Importing car from alberta

[-vancityguy-]

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[SSM_DC5]

Bump this back up from the dead!

How does everything work now?
Is the GST still paid in Alberta when the title is transfered over?
Is the PST still paid when registering the vehicle in BC?


and to expand on this topic......
Generally, how bad is the condition of a car from Alberta (specifically Edmonton) compared to a car from Metro Vancouver? I'm thinking of the possibility of a rust bucket since they get REAL winters whereas we get rain

[westopher]

I grew up in Edmonton. Its nothing like out east because they put much less salt on the roads, but there is still salt. Rust is more of an issue than here. The fact is, nice cars are WAY easier to find in Vancouver than anywhere else in Canada. Unless its something really rare, you will find a better one out here. The market is flooded in the gvrd and that drives prices lower as well.

[SSM_DC5]

The seller sent me a couple pics of the shocks/springs and this pic is the worst of the batch.


Seller says that he sees rust on the top of the springs too.

the car is a 2007 with approx 98,000kms

thoughts?

[Indyjones]

Hard to tell with the car being so dirty. If it's just surface rust on the spring cups, you can clean it up and put on a few coats of paint. The question is: is there other rust that is "in" the metal (fenders, doors...)?

[SSM_DC5]

I got some more pics. What are your thoughts? ? ??

[westopher]

Coming from someone who daily drove a 16 year old car in edmonton until it was 20 years old, I had no rust problems. If it looks fine, its probably fine. Winter driving isn't a death sentence for cars. Still though, as I said before, for me to deal with buying a car from edmonton, I better be saving a good chunk of cash to deal with
a)picking it up
b)O.O.P.
c)suspension component wear from the worst roads in canada other than regina

[unit]

Originally Posted by J____

wow that sucks, so if u buy a USED car from alberta, u'll end up paying both taxes? not just 1 like if you purchased a used car from bc?

you pay one tax here, but its 12% pst now for used cars.

[SSM_DC5]

Originally Posted by westopher

Coming from someone who daily drove a 16 year old car in edmonton until it was 20 years old, I had no rust problems. If it looks fine, its probably fine. Winter driving isn't a death sentence for cars. Still though, as I said before, for me to deal with buying a car from edmonton, I better be saving a good chunk of cash to deal with
a)picking it up
b)O.O.P.
c)suspension component wear from the worst roads in canada other than regina

Your opinion matters a lot to me in this situation as you have first hand experience. After seeing those pics, I went to compare with my own cars.
05 Benz with 120,000kms. WAYYY less rust than the pics above. it has little to none.
02 Honda with 89,000kms. Might be on par with the pics above or maybe the Honda is a little better. There is rusty exhaust hanger, bolt for the sway bar bushing is rusted, pretty much everything just behind the caliper is rusted (where the struts attached, where the endlinks attach, where the tie rod attaches)
what do i do? I'd say the deal is decent, and there is currently non of the same car in Vancouver's market. and when i say same, I'm talking year, model and colour.

Originally Posted by unit

you pay one tax here, but its 12% pst now for used cars.

I forgot about that! thanks for the reminder.

[westopher]

The parts that are going to stand out as being a bitch are the bolts that are exposed to the elements. Doing suspension/under car work can be a nightmare because although the rust isn't damaging anything, bolts and nuts can be locked fucking tight with surface rust. If you have been dying for this exact car, go for it if it looks fine. I don't know what car it is so I can't say if its worth it. It depends on the rarity of the car if I can give you a good answer of wether its worth it, but if you have been looking a long time for the perfect car, and this is it, jump on it.

[dared3vil0]

On the whole driving in Alberta thing, It is REALLY hard on cars. Sister who now lives in Calgary took a 2006 Suburban when she moved there in '09, The truck had 40,000KM was in MINT condition, no rust etc etc, when she sold it about a year ago it looked like it was 10 years older than it was. All that salt and crap they put on the roads is undoubtedly TERRIBLE for cars. She now has a 2011 (might be a 2012 i forget) F150 which is 1 or 2 years old and the bottom has more rust than a buddys 1994 F150 with 350,000KMS on it that spent its whole life here.