I move to Peterborough, ON in just under 2 weeks and just have a couple of final questions.

I start a new job the day after I arrive so straight into it on that side of things.

I've booked a hire car for the first 2 weeks but would like to get an old car (~ $1000 ?) to run around in as soon as possible after I arrive until my wife and kids arrive next May / June. I've had a look at Kijiji & Craigslist and some possibilities but not sure on the process and what is needed? I've read about e-test. Is that the same as our MOT. Is the car registered or the person so I'll have to get myself a plate ? Do I get that before the car ? I've got my driving history from the DVLA and a letter from my UK insurance saying number of years with no accident etc.

The other query is the Ontario Health which I cant get until I've been there 3 months etc. Can I just get a 'standard' UK travel insurance for that time ?

it's getting close and everything just seems up in the air.

First thing my wife asked when I got the job last week was "who's going to put the outside Christmas lights up if your in Canada !"

e-test is an emissions test required annually for all vehicles of a certain age (7 years+ maybe). It's widely thought to be a racket and there's an option to show that you've spent $400 trying to fix the emissions without success rather than actually fixing them. I've always just paid the $400 rather than mess about though I don't currently have any eligible vehicles.

The closest equivalent to an MOT is the Safety Certificate which is needed at change of ownership, you can't register the car without it.

The plate belongs to the owner not the vehicle. When I've purchased used vehicles privately I've used a borrowed one, sometimes from the old owner, until I got to the office to change the ownership. I don't think you can get insurance without owning the car so some technical illegality will be involved however you go at this; a borrowed plate attracts less attention than no plate at all.

Good luck in finding a complete vehicle for $1,000.

And no, you can't use travel insurance as you won't be travelling. There are specialist insurers in the wiki but I wouldn't bother, I'd trust myself not to get sick for three months.

I wouldn't trust yourself not to get sick over a 3 month period, not after last nights experience.
My Mum is visiting us at the moment and had a stroke last night. Totally unexpected as you can imagine! Imagine if you didn't have insurance how costly that could be!
I would highly recommend Medicare - Bluecross. They are very reasonable and can be set up very easily by email - had to set up a policy for my 19yr old for 6 months for $365 and it would have been $200 ish for 3 months... What's $200 for peace of mind? If you buy for a longer period than you need they refund any period you don't need when your provincial cover kicks in!

Obviously, it's a matter for the risk tolerance of the OP but, without mishap:

- I've spent a total of years in the US without insurance

- I've been to many countries for work without insurance

- I haven't had a medical since 1981 and have been to a doctor twice, I think, since

- I lived for years in Canada with an undocumented alien without there being a medical issue (local doctors were used to dealing with illegals and just billed treatments under someone else's OHIP number)

- I know well someone else who managed a decade here before regularizing his status and becoming eligible for OHIP. In the interim he fell off numerous rooves and had several car accidents without ever having a problem being treated.

$200 is nearly 75 cans of beer. I'd take the beer.

It's over $2.50 for a can of beer !!!

Yes, beer is $2.70.

And any issue would have, likely, bankrupted you. Bankruptcy and 75 cans of beer or $200. I know which one I would pick

I have heard of people that have survived falling from planes without parachutes. The fact that they did, would not provide me with the comfort I need to try and replicate their good fortune!

I employed the following calculation when considering whether or not to pay for health insurance until OHIP kicked in.

"Have I, or have I not, needed the attention of medical people in the last 3 months"?

This allowed me to weigh up the probability of needing medical attention in the 3 months to come.

Well, I still go to America reasonably often, will advise of the arrival of any bailiffs.

Just to pile on the anecdotes, one of my children was in Alaska for a year and a half and, indeed, hitch hiked across the lower 48, staying at one point in a box car for weeks on end. All without insurance. She's still going, working on and off in Washington state, despite once having stabbed herself and requiring a dozen stitches in, Dear God, Cleveland OH. Some people insure, some never think of it, bit like wearing a helmet on a horse really.

It seems to me that the degree of risk intolerance, wimpdom, suggested by an unwillingness for a single adult to go uninsured for 90 days sits ill with the idea of packing up and moving countries.

In almost 30 years before moving to Canada, I'd had one overnight stay in hospital with a kidney stone and my only reasons to visit my doctor were for jabs for visits to Egypt and torn ankle ligaments from playing football.

Within 9 months of getting PR I was diagnosed with diabetes (there's something in the air ) and the full cost of various meds and testing/injecting supplies is approaching $400 monthly.

Also had ER experience with another kidney stone.

$1500 is more realistic for an old car with etest and safety in Ontario. Then there is the insurance

Im a wuss and would always take the $400 hit (or whatever) for insurance over the possibility of hundred of thousands should I for example look the wrong way crossing the street and get schmushed by a passing truck. Medical expenses here without insurance are not for the faint of heart, unless you are independently wealthy, in which case you wouldnt probably be asking about buying a beater. Travel insurance wont cover you once you land.

That's $1300 before sales tax. I've had a bit of a scan through www.autotrader.ca and can find nothing at all with a certificate for that money.

On edit, well OK, there's this:

http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Toyota/Co...o/19_4605769_/

No, I meant $1500 advertised price, before sales tax at the point of registering it...

Sorry, guess Ive gone native.

Kijiji is probably a better bet than the autotrader at that and of the market, or better yet driving around and seeing what people have parked up with "For Sale" signs.

Evidently. Do they all have ramps?

Perfect for what I'm looking for. When the house in the UK is sold and my wife and kids come over I'll get myself something more decent.

Hadn't taken sales tax into consideration either !!

is that 13% on the £1300 for example ?