questions about buying used car

[Stratus_Power]

Im just wondering about a few things regarding purhcasing a used vechicle.

is it better to buy it privately or from a Dealer?

do you have to pay the GST if you purhcase from dealer or private sales?

i know you are suppose to take the car for a inspection when doing private sales... do you pay for the inspection yourself? or is the owner responsible for it? how much usually are they?

can you still take it for inspection if u plan to buy it from a dealer? is it necessary?

[ReMiXed lude]

2 things you gotta do!

I don't know about Alberta but in BC you get a print up from ICBC and it tells you all the previous accidents and for how much they were worth on the car. Then you get BCAA to do their 100 point check and they will go through everything and tell you exactly how many problems there are.
Sorry but I don't know how it is in Alberta.

[[GaGe]]

Originally posted by Stratus_Power
Im just wondering about a few things regarding purhcasing a used vechicle.

is it better to buy it privately or from a Dealer?

do you have to pay the GST if you purhcase from dealer or private sales?

i know you are suppose to take the car for a inspection when doing private sales... do you pay for the inspection yourself? or is the owner responsible for it? how much usually are they?

can you still take it for inspection if u plan to buy it from a dealer? is it necessary?

I only know the answer to 1 of the questions. you need to pay GST if you purchase from a dealer, but i don't think you need to pay GST from a private sale.

[mrmattyk]

Originally posted by Stratus_Power
Im just wondering about a few things regarding purhcasing a used vechicle.

is it better to buy it privately or from a Dealer?

do you have to pay the GST if you purhcase from dealer or private sales?

i know you are suppose to take the car for a inspection when doing private sales... do you pay for the inspection yourself? or is the owner responsible for it? how much usually are they?

can you still take it for inspection if u plan to buy it from a dealer? is it necessary?

It's better to buy from a private owner. This is because dealerships charge thousands more than the car is worth due to the fact that they must make a profit, and also the upkeep of the dealership (rent, utilities, employee expenses, insurance).

Private sales you dont have to pay GST.

that's all I know

[Weapon_R]

Generally speaking, it is neither better nor worse to buy from a dealer vs. private. Most of the time the dealer has picked up these cars cheap and stands to make a lot of money on each sale. Private sellers usually have lower prices. Dealers offer warrantys, although sometimes its shady since they are not as willing to honour them as new car dealers.

You dont have to pay GST from a private seller, and can sometimes negotiate with a used salesman to knock off the GST when purchasing from a dealer.

The inspection is generally the buyers burden, and he/she must pay for it. In some instances the seller does this - The person I purchased my car from got my car inspected for me and paid the bill to do so. It costed her $60.00 to do one (at silverhill acura), which is not very much considering it costs a lot more to fix some common problems that may not be evident with a test drive.

Finally, of course you can take a car from a used dealer to a mechanic to have it inspected. Do not trust anyone's inspection unless its done in front of you. Dealers have many tools at their disposal to "fix" inspections with friendly mechanics and will do so and show you that the vehicle "passed". Do it yourself, or be there and choose the shop yourself so that the dealer cannot fool you into believing one that he made.

Hope this helps.

[GTS Jeff]

id always buy from a private seller. cheaper.

also, if u arent sure if u are being fairly charged for gst, ask the seller for their gst#.

[kaput]

.

[Stratus_Power]

thanks for all the response! now i know how i should prepare when the time comes.. soon..

[three.eighteen.]

are you shopping for it in etown? or calgary?

[Stratus_Power]

probably both... im looking to get one by the end of April ( the end of this semester) and my budget will base solely on my grades...

[three.eighteen.]

oooh...need a 2nd opinion while test driving?? hehe

[Stratus_Power]

hah we will see :P

[GTS Jeff]

how about a 3rd opinion hehe

[Weapon_R]

Cars in edmonton seem to be generally cheaper than their counterparts in Calgary. Anyone else notice.

[three.eighteen.]

yeah i have...i notice theres alot less 'nice' cars in edmonton

[NickGT]

I'd go for private sale. At least you get to actually meet one of a possible many owners of the car. You get a feel for them, and if their honest. Not to mention you can save alot of $$$.

I bought my first mustang for 2700 bux private sale. Excellent exterior, but the inside of the doors had some rust, and in the trunk had rust. Was involved in an accident, not at fault. insurance company said the car was worth 3800 bux. I will always go through private sale unless its a newer car.

When I bought my second stang it was a neighbor of one of my X-gf's. I saw him washing the car every weekend. and there wasnt a spec of rust on it. I could tell he cared about the car. and the fact that after talking to him, a 2000 mustang GT was on its way. I knew he loved the car. Sometimes talking to the previous owner can tell you alot about the car your about to buy...

[That.Guy.S30]

go get it inspected at a dealer..
150 piont inspection