CARBIZ

That's right up there with those Jalopnik posted pics last September of the Toyota NASCAR trailer being towed by a Silverado! The winds can blow back and forth about the 'reliability' of cars, but when it comes to trucks, Toyota has just been pawned. After 3 generations of trying, even the Tundra can't touch a Silverado by any scale.

Well, I was only quoting from the American website. In Canada, the LT has a 'free' sunroof (about a $900 credit) and 0 financing for 72 months, which is worth another $4,500 or so, depending on what your $30k or so could be doing for you somewhere else. So, up here, the 'Nox is around $4-5k cheaper than the Mazda. I was only picking on the Mazda because we have a new one on our back lot right now. (I know - strange, but we also have Ferraris and Porches on our lot, too). I, personally, think the Mazda CX-7 and 9 are gorgeous, and if I was one of the 'loathed' fat cats out there, I would certainly give the Mazda a look, but Chevrolet is (as it always has) been all about budget and economy. It kind of blows my mind when armchair critics go off comparing the latest Chevrolet interiors to, say, what Acura or others are offering. Take a look on eBay and compare a '65 Impala interior to a '65 Buick or Chrysler. Chevrolet was never about setting the trends - it was about bang for the buck and reliable American rides. My point is that the 'Nox is a decent looking vehicle, rides and handles well, and is well priced in the market. The greater shame is that the Torrent is such a horrendous rebadge. Why didn't GM put the 3.6 in the Torrent 2 years ago and make that the only Pontiac offering, and skip the Equinox Sport? that would have been better marketing, IMO. That is a better way to at least attempt to differentiate the two heinous twins.

You do realize that the brushed alluminum or woodgrain are dealer selectable options - for NO CHARGE. A little more research would have allowed you to go with the much nicer ebony interior on the Impala with the brushed aluminum.

+1 Every designer knows: you don't mix cool colors with earth tones. Besides, the Equinox is what I am talking about, not the uglier Torrent. The Equinox uses 2-tone dash pieces, of lighter and darker grey. The Torrent cloth seats look a little nicer (which isn't saying much) but the Equinox dash is better - not even to mention the horrid orange lighting on the Pontiac.

Two points: 1. Patent ownership and who controls the technology. 2. National Security. Americans can gloat about 'winning' WWII, but there is only one reason they 'won' that war: industrial output. They could build more tanks, planes and ships than either of the Axis powers could shoot up. Simple. Won't it be great if President Obama has to go hat in hand to China, India, or Japan to beg for permission to secure production of foreign transplants here to build tanks. Or better yet, have them imported from China, India or Japan. England may be happy with that; after all, her status as a superpower was stamped out by the Nazis, but I find myself somewhat more concerned about which flags are planted on Mars, and the way things are going........well, let's just say I wouldn't place my bets on any Western powers planting their flag there. Just wondering, is all................

Y'know, the CAW never complained when they were getting all the overtime. When the Impala was the #1 selling GM car (what, like 8 months ago?) and the Silverardo/Sierra crew cabs were flying off the lots. I sold a Z06 for cash to an Oshawa guy a few years back. The new Equinox should keep the CAMI plant humming. Clearly, GM has plans for the plant whre the Camaro will be. This is just a chess game. The bad press doesn't matter. The Toyota Star just looks for crap about GM to print. The Toronto area isn't big on pickup trucks anyway.

Did the Odyssey overtake the Caravan? When did that happen? The last Canadian stats I saw (about a month ago) put the Caravan at #1 here, followed by the Uplander/SV6 twins (yes, Ripley's Believe It Or Not!), then followed by the Odyssey. The Odyssey is a great van but very pricey. And, Dodgefan, you can say what you will about the Cobalt, but in the 3 years it has been around, there have been very few service bulletins on it and no major recalls. That is a lot more than can be said about either the Focus or Neon.

Look, for the most part, we are 'among friends' here anyway. If we can't vent off a little steam now and then - well, the world is a sadder place than I realize. This is the 'lounge.' We've had pretty raunchy tirades before. A newcomer may not even make it this far, being as the auto related subjects are stacked much higher on the main menu. It's interesting to hear that zhawk is an aircraft mechanic - kudos! But didn't I read somewhere that one of the major airlines was moving its maintenace over to Asia somewhere because it was cheaper? I'm racking my brain right now, but I can't remember which airline announced it. I just remember thinking at the time, 'great, more high paying, technical jobs being shipped overseas.' The trickle is becoming a torrent and at some point nobody is going to have a decent job, the U.S. dollar will be worthless and all the good patents will be owned overseas as well. Each and every one of us is responsible for making our lives, and the people's lives around us better, each and every day. Don't wait for someone else to do it. Wasn't it a German priest who coined the famous quote about the 'brownshirts' coming for the gypsies, and he did nothing, then they came for the Jews and he did nothing, then they came for the homosexuals and he still did nothing, then they finally came for him and there was no one left to do anything about it. That little story has always haunted me. At what point will our society have reached the point of no return, where only a war or major correction will right things?

No, this info is just off the internet from various sources. The Silverado hybrid has been identified to have the same mileage as the existing Camry by people who have driven it - and tow 8,000 lbs. Oh, BTW, Ottawa is rushing to Oshawa's side and ready to throw money at GM to 'design and build fuel efficient vehicles.' Hmm, isn't that what GM is trying to do anyway? Step 1: threaten to shutter the plant. Step 2: sit back and let the usual suspects scream and whine Step 3: wait as the government showers you with cash NOT to close the plant Step 4: build the vehicle at the plant that you planned to all along, but now with fresh government funding. Even Toyota couldn't plan this better.

Europe was bombed into the Dark Ages 60 years ago; their 'changes' were forced upon them. Afterward, North America entered a period of lifestyle not seen since Roman times, and until the early '70s were virtually self-sufficient in all resources. (Actually, truth be told, if the borders closed tomorrow, North America would still be self-sufficient.) Americans have the one of the lowest rates of possession of passports in the world. Look it up. I did. My parents dragged me all over Canada when I was a kid, as my sister is to hers now. Try dragging a 14' camper trailer, 4 boys, 2 dogs and 2 weeks worth of crap behind a Zafira. Her Silverado will do just fine. Have you ever travelled to the Muskokas in Ontario or the Wisconsin Lakes? We have 25% of the world's fresh water and the lakes to prove it. Boat and cottage ownership is WAY higher over here than in Europe. There is going to be a lot of structural changes in our economy if oil exceeds $150 a barrel (which I don't think it will.) Nobody in my parent's generation flew anywhere - they drove. My mother has 2 condos in Florida and, you guessed it, she drives twice a year. I am agreeing with you on the NEED for change, all I am saying is that it will take time and $5 a gallon isn't it - not yet anyway. Canada is already at $5.50 a gallon and $4 was our mainstay for a couple years. But all of this is hype whipped up by the media anyway. Oil will come down, not to $50 again, but it will come down.

Ok, this just from the Chevrolet side alone: 1. '09 Aveo will be here in a few weeks, major engine improvements (mileage), facelift, changes to brakes, electrical interior. 2. The Traverse will be here shortly: better mileage, better powertrain than the Tahoe or Trailblazer. For calender year '09, we have: 1. the 'new' small car with the 1.4 turbo 2. new Equinox 3. Camaro (for better or worse, but I'd wager the 2.0 turbo would be hot and fuel efficient) 4. new minivan being tested as we speak 5. Silverado hybrid that shames the 4 cylinder Camry. What more do you guys want? I'll bet a paycheck that GM is fluffing off Hargrove with the Oshawa 'closings.' The TB is a dinosaur and with Traverse coming out, well - anyone at that plant NOT looking for a job a year ago was an idiot. Sorry to be cruel. What about the Impala rumors? Oshawa? RWD? 2.0 turbo in a 'large sedan?' Why not? Even leaving the Volt out of this, GM has more 'small' cars and trucks on their way than anybody else. The current Silverado is twice the vehicle as the Tundra, and with the hybrid it will kick Toyota's ass. It looks to me like the RenCen was planning for either eventuality: $3 or $5 gas and positioned well for both.

There is a '08 1SD (LTZ to you guys) 'Nox 5 feet from my desk. There is a '08 Mazda CX-7 in behind service. According to GM.com and Mazda.com (I am using American prices so as not to confuse you), the LTZ is $28,745 with the sunroof, leather, Pioneer speakers, etc (I used a 14225 zip code, sorry Buffalo). GM offers a 60 month American payment of $500 a month. Over to the Mazda website, the CX-7 with moonroof, remote starter, etc (no OnStar, BTW) is $30,740. Mazda is not 'offering' anything on their website. Whether that is true or not, I don't know, but it is safe to assume that Mazda isn't dealing with this vehicle as much as GM is with theirs. So, based on my research, there is a $2k spread, give or take between the two similarly equipped AWD vehicles. Which has the nicer interior? Well, the Mazda does, but then it is 2 years newer and $2k more. Before we get into the 'well-$2k-is-not-much-money' tired old argument, consider this: you can $2k a month yourself to death. I'm not going to defend the 'Nox interior to the ground, but GM did upgrade it last year (the wood trim is so-so, IMO) and in the leather it is actually pretty nice. There are no big gaps or glaring ugliness like the Cavalier had - or the Trailblazer still has!

Yeah, they could always get rid of the back wheels and just have the rear dragged around by the front wheels. The rear wheels 'intrude' to make room for the rear seat to slide to and aft, which makes more leg room in the back than a Tahoe - a key selling feature of this platform. I'm 6'2" and the back seat legroom is incredible. The '05 interior was nasty, to be sure. The changes in '07 were significant, although the base cloth is still fugly. Which ever discount store is selling GM their remnant cloth (ala Cobalt, Equinox and even the base Malibu) needs to be burned down. Other than the seats, though, the interior of the current vehicle is pretty clean and the fit is top notch. With a few engine tweaks, this vehicle can be a contender because real world driving mileage is not bad.

This Europe versus North America argument is getting tiresome. There is no question North America is different, both in mindset and geography. Canadians often get chastised by the Old World for being energy wasters, yet being the 2nd largest country in the world with a population 2/3 of Britain's is an enormous challenge. As an accountant friend of mine once said, 'you'd be amazed at the difference 5 degrees celsius makes in the cost of everything.' Toronto spent $65 million just on snow removal last winter alone, plus another estimated $17million in repairs to roads and pipes afterward. I wonder what Atlanta or Birmingham spend on snow removal in a year. It takes 5 days to drive from Toronto to Vancouver. I know, I've done it twice - once through Canada and once through the Northern U.S. I've also flown it several times (4 1/2 hours). If two share the driving, it is still cheaper to drive than fly. Many families go on camping holidays because so much of North America is still relatively untamed. The same is not true of Great Britain, unless you mean some of the windswept islands in northern Scotland. Americans more so than Canadians are more likely to spend their holidays 'exploring' America - and I don't blame them: the U.S. has so many beautiful places to visit. Travel by train or plane is often impractical in the shorter hops, then the car rental can add up, too. Throw in a family of 5, and a road trip is far more cost effective. Do they need to do it in an Expedition? No. But would they rather do it in an Impala than a Mini? Obviously. For the younger people on this board, this seems like the end of the world. For the old timers like myself, it is more of the same. Just like the pollution, overpopulation and 'end of oil' fake crises of the late '60s/early '70s, this too shall pass. Things will change. North Americans will change. We will still have fun. We will still have our pleasure craft and cottages because the land is there and, let's face it, we have the oil. We just have to get at it. Remember: Canada is your best friend, and we have more oil than Saudi Arabia. So be nice to us!

GM had no choice but to defend it's truck market. If the Tundra launch had gone better last year and GM's truck dominance had been toppled, Rick's head would have toppled for different reasons. It isn't like GM hasn't been planning for the shift away from trucks. From where I sit, it looks like the Board was hedging its bets and betting on both small cars and trucks. It was during $2 a gallon (for you guys) that they bought Daewoo, after all. Isn't Ford scrambling in the small car market now? The mortgage implosion and the doubling of gas prices is not his fault. (Doesn't it look like GM hoodwinked Cerebrus over GMAC now? ) I admit 2008 looks grimmer than hoped for, but assuming GM weathers this, they do have quite a few smaller vehicles in the pipeline. Let's hope that none of them (especially the Volt) are delayed or prove to be losers. At least this WSJ article showed some balance, pointing out that other manufacturers bet on trucks, too, and the market is largely to blame for this current mess. After all, the Board would have looked like heroes if gas was still at $2.50 a gallon, wouldn't they?

[shakes head] I wonder how many driver's of BMWs actually know how many cylinders, how many hp or whether the vehicle is FWD or RWD. Seriously. There is no denying that flying around hairpins in a RWD car is a blast. There is no denying that a 5 series BMW will drive circles (literally) around an Impala or Malibu. How many people really give a $h!? How many people who actually own these vehicles could figure out how to drive it at its max? Anything more than 200 hp is just pissing into the wind, unless you are towing. Thanks to BMW and others, we have wasted 20 years of chasing horsepower up, rather than fuel mileage - and now look at the mess we are in. In the early '80s, Detroit finally 'got it' and started building more fuel efficient vehicles. Their first attempts were crap, to be sure; however as technology improved, so did the engines and the cars themselves. By the late '80s, 4 cylinders were reliable and becoming fun again. Then in the '90s, the wheels fell off the cart. Detroit discovered they could foist trucks on us, while Stuttgart decided everyone had to do 0-60 in 5 seconds. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would head to Arizona and buy the first rock solid '67, '68 or '69 Chrysler 300 I found. With the TNT package, of course. But I am a pragmatist, and for my daily driver, I chose a 4 cylinder. I don't care about showing off on the freeway; in fact, showing off is dangerous because of the jealous crazies out there and the laser-happy cops. Right now, all we are hearing is reactions. The dust will settle and let's see what is up in 6 months time.

My point is that the Vibe is gutless, just like the Aveo. If GM were to drop a more 'high-tech' engine in the Vibe, it could get about the same mileage and perform better. Of course, it would probably be more expensive, but then Pontiac and Chev should not be competing on price anyway. A rebadge is more than just a different grille insert. If Pontiac is going to survive south of the border, and Chevrolet survive in Canada (because most Pontiac/GMCs outsell their Chev counterparts), then they need to be differentiated by more than just a logo. Otherwise, what is the point of having Pontiac around, if they are just rebadged Chevs?

The minivan was actually Ford's idea. When Iaccoca came over from Ford, he brought with him a few of his pals who had kicked around the idea of a minivan. The original Neon was cute and fast, but very, very rough. I rented one for a week in Victoria back in '94. Quality issues plagued it from the beginning, including the fact that an 8 year old could steal one. Don't get me wrong, Chrysler has contributed a lot over the years (they had the best 3 spd auto for decades, the 'slant-6', they were the first to capitalize on unibody construction, etc.) but they have never been considered a 'trailblazer.' I"ve often wondered if Chrysler would still be around if it hadn't bought Jeep in the late '80s. Even today, as bad as some critics harp on GM, in many ways GM is ahead of the pack: 5 spd autos (over at BMW), OnStar, 5 year maintenance intervals (started 13 years ago at Cadillac and now company-wide) and others.

Yeah, I read that, too. He caught hell at the time, but it proved that GM was ahead of the times. Don't forget, the catalytic converter was GM's, too. It makes me wonder when we started attacking everything GM does and ever did.

Remember to start practicing, "would you like fries with that." It will come in handy real soon.

That's a given. All these companies jumping into bed with the Chinese. Just wait. Once they've sucked in our technology, they are going to boot out the foreigners, one by one.

But Bush is blocking cheaper, more efficient Brazilian E-85 technology, too. There are many culprits in this sad affair.

Could be worse: you could be driving a Tacoma. Watch out for that pot hole!

Even though it makes me inwardly cringe when I see angry diatribes in print, I certainly understand where the emotions come from. Everywhere I look I see definite signs of decay in the West and most of it comes from selfishness. Our grandparents (who threw in to gether for WWII and made all sorts of sacrifices) must be rolling in their graves. As I have stated before, I have had a visceral loathing for Toyota that dates back to the mid-80s, long before I had anything to do with the car business. Maybe it has something to do with the way Asians do business, or maybe it is just our constant stupidity for underestimating them and not understanding that we do not comprehend their culture. We constantly take their politeness and detachment for acceptance, but that is patently untrue. Even now, the media is falling all over itself to report plant closures on the part of Ford and GM, the sudden (but expected) drop in truck sales, focusing on GM and Ford while conveniently ignoring the falling truck sales at Toyota. (Did you see the FJ's sales? Or the Tundra's, in its new $1 billion dollar truck plant?) Again, this is turning out to be another self-fulfilling prophecy. I, for one, am not tricked into thinking GM and Ford did not see this coming. GM had no choice but to defend its turf with the GM-900s and hurled a lot of money in that direction, but as we have seen, other products were in the works: the Volt, the 'new' small car coming out next year, the 2.0 litre turbo, to name a few. Ford is expanding production in Oakville of new cross-overs, while GM probably have something up its sleeve for Oshawa, but won't tell Hargrove because that will, in turn, alert Toyota. We all need to take a deep breath and take a The sky isn't falling. For that matter, I don't believe $130 a barrel oil is here to stay. I doubt we'll see $50 again, but I wouldn't be surprised if oil drops down to $100 before long. The oil companies are suddenly tripping over themselves to find new sources. Just wait until the new find in Brazil comes online. Iraq's output is approaching pre-war levels. There is hope on the horizon. In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt Detroit to get off the truck craze and start building more sensible vehicles again. At least that would force the eco-weenies to find something else to bitch about.

Old Fart? Eek, that would make me nearly dead! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PCS. Trust me, there is a lot of life well into the forties. I still keep fighting off the boys, not that that is a bad thing.