Buying a car from eBay/United States

[damameke]

Originally Posted by eljay

I too am looking south of the border for an E46 M3.
Does anyone have suggestions on sources for cars besides the obvious sites? I'm constantly checking 6-7 sites/forums for cars.

The prices are attractive, but once you add everything up and realize you are actually paying around 30% on top of the actual window sticker U.S. price, it hurts! But it's still worth it.

I have also been checking and comparing car prices between US and Canada too, and I found this site: http://www.offleaseofmiami.com and they have nice cars, wrote to them on one but its sold... maybe you can find your car there...

[eljay]

Thanks damameke!

[blue dragon]

I just imported my X5 35D from Cali, I did not pay BMW for a recall letter, I got a print out from the dealer in Cali.

[xlurker]

Originally Posted by blue dragon

I just imported my X5 35D from Cali, I did not pay BMW for a recall letter, I got a print out from the dealer in Cali.

Did you have to do the cluster conversion etc for Cdn compliance?

[3x Beemer]

hey anybody import a parts only car yet? i'm bringing one back.. it's only 70 bucks plus GSt. do i still need to fax the title to them 72 hours in advance? thanks.

[syedali]

Originally Posted by xlurker

Did you have to do the cluster conversion etc for Cdn compliance?

Bought one off eBay and drove it back. Its a 2004 325i. No cluster conversion required.

[Steve@Euro]

Hey GUYS EURO MOTORSPORTS of TORONTO does IMPORTING from the USA,

http://www.euromotorsports.ca/import...om-the-usa.htm

Euro Motorsports of Toronto can help you in this process, Gus and Peter Vasilakis have imported and exported thousands of vehicles over the years. We understand this process can be difficult and costly if you don't know what you're doing. We can help you import your new or used vehicle and save you thousands of dollars while saving you time and hassle.



The benefits of choosing Euro Motorsports to handle the import process of your US vehicle include:

1) Financing: We can finance or lease your US vehicle or even pre-approve you before you buy.

2) We consistently sell hundreds of vehicles annually: With such huge volume, we are able to negotiate discounts on everything from transportation, foreign exchange, brokerage and parts. We then pass the savings on to you.

3) Buying wholesale: We buy our vehicles significantly cheaper than the consumer. Why shop around on a US dealer's website when they are already charging their standard mark up plus extra fees? Let us buy the vehicle you want at wholesale price and we will import the car for you.

4) Documentation: All of our vehicles come with full documentation we provide Carfax and CarProof history report plus we will show you inspection reports on the vehicle you have picked. You will know the grade of your vehicle, if it's original paint, tire depth and all other disclosures. You will end up buying a high quality vehicle at a lower price. Now you're buying smarter!

5) Start to finish service: By choosing Euro Motorsports we buy the vehicle at wholesale price, get you the best exchange rate, ship the vehicle, import it into Canada, perform all necessary modifications to the vehicle, complete the safety/e-test and finally detail the car and deliver it to you with a Canadian ownership.

[BayernDK]

I bought my M3 from NYC and in total over the last 10 years have bought 12-14 vehicles from State side.

Its not that much work, the checklist on RIV.ca and on the first page of this thread seems daunting but its not that hard.

Just don't lie about the bill of sale, if you get caught your wallet is gonna hate you!!

DK

[Mr. Mayhew]

Originally Posted by xlurker

Did you have to do the cluster conversion etc for Cdn compliance?

BMW requests that you change the cluster on certain models, however according to RIV you do not have to. BMW's warranty will transfer into Canada, however BC BMW dealers insists that they will not warranty a part you were requested to change but dont (ie a cluster, etc). This is totally up to your dealership, as strange as it sounds.

letters of compliance are no longer necessary when importing ANY VEHICLE due to a class action lawsuit back in 2008. However Recall letters are still needed.

As long as your vehicle has DRL, Immobilizer and Metric Labels you are good to go. If your vehicle doesnt have DRL, you can actually activate them yourself using the gauge cluster computer on some models, such as E92 3 series.

hope that helps!

[topaz330ci]

If there is no warranty involved... I suggest you don't even take it to a local dealer. There is no need.

[DIRT_Racer]

I did not read all 6 pages, but I to am curious about bringing back a parts car only. Thus a car that WILL NEVER see the road. You are strictly using it for the parts it contains? if need be, I would take the plasma cutter with me and myself strip the interior and cut the car into three peices. has anybody tried this?

[dcramer]

Originally Posted by Arash

+1. Also does it need safety and e-test if the car is +15 years old? (1992)

Certainly needs a safety.

[mousecrab]

Just imported a car from US. Brought it from an authorized dealer and the whole experience was great without headache. No need to fax title in anymore but do have to sent an e-mail and the 72 hours wait time starts when a confirmation e-mail is returned.
It was a quick 20 to 30 min in and out at custom.
Working on the RIV piece and hope to get my plate soon.

[dcramer]

what about the 500 dollar bmw extortion fee ?

[mousecrab]

Originally Posted by dcramer

what about the 500 dollar bmw extortion fee ?

Should have mentioned, i didn't buy a BMW. Based on Transport Canada site BMW is listed as one of the few rip off brand where everything must be done at a Canada BMW dealership. I brought a Porsche and the US dealership did everything for me free.