[odylicious]

Does anyone see a problem in bringing an '02 Odyssey from Canada into the US? I can probably get a sweet deal from there, but am not sure about emissions stuff, etc. Looking for advice from my fellow OdyFans!

 

[robr2]

AFAIK, all Odys are legal in the US and Canada. You can get a great deal in Canada if you can find a dealer willing to risk losing their franchise per their agreement with Honda Canada. Only drawbacks are the following:

It will be a grey market car. If you register it in the US without first registering it in Canada (and paying the Provincial/GST taxes), Honda will not honor the warranty.

The speedo/odometer will be metric. If you change it out to mph/miles, you now have a vehicle that you legally must claim actual mileage unknown which will hurt you in resale terms.

The decision is yours. Personally, I'd get a US destined unit simply for warranty piece of mind.

 

[odylicious]

Great post robr2! Definitely swayed me away from purchasing from Canada. Thanks!!!

 

[DP]

You may want to look at "Canadian Pricing" topic in 2002 Discussion.

Also, there was the posting from the American who actually DID purchase the Ody in Canada, and his experience was very positive. I tried to locate this posting with site search now, but failed. Maybe moderators could help.

 

[phoenix2001]

I am thinking of buying from Canada but I am going to take the safest route possible. I will go to Canada and become a Canadian resident (i.e. live there for a day or two) so I can get a license. Then a dealer can only view me as a Canadian resident so I will buy it, pay taxes, register and insure it Canada before bringing it to the US. Then the warranty is good. I will probably go to Alberta where you pay GST only of 7% which is what I would have paid in Arizona.

If anyone asks, I can say I was a Canadian resident who decided to buy an Odyssey before returning to the US. Any Canadian who is looking to move to the US and interested in an Odyssey would be doing this and Honda Canada cannot prevent this.

Not a bad deal for myself, the Canadian dealership, or the Canadian economy (hotel, airfare, license, taxes, food - mini vacation). Hmm, who is losing out - oh yes, the greedy Honda dealerships in the US

[This message has been edited by phoenix2001 (edited 09-02-2001).]

 

[Intrepid175]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by phoenix2001:
Not a bad deal for myself, the Canadian dealership, or the Canadian economy (hotel, airfare, license, taxes, food - mini vacation). Hmm, who is losing out - oh yes, the greedy Honda dealerships in the US

</font>

Hi Phoenix2001,

Having spent a couple of weeks in western Canada (British Columbia) on vacation, I can honestly say I loved the place and genuinely look forward to going back some day.

I understand where you're coming from here. The mini vacation part sounds great but I have to wonder if, after it's all over with, you really saved yourself any money? Of course, if you can get the Ody and the vacation for what the van alone would cost you at home, I don't have a problem with that!

Good luck & Drive Safe,
Steve

 

[phoenix2001]

With the exchange rate at Wells Fargo for large purchases, I expect to clear $5,500 gross before expenses of less than $1,000. Of course there is sweat equity involved but heck if you can clear $4,500 in after tax income for three days work that's not bad at all. I also understand the drive back will be through some of the most scenic sites in North America.

Still amazed at the huge gap in MSRP. I checked Mexico for fun and they charge $12K MORE for the Ody than in the US!!!

Thanks for the thought Steve

[This message has been edited by phoenix2001 (edited 09-02-2001).]

 

[DP]

Here is the topic with the posting I've mentioned before:

http://www.odyclub.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000428.html

 

[phoenix2001]

I read that post before in Edmunds (the fifth one down). Seems much more complicated than my plan of just registering it in Canada and paying the GST and PST (if any). Another problem is that I don't think he got his Ody warranty to be valid in the US the way he did it. Finally, the Canadian dealers may not do the deal anymore unless as one dealer told me, they escort you to the Registry Agent and watch you register it, given the possibility of fines levied by Honda Canada.

Like I said before, I'm happy to pay the Canadian taxes and register in Canada to get the warranty validated in the US.

 

[bjk2001]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by phoenix2001:
I am thinking of buying from Canada Hmm, who is losing out - oh yes, the greedy Honda dealerships in the US

</font>

Do you need to get a Canada Driver License to become a Canada resident to purchase car there? How about insurance stuff? When you ready to sell your Ody years down the road. How are you going to handle it?

Do you have to pay for the local DMV to bring out of state car in? I know California you have to pay pretty good $$$ to bring out of state car in also smog and other good stuffs.

Keep in mind all the warranty work has nothing to do with Honda dealer. Honda itself will pick up the bill.

Maybe one day Honda will rasie the price of Canada Odyssey so no one will bring Ody back to US.

------------------
'01 GG EX
Mud Guard, Wheel Lock, Cargo Tray, Weathertech Mats, Leather Steerling Wheel Cover, Pioneer 1655 front speakers, 1086 rear speakers, Lojack

 

[phoenix2001]

It's the other way around, you need proof of Canadian residency in order to get a license. That means a piece of mail addressed to a Canadian address to you which is no problem.

Insurance is easy to obtain. And I hope this will be the one and only minivan I will ever buy so I am not worried about resale.

I believe someone said in another post that the Canadian brochure says the Canadian Odyssey is California emissions compliant but someone can check that.

The warranty issue is real, yes Honda will pick up the tab IF the US dealers honor the Canadian warranty.

In any case if problems crop up I will have a $4,500 cushion to deal with them

 

[blakeinhou]

"if it sounds too good to be true, then it is too good to be true" Sounds like alot of gyrations to still have a car that reads km/h.

 

[HabsFan]

I just ordered a 2002 last week and I had this conversation with the dealer (because of proximity to the US border. They will not sell a Odyssey with out proof of residence. That means drivers license, passport etc.. They face large fines (approx 3000$) if they sell a vehicle destined for the States with out being registered in Canada. He even showed me a list of known resellers who pose a legit customers.
The Canadian dealers are going to sell all the Odyssey's they get their hands on anyway, why would they risk a fine from Honda?. The mark-up on a Cdn Odyssey is 2965$ Cdn, which is less than the fine they would incur.

 

[blakeinhou]

I agree, besides, it it were simply a matter of "being" in Cananda for a couple of days and having a piece of mail delivered-dont you think Americans would be flocking up there by the hundreds with their healthcare system. Try getting a drivers license in Texas-you have to have Social Security card, insurance card, and thats for people that already are residents of Texas. Id be careful.

 

[phoenix2001]

I see the problem as a matter of two issues: 1) getting a Canadian dealer to sell to you; and 2) getting the Canadian warranty validated in the US.

The first is largely a problem made by Honda Canada but most dealerships would want to see a Canadian driver's license anyway. How can a dealership turn away a buyer who shows a Canadian driver's license with a Canadian address and who will register the car in Canada? They can't.

So the issue is obtaining a driver's license which is not hard and registering the car in Canada and obtaining insurance, again not hard.

The second issue of the warranty is solved by the registration and paying Canadian taxes.

How different would this situation be of a US resident moving to Canada and a long-time Canadian resident who needs to move to the US and wisely buys an Odyssey in Canada just before leaving?

 

[robr2]

One question I have - can you just up and move to Canada? I mean, it's a different country and all. Don't you have to deal with getting a Visa\Immigration papers to legally "move" to Canada?

If it were that easy, I could have gone to Montreal (less than 6 hours by car) and done the same.

Everyone's threshold for jumping through flaming hoops is different. Phoenix2001, if it worth it to you, go for it. For me, fuhgetaboutit!!!

[This message has been edited by robr2 (edited 09-03-2001).]

 

[DP]

Nobody asked me about any ID or proof of residence but the driver license when I was buying Odyssey in Toronto this July.
To get the driver license here is also very simple. As phoenix2001 correctly stated, a peace of paper with your address on it should certainly be enough.

 

[phoenix2001]

The US and Canada have certainly grown comfortable enough with each other that we can freely move about each others borders. Plenty of Canadians and Americans vacation and retire in the other country. I know lots of Canadians spend the entire winter in Arizona.

This is not about employment so immigration is not an issue. And our countries have not required VISAs for decades

That's why when a Registry Agent is shown a US driver's license they have no problem exchanging it for a Canadian license along with proof of residency. That's exactly what we do when people from other states change residency.

 

[robr2]

phoenix2001 - perhaps Visa was a poor choice of words. My presumption was that if you want to legally "move" to another country, even one as friendly to the US as Canada, must require something. I doubt you can show up at the border and say "Lemme In Guys".

I decided to look up some information.

Go to:
http://cicnet.ci.gc.ca/english/immigr/index.html

To go as a tourist, US citizens do not need immigration papers. To become a "resident" ie secure drivers license, you must meet one of their rquirements no matter where you are from: skilled worker, business (entrepreneur), family, or refugee. Then you must complete all the paperwork, get approved, etc. Sounds like a whole lot of work just save save $4000 on a van. And it looks like the fees just to move to Canada are about $1,000.

As for Canadians retiring in the US, yes that's true. But look how often they need to go back to Canada just to maintain their resident status. If they are gone more than 180 days in one year, it looks like they lose that - and their health benefits as well.

As I said before, I wish you luck and hope you are successful.

 

[blakeinhou]

Not to mention that these vans arent sitting around in large numbers in stock. Would probably require 2 trips up there-1 to order and buy and 2 to take delivery.