So it appears that my choice of wanting to buy a Clubman S instead of a Volvo C30 has been hit by the same sort of bug that discouraged me from the Volvo in the first place. The Volvo is $30,000 USD or $45,000 CAD with an exchange rate in which the Canadian dollar is worth slightly more than the US dollar. The Mini Clubman S is not so bad, I went through both online configuration things on Miniusa.com and Mini.ca and came up with $32,000 USD vs. $40,000 CAD for a fully-equpped Clubman S... and the US version actually has MORE options!

Has anyone had experience importing a brand-new Mini?

I guess my questions are:

1. Most importantly: will they sell it to me and let it through the border? Volvo will not issue papers for the C30 yet, so it's a no-go for me.

2. How is warranty handled? Can I just show them the papers or will they get all bristly about it being an "american car"?

3. What is necessary to convert the car to metric? I want a km/h speedometer, kilometer trip meter, and fuel economy in either L/100km or miles per UK gallon (not US gallons). What other conversions are needed? I know there's some stuff on slightly older cars about daytime running lights, blah blah.

Thanks so much in advance!

 

You need to talk to an experienced and reputable auto importer agent in Canada. I would not recommend going at it solo, if you don't have any experience importing a vehicle from the US.

A couple of months ago I saw a program on TV (Don't remember the name) where the subject of importing new cars into Canada from the US was discussed. Basically the deciding factor is whether buying the same car in the US makes economic sense vs purchasing it in Canada. They made interesting comparisons between different popular models. For instance, it is much cheaper for Canadians to buy a new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 from the US and import it into Canada, than to buy the same car from a local dealer. The savings after the exchange rate, custom fees, importation fees, etc, etc were about US$20K so that was indeed a huge chunk of money.

But for cheaper vehicles it was actually more expensive to import from the US than to buy the same equivalent in Canada.

Then again you need to sit down with someone that is reputable and can run down the numbers with you to see if importing a new MINI Clubman from the US is a better deal (or not) than to buy it in Canada.

As far as I am concerned, US spec MINIs are nearly identical to Canadian spec cars. The wheel arch reflectors are present in both versions as well. The digital instrumentation allows for quick switching over between US and metric units of measure. I believe the headlights are the same for both countries, but I am not sure. Daytime running lights can be programmed in the car by just following some prompts on the onboard computer settings.

In the US, the new car limited warranty (4 years/50K miles and scheduled service, 3 years or 36K miles whichever occurs first) is valid in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. I don't know if the same applies for Canadian models.

The option is worth checking it out for. But don't be surprised if importing from the USA may actually be more expensive than buying locally.

Another thing: In Canada cold pack and xenons are standard equipment. In the US these are optional. You also get the heated windshield which is unavailable in the US spec models.

If you buy a Clubman in the US, you do get DSC standard. Probably the same in Canada.

 

For 8k, I dont know if its really worth it. You can't finance the purchase while your importing the car. You get hit with an exchange rate fee, plus when you actually do that the USD might be worth 1-5 cents more than the CAD. Then you have to pay 6.1% in dutty, then BMW will have you pay about 1000-1500 in fees and documentation fees. I say you wouldn't save more than 3 or 4k. And thats if BMW plays nice, and they won't.

 

I REALLY liked the Volvo C30, until I saw the city/highway numbers. I disqualified it after configuring a few.

 

for what its worth, I specifically remember my MA telling me that I can't export the car for I believe 6 months from purchase date.

I am not sure how they can enforce this but it seems a lot of people because of the exchange rates, especially with the Euro, are trying to do this.

 

We've looked at the Clubman and did a MINI.ca test drive event. The car did everything well. We have a minor issue in loading a wheelchair through the back doors - a chair we can throw into a Honda Civic or Fit from 15' will only go in very carefully one way in the Clubman. However, it is the US/Canadian pricing that stops my wife cold. She was born and raised in the US and will not pay more here than there. End of story, even though she had a BIG SMILE on her face after the MINI.ca test session.

It may be that MINI pricing in Canada is looking for the B.C. and Federal tax cuts to help customers pay for the fuel efficient Clubman Cooper...but they are both available on the Hondas (and some others) too. MINI is only producing a limited number of models for Canada and may not be motivated in the least to move on price or lease costs (interest rates).

A MINI retailer told me that a buyer would do better on a loaded "S" cabriolet by buying in the US and importing to Canada but not on the lower priced models.