Edo

I am looking to buy a reliable used car in Calgary. I have had a look at a few but most of the cars I have seen so far were automatic transmission. Seems like most Canadians drive only automatics? Personally I am not too bothered about it and I will be perfectly ok with a manual car but then people also say they are hard to resell cuz nobody wants them. Is that true?

Secondly cars seem to be quite expensive in this part of the world. Just like gold they dont seem to depreciate as much no matter how much you use them . Any ideas where should I look or where can I get good deals. I dont want to go through the financing route and would like to buy something with the little bit of cash that I have

Aviator

Few manufacturers offer standard transmission. We have Toyota and VW standards, however my truck only comes in auto.

Standards are harder to sell so you may get a better deal on used if you can find one, such as in auto trader. Personally I always buy from a franchised dealer and get used demo vehicles.

Slow depreciation on the whole is a good thing, cars retain value longer and therefore you lose less when you come to sell it. A cheap car is something to stay away from unless you know for sure why it is cheap.

JonboyE

It is true about manual cars. They are more difficult to re-sell. On the other hand, if you are buying second hand you sould be able to get a better deal than on an automatic equivalent.

IME people tend to keep thier cars longer here than in the UK. Although there is initial depreciation here as well it is not as marked as the UK where people seem to change their cars every few years.

Siouxie

With Autotrader you can select to have just dealers (or private). If you select dealers you can tick the box that says 'free carproof' and see the history of the car with regards to accidents. Quite useful. There are 3 manual transmission vehicles (with carproof) from dealers in Calgary under $5k.

http://www.autotrader.ca/a/pv/Used/a...&fcp=True&st=1

103 without carproof:

http://www.autotrader.ca/a/pv/Used/a...hprc=True&st=1

Piff Poff

We buy standard transmission and sell standard transmission, usually slightly cheaper to buy which means you sell them on for less, never had a problem selling a standard, just harder to find one to buy.

Depending on your budget the scrap yard is a strangely good place to buy a cheap vehicle, more guarantee than buying private.

Cars are more expensive to buy, but then you get more when it's time to sell too.

Edo

Thanks a lot for looking up

Edo

You mean buying in the auctions? Actually someone else suggested that to me too. But I am just a little wary of the potential repairs you might have to do when you buy from an auction. You might end up spending more money on a car that has a bad history.

Also are 'damage repaired' and 'salvage' vehicles the same? Both are marked as having problems on the insurance databases so wondering if its a good idea to get a car like that.

Siouxie

You could also look at Government & Police auctions:

http://www.gcsurplus.ca/mn-eng.cfm?x...=0&sc=ach-shop

http://surplus.gov.ab.ca/AuctionsSal...REGALV20130008

Others:

http://www.regalauctions.com/Current...n_listings.asp

http://www.calgaryparking.com/web/gu...vehicleauction

Piff Poff

We've bought lots from auctions, but OH is a mechanic, I mean buying froma scrap yard, pick n pull have a section called builder vehicles, you can negotiate the price, they then send it off to a mechanic, whomdoes a visual inspection, you then get a report and can decide wether to hand over your cash, you then get 24 or 48 hours can't remember, take it back if there is something worse wrong or you just change your mind. We bought a car this summer, all it needed was a window regulator and new tyres, it had just had new brakes and an oil change, it had been donated to the kidney foundation.

If your after a suv let me know, we have one on kijiji and one going on soon.

Michener Allen auctions have lots more to choose from than regal, but regal is quicker.the auctioneers will say if there is anything amiss with the title, flood damage is not allowed to be sold.

Someone has just asked me to say about the flood damaged stuff, if buying private get a inspection done, before you buy if you have any doubts. If the inspecting mechanic finds flood damage he HAS to report it and it will be flagged forever more and crushed.

Edo

Thanks Piff Poff

Can you PM me the details of your SUVs please.

cheeky_monkey

It depends on what type of vehicle you are looking for...SUVs are almost impossible to find as manuals...although i have seen a very few Ford Escapes with manual transmission...more sporty cars like BMWs, Audis etc you will find quite a few manual transmission cars.

The base regular cars are mostly driven by people who only know or only prefer automatic cars thus there are very few manual versions and therefore less desirable as used. If i was buying a used regular car i would opt for automatic simply because they easier to get rid when the time comes..although my preference is manual gears every time.

Edo

oh yeah automatic transmisison is definitely an advantage when you want to sell the car. I am not so sure about the 'driving experience' in automatic as back in the UK I had a manual and what I liked about the manual transmission was it gives you more control. On the other hand in automatic, the engine just makes its own decision

Ben W Bell

I must confess to looking at used cars online earlier. I was taking a gander at this site and these cars.

http://www.grandtouringautos.com/en/used/#astonmartin

I know, I can dream, but they'll be such nice dreams. <sigh>

Piff Poff

There was a Lambo Gallardo at the auction on Saturday, went for $105.000 probably a bit of a bargain lol

the undutchables

I wouldn't be afraid of an older car, if it's just a run a round you are looking for, as long as you get it checked out.
I rented a car when we arrived, and thought if I get a cheap car to start, until we get settled. I bought a Grand Voyager, 1996 for $1600, with the plan to get rid of it in a few months. I had it for over 2 years, with no bother at all. Apart from routine maintenance, it never cost me a penny.
When we got PR, then we leased a new Mini Cooper, in standard transmission. A friend who came here on a TWP asked me to get him a cheap car, I got him a Chevrolet Trans sport for $1000, he ran it for almost a year, and drove it form Edmonton to New York, in November! It never missed a beat!
So if you have a couple of grand to spend, you could get a reliable car the will do until you want to get something better.
If you are careful, and get a mechanic to give it a good going over, there are bargains to be had.