Author Topic: Car recommendation (potentially importing from US to CA)  (Read 1105 times)

FLBiker

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Car recommendation (potentially importing from US to CA)
« on: November 10, 2018, 03:08:45 PM »
DW and DD were rear-ended today.  They're fine (DW is sore, DD is fine -- thank you carseat!) but I suspect our 2009 Corolla is totalled.  We live in the US, but we're in the midst of applying for Canadian permanent residency.  They have kind of stringent import rules (for example, our 2010 Hyundai Accent wouldn't be approved without kind of expensive adjustments).

Here's a link to their rules.
https://www.tc.gc.ca/en/services/road/importing-vehicle/purchased-united-states.html

For the Accent, it seems like the main things are EIS (electronic immobilization system) and daytime running lights, and I'm not sure that it's worth installing these in that car (as it probably wouldn't do great in the snow anyways).

Any recommendations for a mustachian car that might be Canada-bound?  I'd say we're 75% likely to move within the next 2 years (and maybe sooner).


Ecky

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Re: Car recommendation (potentially importing from US to CA)
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2018, 09:24:07 AM »
I've found that most any car does fine in snow, so long as your tires aren't too wide and you put snow tires on. The compound of the tires followed by tread pattern is primarily what's responsible for grip in various conditions, not the vehicle they're mounted on.

I can't speak for what cars will pass Canadian regs, but another 2009 Corolla strikes me as a great choice. Another favorite on here is the Honda Fit, which is reliable and has deceptively large utility. In Quebec I mostly see small Korean and Japanese hatchbacks, with a scattering of American hybrids and plug-ins. C-Max and Volt might not be bad choices.

FLBiker

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Re: Car recommendation (potentially importing from US to CA)
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2018, 06:56:28 PM »
Excellent, thanks!  Those all sound like cars we'd be interested in.  My wife really didn't like the visibility in the Corolla, but we've been talking about a Fit.  And we'll take a look at the C-Max and Volt.