Canadian Version?

[MRKKBB]

Anyone know when the details on the Canadian version come out?

[KW Sluggo]

My dealer told me yesterday that the Canadian specs will not be released until October 1st. CRV delivery wil, of course, also be delayed. Canadian Honda dealers will not get their new vehicle intro until late September.

He said he expected the differences would be minor between the US and Canada but that there would be some (usually we pay more for decontented Toyotas, Hondas and Mazdas than do Americans).

With the weakening of the US dollar and the strengthening of the Canuck buck the price differential is out of line to the point where it is cheaper for us to buy a Honda etc in the US. The problem is that US dealers have been told that they are not allowed to sell for export.

Based on his guesstimate of price a 2007 CRV LX would be about $30,500 CDN even if there is no price increase.

That puts it close to the 2006 RAV4 Limited price and not too far from the price of the 2006 RAV 4 V6 Sport model. It also means that Honda Canada will lose some sales -- maybe including mine.

Price, ugly front end and now another unnecessary one month delay. I am getting tired of the attitude. I am trying to keep the door open but even my Honda dealer conceded that for about the same money the RAV 4 is an attractive package -- especially the V6 (about same mpg, BTW).

[alberta bound]

Regarding the Canadian version comments, I agree the 07 will be very close to identical except maybe for some options.The price differential is really annoying and unjustified considering the Canadian dollar vs US dollar.The differential was valid a few years back but now someone is making considerably bigger profits for sales in Canada.Based on US prices and the current exchange rate, we should be paying about 4-5 thousand less than we do.

[MRKKBB]

I was kind of hoping that Canada would get a manual option. No manual option makes this just another mini-van - but I guess the sales history in NA dictated this.

[KW Sluggo]

The "Wheels" section of today's Globe & Mail has a small article on the 2007 CRV.

There will be a front wheel drive version in Canada and this is expected to keep the entry level price under $30,000 CDN.

However, no 2007 CRV sales until NOVEMBER

Based on the above price estimation the FWD CRV will likely cost more than the entry level AWD RAV. It also does not bode well for price comparisons between these two vehicles at other model levels.

...but we won't know for sure until October 1st.

[bluewho25]

Regarding the Canadian version comments, I agree the 07 will be very close to identical except maybe for some options.The price differential is really annoying and unjustified considering the Canadian dollar vs US dollar.The differential was valid a few years back but now someone is making considerably bigger profits for sales in Canada.Based on US prices and the current exchange rate, we should be paying about 4-5 thousand less than we do.

Let me ask a stupid question, can you buy a car in the US and then just cross the border and register the car in Canada?
Can it be done? What kind of problems will you bump into?


El Guapo

[alberta bound]

Unfortunately it is not as simple as buying in the US and bringing the car to Canada.You will pay duties,taxes etc which puts up the price but given the difference in price these days and the exchange rate , it would probably still be cheaper to buy in the US.

[KW Sluggo]

The other problem is that Honda (and others) have told their dealers not to sell for export or they risk losing their franchise.

Part of the reason for this is that Honda Canada is a separate organization from Honda USA. The same is true of Toyota -- one Toyota dealer went so far as to tell me that Toyota USA is a wholly separate company from Toyota Japan and because of their exclusive rights to such a large market, Toyota USA can get a better deal out of Toyota Japan.

They may get a better deal but I don't believe they are completely separate.

Now there are some re-sellers out there including some place in Toronto that is importing Scions, so obviously it can be done.

[MRKKBB]

You may also be required to change the speedometer face plates from MPH to KPH, even though North American cars have a dual display - the province may require you to make the change to the Canadian version. Unless, the new CRV will have a digital scale on the speedometer where you can change it - like some of the rental cars I've seen.

I don't get the pricing difference between US and Canada. Since most likely the Canadian version will be built in the US, we should see a decrease in the price. Also, there should be no duty under NAFTA for american built products - but then again their might be a clause in the agreement that NAFTA does not apply to cars.

Regarding the Canadian version comments, I agree the 07 will be very close to identical except maybe for some options.The price differential is really annoying and unjustified considering the Canadian dollar vs US dollar.The differential was valid a few years back but now someone is making considerably bigger profits for sales in Canada.Based on US prices and the current exchange rate, we should be paying about 4-5 thousand less than we do.

Let me ask a stupid question, can you buy a car in the US and then just cross the border and register the car in Canada?
Can it be done? What kind of problems will you bump into?


El Guapo

[osman]

Let me ask a stupid question, can you buy a car in the US and then just cross the border and register the car in Canada?
Can it be done? What kind of problems will you bump into?


We usually have to go through Canada Customs. They won't fancy anyone sneaking in with a new car without paying 14% GST+PST. That's what drives up the car prices in Canada, sometimes coupled with the $1200 you pay to the dealer for admin/freight charges.

I would love to see a Canadian version with a pre-rusted factory option spare tire underneath the belly :-) Did I hear someone say Rav4 Sports eh!

Jokes aside, I am big CRV fan but I don't think I'd be willing to pay the expected Cdn $ 36k for a CRV EX with Navi. I could buy a 2 year old MDX for the same price.

My dealer has promised me a test drive the moment he gets his hands on the 07 Vee.

Cheers

[sushiboy21]

I don't think Honda Canada will honour warranties on CR-Vs bought in the States. So you'll have to find an after-market warranty ($2500?) you feel comfortable with.

There should be no duty as the new CR-V is made entirely in North America, is it not? That would give you an exemption of the NAFTA.

I don't know what it will cost to convert speedometers and odometers to metric. You need to get a road-worthiness inspection at Canadian Tire ($?) and jump through a lot of other regulatory hoops.

Still, if you have the time and energy -- and can find a dealer in the U.S. who will sell to you -- you stand to save a decent chunk of change.

As I understand it, Canadian prices are set based on market forces in Canada, not by converting the U.S. price to Cdn dollars. A few years ago, Cdn cards were a lot cheaper than U.S. based on straight exchange rate.

[ccacp89103]

The Canadian version of the CR-V will not have XM satellite radio enabled radios on all versions. The only ohter thing that will be different is the capacity of the windshield washer fluid which is going to be in the 4L range instead of the 2 L capacity in the US model. Also, the Canadian model will have a reminder when the fluid level of the washer fluid is low.
That is it !

With respect to the hurdles to follow to import a car into Canada, for now the 2007 CR-V is still being built in Japan and thus 6.1 % duty on top of the GST and PST and import fee in the $200s will need to be paid to get it across the border.

Production of the 2007 CR-V has not yet begun in East Liberty, Ohio. Production will begin in the next couple of months as they are already very busy building other Hondas.

[egritchi]

"With respect to the hurdles to follow to import a car into Canada, for now the 2007 CR-V is still being built in Japan and thus 6.1 % duty on top of the GST and PST and import fee in the $200s will need to be paid to get it across the border."

Do you have any idea if the same would be true for a US Citizen working in Canada? I drove my '97 CRV across the boarder and paid ~$150 I assume for the import fee. I believe the same would be true for the 2007 except for maybe a higher fee. Of course, since it's a temp. import I won't be able to sell it in Canada and will have to have it "Canadaized" before I can register it. Does this make sense?

[sushiboy21]

With a 6.1 per cent duty, it would be very hard to make this deal work financially.

[MRKKBB]

"With respect to the hurdles to follow to import a car into Canada, for now the 2007 CR-V is still being built in Japan and thus 6.1 % duty on top of the GST and PST and import fee in the $200s will need to be paid to get it across the border."

Do you have any idea if the same would be true for a US Citizen working in Canada? I drove my '97 CRV across the boarder and paid ~$150 I assume for the import fee. I believe the same would be true for the 2007 except for maybe a higher fee. Of course, since it's a temp. import I won't be able to sell it in Canada and will have to have it "Canadaized" before I can register it. Does this make sense?

As I understand it if you are to move from US to Canada and bring the car with you, then there would be no duty, only registration fees and whatever it takes to get a registration. However, if you are already a Canadian resident, and go back to US (country of citizenship) to buy a car and brink it back to Canada (your place of residence), then you are importing and thus subject to duty.

BTW, the Honda new car warranty is good in either US or Canada - see Warranty FAQ on the Canadian site in reference to moving to the US.

[Racoon]

BTW, the Honda new car warranty is good in either US or Canada - see Warranty FAQ on the Canadian site in reference to moving to the US.
Can you provide a link? I'm pretty sure that American Honda Motor Corp won't honor Canadian warranties.

:)

[KW Sluggo]

I was told today at my local Honda dealer that the dealer information meetings are next week. They will also be told approximate prices.

There will be no cars until November 1st

[MRKKBB]

BTW, the Honda new car warranty is good in either US or Canada - see Warranty FAQ on the Canadian site in reference to moving to the US.
Can you provide a link? I'm pretty sure that American Honda Motor Corp won't honor Canadian warranties.

:)

It's in the FAQs, you just have to register with American Honda when you move.

http://www.honda.ca/HondaCA2006/YourHonda/FAQs/Section1.htm?L=E

[KW Sluggo]

It is just a guess on my part but I would suppose that Honda USA will honour Canadian Honda warranties (and vice versa) but only if that CDN Honda was sold in Canada to a Candian resident (and vice versa).

In other words if a CDN buys a Honda in the US and somehow gets it back here, Honda Canada will tell him/her to get the warranty work done in te U.S.

All manufacturers want to discourage cross border buyers. They will make exceptions for travellers and for those who relocate but not usually for the cross border bargain hunter.

[egritchi]

"With respect to the hurdles to follow to import a car into Canada, for now the 2007 CR-V is still being built in Japan and thus 6.1 % duty on top of the GST and PST and import fee in the $200s will need to be paid to get it across the border."

Do you have any idea if the same would be true for a US Citizen working in Canada? I drove my '97 CRV across the boarder and paid ~$150 I assume for the import fee. I believe the same would be true for the 2007 except for maybe a higher fee. Of course, since it's a temp. import I won't be able to sell it in Canada and will have to have it "Canadaized" before I can register it. Does this make sense?

As I understand it if you are to move from US to Canada and bring the car with you, then there would be no duty, only registration fees and whatever it takes to get a registration. However, if you are already a Canadian resident, and go back to US (country of citizenship) to buy a car and brink it back to Canada (your place of residence), then you are importing and thus subject to duty.

BTW, the Honda new car warranty is good in either US or Canada - see Warranty FAQ on the Canadian site in reference to moving to the US.

Yes, this makes very good sense. Thank you. I will probably purchase the '07 CRV in CDN and pay the higher price. I need to do some research on the tax implications of then taking this '07 back to the US eventually...Would you happen to know if there would be a US tax liability on a permanent import of a CDN duty-paid vehicle?
Thanks again.