Originally Posted by mohtechnix (Post 10644640)

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Thanks for the wise words. That's what I came on here for, I will widen my options and probaly go test drive a few before making a decision. Trust me, am
not one for driving a car because of its badge, that's daft. You have listed all the reasons why I wanted one.

Are the roads and winter conditions that bad? Do you guys ever clean your cars during winter? I am sure the grits and salts could cause corrosion and rusting:)

Originally Posted by Former Lancastrian (Post 10644645)

Chances are living in Saskatoon you will experience winter driving basically from Halloween until April. Yes we clean our cars usually a car wash bay with high pressure wands or brush/brushless car washes as its to frigging cold to wash by hand:lol:
Some choose to get winter tires others don't. Major cities are ok with ploughing the snow away on major routes but side streets can be a bit of a pain.

Originally Posted by angelic applicant (Post 10644757)

Hmm looked at this thread cause i had a similar question. Wanted a small 4x4 but i'll be a PR when i come over to BC in a couple of months and wasn't sure whether to buy a nearly new from a dealer on credit to build a history or lease. Isnt very small but the chevrolet equinox seemed to have good reviews and be reasonable.
However thankfully after reading this thread i now know the robin reliant sr is the one for me :rofl::rofl:

Originally Posted by Geordie Lass (Post 10644971)

Seriously out here its all about about choosing the car you think is best for the road conditions and what will get you through the winters!

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 10645140)

That's why, when I moved to the country, I traded my moose gathering SVO Mustang for a Beetle. Six years later the bodywork has multiple rust perforations and the transmission is on the fritz but, thanks to the FWD, I've got it stuck exactly once. By contrast, a couple of weekends ago I got a Silverado 4WD stuck in my driveway. SUVs are good, I think, if you are, or expect to be, very fat, but not especially for getting around in winter.

Originally Posted by mohtechnix (Post 10645009)

Me too :D

Originally Posted by Geordie Lass (Post 10645252)

Seriously you have completely lost me.

FWD, 4WD and fat connections?

For me it's all about a car that doesn't break down and doesn't slide about in the snow and is big enough to get a huge dog in the back. Simples.

Originally Posted by angelic applicant (Post 10644757)

Hmm looked at this thread cause i had a similar question. Wanted a small 4x4 but i'll be a PR when i come over to BC in a couple of months and wasn't sure whether to buy a nearly new from a dealer on credit to build a history or lease. Isnt very small but the chevrolet equinox seemed to have good reviews and be reasonable.
However thankfully after reading this thread i now know the robin reliant sr is the one for me :rofl::rofl:

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 10645318)

Front Wheel Drive is good for the snow.

Four Wheel Drive is, IMO, of little value beyond FWD on paved, or graded dirt, roads.

SUVs, for example I recently drove a Yukon for a few days, are good if you're a Mormon of Orthodox Jew and are going to have to cart umpteen wives and children around or if you're too fat to fit to in an ordinary car, otherwise an estate car is more practical and, lord knows, a VW Jetta estate is as sexy as a BMW X6.

Our dogs are 100lbs and 30lbs (but wriggly), they fit comfortably in the Beetle so long as there are only two people. The Beetle, though flaming, doesn't slide about. It's the sensible choice.

SUVs are very much urban vehicles, you just don't see them in the country. The only practical reason I can see for having one is that the owner has enjoyed too many Big Gulps.

Originally Posted by Geordie Lass (Post 10645398)

I have no answer to your logic! :p

It's all personal preference isn't it? I'm not into slating people's choices in cars or whether they have had too many big gulps so won't comment further. :) I don't even know what a big gulp is!

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat (Post 10642830)

I'm a bit of a contrarian on leasing as I think it can be an excellent way to obtain use of a vehicle as opposed to purchasing. If the variables of purchase cost, interest rate, residual value and lease period can be aligned, then it can make sense. The example I've posted about recently, is a Ford truck for two years at somewhere around $550 a month taxes in, with no money down and servicing included. Viewed as pure consumption the utility I get for that payment from that vehicle works for me. Your, or anyone else's mileage may vary.

Out here on the damp East Coast, my experience has been that vehicles don't last more than 10 years. Factor in some variability in build quality & having a newish vehicle under warranty makes sense. Having a young family and not wanting to ferry them around in a $5k beater also plays a part. (Although to be fair, they were ferried around in a <$5k beater it turned out for the last year or more. It was the imminent failure of the steering in that beater, not not mention the also imminent failure of the timing belt that prompted the need to change vehicle.) Again, YMMV.

Frankly, for someone on a TWP and by default only a relatively short guaranteed stay in the country, leasing or outright purchase are your only two realistic options IMHO. Who is going to lend you money over 5 years when you might have to leave the country after 3? So I'd certainly look into leasing, with no money down, but new, not used. Most, if not all, the manufacturers websites have monthly payment calculators that enable you to play around with vehicle/term & deposit if you so choose. Note that the deal available at the dealer usually is better, factoring in all the various discounts and rebates.

Finally, and I don't want to jump on the BMW hating bandwagon here, but I might observe that living and working in Sask, a BMW might not be the most appropriate or practical vehicle. The X6 seems to be a bastardisation of a saloon and SUV. Better to pick one or the other perhaps?;)