by William Webster –
At best, this is a complicated subject as a lot depends upon your expectations, experience and wallet. If you are just looking for reliable transportation, then you live in the right place as the South Island is loaded with local, low mileage, well cared for cars that are not considered desirable to enthusiasts.
Find something three to five years old with fewer than 100,000km and enjoy many years of relatively low-cost motoring. You can buy from either a dealer or private seller, but what do you need to know?
DEALER:
Get your ducks in a row before you shop – if you’re not paying cash and you have good credit, find out what sort of a loan your bank will give you. Know in advance what the money is going to cost you so you can compare what the dealer offers.
Ask if the vehicle you’re interested in is a local car, an ex-rental or lease; whether it has any declarations (he has to tell you); and for its service history. If any of these are factors or there is no service history then you should either walk or adjust the selling price. Give the car a really good look, test the operation of every feature and, if you are still interested, take it for a test drive.
Do you want to trade in your old vehicle? If you do then you will save yourself the trouble of advertising and dealing with buyers along with some tax money. In general the dealer will give you book wholesale (which might hurt your feelings) but the number offered also depends upon the condition of your car.
Never buy a car before seeing it dry; if it’s raining and you’re really interested, have them take it in and dry it. Water covers many faults in paint and bodywork. If your total knowledge of automobiles is where the key goes, take a friend who really knows what to look for.
At some point the salesman is going to want you in his office to write this up, but do some math first. By now you should have a fair idea of what the car is worth to you. I like to give them a number that includes the fee they want to write up the deal ($500 to $600) and taxes; how they complete the invoice is up to them but that’s all you are willing to pay. Never fall in love and always be prepared to walk – there is always another car around the corner.
PRIVATE SALE:
I can’t really recommend this for people with limited automobile experience unless you have a truly knowledgeable car person along with you.
Most deals will be as is where is, unless there is still some manufacturer’s warranty available to you, but you will definitely need the service records. If the seller has no service records for the vehicle don’t buy it.
Do not buy off the street. Make sure you are at the person’s home address; confirm this on the registration or insurance paperwork.
Never buy without doing a lien check ($10), and always check with ICBC for declarations of damage. Be aware that home or private repairs do not show up if there has been no insurance claim, so check the car over very carefully.
If you are still interested in the vehicle, have it checked by a certified mechanic at your own expense. If all’s well leave a small deposit while you do the checks – don’t pay in full until the car and all its keys are in your hands.
There are lots of nice people out there on Vancouver Island who really look after their cars and have file folders full of paperwork; that’s who you are looking for unless you know exactly what you are doing! If you encounter anything that makes you nervous, just walk away.
Happy Motoring!
