How to buy first car in Ontario?

[kikis]

Hello guys,

I have been searching from the internet about buying a car in Canada but I have some questions. If you could explain the procedure car buying steps that will be much appreciated.

-I will get a Ontario G license.
-After that I will look for used car and call the seller to see the car.

-First question is if I am going other city to buy a car I can't show it to the local mechanic. The local mechanic also won't come to another city unless he is paid generously. So, should I look for mechanics in the other city and ask the seller if I could take it to a mechanic? I am not looking expensive car that is why I am thinking maybe the seller might not want to waste time with a mechanic. I am not sure about this. Could you give me advice about this situation?

-The seller should give me Used Vehicle Information Package. I will check for any oddness on the documents.

-After I know the car is good. Should I make the payment with cash or bank transfer to the sellers account? Which is better or it does not matter?

-Lets say i am away from home about 200km. How should I drive the vehicle to my home? I looked for any temproray plate information but could not find any.

-After I buy the car I will need to get safety and etest done. If required anything fix and try again.

Thank you

 

[spousalsponsee]

The first point you should be aware of is that all things about driving - car registration, insurance, driver licensing etc, are provincially governed. So the rules are different for Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, etc.

Reason I point this out is that you'll get much more helpful information for things that depend on the Province if you include the Province in the title - you say in the post that you'll have an ON licence, so I presume this is all in ON, but your title line just talks about buying cars 'in Canada' (since I've only ever bought cars in BC, I don't know what Ontario rules or practices are, so won't risk getting it wrong for you)

 

[kikis]

Thank you for pointing that out. I changed the title

 

[torontosm]

Hello guys,

I have been searching from the internet about buying a car in Canada but I have some questions. If you could explain the procedure car buying steps that will be much appreciated.

-I will get a Ontario G license.
-After that I will look for used car and call the seller to see the car.

-First question is if I am going other city to buy a car I can't show it to the local mechanic. The local mechanic also won't come to another city unless he is paid generously. So, should I look for mechanics in the other city and ask the seller if I could take it to a mechanic? I am not looking expensive car that is why I am thinking maybe the seller might not want to waste time with a mechanic. I am not sure about this. Could you give me advice about this situation?

-The seller should give me Used Vehicle Information Package. I will check for any oddness on the documents.

-After I know the car is good. Should I make the payment with cash or bank transfer to the sellers account? Which is better or it does not matter?

-Lets say i am away from home about 200km. How should I drive the vehicle to my home? I looked for any temproray plate information but could not find any.

-After I buy the car I will need to get safety and etest done. If required anything fix and try again.

Thank you

Let me try to answer all your questions.
- You can find a local mechanic to do a checkup on the car. Typically mechanics charge anywhere between $70 and $150 for such a check, depending on location and the nature of the mechanic.
- The UVIP won't really have much information on the condition of the car, so don't expect too much.
- Once you have decided to purchase the car, you have to go to a Service Ontario location with the seller. There, you will pay the seller by way of Certified Cheque (from a bank), and he will sign ownership over to you. You car will be immediately registered and they will give you new license plates to put on your car right there so that you can drive. Please note that you have to get insurance prior to this so that you can drive the car. Otherwise, they won't let you reigster it.
- You can ask the seller to get the safety/e-test done prior to the transfer. The safety must be done first (Service Ontario will ask to see it), and the e-test can be done later if you want.

 

[kikis]

Let me try to answer all your questions.
- You can find a local mechanic to do a checkup on the car. Typically mechanics charge anywhere between $70 and $150 for such a check, depending on location and the nature of the mechanic.
- The UVIP won't really have much information on the condition of the car, so don't expect too much.
- Once you have decided to purchase the car, you have to go to a Service Ontario location with the seller. There, you will pay the seller by way of Certified Cheque (from a bank), and he will sign ownership over to you. You car will be immediately registered and they will give you new license plates to put on your car right there so that you can drive. Please note that you have to get insurance prior to this so that you can drive the car. Otherwise, they won't let you reigster it.
- You can ask the seller to get the safety/e-test done prior to the transfer. The safety must be done first (Service Ontario will ask to see it), and the e-test can be done later if you want.

Thank you so much for your reply. This is very informative. I have question about insurance. How can I get an insurance for a car that I don't currently own. Could you please explain that? For example if I am going to buy a Ford focus. Should I contact with a broker get an insurance for exactly for that model? Apologises if it is a stupid question.

 

[torontosm]

Thank you so much for your reply. This is very informative. I have question about insurance. How can I get an insurance for a car that I don't currently own. Could you please explain that? For example if I am going to buy a Ford focus. Should I contact with a broker get an insurance for exactly for that model? Apologises if it is a stupid question.

Insurance is actually quite simple. You need to get the VIN number of the car you are buying and then call your insurance agency. They will give you a quote, and ask you what date you want the insurance coverage to commence (i.e., the date that you will be getting the car). Once you have paid, they will main you a Proof of Insurance document that you need to present to the Service Ontario Officer.

One more thing is that once you have the VIN number, you may wish to purchase a CarProof report which will let you know when the car was registered/re-registered, how many owners, whether the car is Canadian or American, any accidents, etc.

 

[yodheydhara]

Are you planning to buy a car on loan or for cash itself? if by loan then you will need proof of income and all that.
Also, if you are planning to buy a car from a reputed dealer, then lots of things will be taken care of by the dealer itself - like getting the new license plates, the car registration etc. They may provide you with a carfax report as well.
I presume you have been looking for cars on autotrader.ca? if yes, they specifically point out of the carfax report is available for the car or not. However, getting your own carfax report should be a big deal too.

I bought a preowned Ford Escape (2013).

 

[kikis]

Thank you guys so much for your replies. I will definitely go through these steps before buying a car. I will buy with cash. I am thinking a reliable car. I don't have problem with fuel economy. Therefore if I could find a good condition crown victoria or grand marquis or maybe towncar I will buy it. I heard that their parts are same and easy/cheap to find. Also mostly seniors drive them so they shouldn't have had a hard life. I understand some mechanics myself but I am no near level of a mechanic. I hope I get a reliable car for 2 years.

 

[yodheydhara]

Thank you guys so much for your replies. I will definitely go through these steps before buying a car. I will buy with cash. I am thinking a reliable car. I don't have problem with fuel economy. Therefore if I could find a good condition crown victoria or grand marquis or maybe towncar I will buy it. I heard that their parts are same and easy/cheap to find. Also mostly seniors drive them so they shouldn't have had a hard life. I understand some mechanics myself but I am no near level of a mechanic. I hope I get a reliable car for 2 years.

Also, you might want to check if the dealer is giving an offer to give you first winter tires for free. Usually thats a common offer - the dealer will provide you free winter tires.

 

[steaky]

Also, you might want to check if the dealer is giving an offer to give you first winter tires for free. Usually thats a common offer - the dealer will provide you free winter tires.

No, free winter tires are not a common offer. Which dealership offers you?

 

[yodheydhara]

No, free winter tires are not a common offer. Which dealership offers you?

I went to Jaguar St Laurent Ottawa.