How long is a safety certificate valid for (in Ontario)?

36 days. After that, you will need to have the car re-saftied in order to register it with the MTO. And yes, your 1987 will not need an e-test as of January 1 2007.

Don't forget that under the law you have 10 days to transfer the ownership of the vehicle to your name...

This doesn't meen you have to have the vehicle certified and e-tested within the 10 days, just the title transfered.

However, if you transfer the vehicle into your name now and then sit on the car until January the license office can order you to take the vehicle to an actual MTO inspection station for certification.. these inspection stations are run by the same guys who work with the OPP on the 400 highway pulling unsafe vehicles (ohhh and they find some good ones..) They will look at everything including some real stupid items like fuel line clamp condition (and brake line clamps) as well as making sure ALL the bulbs that are in or on the vehicle work. yes this also includes the ashtray buld if the vehicle in question has one.

Your best bet and in the end cheapest route, is get a good garage to do the safety now (believe its $70 or $80), take your vehicle into a good drive clean shop for smog testing $30. (pick a shop that tests only, as they have nothing to gain by your vehicle failing).

And then go transfer the vehicle...

Snow...

BTW what type of vehicle is it that your so worried about it passing the drive clean test??

You do know that on the drive clean site you can enter the vin number of the vehicle and get a copy of the drive clean test history. Do this and you can see if you even need to worry about anything that may now cause a problem.

Snow...

ah ok then, your fine.. however they may now tell you that you have to go and have the safety done by the MTO Vehicle Inspectors instead of a regular garage.

One thing to consider as well is now you'll need to get it towed to anyplace to have the safety done and e-test. Unless they changed the rules in the past 3 yrs, they won't issue a 10 day permit to any vehicle that has unsafe/unfit on the ownership.

Snow...

Joseph wrote:

Well if it was mechanically taken care of then you should have no problem passing an e-test. If you look on the drive clean website there is a spot where you can input your vin number and get a past history report for the cars prior e-tests.

212000 km's is *u&k all on a car of its vintage, my 89 waggy has 210000 plus and it passed the etest this past June with no troubles, I didn't even change the plugs or anything. It too had to pass as I was buying from a family member.

Snow...

Joseph wrote: