So I've been skulking around the forums trying to find second-hand advice with minimal luck, so I've created an account to ask for some Mustachian advice.
I'm a university student, studying to be a teacher, and therefore have a practicum placement this year that goes from September to May. Most of the time I'm only there 1 day a week, but in December and April I'm there for almost 5 weeks Monday to Friday.
Here's the kicker. I don't have a car (Yay! Environmentalism!) and the commute is 11.5km each way. Ha! You say. Easy! Public transit! Biking! Well the bus would take me about an hour each way, my bike 40 minutes, and a car 20. (Yes, I live in that kind of city).
The bike seems like a no brainer until you hear this part: I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba. For the non-Canadian Mustachians, my city is jokingly referred to as Winterpeg. Winters are long, cold, and mostly dry, but snow-build up between November and April is often a couple of feet. Our roads are plowed quickly (I usually only have to take one day off from biking due to snowfall trippling the riding time), but I generally add an additional 10 minutes to every 20 minutes of cycling in winter. Now my bike commute is an hour each way.
I don't mind riding in the winter, I did it last year, but my commute was half the length. 30 minutes in -25º plus windchill is doable with proper clothing. 60 minutes is... long. Plus 2 hours a day commuting isn't particularly Mustachian.
I can't move, it's a one-year placement and my commute to work and university is excellent. (Plus, this is the last year I can live at home before I graduate, and my parents don't charge me rent).
Here's my dilemma – I'm not willing to spend an hour each way commuting, which rules out the bus and the pedal-powered bike.
Should I purchase an eBike?
I'm a little bit in love with this one:
https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/471/gsd but it's not cheap (I could get it here:
http://citruscycles.ca/tern-gsd-cargo-ebike) and I don't know how the small, fat tires would do in the snow. This past year I road a hybrid city bike (an old Giant Cypress) with 700ccx40 studded tires, and it was fine but I'm not sure how it would do with electric pedal assist. Should I get an electric fat bike? This one seems okay
http://www.voltbike.ca/voltbike-yukon/voltbike-yukon-750-limited-2018.html, I like the upright seating and rear rack, but the cargo capacity isn't as great as I'd like nor are the reviews entirely positive. Or do I get a regular eBike like this one:
https://www.electrabike.com/bikes/loft-go/loft-go-8i?g=stepthru and add studded tires? An upright riding position is essential to me, and I'd love lots of cargo space. Plus, because of cold weather, the battery had to be easy to remove.
Should I purchase a hatchback? (prices are CANADIAN, so translate accordingly)
Hands down my favourite is the Honda Fit, but they're not cheap where I am (we're talking over $12,000 for anything with under 100,000km unless you're really, really lucky). The Nissan Versa is okay, but anything before 2012 is out because I drove a 2011 and hated it, and 2012 was the redesign year (I know you can get used to anything, but it drives terribly and I HATE the gas pedal. I just... can't.). They run around $10,000. Mazda3's are available in that $9,000-$12,000 range as well, but I've seen some pretty poor reliability reports on certain years. Toyota Yaris' are practically unavailable, and when they do come up they're over $15,000. I'm not really willing to spend much more than $8,000, which really limits my options in my market.
Suggestions? Advice? I take the bus to university, and a combination of bike and bus to work (99% bike April to August barring major thunderstorms, but my bus pas is part of my tuition so I use that during the winter, due to a similar commute time and not having to deal with what becomes a terrible bike route once the snow falls). I can do most of my errands on my bike and I am part of a car co-op as well as able to borrow my parents vehicles sometimes.
Financially, I'm in okay shape. Outside of money set aside for my last year of tuition (yay! graduating next spring!) I have $6,300 with a robo-advisor as my 'stache and $6,000 set aside as a future fund/emergency fund/transportation expenses (will be up to $8,000 by the end of July/beginning of August, barring unforeseen circumstances, hence the budget. I'd rather not spend it all, but I will if it seems necessary).
I have no car experience, never having owned one, but my parents do have an excellent mechanic who charges very reasonably. I can do a good chunk of maintenance on my bike myself, but no clue on the electronics.
Sorry for the long-winded explanation, but I appreciate any input! Help a baby Mustachian out :)