Thinking outloud - Importing Canada X5 stateside

[chefwong]

I haven't even done the homework yet...but just thinking outloud how hard/additional costs would it be if I purchased a X5 in Canada and imported stateside. Other than the cluster being changed, would there be anything else required.

It's official but BMW NA will not take any special order colors on the 4.8. Me want's a 4.8i in Sterling Grey so baddddd. I'm happy with my 2003 4.4 but I'll be happier with a 2005 4.8 Sterling Grey

[rangerfan]

Originally Posted by chefwong

It's official but BMW NA will not take any special order colors on the 4.8. Me want's a 4.8i in Sterling Grey so baddddd. I'm happy with my 2003 4.4 but I'll be happier with a 2005 4.8 Sterling Grey

They shipped one in Sterling to Australia, and it looks awesome! Here it is.

I hope I don't get banned and bitchslapped for linking to BF. Maybe just a few hundred smacks with the cane.

[LeMansX5]

I know of somebody who was trying to import a new MB from Canada last year but could not as it did not make sense financially. Some laws by US customs made the deal ridiculus to him. I can find the details and let you know.

[King]

Some manufacturers (like Honda for sure and I believe BMW as well) make you sign a waiver that you will NOT export the vehicle out of Canada. This was especially true of vehicles like the Honda Oddesey minivan which costs more in the US than in Canada. There was such a demand a couple of years ago that people were buying them in Canada and selling them accross the border to the States. I also heard people were buying luxury vehicles like BMW and Mercedes and selling them for a profit in other countries like the Middle East, HongKong, etc. The vehicle can only be exported after it's a year or two old. Can't remember the exact timeframe. I think BMW Canada made me sign such an agreement as well during my financing paperwork.

[breytonX5]

Originally Posted by chefwong

I haven't even done the homework yet...but just thinking outloud how hard/additional costs would it be if I purchased a X5 in Canada and imported stateside. Other than the cluster being changed, would there be anything else required.

It's official but BMW NA will not take any special order colors on the 4.8. Me want's a 4.8i in Sterling Grey so baddddd. I'm happy with my 2003 4.4 but I'll be happier with a 2005 4.8 Sterling Grey

I once imported a E36 from the States to Canadan and it wasn't that bad. This is what I had to do to the car: installed day-time running lights and some latch thingie for the back seat, both of which were very simple to do. Didn't bother changing the cluster since it had both miles and Km. The main thing was I had to pay a few thousand dollars (tax, duty and all that crap).

Chef, if you really want that SG 4.8 go for it. It'll be worth it at the end.

[UCrewX5]

Originally Posted by rangerfan

They shipped one in Sterling to Australia, and it looks awesome! Here it is.

I hope I don't get banned and bitchslapped for linking to BF. Maybe just a few hundred smacks with the cane.

I already cleared it with Jon over at bimmerfest. He has no problem with us linking to content over at his site. And as for me, I have absolutely no problems with linking to other sites or furums - as long as the links are to information that is relevent to the topic at hand

[King]

Originally Posted by breytonX5

I once imported a E36 from the States to Canadan and it wasn't that bad. This is what I had to do to the car: installed day-time running lights and some latch thingie for the back seat, both of which were very simple to do. Didn't bother changing the cluster since it had both miles and Km. The main thing was I had to pay a few thousand dollars (tax, duty and all that crap).

Chef, if you really want that SG 4.8 go for it. It'll be worth it at the end.

Breyton, he is talking about importing a new vehicle from Canada to the U.S. There are several laws here in Canada and restrictions by the dealerships that almost make it impossible. Not quite the same thing as buying from the U.S. and bringing it into Canada! All that requires is duty, gst & pst taxes and a provincial inspection. Changing the cluster etc is up to the owner.

[breytonX5]

Originally Posted by King

Breyton, he is talking about importing a new vehicle from Canada to the U.S. There are several laws here in Canada and restrictions by the dealerships that almost make it impossible. Not quite the same thing as buying from the U.S. and bringing it into Canada! All that requires is duty, gst & pst taxes and a provincial inspection. Changing the cluster etc is up to the owner.

King thanks man. Didn't know it's so hard to import vehicles North to South. But anyway not sure if if it's worth it since you'll be paying a lot more up here even with the exchange rate.

[x5Monkey®]

I can't even remember what board I remember seeing this on now, but some US guy bought a Canadian x5 off ebay, and basically had no warranty in the US. It wasn't honored at all. Anybody remember the details?

Originally Posted by chefwong

I haven't even done the homework yet...but just thinking outloud how hard/additional costs would it be if I purchased a X5 in Canada and imported stateside. Other than the cluster being changed, would there be anything else required.

It's official but BMW NA will not take any special order colors on the 4.8. Me want's a 4.8i in Sterling Grey so baddddd. I'm happy with my 2003 4.4 but I'll be happier with a 2005 4.8 Sterling Grey

[UCrewX5]

Originally Posted by x5Monkey®

I can't even remember what board I remember seeing this on now, but some US guy bought a Canadian x5 off ebay, and basically had no warranty in the US. It wasn't honored at all. Anybody remember the details?

Sebastian (Seba on the old RF board) is the one I think you are referring to. You may remember him from ChiFest a few years back. He bought his X5 off eBay, which had been "imported" from Canada to the U.S. and BMWNA did give him a lot of grief over the warranty. I think they ended up settling on some things, but I would strongly advise anyone thinking of doing this to certainly check out the warranty implications in advance of making the purchase.