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      08-09-2011, 12:18 PM   #17
Andy M
Canada
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Drives: 09 BMW 335i xdrive
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (5)

Sorry to bring it off topic about the salt... Alberta doesn't use salt for a few reasons. One is that it accelerates the deterioration of infrastructure like bridges and pavement but the big reason is that when the temps drop below -10, salt isn't very effective. The mixture they use is rock chips and sand. The sand is dark and absorbs sunlight and that starts the melting process (as opposed to snow and ice which is white which reflects sunlight). When the water melts and then freezes, the rock chips will become embedded giving the ice some traction. I believe the mix has a bit of calcium chloride in it too (salt) but it's not a lot. Edmonton (and I believe Calgary) reuse the gravel and sand every year. They sweep it up and dump it into big stockpiles to be used the year after.

Anyway back to the topic...

Canadian Black Book value is the book value but that won't matter depending on the regions. It's just one number used for insurance. Kate Middleton's VW Golf sold for around $75k. Extreme example but there was a demand for it. No CPO dealership will sell for Black Book. One way to research the cost of something is to see what other people are selling it for on AutoTrader. That'll give you a good idea of the regional price of the car.

I know going to the States is a hassle but don't rule it out yet. A friend told me that some cars like an Aston Martin V8 Vanquish are going for around $60k to $70k CDN after import taxes in the US. The US has a much larger volume of cars in general and you can bargain for a lot more in the States due to competition.
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