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Difference between revisions of "Problem with a Used Car"
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You can buy a used car from a dealer or a private seller. A dealer is anyone who sells or exchanges motor vehicles to try to earn income. Dealers must be licensed by the [http://mvsabc.com/ Vehicle Sales Authority of BC] (VSA) and follow certain laws. | You can buy a used car from a dealer or a private seller. A dealer is anyone who sells or exchanges motor vehicles to try to earn income. Dealers must be licensed by the [http://mvsabc.com/ Vehicle Sales Authority of BC] (VSA) and follow certain laws. | ||
Don’t buy from a | Don’t buy from a “curber” —a person without a licence who is selling motor vehicles illegally. Item 2 below, in the section called “What should you always check and do before you buy?” has more on this. To see if a person or business is a licensed dealer, do an [http://publicregistry.mvsabc.com/Pages/en_US/Forms/Public/Register/Default.aspx online licensee search] for dealership and salesperson. | ||
==What information must a dealer give you?== | |||
The ''[http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96316_01 Motor Dealer Act]'', the ''[http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/04002_00 Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act]'', and the ''[http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96318_00 Motor Vehicle Act]'' require vehicles for sale to meet minimum safety requirements. But these laws don’t say how sellers must ensure vehicles meet those requirements. Sellers, including dealers, don’t have to do a safety inspection of a vehicle before selling it. Dealers have to say on the purchase agreement whether a vehicle meets safety requirements. And dealers must mark vehicles for sale that do not meet minimum safety requirements as “not suitable for transportation”. Private sellers don’t have to do these 2 things. | |||
==What information must a dealer give you?== | ==What information must a dealer give you?== | ||
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==What should you always check and do before you buy?== | ==What should you always check and do before you buy?== | ||
#See if the car has been in an accident—that can reduce its value and safety. The Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC) may have this information. See its [http://www.icbc.com/ website] or call 604.661.2233 in Vancouver and 1.800.464.5050 elsewhere in BC. You'll need the vehicle identification number (VIN), the make, model, and year. Many vehicles are in the ICBC database, but not all of them. If a vehicle was ever insured and registered outside of BC, the ICBC report will not show the vehicle history outside of BC. Consider getting a comprehensive vehicle history report such as the Verified BC report from | #Have a licensed mechanic check the vehicle to see if it’s in good shape and if it needs any work. The [http://www.bcaa.com/ BC Automobile Association] (BCAA) provides [https://www.bcaa.com/automotive/bcaa-auto-service-centre/vehicle-inspection Vehicle Inspection Services]. They include pre-purchase inspections, safety inspections, and out-of-province-vehicle inspections. | ||
#Avoid “[http://mvsabc.com/glossary/curber/ curbers]”—people who sell vehicles for profit, but without a motor dealer licence. By law, anyone selling motor vehicles as a business in BC must have a dealer licence from the Vehicle Sales Authority. Curbers operate illegally. They can cheat people by doing things such as turning back the odometer to make it look like a vehicle has lower mileage than it really has. Curbers get vehicles from BC and elsewhere in Canada and the US. They may hide | #See if the car has been in an accident—that can reduce its value and safety. The Insurance Corporation of BC ('''ICBC''') may have this information. See its [http://www.icbc.com/ website] or call 604.661.2233 in Vancouver and 1.800.464.5050 elsewhere in BC. You'll need the vehicle identification number (VIN), the make, model, and year. Many vehicles are in the ICBC database, but not all of them. If a vehicle was ever insured and registered outside of BC, the ICBC report will not show the vehicle history outside of BC. Consider getting a comprehensive vehicle history report such as the Verified BC report from CARPROOF (see item 4 below). | ||
#Check if there are any liens (claims for money owed) on the car. Check the car's serial number with the [ | #Avoid “[http://mvsabc.com/glossary/curber/ curbers]”—people who sell vehicles for profit, but without a motor dealer licence. By law, anyone selling motor vehicles as a business in BC must have a dealer licence from the Vehicle Sales Authority. Curbers operate illegally. They can cheat people by doing things such as turning back the odometer to make it look like a vehicle has lower mileage than it really has. Curbers get vehicles from BC and elsewhere in Canada and the US. They may hide damage and lie about a vehicle’s history, including its mileage and where it came from. And they may charge extremely high and illegal interest rates and ask you to lie about the price for tax purposes. There are many types of curbers. Some are mechanics who have repair facilities and also sell vehicles. Some curbers have several cars parked on their front lawn with “for sale” signs. | ||
#Buy a vehicle history report from [http://www.icbc.com/vehicle-registration/buy-vehicle/buy-a-used-vehicle/Pages/Vehicle-history-reports.aspx ICBC] or [http://www.carproof.com/ | :A common myth is that you can sell up to 5 vehicles a year privately without registering as a motor dealer. That’s not true. If you sell even one vehicle to try to earn income, then you must register as a motor dealer. | ||
:To learn more, check “[http://mvsabc.com/consumers/how-to-spot-a-curber/ How To Spot A Curber]” and “[http://www.mvsabc.com/consumers/buying-privately Buying Privately]”. It’s risky to buy from a curber. You may lose your money and get an unsafe vehicle. You can sue, but that’s expensive and often futile. The VSA can investigate the curber, but it can’t help you get your money back. | |||
#Check if there are any liens (claims for money owed) on the car. Check the car's serial number with the [https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/business/managing-a-business/permits-licences/bc-registry-services-personal-property-registry Personal Property Registry]. [http://www.carproof.com/ CARPROOF] can do a Canada-wide lien search for a fee. | |||
#Buy a vehicle history report from [http://www.icbc.com/vehicle-registration/buy-vehicle/buy-a-used-vehicle/Pages/Vehicle-history-reports.aspx ICBC] or [http://www.carproof.com/ CARPROOF]. Find out if the car has been in an accident. (As of September 2018, CARPROOF will be called CARFAX Canada.) | |||
#Get a written agreement whether you’re buying from a dealer or a private person—put in the terms that you want. | #Get a written agreement whether you’re buying from a dealer or a private person—put in the terms that you want. | ||
#Ask a dealership about their return policies before you buy. There’s no automatic right to return a motor vehicle. But many people think there is because they are used to generous return policies of some stores. | #Ask a dealership about their return policies before you buy. There’s no automatic right to return a motor vehicle. But many people think there is because they are used to generous return policies of some stores. | ||
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==Summary and more information== | ==Summary and more information== | ||
Buying a used car can | Buying a used car can be expensive and risky. Investigate before you buy. For more information, see the following websites: | ||
*ICBC’s “[http://www.icbc.com/vehicle-registration/buy-vehicle/buy-a-used-vehicle/Pages/Default.aspx Buy a used vehicle]”. | *ICBC’s “[http://www.icbc.com/vehicle-registration/buy-vehicle/buy-a-used-vehicle/Pages/Default.aspx Buy a used vehicle]”. | ||
*The VSA’s “[http://mvsabc.com/consumers/resources/vehicle-buying-guide/ Buying Guide]”. | *The VSA’s “[http://mvsabc.com/consumers/resources/vehicle-buying-guide/ Buying Guide]”. | ||
[updated | [updated June 2018] | ||
'''The above was last reviewed for accuracy by | '''The above was last reviewed for accuracy by Ian Christman and edited by John Blois.''' | ||
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