A fleet vehicle is a car leased to a business in groups like taxis, rental cars, and police cars.To buy or not to buy a fleet vehicle in the US?That’s a mighty big question.Somebody always knows somebody who got a killer deal on a fleet vehicle in the United States.But can you get that same kind of deal?You can – if you do your due diligence and the car's condition is right. It’s a matter of asking the right questions of a dealer, or better yet, a BorderBuddy expert.

What’s a fleet vehicle?

It’s a vehicle that was part of a group of company cars, such as taxis or those driven by government employees or staff with a business. Other types include rental vehicles – for example, Enterprise has an entire sales arm to re-sell their vehicles after a certain period of time.You can purchase fleet vehicles at dealerships with inspections, or auctions, meaning you can only look at the car briefly before bidding.A benefit of buying a fleet vehicle is the common upkeep in maintenance and accurate maintenance records. You do have to consider how taxi drivers and people who rent a car for the day are driving the cars on a daily basis.

Other factors to keep in mind

So if you decide to go the fleet vehicle route, the first big question to ask is what is the current Canada/U.S. exchange rate? The Canadian dollar changes all the time: if you can catch the loonie on the upswing, you’ll save big time. Buyers need to be ready to spring into action as they watch dollar fluctuations.

Other questions to ask include:

1. What is the cars comparable cost in Canada?
2. Which vehicles have the lowest import duties and taxes? The costs are not all the same, so knowing ahead of time will help narrow your search.
3. Are there any repair or modification requirements? Canada has strict safety standards for import vehicles, so be sure there aren’t any hidden costs.
4. Are you paying for a warranty that isn’t valid in Canada?

If you haven’t gone the cross-border route before – or even if you have, but it didn’t go as smoothly as you’d hoped – BorderBuddy can help. Our customs brokers know all the ins and outs of buying and importing fleet vehicles. Let us do the heavy lifting for you so you can get the best deal possible.