Difference between revisions of "Problem with a Used Car"

You can buy a used car from a dealer or a private seller. A dealer is anyone who sells or exchanges motor vehicles to earn money. Dealers must be licensed by the Vehicle Sales Authority of BC (VSA) and follow certain laws.

Don’t buy from a “curber”—a person without a licence who is selling motor vehicles to earn money. Item 2 below, in the section called “What should you always check and do before you buy?” has more on this. To see if a person or business is a licensed dealer, check the VSA website at [http://www.mvsabc.com www.mvsabc.com] under the link called "[http://publicregistry.mvsabc.com/Pages/en_US/Forms/Public/Register/Default.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f Search for Dealers and Salespeople]". You can narrow the search to just your area.

The ''Motor Dealer Act'' and the ''Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act'' require vehicles for sale to meet minimum safety requirements. Vehicles that do not meet the minimum safety requirements can be sold as long as they are marked "not suitable for transportation". (Both laws are available at [http://www.bclaws.ca www.bclaws.ca].)

#See if the car has been in an accident—that can reduce its value and safety. The Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC) may have this information. See its website at [http://www.icbc.com www.icbc.com] or call 604.661.2233 in Vancouver and 1.800.464.5050 elsewhere in BC. You'll need the vehicle identification number (VIN), the make, model, and year. Many vehicles are in the ICBC database, but not all of them. If a vehicle was ever insured and registered outside of BC, the ICBC report will not show the vehicle history outside of BC. Consider getting a comprehensive vehicle history report such as the Verified BC report from CarProof (see item 4 below).

#Avoid “curbers”—people who sell vehicles for profit, but without a motor dealer licence. By law, anyone selling motor vehicles as a business in BC must have a dealer licence from the Vehicle Sales Authority. Curbers operate illegally. They can cheat people by doing things such as turning back the odometer to make it look like a vehicle has lower mileage than it really has. Curbers get vehicles from BC and elsewhere in Canada and the US. They may hide prior damage and lie about a vehicle’s history, including its mileage and where it came from. And they may charge extremely high and illegal interest rates and ask you to lie about the price for tax purposes. There are many types of curbers. Some are mechanics who have repair facilities and also sell vehicles. Some curbers have several cars parked on their front lawn with “for sale” signs. To learn how to spot a curber, watch the videos at [http://www.mvsabc.com www.mvsabc.com]. Click on “Consumer Resources” and then on “[http://www.mvsabc.com/consumers/buying-privately Buying Privately]”. You can also see a list of known curbers. In “Consumer Resources,” click on “[http://www.mvsabc.com/known-unlicensed-dealers/consumers/known-unlicensed-dealers Known Unlicensed Dealers]”. It’s risky to buy from a curber. You may lose your money and get an unsafe vehicle. You can sue, but that’s expensive and often futile. The VSA can investigate the curber, but it can’t help you get your money back.