How Selling Your Car to Us Works
Four steps, usually finished the same day. Below is what actually happens at each one, and exactly which Alberta paperwork you need to have in hand.
Ready to start?
One call gets you a real number today. No obligation, no inspection required.
- Paid before pickup
- Free towing included
- Paperwork handled on the spot
The process, step by step
What actually happens, from the first call to the vehicle leaving your driveway.
The call
You tell us the year, make, model, roughly what condition the vehicle is in, and where it is parked. That is all we need to start.
You do not need a mechanic's assessment, a repair estimate, photographs or a diagnostic code. A plain description in your own words is enough. If you know something specific, such as the engine being intact or the catalytic converter being gone, mention it, because it moves the number.
The offer comes back on that same call. Not a callback, not a range, not a figure that depends on an inspection later.
Booking the pickup
If the number works, we book a time around your schedule rather than ours. Evenings and weekends included, which matters in a town where a lot of people work shifts tied to the season.
Tell us where the vehicle actually sits. A driveway is straightforward. A condo lot, an underground parkade, a staff housing stall or a yard where other vehicles are parked tight all change which truck the driver brings. Mentioning it on the call prevents a wasted trip.
Same day pickup
Same day pickup is available, and the earlier in the day you call the more likely it is. Heavy summer traffic on the Trans-Canada can occasionally push a pickup to the next morning. We will tell you that on the call rather than after you have waited.
At the pickup
The driver arrives, confirms the vehicle matches what was described, and the paperwork is completed on the spot. The whole thing usually takes about fifteen minutes.
If the vehicle is materially different from the description, the number changes and you are told before anything is signed. That happens rarely, and only when something significant was not mentioned, such as the engine already having been removed.
Payment, then loading
You are paid in full before the vehicle is loaded. Cash or Interac e-Transfer, whichever you prefer. You keep the keys until the money is in your hands.
Nothing is paid afterwards, nothing is held back, and no check is mailed. The figure quoted on the phone is the figure handed over, because towing and paperwork are already inside it rather than deducted from it.
Get your cash offer
Now that you know how the process works, take the first step. Tell Banff Car Buyers about the vehicle, and you will have a real number on the same call.
No obligation. Free towing included in every offer.
Get your cash offer
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What paperwork you need to sell a car in Alberta
Alberta is more straightforward than most provinces here, and one point causes more confusion than everything else combined.
Alberta does not issue vehicle titles. There is no such thing as a car title in this province. If you have read American advice, or a website using the word title, that language does not apply here. In Alberta, proof of ownership is your vehicle registration certificate.
Vehicle registration certificate
The document showing the vehicle is registered in your name. This is your proof of ownership.
Photo identification
The name on the ID needs to match the name on the registration. A driver's license or provincial ID card is fine.
A bill of sale
We bring it and complete it with you at pickup. The Government of Alberta publishes a standard bill of sale and a comprehensive bill of sale if you would rather read the form in advance.
Two things worth knowing
These catch sellers out, but they are simple to handle.
Your license plates stay with you
In Alberta, plates belong to the registered owner, not to the vehicle. Take them off before the vehicle is loaded. You can move them to another vehicle you own or return them to a registry agent.
There is no tax on the sale for you
Alberta has no provincial sales tax, and nothing is deducted from what you are paid. The number agreed on the phone is the number you receive.
Keep your copy. If anything is ever tied to that vehicle after the sale date, your signed bill of sale is the proof that you no longer owned it. Official guidance is published at alberta.ca/buying-selling-vehicle, and you can find your nearest registry agent through the Alberta registry agent lookup.
If you do not have the registration
This comes up constantly in Banff, where people move between staff accommodation and paperwork gets left behind in the process. It is rarely a dead end.
What is needed is proof that the vehicle is yours. An expired registration usually works. So does an old bill of sale from when you bought it. A registry agent can also produce a vehicle information report from the vehicle identification number, which sets out the registration history in Alberta.
Call and describe exactly what you do have. We will tell you before the pickup is booked whether it is enough, rather than sending a driver and finding out at your door.
If the vehicle was never registered in your name in the first place, that is a different situation and we need to talk it through before anything is arranged.
If there is still a loan on the vehicle
A loan against a vehicle is registered as a lien in the Alberta Personal Property Registry, and it follows the vehicle rather than the person.
A registry agent can run a lien search against the vehicle identification number. An outstanding lien has to be discharged before ownership can transfer cleanly. In practice that means the loan is paid off and the lender releases the lien. If the payout figure is less than what the vehicle is worth, this is usually workable and we will walk through the sequence with you.
Do not sell a vehicle with a lien you have not disclosed. It creates real liability for you, and it is the one situation where a sale can unravel afterwards. Tell us on the first call and it simply becomes a step in the process.
Situations that come up here
Common scenarios in the Bow Valley, and how they are handled.
You are not going to be there
We can complete a sale without the registered owner present, provided ownership is documented and arrangements are agreed in advance. This is common at the end of a season when someone has already left the valley.
Registered to a company
We need documentation showing who is authorized to sell on the company's behalf. Everything else is the same, and you get a bill of sale for your records.
The registered owner has died
An estate vehicle can be sold, but the paperwork depends on how the estate is being settled. Call and explain the situation and we will tell you what is needed rather than guess.
Two names on the registration
Both registered owners generally need to agree to the sale. Mention it on the call.
The vehicle is not in Alberta
Out of province vehicles are a separate process. Tell us where it actually is.
What to have ready before you call
None of this needs to be exact, and nothing needs looking up in advance. That is enough for a real figure on the first call.
Get my offer- Roughly what it is. Year, make and model. A ballpark year is enough to start.
- What state it is in. Runs fine, runs badly, or has not moved in a while. An honest description in plain words.
- Anything significant that is missing or still there. The engine, the transmission, the catalytic converter and the wheels all move the number either way.
- Where it is parked. A townsite address, a staff housing lot, or somewhere further out in the valley.
- Whether you have the registration. And if not, what you do have instead.
Common questions
Everything you need to know about the process. See all our questions answered for more.
In most cases your vehicle registration certificate and photo identification. Alberta does not issue vehicle titles, so the registration is your proof of ownership. We bring the bill of sale and complete it with you at pickup.
Usually yes. An expired registration, an old bill of sale, or a vehicle information report from a registry agent can all serve as proof of ownership. Call and describe what you have and we will confirm before booking the pickup.
The loan is registered as a lien against the vehicle and has to be discharged before ownership transfers. Tell us on the first call. It becomes a step in the process rather than a problem, and we will walk through the sequence with you.
Not necessarily. A sale can be completed without the registered owner present as long as ownership is documented and it is arranged in advance. This is common at the end of a season when the owner has already left the valley.
Yes. In Alberta, plates belong to the registered owner rather than the vehicle. Remove them before the vehicle is loaded. You can transfer them to another vehicle you own or return them to a registry agent.
Ready to start?
One call, a real number, and the paperwork handled at your door.