Getting a car for a year - Toronto
 

I am looking at getting a car for a year before possibly moving back to the UK. Options seem to be buying a car, taking over a lease or long term rental.
Buying a car seems to be the cheapest option, but I don't want to be stuck trying to sell it when we leave next year.
Taking over a lease seems simple, but I have no experience in car leasing and don't understand the cons.
Long term rental just seems incredibly expensive! But my credit card covers insurance, which is a saving.

Has anyone bought/leased/rented a car for a year in Ontario? Are there other options? Is anyone planning on moving back to the UK soon and wants to sell their car?

Thanks

Re: Getting a car for a year - Toronto
 

Don't forget to factor in the very high cost of parking in Toronto (presuming you can find any) - you may even get charged for a parking space at an apartment complex, if you are renting. Toronto has an excellent transit system - and it's easy enough to rent a vehicle if you want to go out of town for a weekend... is there a particular reason for wanting a vehicle? :)

You might want to check out our Wiki on buying a vehicle.... https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Car_Buying-Canada

Re: Getting a car for a year - Toronto
 

Toronto has a terrible transit system, not sure where the excellent comes from in the above? Especially if you ever want to catch a bus in the cold. Usual 5 turning up at the same time after waiting 20 minutes in the cold.
That was my 1 month experience before I moved downtown to Wellington West and never had to catch a bus again thanks to car2go.

Sadly Car2Go is now gone but that was a great resource for short term car rental which would pretty much cover 80% of my trips. I believe zipcar still exists but I never tried them.
I would rent a car with Thrifty or Budget whenever I needed to get out of the GTA. Quick searches on google for discount codes would wield some savings.
Parking - I had a spot at my apartment which I did not rent out so it was fine but parking around the city was not cheap and the signs for a newbie are confusing at times.

Warning - rental companies do not give winter tires so if you are looking to rent in winter you have to really search or book in advance for a car with these. Trust me when I say that "all seasons" are NOT suited to any winter snow, not even a small amount. Flipping a rental car on the way to blue mountain taught me that lesson.

Buying a car - not as cheap as the UK. I seen really crappy 20 year old cars still selling for over $1500 and then the insurance and maintenance adds up. I never saw the need to buy but my initial research years back made it a "not worth it" decision.

Re: Getting a car for a year - Toronto
 

I don't use the subway, nor busses, so cannot really comment, but streetcars have been very good to me.

When it comes to renting a car for long periods of time, unless you can negotiate a very good rate, don't do it. Got stung many many years ago on a long term car rental, my company was paying for it, but still.

For short term, https://turo.com is meant to be pretty good.

Re: Getting a car for a year - Toronto
 

Check the small print in your credit card insurance for longer term rentals. You may find that insurance coverage is limited to 30 days.
Are you already in Canada / Have Canadian credit history? If so a lease takeover might be doable.https://leasebusters.com/en/default....QaAjO7EALw_wcB