buying Canadian cars
 

A Question to USA members...

Ever think of looking North of the border for cars?

-Your dollar gets a 1.34 CDN
-Most 350/370's are stored for 4-5 months a year resulting in low miles.
-Some are imported American cars in miles not km on the speedo
-BTW 1000 km = 621 miles

Anyway see for yourself and do the math...

http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/cars/nissa...advancedSearch

http://www.kijiji.ca/b-ontario/350z/k0l9004

Yes and No. For GTR's, S15's and anything we are not allowed to get yes but for Z's I don't think it is worth with it as we can get Z's for cheap. Low and High mileage examples can be found in every state.

It's a good thought from a finance perspective. However, here in CA (California, not Canada), I'm not sure it makes much sense due to the restrictive CARB/smog requirements for compliance here. If the car meets 50-state LEV standards, which I don't know if CDN cars are, it may be easier but there's still a mountain of paperwork to track down and fill out.

Am I upset about these California-only laws? Nope. Love me some blue sky. And when you're my age and recall the horrific brown hues in SoCal (and some times NorCal) skies, you'd get my drift.

Well we're pretty bound up here too, Ontario that is. We must have cars emission tested every two years by a government approved facility. No pass = no plate permit. Also, any used vehicle ownership transfer must pass the e-test before you can get a permit for it. Not sure how the test measures up to SoCal's requirements tho.

Another consideration before anybody gets too excited about the savings is insurance from a crash perspective. Although Canadian Nissans may be close to meeting USDM crash standards, unless they are uniform, many insurance companies may pass on insuring one. Another good example of: let the buyer beware (and let the buyer do all the legwork before putting down any money).

Golly, never thought of that. But i thought it was the other way around?
I know when importing a US vehicle to Canada there's a couple things we have to do for compliance ie daytime running lights and i know Canadian 370's have a extra brake/fog light in the middle of the rear bumper. But ya, it's notable for sure.

The only reason i brought this up is we are close to the Detroit border (45 minutes) and a lot of the dealers here are sending used vehicles to the States for resale, presumably to other dealers?
There is an abundance of US imported 350/370's here (Canada) that were imported by dealers when our dollar was at par or slightly higher - mine included. Surely a US car imported and then exported back would comply to the USDM?

Anyway, i'm not trying to persuade anyone. I'm not selling mine, nor do i know anyone who's selling. Just a topic of interest and i agree, caveat emptor always!
Hope all is well dkmura!:)

370 rear brake/fog light - OEM in Canada

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/my350z....5b43064aa8.jpg

For example we require movable head rests. Some JDM cars with Recaro's for example do not meet our crash requirements.

Canadian-spec cars have the center brake light on the bumper... so your cars don't have the CHMSL on the top of the rear hatch? (CHMSL = center high mount safety lamp on all USDM cars since '85).

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/my350z....ac4c28d3e9.jpg

I've been looking into the CHMSL law, it seems that it was introduced for all of North America in '85. Perhaps the lower, bumper light on the 370 is a running lamp? (kinda looks F/1ish :cool:)
I'll stop by the dealer and find out. From memory it's the only car I've seen with a bumper light.

Also worth noting, I have noticed American vehicles for sale in Canada are a bit devalued compared to it's Canadian equivalent. I would imagine the opposite it true in the US.

Stopped at the dealer today and looked at a 2016 370. The lower bumper light is a fog/rain light that turns on only with the fog light switch. The CHMSL is mounted on the trunk lid.