A Car for Canada (Quebec)

[autogunner]

Hi everyone

First time poster, long time reader. I'm 26, and will be moving to Quebec for 2 years in April. I want a car that can handle a decent commute (my place of work is in the middle of nowhere, 1 to 2 hours outside Montreal) and will be suited to frequent camping trips either skiing or camping every weekend. Do you have any mustachian suggestions?

Many Thanks

Tom

[TrMama]

Have you ever been to Quebec? It's one of the only places in N America where trucks and SUVs are used for their intended purpose and not as general purpose commuter vehicles. We were totally shocked to find that most people drive basic sedans, unless they have 3+ kids, then they drive minivans.

Winter tires are mandatory in the winter and snow clearing is an art form. You won't need 4x4 or traction control or any other fanciness. Since the roads are salted so heavily, I recommend a cheap car (possibly imported from outside the province) since it's going to rust anyway. You'll also need to have a block heater added to it ($100-200). Budget some cash to run it through the car wash every couple weeks in the winter since you'll need to get the salt off the underside.

We drove a Corolla (family of 4) when we lived there and it was perfect. Just get a roof rack for your skis/boards. That same Corolla held all our camping gear for myself and 2 kids for years.

Bonne chance!

[autogunner]

Great advice, thank you very much! Its good to know I can get away with a normal car, I'll look into getting a decent Ford or Toyota hatchback.

[MaxPowers]

Have you ever been to Quebec? It's one of the only places in N America where trucks and SUVs are used for their intended purpose and not as general purpose commuter vehicles. We were totally shocked to find that most people drive basic sedans, unless they have 3+ kids, then they drive minivans.

Winter tires are mandatory in the winter and snow clearing is an art form. You won't need 4x4 or traction control or any other fanciness. Since the roads are salted so heavily, I recommend a cheap car (possibly imported from outside the province) since it's going to rust anyway. You'll also need to have a block heater added to it ($100-200). Budget some cash to run it through the car wash every couple weeks in the winter since you'll need to get the salt off the underside.

We drove a Corolla (family of 4) when we lived there and it was perfect. Just get a roof rack for your skis/boards. That same Corolla held all our camping gear for myself and 2 kids for years.

Bonne chance!

Good advice. As said, with snow tires ( required by law i think ) you can drive most anything. A front wheel drive car would be better though. Warming the car up properly every day if very important too to keep things running well. If it's freezing outside, don't just jump in the car and go. Let it warm up first, or if you have a long drive out of the neighborhood at low rpms, you could drive easily. Just don't step on it hard till warm.

A separate recommendation:  get a canada goose jacket. Come winter in quebec/montreal, i think you'll find the value in a jacket like that.

[Le Dérisoire]

I've always lived in Quebec.

My car is a Hyundai Accent 2009. It is perfectly fine for aboslutely everything (except towing heavy things). You don't need a block heater, unless your car battery is too old (but then you should just change the battery and DIY). Expect that your car will become super rusty after only 1 winter (the salt does that). Do not listen to anyone that tells you that you need a 4x4 or a SUV, or that these car are safer in the snow (this is scientifically inaccurate - they only have more traction at slow speed). Unless your car was built before 1990, preheating it before driving is not necessary and is only a polluting habit (don't buy the myth).

What you do need is:
- Winter tires in winter. Make sure they are not too old or they will be useless. Change them for 4-seasons tires when the winter is over (safety reason, among other things). Do it yourself.
- A Front-wheel drive car.
- Drive slowly if there is a lot of snow or ice and start breaking earlier that you would normally.

With all due respect to the above poster, DO NOT buy a Canada Goose jacket. They are the Apple equivalent for jackets, meaning that 30% of the price is for the brand. Besides, they're not even fashionable anymore! Unless you work outside all day in winter, a good winter jacket should not cost you much more than 200$. Wear a hat, good gloves, good boots, perhaps a scarfe or something, and you'll be fine (I walk to work every day no matter what the weather is and enjoy outdoor activities on the weekend).

[pachnik]

I live in British Columbia but I visited my husband's family in Montreal last summer.  I was surprised to see that the cars there were pretty much the same as here.  I thought that due to the much colder and snowier winters Montrealers would have more big trucks and SUVs but they didn't. 

[human]

If you are moving to Montreal in the plateau, mile end or student ghetto then a big vehicle is not a good idea, parking would be really tough. Any used hatchback should do fine. If you park outside leave a full size snow shovel and telescoping scraper in the trunk and nothing on the seats, visor or visible storage. Thieves are real good at getting car doors open and stealing stuff without breaking anything.

If Montreal really is your destination learn when the snow gets cleared on your street, you'll have to park elsewhere that night or move it before 5am or something like that.

oops see you are outside MTL, get the shovel and scraper anyway, cars can get buried with a good snowfall.

[Le Dérisoire]

To add to what human wrote, if you will live in Montreal and do not intend to get out of the city too much, you should not get a car at all. The subway/bus is more convenient than a car in the city, IMO (I lived in Montreal for 6 years). Parking is either very expensive or not pratctical, and there is always trafic. Not worth it.

For the occasional travel out of the city, you can use car-sharing (communauto.com).

EDIT: Ok, you're outside of Montreal... nevermind..­.

[Kitsune]

I live in the middle of nowhere, 2 hours from Montreal. I feel I'm qualified to answer this! :)

I drive a Honda Fit (2011). It goes absolutely fine, although it's quite light, so when the roads aren't cleared (aka: covered in 3 inches of slow) it can drift a bit, so drive carefully. Good winter tires go a LONG way to helping that, though - they're legally required, but it's worth getting the good ones over the cheap ones, and the best tire prices I've found have been at Costco (as in: cheaper enough to offset the membership cost and still save money).

My neighbors drive, respectively: a honda civic and a toyota yaris, and a 10-year-old suzuki hatchback and a Ford Explorer (which we occasionally borrow in the spring, because a Fit gets bogged down on the dirt roads if we're going to the library). Barring the mud-roads in April, though, no one has gone off the road in these smaller cars in the past 10 years, and the ONLY accident any of these cars have been in is because the Explorer hit a deer.

TL;DR: you don't need a big car, you need good tires.

[daverobev]

You'll also need to have a block heater added to it ($100-200). Budget some cash to run it through the car wash every couple weeks in the winter since you'll need to get the salt off the underside.

You certainly don't need a block heater, and washing the car while it is sub zero is not a great idea - you will push more wet salt in.

Just wash in the spring.

[hyla]

Try to get a hatchback if you want to camp and ski.  So much more room for gear than a sedan.  And you can fold down the seats and sleep in it if the weather gets really bad. When I replaced my corolla with a prius, it was amazing how much easier it was to fit gear in.  I can fit an entire bicycle inside without taking the wheels off if I fold the seats down.

I agree with other posters that a basic car with good snow tires should be fine for Quebec.  I've lived in Northern New England, which has similar road conditions, and was fine with small front wheel drive sedans/hatchbacks. 

Also, it sounds like you are moving from somewhere with less snow and road salt?  If so, buy a car before you move, it will probably have a lot less rust than most used cars available in Quebec. 

[ptgearguy]

Id get a toyota yaris. Cheap little hatchback that is great on gas. What else do you really need.

[Clausen]

I've lived in Northern Ontario for most of my life. I really like my Subaru Impreza hatchback. Lots of room for skis, a bike or whatever else you want to throw in it. It's been extremely reliable, all wheel drive is nice in bad conditions and good on gas if you don't have a lead foot.

[The Fake Cheap]

I've lived in New Brunswick (next to Quebec for anyone not familiar) my whole life.  You only need a car with good winter tires.  I've never needed a block heater.  I also basically never wash my car, it's been years.  However I did get undercoating to help prevent rust the first 4 years we owned my now 9 year old Suzuki SX4.  It is like a tank in snow with winter tires on it, and it's not the 4 wheel drive version.  If you have good winter tires and aren't driving like a tool, you will be fine. 

[Stasher]

The biggest thing is you need to be realistic on how much camping and offered you will really do.
If its paved roads to camp in provincial parks and relatively accessible trailheads then stick with a car and save money, maybe a 4 door hatchback style car would be a perfect option for you.

I needed one of the small style front wheel drive SUVs for what I do with it.
I caught the MMM big 2 years ago and sold my brand new 2014 Dodge Ram1500 4x4 to get myself a cheap used Hyundai SantaFe awd limited for a fraction of the cost. I have aggressive winter tires on it and take it everywhere including rough logging roads here in BC to climb some remote mountains. I have traveled all over the Western US and Canada with it and car camped out of it. Amazing vehicle that performs great for me. It gets relatively great fuel mileage for a SUV (way better than the truck) Keep in mind I am driving through mountain passes and on rugged gravel roads every month for my outdoor pursuits.