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View Full Version : Importing a car from Miami


Ukyo8
11-06-2011, 10:53 PM
Hey everyone,

I'm going on vacation to Miami in March and I thought about flying there, buying a car and then taking a long road trip across the US back to Calgary.

While thinking about this a certain issue came to mind.
Will reliability of the car be compromised after bringing it from a very humid environment to our dry climate? I'm referring to seals drying up and causing leaks etc..

I know this is unlikely but I'd rather be safe than sorry and I'd love to hear from people that have had some experience with this sort of thing.

It won't be anything super old, probably 2006 or newer budget is around 40K.

Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks
davidI
11-06-2011, 11:11 PM
I wouldn't worry about it. After all, the cars aren't manufactured in Calgary, are they!?

The only exception I can think to this is any performance vehicles that have been tuned / mapped to different atmospheric conditions....you'd just want to get them re-tuned once in Calgary.
Cos
11-06-2011, 11:12 PM
Make sure they dont have flood damage.
Rat Fink
11-06-2011, 11:31 PM
.
davidI
11-07-2011, 12:11 AM
Remember that it won't come with a block heater!
BensonTT
11-07-2011, 12:55 AM
Originally posted by davidI
Remember that it won't come with a block heater!

isnt a block heater only cost llike a $100 bucks?
davidI
11-07-2011, 01:46 AM
I didn't say it was expensive...but it is a hassle, and another added expense.

When you're looking at importing a car, you have to consider the cost of importing (tax/duty), transport (fuel in this case), inspection, any upgrades necessary to meet Canadian specs, and the reduced resale value for US cars. After that's all done, you have to determine whether it's still worth doing or not!

I'm the kind of guy that would do it just for the sake of the road trip and take a few months to drive home, but for most people, buying in the US is a purely economic consideration.
BigShow
11-08-2011, 01:07 PM
That would be one hell of a drive. Make sure it comes with the Miami standard 24" rims!!
Calgaryrocky
11-08-2011, 01:26 PM
I don't think you will have any issues.

The only problem i've ever run into was with a C230 Kompressor, a seal in the transmission (auto/tiptronic) needed to be changed when it was brought over from Cali. The dealership did it for free, they said coming to canada the seal used in Cali would crack and break.

Thats all I can think of, good luck.