Car reviews and advice

CarGurus makes buying your next car simple. To start your search, begin with either our Used Cars, New Cars, or Certified Cars search pages. Enter your desired make and model and the zip code where you'd like to search. We'll provide a selection of vehicles, complete with pricing, mileage, and our Instant Market Value. Find one you like? Just hit the "Request Info" button on the search results page to contact the seller. For more information about budgeting, researching, test driving, and negotiating, see our article on How to Buy a Used Car in Canada.

CarGurus works with thousands of dealers across the country to help shoppers find the right car at the right price. Using our Used Cars, New Cars, or Certified Cars search pages, you can set various search radii. Search for a vehicle within 10 miles of you to keep it close to home, or search nationwide for the largest selection. If a dealer from outside your search area offers home delivery, we'll show their results, too, including any charges.

There are a handful of tips for timing your next car purchase. Many shoppers swear by waiting until the end of the month to secure a good deal, but that's not always a guarantee of success. In general, we recommend timing purchases with model year turnover rather than focusing on month-end or calendar-year-end shopping blitzes. Shopping on the weekend can be a bit more hectic due to higher demand at the dealership, and many deals advertised during holiday weekend sales events are also available at other times during the same month.

The choice to buy versus lease a vehicle is largely dependent on your budget and lifestyle. Choosing to buy means that you'll have more flexibility regarding the vehicle's use, and it will become an asset—you'll own it—once you've paid it off. However, buying is generally the more expensive option. Leasing is typically less expensive from a monthly cost standpoint, but most lease agreements put a limit on how many miles the vehicle can be driven. Additionally, lease deals are often dependent on the lessee's credit. For more information, see our guide to leasing a car in Canada.

A great used car is one that's in good, safe condition and that fits your budget and your needs. Shoppers can help ensure the former by having potential purchases inspected by an independent mechanic, while the latter will depend on various details related to the buyer's finances and lifestyle. See our guide to Vehicle Inspections in Canada for more information.

There are more ways to sell a car today than ever before. Perhaps the easiest is to part-exchange your vehicle at a dealership. Whatever option you prefer, starting the process by using the CarGurus Instant Market Value tool will help you to understand your car's current market value.

Most new-car purchases are financed through auto loans. In fact, taking out a low-interest auto loan to help with a vehicle purchase can be a wise financial decision. Shoppers can finance a vehicle purchase through a bank or credit union, a dealership, or via an online specialist in auto loans. Getting preapproved on a loan can be a good way to know how much you can afford to spend on a car before visiting a showroom.

Some shoppers want to move through a vehicle purchase as quickly as possible. Others revel in negotiation. Whatever your process, CarGurus recommends that every shopper perform adequate research, understand the details of the transaction, and, when buying a used car, invest in a pre-purchase inspection.

At CarGurus, we use Instant Market Value to determine whether a car's price makes it a fair, good, or great deal—or if it's overpriced. CarGurus Instant Market Value (or IMV) relies on a sophisticated algorithm that updates continuously to stay on the cutting edge of market trends. IMV also factors in details like dealership reputation. We use IMV to sort our listings, helping to keep things unbiased: You'll see the best deals first when you shop on CarGurus.