cbrown89

Anyway, back to the subject matter.

You can get a loan for a new car it helps putting down a deposit (I put down 13%) and having somewhat of a credit history, and no, I don't have an eye watering O&G salary.

Novocastrian

You don't even have a permanent visa mate. Good luck in O&G, a notoriously cyclical industry.

JamesM

I'd avoid it or buy something really cheap.

The problem here when you buy a used car is you then have to pay tax on it.

You don't see this tax back when you sell it.

You'll have a huge loss in a short space of time.

scootb

The salesman seen someone coming!

cbrown89

Regardless of your opinions on buying a new car and the risks involved on a temporary work permit the OP was asking for peoples experiences and if it is possible.

iaink

When I arrived, many years back, on a 3 year work permit, I was willing and able to lease a Jeep Cherokee. Credit requirements may have been tightened up since then.

I had to leave a fairly large security deposit and didnt get the best lease rate, but I had my shiny tank to take on the behemoths of the canadian highways in and I guess it felt more secure higher off the ground and with 4x4.

It took me about 6 months to regret it, worried about over-mileage, wear and tear and damage payments at the end of the term, and the novelty of relatively cheap petrol had worn off when getting less than 20mpg from the thing and being paid in $cdn, plus its basically a truck with truck like ponderous handling and hard suspension and long stopping distances. Not a particularly nimble vehicle and having leased it I was never going to risk taking it off road where its capabilities would have been more suited. Even in the winter without a full time 4x4 system it was not always easy to know when to run in 4x4 for fear of trashing the transmission if there wasnt sufficient slippage.

Then of course there are much higher insurance costs to fully comp cover a new vehicle to replacement value.

It was fun at first, but with hindsight a beater would have been wiser. Much happier since switching to Subarus, winter capability, much better gas mileage, much more fun to drive on the road. Having said that, my daily driver is a Honda Civic, fun to drive, ultra reliable and cheap as chips to run, other than the insurance, and winter has not been an issue either.

My only other experience to share is to say that whatever you get, make sure it has heated seats, and that they work.

Gozit

Are you a dual Brit/Irish citizen? Lucky you have two work permits lol

cbrown89

No first one runs out in August and I have my second IEC work permit ready, you can apply twice. PR application will be in next month.

Gozit

Nice. Lucky you

cbrown89

Thats the plan anyway....

withabix

Getting a decent car is one of the trickiest bits after getting here.

0-2 year old used cars are so close to the price of new ones that they don't usually make sense and if you can get the credit or a good deal on a new one, they can work out cheaper, because the new car finance is usually at a lower rate than it is for a used one.

Apparently the average Canadian keeps a new car for 7 years - which is presumably why there are lots of nearly-new used cars and lots of 'beaters for sale, but not much in between.

A lot of the 'nearly new' cars tend to be lease returns or ex-hire fleet, probably moreso than in the UK. The (usually free) CarProof reports will tell you that, as well as the number of dings they've had.

I ended up shelling out $39k cash after the taxes for a new one, but consoled myself on the basis that it was English money and therefore only 21 grand!

It was an end-of-model Genesis saloon...errrrr Sedan (never thought I'd ever buy a Hundy, but the Genesis sedan is a hidden gem!!!!) - I could have bought it on 'a 0%-3% credit deal', but the sticker price of the car was nearly $10k more if I did that

So now we have a car, truck and Landrover Defender and only 2 drivers. Makes us feel almost Canadian!

Just need a boat and an RV and a couple of snowmobiles and a jetski and a Harley and we will be fully integrated...

iaink

Unfortunatly in Ontario vehicles are far more likely to die of rust penetration before the mechanical bits give out. Once a vehicle has reached about 10 years old the prices bottom out. Anything that can be safetied and etested is worth at least $1500, but probably little more no matter how up market it once was due to the likelyhood of expensive repairs ahead.

To me there seem to be two sweetspots for buying used based on cost to buy vs number of years of life remaining. Option number one if you have the cash or credit rating is at about 6 months, as an ex rental. Significantly cheaper than buying new, but many years left and a few years of warranty.

Option number two is once price has hit rock bottom at about $1500 for safetied and etested, and you just hope you get a few more years from a 10 year old vehicle before something catastrophically expensive breaks. Thats more of a gamble I guess, and less fun to drive, but at least most people can afford it, and there is no need for more than liability insurance on a beater like that.

mudan123

Good luck.

AnotherBloke

So has no one actually managed to get a lease while on a IEC visa?
I'm still looking at my options, and my cucumstance is now making it so I can't afford to save up for a used car.
I think il take a trip to a dealer, and find out.

dodgeroo

Let me know if this is successful as I would like to do this also