plus gst)
...welcome to Canada and have a pleasant day.... :D

 

On top of all that mess, do you know if provincial tax (8% here in Ontario) would be exigible?

Dang dang dang.

 

Generally you pay the 8% provincial sales tax when you register the car at the Motor Vehicle Branch

Something else....
....First thing you want to find out before you bring any car into Canada - CAN you bring that car into Canada. Thats determined by the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV). Assuming its ok - when you bring the car in from the US, you have to register it with the RIV Program. Thats another $182.00 ( $192 in Quebec I think) The car has to meet all the Canadian Safety Standards for the road... Not everything brought in from the States meets our standards.

 

man, i love alberta... no pst

 

man, i love alberta... no pst

And no deficit whatsoever.... you must LOVE the oil in your ground... :-)