rpurdie

COPR secured, arrive in Canada on 30th July with 6 suitcases, spend a few days in the Ottawa Valley with the in-laws, then head to Toronto to begin our Canadian Life. With apartment secured and job interviews underway etc, I can now turn my attention to the second most expensive purchase I will make... the car!

Here's where I need your help (and I know this topic has generally been done to death, so apologies!)

The dream is to own something like a 2011/12 Audi A4, but that's a little way off as I will require financing, so whilst I build up my Canadian credit and insurance history I need a car in the near term which fits the following bill:

- Good trunk space, sedan preferably
- Year-round reliability for the round trip from GTA to Ottawa Valley that we will do once every couple of months
- Cruise Control for the exact same reason!
- Not too bad for gas & insurance purposes (I have never owned a car before so I know I am going to be stung on insurance, but my Canadian wife has good driving history so she will be primary driver)
- Budget of $6-9k

I am easy on everything else, including style, brand, standard/auto etc

Any thoughts on what to avoid at all costs versus what to consider?

Thanks!

magnumpi

Saw this 2004 Audi A4 on the autoTRADER.ca iPhone app

Click here to view the ad on autoTRADER.ca

Link Don't work

Just look on Auto Trader . Ca plenty A4 for $6,000

mandymoochops

Don't those Mazda cars get a good review (not too up on sedans!!!!!!!)

magnumpi

Yup, we got a 2005 Mazda 3, went to Virginia Beach in it last year, and it is still faultless. Not bad for $3,000

Mikeypm

My sister had a Mazda 7 people carrier I think and it was ok for a-b for a few years she now has a ford escape/explorer SUV thingy

magnumpi

The Ford Escape is a Mazda Tribute under a Ford badge.

Simon Legree

We've had several Mazda 6s over the years. Never had any sort of problem at all. Also had very good dealerships.
My OH had a Tribute and didn't like it, neither did I, especially when the main heater duct became detached from whatever it was supposed to be attached to so no heat on the passenger side. The mechanic told me that it wasn't that uncommon and was a design fault. To fix it would have required taking out the entire dash and would entail umpteen hours labor. I just left it until the lease expired four months later.

Piff Poff

PT Cruiser, although not a sedan, loads of strage space in the trunk and even more with the seats folded down. Or a Lincoln Continental if you want something more luxurious and grown up.

Steve_

Subaru Legacy. Audis don't really make any sense in Canada imo for the reasons given in the other thread we had about it, not many dealers, poor warranty, overpriced, etc.

Mikeypm

Canada aside I cannot understand why anyone would want an Audi, your just paying for a badge. There are much better cars out there with much better spec for less money

Aviator

Maybe she does have a good driving record, but if she is not really the primary user and the insurer figures this out, they could very well refuse to pay out.

I went through this with our insurer asking how we figure out who drives each vehicle more than 50% of the time. Apparently that is my problem to figure out, but if I get it wrong, I may be uninsured. When she had an accident in the vehicle I was primary driver of, I got quizzed extensively to determine if I really was the primary. As neither of us has jobs as such and don't travel regularly off the property hard for them to argue the point, without putting a PI on to it, which I guess if the claim was big enough they may well do.

orly

American cars...just don't view them as reliable
German cars...good but expensive for what you get
Japanese/Korean cars seem to be most popular.

Tony_Tiger

Car market is a little different here.
For 6-9k in my opinion, forget getting a German vehicle. They are nice, but maintenance and parts are expensive. The age of the vehicle around the price your paying will probably need major maintenance done. Its not worth it in my opinion.

You could go American, but their quality is a lot lower, not as reliable but parts are cheap.

If your just starting out, go Japanese. Honda, Toyota, or Nissan.

But it depends on what you need it for. Commuting, kids etc?

Honda CRV or Toyota Rav 4. Both get very good gas milage. Lots of space and very practical.
If you don't want a SUV, try have a look at the Toyota Corolla/Matrix, Honda Civic, Accords etc.
Or have a look at the Luxury brands of the above (ie. Acura, Lexus, Infinity).
The Mazda 3 is a popular choice. Lots of them about. Suberu as well.

If you really do your research and want to save money you can find Japanese vehicles rebadged as some American vehicles. For example the Toyota Matrix is the same vehicle as Pontiac Vibe underneath. The Pontiac will just be cheaper because of the badge.

But again, it depends how you use it i.e commute, kids, luggage space etc.

My personal opinion, don't splash out until your settled in and get a idea of the car market. $6-9k is not very much.

Go on Kijji.ca and peruse the average prices.

I used to have a Golf GTI, but parts and maintenance were just way too high. I ended up getting a older Honda CRV (I don't like Japanese at all). But I get the same gas milage as the Golf, its stupidly reliable(its a 2002 and everything works, I mean everything!!), and maintenance and parts are cheap. Its really practical in terms of space and luggage.

Siouxie

You might want to look at these website if you are seeking a cheap vehicle.



http://www.gcsurplus.ca/mn-eng.cfm?x...=0&sc=ach-shop

http://www.policeauctionscanada.com/...364&MoreSubs=Y (No vehicles at present, but worth bookmarking for future reference).

rpurdie

Thanks all - super helpful advice; no kids yet, so mainly commuting & long distance trips - sounds like Japanese is the way to go!

r.e insurance - I will be taking transit to work Mon-Fri whilst she drives to work, but i'll get the wheel at the weekends!