I found this online where Agent00R gave up on his search for a 1M and he goes on to mention that he came across a Canadian 1M with KM speedo, just like mine and was skeptical that all the documents were in order, so he passed.
http://www.autospies.com/news/00R-St...-1M-For-91815/
It's his loss if it was a good deal and a nice car. It just strikes me as sad he missed out solely because of unfounded fear.
So I wanted to explain to those that are looking for 1Ms, about Canadian 1Ms in the US.
Around the spring and summer of 2015 US and Canadian 1Ms were selling for about the same asking price... $55,000 to $60,000. Around this time, the Canadian dollar dropped to unprecedented lows due to the drop in oil and other economic issues. Canadians were asking the same prices in Canada but their dollar was now $.75 to us.
This made for an opportunity to get 1M at a lower price.
The United States has rules about importing cars from all countries outside the US except for Canada. They have a special rule for them and it's much simpler.
Even better, Canadian 1Ms and US ones are basically identical and even have a US EPA and California CARB compliance decal under the hood! They not only meet US EPA standards, they even meet California's and have the decal to prove it.
As a US Citizen you can import a car for personal use from Canada. If you import it yourself, you do not have to change the speedometer! If the car meets all US EPA and DOT rules, you import it as a "Conforming to all US EPA and DOT regulations except for minor markings." The minor marking are the KM Speedo and Celsius oil temp gauge....you know the one that's missing on the M2, eh. You have to get a letter from BMW that states the car is conforming to US EPA and DOT standards except for minor labeling or customs won't let you import it as a conforming car. The onboard digital display CAN be quickly switched to Farenheit and Miles, so it's not even a big issue to keep the KM speedo. Everything else is identical and the VINS show up on US parts systems with no problem.
Now, if a dealer imports it to sell or you use a shipping company to cross the border, then they require that you change the speedo because they can't call it a "personal" import. If a dealer changes the speedometer it can only be done by a BMW Authorized dealer and documentation has to be presented or the DMV will mark it a unverified mileage.
I imported mine myself and kept the KM only speed for several reasons....
1. It's cool, it's the same one in the German Cars.
2.There is no extra documentation, question or doubts that come when a speedo is changed. It has the exact speedo it came with. I still might change it one day, but I didn't want any issues having to prove that the speedometer was changed correctly by a BMW dealer.
Ironically, in the case of 00R, having the original speedo in KM would be more reassuring to me than one that was changed.
Regardless, the DMVs requires proof that it was changed by a factory dealer. On top of that, they take 2-3 months to register the car because they do a US and Canada search for liens, theft, etc.
In my case, there was additional work because I live in the great state of California, soon to be Republic of California?
Anyway, my car was physically inspected by California DMV, passed California Smog certification and was on hold for 3 months while CA DMV contacted Canadian DMV to make sure everything was clear.
So I hope that helps someone understand what people go through to bring a 1M to the US from Canada as well as what they could ask to see. This stuff is no longer necessary once registered legally in the US, but its reassuring that it was done correctly:
1. BMW Letter of Compliance from BMW
2. US Customs Receipt of Importation
3. Proof that Speedo was changed by BMW Dealer in US or Canada (if changed)
4. Valid Registration in State where the car is for sale.
The only downside to Canadian cars in the US is that there is a quirk with BMWs notification system and I don't get the recall notices because BMW of Canada handles those and they can't take a US address. The US Recall by VIN website, doesn't show cars if Canadian and Canada doesn't have a Canadian version. However, once you register the car her with BMW USA, there are no issues whatsoever with warranty work or recalls. I just tell them it might not show up on their system and the dealer contacts BMW USA and they take care of it all.
I had my front brake rotors and pads replaced under warranty for vibration, my drivers seat frame was a little loose and a headlight gave out. All replaced in San Diego under warranty as well as the drivers airbag and wheel liners.
I hope this helps someone out there!