Sunnybrae

We have a plan to fly to Vancouver to do a soft landing to get my COPR stamped, then buy a vehicle, drive to Utah to see family and then drive back to BC via Calgary. We'd leave the vehicle with the in laws when we flew back to the UK.

So, my questions are..

Recommendations for a Toyota dealer in Vancouver please (I fancy buying a second hand tacoma)
Can a dealer sort out insurance? If not, recommendation for a broker/insurance co in Vancouver
As there are no MOT's in Canada, is the service history and word of the seller all you have to go by when looking?
Is there any paperwork we would need to show at the USA border - would we need to wait a few days or could we just buy a car the day after landing and cross the border the next day?
Anything else I need to know about buying a vehicle in Canada?

Many thanks

Stumpylegs

Cant help with too much of it but here we go.

Dealers (especially main dealers) will have a broker of choice, who will attend the dealership and sort your insurance out.

You can order a carfax report (think UK HPI check with more detail) you can also ask the seller for, or organize your own vehicle inspection - although with a main dealer this will likely be already sorted.

As a word of advice/warning you may want to bin the idea of a second hand vehicle off(Dependant on how old your looking) - truck market here is super hot right now, so as a result there is little to no saving for going second hand.

A quick check online found me a mid range 2018 Toyota Tacoma with 40k on the clock for $40000 - could order a brand new one with TRD off-road package for $46000 -getting brand new tires, extra warranty etc suddenly makes that 6k pretty good value for money. Coupled with you often get much better finance rates on a new vehicle over a used one.

if your looking older a 2010 tacoma with 200k+ on it seem to be doing $25,000!

Sunnybrae

Thanks Stumpy, we're planning on going in October so I'm hoping prices may have come down a wee bit by then. I agree with what you say about prices but I think trying to order a new vehicle from overseas could be a bit of hassle or maybe I could get the father in law to buy it for me . It's only a stop gap vehicle for a long 6 week road trip and to have there for us when we do move over permanently so age/mileage isn't a concern so long as it's mechanically sound.

I think my main concern is crossing the border into USA, but I guess if I have the receipt from a dealer and proof of insurance that should be enough for them if I get asked any questions.

What's proof of ownership called in Canada, is there a V5 registration type document?

Stumpylegs

In Canada the V5 is called a registration document (registration document or proof of registration are the official terms, but title is used as well, even though it has a slightly different meaning).

So the way it works in BC is ownership, the equivalent of road tax and insurance is all handled through one government owned company (ICBC) - when you buy the vehicle all this is handled simultaneously by an ICBC broker - most main dealers will have an ICBC broker who is either based on site, or will rock up when you buy the vehicle and sort your paperwork out.

You'll need an address to register the vehicle to.

Sunnybrae

Thank you

dbd33

This all seems backwards to me. Trucks are cheaper in Utah. Why not fly there, buy a truck (more than 15 years old) and drive it to Canada?

Sunnybrae

Never thought of that , I'll have a look, I'm guessing age is relevant as you mention more than 15 years old? thanks

dbd33

The significance of the age is that, if the vehicle is 15 years old, you can import it. If it's newer, you can probably import it, subject to it being a model sold in North America and obtaining appropriate paperwork. An example of hard-to-get paperwork for rice burners is proof that the vehicle is compliant with all safety recalls; the manufacturer has that information but that's not the same being willing to give it to you.

15 years, no worries.

Sunnybrae

Thanks for that.

Former Lancastrian

If you are bored out of your mind and want to spend several hours reading mind numbing dry information you can always read these official documents

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publicat...-12-1-eng.html

https://www.riv.ca

You might not thank me.

Gozit

If this is just a stop-gap vehicle, why not consider hiring a car instead?

Or if you are close with your family, have your father in law take care of everything and transfer the vehicle/insurance into your name when you get there.

Sunnybrae

Thanks for the links FL, I saw the riv one yesterday. - life's too short for the cbsa one .

Car hire for 6 weeks is just too much wasted money, it'll run into the thousands and too be honest buying a car in Utah may be a bit cheaper but buying a BC car straight off will be a lot simpler and less paperwork. The inlaws are northern BC so I think we'll just land in Vancouver, (flights are already booked) and see what's available at the time and go from there, thanks for all the help.