14 — Wednesday. Nov. 25, 1992 - North Shore News

HELP’S AT HAND

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HELP’S AT Hand, by North Shore Community Services (NSCS), is a forum for discussing government policies and programs, benefits, consumer and legal tights, taxation and public services,

Answers are intended only as a general guide and should not be applied to individuat cases without further consultation.

Question: Loam tooking for a used car. f wanted to test drive a car that © was interested in, bui the insurance on the car had es- pired. The owner encouraged me to drive it anyway, saying that if would be OK to ta t around his quiet neighborhood. Can you tell me if this is a goed idea?

Answer: There are a few very good redsens not to take that car-owner’s advice. First of all, if you were stopped by the police while driving an uninsured vehicle, you. now the owner, would be fin- ed ao minimum of $300) and possibly up to $2,000.

If you were unlucky enough to have an accident while driving an uninsured vehicle you would be financially responsible for dam- ages and injuries as a result of that accident. You can see that this could be an expensive mistake.

Insurance agents in B.C. can issue Lemporary permits to people who are seiling or buying used cars. Most sellers will see that the car has a permit in order to let in- terested buyers test drive the vehi- cle.

Some sellers will request that the purchaser pay for the permit. There is no law about whose re- sponsibility this is. You will need to decide whether it is worth the cost and effort to you.

We do recommend, however. that a used car should never be purchased without a good test drive. including some time on a highway where you can accelerate to speed.

Temporary permits are available on a daiiy basis, for a period of 24 hours, at a cost of $25.

HW you will be purchasing the permit, vou will require a letter from the present: owner stating that you have their permission to get the permit. Make sure that the letter also states your nue.

The British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) also offers a thorough inspection for iaembers and non-members, Member rates are $65 if you bring the car to the inspection station and S78 if they do the inspection atthe car site, Cull BCAA at 298-2755 for further information.

Before buying a used car. if is alo overy important that you check for any liens on the car. A lien is 2 legal claim against the owner of a car.

For example, if the person you were buying a car from owed somebody else mcacy and wasn't paying it back. that person could fle what is known as alien against him. Hf vou bought a car with a lien on kk, you could become responsible for that debt.

To find out if there is a lien on aused car, write down the serial number, vear, muke, and model of the car. Take this information toa Motor Vehicle Branch office.

For a fee of SIO they can tell you about any claims on the vehi- cle. On the North Shore, the MVB office is located at 128 East '3th St. in North Vancouver.

When vou finally do make a purchase, you should receive a Transfer Tax Form from the sell- er, Make sure that it is signed properly.

You will take that form, along with the blue copy of the owner- ship papers. to an Autoplan in- surance agent, where you will reg ister and insure the vehicle in your name. You must also pay provin- cial sales tax on the purchase. There is no GST on used cars.

In next week’s column we will give you some further information @ on how to safely leave a deposit on a used car, and private used car contracts.

This column is prepared with § financial assistance fram the Notary Foundation. For more in- formation call NSCS at 9835-7138,

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