Car buying tips for new immigrants:
Every immigrant has to get some sort of vehicle to commute to work or for pleasure. At some point every immigrant has to purchase items on a credit basis. As a new immigrant, you will find that this is impossible. Credit sales of items such as appliances, car leases and house mortgages are only available to those with significant credit history in Canada.
Buying a car is an expense not an investment. The biggest component of that expense is the drop in value of the car suffers the minute you get four wheels off the lot.
The most important points to consider while purchasing a car are
- First do your home work and make up mind for which brand of car you want to buy.
- How much you want to spend for the car and insurance?
- What would be the main purpose for the car- work or for shopping, picking up kids from school, or pleasure ?
- Reliability of the car.
- The costs associated with the car ownership in Canada.
- Initial price of the car.
- Maintenance cost.
- Insurance cost.
- Fuel consumption.
Insurance plays a major role in choosing the right car. Newer the car higher is the insurance. Driving experience also spells the insurance cost. A person with G license and safe driving certificate can get considerable discounts on insurance. Different cars would have different insurance cost, something can be checked by doing online quotes on certain websites like TD auto insurance calculator. Call insurance brokers for a quote on the car you have finalized and they will shop around for the best rates for you.
Good used cars are the favorite choice for most of the new immigrants. Used cars are low on insurance, initial cost, are well depreciated, but will be high on maintenance cost. Few tips to keep the maintenance cost low would be to find a good mechanic and to avoid big name garages. Many companies like CAA , TD Visa , Costco offer 24hrs road side assistance which is a must for all car buyers.
Local Toronto Travel
TTC or Toronto Transit Commission is the mode of local transport in Toronto. The metropass is applicable in TTC buses and TTC subways.
For GTA there are different transit systems like Mississauga Transit, Brampton Transit, York Region Transit etc. In case one needs to travel across, you need to get a GTA pass.
Please vist the following website for more specific details:
1. www.ttc.ca
2. http://www.yrt.ca/en/
3. http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/miway