Importing into Canada

[Bill Sullivan]

Couch instead of dinette



Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums

[B and B]

OP

You could get a Auto Dealers to import the vehicle for you. They can handle all the paperwork etc.

[papa-jim]

We're in kind of the same situation as the OP. We live in Manitoba, Canada. We currently have a DP, thinking of downsizing to a 2004R. There are none in our part of the world, new or used. Our closest dealer(s) are in the U.S.A. and the best prices are in the U.S.A. Any Canadian dealers we do find seem to think that their motor homes are worth a lot more money than the ones in the U.S.A.

Now here's another wrinkle. I'm told that if I buy one in the U.S.A., it has to have Canadian chassis, Z240 certification. I'm not clear on exactly what that is, and I don't think that all U.S.A. dealers can offer that, and I understand it adds a bunch of cost.

The other thing I'm learning that's a concern for us in colder climates, the holding tanks are not in an enclosed heated water bay. Oops!

And the other thing I'm learning is that the 2004R can't carry much weight. I'm still working on figuring that one out, but it doesn't sound too good.

Jim

[gmclean]

You don't have to purchase a Canadian Chassis to import it into Canada but any Warranty work that is required will have to be done in the US. Mercedes Canada will not Honor warranty on a US chassis brought into Canada by a Canadian citizen. They also might require you to update to Canadian Standards before doing any work on it, what ever those are, still haven't figured out what the extra $6000.00 get you.

See [URL="[url=http://www.mercedes-benz.ca/content/canada/mpc/mpc_canada_website/en/home_mpc/passengercars/home/vehicles/certified_pages/made_for_canada.html]Why Buy Your Mercedes-Benz in Canada"]Why Buy Your Mercedes-Benz in Canada offers a little explanation but is pretty vague.

RV Wholesalers use to offer a Canadian Chassis but that option has been removed from their website and I have been unable to get any reply if it is still possible to purchase one thru them. Would make my buying decision easier. If you find anyone doing that in the US please share.

The 2401R cargo capacity is not great but 1100 lbs is not bad the 2401W is even worse but, it has enough were just going to have to pack light.

[papa-jim]

Yes, we are learning that if we buy the motorhome in the U.S.A., we will have to have the warranty work done in the U.S.A. That doesn't concern us, because our closest Forest River dealers are in the U.S.A. Plus we will be in the U.S.A. for several months of the year.

Re: the Canadian Z240 standards. Well, it has to do with the plumbing, heating, electrical, etc of the house part of the motor home. It varies a little from province to province. In our province of Manitoba, we can have the motorhome tested and Z240 certified for about $100.00.

http://www.firecomm.gov.mb.ca/docs/r..._en_nov104.pdf

I suspect that the $5000 or $6000 has more to do with trying to protect any Canadian dealers. I doubt if it represents any actual mechanical difference in the motorhome. If the Canadian dealers actually have to pay this, it helps to explain why motorhomes in Canada cost so much more to buy.

I was talking with the folks at RV One Superstore. Everything was going really well until I brought up this Canadian certification stuff, and our discussions seem to have ended up on the rails. I think I may want to crank the talk back up, forgetting about the Canadian certification aspect. If we need service, we'll just have to drive down to the U.S.A. dealer to have that done. Considering there are no dealers here in Canada anywhere near as close, that's not such a big deal. Plus, it will cost us $20,000 to $30,000 more to buy one in Canada. We can't afford to just throw that kind of money away.

Jim

[gmclean]

I wish it was easier for us to get to the US but living on Vancouver Island complicates things, but the savings might make the hassle worth it.

We have one dealer here on the island that I got a quote from and the Canadian Chassis was a required option($7500) and I agree with you their prices are $30,000 above what you can get thru the US, and that would pay for a lot repair work.

I heard back from RV Wholesalers they can't get the Canadian Chassis anymore Mercedes only allows those on RV's destined for Canada.

I wasn't aware of the Canadian Z240 standards but will look into that a little more, I just assumed if the RV could be imported it would meet all Canadian Standards. You learn something new every day.

I'm still 3 months away from being able to make any purchase so I look forward to hearing how it all works out for you.

Guy

[Still Kickin]

It is all about protecting cross border shopping. The frequency increases, when the currency exchange widens sufficiently, to make the deal worth it. As far as the certification nonsense, thats just socialist Canada putting more burden on its citizens. Thats surely an obstacle, but I would start by researching car importers, and see if you can find out who, amongst them, has knowledge specific to that regulation referenced. There might be someone in the importer crowd who knows about motor homes. I say this because, what if you actually move from the US to Canada, somebody has to have already navigated the mine field, put in place to protect all those phony baloney gov't jobs. Just sayin'