GermanytoCanada

We are now only 11 days away from the big move to NS. Our container is (hopefully) Mid-atlantic and our travel and Airbnb are arranged.

One of our first jobs on arrival is to source a second hand car. Looking on Auto trader, an issue I am finding with NS is that German cars are pretty rare on the second hand market. I have used an Audi A6 Quattro for the past few winters in Bavaria and would like to buy a similar car in Canada. Sadly they are few and far between in Nova Scotia, but plentiful in Quebec and Ontario.

I am still a little unfamiliar with the Canadian car buying process. I understand that buying outside NS would mean I have to have the NS safety test done when I get the car back to NS. But how would I get it there? What plates would I use? If I bought a car in Ontario, can I get temporary plates to drive it back to NS? And can I still insure the car in NS before I get it back and safety test it?

Is the process of buying out of state onerous? I am happy to do a 1 off long distance trip in winter to get the car - I am purely concerned with the beaurocracy and licensing/insurance process.

Thanks in advance for any help.

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Piff Poff

I know in Alberta you get an 'In Transit sticker, with insurance, this allows you to drive the vehicle from point of purchase to point of destination. There is probably something similar over there. Just be aware if you are buying a non common vehicle, servicing and obtaining parts, may be more expensive/harder to get hold of but not impossible.

Former Lancastrian

IMHO by preferring German used vehicles you are limiting your selection. Buying out of Province on arriving in Canada would be a pain. Im not saying don't buy German but you will be closing off a lot of the market if you do.
I would do some research on most reliable SUV's or cars in Canada and then start looking at the list and searching that way.

Example
The best deals on Canada's top-selling SUVs

• Ford Escape – 23,612 (+0.7%)
• Nissan Rogue – 22,404 (-0.9%)
• Jeep Wrangler – 16,396 (+98.5%)
• Mazda CX-5 – 13,786 (+14.2%)
• Hyundai Tucson – 12,885 (-15.3%)
• Chevrolet Equinox – 11,719 (-12.8%)
• Jeep Cherokee – 11,234 (+0.3%)
• Ford Edge – 10,104 (-5.7%)

Note not one German manufacturer made that list unless budget is not an option.

Siouxie

No idea how you would insure the vehicle to enable you to drive it prior to any registration.. there are special permits if you want to drive it within Ontario without registering it - but that wouldn't help for outside of Ontario.. and that's not the insurance part.
https://www.insurancehotline.com/doe...ontario-exist/

https://www.ontario.ca/page/register...cker#section-7
https://www.ontario.ca/page/special-permit
With a special permit, you can temporarily:

• drive or transport a passenger vehicle through Ontario without registering it in the province

Could you purchase the vehicle and have it delivered to NS perhaps - it would probably be a lot easier.

Have you contacted Audi Halifax? http://www.audihalifax.com/en-CA/home
http://www.audihalifax.com/en-CA/used/certified/-/-/-/0

I saw a few on Autotrader https://www.autotrader.ca/cars/audi/...advancedSearch
https://www.kijiji.ca/b-cars-trucks/...i/c174l9002a54
https://www.auto123.com/en/used-cars...s/all-sellers/
https://ca.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-...ax-m19_L383216

scilly

Could it be that the Audi is too expensive a car for Nova Scotians??

I know they do get in limited quantities of more expensive vehicles ...... for example, my daughter who lives in NS wanted to to buy a Toyota Highlander 2 years ago, and found that there were TWO in the whole of NS. That car is quite a bit cheaper than the Audi! They ended up buying the car from a dealer way out of Metro because they got a better deal.

Low numbers of car models can also mean difficulty in obtaining service.

Toyota and Subaru seem to be popular choices on this side of Canada for those who really want to drive the snowy roads, while Audis are for "in town" show off

dbd33

I bought a car in BC and considered driving it to Ontario. The way this is done is to apply for a temporary plate in the Province of purchase and to use that to drive to the Province of residence where the car will be permanently registered. If you're buying from a dealer they might set this up for you. I was buying privately so, to make this happen entailed staying for days in BC. The cost of that plus the eye watering cost of insuring a car on temporary plates led me to have the car shipped to me.

I've also recently purchased a car in the US and imported it. That was cheaper and more straightforward so you might want to consider that option.

GermanytoCanada

Thanks for the helpful replies. It is probably worth contacting a dealer in Ontario that has a car of interest to see whether they can assist with the process.

I take FL's point that I am restricting options, but having driven a variety of AWD and 4x4s on snowy Alpine roads (admittedly with a variety of tyre types), nothing has come close to the capability of the Audis. Admittedly, driving conditions in NS are mostly not as severe as high altitude Alpine ski resorts, but having the reassurance of a car I know is nice to have. It is a real shame that the Allroad version of the A6 wasn't brought to Canada after 2005/6 - ignoring the price, the car is almost perfect, at least for my requirements - I am pretty gutted to be selling mine in the UK now.

Admittedly and before anyone says it, I have certainly learned that having top quality winter tyres is massively more important than the type of car - cheap Chinese made tyres should be banned from the road in my view!
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So it sounds like there is probably a solution - just need to find a dealer that can assist with the process and set up the temporary plate/sticker for me.

I would certainly agree that some Audis are designed for the in-town show off, but there is very little 'show off' about an A6 estate car!

Another question I had was regarding the impact of location on the condition of a car. A lot of dealers advertise a car as a 'local car'. I am struggling to see the benefit of a car that has been local in a salty and harsh maritime environment for its entire life.

Would you expect a car from Quebec/Ontario to be in better cosmetic shape than one from the Maritimes? Is road salting standard across Canada or are some places worse than others?

Thanks again all.
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Former Lancastrian

I would say most Canadian provinces use salt or salt mixture for their roads however a car driven in Vancouver won't experience as much salt. If determined to get an A6 then you might find the local Audi dealer being able to source one for you and have it shipped to Halifax ready for when you arrive or shortly after. Importing one from the US could be done but due diligence is required on going down that route.

Audi Halifax | Audi Dealership in Halifax

Hurlabrick

Checked out the Nissan Rogue, but found it too underpowered at 2.5l. Went for a Nissan Murano at 3.5l and a good set of winter wheels, very pleased with my choice.

Atlantic Xpat

caretaker

There used to be a bias against Ontario cars here in Saskatchewan because they were often badly rusted out from all the road salt. I don't know if they use something less corrosive now or not. If you buy a nice car get it undercoated, there's some salt everywhere. Also keep checking Siouxie's kijiji link,
https://www.kijiji.ca/b-cars-vehicle...di/k0c27l80010, sometimes you find the one you want has just been posted and you can get in there before someone else does.

R I C H

I've often wondered how Nova Scotians can even afford gas, never mind the vehicle to pump it into. I've heard there are bylaws preventing locals buying anything other than underpowered s**t-boxes, in order to prevent any degree of affluence becoming visible in the province. Of the million people that live there, it's doubtful anyone's got the means to purchase a premium brand vehicle

Gosh! A real Toyota? Whatever next? How on earth do the Mercedes, BMW and Audi dealers in Halifax compete with vehicles of such opulence?

Maybe with something exotic like a Pagani Zonda, but an Audi is hardly a servicing conundrum, is it? My nearest BMW dealership was 2.5hrs away, but getting it serviced locally was hardly difficult.

The reality for the majority of Canada is that driving on snowy roads isn't optional, it's a necessity and part of life for several months each year. FWIW, the 3 Subaru's I owned in BC all had major mechanical issues. None made it past 20,000kms.

An opinion based on ownership experience or just a perception of the brand?

GtoC - I've found that rock chips are the most damaging aspect of Canadian winters. If you want to protect your paintwork, purchase some 3M or equivalent film to protect the bodywork. Expect to replace or repair a windshield every winter due to chips or breakage.

Siouxie

Yes - which is why I gave the OP the same link in post 4 - which the OP doesn't appear to have seen.

Hurlabrick

Ooooohhh!!!! hark at hee…… I had to look that one up! (REALLY!)

scilly

R I C H posted ........

FWIW ............ we bought our Subaru Forester in 2008, it has over 120,000 kms on it, has been driven on all kinds of roads and in all kinds of weather although it is now only driven in Vancouver as we sold our cabin out in the wilds of BC in 2014.

So far, we have had literally no problems with it.

My s-i-l bought a Subaru Forester in 2002, drove it across Canada from BC to NS at least 4 times, lived in the far north of BC, drove it regularly up and down the ski hills and on snowy icy twisty roads up there. She changed that car for another Subaru in 2012.

Only problem .......... when a deer tried to kill itself by jumping into the front passenger door of the Forester. Not her fault!

I guess you were just plain unlucky!!!!


Experience based on what I see around the Lower Mainland, the drivers of Audis, how they drive, and where they drive.