1) Probably the number one reason
is because a Canadian purchased Honda motor does not have any warranty in the
U.S. Honda of Canada (HoC) and American Honda Motor Company (AHM) are
two entirely different companies; they each purchase their motors from Honda
in Japan and import them into their respective countries for resale.
It is HoC and AHM that provide the warranty on the engines sold under their
auspices and not Honda of Japan. AHM makes no money on engines sold in
Canada and it would be unfair to expect them to provide a warranty for
engines they don't get compensated for. In essence you end up trading
away your 3-year warranty for monetary savings up front.
2) All the money you spend in
Canada stays there and doesn't benefit your local dealer(s) at all ... the
very folks you expect to have parts in stock when you need them and to
provide service when necessary. It's hard enough for small businesses
to stay in business these days without losing ground to currency exchange
rates they have no control over.