Car Buyers Beware: Compare with U.S. Price First

Canadian car dealers are charging much more than U.S. dealers for same model vehicles. When the Canadian dollar is on par with the American dollar, or as it has been in recent weeks, even stronger, you can really compare apples to apples, or for the unfortunate souls described here, lemons to lemons.

Compare the 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe GS for example:

5 speed manual transmission
Canadian Total Selling Price $ 27,493 (click GS for detailed view)	U.S. Total Selling Price $ 20,254
Save $ 7,239
Compare the Sunroof and Sound Option price
$ 3,300	$ 1,850
Save $ 1,450
Compare the Honda Accord Sedan
Can. Starting Price $ 25,090	U.S. Starting Price $ 20,360
Save $ 4,730

That's over $ 7,000 more to buy the Eclipse from a Canadian dealer, and
$ 4,730 more for the Civic Sedan in Canada. What gives? There is a discussion at the Ottawa Business Journal on this issue. The price difference is huge and can hurt sales for Canadian and local dealerships. They may want to consider better deals as people start comparing Canadian and U.S. prices. Nobody likes being gouged.