Buying a used car privately in Alberta: a checklist that fits on one page

Know what protection you do not have

The Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council (AMVIC) regulates licensed automotive businesses. It does not regulate private sales between individuals, or unlicensed sellers who make a business of selling cars (“curbers”). Licensed dealers must give buyers written disclosure of specific vehicle-history points before a sale; a private seller has no such duty. (AMVIC)

If a “private seller” has several cars for sale, or the name on the registration is not the name of the person showing you the car, treat that as the first red flag.

Before you pay

1. Check who you are dealing with. Alberta’s guidance is to make sure the seller has valid ID and proof they own the vehicle — and that the name matches.
2. Get a Vehicle Information Report from a registry agent. It describes the vehicle’s registration history in Alberta.
3. Run a lien search on the VIN through a registry agent (the Personal Property Registry). A lender with a registered lien can pursue the car even after you have paid the seller — this is the check that protects your money.
4. Check the VIN in three places — the windshield plate, the door-jamb sticker and the registration — and confirm they match each other.
5. Check whether it is reported stolen. Alberta’s guidance lists a check against the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database.
6. Get an independent inspection from an authorized vehicle inspection facility, not one the seller recommends.
7. Look up recalls. Transport Canada’s recalls database covers vehicles sold in Canada; a recall being open is a negotiating point, not a reason to walk away.

AMVIC’s own advice to businesses reads like a buyer’s list too: get a vehicle history report (such as CARFAX Canada), request a Vehicle Information Report, confirm liens, verify the VIN, and validate the odometer reading and how long the current owner has had the car. (AMVIC)

How to read a service history

“Well maintained” is a claim. A history is what makes it checkable. Look for:

• Dates and kilometres that rise together. A record at 150,000 km after one at 180,000 km is a question.
• A pattern, not a pile. Regular oil changes matter less than whether the expensive, scheduled items — timing belt, transmission fluid, brake fluid, coolant — appear at sensible intervals.
• Documents next to the entries. A receipt is context, not proof that the work was done well; but an entry with a document is worth more than one without.
• Honest gaps. A gap the owner explains (“the previous owner had the records, I have not been able to get them”) is more believable than a suspiciously perfect run.

At the sale and after

• Complete a bill of sale with both names, the VIN, the price, the date and the odometer reading — and keep a copy.
• Arrange insurance and register the vehicle at a registry agent promptly, as Alberta’s guidance advises.
• Ask the seller for whatever records they have and start your own from the odometer reading on the day you bought.