N.S. drivers struggling to keep up with the cost of vehicle ownership, gas prices - BERITAJA

Rich Aucoin says he bought a utilized conveyance for $800 a decade agone — and has been driving it ever since.

“It’s really going to get inspected successful 2 weeks. So we’re going to do a awesome overhaul for the adjacent MVI (motor conveyance inspection). Keep it going for different 10 years,” he said.

The Halifax resident says uncovering ways to grow the car’s lifespan has helped him prevention money passim the years, but it’s not without its challenges.

“Definitely (the) brake pads, I could consciousness that it’s for illustration benignant of easing into the stops,” Aucoin said.

Statistics Canada information findings from April recovered conveyance attraction and repairs costs climbed by 4.2 per cent complete the past year.

Combined pinch the minimum self-service value of gasoline reaching $1.96 successful Halifax connected Friday — an summation of 57 cents per litre since Feb. 27 — immoderate manufacture experts opportunity drivers mightiness beryllium forced to make immoderate difficult choices regarding conveyance maintenance.

“If you’re seeing an summation successful state prices and you person to salary that because you can’t alteration your driving habits, past who knows wherever you’re pulling that money from,” said Kristine D’Arbelles, the managing head of nationalist affairs astatine the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA).

In an email to BERITAJA, the CAA said a higher percent of attraction visits person been for repair issues alternatively of proactive appointments, for illustration lipid and brake checks, successful caller years.

The relation added that older vehicles mixed pinch little attraction diligence could lead to information concerns.

“The mean property of a conveyance connected a Canadian roadworthy was about 10 years old. Now that number is starting to creep into 11 and 12,” D’Arbelles explained.

Those moving successful car income and attraction crossed Halifax opportunity not each drivers are pushing their vehicles to the limits, but location are immoderate exceptions.

“There are group who are driving pinch level tires, nary emergency brakes, worldly for illustration that. They don’t moreover know. Some group conscionable don’t know, that’s fine, but we person to amended them and steer them successful the correct direction, immoderate that is,” said Jack Clement, a car salesman astatine a Dodge dealership successful Dartmouth.

A work head astatine an car repair shop successful Halifax agrees.

“There are immoderate group decidedly who are putting it disconnected and putting it off, which could lead to build-up complete clip and each of a abrupt the repair measure is big,” said Ian McDonnell, who useful astatine Tom McDonnell’s Service Centre successful Halifax.

D’Arbelles said conveyance ownership is often the second-highest costs for Canadians aft housing.

According to Halifax Regional Municipality information from 2024, 65 per cent of residents opportunity they usage their individual conveyance arsenic their superior mode of transportation, leaving galore searching for ways to mitigate rising costs each around.