Moving to US. Should I sell my BMW in Canada?

derek.megyesi · 09-30-2023, 02:11 PM

Hi all,

I work for Amazon Canada, and as part of their "Return to the Office" (RTO) policy we are being forced back to the office. Since I live in Calgary, there is not an office near me, so I being relocated to Seattle, WS, USA.

I will pay off my 430 before I leave Canada, but I am unsure if I should also sell the car in Canada before I leave Canada. Any thoughts on this? I am hearing that it will be much easier to sell the car while I am still in Canada (top $) vs. selling it in the US. Then when I am in the US, I can simply buy/lease a US one when I get to the US.

I talked to the Finance Manager at BMW in Bellevue and since I am on a L1-B visa and work for Amazon, I should be to get credit no problem.

Honestly, my question is simply: Should I sell my Canadian bought BMW 430 Grand Coupe in Canada or in the US?

yyzwagon · 10-01-2023, 08:07 PM

sell it while you are here. heck, dealers might even give you decent value for it for a quick sale.

you'll likely have more options / variety there when it comes to buying a new car.

Oksamit78 · 10-02-2023, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derek.megyesi

Hi all,

I work for Amazon Canada, and as part of their "Return to the Office" (RTO) policy we are being forced back to the office. Since I live in Calgary, there is not an office near me, so I being relocated to Seattle, WS, USA.

I will pay off my 430 before I leave Canada, but I am unsure if I should also sell the car in Canada before I leave Canada. Any thoughts on this? I am hearing that it will be much easier to sell the car while I am still in Canada (top $) vs. selling it in the US. Then when I am in the US, I can simply buy/lease a US one when I get to the US.

I talked to the Finance Manager at BMW in Bellevue and since I am on a L1-B visa and work for Amazon, I should be to get credit no problem.

Honestly, my question is simply: Should I sell my Canadian bought BMW 430 Grand Coupe in Canada or in the US?

Like yyzwagon suggested, you should attempt to sell it in Canada. Simply because you might face a lot of challenges "legalizing" it in WS before the sale there. Depending on the local market, may be, it still will be worth it to move the car to USA, convert to meet local safety requirements and then sell, but I doubt it is worth the hustle. Unless you plan to come back to Canada in the next 2 - 3 years and would like to keep the car as daily in WS.

derek.megyesi · 10-09-2023, 08:10 PM

I’m reluctant to use AutoTrader, Kijiji, FB, etc. due to all the back and forth haggling BS I’m gonna have to deal with (I fear no matter what, I’m essentially gonna take a loss).

I’ve heard about this new BC Startup called MintList. Anyone ever used them?

https://mintlist.com

F31_King · 10-11-2023, 08:13 PM

Only bring it with you if you plan on bringing it back. There is no advantage to bring it with you other than nostalgia. I have imported cards into US and ones into Canada before, with only the ones into Canada bring financially good decisions.

09-30-2023, 02:11 PM	#1
derek.megyesi M-Experienced 47 Rep 196 Posts Drives: 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e AWD SUV Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Bellevue, Washington iTrader: (1) Garage List 2024 BMW X5 xDrive5 ... [10.00]	Moving to US. Should I sell my BMW in Canada? Hi all, I work for Amazon Canada, and as part of their "Return to the Office" (RTO) policy we are being forced back to the office. Since I live in Calgary, there is not an office near me, so I being relocated to Seattle, WS, USA. I will pay off my 430 before I leave Canada, but I am unsure if I should also sell the car in Canada before I leave Canada. Any thoughts on this? I am hearing that it will be much easier to sell the car while I am still in Canada (top $) vs. selling it in the US. Then when I am in the US, I can simply buy/lease a US one when I get to the US. I talked to the Finance Manager at BMW in Bellevue and since I am on a L1-B visa and work for Amazon, I should be to get credit no problem. Honestly, my question is simply: Should I sell my Canadian bought BMW 430 Grand Coupe in Canada or in the US? Last edited by derek.megyesi; 09-30-2023 at 02:17 PM.. Reason: Small Typo.
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10-01-2023, 08:07 PM	#2
yyzwagon Private First Class 143 Rep 125 Posts Drives: F31 Join Date: May 2020 Location: GTA, Canada iTrader: (0)	sell it while you are here. heck, dealers might even give you decent value for it for a quick sale. you'll likely have more options / variety there when it comes to buying a new car.
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10-09-2023, 08:10 PM	#4
derek.megyesi M-Experienced 47 Rep 196 Posts Drives: 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e AWD SUV Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Bellevue, Washington iTrader: (1) Garage List 2024 BMW X5 xDrive5 ... [10.00]	I’m reluctant to use AutoTrader, Kijiji, FB, etc. due to all the back and forth haggling BS I’m gonna have to deal with (I fear no matter what, I’m essentially gonna take a loss). I’ve heard about this new BC Startup called MintList. Anyone ever used them? https://mintlist.com
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10-11-2023, 08:13 PM	#5
F31_King Enlisted Member 32 Rep 32 Posts Drives: F31 328d Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: Maine/Montreal iTrader: (0)	Only bring it with you if you plan on bringing it back. There is no advantage to bring it with you other than nostalgia. I have imported cards into US and ones into Canada before, with only the ones into Canada bring financially good decisions.
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