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Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Old Jan 7th 2019, 2:32 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

I bought in NS and drove back to NB. I used the owner's plates and once I registered in NB and paid the tax, I sent the plates back to him.
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Old Jan 7th 2019, 2:46 pm
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Originally Posted by Tangram
I bought in NS and drove back to NB. I used the owner's plates and once I registered in NB and paid the tax, I sent the plates back to him.

That's somewhat different to driving from Ontario to NS though - and how did you get around the insurance.. don't forget the OP will be a newcomer with no previous or current insurance in NS.
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Old Jan 7th 2019, 6:03 pm
  #18  
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Originally Posted by GermanytoCanada
We are now only 11 days away from the big move to NS. Our container is (hopefully) Mid-atlantic and our travel and Airbnb are arranged.

One of our first jobs on arrival is to source a second hand car. Looking on Auto trader, an issue I am finding with NS is that German cars are pretty rare on the second hand market. I have used an Audi A6 Quattro for the past few winters in Bavaria and would like to buy a similar car in Canada. Sadly they are few and far between in Nova Scotia, but plentiful in Quebec and Ontario.

I am still a little unfamiliar with the Canadian car buying process. I understand that buying outside NS would mean I have to have the NS safety test done when I get the car back to NS. But how would I get it there? What plates would I use? If I bought a car in Ontario, can I get temporary plates to drive it back to NS? And can I still insure the car in NS before I get it back and safety test it?

Is the process of buying out of state onerous? I am happy to do a 1 off long distance trip in winter to get the car - I am purely concerned with the beaurocracy and licensing/insurance process.

Thanks in advance for any help.​​​​

​​​​
OP you may find the quality of German vehicles in North America a lot different than Europe (personal experience). So before you set your heart on a particular brand/model you should do some research on local forums and test drive the vehicle before you decide.
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Old Jan 7th 2019, 7:32 pm
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Originally Posted by Edo
OP you may find the quality of German vehicles in North America a lot different than Europe (personal experience). So before you set your heart on a particular brand/model you should do some research on local forums and test drive the vehicle before you decide.
To clarify this, some German brands build several of their models in N.American factories (Alabama for some Mercs for example). I didn't find any difference in build quality between German or US built vehicles (Golf, GLK, ML and 1M that we owned), though Mexican built VWs don't always have a good reputation.

Conversely, the Japanese and US Fords (trucks) I purchased all had various warranty and reliability problems.

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Old Jan 7th 2019, 7:35 pm
  #20  
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Originally Posted by Siouxie
That's somewhat different to driving from Ontario to NS though - and how did you get around the insurance.. don't forget the OP will be a newcomer with no previous or current insurance in NS.
I got cover on the 'new' vehicle before I left home to inspect/collect it. Didn't realise the newcomer bit was just relating my experience.

Carry on
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Old Jan 7th 2019, 8:21 pm
  #21  
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

The other obvious possibility is to just buy some other cheap and cheerful brand until you work out how your finances are panning out (cost of house, cost of living etc.) and then buy a decent car in a year or two when you've settled in, know how much you have to spend, and have an insurance history established. You can then take your time and wait for a good car to come on the market, rather than having to get one quickly as soon as you arrive. Buying any old stop-gap car means that you can get wheels locally almost as soon as you arrive, and it should reduce your stress levels!
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Old Jan 7th 2019, 9:52 pm
  #22  
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Originally Posted by Collie
The other obvious possibility is to just buy some other cheap and cheerful brand until you work out how your finances are panning out (cost of house, cost of living etc.) and then buy a decent car in a year or two when you've settled in, know how much you have to spend, and have an insurance history established. You can then take your time and wait for a good car to come on the market, rather than having to get one quickly as soon as you arrive. Buying any old stop-gap car means that you can get wheels locally almost as soon as you arrive, and it should reduce your stress levels!
There's a lot to be said for this approach. I bought in haste and repented at leisure with a Jeep Liberty in 2004. Aside from being massively thirsty on gas, it's build quality was, well, lacking to say the least. Having bought new though I was underwater on finance and it was only a very attractive lease deal on the then discontinued and less popular diesel version that enabled me to get out of it - and that took three years! Aside from the eagerness to buy a shiny new gas guzzler, my mistake was thinking that the salesman had my best interests at heart. Naive I know, as a car salesman seldom has your interests at heart but he was my brother in law.... (Still is actually just no longer a car salesman).

Buying used is not without it's pitfalls of course but a "beater" for a few months to get acquainted - to the value of money if nothing else when one is earning and spending in Canadian rather than looking at things through the lens of the exchange rate to pounds or whatever - is not a bad idea.
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Old Jan 8th 2019, 3:18 am
  #23  
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Or even lease one to start with!
https://www.leasecosts.ca/en/halifax
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Old Jan 9th 2019, 12:07 am
  #24  
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Being a “LOCAL VEHICLE” in Ontario prompts “we know where it’s been and what it’s done”

a lot of use car car sales lots buy their vehicles from Quebec auctions as they are generally better value - however heard some real horror stories of water submerged vehicles or total loss vehicles getting back into the market place this way.
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Old Jan 31st 2019, 12:13 am
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Most provinces have some form of "in transit" permit that allows you to drive an un-plated car for the purpose of getting it home. In some provinces (like SK) that includes insurance, in your case, what you will need to do is take out a policy before hand in NS and then present that to the licensing authority in QC or ON before they will give you the permit. Once you get back you will need to do the standard out of province inspection which is a mechanical inspection. Your windshield can't be cracked, all lights must function properly, brakes and tires can't be worn past a certain point, suspension must be in good order, stuff like that. They won't test emissions or anything. Any car purchased at a dealership will charge you 5% GST. Provincial sales taxes are charged based on where you are registering the car, not where you bought it. So make sure that they don't try to charge you the local PST wherever you buy it.

As far as the cars themselves, us westerners tend to avoid cars from ON/QC as they usually rust much quicker than the cars out here due to the amount of salt they use there, and the higher humidity. I don't know what that situation is like in NS but I assume it's similar so maybe not as much of a consideration for you. Still, if what you plan to buy is more than 4 or 5 years old, check it very thoroughly.
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Old Jan 31st 2019, 12:14 am
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

To ad to this, OP should also be very cautious of US imports. Many flood damaged vehicles from the south find their way to Canada.
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Old Jan 31st 2019, 12:35 am
  #27  
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Thanks for all of the helpful points. We arrived 2 weeks ago and agreed with the advice that buying a cheap local car to get us going was the way forward. We ended up with a 2014 Jeep Compass 4x4 which has been fine so far and is in good condition considering a life in the maritime.

We have a few weeks before we need the second car so we are keeping an eye on what is available further afield. We should be able to sort insurance quickly through our broker, for the second car so not too concerned on that now.

After the number of horror stories on car insurance, I was pleased with our first Canadian car insurance price. All State accepted our UK no claims which made a huge difference.

Thanks again
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Old Jan 31st 2019, 5:51 am
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Wondered what range of price would be needed for a used SUV and what mileage do you think would be acceptable?

Do you mind if I ask whether you purchased privately or through a dealership?

I will be in a similar position soon.
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Old Jan 31st 2019, 10:47 am
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Check out auto trader.ca for car pricing. Used vehicles seem to be a bit more expensive than the UK, especially larger vehicles Whereas large engine used vehicles are not popular in the UK and are priced accordingly, the opposite seems to be the case here.

​​​​​I bought from a dealer so I paid an extra 15% tax compared with buying privately. Depending what you want, around $10-15k will get you a small used suv in decent condition with reasonable mileage.

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Old Jan 31st 2019, 10:52 am
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Default Re: Buying a Car 'Out of Province'

Originally Posted by GermanytoCanada
Check out auto trader.ca for car pricing. Used vehicles seem to be a bit more expensive than the UK, especially larger vehicles Whereas large engine used vehicles are not popular in the UK and are priced accordingly, the opposite seems to be the case here.

​​​​​I bought from a dealer so I paid an extra 15% tax compared with buying privately. Depending what you want, around $10-15k will get you a small used suv in decent condition with reasonable mileage.
thats great, thanks for the advice.
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