General Discussion

Peacetrain

(23,906 posts) Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:22 AM Tuesday

Question.. could a person just drive to Canada.. buy a new car there, trade in their old one

and drive back across the border to forego the tariffs.. or Mexico?? same thing.. just hit me this morning..

Update: I got an email from a fellow DUer that reminded me we have to declare anything we buy when we come back into the country .. Just spaced that off... we already have purchased a new car in December to sidestep the tariffs.. our old car was 12 years old and starting spend more time in the shop..We had already planned to buy something new in the fall but the tariff gnome forced our hand..

9 replies

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Highlight:

Question.. could a person just drive to Canada.. buy a new car there, trade in their old one (Original Post) Peacetrain Tuesday OP

The cars might not meet our standards Jerry2144 Tuesday #1

Or vice versa mimitabby Tuesday #2

All depends. When I was working in Canada, the dollar and Canadian dollar was like it is today ... marble falls Tuesday #3

Customs would get you on your way back into the states. hedda_foil Tuesday #4

No- importing a car into the US from Canada is not a simple process. Fiendish Thingy Tuesday #5

I got an email that reminded me we have to declare things we buy when we coming back into Peacetrain Tuesday #7

Tariffs are complex. Look at what Delta did. usonian Tuesday #6

Last time I drove back from Canada, even car repair work in Canada needed to be declared to customs. Eugene Tuesday #8

Even after you cross the border, it still needs to be registered in your state. MichMan Tuesday #9

Jerry2144

(2,802 posts)

1. The cars might not meet our standards

Reply to Peacetrain (Original post)

Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:24 AM

Tuesday

Or may have equipment not approved for the US. And you still would have to pay taxes on it when you register it here.

mimitabby

(1,945 posts)

2. Or vice versa

Reply to Jerry2144 (Reply #1)

Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:29 AM

Tuesday

Your car might not have what it takes to be approved in Canada. My kid went through that

marble falls

(65,033 posts)

3. All depends. When I was working in Canada, the dollar and Canadian dollar was like it is today ...

Reply to Peacetrain (Original post)

Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:30 AM

Tuesday

... but a $30,000US Mercedes went for $30,000Can. People started buying Mercedes in Canada and selling them in the US. Mercedes made buyers of Canadian Mercedes sign an agreement not to sell their car in the US for two years.

hedda_foil

(16,703 posts)

4. Customs would get you on your way back into the states.

Reply to Peacetrain (Original post)

Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:37 AM

Tuesday

You'd have to pay the tariff to bring the car over the border.

Fiendish Thingy

(19,202 posts)

5. No- importing a car into the US from Canada is not a simple process.

Reply to Peacetrain (Original post)

Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:38 AM

Tuesday

And new cars in Canada will be affected by tariffs as well. Trading in your old US car would also require importing that car into Canada.

I live in B.C., and just bought a new, all made in Japan Toyota a couple of weeks ago. The rep at the dealer said that Toyota is currently “eating the tariff costs” on vehicles ordered before tariffs went into effect, but if I were to order the vehicle today it would likely cost me $CAD6000-8000 more than I paid at delivery.

Peacetrain

(23,906 posts)

7. I got an email that reminded me we have to declare things we buy when we coming back into

Reply to Fiendish Thingy (Reply #5)

Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:42 AM

Tuesday

the country from another country...I totally spaced that one off... Mr Peacetrain ordered our car in December from Toyota..and we got it in February before tariffs of course.. we had no intention of buying a car this spring.. our Prius C was 12 years old and we were looking to buy in the fall.. but I am so glad hubby decided to push up the date.. But I was heartbroken to not be able to get another Prius C (it is the mini Prius).. I just loved that little car..but they do not make that model of Prius anymore..

usonian

(17,366 posts)

6. Tariffs are complex. Look at what Delta did.

Reply to Peacetrain (Original post)

Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:41 AM

Tuesday

Delta Routes New Airbus Plane to Tokyo to Sidestep Trump Tariffs
https://archive.ph/griie. (Bloomberg, paywalled)

Delta Air Lines Inc. is flying a new Airbus SE plane through Japan to skirt US import tariffs as President Donald Trump’s trade war threatens the flow of new jets to the the aviation industry.

The A350-900 aircraft is set to leave Toulouse, France, home of Airbus’s main manufacturing facility, on April 30, arriving in Tokyo on May 1, according to data from FlightAware, an online tracking provider.

The move echoes a similar strategy Delta used to sidestep tariffs in 2019, flying several European-built Airbus jets to overseas locations rather than straight to the US. Planes are classified as “used” once they’re flown for any reason other than testing and delivery, and then tariffs usually don’t apply.

snip

Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said on April 9 that the airline “will not be paying tariffs on any aircraft deliveries” and he’d made it “very clear” to Airbus that he would defer any planes carrying a tariff. American Airlines Group Inc. CEO Robert Isom also later vowed not to pay levies.

Good luck returning. Have all your papers on hand.

Eugene

(64,712 posts)

8. Last time I drove back from Canada, even car repair work in Canada needed to be declared to customs.

Reply to Peacetrain (Original post)

Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:46 AM

Tuesday

The customs officer included that in the list of items, but that was many years ago.

MichMan

(15,043 posts)

9. Even after you cross the border, it still needs to be registered in your state.