The Official CDN Importing A Car Thread! www.riv.ca

Anyhow, keep em comin, boyz. One of us has got to take advantage of the exchange rate.

 

im still curious, is it possibly to import an 03 modena from the states? some say its admissable others say inadmissable. im not very knowledable on this type of stuff, so any help would be great.

im probably gonna import myself an suv from the states fairly soon, hopefully i can find something in my taste from washington, that way i can just drive it back. looking for an 04-06 navigator or g500, need something to get me through winter. not a huge fan of the escalade or the cayennes(dont like its look).

 

Canadian Tire?

Mr. Transmission?

LOL

The XJ220 was a great car 15 years ago, I can't imagine the problems and technical bugs that car must have nowadays. Jag's were never the most reliable cars to begin with.

 

of course the 03 modena is admissable, check out Riv, I am looking at Range Rovers right now down there, im sure by the end of the year I will find something nice and bring it up.

 

No kidding. I remember a relative that had V12 Vanden Plas in the 80's, which was the biggest P.O.S. Looked nice, of course, but ran not even half the time - no exaggerating. Under the hood was just a rat's nest of wires and cables, you couldn't even tell what was going on - and that's how it came from the factory. Eventually sold it out of pure disgust and vowed never to buy another Jag.

Hey does anybody know if FoO can, and would, service a Euro F40, if it was imported? I'm assuming they can get the parts.

 

I've had numerous discussions with friends who are contemplating this. (599's, 430 etc...)

From what I gather, FoO will not be friendly towards this. Doesn't matter, because there are about a dozen mechanics/technicians (ie guys who left Foo and started their own shop) in the GTA who can do the same or better job than them.

Gentry Lane, Engineered Auto come to mind.

 

Interesting. I thought because an older car, especially an F40, is one that rarely, if ever, shows up in their showroom for sale. Therefore, they would be gaining service business (and expensive at that), without any impact on their sales of new cars. For 599s, 430s or anything more recent, I can totally understand their position.

That being said, I'm sure they would still rather that the importer of an F40 satisfy his lust by buying a new Fcar instead. Like any of them can match it!!

 

Besides, even if you did import a 599 or 430 from the states, would you really forego your factory warranty and pay for service at an independent?

 

So here is a very legitimate question: You have CAD $400-450K to play with, plus or minus. Do you order a 559, 430 Scuderia, or import an F40?

 

I'm sure they wouldn't scream NO if you brought them an F40 to service, but as the official "caretaker" of new and used Ferrari's in Ontario, naturally they would want a cut of any Ferrari sold in their territory. Besides that, bringing your F to an independent mechanic/shop would be alot cheaper.

Although I presonally don't have a Ferrari, I know many friends who bring their own Ferrari's to 'independents' and are happy with the service because the smaller shops tend to make more of an effort to source parts and please a new client at a lower price.

From my experience with cars, the dealer always likes to put those little "extra costs" to the final bill! That always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

However, this is not an option when buying a new car. (warranty)

 

IMO; Import an F40....its a timeless machine that will never lose value and demand, and will always gain recognition and desire!

 

Agreed.

 

The original title does not have to be in your name.

Just get the PO to sign it over to you on the back.........this, along with a bill of sale, will suffice.

Is that what you mean ?

 

I've read all I can find, including RIV to determine how to get access to a 355 Spider in the US. RIV says all 355s are not importable. But I've also seen references on this board and others to "experts" who specialize in importing US cars into Canada.

Do these folks know something that enables them to legally import cars that are not allowed according to RIV? The US market is so much more diverse than the Canadian market for Ferraris. And the market prices are measurably better in the US.

Thanks in advance for your pointers and advice.

 

If RIV does not let it in.........it cannot come in. Period. You gotta wait the 15 years.

I have brought up 72 US cars YTD and about 80 last year, mostly Porsches with a few Ferrari's included........I have the chief tech inspector at RIV (Carlos Pineda) on my speed dial..........da rulz is da rulz.

Anyone playing around will eventually get their car confiscated. It has happened to a 355 owner in Ontario. People were playing the bumper swap game and got busted.

 

I figured that would be the answer, but was holding out for some kind of miracle. I guess you've answered my question about whether equipping a 355 in the US so that it was mechanically identical to a US model doesn't make a difference. The 360 appears to be the "oldest" car on their approved list.

That's frustrating.

 

You can get a 99-00 360 for $95-115K USD........it is 10x the car a 355 is.........with 10x less inherent design problems. Having owned in my inventory for resale) and driven both..........I wouldn't look twice at a 355.

 

There are a few guys here in the city that can service a f40 very easily. You dont need to go to FoO if you dont feel comfortable

 

How about a 348TB for $45,000 USD ?? Thats what Id get.

 

Yup. Just don't forget to add the $10K+ to make it a good one.

 

Can you point me to where you see these cars? Where I'm looking, they're $130-$170. The lowest I've seen is 104k. I agree that it's a beautiful car, and a measured improvement on the 355, but it's still not over the depreciation hump is it?

Thanks!

 

Good question, What prevents me from leasing a car in the Sates and then letting my girlfriend drive it in Kleinburg? Insurance could be a problem maybe> but is it actually illegal acording to Canadian laws for a Canadian citizen from driving a US registered car that doesn't belong to them> Leasing cars and SUV's in the States are a heck of a lot cheaper than in Canada. HA HA check out prices at PHAFF....etc..

 

I wouldn't worry about the older v8's or V12's, (ie 1980's to 90's cars), any experienced Ferrari mechanic can work on those cars in a private shop without dealership requirements.

IMO I would never bring a newer Ferrari (599, 430) to a unauthorized or private garage, just because some don't have the right computer and diagnostic equipment that the dealer has to properly fix the car.

I think with all this new technology and software included in the newer F's, maintenance and repairs are a bit too complicated for a poor equiped shop? I know alot of smaller garages can't afford or don't have access to the special software and tools required to work on the modern cars?

I'm not a Ferrari mechanic, so maybe I'm not correct in assuming that is true, but from my experience with other cars there are times when only a dealer can perform a certain repair.

 

To each his own I guess.

Goezfaster.....

You'd obviously need a US job, US address, driver's license, SSN #, US credit bureau.....etc...etc...etc....if you got all that you could probably do it.....but if insurance ever became a issue, or the lease company found out you were in Canada......you'd potentially have a wee bit of a problem.