hello,

hope to be over in Nova Scotia by late Summer time and was wondering about cars over there.

Would a 4 wheel drive be recommended there with the snowy winters or can you get by with a normal car?

Diesel or petrol??? Costs??

Also, can you pick up a good vehicle for under $10,000???

cheers, Grant and Debs

Lots of people drive both 4x4 and cars. Key to driving in the winter is using winter tires. Also bear in mind where you are going to live. City/town, then a car would be fine. Living more rural and have a long/steep driveway then the height off the ground of a 4x4 will benefit you.

Fuel at the moment here in my town is NS is $1.33 ltr. Our minimum price is set by the provincial government so will vary throughout Canada.

Not sure about car prices. We bought an almost new Honda CRV last year with a view to keeping it for years and years. They tend to be really realiable vehicles. Our insurance was $950.00 for the first year and $750.00 for our second year.

Saw this company everywhere last summer

http://www.oregans.com

Depends on what you want. We just moved here and hubby wanted a truck so we bought a Ford 150 which isn't bad and has already been useful with the things we have bought. Insurance was just over $1000 and was lucky to find a good broker who shopped around and found a complany willing to take into consideration our UK history otherwise would have been over $2000. Gas where I live is also $1.33

We have been three years and we find the Van style most useful. It is a Pontiac Montana. It has seven seats with 5 removeable so great for large items too. Unless you live on an unmade road it is unlikely you will need a 4x4. This was the first year we needed winter tires. You should be able to get one for $10000.

A friend of ours is a car insurance assessor out in NS. When we went out there to live Lee advised us to get a low lying heavy family saloon rather than a 4x4, he said he saw more accidents with 4x4's than he did any other car during the winter. We only had one little prang (and that was to avoid somebody who was sliding) in our 3 winters out there.

£1.33!

i used to pay, 10 years ago when i got to BC, 48¢ a litre back then.

Glad i havent owned a car since '04.

I have a Jeep TJ and van; the van has snow tires in the winter and the Jeep has to rely on 4-season tires. The van is definitely better in the snow than the jeep (on the selected tires!).

I'm thinking of getting rid of the Jeep after two years of fun and replacing it with whatever vehicle does the best mileage as the gas bills are starting to hurt as much as they did in the UK. I'm considering getting a Toyota Prius Hybrid.

My recommendation is to go for fuel efficiency with winter tires.

Ours is just coming up for nine years of service to the JonboyE household. It has done 190,000k. Apart from routine service and fluid changes, we are on its 3rd set of brakes pads, second set of tires, second timing belt and first everything else.

It might be as exciting as a wet Tuesday afternoon in Penge to drive, but you can't fault its reliability or value for money.

Just glad I am not paying UK prices...

When I left the UK 1 month ago was paying £1.08 litre here paying $1.33 doesn't seem as bad as the UK

Thanks for that, its music to my ears

I am currently paying £1.22 per litre for diesel!

thanks for that.

i think a fuel efficient car with the winter tyres sounds like the best plan. any recommendations on good reliable cars over there and a price estimate for maybe something that is second hand but not too old?

maybe year 2000 plus??

Rust can be a problem on cars in Nova Scotia, so check if you are buying a older model. You can check out prices with some of the local dealerships online. Have given you a few below so you can compare prices, but when you get here, you will be able to find one that suits you best.
http://www.oregans.com/
http://www.thebiglot.com/usedcars_fo...ova_scotia.htm
http://www.steeleauto.com/en/home/usedcars/default.aspx