Ask the Editor Recap: Does a Front-wheel-drive Honda S'Accorde With Canadian Weather?

Mark Stevenson
by Mark Stevenson

Pete writes:

Mark,

I know you are a busy man, but I am confident the B&B have been waiting with bated breath to learn how I plan to solve my car dilemma associated with moving from Tampa to Ottawa.

To recap, I will be moving for a three-year stint to Ottawa and bringing my ’98 Honda Accord with 180,000 miles on the odometer. My wife’s ’04 Honda Accord will stay in Tampa and serve as her transportation during the tax seasons.

Here is what I have decided (based largely on the advice you and the B&B provided).

The ’98 will be coming with us having undergone (underwent?) numerous fixes to maximize the likelihood that it will survive three years in the Great White North (more on that later). It will also be getting the Krown treatment and a set of winter tires as required.

Your point about the favorable (to a Yank) exchange rates made it clear that EVERYTHNIG in Canada is on sale. That clearly points to buying a Canadian car as an option, keeping it for the three years I’m there, and selling it before my departure. This purchase will likely be a used all-wheel-drive SUV that, frankly, I don’t have to love; just tolerate for three years.

(Side note: the exchange rates are becoming less favorable to someone spending US dollars. For the sake of my friends to the north, I won’t complain about that.)

I researched importation and emissions laws in Canada and concluded that my ’98 with its 8-year evap. system leak (Florida don’t care) and check engine light would never pass Canadian emissions. After being told by a local Honda dealer’s service department that they couldn’t find the problem, and replacing various evap. valves myself, I solved that problem. To the Honda dealer’s credit, they gave me a new gas cap for free and refunded the diagnostic fee. I am reasonably confident that my beloved Accord should do just fine for three more years after several other self-performed fixes (both drive axles, transmission fluid change, new battery and cable, new EGR valve, spark plugs and wires, oh, and an engine block heater). As the ’98 is more than 15 years old, there is no requirement that it have Daytime Running Lights, but I think I will install some aftermarket because other drivers are used to seeing them and it would probably increase safety.

Canada forbids disposing of (selling or abandoning) a car that was imported north of the border. If I can’t drive it home under its own power, I will just have to get it across the line. It also occurs to me that Honda of Canada sells the Accord Sedan in Touring trim with a manual. Hmm …

Finally, before I head up, what resources are available to research new and used car prices in Canada? Could any of the Canadian B&B offer advice on the Canadian car buying experience?

Thanks,


Pete

Thanks for the update, Pete! And sorry for just getting around to it now.

As you probably have already learned, Craigslist isn’t terribly popular north of the border. If you are looking for another used car, Kijiji will likely be the best bet for private sales, and AutoTrader will offer you the best selection of dealer-owned vehicles. Canadian Black Book is also the best option for finding vehicle values, should you want to know the value of a used vehicle.

Welcome to Canada!

This is “Ask the Editor,” where you can pose questions on anything you want as long as it’s somewhat car related. Chances are you’ll receive a different answer depending on who you ask — so caveat emptor! Do you have a question? Send it to editors@ttac.com and we’ll make sure it gets routed to the correct party.

Mark Stevenson
Mark Stevenson

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  • Theonlydt Theonlydt on Aug 25, 2016

    WAAAAIIIT!!!!! Don't do anything rash, apart from this. 1. Sell your Accord. 2. Sell anything else superfluous. 3. Do not tell your wife, do not let her see your screen, clear your browsing history. 4. Buy this. 5. Buy some leather conditioner. Because W8 4Motion. http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Volkswagen/Passat/SAINT-PASCAL-BAYLON/Ontario/19_9347659_/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=2_75_66

    • See 3 previous
    • Theonlydt Theonlydt on Aug 27, 2016

      @Jagboi As long as your highly competent VW service location has an engine crane, and all those little plastic runners for the timing chain.... Why would you need your own?

  • Lurker_n Lurker_n on Sep 07, 2016

    Sorry for being late to the party, lurker from Ottawa here, hope this helps: If you keep the Accord, I just check the inventory of some local you pull junk yard, there should be enough of them there to pull what ever DRL modules you'll need. (if you need it, from what I've read about importing cars from the US, they don't always check. Google for some articles/blog about other people's experiences) Winter tires, get it from the US. Especially, you might still be able to bring stuff over the boarder without paying tax on your first move. My experience has been Tirerack (rim and tires) costed me about the same as going to costco down the street for the same tires. Used car shopping: Autotrader, but also look for smaller towns around Ottawa for better deals. You'll find there isn't a huge advantage buying private here in Ontario after they change the law a few years ago. Back then, private sales only pay 1 tax, while dealers collects both taxes. Now a days, it's 13% dealer or private, so the advantage of going private isn't as big as before. As other have said before, Ottawa being next to Quebec, you'll find a truck load of ex-Quebec cars that are for sale here. (many of them would either have bad history or they don't pass the harder Quebec inspection) So, unless you know what you're doing, stay away from ex-Quebec cars from Ottawa dealers. Ottawa used car dealers: more or less the same as what people say about used car dealers from anywhere else, when I went car shopping 2 years ago I ran into all the stereotypes. Similar experience at the used lot at manufacturer dealerships. Ottawa mfg dealerships: they're all more or less own by 3 groups of companies/families. 3 out of the 5 Honda dealerships are own by the same person, so be prepare to get bent over a barrel. I ended up driving 2 hrs to a smaller town to get my ride but it turns out that dealership is also own by one of those 3 groups, but they were more willing to deal since the local market was smaller. It's interesting to see the level of don't give a f*ck when the same group owns all of the dealership of the same brand in the area. Good luck.

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