Here is what happens if you ask to buy / import a Canadian vehicle

[freebeard]

And yet the same vehicle is for sale in the USA so what was the point of going through the hassle of importing it?

I'd thought I was agreeing with your comment at #36, not trying to start an argument.

It was imported from Coburg, OR.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I'd thought I was agreeing with your comment at #36, not trying to start an argument.

It was imported from Coburg, OR.

No argument - I just don't see the logic of importing a car that can be purchased domestically without the hassle.

And, no - it wasn't imported from Oregon. Someone took the effort to import it from Canada if it is a Canadian spec car. Maybe a Canadian that moved to the USA

[freebeard]

I should've put air quotes around 'imported'. It's the same county. All I kknow is it was [one of] my Volkswagen mechanic's loaner. He gave me a very good deal when he retired.

Beginning in 1990, all North American M-cars were produced at CAMI Automotive, a 50–50 joint venture between General Motors and Suzuki in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada, although Japanese production continued to source Canada bound sedan models. CAMI never reached its intended Metro/Firefly/Swift capacity.[1] While at its peak, Canadian Swift/Metro/Firefly production reached more than 100,000 vehicles a year, the number fell to just 32,000 in 2000.

It likely sold new South of the border.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

Then there is the car that Freebeard was talking about - a used Geo Metro. Why bother to import it?

Had it been some unusual sporty version, such as the Suzuki Swift GTI, maybe it would be more appealing in a country like mine, but I don't really say it's so pointless for someone really willing to get one of those versions more oriented toward penny-pinchers. Sure it won't make sense from a strictly economical standpoint, but as a hobby it may be comparable to someone who imports a Citroën 2CV from Argentina instead of buying a VW Beetle here.