Dec 09
Moriarity Speaks!
Funny this lad always seems to be out of town and not available to talk with our members!
Someone caught his attention. Click and look for the Nov 4th show.
We talked with Trevor Kramer, owner of a high-end pre-owned car lot that imports cars from the US. Deputy Registrar of the Registrar of Imported Vehicles, Gary Moriarty talks about the regulations. Voice actor Ian Corlett tells of his experiences and Peter Johnson of Volvo Cars Canada lets us know what that company is doing to keep Canadians shopping at home. (note : some comments made defending the position of the poor Canadian car manufacterers ???!!! .. you will enjoy this.)
Also check out the Driving Television Show
December 9th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
This was e-mailed to Zack….
Hi Zack:
I saw your update on car importation on Driving Television. I am one of those Canadians who bought a vehicle in the US but have had to park it in the driveway as I’ve been caught up in the Vehicle Immobilization System (VIS) fiasco. I agree with several of your points: manufacturers are gouging Canadians, the dealers’ hands are pretty-well tied, we (Canadians) are not going to take it anymore, and the only reason we are seeing incentives in Canada is because of pressure brought to bear by importers. I should also mention that I am involved with Cars Without Borders (carswithoutborders.com), a group that we have organized to help the ‘avergae-Joe’ importer.
Another key message in your article was that importers must do their homework, and they must check with RIV. Well I, and thousands of others, did exactly that and we still got caught up in a bureaucratic boondoggle. Why? Because the RIV process is now, potentially, a trap. Why? Because it is being abused by the manufacturers declare cars as inadmissible, without any technical justification. The VIS issue has become the ‘goose that laid the golden egg’ for manufacturers.
In my case, I bought a 2008 Nissan Maxima that was listed as Admissible (Nov. 5 list) , and then it became Inadmissible (Nov. 7 list) while I was driving through Iowa, on my way to the border.
Gary Moriarty of the RIV, in your inaugural Motor Mouth radio show, stated, and I quote, that as far as the admissibility list goes , “we’re at the mercy of the manufacturters”.
Now, I ask you, and I would ask you to ask Mr . Moriarty (since you appear to be the only person he’s ever spoken to), how much “mercy” can an importer expect from a manufacturer??
What’s the upshot of all this: if manufacturers succeed in restricting imports, then there is no pressure on them to reduce prices here.
Please feel free to contact me for any follow-up. Please check out carswithoutborders.com. It is only through concerned consumer advocates such as yourself that we can get things put right for Canadians.
Thank you.
December 10th, 2007 at 1:25 am
Robert posted that comment for me.
I’m glad to say that Zack has replied as follows:
“Great points. I’m trying to book a person from Transport Canada to get their answer on these topics. The manufacturers SHOULD NOT BE TELLING the government what should be allowed. It is the fox in charge of the henhouse.
Zack”
Obviously, Zack (and the CBC’s Neil MacDonald) get the “big picture” and that is becoming our focus at CWB as we make continued progress (no cigar yet!) on the VIS admissibility/inadmissibility smoke-screen.
Keep checking CWB for further updates.