Checked October 2026 on Uobo's Find That Car page, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Pages change, so check the current ones. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.

Buying a car is exciting, and it is also a lot of small jobs. In a 2022 Ipsos poll conducted for Clutch.ca, an online used-car retailer, 84% of car purchasers (Canadians who bought a vehicle in the past two years or plan to in the next two) said they wish shopping for or buying a car was easier, and 76% said they would prefer to spend less time visiting dealerships to find the right car. If that sounds like you, you are not alone.

The short answer

You can hand a lot of the legwork to a person or a service, and texting is a simple way to do it. Whoever helps you, you stay in charge of the decisions and the money. Share only what the job needs, and check that a text really comes from who it says it does.

What is the legwork of buying a car?

It is more than finding a car you like. For most purchases it looks like this:

1. Finding candidates. Searching listings, opening one page after another, and lining up make, model, year, trim and kilometres.

2. Checking each one. Is it still available? What condition is it in? Is the price the real price?

3. Comparing. Three cars from three sellers rarely share the same fees, add-ons or wording.

4. Getting a written out-the-door price. The price plus tax and fees, in writing, before you travel anywhere.

5. Checking the paperwork. History report, ownership, liens, and the contract itself.

6. Arranging a test drive or an inspection. Times that work for you and for the seller.

Why is it slow?

Mostly because it is a long chain of small waits. You message a seller, wait for a reply, find the car is sold, and start again. Each listing page has to be read, each total has to be asked for, and each answer has to be compared with the last. Nothing in it is hard. There is just a great deal of it, and it competes with your job, your family and your evenings.

What does texting a car agent look like?

Uobo is a personal car agent. According to its Find That Car page, you text it what you need and it does the research, checks and dealer legwork, contacts dealers for you, and answers availability, out-the-door price and your questions. It is free for shoppers. That is the kind of legwork we described above, handed to someone else.

Here are examples of messages a shopper might send. These are only examples of how you could phrase a request, not replies or results.

• "I need a used SUV under $25,000 for two kids and a dog. Mostly highway. Automatic, not fussy about colour."

• "Can you check whether the grey one on that listing is still available, and ask for the out-the-door price in writing?"

• "Please ask the dealership what fees and add-ons are included in that price."

• "Can you explain what a lien is and why it matters on a private sale?"

A good request says what the car is for, who rides in it, your budget and your must-haves. If you are not sure how to put that into words, the free Describe your perfect car tool turns your answers into a clear brief you can text. If you would rather start with a report, Find That Car asks a few quick questions and builds a free personalized report of the cars that fit you.

What should you still check yourself?

An agent can chase the facts. The decisions, and the signature, are yours. We would keep these for ourselves:

• Whether the price is fair. The Is this used car price fair? tool shows what share of similar used cars listed in Canada cost less than the asking price. It starts from make, model and year, so check trim and kilometres yourself. For more, read how to check if a used car price is fair.

• What you ask the dealer. The Questions to ask a car dealer list covers the car, the real price, fees, financing, your trade-in and what happens after the sale.

• The contract. Read it line by line against what you were told. The Car purchase contract checklist covers price, fees, add-ons, financing, trade-in and every promise in writing.

• Delivery day. Check the VIN, odometer, damage, keys and paperwork before you accept the car. The Car delivery day checklist walks through it.

• The car itself. If you can, see it, or have an independent mechanic look at it, before you commit.

If you want to see what can show up in a final price, read what gets added to an online car price.

What should you not send in a text?

This applies to any service you text, Uobo or otherwise. Our view: send what the task needs, and no more.

• Your Social Insurance Number. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) says your SIN can open the door to your personal information and put you at risk of fraud and identity theft, and that just because someone asks for it does not mean you have to provide it.

• Full card numbers and banking details. The OPC lists banking information and credit and debit card data as personal information. In our view, a text thread is the wrong place for them. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) warns about giving credit card or banking information to unsolicited callers, because if you did not start the call you do not know who you are talking to. That advice is about calls, but in our view the same care applies to a text you did not start.

• Passwords and codes. The CAFC advises unique passwords for every online account and multi-factor authentication. In our view, no car service needs a password to a bank, email or other account. Do not share them.

Shopping rarely needs more than your needs, your budget, your postal code or city, and a way to reach you. If someone asks for more, the OPC suggests asking why the information is needed, who will use it and how. Under Canada's federal privacy law, the OPC says (on a page last updated in 2016), an organization may only collect personal information that is essential to the business transaction, and you may ask why more is wanted and decline. Provincial laws apply in Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, so check the OPC site for the rules where you live.

You also keep rights over what you have shared. The OPC says you can withdraw your consent to a company's use of your information at any time, and ask to see and correct it. Read the privacy policy of any service you use, and ask if something is unclear.

How do you tell a real service from a scam text?

Any text can be faked, so it is worth a minute of checking. The CAFC describes the pattern: a text, email or message that appears to come from a recognizable bank, business or government agency, with a link and a reason to act now. Some have only a few words and look like a receipt or a delivery notice, and the CAFC says clicking the link or attachment in such a message infects your computer with a virus or malware.

What the CAFC suggests:

1. Do not click links in unsolicited messages, and do not open attachments from them.

2. Do not trust the number on your screen. The CAFC says fraudsters can manipulate the number shown by call or by text message.

3. Look the company up yourself. Find its contact details on your own and contact it there, not through details in the first message.

4. Check the website address. Confirm the URL and domain match the official site.

5. Be wary of pressure. The CAFC says not to be intimidated by high-pressure sales tactics and to watch for urgent pleas. If it seems too good to be true, it is.

In our view, if you started the conversation yourself, from the official page of a service you looked up, you have a much better idea who you are talking to. If a text arrives out of the blue, claiming to be about your car purchase or a deposit, treat it as unverified until you have checked it another way. For car-specific scams, such as cloned dealer ads and deposit requests, read online car-buying scams in Canada.

Is texting right for you?

It suits people who want to stay in control but not do every step. It may not suit you if you enjoy browsing every listing, or if you would rather talk through each decision on the phone. Either way is fine. Buying a car should feel exciting, not like a second job.

Try these free tools

• Describe your perfect car: turn what you need into a clear brief you can text.

• Questions to ask a car dealer: the questions about price, fees, financing and what happens after the sale.

• Is this used car price fair?: see how an asking price compares with similar used cars listed in Canada.

Want someone on your side while you shop? Text Uobo, a personal car agent that does the research, checks and dealer legwork by text. It is free for shoppers, and you can start at Find That Car.