Buying a used car as a UK citizen

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I've moved to Vancouver 1 day ago and need to buy a car immediately. I want to buy used and want to keep the process simple but also ideally cost effective. My understanding is:

dealership is more reliable than private as far as information about the car but more expensive
there is no such thing as a mandatory yearly checkup so car history is hit or miss and the best I can do is look up the VIN
I will need to swap my UK driver's license for a Canadian one asap
I need to choose the car and complete the sale, then buy insurance and then register it and get plates? This bit I'm really not sure about, I read somewhere that I should take the previous owner with me incase there are existing fines against it which just sounds ridiculous. But I'm confused in what order I need to do things.
my no claims likely won't be valid over in Canada
I need to prove previous driving experience?

Please correct any assumptions, especially the one about order of doing things. It sort of seems like going to a dealership might be the way to go but will obviously be more expensive. Thanks for any help!

in askvanby Batteredcode

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A trivial small detail: Drivers licensing is provincial jurisdiction, not federal jurisdiction. With exception to immigration and a few other things, the federal government of Canada will have very little oversight of your day to day living in Vancouver, the province of British Columbia’s government oversees most of the stuff you’re asking about. So there is no universal “Canadian” drivers license, you’d get a British Columbia drivers license. Each province manages driving rules/regulations, car insurance, licensing, road rules, transportation, etc. differently. In many ways, Canada’s provinces function like separate countries.

ICBC is the company in BC that everyone in the province must use to get their drivers license: https://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing

OP

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Thanks, I'm still getting used to the full provincial stuff

Im_done_with_sergio

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Are you a PR yet? Don’t forget you have to apply for MSP in British Columbia, it takes 3 months to kick in. You can apply online. You can get a personal health number before you actually get your MSP, they can put it on your licence.

OP

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Not yet, no, literally just arrived last night! This is the same as getting a BC health card right? With the IEC I've had to get health insurance but I'm assuming it's worth getting MSP as well?

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Its law, like it or not

OP

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Ahh ok I didn't know that, will get right on it! Thanks

Im_done_with_sergio

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Yes and the number goes on your drivers licence. They have plain health cards too.

OP

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Ok cool, sounds easy enough

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OP

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Thanks I'll have a look!

Ok_General_6940

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Any dealership will have insurance available there. They partner with a company.

Basic insurance will be the same cost so there's no shopping around needed or really available - ICBC has a monopoly. Any additional coverage is that particular company upselling you (up to you if you get it or not)

OP

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cool thanks!

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Finance fee is now 6%. Crazy.

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This is my understanding , so open to edits based on other evidence .

I believe you will need to exchange your dl first before being able to buy and register a car in your name as a driver of this province (dl has the local address that’s needed as proof of residence ), and that takes a sweet 2-3 weeks after you get a ICBC appointment to exchange (temp paper license is given immediately, the card is mailed to your local address ).

So your best bet might be to rent/lease a vehicle for a few months and then buy one once you have settled down, establish yourself etc.

OP

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ahhh, I hadn't though of that, that's annoying if I do have to wait that long but yeah you might be right about the renting bit

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nope, don't need the license exchange if you're from a country which lets you drive on your home country's one.

i've been in this exact situation. all you need is a local address. lots of people put down an airbnb, i found a distant friend who was willing to do it. they never sent me anything in the mail in the 2 months before i got a permanent address.

i wouldn't worry too much about a dealership. they have their own horror stories with cars breaking down just after the 1 month warranty, or refusing to acknowledge it was a preexisting issue. ideally get an inspection from a 3rd party mechanic. be wary of rust, especially if it's spent time out east

same for taking the previous owner to the insurance agency. as long as you've got the registration slip, don't stress. the agents do these transactions all day.

you do get a decent discount for paying upfront, so if you want to save a few hundred, i'd get a debit card (scotiabank newcomers?) loaded up with a few k

PickledGingerBC

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For used cars, this can be hit or miss. Dealers also don’t know much of the vehicle history, but the franchise (manufacturer) dealers have more reputational risk, so will at least do a quick inspection of the car to make sure there are no glaring issues, whereas many independent ones do not.
Correct, no MOT here. The most you can do is get a CarFax report that will tell you about major accident history, some service history, the number of previous owners, and whether or not it’s been stolen. Some dealers will provide you a copy of this as an added bonus.
This can be done at any ICBC office. Would be best to look on their site for any requirements, but you should be able to walk out with a temporary license the same day while you wait for the photo ID in the mail. You’d be able to use this temporary incense for any purchase and registration, but make sure to keep your passport handy for photo ID requirements.
Correct - plates here are linked to the owner here, and not the vehicle. One-stop shop at any Autoplan broker, as stated in other replies, and most dealers will set you up with a mobile agent so you can drive away ASAP.
Don’t believe so, ICBC’s website should be able to confirm.
Liked to the point above, no.

Your order should be 1) Sort out licensing, 2) Find a car you want to buy, 3) Handle registration/insurance/plates through almost any insurance broker.

OP

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Thanks so much, super helpful breakdown. It's all far too overwhelming! So if I find a car and say to someone I want to buy it, assuming I have a drivers license, do I then go and get insurance and plates, then return to the dealer/seller and exchange money? The grey area to me is when does the actual handover happen and is there any scenario where I've just bought insurance and plates but then the buyer backs out and I don't have the car, or do I already own it by that point? At what point does the buyer 'deregister' their ownership and I register it under my name? Thanks!

PickledGingerBC

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To buy the car, both parties have to sign a transfer form before you’re able to register/insure/get plates, so it’ll legally be yours beforehand. Note that if it’s a private sale, you’ll need to pay tax at the time of transfer.

OP

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great that makes sense, I saw something about they should give me a slip on payment which I take for registration? I guess I'm just confused about the bit where I have to pay any fines payable on registration, so if I buy it, sign the transfer form and then go off to register/insure etc, do I then just get hit with any fines at that point?

PickledGingerBC

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Yeah, the ICBC transfer form is what both of you will need to sign, as it includes the agreed upon purchase price. Both times I sold a car privately, I had a couple on hand to make life easier.

As for any outstanding fines, I’ve never heard of a buyer being responsible for them… if the previous owner still has insurance on the car, it’ll come off of any prorated refund they’re eligible for. If not, they just won’t be able to purchase new insurance or renew their license until they’re paid.

OP

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Great, thanks. I actually went to an insurer to speak to today, they told me I had to bring the current owner in with me anyway and a Carfax report time me there isn't anything outstanding so hopefully I'm good!

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Avoid all those private ones along Kingsway and Main St.

OP

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will do thanks!

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Craigslist too

OP

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My fear with craigslist is, probably unfounded, but feels like there's a lot of scammers?

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Find a trusted mechanic and pay them to do an inspection before you purchase it.

OP

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you don't have one you'd recommend do you? Currently in north Van

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I live in Surrey so I don't have any mechanics I'd recommend in North Van unfortunately. Maybe try posting in the North Van subreddit?

TravellingGal-2307

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I think you should just rent a car for a while while you sort this out. Not usually a good idea to jump into a quick purchase like this in a day. Suggest that if you are staying here, you should learn about Evo car share too.
https://evo.ca/

OP

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I'd agree but the issue is I'm planning to be out in the Rockies for the next 3 months ish and renting for that time is going to be expensive

TravellingGal-2307

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Ok, so that is important info.

Its been a while since I bought a car so I cant really recommend any dealers or sales people.

I do recommend going to talk to an insurance broker and just find out what you can or cant do. I believe you can buy and insure a car as a foreigner and you don't need a BC DL.

Note that if you are going to the Rockies, you should probably do all this in Alberta. They have different rules and I believe cheaper insurance.

OP

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Yeah at this point I think I've probably done all the research I can and should probably just speak to someone. I'll have a look, thanks!

ImpressiveLength2459

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What kind of car you looking for ? All receipts for maintenance provided .

OP

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Not too fussed really, 5 door, fairly roomy, low mileage and about<7/8k.

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UK > BC, I was able to provide ICBC with letterheaded proof of no claims from the UK, just emailed my insurance company for it, and they applied the discount here.

OP

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Great thanks, I'll try this!

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Facebook marketplace. Most of the cars are actually still good. People sell them for reason not related to the performance of the car. Eg, new car, car not needed anymore, moving out of province, moving out of country.

Used car dealership is OVERPRICED.

I will feel very comfortable buying a vehicle on FB marketplace. I bought an Explorer for $4800 in 2015 and I'm STILL driving it.

OP

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Thanks I'll have a look, I've been assuming Autotrader or Kijiji were the places to look

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Kijiji is seldom used in Vancouver, the preferred platforms here are Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.

lazarushasrizen

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Best bang for you buck might be getting an old ambulance.

You could also go to local jdm importer and get a toyota alphard or a toyota vellfire with low km. Resale value might be a bit hard and finding parts and someone to work on it might be difficult as well.

Also not all dealerships are reliable, it's a good idea to check the google reviews for the dealerships

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I saw a RHD Vellfire with AWD and hybrid power. Very sweet minivan! It's narrower than a local Sienna and lookes like a more premium vehicle compared to our average local Sienna (LE/XLE).

lazarushasrizen

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Yeah they are pretty cool. The dealership I went to say they are way nicer inside compared to local siennas.

OP

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I cant tell if the old ambulance is a joke.. could you be a bit more specific with why please? Resale value not too fussed about really, I just want to get something that will last a year, be vaguely fuel efficient and have some room for a tall person!