New plates!

After a number of weeks of trying, I've got "my" car sorted out!

I had to do a number of things to get it transferred over to me, from Grandma. I was diligent while in Ontario, getting all the required paperwork from Grandma, and was able to do this reletively pain-free.

It took some time to get all my ducks in a row once I got here. I had to get a provincial inspection, as well as have my driving record transferred from Ontario to here. But it's all done, and I'm sorted out insurance-wise!

The way insurance is done in BC is different from Ontario. Here, the government runs auto insurance with an outfit called the Insurance Corporation of BC, or ICBC. They base your rate primarily on your driving record. There is a base-rate, and you get discounts off that rate for however many years of safe driving you have.

For example, pretend the Base Rate for Vehicle X is $1000/year. If a new driver were to buy that vehicle and insure it, they would pay $1000/year. If a driver with three years of faultless driving insures the same vehicle, that driver would pay the Base Rate, minus 5% for each year he or she has been faultless. This driver would receive a 15% discount for the yearly rate. The highest discount you can earn is 43%.

ICBC has a rate grid they use to calculate their rate. For each at-fault accident you are in, you move up three steps. The higher you go on the grid, the more you pay. The safer you are, the less you pay. Some people are below the base-rate, and others are much above it.

I have had many years of faultless driving, and am eligible for a 40% discount, the most offered to an out-of-province driver. If I am a safe driver for another year, I will get the extra 3% and be at the cheapest rate possible for my vehicle, a 42% discount.

I'm quite happy with my rate, as I'll pay less than $100/month for my insurance.

Thanks again for the car Grandma! Everything went smoothly and I am now in sole possession of the vehicle. I really appreciate you giving it to me. It's been raining a lot lately, so convenience aside, it's saved me from getting really wet!

I'm getting about 800km to a tank of gas, which is excellent. I bet I could squeeze 1000 out of it if I was driving through Manitoba and Saskatchewan again, and keeping the speedometer at a lower speed.

I think my car's name is going to be Shiffy, since my new plates end in SHF. Or, I may call it The Schiff. Or Shiffster. Shiffty Shifterton. The options are many!