To Avoid Ending Up With a Stolen Vehicle...
And a Hefty Bill!

Picture this : you buy or lease a car and, a few months later, you find out it's a stolen vehicle and you must hand it over to police authorities. You end up without wheels and, in addition, you must reimburse your creditor every penny. To avoid finding yourself in such a situation, beware before buying or leasing a used car, as it may have stolen and made over or cloned.

• How is a stolen car made over? A car theft ring locates a severely damaged vehicle (SDV) on the legal market, and then steals a vehicle with similar characteristics. The thieves then transfer the VIN (vehicle identification number) from the SDV to the stolen vehicle, therefore giving it the identity of the damaged vehicle. This operation is called "making over" a stolen vehicle.
• "Cloning" varies somewhat from making over a vehicle. A VIN is taken from a parked car. The thieves use this information on an identical, but stolen, vehicle and register the cloned vehicle in another province or a US state.
• Don't become a victim! Here are some tips to help you determine if the vehicle you're about to buy or lease is a stolen vehicle:

1. Beware of vehicles that are for sale at ridiculously low prices! There are no giveaways in automobile sales. It could be a stolen vehicle.
   
   
2. Before a rebuilt vehicle is allowed back on the road, the owner must submit the vehicle and its record to a technical appraisal agent who is authorized by the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ). If, following the appraisal, the appraiser has any doubt regarding the vehicle's identity, he can ask that it be authenticated.
   
   
3. Ask the SAAQ for the vehicle's file. This file contains important information about the vehicle's history. Among other pertinent information, you will find out how often the vehicle has changed hands and the dates of those transactions. If you notice there have been a large number of transactions over a short period of time, beware: you could be dealing with a stolen vehicle.
   
   
4. Make sure that the information on the Transport Canada statement of compliance label corresponds to other information you have obtained about the vehicle. This label is mandatory and must be placed on the inside of the driver's door. It indicates whether or not the vehicle is entitled to be sold and driven in Canada, as well as information about
   the vehicle's year, model, VIN and so on.
   
   
5. If you decide to buy a vehicle from a used car dealership, make sure that the dealer has a valid business permit and can provide you with good references. To find out whether or not a permit is valid, contact the SAAQ at 418 528-3232 or at 1-866-702-9215.