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| HOME | CANADA | PRICE GUIDES |

Canada Price Guides

News flash - as of November 2011, the playing field of invoice pricing has been leveled. There are now two sites offering free invoice prices to Canadians from Victoria to St. John's. Read on for more on this exciting new development in Canadian car buying.

Unfortunately obtaining accurate information on used car values in Canada remains tricky and fairly unsatisfactory. There's only a single site that offers you this information and we've listed it below.

Final hint - pay attention to the text in upper case after a site's name - that tells you whether a site can help you with INVOICE PRICING or USED CAR VALUATION.

Car Saver - Car Invoice Prices and Incentives for Canada (INVOICE PRICING)
http://www.carsaver.ca/

Car Saver is another site offering free invoice pricing in Canada and I believe they were the first to do so. Their process is fast, quick and easy with almost no personal information required and a simple and clean interface.

Pros:
The process to get an invoice price on any vehicle is exceedingly quick and easy. There is no limit to how many invoice pricing reports you can request and the only personal information you need to submit is your email address and your postal code. The PDF report is delivered to your inbox quickly and as well as the vehicle options and features you have selected it also lists any incentives and financing/leasing options. I like that the report includes the date it was produced.

Cons:
Unlike Unhaggle.com's report the Car Saver PDF does not list all the available options and features but only the ones you select - so if you decided you wanted a different option later you'd have to go back in and repeat the process on the site.

Unhaggle.com (INVOICE PRICING)
http://www.unhaggle.com/

There's a new, exciting player on the invoice pricing scene. Neal from Unhaggle (Unhaggle is our top-ranked site in the Online Buying Site category - here's our review) wrote to me in October 2011 to let me know that they were now offering FREE (yes, FREE) invoice pricing on their site. Read on to find out how you can access this fabulous new service.

Pros:
On any form where you are entering personal information Unhaggle has implemented good security. You can get up to five free invoice reports per month. The process is easy to follow and the configurator where you indicate options you're interested in (i.e. different paint colours, automatic instead of manual transmission) seems complete and well thought out. I've got some small complaints below in the 'Cons' section but overall this is a great service, well executed and the price can't be beat.

Cons:
The phone verification step threw me a bit but I can understand why it has been implemented - all the same is it really necessary? I would feel better about it if there was a note saying that the phone number you give will only be used for this purpose and not stored on the site or shared with anyone outside the Unhaggle company. I also thought having to create an account and the information that was requested to complete this process (including address, full name, postal code) was a bit intrusive but - as mentioned above - since Unhaggle.com has implemented good security measures whenever you're entering personal information in an online form it really isn't a big issue.

I'd like it if the invoice pricing report contained the date on which it was generated as well as my postal code so that if I do take it to a dealer they can see that it's not from another part of Canada and that it is recent.

Car Cost Canada (INVOICE PRICING)
http://carcostcanada.com/1/en/default.asp

Car Cost Canada offers Canadian invoice pricing under their own moniker - "Wholesale Invoice Price Reports". They are always fine tuning their services and offer some unique advantages over other companies in this category. The site itself has some great information for the car buyer and offers good research capability for free. The site is still a bit too busy for my taste but gets the job done (albeit with a little more hunting and clicking than I think is strictly necessary).

To get started use the Build & Price Tools box in the top right hand area of the page. You'll be able to configure a vehicle with the options and accessories you're interested, see retail (MSRP) pricing and request a 'wholesale invoice price report' (invoice pricing - for which you will have to pay).

Pros:
You can sort the cars you select by price or style and you also have the option from the home page of selecting one of the top ten makes or the top 20 models. Once you have selected a vehicle that you'd like invoice pricing information on you can get pricing information on all the 'styles' of that vehicle for the cost of one 'wholesale price report' (a 'style' is a different trim level within a particular model - for example the Acura CSX comes in a 4 door sedan with manual and automatic transmission and in 4 other 'flavours' - with such things as navigation packages or more expensive 6 speed transmission).

Reports will include non-advertised factory incentive programs, dealer quotes (only available in specific manufacturer/location combinations - if you do not see a dealer listed when you reach the final page of the Build & Price process then there are no dealers providing quotes on this particular vehicle in your area) and will be updated if "factory prices, factory incentives, or dealer offers change".

A representative of Car Cost Canada contacted me to say that if you reach the final Build & Price page and no quote is listed you can always call them (toll free) to see if there is a dealer in your area who can provide a price.

There are other great features available such as live help and a 'members helping members forum'. It is also great that there is a 1-800 number (click on contact us link at top of page), automatic email alerts when a price or incentive changes on a vehicle in your history folder, a 25% discount for CAA members, a one time offer of 3 additional reports for filling out a user survey and membership renewal at a 25% discount.

Also note that as of this review (November 2011) CarCostCanada is offering a 2 for 1 special - 10 reports for the price of 5 ($39.95 plus applicable taxes).

Cons:
There are now two sites in Canada offering free invoice pricing (one with unlimited reports available and the other with a limit of 5 reports per month) so Car Cost Canada has lost a significant edge. You can't buy a single quote - your only option is to buy a multi quote package (either 5 or 10 depending if the above-mentioned 2 for 1 special is still on) for $39.95 plus taxes (although Alex S. emailed to tell me that he managed to buy a single invoice price for $20 by calling the toll free number and asking for this service - give it a try if you just need a single invoice price).

RoadCompanion.ca - Real Market Price (INVOICE PRICING)
https://www.roadcompanion.ca/rmprice_en.php

RoadCompanion calls its invoice pricing service Real Market Price. To quote "RoadCompanion's Real Market Price is the price you should be paying for your next vehicle".

Pros:
You can get a single quote for $29.95 plus taxes. Personal information is collected on a secure form (not surprising since they are going to ask for your credit card). There is a turnaround guarantee of the next business day.

Cons:
Unlike Car Cost Canada there is no discount program for multiple quotes nor are things like factory incentives included (at least not on the example that is on RoadCompanion's site). The report is a PDF and there is no indication that if things change your report will be updated (as there is with Car Cost Canada) and there is no preferred pricing information (from participating dealerships) included with the Real Market Price report.

You don't get to configure a vehicle - you must type in all the details in to boxes on the Real Market Price Report request form.

Automobile Protection Association (INVOICE PRICING)
http://www.apa.ca/

There are a couple of ways you can get invoice price quotes from the Automobile Protection Association (APA). You can join the organization (around $80-89/year) which entitles you to 5 free quotes or you can request a single quote (about $26-$28 depending where you live). The member quote does not include just invoice pricing but also "pre-negotiated prices or referrals to APA recommended dealers/brokers (non-member quotes will not include this). Bottom line is that the quotes are more expensive in multiples than CarCostCanada ($80-89 versus $40 + taxes) but if you just need a single quote it may be worthwhile. You'd also have to weigh whether any other of APA's services that would be included in the membership fee are appealing to you.

Pros:
APA says that its new vehicle buying service will "help you buy your new vehicle at substantial savings and with the fewest hassles". A turnaround time is given on the site (it varies depending on where in Canada you are).

Cons:
There is no sample report on the site that would allow you to see what your report will include. There is no indication that you will be informed of updated information should things change (i.e. factory discounts, incentives etc). A single quote is expensive at $26-$28 (which is only available to non-members) and does not include the special APA dealer price offer - members get 5 quotes annually for an $80-89 membership.

Something else which I am pretty sure is a new - and unwelcome - addition is the note that "all deals are subject to a $65 APA referral fee payable at the time of purchase". Presumably this is on top of your membership fee and seems a bit steep and is certainly not in line with other companies offering an invoice price and subsequent dealer referral service.

Canadian Black Book (USED CAR VALUATION)
http://www.chryslercanada.ca/owners/en/

Just a note to say that as of March 2010 it is no longer possible to get free, instant access to the Canadian Black Book previously available through the GMAC site. Using the link we've given you above you can still get free access but you have to supply your vehicle details and some personal information (name, email address and postal code) to gain access to a price valuation that will be prepared for you (no instant access). If you know of some way to get free, instant (and legal!) access to this resource online I hope you'll send us an email at info@where-can-i-buy-a-car-online.com.

To access the tool hover over the Owner Tools heading in the left hand column and choose the Estimate Your Trade-in Value link from those that appear. You'll get a pop-up window where you can describe your vehicle and input your information to get a valuation returned to you via email.

Canadian Car Prices: Canadian New & Used Car Prices (INVOICE PRICING)
http://www.carquotes.ca/

I have included CarQuotes.ca on this page but cannot in all honesty recommend that you use their service. Over the past 7 years (since 2004) I have received many complaints about this site. Over 40 people have emailed me to say that they have paid for a report online and never received it (or have received it and it has been inaccurate).

The site itself indicates that CarQuotes.ca is located in Ontario but they are in fact now located in Newfoundland. They have an "unsatisfactory record" with the BBB in Newfoundland with unresolved complaints.

Bottom line is that although they offer relatively inexpensive single quotes and what seems like an attractive service many people have been very dissatisfied. Buyer beware!

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