suzeandmatt

Hi folks, I hope everyone around the Calgary area is enjoying this crazy heat!!
My husband and I have been here for 6 months now and have been getting around no problem on transit and hiring cars when we want to head out further but I'm getting bored of the rental thing and just want to buy a car.
We are looking for a super cheap second hand car- not just because well, from the driving I've witnessed, having an accident here is not if but when- but also we may only be here for another 18 months (temp permits) and don't wanna spend too much $.
We really don't care what it is so long as it's not tiny- it needs to be big enough for us + outdoor equipment etc. It can look ratty- really not bothered so long as it works.
Problem is we aren't too sure as to the process.
I've looked on the forum and searched buying a second hand car in Alberta and while I have seen some things a lot is dated and I just want to make sure the info is up to date.
Can anyone help? We're just hoping to get something from kijiji or the like- neither my husband or myself are idiots when it comes to cars so know what to look out for when viewing them- just any step by step help with the buying/registration process would be very kindly received.

Thank you for your help! :-)

Danny B

I buy cars from the Government and sell them on to make a few extra bucks. This one looks OK but it would mean travelling to Cold Lake to pick it up. Sold as seen.

https://www.gcsurplus.ca/mn-eng.cfm?...1&sf=ferm-clos

I can't help with the Alberta buying process, but it looks simple enough

Siouxie

Have a chat with PiffPoff, she knows her stuff (she's in Red Deer but I'm sure she has contacts) and can probably direct you to who to go to..

suzeandmatt

Thank you. Can I message her privately?

magnumpi

One of the best cheap used cars on the market today is the ,Pontiac Vibe, it's a smaller size SUV type car, not big, not too small, based on the Toyota Matrix platform. I bought one 5 years ago, still have it now as my second car, it's unbreakable and cheap to run and fix.

A 2005 Vibe should sell for 2-2,500$ some older ones are cheaper and the 2009-2010 (new shape) sell for 4,000$ and up. Stay away from the 4 wheel drive as it's a bit low on power.

Most come with roof bars, I pull a seadoo with mine and load up all our beach gear and dog

raindropsandroses

I agree, I've always found Pontiac cars to be excellent value and very reliable. The Montana minivans are good too.

Yorkiechef

Facebook......Calgary cars swop and shop. Closed group, apply to join. Most cars are under $3k

Piff Poff

Seeing as you say you know your way around cars, then the Michener Allen auction is a good place to go, if your not fussy on type of car you will come away with something -we will be at the next one 29th July as it's also the collector car auction.

Another unlikely place is Pick n Pull scrap yard - they have a area for cars that they call build able, often there is little wrong with them. You put an offer on, they visually inspect it, they then tell you the findings and you either agree or not to buy, you then get I think 36 hours to return the car if you find something wrong with it. We bought a Durango a few years ago, all it needed was new tyres!

Give us shout if you have more questions...we are selling a supercharged Mustang right now, wouldn't recommend for winter though lol.

suzeandmatt

Thanks for all the help folks! Really appreciate it!!
I would definitely enjoy a Mustang Piff Poff...haha

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and things- to be honest we're literally looking at spending just a few hundred bucks on a car. We've had a look at a few- husband is going to view another one today while I'm at work- we're finding the reason a lot of people are selling cars for just a few hundred is that it appears to have a major problem but it can actually be easily fixed on the drive way for no more than $200 as it generally just requires fitting a new part. We want something big enough for 4 people for when friends come and visit but otherwise it will just be used for the 2 of us.
My last car was free (and when I moved here had hit her 20th birthday yet there was still nothing wrong with it so it went to a friend) and my car before that was £300 and ran for a good few years- and that's with all the stringent Uk testing.

So more importantly- process wise appears to be:
- Get insurance sorted on car.
- Go register the car
- Put new registration on car
- Good to go?
Is that about the gist of it?

Thanks again folks! Appreciate your help!

Piff Poff

Anything under $1000 will need more than the brakes changing if you know what I mean, it will be 'up there' in kms and will likely need new tyres, brakes and a windshield - you might find something that suits at pick and pull. We have on rare occasions managed to pick up a vehicle for less than a grand, but the above has been needed on most of them. It's not like the UK where second hand cars can be cheap as chips. I hope you get lucky though, it can happen

Also you have to think, as there is no MOT here, some cars are not even road worthy that you see driving around, so much rust in the sills that in the eventof an accident it would just fall apart.

Also check your local Bylaw before you pull a car apart on your drive, a lot of places you cannot do this unless it's in a garage, some places you are not even allowed to wash your car on the street.

As for getting car registered etc, yeah, you got it, can be done in less than an hour.

Danny B

You will not get a road worthy car in running condition for $200. You can't even buy a set of used tires for $200.

Just make sure you get some breakdown insurance if you do manage to buy a car for under $200. The tow fee to the scrapyard will be more than the car is worth!

Why don't you just bite the bullet and get a half decent car for $1k, use it for a year and sell it for $800 when you leave Canada? That way the car has cost you $200 and will be easier to sell on.

Good luck!

Aviator

Sometimes you can be lucky. One of my kids picked up a car for $50, it did not look great, but was safe and ran for 2 years. Got rear ended and totaled, insurance payout was $1200! She only stayed in town with it though, not sure it was up to long distance driving.

Never the less, I would concur with your statement. A good car for a few hundred bucks is hard to find.

magnumpi

+2 for what Danny says

There is no yearly MOT as Piff rightly points out, but there is an MOT (safety) for transferring a vehicle. So your $200 car must be Road safe before you can plate it.

In Ontario just getting a plate from MTO and a year long sticker will be almost $200, not to mention the added cost of insurance

Piff Poff

Not necessarily, only if Insurance asks for it! It's bloody scary.

My Husband works the USED car section of a Ford dealership, so he only works on used cars, he quite often brings one home if we need to tow something or other, these are usually end of lease trade ins, so 3 years old, sometimes newer if the company bought from auction, they always need tyres, they more than likely need brakes and they more than likely need a windshield.

Somethings have a do not drive attached to them straight away. Now these are vehicles that the customer could have sold on the used car market, we are talking 40k's worth of truck in some cases, as they are so new the insurance company probably would not ask for a safety (which is literally yep lights works ).

And they wonder why there are so many road deaths

wonderwoman

Im an insurance broker and registry agent, if you have any questions I'm happy to help! 😀