J1 visa can we buy and insure a car in NY

[Neyir]

Hello, have had a look through and don't think I am asking a duplicate question.

My husband, son and I are moving down to NY state (rochester) at the beginning of August. We do not currently have a car and are trying to determine whether we should buy and insure a car in Ontario or buy in the US. Will we be able to buy in the US and get insurance and if we do does it not reduce our ties to Canada?

At this point my husband's contract is for 1 year renewable for 2 more.

One final question, could we lease in either the US or Canada?

Thanks

[Steven]

If you're moving there it makes more sense to buy there. As you can see from the various threads on here about people having problems moving their car.

The main problem you will have if you lease is that you cannot import the vehicle into Canada if you move back, because you don't own it. Ditto for having it financed, you must hold the title for it to be able to import it into Canada. Same logic applies if you buy a car in Canada and want to move it down.

Having a car and presumably DLs certainly does reduce your ties to Canada, whether or not that is a problem for you depends on your circumstances. OHIP has their own residency rules which are distinct from the tax rules so I doubt you can maintain OHIP even if you keep your tax home in Canada.

[joshr]

Hello,

without any established credit in the US, how would it be possible to lease??

[MC]

My husband, son and I are moving down to NY state (rochester) at the beginning of August. We do not currently have a car and are trying to determine whether we should buy and insure a car in Ontario or buy in the US.
Thanks

You are far wiser purchasing in the U.S. as opposed to Canada. Prices for new vehicles in Canada are always higher than compared to the States for a given model. For example, if you were considering a Nissan Maxima, the Canadian sale prices will always be higher than U.S. prices. Therefore you are much better off purchasing in the States by many thousands of dollars.