used car questions..

[shutterbug_art8]

So i am thinking of getting this out of province car. it has been in a accident - writen off but fixed. The owner is out of town and his brother;s is selling it. My concerns are this:

1. how do i know if it has been re-certified?
2. how can i find out if it can be insured and registrered?

[sr20s14zenki]

Check VIN and see if its active, registries will do it

[shutterbug_art8]

who here can do OOPS?

[G-ZUS]

Northeast Auto on 7th Ave NE, I always get them done there

[tom_9109]

The registry will check the branding on the vehicle.

Salvage means its not be re-certified.
Rebuilt means it has.

I would suggest you try to get pictures of the damage and then have a body shop inspect the repair.

What year is this car and when was it hit?

[canuckcarguy]

I'm always a bit nervous when the seller is selling on behalf of somebody else, who's unavailable, etc. Not to say it doesn't happen, but that's usually "curber-speak". You want the car, but can only get vague answers to your questions, and if you buy it, you've got nobody to go back to.

At a minimum, I'd want to see a valid registration in his brother's name, and I'd also ask for his brother's phone number - there's no good reason not to let a serious buyer talk to the owner, is there? If they don't provide these, I'd run away quick.

Personally, I'd avoid a collision write-off, especially an OOP write-off, unless I knew the seller personally. Why open yourself up to that much pain?

[Weapon_R]

I would do some serious research into the car before purchasing it. Every province has a different classification system. A salvage car in Alberta means something else in Ontario, for example. I know a guy who bought a civic that looked fantastic, but the Alberta registries would not allow him to register it because it had a title that was not permitted here (but it was completely fixed and recertified in the previous province).

Add the fact that you'll probably need a salvage inspection and OOP, and any repairs that the shops rip you off for, and you might not be getting that great of a deal.