You have many decisions when purchasing a vehicle, but the first will undoubtedly be whether to buy from a private seller or a registered dealer. How will you know what is best for you?

For this first week of December, we'll review what you need to know before buying a car privately; next week we'll discuss the buying process from an OMVIC Registered dealer. In our final December installment, we'll compare both so you can make an informed decision about which one is best for you.

So, let's start with private sellers.

As the current health crisis continues to evolve, some consumers have reached out to us with questions on navigating the changing marketplace. We’re featuring two questions related to COVID-19 on this week’s blog. 

I purchased a car on Friday from a relative and now I’m wondering how I would go about registering the car and paying taxes during the pandemic. 

Private sales still need to be completed through Service Ontario. They have a list of locations on their website indicating which ones are open. 
OMVIC has a lot of great resources including checklists, videos and tips for anyone interested in buying a car privately. Visit Tips for Buying Privately to learn more.

Sending a “child” off to university or college can be traumatic – for the parents of course; the kid will be just fine. So to make it easier to keep ‘em coming home for more than just Thanksgiving and spring break, some parents will head out with their teens on an elusive hunt for a decent, but cheap, set of wheels. It’s worth noting decent and cheap can be difficult to find in peaceful coexistence in the automotive jungle.