Wilson's in Guelph ?? / US cars sold in Canada ?

[am12]

Anyone with any experience with Wilson's in Guelph (Southern Ontario, Canada)
Good, or bad reports? Any advice?

I was looking at their website, trying to find a Sienna.
They very nicely provide a link to the "carfax" report on each car.

So when I clicked on a likely car I was surprised to find that the report was talking about a US van.
Then I checked another Sienna, and another, and both of them had also originally been licensed in the US.

Is it common for used car dealers to import cars into Canada from the US? What do I need to be aware of?
For one thing, I realize that this might mean if I bought a used car there it might not have the towing package that all Canadian Sienna's do.

[topspy]

Be aware of "Katrina-cars".......ones that have been flood-damaged and then "cleaned-up". They may LOOK "clean", but they will have mostly unfixable and hidden MOLD, RUST, & ELECTRICAL problems for years to come.

CarFax is a nice service, but it is NOT fool-proof. Not all "accidents" are reported to insurance companies or government authorities. Not all states/sources contribute to the VOLUNTARY reporting database. And if a vehicle with dubious origin/condition is transferred through several states in order to "wash" it's title clean, then the "bad stuff" will probably not show up in a CarFax report.

You still need to meticulously inspect an used car outside and inside. Don't put all of your faith in a piece of paper. Look for yourself, carefully. Have a qualified/trusted independent mechanic do a pre-purchase inspection if possible. What type of warranty or exchange policy (if any) is offered by the dealer?

YMMV.
Good Luck!! 8)

[robo5]

topspy summed it up pretty good.

Yes there are alot of US vans on used car lots these days. Times are tough and if the price is right and the dollar exchange is within reason, used car/van lots can make OK money.

They should have no problem letting you get a 2nd opinion on the van. Yes it will be safetied but how much life is left on the brakes ETC Most indepentant shops or even the dealer(?) will only charge about 1 hour to do an inspection.

I don't know Wilson's but my uncle did buy a sienna from the "Walkerton Toyota" which is the same owner as "Guelph Toyota" This maybe your 2nd opinion? He was very happy with these guys.

[mar1990]

Is it common for used car dealers to import cars into Canada from the US? What do I need to be aware of?

I can't comment on the dealer, but I found here in Ottawa that most used Sienna (1-2 years old) were advertised as "LE". Most were US models. It turns out the US LE was similar to a new (09) Canadian CE. Tinted windows and roof rack and tow package were standand on CE in Canada. LE's in Canada typically have alloy wheels and "upgraded" cloth seats.

Through the magic of the internet, you may want to compare brochures between US and Canadian Models.

[sarin_j]

To answer the original posters question, YES, there are many dealers in Canada who are making a killing by importing used vehicles from US and then reselling them slightly cheaper than similar models available in Canada. This is due to the atrocious price differences found on many models from various manufacturers. The Canadian models are ALWAYS priced way higher than their counterparts in the US (this is before tax and after doing currency conversion). Compounding the problem is the attittude of these manufacturers who forbid the US dealership on selling cars to Canadian customers. So apart from "Katrina Cars", you should be ok in buying cars from these dealers. Slightly better option would be to buy it from US and importing it if you are ready to do all the research and paperwork.

[kelliebellie]

Wouldn't you be able to tell if it is US or Canadian by whether the miles or kilometers per hour were the predominant measurement on the speedometer? And is that something they can swap out to make the kilometers the big numbers?

[jc]

KellieBellie,


They would swap out the cluster from an imperial based (US) to Metric. So you wouldn't be able to tell that way.

Regards, Jason.

[kelliebellie]

Interesting. I didn't realize they could do that. I've wondered about buying a car in Canada and bringing it to the US, especially when the exchange rates are good. But it sounds like it only really financially makes sense going the other direction.

[robaer]

The cluster guages can be swapped out, but the ID stickers on the driver door jams can't be. The importer would have to have the car e-tested (emmissions test... which is different than safetied). I did this when bringing a car from California to Ontario. That test generates a sticker that is placed on the drivers door column... so even if the existing registration marks don't give you an idea of whether it sold in Canada, the presence of that certification with a later date than the other stickers would be one inidcator. (btw... none of this is foolproof because they could paint over those decals or sell without having properly imported... but that is unlikely for a deal who has been in your town a few years selling vehicles)

The best rule of thumb I have found when comparing both US and Canadian vehicles... the engine compartment fluid stickers and similar warnings (ie the yellow and black stickers on some parts). Canadian vehicles (when new) must be bilingual and US vehicles often don't have the English/French versions. I have not specifically compared Toyotas before... but for prior vehicles (where I have both looked at and bought US and Canadian versions of Jeeps and Nissans) this held true.

The VIN number will also tell you place of manufacture and place of assembly. If you know that all Sienna vehicles assembled in Canada were only sold in Canada.. you can read that right off the VIN number...

[jmanotas]

I've heard that to bring a US car into Canada you must hook up the day driving lights (easy) and change the gauge to show the speed in km/h; now, since Sienna's have dual, this might not be required although I don't know if the odometer will still be recording miles. All this is just to be aware that some dealers change the instruments to comply and not all set the new odometer to read what the old one did.
In my experience, the best place to search for a used car is trader.ca and in the GTA area, cars seem to be cheaper there. Make a list of candidates and go shopping one full day. That's what I did to buy my Mazda 6 and ended saving about 5k.

[robo5]

I've heard that to bring a US car into Canada you must hook up the day driving lights (easy) and change the gauge to show the speed in km/h; now, since Sienna's have dual, this might not be required although I don't know if the odometer will still be recording miles. All this is just to be aware that some dealers change the instruments to comply and not all set the new odometer to read what the old one did.
In my experience, the best place to search for a used car is trader.ca and in the GTA area, cars seem to be cheaper there. Make a list of candidates and go shopping one full day. That's what I did to buy my Mazda 6 and ended saving about 5k.

All that is required is that the daytime running lights are on. As far as the odometer it will be in miles unless it has been converted but not required.

Now as far as changing the instruments.... The odometer is etched and can not be changed unless by a "certified" company from what I understand for purpose of converting miles to KM or vise-versa. There has been some talk about changing the assembly out with one from a "scrapyard" now this is illegal.

[robaer]

Hi

For what its worth...my 95 Jeep Grand Cherokee (which I sold to get the Sienna) was bought and driven in US while I lived in California and came back with me in 2002. I did have to install the daytime running lights (Canadian Tire did it for 80 bucks) and have it emissions tested and certified. The odometer was only in miles and the speedometer had miles in large print and kph in fine print. That was fine... as long as the speedo showed both. I do believe they indicated that it needed to show kph or have a decal applied to qualify for import.... but I would not have had to change the guage itself if it didnt.

[sienna]

illegal doesn't stop a stealership from scamming a ignorant customer.

[am12]

The VIN number will also tell you place of manufacture and place of assembly. If you know that all Sienna vehicles assembled in Canada were only sold in Canada.. you can read that right off the VIN number...

But all Siennas are made in the same factory in Princeton, Indiana.

[topspy]

Some items may be "port installed"....whatever the official importing entity is may have to install or modify some equipment at the "port of entry"....depends on regulations/laws, etc. I don't know.