Friday, August 24, 1990 ~ North Shore News - 23

BUYERS OF used cars sometimes
feel like “lambs to the slaughter”
then they walk onto a used car
Ot.

But if you do some homework,
and take advantage of the protec-
tion that the law gives you, you
should be able to get the most
value for your money.

Here are some of the laws that
registered motor dealers must
abide by when selling a used car:

© They must tell you about any
damage that has occurred to the
car that cost more than $1,000 to
repair;

* They have to tell you if the
car was brought in for sale from
another province, because road
salt may contribute to corrosion;

*® They have to tell you if the
car was used for any purpose that
could lead to unusual wear — if it
was a taxi, or a police car, for ex-
ample. And they may not call the
car an “executive car’ or a
“*demonstrator’” unless it has been
used for that purpose since it was
new;

® They have to let you know the
accurate mileage, to the best of
their knowledge and belief. If the
odometer has been replaced or
repaired, they must tell you what
the reading was before that;

© The dealer must post the ask-
ing price of any automobile of-
fered for sale;

© All the details regarding addi-
tional charges for sales tax, iicence
and insurance costs, if they are to
be added to the contract price, the
cost of borrowing if the deal is fi-
manced by or through the dealer,
and the cost of any additional
repairs or options agreed to — all
these amounts must be set out in
writing. And the total must be
written down as well, so there is
no misunderstanding about what
you will eventually pay.

© And, finally, the dealer has to
provide a full range of repair fa-

PETER GRIFFITHS

2178 (Rear) West 1st Street
North Vancouver, B.C. ¥7M 1B3

WHY PAY MORE?

WHY PAY DEALER RATES?

Bring your VOLVO to the mechanics
VOLVO trained

“Volvo’s are our Specialty”
Mastertech Automotive Lid.

(Between Ming Court & Sailor Hagar’s)

North Shore’s Most Qualified Volvo Team

AUTOMOTIVES
Do homework before buying a used car

cilities for the cars it sells, or have
a contract for suitable repair ser-
vices.

Remember that you do not have
the protection of any of these laws
if you are not buying from a reg-
istered motor dealer, who is
someone who sells more than four
cars a year.

It is also important — especially
when buying from a private indi-
vidual — that you check for jiens
against the vehicle. A lien is a
prior legal claim.

For example, say Mr. Smith
buys a car and finances it with a
bank loan. His bank registers a
lien against the car as security for
the loan.

Then Smith decides to selt the
car. You see his ad, you check out
the car and decide to buy it —
without thinking about possible
liens.

Smith stops making his loan
payments to the bank and the
bank comes looking for the car.
The bank finds it in your drive-
way and, when you refuse to pay
off Smith’s loan, bank officials
take the car. You have lost the
money yuu paid for the car, and
you have fost the car.

Before you buy, contact the
Central Registry at 940 Blanshard
St., Victoria, or your loval gov-
ernment agent, and arrange to
have the title searched. The search
fee is only $10.

Banks, credit unions and fi-
nance companies will usually do
the search for you, if you are fi-
nancing the purchase.

One other thing to watch. for if
you are buying privately: has the
vehicle been brought from another
province? If it has, there could be
liens registered in that other pro-
vince. To protect yourself, search
the central registry in that pro-
vince, too.

If you are wondering about the
mechanical condition of the car,
consider taking it to an indepen-

988-1404

dent mechanic of your choice for
an inspection. 1f the seller won't
let you do this, or discourages it,
perhaps there is a reason.
Seventy-five dollars or so for an
inspection may be money well

spent if it saves you from buying
a car with expensive defects.

Remember that for a used car
there is usually no manufacturer's
guarantee, and often no guarantee
by the seller.

(Legal Tips is a law series pro-
vided by the lawyers in our com-
munity. These tips are for general
information only. If you have a
specific legal problem you should
consult a lawyer.)

A.

Volvo Customer
| or .
| Appreciation Sale
| IT’S OUR 20th ANNIVERSARY

INVOICE
PRICES

"A nice place to do bu:

! VOLVO 240's IN STOCK |

1990, 740 Turbo Sedan

Will be sold at Invoice
North Shore Residents Only.

Plus: Gigantic Savings on the remaining balance
of our 740 & 760 series in stock.

2
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