Buy a salvage car in Manitoba without a dealer licence

Manitoba is unusual. MPI, the public insurer, sells its salvage online to anyone who opens a public buyer account. So you may not need a broker or a licence to buy a written-off vehicle here.

These are the province's and the auctions' rules as of October 2026, and either can change them. Check the sources before you act.

MPI's auction and the national ones

Manitoba Public Insurance sells written-off vehicles online through its auction partner. Anyone who isn't a Manitoba dealer or recycler can open a public buyer account for a fee, and the same account can bid on other public inventory, including some in Alberta and British Columbia. Read MPI's terms on viewing, payment, collection and fees, and check each vehicle's status before you bid.

Other auctions are stricter, and each sets its own rules on who can bid, so read their terms before you register.

Some buyers use a broker, who bids for them and usually charges a fee of its own on top of the auction's, with taxes, transport and any late-collection storage after that. Get the total in writing before you bid.

Offers on DNF

Owners who kept a vehicle after a write-off, body shops and small rebuilders list vehicles on DNF themselves. With a free account you can make an offer, above or below the asking price, and the seller accepts or declines without an auction clock. The MPI status, such as Salvageable or Irreparable, is on every listing alongside the damage, whether it starts, runs and drives, photos and a Score.

If the seller accepts and any required platform fees on both sides are paid, you both get each other's contact details and settle the sale between you, and DNF doesn't handle the vehicle payment. The status is as the seller reports it and isn't checked against MPI's records, so see the registration and ask MPI about the status before you pay.

Reselling, and what to check first

You don't need a dealer licence to buy for yourself. Buying and selling vehicles as a business in Manitoba needs a dealer's permit, and taking vehicles apart for parts as a business needs a recycler's permit. MPI issues both, so ask MPI what your plans would need before you buy vehicles to repair and resell.

Before any purchase, read the Manitoba salvage rules guide, search Manitoba's personal property registry for liens, and plan the inspection MPI requires with the Manitoba rebuilt inspection guide.

See everything listed in Manitoba, salvage vehicles in Manitoba and rebuilt vehicles in Manitoba.