Salutations:
It's a sodium bargain with the devil around here brother Rodney.. On the east coast you either pave all the main roads in a deep mound of salt come December - and keep it topped up - or everyone stays home until May..
The problem is that the roads don't freeze outright - but rather - temps usually go up enough during the day to start a melt (or let it rain) - then the winds from the North Atlantic come it after nightfall and freeze everything over until about 10am the next morning when it cycles again.. Not every night of course - but at least 30% of the time and all through the winter on and off..
Thusly - I once was rolling along across the New Brunswick / Nova Scotia border at about 45kmh (on a 90kmh stretch of the TC) and literally sailed straight across a bend in the road as if the steering wheel had simply become disconnected.. There is nothing you can do but lock up the brakes and hope they catch on the downward run into the ditch (which it did) - then back it out if you aren't in too deep..
As to shipping - yes it's a serious issue to Halifax - I think it can be done for about $700-$1,100 Canadian - but not much less unless you are a dealer and have several cars to bring down..
That said - I have been keeping my eyes on e-bay.ca just in case there is something that doesn't look too bad.. Any good leads? The 1991 mentioned below wasn't the new body style or in much better shape than my current ride.. Although I was surprised at how peppy the non-turbo 2.3 engine was..
I'm looking at the 1987 5 speed hatch this weekend..