Our car sold

It's gone! A blessing or a curse? No wheels anymore for us for the rest of our stay, but probably more restful nights. What a steep learning curve this was. Yes - we had paid too much for the vehicle when we bought it from the dealership. The same dealer offered us an unacceptably small buy back price. We preferred to sell privately. 

Honda Accord EX V6, 3 litre

silver 4-door sedan, black leather interior, 2003, 135,000km

This is what you have to do:

1. Go to the government website to find out about the Ontario system.

2. Buy a Used Vehicle Information Pack (UVIP) ($20) from the Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office or online  from ServiceOntario Driver and Vehicle Online Services. This will give you the shock of your life. The beautiful car you have is priced on this document at wholesale and retail values. They are rather lower than the prices quoted in The Kelley Blue Book. The UVIP lists all the vehicle's details and previous owners.

3. Drive to a garage and have them examine the car for its safety ($100). You need a Safety Standards Certificate (SSC) - and it is only valid for 36 days. Better be quick selling!

3. Drive to Canadian Tire or another emissions test facility and get a mandatory vehicle emissions inspection (Drive Clean) ($30). This is valid up to a year, but has to be recent when you want to sell.

4. Clean and detail the car: wash body,  dress alloys and tires, vacuum clean, upholstery polish, wax, shine - every day from when you are thinking of selling the car. (Unless you have a garage or don't drive the vehicle anymore).

5. Take digital photos. In front of a nice background. Make the car look good. Show detail of damage if there is any. 

6. Advertise. Where? Online seemed to work best. At Kijiji (free) or autotrader.ca (free online). You can also do it the old-fashioned way: signs in your car, flyers posted to notice boards in the supermarket, words to your friends and circle of acquaintances. Ads in real newspapers cost quite a bit of money.

7. Wait by the phone/computer. When someone gets in touch, race to the car and give it a wipe over. 

8. If someone comes to see and test drive the car - let them show you their driving licence. Accompany the prospective buyer on their test drive. They are driving on your insurance.

9. Go and run the last few errands (load up on groceries and drinks - hard to transport on a bike).

10. When it comes to payment, accept either a Banker's Draft, a Certified Cheque or cash.

11. It really is easiest if all of you (the owner(s) and the buyer(s)) go to the Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office together. There you need all the paperwork collected so far, as well as driving licences the "vehicle portion" of the registration permit, the car's plates. The plates are yours, btw, and you can use them for your next vehicle or hand them in. The buyer then has to pay Retail Sales Taxes on the purchase price,  at least the wholesale price, to the tune of 13%, to the DVLI office. This is quite a nice little earner for the Province: VAT on used cars! Just think of how much is due if the car is sold a few times during it's lifetime!

driver front with electric controls in driver's door panel 

passenger front

leather interior with electric controls

When it's all over and done with: exhale. Celebrate. Organise a bike or two. Hope for good weather. Have some bus tickets ready. Possessions really weigh you down.