Importing a Tacoma: Has anyone ever had issues?

Hey Guys,

I am in the process of importing my blue 2008 TRD Sport Access Cab 4x4 and I am wondering if anyone has ever had any trouble with importing a Tacoma? According to RIV.ca there may be something with the immobiliser? Seems like it was an issue back in 2007 but not now. I am really confused.

Has anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks

J.O.

 

importing it from where to where?

 

I bought my 2008 Access Cab TRD OffRoad new from the US, and imported it Canada. The whole process took less then 4 hours for me to have it fully licenesed and sitting in my driveway.
The imbolizer was an issue in late 2007 (when I imported my truck, but has since been corrected).
It was really very easy and I saved almost $13,000.00. I have had absolutely no issues haveing warranty work done at multiple dealers.

Do a search, theres quite a few posts om here. I even gave one guy a step by sep list if what I had to do.
We also bought a new 2008 Nissan Altima and saved almost $11,000.00
Let me know if I can be of help.

Shawm

 

Thanks Shawm,

I just wanted to know about the immobilizer. I know all about the rest of the process. I figure I am saving around 6K on my new toy.

Cheers

J.O.

 

Great, good luck.

 

That's what I did. Bought it and drove back.
Most US dealers (depending on manufacturer) are not allowed to sell new vehicles to Canadians. I lucked out as I found a dealer in PA (8 hour drive) who didn't know any better.
Nissan dealers can sell new, but the warranty is voided if exported within 6 months.

Buying accross the border only becomes popular when the US dollar drops so low that it gets close to the Canadian dollar.
The oposite happened years ago when Americans where coming to Canada to buy cars.

Shawn

 

So here I am worried about the immobilizer...when all along I had my head up my a$$ about the stupid floor mat recall!!!

So now the truck I am importing will have to sit in my driveway until the gas pedal fix is available.

As for buying close to the border....I bought mine in Virginia...I am having it shipped to the border for about $750. Even with that extra cost...I am still saving abou $4-5K on the price of the truck.

Just as an FYI to anyone looking to buy a Certified Used Toyota in the US....Toyota dealers are not supposed to sell them to people who plan to export them. I made an offer on a certified used Tacoma and the dealer told me about the policy. I even call Toyota and they confirmed it. Fortunately, I found a used 2008....I talked to the dealer before they sent in the paperwork to have it certified...now if only the fix for the pedal would come out....

 

um what are you talking about?...there is no gas pedal problem on the tacoma or a floor mat recall either...the tacomas are fine...nothing is wrong with them

 

http://www.toyota.com/recall/floormat.html (upper right hand corner)

2005-2010 Tacomas are affected by this recall.

 

yeah, bought mine a month ago and now they come with a warning sticker that says don't remove the drivers floor mat, because they've sewn it to the carpeting due to the gas pedal entrapment issue (personally I think that if you are dumb enough to get your floor mat under your gas pedal it's natural selection and you deserve to be in an accident)

 

What do you do now if you want to go with aftermarket floor mats? Cut the stitches or lay the new ones on top?

 

HA...that's richly funny! I've NEVER once had any dealer ask me for proof of citizenship to buy a vehicle...I could have easily been Canadian...or Martian. I've never heard of this before and wonder if it's even possible to enforce here; it could possibly be considered discrimination based on national origin.

Bring money, drive car: it's America, the land of capitalism! HOO RAHHH!

The bit about warranty sounds right: getting service under terms of the US warranty in Canada may be dicey.

 

The guys did mention something about the warranty. The warranty for certified vehicles is different in Canada than the US.

Doesn't a dealer always ask for your driver's license?

 

It's not the proof of citizenship or the fact that someone is Canadian that they won't sell it's because you the vehicle is not being registered in the US.

I'm sure all the vehicles you bought without proof of citizenship where registered to your name at your US address.

If known canadians to buy new cars and register them to there US address in Florida.

Apparantly the dealers franchise agreements indicate that the dealer cannot sell a vehicle for export. Which makes sense since it would help to protect the dealers on the other side of the border.

Shawn

 

That's too bad. Hopefully you'll get it straighten out.

I was going to mention about the recall, and about the need for a clean recall clearance letter on Toyota letterhead. Bbut when you indicated you had it all figured out except for the immobilizer then I didn't think there was a need.

Shawn

 

It will all work out in the end. Worst case scenario, I bring the truck across the border and it sits in my driveway for a month(or more) until the fix is available for the recall. Once that happens, I can get my Form 1, inspected by Canadian tire and then get it registered. I just have to be patient.

 

Only for the test drive...but neither driver's license nor a US address is proof of citizenship.

It makes sense, though, about the registration: the bureaucracy would absolutely freak if asked to register the vehicle out of country, simply 'cause they don't know how. They'd freak if I asked them to register in Kansas too, instead of my state (Pennsylvania) or a close bordering state.

But if you just register in the state you bought it and and can give them a US address (PO box??) to get paperwork at (assuming they needed it) they'd doubtless be happy little minions. It's not breaking a law...it's just overcoming the inertia of bureaucrats.

That STILL leaves the problem of importing it to Canada. But why bother? Does Canada really check such things closely? I moved to Penn. from Texas and renewed Texas registration by mail for two or three years before I got around to registering in Pennsylvania.

I do suppose THAT would be breaking the law though...sigh.

 

All of your pionts are moot as to get a US PO box you need proof of living in the states. The same holds true with getting a US drivers licence, you need proof that you live in the states.
Again it's not the fact that we are canadians, it's the fact that it must be registered in the states.
And if I were to say get you to buy it and sell it to me, you would a) have to pay tax b) I would again have to pay tax when buying it from you c) have to then pay tax when bringing it to Canada and d) really trust you.

It makes it not worth it. I wad lucky as the dealer sold it to me and I didn't register it in PA so I paid no tax. This is exactly the thing that Toyota and others are trying to avoid.

Again it had nothing to do with proving citizenship

Shawn

 

I am Canadian and bought my brand new 09 Tacoma from a dealer in the USA. There is a loophole to get around the 'no selling new to Canadians', it took a bit of work, but I ended up with my brand new Tacoma lower then the price the dealers were asking for used Tacomas!

Shawn, I pretty much did what you described, but I bought in a state with no sales tax and had a 'business' buy the
truck for me, register it in the usa, then resell it to me. Worked great and I had my new truck in my driveway
2 weeks later. Luckily I just missed the big recall issues.

Thats actually a pretty good business idea for someone down in the USA. There are a few other brands that will not
sell new to Canadians. Open up a home based business and cycle the purchase through your business, then re-sell
the vehicle to the Canadian, charging them a small fee for the service.

 

I was talking citizenship, not residency! A foreign national MAY get a license if they are a resident of the state!

Also, I may have got the wrong drift of it: it sounds like it's Toyota corporate policy that precludes selling to Canadians or for use in Canada, not US law. That's different and I suppose Toyota can reserve that right if they choose and any way you manage to rig it to get around it sure seems fair game to me.

Of course, I still wonder if someone might not successfully challenge it as discriminatory...