Hi,

Just noticed the spelling mistake on the title, i do apologize!

I am going to be in Vancouver initially for a year and i was wondering, is it worth buying a car (something cheapish of course!) to get around or just using public transport i.e. bus/sky train etc.

My main concerns are insurance and my license, is insurance too costly and would i have to take a test or anything to actually drive for a prolonged period.

Thanks in advance,

Stuart.

If you don't have no claims from the UK, insurance here is very expensive. I'm thinking something like 2 k a year for an average vehicle (1200 ish with discount). Used cars are also pricey here. Not to mention the cost of maintaining, gasing it up and parking.

If you don't need one I'd do without. If you are both living and working downtown, you certainly can easily get around using transit. There are also the car coop and zip cars where you can rent cars by the hour or day. These are parked at various spots about the city and you get given a pass card that allows you to enter and drive one - very innovative. So, if you need a car for some reason you would be able to make it work.

I agree with this. You don't need a car to live / work downtown. However, if you want to experience the best of what BC has to offer it's useful to be able to get about without relying on public transport (going to places like pitt lake, or bowen island for instance). You could probably hire a car every weekend for a year cheaper than the running costs of buying your own - I'd do the zip car thing for sure if I was only here a year.

Hi
Use translink, buses, skytrain, sea bus are ace .. just sit back and enjoy the ride.
canadian drivers leave something to be desired, hence the very high insurance rates here ...
cheers
Jerry

I used zipcar for a time in TO. Although it worked great the problem is you need to know pretty exactly how long you need the car for. Of course you can simply book for longer, but it does start to add up. A couple of times getting to the place we wanted to go took much longer than we thought and as the car was booked again right after we returned it, we pretty much had to turn around and drive back. I think it works well for short, very local trips. We also found that the cheaper cars were booked up quite a bit in advance (and we have a lot of cars near to us) so again we ended up paying more for a larger car we didn't need. Much as I love the idea, sometimes cheap rentals might work better.

Many drivers are not that great, but premiums are higher due largely to there being fewer drivers compared to the US and Europe to cover the risk and inexperienced drivers premiums are subsidised by the experienced drivers premiums. My daughter as a new driver is paying way less than her cousin in the UK in a similar vehicle size.

Hi all, I have a related question. I am currently trying to pass my driving test in the uk therefore when I move to Vancouver I'll only have circa 6 months driving experience (fingers crossed). I've read that after 6 months I'll have to take a canadian test - anyone been in same situ? I really don't want to rake another test given my track record in the UK so far :-(

I also don't have a no claims record obviously so looks like staring at a big bill for insurance. My Boyf has been driving for 10 years so he should be better. We really want a car to be able to head to the slopes at the weekend.

Forgot to say will only be in van for a year in bunac visa so not much point me taking the driving test....

Please explain the logic behind that. If one assumes that the same percentage of drivers will have accidents and that the accidents will cost similar amounts, why does a smaller population result in higher premiums. I know I am stupid, but I cannot see that at all.

If you are coming to BC then you'll have to take the test after three months. And worse you'll have to go onto the graduated drivers program as you've got less than two years experience. Your boyfriend will just be able to take the test though.

Edit: Just saw the BUNAC comment - no idea if that makes any difference. Non-resident visitors can drive for 6 months, however I think people with international licences can drive for a year. Check with the ICBC website and the wiki

Premiums are high cos it's a state run monopoly - there is no other reason.

Premiums are higher due to lack of competition in the market in BC also.

Edited to add.............must read through to the end of a thread before commenting. Alan (quick fingers) 2005 beat me to it

Thanks! Will check it out, looks like may have found myself a chaffeur in my boyfriend for the 2nd 6 months!

International driving permits are simply a translation of your exisiting licence and aren't recognized in BC.

Don't know about now, but they were when we came, you got 6 months on a UK license and 12 on an international. Never did make much sense, the international was issued by the RAC.