Advice for a Canuck regarding Speed3 purchase?

[muchdutch]

Hey all,

I am new to this thread (obviously). I have been doing some research on the Speed 3, been on some test drives, absolutely love it and think it will be my very first brand new car! I am looking at the GT model.
With things the way they are, I am interested in going to the States to purchase. Any Canadian out there done this? Anybody have any advice for me? What features would I be missing? I hear they don't have heated mirrors which may be an issue here in Canada. Is there anything else that the Canadian models have that I would be missing out on?
I have already done my research as far as bringing it into the country.
Please share any advice or info you might have for me. Feel free to PM me as well!

Thanks!

muchdutch

 

[assman]

Well I bought mine in canada last winter adn I regret paying an extra 6Gs. I recently imported a motorcycle and it was real easy.

Im pretty sure you wont have runnig day lights or auto on lights. Look at the US website. You absolutely nneed runnning days in canada. Other then that not a whole lot of differemce. You willl get leather inserts though which is nice. Also with the money you save I would get the Nav system.

Anyways this was my first car as well and I love it. Do your homework and hope that a border dealer will sell to you. They have been told not to and there is a class action law suite out. Otherwise you might need to go further south.

OK as for importing get all paperwork signed through mail. Mail s*** back and forth and when everything is done and paid for go to the (maybe you might be able to mail it to them which would save you another trip) US customs and drop of the Certificate of origin. Then you will have to wait 72 hours to bring it in. This way you can save going to the states only once instead of twice.

Well good luck

P.S. If you dont need the car now, I would wait it out until the CDN dollar starts to slip or the CDN prices start to go down.

 

[muchdutch]

Thanks for the post.
Yes, I am aware of the 72 hour rule, and the fact that they are clamping down on selling to Canadians - I will be going farther south to visit some friends and pick up my car. I have already been in contact with a few dealers who are willing to sell to me, assuming things don't change between then and now.
I also know about the daytime running lights and have been looking at my options for this. Although it does have auto on lights, that doesn't really help me in this regard too much. I am glad it has the child LATCH system because I know our cars need that too and I'm sure that wouldn't be that cheap....
And yes, loving the fact that there will be leather inserts because that's always where the cloth starts to rub and wear through first on those Recaro-type seats.
If you were to do it again, would you go to the States to purchase?
You think I should wait until the dollar slips? That doesn't make much sense - don't I want the most bang for my buck? I won't be buying until June '08 or so anyway so I've got some time to mull over my options.
Do you think the Cdn prices of the Speed's will start to go down? I am a bit skeptical as cars were always cheaper in the states, regardless of our dollar difference.

 

[Rivman]

Mazda will NOT honour the warranty on cars purchased in the US of A, and imported into Canada !
There are many factors to consider when importing a vehicle - make sure you check all the facts ! (dunno)

 

[Hirudin]

Regarding the warranty: $6000 buys you a lot of small, warranty type, repairs. So long as the engine doesn't blow up or something you'll probably end up on top.

If you haven't seen, you can buy heated mirrors for about $200-$260, the US Mazdaspeed3s are already wired for them, and the install looks super-easy.
Check this out: Upgrade a Speed3 to Heated Mirrors

 

[muchdutch]

For RIVman: what happens if I import a used mazda - doesn't the warranty still apply?
Do you work for RIV or just know all about it, or does RIV refer to something else I don't know?

Hirudin: Thanks for the link on the heated mirrors. I did check that forum out and it does look relatively easy. Although I am driving a car right now without heated mirrors and am getting along just fine, so I'll have to evaluate whether it's really something I need or not.

Edit: RIV = Registry of Imported Vehicles

 

[Rivman]

RIV stands for Riviera, of which a '68 is my other ride for summer cruzin.
see here: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123685808
Not sure about imported 'used' vehicles - Mazda NA can probably answer that.
I'm not an authority on importing vehicles, but I did look into it,
prior to purchasing a new '08 Sport GT here in Canada.
Heated mirrors are definetly a big + here for frosty winter driving ! (drinks)