1966 Wildcat Conv. $7,500. CDN.

I guess things have changed post 9/11. I"m glad you finally figured out how to get this done, but the hassle factor seems pretty high unless you have your ducks in a row. Now that you've become an expert at this, there must be a place on the forum to post this info with contact info and phone numbers, Gov't web sites etc. as it won't likely be the last Buick dragged out of Canada. At least we know the Buick runs well as it's already driven to the border twice!

 

Briz, Was this car originally built in Canada and therefore imported for the first time into The States? Perhaps that is why you are experiencing such a complex situation?
Last time I purchased a car in Canada and drove back into The States it was a 20 minute visit filling out a couple of forms and I was done...but the car was manufactured in The States, brought into Canada at some point and I was bringing it back into The States.
Tom

 

Same with my Mercedes. 20 min at the border and $140 in duties. I did have to pass by a certain office for paperwork to export it from the States, but that went smoothly as I had downloaded the forms ahead of time. The Benz was sold new Vancouver and I was dragging it back to Canada from Bellingham Washington. I don't believe where the car was made or sold even came up on the docs.

 

The body tag says Flint Michigan. I didnt have to pay Duty fees. I was reading the build thread posted by CrazyChevy (which now I cannot find) in it Mark says he bought 2 66 cars. one hard top and one vert. The hard top was Canada made and the Vert came out of California. He used parts from the HT to fix up the vert. Lots of pictures and good info I'd love to have if I could find it again. Looks to have been removed.

 

I think all the Buick convertibles were built in the US but may have had a Canadian export package on them. (A block heater) . Both of my convertibles were built in the US but never registered there, they were intended for the Canadian market. LeSabre and base or standard Wildcat could have been assembled in Oshawa, but the Custom or anything with options came out of the US.
The "auto pact" that the US and Canada had in place was a complex thing; the rules of what could be done and what was done is pretty immense. All I can say is that Briz is lucky to have found a Buick convertible to import back to the US and not an odd-ball like a Pontiac Parisienne or a Beaumont, which nobody has ever seen south of the border. These were Pontiac sheet-metal on Chevy chassis and driveline cars.

 

Don't forget the Acadian, too . I've seen them all. If it's a Chevy, I like the Chevelle best, so I'm a Beaumont guy.....if there is such a thing.

 

Much preferred the Beaumont, the Acadian didn't do it for me. Even then, anything with a Chebbie drive train doesn't really excite me. I'd rather have a Buick.
The one option that is scarce on Buicks from the 60s in Canada is A/C. I haven't seen one yet that had it. I thought I had a rare car when I had a 69 Wildcat with A/C years ago. So that's pretty much a give away as to where the car was intended, Canada got the naked cars, no options, and the US got the good stuff. I guess the thinking was with 8 months of winter who needs A/C anyway? The funny thing is, people nowadays have A/C in their cars and still don't or won't use it; fearing that it'll use it up or something. I'm always hearing people say "I keep the windows rolled down, I don't need the A/C" as the sweat is pouring off of them on a 100 degree day. (We do get the odd one up here...) That's why the A/C in my '01 LeSabre still works, for the first 7 years of the car's life it was never turned on.
Look at all the Canuck Snowbirds in Florida, they're the ones driving with the windows down and dying of heat prostration and frying in their own fat, while their A/C systems atrophy in the dash.

 

Mark, CrazyChevy, Mentioned that the hard top car had power vent windows which was a Canada only option. Wish I could find that thread. I can find the link but it goes nowhere.

 

Marc, I am not an expert regarding Canadian Buicks but I distinctly recall a loaded `66 Wcat for sale some years ago which at the time I was convinced originated in Canada. My attention was drawn to the car because it was described as a "Super Wildcat" car. The car had original Canada GM docs like all the later muscle cars have. But what I remember about the car was the cowl plate had the actual sales codes, not the abstract Fisher Body codes we generally see on domestic Fisher Body plates. Having said this I have seen domestic body plates with UPC codes on them, but never the sales codes. In addition, there was a piece of paper under the drivers bucket seat which the seller described as a "build sheet" which was nothing more than a listing of the same sales codes. I have never seen such a document associated with domestic cars. I was left with the distinct impression this was a Canada built car. Incidentally, the Super Wildcat package in the Canadian sales literature is the single 4 barrel 425 and NOT the domestic 425 with 2 fours!! I have a Canada salesman`s manual which also lists the option.
Tom

 

Briz,
Yes, you are correct. Even though the `66 fleet catalogue clearly illustrates a `66 Wildcat door panel with power vent switches it was not an option on US built cars that I know of. It would make perfect sense in a cooler climate like Canada to reason that the AC option might not sell as well and a "ventilation" option might make up for the difference. At least that is my reasoning...
Incidentally, the power vent option and wood wheel from the coupe Mark dismantled made their way into Tommy`s Toyhouse! He was a great guy to deal with and his packaging was quite unique! I still have the crate he sent the parts in which was very patriotically decorated,
Tom Mooney

 

That's what I like about this board, I'm always learning something. The people I used to know who used to work at Oshawa always told me that Canadian built cars were usually the standard models with no real options. Special order stuff almost always came from the US. Maybe that isn't the case, but like anything with the Auto Pact in the 60s, good luck finding the actual proof!

The one thing that people could do back then that they can't now is go directly to the factory and order their cars and then have it built to order while they waited for it. You saved something like 40% off sticker at a dealership by going direct. (The auto dealerships had successfully lobbied the government to finally kill this by the mid seventies) I had heard that some of these cars were built with unique options and they were incredibly few and far between. Otherwise cars in Canada could be ordered with certain packages of options, some were neat, others were clearly to get dogs off the shelf. You can never just pick and choose in Canada, it's more a function of what you get stuck with. The thing was it was a mix between both good and bad. For instance, if you wanted A/C, it had to come with Speed Alert, you couldn't get it with Cruise Control, and it only came with the taupe interior and a 3.08 axle. (Just an example, don't know if that was the case or not, but it wouldn't surprise me) Buying an options package in Canada was (and still is) like kissing your cousin; it just is wrong even if it feels right. They do the same thing with cable TV here, if you want this one channel you have to also get these other channels that no one will ever watch, and you get it for a "special" fee that is available to every other idiot who didn't read the fine print. Maybe that "Super Wildcat" was one of those, a conglomeration of things that offered both good and bad. It'd be interesting to decode the plates, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't built in Fairfax or Detroit and then shipped up to be completed as a Canadian sale only item. My Wildcat has Canadian MOT stuff all over it yet the numbers indicate it was built in Fairfax. I think I have a Canadian sales brochure, I'll have to look it up.
I had no idea the power vent windows were Canadian only; that would explain why they're so rare. They must have sold all of 10 sets.

 

Did a little research this morning stemming from the current rift between the US and Canada regarding tarrifs. Wikipedia has a brief write up on the Canada-United States Automotive Products Agreement of 1965. This article must not be "skimmed" as it seems most people read these days. It is very concise and must be read carefully to understand the conclusions/observations of the agreement.
Regarding the Super Wildcat Canada Wildcat ...I wish I had a link. The pics and docs were great. I was left with the impression the car may have been a "show car" of some sort, like the loaded up dealer showroom demos one occasionally finds in mid `60`s cars
, specificaly built with all the options to show off the product.
Tom

 

Its that time again! Spoke with Michael (seller) earlier in the week. All systems go! Talked to Terry (Transport guy) this morning. Green lights across the board and all systems nominal! The broker called yesterday asking why the car hadnt been processed yet. Told her Sat at high noon. She said OK. Just for shits and giggles I called the boarder crossing and spoke to an agent. Explained everything, They said No Problem. I have a emergency contact number for the broker for just in case. Hopefully tomorrow she will be back stateside permanently.

 

Briz, you've got a lot more patience that I do. Glad it's looking good for the final transfer and I'm looking forward to some stateside pictures.

 

Ya know Brian, It just would not help in anyway to let this get under my skin. Seems the older I get the easier stuff just slides without much friction.(maybe gray hair is like teflon )Its been a pain and if it all went south and I lost the car, money, time involved I'd be pissed but it wouldn't ruin the rest of my life. Would I ever buy another car out of Canada? Probably not. However now that I know the ropes I could probably get it done in a much shorter time frame. Also as I understand it, if I was there in person to take possession it might not have been this involved

 

Broker Briz LLC ! ws

 

Yesterday she finally made it across the boarder. Id like to say it was smooth sailing but for some reason it took nearly 2 hours to process everything. I wasnt there so really dont have the inside story. The meeting was set up for noon. I got a call at 12:45 that the seller/ car had not shown up at the meeting place and the driver was getting ready to leave empty again. Seller was not answering his phone or txt's. Was starting to freak out. Just after 1:00 he called and said he was on the way to meet the driver. 2Pm the driver called and said he was loaded and heading south. Now I just have to figure out he logistics of getting her the last 1200 miles.

 

AT least it is finally on the home stretch. Head up there and drive it home!

 

Terry has the car and says after looking it over the rear 1/4's need to be replaced. very poor body work. Now Im on the lookout for new complete panels. I did see one somewhere online recently. Is 65 / 66 the same. Differences between the Vert and HT?

 

65 would be a good match, no real refitting to be done. The trunk line or angle is the same as the 4 door sedan, so the rear quarters off the 2 door might have too much of a slope, you'd have to cut the quarters at the upper cheatline to make them match.