ICBC Vehicle Status Reports

ICBC has introduced a new free service aimed at helping car buyers.

Get the used vehicle's 17 digit vehicle identification number -- that's the number on the vehicles dashboard identification plate you see by looking through the front windshield on the driver's side. Write it down and then go to ICBC's website -- www.icbc.com and under online services click on vehicle history reports. Put in that VIN and it will tell you the vehicle status: either salvage, rebuilt, altered or normal.

Each term has a very different meaning. Let's go through them.

Salvage -- means written off in an accident. The vehicle must be repaired and inspected before it can be put back on the road -so avoid those.

Rebuilt -means a salvage vehicle that's been repaired and passed inspection. These should be dramatically lower priced because you will find them very hard to resell -- you should get a professional body shop to do extensive checking of these vehicles before you buy them -- check inspection reports thoroughly -- be cautious.

Altered -means significantly modified after its manufacture.

Normal -means it isn't salvage, rebuilt or altered. However -- normal doesn't mean it's never been in an accident or even that it's in good condition.

Keep in mind this service is limited only to vehicles in the b-c vehicle registry - so cars from out of province or out of country won't be there if they aren't registered here yet.

Other steps you can take to protect yourself when buying a used are: first, determine the fair price for the car you're buying by going on line and checking prices on two websites: Autotrader and Buy and Sell. You'll see quite a range -- and you should be suspicious of anything that looks like a really good deal. Then drive at least six used cars of the same model you are looking for. That way you become a bit of an expert on the vehicle....you'll feel and hear the squeaks, the rattles. Get an independent mechanical inspection and definitely get a Carproof Verified BC Report which will tell you the complete vehicle history like accidents, wherever it's been owned across Canada or the US.

It will flag suspicious things like was the vehicle ever registered in a hurricane zone when a hurricane hit. ICBC's reports only cover incidents in British Columbia.

Choosing the Right Crib

When you have a new baby, hand-me-downs from friends are a welcome way to save.

But a crib is one item you have to buy brand new. The good news? You don't have to break the bank to get a good bed for your baby!

Lauren Vigna wanted everything just right for her son Dominic's arrival.

"I didn't know a lot about baby items. I had to do a lot of research to find out what I wanted," she explained.

She wanted a new crib for Dominic, and she was right. Second-hand cribs often don't meet the latest safety standards and may also have loose screws or spindles that are unsafe.

Consumer Reports tested more than 20 cribs, ranging in price from $200 all the way up to over a thousand! Testers built a machine to assess mattress support. It mimics the impact of jumping little ones to see how each crib holds up.

The spindles and slats of each crib were also tested to make sure they don't spread apart enough for a baby to get trapped. Testers also looked for helpful features.

"Some cribs have sides that drop, which makes it much easier to reach your baby," described Consumer Reports' Toby Stanger.

Testers made sure the dropping mechanism would work smoothly, even after lots of use. Testers also checked for sturdiness. Some of the cribs were pretty wobbly.

"All the cribs we tested passed the safety standards, but we think the standards should be tougher, and should include a test for sturdiness," Stanger said.

When choosing a crib you need to narrow your choices. First decide whether you really want drop sides. It's usually an advantage for shorter parents. But cribs without drop sides are more stable.

Some features to look for are:

Convertibility: consider a crib that converts to a toddler bed if you don't plan to have more children soon.

Sturdy construction

And a bottom drawer or two can be a handy use of space where space is limited.

And buy bedrails at the same time you buy the convertible crib

"The reason being you may not find those parts later because the manufacturer has moved on to a new product line or the retailer may no longer carry that product," explained Chad Peterson of TJ's the Kiddies Store.

Check the mattress fit -- you should only be able to fit one finger between the crib sides and the mattress.

And remember, when you put your baby down in the crib it should be completely bare.

No bumpers, padding, or sleep positioners, which can pose suffocation hazards.

Cribs are shipped unassembled, so make sure you have the right tools or help putting it together. It usually takes two people about an hour to do it. And put it together in the child's room. Many parents have assembled it elsewhere only to find they have to take it apart again to get it through the door.