Used Canadian RAMs in US

[Nuieve]

I see a lot of Canadian models for sale in NW. By Canadian I mean having Canadian VIN numbers. How do they end up in here? I always thought imports some rules for being sold here.

I was thinking of getting one, but I wonder if they qualify for US mopar extended warranty. I know original factory warranty is valid in both US and Canada, but I wonder if same applies when buying mopar warranty.

 

[cbsmith]

They are allowed to be sold because they are used vehicles. There would be rules applied if they were new.

There is actually no warranty on them at all. The FCA factory warranty covers repairs in both US and Canada but when the truck is resold in a different country the warranty is cancelled. They are also not eligible for any FCA Max Care extended warranties either.

If the truck is what you want and the price is low enough to make up for not having any warranty on it then it can be a good deal.

 

[huntergreen]

I can't understand why FCA cancels the warranty.

 

[crossmi]

10 minutes from my place is a yard filled with high end pick ups and full size SUVs all recent models. I . asked and they said all were headed south to the US market....simply put they can buy them here and with the exchange rate they get more then top dollar.

 

[avantiguy]

They are allowed to be sold because they are used vehicles. There would be rules applied if they were new.

There is actually no warranty on them at all. The FCA factory warranty covers repairs in both US and Canada but when the truck is resold in a different country the warranty is cancelled. They are also not eligible for any FCA Max Care extended warranties either.

If the truck is what you want and the price is low enough to make up for not having any warranty on it then it can be a good deal.

Absolutely correct. Back in 2015 I bought my 14 Sport which was apparently one of the first Rams back from Canada when the Canadian dollar was tanking. I couldn't believe the low price the Chevy dealer had on the Ram truck that was 14 months old and had 12,000 miles on it. I saved enough to replace most of the drivetrain if it went bad. The salesgal at the dealer ship was upfront about the lack of warranty and said the low price was due to the dealership owners policy of having a standard markup based on the auction price of a vehicle. That has since changed as I think the owner now realizes that it went for cheap.

It's been a flawless driver with 53,000 miles on it now. So far so good. I did buy a third party complete warranty through Fidelity to cover it up to 100,000 at under $2000 just in case.

I've continued to look at similar Canadian vehicles since then and the prices are now much higher than I paid. From what I've seen, I'd need a deal fairly close to what I got originally to consider another Canadian vehicle.

 

[Black W900]

In my experience, Canadian trucks wind up as rust buckets fairly quickly....But then so do trucks from the northern US.
I would NEVER a used truck from up north.

 

[laffs]

10 minutes from my place is a yard filled with high end pick ups and full size SUVs all recent models. I . asked and they said all were headed south to the US market....simply put they can buy them here and with the exchange rate they get more then top dollar.

This basically. You can take a Canadian truck in on trade at market Canadian price, then wholesale it to a US wholesaler or dealer for the same price but in USD and make your margins there.

As for rust, some of the Prairie provinces use sand on the road instead of salt. They have less rust issues but the paint on the lower half is normally blasted. Also have to watch out for oilfield trucks, lots of idle time.

 

[jasonw]

As for rust, some of the Prairie provinces use sand on the road instead of salt. They have less rust issues but the paint on the lower half is normally blasted. Also have to watch out for oilfield trucks, lots of idle time.

And watch out for trucks from Wisconsin. They will smell like rotten cheese, because they pour cheese brine on their roads instead of salt or sand in some places.

Joking about the smell, but not joking about the cheese brine!

 

[RJet]

Thanks for this info. I almost bought a used 2016 Sport with 23K miles on it. Decided to get a new one instead for 5K more in cost. Truck was shipped down from Canada. I didn't know about the warranty being cancelled. Would have been pissed if the dealer didn't disclose that if I was serious about the offer. Will pick up the new one Friday in ID.