Awain

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

Siouxie

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

BobbyN

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.

sharkus

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.

Atlantic Xpat

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