Farmer on a bike

However you buy it is a challenge. Dealers play games, so it is best to play hardball, however now is not the time. I have always purchased from Jim Pattison in Surrey (Toyota), buy new and hold on to it until it almost drops. Buying and changing every three years is a money pit. Consumers seem to chase after private leasing, cannot fathom why, it is really just along term rental for a vehicle many cannot really afford. Leasing only makes sense for a business. In a normal market or low interest rates are around, which make good sense for financed purchase, but right now there is not much around and likley will not be for a couple of years until supply sorts itself out.

The market right now is a mess, used are over priced and poor value, new are hard to get. It seems in the next year or two, recent used purchase may devalue more than new. If you can get a decent price on used, maybe that's the way to go. There is tax of 12% on used vehicles, private or through a dealer, 12% provincial if purchased privately, paid when registration is transferred or GST and PST at a dealer total 12%.

Farmer on a bike

It is a drivers 'abstract' to show ones driving history and record.

beckiwoo

Hello neighbour

I live very close to the Langley border.

it will be a bit of shock at first but you will discover that it was worth it.

I love this area and only moved here in May this year. Previously I was in downtown Vancouver and not for all the money in the world would I return to live there. Not quite the same as coming from the UK to here.

Grimnorth

We started in Fredericton New Brunswick. It is not long ago they had 18 feet, I still have a photo of my 10 foot snow ditch, with an eight foot snow pole on top and you can just see the tip of it. Not much snow where we are now thank god.

dogstar

This is a great thread and I may well have something more tangible to contribute to it once we land in a little over a weeks time. I must admit I am dreading any potential culture shock but that is tempered by the fact I have been to Canada many times previously and whilst this is not the same as "living" there certainly allowed me to see the things that might niggle me once we move. Also, being from London I always have a lot to say about any place whether in the UK or elsewhere in the World as that is the benchmark I make use of. I think what I am trying to do is accept the fact that Canada is not the UK full stop. And therefore I treat our experience as a mad adventure where we as a family and individually will learn and experience so much more than we have in the UK and as such underscore our intent to move in the first instance. I know they're will be bad days but I am confident that we will make it work and so should cornishincanada and just know that many others on this forum and elsewhere have had regrets but now they can see why they did what they did and don't look at the rear view mirror and just forwards.

#keepthefaith

Danny B

There is a reason why that car is cheap. Nissan's have terrible reliability on their automatic transmissions (CVT). You'd be better off with an old Corolla or Civic.

BristolUK

Sounds like it may have been 2014-15. Record breaking year here in terms of snowfall post Christmas, almost as much in that period as the highest ever for the whole winter.
Seems to have changed a bit now though. 2 or 3 of the last 4 Christmases have been green and the usual dozen or so driveway clearances dropped to 6 and 7 the last two.

I expect I've just cursed us now

Richster64

We've been here 4 weeks now and are loving it! - dogstar - hit us up when you arrive, we are just down the road from you in Oakville!
Everyone we have encountered so far is super friendly, and all the millions of phone calls to the banks to sort out this and that have been handled super efficiently and friendly-ly :-)
Treat it like a new adventure, full of new opportunities !

dogstar

I will certainly connect with you once we land and we are also going to be in Oakville!

Grimnorth

The snow Gods have heard you. Exactly right the only winter, I had to snow blow the driveway 4 times in a day

cornishincanada

Thanks everyone. I'm getting there. My family arrive on Saturday evening which will help.

From talking to locals it very much seems my perspective will change once I get a car....if I can find one that won't break and costs sensible money!

Phaedru5

Buy almost any old Toyota or Subaru they go forever you might pay more because people know they are worth it but itll also be worth it for your peace of mind. Same goes for as in england if it looks well looked after then it probably is. I find cars here go much longer than in the UK its not unusual to have very high mileage and still running great. People tend to change oil every 5000km whereas in england i remember going about 20,000 miles between oil changes! We have a 2007 Golf GTI with over 200,000km and still drives like new - a few electrical gremlins sure but doesnt affect the day to day useage.

As for biking, i hope you have trailforks app? If not get it, or if not i can tell you 100 amazing places to ride, you've come to right place. Closest to you is Thornhill in Maple Ridge its only small but has an easy up and 4 or 5 fun decents including one with some decent size jumps The Woodlot, Sumas and Vedder are other top spots. And of course all of the Northshore , Mt Seymour, Mt Fromme, Cyprus, etc. Oh just wait til you get out for a ride THEN you'll feel at home.

btar

We (wife and self) arrived in September last year. We have experience of living in several countries and different parts of the UK but still felt disorientated. Jet-lag doesn't help, Covid is a curse and made many things more difficult and abnormal. Slowly we have become used to things, not so different to the UK and at least the language is the same although some accents plus masks make understanding more difficult - it probably works both ways. Processes - especially banking can be annoying partly because the terms used to describe processes can be different as are the processes themselves. This applies to buying cars and property too so it's not just understanding it but remembering how to do it next time too. One of the most frustrating experiences has been getting some UK banks and building societies to get our address right, I assume their software doesn't like Canadian post-codes (I read that the reciprocal applies for TD bank who find UK postcodes difficult).
So yes, we would probably have gone back (we had a return ticket) but having sold the house, shipped the contents we needed to give it time.
Yesterday, having parked (free), walking the (wide) side-walk in beautiful sunshine with no litter, no dog's mess, very few people and knowing anyone will pass the time of day with you it felt good - and safe. We look forward to exploring the country, the US too once the border opens and hey, if we really wanted to, we could go back. We would be poorer in cash terms but richer for the experience.
Give it time, it will be a wonderful experience, stay for at least a year to see the seasons and, if practical, keep your options open.
Good luck.

Lychee

I think it's completely normal to feel this way.

A move to Canada isn't a superficial move; it's an entire change of lifestyle. You are changing every aspect of your life. You will feel disoriented! Everything you took for granted in the UK, everything you did on autopilot in the UK, you will have to relearn from scratch in Canada. This includes customs you took for granted, like how to socialize with strangers you see on the street (i.e. sarcasm is often not well-received amongst strangers in Canada), to how one socializes with coworkers (i.e. there is often no after work pub culture and Canadian workers do not expect there to be one either), to the types of cultural references you share with others, to how you spend your spare time in this part of the world, to the different nationalities of immigrants that have moved to this part of Canada over the decades, to the types of restaurants and styles of cuisine available, to where your food comes from, to the style of shopping available or not available, to how one interacts with the land, to how land is managed (there is no Right to Roam) , the systems in place (i.e. the concept of Crown land, how each province manages its education system, its own health care systems, its own provincial taxes, the differences between national, provincial, regional, and municipal jurisdictions), etc. Also, the concept of geography, of distance, the vastness of Canada and the low density of the population means that this part of the world simply cannot support the same types of systems and infrastructure a tiny country with a high population density, like the UK, can support.

Also, Langley and the Fraser Valley have been developed for car transportation first and foremost, public transit is pretty much an afterthought. It is an extremely suburban sprawl type area and that in itself may be a culture shock. Cars are necessary in that part of the world. Day-to-day life requires one, and without one, you will definitely feel even more disoriented, if not downright stranded.

I think the best piece of advice is to accept Canada in its own context, and do not compare it to the UK. Things are not better, not worse, simply different. It is a different lifestyle. Be kind to yourself. Accept that it is a long, nuanced journey to transition to this different lifestyle. You will feel disoriented and it will take years to learn it and for it to start to become "normal". The sooner you accept it is a slow journey, not immediate, the easier it will be for yourself and others.

Tumbling_Dice

An excellent post!!