Re: daft car buying questions
 

We are in BC and it is cheaper to pay 12 months up front, if you pay in installments it is more expensive and believe me it costs an arm and a leg! Someone on here might know the extra cost for installments.

Make sure you take your no claims proof from the UK (if you have any) in the format as per the wiki on here. I had 9 years, it got us the max of 43% discount and our insurance was still around $3000 for the year.

Regarding credit card, that was the only way we could pay for Autoplan, they would not accept a Canadian debit card.

Re: daft car buying questions
 

You can write a cheque;)

I'm not sure what ICBC's interest rates are; it's worth comparing it with your CC if you are planning on using that and paying the debt down gradually rather than all at once.

Re: daft car buying questions
 

Tis true, but not an option for us, as 6 weeks in we still have yet to receive a cheque book from our bank :huh:

Re: daft car buying questions
 

I know this sounds silly, but did you ask the bank for some cheques? They don't issue them as a matter of course. Once requested they should take a week to 10 days. Oh, and you have to pay for them as well.

Re: daft car buying questions
 

For us we just go to the Credit Union and say 'I'd like some more cheques please'. I usually buy 48 for I think it's $12 - rip off of course. It takes about 10 minutes to request, get them printed and then bound.

Re: daft car buying questions
 

Ah no it does not sound silly, we will do that! Thanks both..

Re: daft car buying questions
 

We were originally thinking we would hire a car for the first month or so as we'll be living in the middle of Vancouver and if we felt we didn't need a car could avoid the stress and cost of buying... We've managed to live without a car in London for 10 years without any hassle but i know public transport etc are a bit different in Vancouver. Saying that i hear some of the recent initiatives put in place for cyclists etc are excellent so thats good news!

Now we are thinking that we might just buy and have done but it all seems a but daunting from the UK... i keep hearing things like $3000 for insurance???? What???

Has anyone who has bought an average used car in BC got any numbers? How much was it all broken down? Car, Tax, Insurance etc??? Its so hard to judge from the UK....

Thanks :)

Re: daft car buying questions
 

It is possible to live in Vancouver without a car. As long as you are near a convenient transit route between your home and work, or you live within walking/cycling distance. However, you won't see much of the rest of BC without a car, and you won't be able to do a Costco run so your grocery expenses will be higher than necessary.

I think living car less and renting a vehicle when you need one might be a way to start - then buy a vehicle if you decide you need it.

Used cars are not particularly cheap. Remember that prices always exclude 12% tax that you have to pay whether you buy from a dealer or privately. Insurance is expensive. Even using the cheapest companies and with full no claims bonuses you will be looking at around $1,400 for a car.

Re: daft car buying questions
 

It's more than possible. I'd say it was easy.

In fact - in terms of expense, the cost of renting a car every other weekend for a year and the extra on groceries will still work out less than the cost of owning - especially if parking has to be paid for.

Re: daft car buying questions
 

Yeah we've always rented a car when we wanted to get away from london but that in it's self is also a shlep and from what i can remember hiring in the states was outragous, massive deposits had to be put down and all the waivers... killer, though i guess it was probably because i was a tourist?

Just did a test in vancouver for a weekend with Thrifty, 3 weekend days (fri-mon), cheapest hairdryer on wheels came to $150, about the same as the UK i guess...

ok, thanks... think that clears that up...

Oh one thing, someone said you pay HST on used cars? But reading the wiki it says "You do not pay tax if you buy a used car in a private sale", is that right? So you just pay tax on a used car from a dealer?

Re: daft car buying questions
 

Depends upon where you are. In Newfoundland you pay tax on the purchase of a used vehicle (& boat, ATV, RV etc) whether you purchase from a dealer or privately. Purchase from a dealer and they will charge you at time of sale. Purchase privately and you pay the govt directly when you come to register your purchase. It's all tax upon tax.:(

Re: daft car buying questions
 

In BC, there is no HST on used cars as it's a value added tax. Instead there is a 'used car levy' that works out to be exactly the same as HST. Bastards.

Re: daft car buying questions
 

The wiki is out of date. I'll edit it in a minute.


This is how it works in BC as well. If you buy from a dealer you pay 12 HST on top of the selling price. If you buy privately then you don't pay any tax to the seller, but have to pay 12% PMVT (provincial motor vehicle tax) when you register the vehicle in your name.

Re: daft car buying questions
 

No it isn't. The next sentence goes on to say

However, in PST and HST provinces you will still be required to pay an equivalent levy on the purchase price when you register the vehicle.

Which is correct and what we are saying here. Whether you buy at a dealer or privately there is no escape from the tax.

Bastards indeed.