My guess is that you can thank the Canadian dealerships for the added cost of importation.

You can bet that the auto industry is lobbying the government hard to limit cross border shopping.The game is to make it cost prohibitive to import a car to Canada. First the Canadian manufacturer created the bogus retro bumper requirements, then they refused to honour the warranty, and now they have RIV charging the foreign import tax.

The Bull- **** argument you might hear is that cross border shopping is adversely affecting the Canadian economy.
How is it that world prices from gasoline to food affect my pocket book but when I attempt to benefit from those same world prices the auto industry cries foul?
The bottom line is that Canadians have been getting hosed on a plethera of consumer products and services. I just have to take a trip to Seattle to prove this. I can purchase a bottle of Coke from a convenience store in the States cheaper than I can purchase it from a food department store here! I can get my car repaired for 30% cheaper south of the border.

Cross border shopping is merely forcing Canadian manufactures to be more competitive based on world market prices. If you don't think this beginning to take affect, check out the recent price reductions on auto, RV, boat and motorcycles. There is no sound reason why a car should cost more in Canada, than in the States.

P.S My buddy from Kelowna BC just purchased an 06 LTD Roadster with 6000 miles on it for 19,000 from a dealer in the States. I don't think he paid the import tax.

Cheers!