ac646d

Hi there

This is my first post on this forum - my partner and I literally just landed in Ontario on Monday. We have used the forum in the past to help us all through the immigration process, so a big thank you for all the helpful info. so far

One of the first things we need to do is buy a car - in the next 2 weeks! We're thinking of getting a used car from a private seller (e.g. off Kijiji or Craig's List etc.) and I have some queries which may seem naive, but nonetheless: -

- Is there a Canadian equivalent of an MOT? I know there are the "Drive Clean" and "Safety Standards Certificate" but am not sure how these work (e.g. does seller provide these to the buyer? how often are these renewed? costs?)

- What do we need to be able to drive away with our new car? Insurance needs to be set up, from what I've read, and I know we need to go and register the car at a DVLIO within 6 days, but is there anything else we need?

- From reading the forum we are prepared for huge insurance costs, but can anyone recommend a good insurer? I have 8 years UK no claims and a letter from Direct Line to prove it - will this help?

Many thanks!

A

grant r

hi, ive read on these forums about an insurance company called Wawanesa who apparently do recognise uk driving experience.
Address:
100 - 4110 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2P 2B7
Phone:
(416) 250-9292
they might be able to help you.

Richard Ivory

Hi,

From what we were told buy friends in strathmore.
You must get a certain check done on the vehicle before you buy.
They found this out after buying a bike, it was a right off and older than stated!!!!
Cant remember what its called but will try to find it out for you.
As for insurance having your no claims proof from the uk does help with some companys in canada as they reconise it.

Hope this helps a little.

lmartin999

To transfer ownership and to put plates on the car the new owner needs to have a UVIP (Used vehicle information package), safety certificate and current emission test certificate together with the ownership document (like the log book). The UVIP must be provided by the seller. Safety and emissions can be done either as a condition of sale or by the new owner. Most sellers (unless they state) will do these. Emissions is valid for a year so the car may not necessarily need a new test, safety is something like 30 days IIRC, so its not unusual for sellers to do the safety once the deal is made etc. Bear in mind the safety inspection is pretty minimal and not equivalent to the MOT. Assuming you also want to put plates on the car (to be able to drive it!) then you also need to present proof of insurance. Like in the UK, a company will provide a cover note to allow you to do this - even by email sometimes!
Remember you will also pay 13% HST at the time of change of ownership.

Safety only occurs when a car changes ownership. Emissions is every two years, It will soon be that the first test will only be required once a car reaches 7 years old.

The slightly strange part of buying privately is that you can only get plates etc once you have bought the car and have the ownership info. So you can end up buying the car, leaving it with the old owner while you go and get plates etc. The opening hours of some of the offices are not great, so you need to plan carefully.

Now, if anyone is interested in a cheap, very reliable, rather fun 2 seater Honda convertible - PM me It even has a FSH!

ac646d

Thanks to everyone for all this info - and the quickness of the replies! Great to know that there are people out there who can help

rich07

Try Td home and auto insurance, they used my UK non claims

Auld Yin

You may want to read the following from yesterday's Toronto Star regarding curbside selling and its pitfalls.

http://www.thestar.com/business/auto...ting-to-happen

PMM

Hi

If you find a car you like, spend the money on a carproof report to get all the details/history of the car. sales, mileage, and accidents. https://www.carproof.com/home.aspx

Kittenwoman

Can you not use these as well? http://www.autocheck.com/consumers/g...353&WT.srch=22

ac646d

Thanks for all the tips - if we do go for a private seller we will definitely have one of these history reports done (and we will avoid curbsiders at all costs - thanks for the heads-up!).

Seems like there is quite a lot of trust involved in a private sale if the vehicle has to be left with the seller whilst you go off to get the plates - as presumably money will have changed hands by that point? Or perhaps not, I guess its a matter of working out the logistics...

Wondering whether it might be safer / easier to go to a used car dealer for our first car - certainly lots to think about!

A

wizzard

I just went to a dealer for the used car I bought recently. I reasearched the year and model I wanted on autotrader etc. to find the range of prices versus kms, conditione tc. so I knew what a good price was, as well as one too low to be straight up.
I found that there wasn't really enough difference between the dealer prices and the private prices on the car I was looking at to make it worth the hassle and risk of the private sale.
Dealership was easy. Walked in, inspected the car, took it for a test drive and made sure everything was as expected. The amount of research you can do for free online now means I knew more about the car, features etc. than the sales guy.
Once it checked out I bought it from them. Gave a deposit, signed some stuff, came back the next week with a draft for the difference and drove it away. They made sure it had the safety, carproof, new plates etc. all ready to go.

Piff Poff

It's no different buying privately here, than it is in the UK. Used car dealers here are also the same as in the UK.

lmartin999

Yep, there are a lot of dealers selling cars here, and a lot that I wouldn't buy from. Its clear that many are simply moving on auction cars and they know nothing at all about the history or maintenance of the car. These guys are also expert at tarting up cars for sale. My view is there is nothing to be gained from buying from a car dealer over buying a good private car from an owner who has looked after it and has the service history. Try asking some dealers about service history and you will hear quite some stories about why they don't have it.

I have a couple of dealers who I did look at cars with and thought were very decent - though I didn't end up buying from them. PM me if you want names.

el_richo

You pay tax on the used car in Canada

Piff Poff

I think that depends where you are