Okay, you want to buy a new car and you’ve looked everywhere for one in your city and your province, and come up empty every single time. Well, that sucks. Maybe your version of coming up empty means you aren’t willing to pay the astronomical price the vehicle you want is listed at, or, you simply can’t find what you are looking for. This idea is not prejudiced against people living in British Columbia, Ontario, or Quebec; it’s across all provinces. So, you get thinking; what if I find the perfect vehicle at a price I am willing to pay, but it’s in another province? Can I buy it? Good news, yes, you absolutely can. But, as always, we want to provide you with some information on how you go about purchasing an out-of-province vehicle. Stick with us before getting too excited and jumping in your current vehicle to drive across Canada to pick up a new vehicle.
Province to Province Considerations
Although it may not be as simple as buying a motor vehicle in your home province, it can be done. We will elaborate a bit more, but some logistics to consider are: travel to test drive the vehicle, varying safety standards between provinces, tax rates between Canadian provinces, insurance coverage, and a few others. Ask yourself if buying from another province is actually worth it.
Working with a Dealership
If you are someone who likes buying a vehicle whether a used car or a new one from a dealership and you have your eye on one from a dealership in another province, it is much easier than getting one through a private sale with a private seller. Why? Because dealerships do these types of things all the time, so they know every step that needs to be taken. Although you may save on transport costs, be aware of the additional costs the dealership has added to get the vehicle to you.
Test Driving an Out-of-Province Vehicle
Chances are, if you are buying a vehicle from another province, you are most likely doing it through a private seller, which means it’s a used vehicle. Obviously, we don’t turn our heads from used cars - it’s what we do, and we do it at your convenience. But, unlike our pre-owned vehicles that have undergone a meticulous 92-point inspection, cars with a private owner haven’t. That’s not to say you shouldn’t consider the car, just think of what’s involved to ensure you aren’t buying a lemon.
If you are lucky enough to know someone who lives close to where the vehicle is located, ask if they will go and have a look at it in-person. Even better, ask them if they will take it in for a pre-purchase inspection (you pay for it, duh), as this is a great way to see if the vehicle has any major issues which could save you the time and money of travelling to another province and money in the long run. Unfortunately, if you don’t know someone who lives near the vehicle, you might want to talk to the owner about having them take it in for a pre-purchase inspection and then send the report back to you. The last thing you want to do is leave your province to go and look at a piece of crap.
This may sound like a lot of work, and it is, but, at the same time, if you were buying a vehicle in your hometown you would get a pre-purchase inspection done on a used vehicle and take it for a test drive. Buying a vehicle site unseen, is risky, especially when it has to go through a provincial vehicle inspection to get registered in certain provinces.
Getting the Vehicle Home
Again, if you are working with a dealership, this is a non-issue. If you are going it alone, consider the cost and time. If your reason for buying the vehicle is because it is cheaper, have you done the math? For example, if the car you are looking at is $2500 less than a comparable one in your province, but you now have to (depending on what province it is in) either fly to pick it up or have someone drive with you. The cost of a flight, plus gas, and time off work, could end up being more than the cost savings on the purchase price. In addition to those costs, you have to get temporary vehicle registration and an in-transit permit for car insurance. Finally, don’t forget to factor in the vehicle inspection fee, possible repairs to get it approved, and the fee to register the vehicle. On the topic of provincial vehicle inspections, provinces like BC, Alberta, Ontario, and Manitoba, all require new vehicles to the province pass an emissions test.
To save yourself on temporary insurance and temporary registration - not to mention gas (or flight) and time away, you could look at shipping costs to have it shipped for you.
Paying for the Vehicle
Pump the brakes a little here. Before you jump the gun on handing over a pile of cash to a private seller, you’ll want to verify a few things. As much as we all want to believe that people are 100% honest all the time, sadly that isn’t always the case. So, make sure the person selling you the vehicle actually is the owner. The last thing you want is to buy a car and then have it repossessed because it was stolen. You will also want to confirm it has a clean title and hasn’t been marked as a salvage vehicle.
Anytime you are buying a used car, you should request a vehicle history report. If the seller is not willing to provide one, ask for the vehicle identification number (VIN) and you can get one yourself through CARFAX. Don’t worry, if you buy from us, we provide a CARFAX report for free with every vehicle.
Now, it’s time to pay. If you are purchasing your new car from a private seller, you will need to pay them upfront with either cash, a certified cheque, or a bank transfer. If you are buying through a dealership, you have the option of financing the vehicle as an auto loan. Keep in mind, just because you are buying a car out of province with fewer sales tax, doesn’t mean you are exempt from GST, or the possible provincial sales tax (PST) of your home province.
Register the Vehicle
You’re in the home stretch of getting your out-of-province vehicle. Now, to be able to drive it in your home province, you’ll need to register it. Each province is different so you’ll want to check with your province’s Vehicle Registration Authority to know what you need to drive it. For most provinces, you’ll need to have the vehicle inspected (fee involved), if repairs are required, you’ll need to take care of that. After that is taken care of, to register it, there’s a fee that will need to be paid. Once all of these steps are taken care of, all you need is proof of insurance and you’re good to enjoy your new car.
WOW, that seems like a lot of steps to potentially save a few bucks, but we get it, you want what you want, and we’re for that. But before you send yourself through a labyrinth of paperwork and steps to bring a vehicle from another province, check us out. At FFUN Cars we have a crazy sweet inventory of pre-owned vehicles. You don’t even need to spend gas money because with us, you have the option of buying a vehicle online or in-store, and we have delivery available. So, before you take a road trip across Canada, check us out online or come say hi at our Saskatoon location. That’s car buying, your way, everytime.
