REVscene Automotive Forum - Help choosing car...for driving up north

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Help choosing car...for driving up north

Hey guys, just helping out for a friend who's looking for a car when she moves up north..Yukon-ish areas.

Since I have absolutely no idea what road/weather conditions are like and what type of vehicles would be needed, figured I'd get some input here.

Needs:
Under $20k
Good on gas
Newer than 03
Auto

So other questions, is 4wd/awd necessary? I'm gonna guess snow tires are a must.

TIA:)

most of the roads in town are in decent condition and are paved...

i'd say get a suby or something awd with a good set of winters cuz there is gonna be alot of snow

If she wants newer go for the Suzuki SX4. Cheapest AWD vehicle on the market... add some snow tires on that and she's set. The SX4 AWD hatchback starts at $24k, though that doesn't include specials or discounts.

Otherwise a Subie of some sort (Impreza) would be my recommendation. Here's a 08 Impreza sedan for sale for $17k + tax at Repo. http://southsurrey.repo.com/details/34869

Lots of discounts on domestic SUVs/CUVs/crossovers right about now, too... check out Chrysler/Dodge.

And make sure she gets something with heated seats! XD

Road conditions there are harsh. Domestic is your best bet. Nothing smaller than a Ford Explorer.

Stressing good on gas XD!!!

I like the used subie with winters :thumbsup:

If you're going to buy a car for up there you might as well get AWD while you're at it, people will tell you that it's okay for an fwd on winters, but yeah might as well go that extra step right?

If you've ever been to alaska you'll notice that lots of people either drive a subaru or american suv/truck.

get a diesel + block warmer

Lots of good info, but here's some more very important things to consider:

She's moving up north to Yukon-ish areas, where there are far fewer dealerships than in the lowermainland. Where it might be easy to service a Suzuki, Mitsubishi, or Volvo or Honda in Vancouver, in Yellowknife or Whitehorse, they might not be able to get parts for weeks... Fords, Chevs, and Dodges will be a lot easier and cheaper to service. One thing to note - everything is a lot more expensive up north, because it costs more money to get shit up there. Additionally, places that are booming with trades, like oilfields, have jacked up rent, food prices, and even parts and service prices at dealers. Be prepared for it.

But in general, buy a product that will be easier to service up north.
- Ford Escape V6 XLT AWD
- Jeep Patriot/Liberty/Nitro
- Chevy Equinox / Pontiac Torrent

Anything bigger will be too expensive for her budget, and other other brand will be difficult to service up north. In fact I even question the viability of buying a Jeep product with the uncertainty of chysler's future as a business.

Really awesome info. Thanks a lot guys I'll be sure to let her read this thread. I too was leaning towards an import but overlooked the servicing aspect of it, so its definitely something to consider.

wtf this thing's repoed?! lol

http://southsurrey.repo.com/details/34882

I grew up in Northern BC and I can tell you that the roads are maintained well in the winter with highways, side roads, neighborhoods all being plowed daily. A lot of people drove domestic SUV's/Trucks, but FWD cars are fine as well. You probably would won't to go domestic as Rich advises. Where I lived, there was only a Ford, GM, Toyota, Chrysler dealership. The closest Honda dealership was 2 hours away and anything else was at least 4 hours away. Definetely put in a block heater and winter/snow tires are a must have.