.

Serge just competed a study on the Toyota Camry XLE 2010.  He identified a 9.63% difference.  Take a look at this one!

camry-2010-xle-v6comparison-july-30-20091.pdf

We have to assume that once the dollar approaches par that many thousands of Canadians will head south…  a par dollar would generate over 17% savings.  Canadian Companies better start sharpening their  pencils  or maybe they will just pump more money into their lobbying fund to entice our “Consumer Supporting” (sic )  Polititians to put up more roadblocks for hard working Canadians.

If you can’t beat them, just change the rules of the game!

 Today Canwest Newspapers went to great length to summarize a report issued yesterday by Douglas Porter and the BMO Capital Markets. Titled ” Loonies Leap: Mind the price Gap”

The report , which we have included here indicated a 1% difference in the price of Automobiles.    2009-07-30price-gaps.pdf .   The report went on to state that “it is no coincidence that the two most high profile and easily comparable goods - cars and books- have seen the most dramatic narrowing.  We found that Canadians are now paying not measurably more…..”

Well we at CarsWithoutborders challenged these findings today.  Our recent survey of the Toyota Rav 4 results in over a $2,300 difference or 6.5%.  ( 36,560 versus 34,176) This is not to say that this difference is enough to warrant a visit in the U.S., but to  a potential Canadian buyer we would advise that waiting a few months may pay off handsomely, as all indications are that the Loonie will reach par by year-end.   That is unless our GOVT intervenes and helps out the big multinationals to the detriment of  hard working Canadian Consumers.

On another stunning front the RIV (Registrar of Imported Vehicles) reported yesterday to CarswithoutBorders that the Month of June saw a 28.34% increase in Canadians importing vehicles from the U.S. This seems to indicate that the .92 cent Loonie is creating a gap that is significant enough for some Canadians to do their homework and shop around. 

 We at CarsWithoutBorders also take exception to Porter’s report findings that it is easy to compare car prices.    One needs to be particularly careful that they compare apples to apples as the many of the car companies attempt to make this difficult.

Attached find the detailed reports that we conducted on the RAV4.  And even at that we can not guarantee that both vehicles will be identical.  The U.S. version will have a TPMS system (Tire Pressure Monitoring) worth a least $500 more.

2009-07-30rav4canada.pdf  2009-07-30rav4us.pdf 

So the bottom line is that a smart shopper will look around and not be swayed by what appears to be a propaganda campaign on behalf of the Canadian Car Companies and our Canadian Government.  

Mr. Porter please be careful when you publish your reports, the Canadian public deserves better!

Well talk about timing!  The folks at the RIV, the Canadian agency that is responsible to help Canadians that purchase vehicles manufactured for the United States market meet Canadian standards, are about to launch a new Canadian Consumer  friendly website!

The site will include the ability to create your own personal checklist, along with the ability to track your case on-line and download the Federal Inspection forms.  You will also be able to pay your RIV fee using a debit card.

According to our sources the RIV will be way ahead of the curve when the average Canadian car consumer starts shopping in the U.S. again.

Sources close to the organization quoted us a saying ” the RIV is always looking for ways to make it easier for the average Canadian to purchase a car in the U.S.”

The RIV is also working hard to provide Canadians with the proper tools to obtain recall notices, without going through the Car Manufacturers and being gouged for information that should available to the public.

Check out the new stite on August 5th!   or check out their announcement.

So there you have it, the Canadian dollar is moving up closer to par with the U.S.  As many Canadians are thinking of a vacation down south or even speculating on the purchase of their next car, the Canadian Banks all know you are coming….

And are they ever ready to fleece you out of your hard earned money…

With the Dollar trading at 1.085 on the open market, while out for a walk this afternoon I thought I would see how the normal Canadian is being treated. 

What I found out did not make me feel too comfortable.

  - ScotiaBank wanted over  3 points,  or 1.1186.

  - TD wanted 1.1120 over 2.5points.

  - CIBC wanted 1.1126 over 2.7 points. 

This is outrageous.  Any of our members and supporters have a better solution to this problem. We would like to hear from you.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our members and supporters for their input,help, and continued support over the last several months.  

 As our dollar edges towards parity many Canadians burnt by the last economic downturn are now wisely sharpening their pencils!   And so they should. 

But beware…currently our Government, the Canadian Car Companies and their lobbyists in Ottawa are working on a program to really fleece you out of your hard earned dollars.  Now that the Govt owns part of GM and Chrysler do you think it will be in their best interest to allow you to purchase your vehicle in the U.S?

According to the Canadian Govt this week, our recession is over!  ( and Edward Jones  has some land  for sale  in Florida…. )

The article went on to state that the only thing that could kill the comeback is the Canadian Dollar shooting up to par.   As the story goes the this would just kill our export business.  As we know we can’t compete with the U.S. on a level playing field, so our Govt continues to  screw the Canadian Consumer and maintain policies that keep our dollar low.   They continue to adopt laws to favor the multinational companies.   Right now the boys in Ottawa are trying to figure out a way to kill the dollar and make it go back down.

We would like to hear from you.  Are you planning to venture south and save thousands of dollars on a new or used vehicle.  Are you waiting for parity?  What are some of the good deals Canadians can expect? 

 Has the RIV become more user friendly? or does it still pander to the car companies? 

We have posted the latest RIV listing issued 2009-07-17. 

http://www.carswithoutborders.com/resources/riv-lists/ 

Some smart U.S. dealers have been calling recently.  Activity is picking up.