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Get a proper set of winters. Find a shop that's Tirerack.com friendly, order a set of General Tire Arctic Altimaxes, be happy. If you have a good relationship with a shop already, they might be okay with you bringing in a set of tires from the internet, that's what I did a couple of years ago in Saskatoon. \/\/\/ Agreed. Unfortunately, southern Onterrible hates studs so I took a bit of a hit when I sold mine here. Still, the buyer seemed like a solid guy and I'm happy he'll be able to drive his bimmer through the grey, grey winter. ExecuDork fucked around with this message at 15:52 on Jan 18, 2016 |
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Jan 17, 2016 19:00
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Yeah the Arctic Altimax is where it's at. Especially studded.
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Jan 17, 2016 19:12
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And they are on sale for $72 CDN at Canadian Tire done deal thanks guys! e. hahaha price jumps pretty dramatically when I picked my size but still 25% off I guess so Bilirubin fucked around with this message at 20:18 on Jan 17, 2016 |
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Jan 17, 2016 20:11
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I'm moving to Calgary later in the year and am I understanding it correctly that the government of Alberta expects me, a 30 year old man, to get someone to babysit me every time I want to drive a car for an entire year before I can get a proper driving licence?
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Jan 17, 2016 22:30
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Eau de MacGowan posted:I'm moving to Calgary later in the year and am I understanding it correctly that the government of Alberta expects me, a 30 year old man, to get someone to babysit me every time I want to drive a car for an entire year before I can get a proper driving licence? First, where are you coming from, and second, do you have an existing driver's license? If you don't already have your license, yeah, you need to go through the whole GDL procedure.
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Jan 18, 2016 00:29
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A little bit of a stalking suggests japan, which has a reciprocal licensing agreement with alberta. Barring that, you can do what the rest of the immigrants here do, and buy a pakistan drivers license, do a safety course, take a test, and get a full alberta license.
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Jan 18, 2016 00:58
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Thanks for all the concern gents. I'm 100% fine, because I almost was at a stop before flopping the truck. The trailer is a tri axle stainless. I was told they're around 250k new. Unfortunately the company's insurance is a 100,000 deductible for at fault incidents. On the plus side my company is awesome and while they're not happy about it, everyone who asks about it asks if I'm OK first. They haven't even alluded to me being at fault. I did have to go get a piss test and breathalizer and they asked if they could check my phone history to see if I was on the phone (I volunteered) Not sure if I have mentioned it but this was basically my first accident ever, in any vehicle save for a couple low speed merging fender benders. The other vehicle didn't stop. I'm pretty sure he was spooked by my vehicle, spooked by the edge of the road, held his vehicle straight and hoped for the best. Likely didn't even check his mirror after. It was on a private oilfield road so not built to the same widths as a public hwy.
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Jan 18, 2016 04:18
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The worst thing about those off roads is that when they're plowed in the middle of winter its impossible to tell where the edge is so everyone just hugs the middle. There's been a couple of times where I've misread where the edge of the road was on some logging roads and my car just gets slowly sucked out.
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Jan 18, 2016 04:25
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1500quidporsche posted:The worst thing about those off roads is that when they're plowed in the middle of winter its impossible to tell where the edge is so everyone just hugs the middle. There's been a couple of times where I've misread where the edge of the road was on some logging roads and my car just gets slowly sucked out. If you think the worst thing is when they're plowed, you should
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Jan 18, 2016 04:51
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Glad no one got hurt and work is taking it as well as they seem to be. Just a quick followup: These General Arctic Altimaxes are pretty sweet tires, thanks for the recommendations! I figure if they are good for Saskatoon, which has literally the worst winter road conditions of any major urban center I have lived in, they should do me well enough in our tropical chinook conditions.
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Jan 18, 2016 20:52
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I'm glad you like them! SD 135 On the Ice by Martin Brummell, on FlickrMy bimmer - RWD, more power than I should really be trusted with, and wearing those tires - on the frozen surface of the South Saskatchewan River. Those tires are good for more than just terrible urban conditions, they're great for anything wintery.
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Jan 18, 2016 21:10
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Nice! Whereas I will try to stay off rivers, I will be heading to Lake Louise for skiing on Thursday so I'll give them a proper winter baptism.
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Jan 18, 2016 21:29
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I've got a weird hankering to go ice fishing. Anyone else?
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Jan 18, 2016 22:25
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Oh she's a fuckin scorcher out there today, boys. -5*c and sunny, t-shirt weather.
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Jan 18, 2016 23:56
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gently caress yeah, walking around Airdrie in a light vest crew.
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Jan 19, 2016 02:00
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ExecuDork posted:I'm glad you like them! The Calgary Sports Car Club is also home to some pretty sweet Ice Rallycross. Wish I could go out this year. 
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Jan 19, 2016 03:52
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MrChips posted:First, where are you coming from, and second, do you have an existing driver's license? Powershift posted:A little bit of a stalking suggests japan, which has a reciprocal licensing agreement with alberta. I've been living in Japan, yeah, where the public transport is so good I let my UK license expire two years ago. I'm seeing if I can't get it renewed before I head out to Canada, seems like the best solution. Thanks for the advice. Back to prowling kijiji.
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Jan 19, 2016 19:12
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Do yourself a favor and check on insurance before you buy a car. Not being licensed for 2 years could really bite you in the rear end and being a foriegner won't help matters either. Also try to get letters from your previous insurance companies stating that you were "Claim Free" (assuming you were of course). Assuming you are a 20 something single male, prepare to feel like are are being anally violated.
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Jan 19, 2016 20:47
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Yeah, insurance in Alberta is private, which means a wide range of insurace companies competing for Browse Kijiji and throw the details - make / model / year / major options and trim levels - at a few websites that help you find insurance rates. Sometimes some cars are surprisingly cheap or expensive to insure, or there are options to consider (like comprehensive - don't get comprehensive coverage unless you're driving a really special car) that can push your rates around. What kind of budget are you thinking of? For the car, and for the annual running costs (insurance & fuel are the big ones).
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Jan 19, 2016 20:57
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I was thinking of dropping $20k or so for a used car, looking primarily at SUVs or crossovers, something with 4WD. Neither I or my wife have much experience driving on ice, let alone a Canadian winter, and I want the added safety even if it costs more to run. In my heart of hearts I want to go mental and get a mustang or GTR or something, but I think that kind of RWD power would lead to me doing a fully unsick uncontrolled drift straight off the highway into a ditch. The insurance I got quoted on an old X5 was about $100 or so p/m, is that average? Looking on certain websites it seems gas is about 80 cents per litre right now in Alberta, so I'm guessing to fill up an SUV is going to cost about $100 a time?
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Jan 19, 2016 23:07
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Yup, your numbers are reasonable - $1200/yr for insurance isn't too bad. Something like the X5 would probably cost around $100 / fill. Gas prices are at an historic low right now, $1/L is more like my experience. Who knows, though. Personally, I think the X5 is ugly like a butt and awkwardly does not fit any category except "suburban oversized grocery getter" but that's just me. They're certainly popular. 4WD helps with GO. The other car functions - TURN and STOP - do not benefit from 4WD. AWD (think Subaru, or Audi Quattro) can help with TURN but nothing helps with STOP in winter except good winter tires. Reading the X5 article on Wikipedia doesn't help me figure out if it's AWD or 4WD, or able to switch between those modes somehow. In any case, your plan is reasonable. Now, there's nothing wrong with a reasonable plan. But it's not very interesting. I much prefer your Mustang idea. Go with that. EDIT: Buy this, it's well under budget and it's ready to go. quote:Currently wearing the stock rims with new Nokian Hakkapelliita R winter tires ExecuDork fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Jan 20, 2016 |
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Jan 20, 2016 00:53
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The X5 tank is only 85 liters and gas at costco this morning was 69.9. that's only $60 to fill. unless you plan on living here forever, you should get something you're never gonna get anywhere else in the world like a big rear end lincoln navigator or a leathered up brotruck.
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Jan 20, 2016 01:02
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Powershift posted:unless you plan on living here forever, you should get something you're never gonna get anywhere else in the world like a big rear end lincoln navigator or a leathered up brotruck. Coming from Japan! Opportunity! Buy a 15-years-old-to-the-month Nissan Skyline R34 GTR in Japan. Have it shipped to Vancouver, and then shipped (by train or truck) to Calgary. Get it safetied and set up for Alberta (a couple of hundred dollars? Any decent independent import-service shop will have experience with Skylines) and drive it in its strange new home. If you ever go back to the UK, TAKE IT WITH YOU. Global Car. gently caress Yeah.
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Jan 20, 2016 01:06
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While an x5 style vehicle would be good, the X5/x3 is typical german junk. As a daily driver at the end of it's warranty term, I personally would go with something easier and cheaper to get parts for. http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/calgary/2008-saab-97x-v8-leather-sunroof-awd-90daynopayments/1108939672?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true Get this trollblazer. Cheap, low km's, standard gm platform with a solid drivetrain and a few upscale trim bits.
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Jan 20, 2016 01:08
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They only made 11k R34 GTRs vs 16k R33s and 44k R32s. Even lovely R34s cost a lot more than $30k. that is a good point about the opportunity of already being in japan, but our dollar suuuuuuuuuuuuucks, and it's not just falling against USD, we're down from 100 yen to 80 yen and most of the recent used cars on the market were bought with a 100 yen dollar, or a 1:1 us dollar. Also, being a british expat in japan, i would imagine going to LHD in a RHD car would probably suck.
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Jan 20, 2016 01:13
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A random sampling of every time I've driven into work in a snow storm has shown me that unless you're putting studded winter tires on your car you probably don't need AWD/4WD unless you're offroading and it really isn't offering any sort of noticable advantage if you've got all seasons or just regular winters versus studded. Go for the gold. Get the mustang.
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Jan 20, 2016 01:19
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I drive 200km a day through the snow belt in Ontario and the best winter I've had was a BMW E34. Reasons: 1. LSD 2. Took 8 litres of loving washer fluid 3. When it wasn't exploding cooling parts it heated very fast and got really hot 4. Glove warmer vent on the dash
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Jan 20, 2016 02:17
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I didn't know those facts about the e34. It's just moved up many notches on my want list. Other than a pile of internet hype about a prototype or concept-car in cabriolet, it's available as a 4-door or a wagon. Want a wagon. Badly.
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Jan 20, 2016 03:56
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Do yourself a favor if you plan on staying here a while: Go get a replacement Japanese license. Tell them you lost it and get a second one. The government of Alberta will make you surrender your foreign license, so if you want a keepsake you need to get one now. I miss my Bermuda license  Also, look around and see what insurance companies provide insurance in Japan. If any are in Canada as well you can generally transfer over your driving history, which can lead to a way better rate. Nomex fucked around with this message at 04:19 on Jan 20, 2016 |
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Jan 20, 2016 04:17
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Nomex posted:Do yourself a favor if you plan on staying here a while: Go get a replacement Japanese license. Tell them you lost it and get a second one. The government of Alberta will make you surrender your foreign license, so if you want a keepsake you need to get one now. I miss my Bermuda license I thought he had no Japanese driving history or license, just a several-years-old expired license from the UK?
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Jan 20, 2016 04:22
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ExecuDork posted:I didn't know those facts about the e34. It's just moved up many notches on my want list. Other than a pile of internet hype about a prototype or concept-car in cabriolet, it's available as a 4-door or a wagon. I'd consider crime for a mint wagon. It's hard to find one with a five speed, and the LSD was only offered with the "winter package" pre-1993, sedan or otherwise. Mine also had the darth vader sport seats. After 5 years of good service rust took it away from me. I kept the seats for the day I find a wagon with a 5 speed.
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Jan 20, 2016 06:37
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Powershift had the right idea. Buy this. http://m.kijiji.ca/classic-cars/calgary/1979-lincoln-continental-collector-series/v?adId=1134075737&ck=CK&from=Search&ts=1453311430212 Replace all the rubber and plastic bits.
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Jan 20, 2016 18:38
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Yeah, buy some North American monstrosity so you can email pictures to all your Japanese/UK friends and drive the gently caress out of it here. If you're reasonably mechanically competent, Pre-2000s and earlier North American cars are typically* pretty cheap to buy parts and maintain. Fuel prices are approaching 10 year lows (mid 70s here today) but by no means count on that. When fuel is twice what it is today you'll want to kill yourself if you buy some huge guzzler. Slung Blade posted:Powershift had the right idea. HOWEVER, this can be found http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/lethbridge/1977-lincoln-town-car/1115667832?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true Throw the old codger a low-ball and enjoy enough your new tank but don't forget to buy some vacuum hose in bulk. Regarding 4x4, it is absolutely true you will put power down and get going faster, but you still need good tires to stop well and not go flying off the road once you are moving. Decent brand new all seasons can do surprisingly well, but still pale in comparison to even mediocre winter tires. If you are going to buy an AWD, do not buy a BMW SUV. They are terrible 4x4s (even in the snow), do not have the greatest reliability and dealers will bankrupt you if you can't on it yourself or find a good private shop that will touch it. Either buy something decent but North American or better yet something Japanese like a 4Runner or Pathfinder. slidebite fucked around with this message at 20:51 on Jan 20, 2016 |
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Jan 20, 2016 19:03
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Xterra's are also pretty cheap and very capable 4x4's, though not awd so you'll be switching it into and out of 4x4 when turning on dry patches.
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Jan 20, 2016 23:17
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Thanks for all the advice. If classics are up for debate, does anyone know what Julian drives in Trailer Park Boys?
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Jan 21, 2016 16:49
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I believe it's a Monte Carlo although don't hold me to that as its been a long time since I've watched.
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Jan 21, 2016 16:56
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The Shitmobile is a '75 New Yorker. In later seasons Julian does indeed drive an 80s Monte Carlo
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Jan 21, 2016 17:24
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He also drives a Terminator Cobra
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Jan 21, 2016 18:26
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Seat Safety Switch posted:The Shitmobile is a '75 New Yorker. An '87 SS if I'm not mistaken.
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Jan 22, 2016 05:05
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I've always liked the look of the SS. That and the Regals of the GNX era. I think I'm going to break the bike out today and ride it to the inlaws to park it in their cavernous garage. By the looks of it, I might be taking it out again late next week too.
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Jan 23, 2016 18:48
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