Nick86

iTrader: (1)

Well, after 3 years in our nations capital - I have to leave.

I just can't live in the same city as eViL Rotor anymore. Ok, just kidding.

My wife has been relocated to Vancouver, and we've decided that we may as well bite the bullet and head out west. Being that we have no kids, it is probably for a finite period of time, and her work pays for everything - why not? That said, it's a bit of a shock and quite rushed. I'll have the summer here, but come fall I'll be out west. I hope that the rotary community in Vancouver is half as good as the one in Ottawa!

And yes, I am taking my car. They will pay to have it shipped, so at least I wont have to sell it. While the thought of driving it across the country did cross my mind, I quickly decided that was not an adventure I was willing to have! For those of you in BC - what are the laws regarding emissions and inspections? Any tips or advice for someone looking at buying a home and living in the GVA?

coldfire

iTrader: (1)

damn, another nice non-turbo FC gone from Ottawa.
it's too bad to hear but sounds like you made the right decision. i'm sure vancouver will have a great rotary community.

in the mean time, enjoy the summer, looks like it will be a good one for Ottawa rotary owners

C-Murder

Hey, I can tell you from experience that the rotary comunity in Vancouver is pretty good. You might check out www.bcrx7.com, I on there as non other than C-Murder. Haa, Give me a PM if you join up, maybe we could hook up and eat sushi or something. I am in Calgary right now, and also going to the coast, but I leave for the summer and beyond.

eViLRotor

iTrader: (2)

That's right, beeetch!!! This town doesn't have enough all-you-can-eat rib joints to support the two of us!!!

My sister is heading out there in August. She's checked it all out, she can probaly chime in....

SophiaCDN

Sorry Nick, but EvilRotor might be joining me in Vancouver soon, so your escape plan will have backfired!

Their emissions is called air care or something, and you also have to do a safety inspection. Only difference I learned of so far for safety, is that your front windows are not allowed to have any tint on them.

I haven't looked into it that much, since I'm most likely not bringing my car. Just heard some things from someone I know from Ottawa that moved there in December, and brought his car with him. Better to let a local fill you in.

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

Well, I guess then we'll just have to go out for all you can eat sushi!

I'm hoping that the air-care has that 20 year exemption thing that they have in Ontario. Being that the car is an '86, it will be exempt in January. But to be honest, I am not willing to sell my car. I can't get enough money for it to replace it with something I will enjoy as much. The shipping out there is all paid for anyway, so why not?

I am going to get all the info about it when I go out there in the next few weeks. No tints? ****. I like my tinted windows. I'll try and find out more.

Whereabouts will you be living/working?

Cheers!

Insurace is less **** in BC i Think. it's run by the govt so no corporate enterprise to have to bed to for insruance.

SophiaCDN

ICBC (the insurance co.) is supposedly still very expensive though...

Nick: I'll be working right downtown, on Burrard St at Nelson, so I'll try and leave nearby, either in the West End or Yaletown. If I bring my car, maybe I'll live farther out...

MyRxBad

Nick: I think you'll have to re-test for you Vancouver liscence as well, so you better brush up on your Vancouver rules. IIRC the light system is slightly different (when I went years ago). Flashing green means the light is going to change to yellow. not advance.

Good luck in your endevor (sp?) Vancouver's nice, but the weather's dreary. Hit the coast and mountains and that shold take care of your blues!

C-Murder

ICBC sucks, the insurance rates are high, and the licencing fees are pretty expencive too. I believe you have a two year grace period until you have to go through aircare, after that you have to go through every year; and assuming you pass the vehicle inspection. Its not too hard to pass aircare or the inspection, I can give you names of a few great shops out there that I highly reccomend.
Flashing green means "driver beware, possibly children crossing"
I'll be working in the downtown west end, nice houses there, kinda expencive though. Dont live in downtown east side though, lots of druggies (I know, I did a missions trip there for a week)
You can have tint on your windows (I have it, bought it that way from there), not the front windshield or the top half of the side windows (I have no clue why)
Any other questions?

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

My wife will be working in Burnaby, and since I don't know where I'll be working yet, we will be looking at places within about 30mins of there (and no slums thanks!). I HAVE to have a garage as well, so I'll sacrefice a commute to get it! Places like New West, and even as far as South Surrey come to mind.

Not worried about the safety - but the air care is a concern. Is there an age at which the cars become exempt from that?

I'll be sure not to mow down some innocent children because I thought I had the right of way. And if I am going to be tested on my driving, I better learn how to do 80 in the fast lane with my left indicator on..... Oh sorry - that's here.

And yeah, I'll be taking frequent drives into the mountains - therapy if you will.

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

Well Nick, I hope we get to see a lot of you at meets this summer before you leave! I wish you the best, and I'll probably wish it to you in person before then.

I know that cars from BC tend to be in awesome condition because of the lack of salt. Your car is probably happy for the vacation from having to hide for SO MANY months. I hear there's a great rotary community out there, especially considering it's much closer to Japan than we are here.

Heck, I wouldn't doubt if you ended up coming back with not only your car, but some crazy FB-with-a-cosmo-20b monster too, since parts will be easier to find

So much for the new house here!

Have some fun, and I'll see you Sat, I hope you're coming.

Jon

C-Murder

Ya, the only thing that changes with age, is that new cars get away with only getting aircared every 2 years, no exemptions. New west isn't that bad. But you will find that traffic is rediculus. Live somewhere close!!

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

So even though my car is 20 years old, I will have to get air care each year???

I'd love to "live closer" but finding a place within with a Garage that is less than $400K any closer isn't exactly easy!

C-Murder

nope, Vancouver is a very expencive place, plus the winter Olympics in 2010 means higer prices too! luckly they are expanding infrastructure; but that means possible tax hikes.

And because your car is over 15 years old, you will have to aircare every year. Its a $27 dollar charge I think, and the aircare contract ends in 2006, so it might go away then, but I dont think thats very likely. I love the downtown west side, I'd live there and garage my car most of the time and just take transit around, its so beautiful. Pretty much anywhere is nice. Burnaby isn't too bad, Surry, especially northern and central have high auto theft, so deffinitely look into getting a good alarm, a high end one, not a Can. Tire special $50 one.

bennyRE

I was going to post this in a new thread, but eh! i'll just post in here

I myself am moving from Sydney, Australia out to either Vancouver or Kelowna! Are there any links to specific govt related websites in regards to registration and insurance of cars??? or any road rules that i should know that might be a little out of the ordinary??? Because i know there are going to be quite a few differences (main one being... i better remember to drive on the wrong side of the road )

Hope you guys are as friendly and as into your rotors as we are down here....
here are a picture of my most recent ride and a cruise that i've organised down here... i wonder if you guys get the same sort of turn outs???

Cruise that was organised by myself -
http://www.pbase.com/rmo13b/inbox&page=4

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

Dammit - the $27 fee isn't exactly what I am worried about. I'm more concerned about the whole "passing" thing! <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I'll be upgrading my alarm nomatter where I live, but believe me I am not living in the North of Surrey! When I say Surrey, I really mean White Rock! With the Olympics coming, the real estate market will just keep rising, so getting in now and making some money will be nice.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Benny - the car looks fantastic! Can't say anything as to the rotary scene in Vancouver, but here in the east it's great. There are lots of meets and cruises. I think the main difference between here and Australia rotary-wise is that up here - there are very few RX2/3/4/REPU etc. I think you'll find it's more FC/FD focussed. Because of the winters, a lot of old cars just didn't last.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Driving on the wrong side of the road isn't that bad <?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" /><v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 stroked="f" filled="f" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:formulas><v:path o:connecttype="rect" gradientshapeok="t" o:extrusionok="f"></v:path><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:shapetype><v:shape id=_x0000_i1025 style="WIDTH: 11.25pt; HEIGHT: 11.25pt" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=""><v:imagedata o:href=\"https://www.rx7club.com/images/smilies/wink.gif\" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/nleonard/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.gif"></v:imagedata></v:shape>. Whenever I drive in England I just have to keep remembering "Keep left keep left keep left keep left keep left keep left" You just have to keep right! <o:p></o:p>


<o:p></o:p>

Whanrow

That is one gorgeous FB. Love the colour, the stance, the wheels - all of it!

C-Murder

Ya, White Rock is a very nice place, a ton of old people though; and kinda far from places, but still a "worth it" place to live. I used to live there, I wouldn't mind going back. (The tap water in White Rock is awsome, natural spring water out of the tap, no joke) But ya, about the passing thing, its really not too hard, you basicly just need a cat, and you get a two year grace period to fix whatever you think might be wrong, and there are many shops that would fix it for a good price. The RX-7 seen in Vancouver isn't too bad, a bunch of young kids have FC's, aka, a bit of rice going around. But over all they are a fun bunch, I've gone to a few meets. The funniest one was the 14 of us going bowling, and only 2 7's. Haha, all of them had broken cars.
As for importing cars, it has to be more than 15 years old to import it, and you will find with a right had drive car on right hand drive streets takes some getting used to. So you should be fine, you just have to cough up a lot of money for the shipping. In kelowna you dont have to go through aircare; but Vancouver is quite a bit more pleasent to live in; dispite aircare and high living costs.

Aviator 902S

Whiterock is awesome and well worth the 45 to 60-minute drive into downtown Vancouver. I lived in Vancouver for 18 years until 2000, when my wife and I relocated to Calgary.

There's lots to see and do in Vancouver--- if you bring money. Lots of it. While Vancouver does get more rain than any other Canadian city, most of it falls between October and March. The summer months are usually sunny and warm, with just enough sea breeze to keep the really sweltering days at bay. (except if you're farther inland, like in Abbotsford or Chilliwack). There are even a few days in April where you can go skiing on Grouse Mountain in the morning and then hang out on Kits beach in the afternoon of the same day. The scenery and many of the predominately fitness-concious citizens are beautiful. It's "Hollywood North" in more ways than one. All in all, a great place to visit.

On the not-so-good side there's:

High real estate and rental costs (but probably not much more so than in Ottawa).

High property crime rates (caused by all those junkies and flunkies drawn to Vancouver like moths to a flame by availability of cheap drugs, larger welfare cheques and warmer winters. They support their habits by breaking into homes and stealing RX7s and other cars).

Aircare. No matter how old your car is you're not exempt. And the cops do random vehicle inspections for non-emissions-compliant mods. I hope your car is a sleeper with a relatively quiet exhaust note.

Enviro-***** and ultra-left politics galore--- even more so than any other region in Canada. If you typically vote Liberal you'll find many in this city to be way too socialist and left-leaning even for your own liking. They'll make your friends back in Ottawa seem like Conservatives by comparison. These flakes make so much noise that it takes a relative few of them to effect changes in bylaws that make life miserable for everyone else.

There's a 5 cent per liter transit levy on fuel. That's right--- Translink, the Greater Vancouver Regional District transit authority has been given the authority to blackmail people into parking their cars and taking the bus. Never mind that the transit system is abysmally ineffective and slow (not to mention expensive). Their goal is to make driving so prohibitively expensive that transit might someday seem like a relative bargain. But since the cost of living is so high, many people need to work second (evening) jobs to make ends meet. If they're off their day job in Burnaby at 4pm and have to start their evening shift in Richmond at 5, transit is not an option--- only a car will get them there on time. I wouldn't be surprised if sometime in the near future they place 24-hour parking meters in front of your house in the 'burbs. And woe betide the poor bastards who puts a driveway in to circumvent this tax grab. The city will get even by doubling your property tax.

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) You'll learn to hate these sleaziods. They're a provincial government entity (even though they swear up and down to the contrary) that is infamous for lowballing clients on valid claims while charging higher premiums than necessary. In other words, charging you for champagne while filling your glass with rat ****. True, their prices seem to be more reasonable now that private insurance companies have been using 9/11 (the best thing to ever happen to them) as an excuse to spike rates and reduce service. And they don't discriminate against age, sex or marital status when setting premiums. But since they represent everybody and have a virtual monopoly on mandatory auto insurance premiums they can charge what they want and find fault with the party that offers them the lowest pay-out at claims time--- a direct built-in conflict of interest.

The traffic is insane! High population density + natural bottlenecks in the landscape + too few major routes and bridges + too many enviro-***** who don't want said routes and bridges built = traffic snarls that make Manhatten look like central Montana at 3am. And that's not all--- rememer way back when I was ranting about the enviro-flakes (many of who choose to be on welfare) whose goal is to get everyone out of their cars? I was on my way into downtown Vancouver one morning via the Burrard Street bridge. Traffic was completely grid-locked and I was still about 1/2 km from the bridge. "Must be one hell of a fender-bender," I thought. Uh, no--- about 300 enviro-***** on their bicycles had organized a demonstration to "take the streets away from car drivers and give them back to those on non-pollution bikes and rollerblades! Never mind that said streets were built for cars and paid for via fuel taxes. These morons were riding five or six abreast blocking all lanes in both directions. And they were taking their sweet time doing it. No arrests, no riot, no nothing. It was people like these flakes that made our decision to leave that much easier. We have no regrets.

(end rant)

C-Murder

pretty much; but if you can put up with that your fine

twinturbofc

NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!
man all the good people are leaving WTF!!!, Nick good luck man wish you and wifey all the best in your big journey, I'm sure you'll love it there thanks for all the help on my ride



Jay (cro magnon man)

23Racer

Aviator 902s, I just had to laugh my a$$ off at your description of Vancouver. My wife is from there and I travel to Vancouver about once a month and have been doing it for almost 15 years. I have a bunch of freinds from out there and we talk every day. I agree totally with your descriptions of life issues in Vancouver. I have seen the changes over the last 15 years and the Vancouver today is only a shadow of the city I grew to love.

I still race a car out of Vancouver and know the "scene" pretty well. The city is full of automotive craftsman, who do stuff really inexpensively versus Ontario. The only issue is that the Vancouver traffic is horrendous and the mountains are not really a great place to drive as they are too far away from Vancouver and the Mounties are a pain to deal with (no dickering when getting a ticket). The only local track, Mission makes Shannonville look like the Nurburgring.

Anyways, if you can live near where you work, take transit as much as possible and stay out of the ethnic/ drug crime issues, it is a great place to live. Most people out there are really just good people and you won't have any problem fitting in. Its not like you are from Toronto or anything.

Aviator 902S

True that. Of course, transit there is so abysmal that taking it even short distances increases the trip time by a factor of two to four. Ideally, if you could find a job or business in your chosen profession that's farther out (say, Langley or Abbotsford) you could live there or even in White Rock. The flakes tend to be more urban so your neighbours are more likely to be somewhat sane and friendly. In fact, most people out there are pretty laid back and normal--- it's just that the freaks stir up so much **** that they stand out like a bunch of porcupines at a nudist camp.

As for Toronto, yeah, we like to have a good laugh at their expense whenever possible--- especially here in Calgary and especially if they vote Liberal or NDP. But all kidding and political ideals aside, I've found most of them to be decent company and worth the price of admission.

SophiaCDN

I just got my first insurance quote for ICBC's autoplan... $1,546 per year. I currently pay $1,145 in Ottawa. Licensing and registration is $82 per year (so that is lower than Ontario if I am understanding the licensing fee to be equivalent to what we pay for our plates upon renewal?)