CARBIZ

I'm with SixtyEight on this one. There is a fine line between 'slamming' the competition and 'enlightening' people. I keep a thick file at my desk (a lot of stuff sourced via C&G, I might add ) pointing out the lies and subterfuge that Toyota and others have been pulling. I don't pull it out very often, but every once in a while when a customer either starts expressing total ignorance about Japanese cars (like: they are automatically better) or, clearly they are at my desk to find reasons to confirm why they've already decided to buy Toyota, I pull out the print outs of various articles that point out that Toyotas are not perfect. When you are in the business and there are certain blatant problems out there, it can ingratiate the customer to you by telling (or proving) certain pitfalls out there. For example, a 60 month lease is a horrible idea for any manufacturer, but Hyundai and Kia promote the hell out of them around here. I have closed many deals (keep in mind that leasing is a huge part of the Toronto market) by pointing out that in the 5th year they will be stuck for tires, more maintenance, timing belts, etc. It isn't really 'bashing' the competition, but there is nothing wrong with pointing out pitfals for the customer. I think the way SixtyEight handled it is perfect. I've overheard people in my gym 'bragging' about their vehicles and I usually ignore it, but occasionally I will make a remark. Very often I refer them to C&G where the debates (as we all know) are lively and where the good (and the bad) gets aired equally. There is absolutely nothing wrong with an informed customer.

Are you kidding me? I can step out my door and its 'tranny' city out there. I especially love the ones on crack that sing to themselves as they strut their stuff up and down the street. They're building a 43 storey condo on the corner, so once those mortgaged-to-the-titties folk move into their new digs, the 'girls' will have to move along. Yeah, Toronto is 'world-class' alright.

They should send over most of the political hacks and bureaucrats: Iran would collapse in a month.

Remember: these are the good ol' days!

Works for Canada. Works in Europe. If you want to drive a Hummer, fine, but at $4 or $5 a gallon you will drive a lot LESS or you will have to get a second job. Otherwise, buy a Malibu or Cobalt. Plus, with the extra BILLIONS, Washington could invade Iran next, too.

The auto market is so vastly different in the U.K. I don't take any of their reviews seriously. The entire island would fit into a corner of Ontario or Texas. It takes 6-7 days to cross Canada from sea to sea. You can do that in England in an afternoon. Plus, they are paying three times what you Americans are for gasoline (or petrol, as they call it.) Have you seen many of their country roads? They were built hundreds of years ago and are only suited for donkey carts. As to the abdication of manufacturing, I went looking for shoes on Friday and (as per my recent vow not to buy anything Chinese), every single pair of shoes were produced in China. Even major brands like Clark and others. I found two pairs made in Slovakia and one pair made in Thailand. I will be damned if I will pay $100 for a pair of shoes made in China. England has desperately held onto its shipbuilding industry because she perceives that industry to be of national importance - after all, England is an island.

I'm glad that I will be dead in 20 years or so. Big Brother is everywhere. Watch the movie Minority Report, if you want to see where we're headed as far as Big Brother. ON Star is great, but the insurance lobby is way too powerful and will get there way. They offere discounts now (to soften us up and get us used to the idea), but in 10 years some sort of tracking devices will be mandatory. There are some upsides (finding a stolen car), but the downsides are enormous with the potential that any vehicle can be tracked anywhere it is. Sure, I think we would all agree that a Sex Offender's vehicle should be 'tagged,' but where does that end. Remember, only 35 years ago, ordinary gay people were considered sex offenders. I have personally seen how fickle the strong arm of the law can be, how glacially slow democracies are in reacting to real dangers, and how tenuous our 'freedoms' are. I am not optimistic about the Brave New World.

The tall one has had most of her parts done: new hips, new face, the boobies are sort of real, but (you might want to put down your fork if you are eating and ready the air sickness bag), 'she' parades herself at the nude beach here in Toronto, with her (rather sizeable) member still flapping in the breeze. She has had alot of work done, and I've seen her go by the name of Brazilian Barbie. More like Brazilian Barbie after she was set alight.

True, but unfortunately, while it makes exporting cars and trucks to the U.S. more expensive, it also makes the BILLIONS in profits that Toyota has socked away worth more, unless they've invested in U.S. dollars, of course.

Actually, he was on fire and had to be hosed down....er, or was that me?

I mean, hell - they can ban everything else. Why not ban glacial melting, or global warming for that matter?

Is this what we want? More of this?

[attachment=1136:Summer_2007_014.JPG] I'll see you one sock puppet and raise you....... :blink:

I would be more than happy to post more gratuitous pics of half naked guys to attract more women to the site. And I am not an addict: just because it's Saturday night and I am at home typing this, rather than out partying with my friends.

Well, they already have the world's best plastic surgeons down there. More business for them. Brazil is a very strange country. They can't fix their roads or airports, but they are going to pay for that? Unfortunately, that type of silliness runs rampant in Canada due to the way our Consitution was written as well. It's easier for spineless politicians to hide behind Court decisions, rather than have to actually make tough decisions.

Fly, do you have shares in Texaco? We're paying $3.88 a U.S. gallon (.97 a litre) up here. We hit 1.30 a litre (about 5.20) two years ago when Katrina hit. I just bought an Optra 5 for my other half and he only drives about 150 miles a week, so no, we don't care too much about gas prices.

Price is always a factor. The Civic is over-priced. Those with brain tumours are paying what they ask. Smarter folks are buying Mazda 3s. Really smart folks are buying Cobalts. Stepford families are buying Corollas because they were told to, and they are cheaper than the superior Civic.

Cedar Point is on Lake Erie....sorry, gotta go, I am packing. I should be able to make it there in 3 - 4 hours.

Look, the days of any Ford or GM car selling 400k+ are gone. The last time that happened, Nissan, Honda and Toyota were still a joke and the truck market was tiny. Throughout the '60s,'70s and '80s, a hit GM or Ford (like the Chevette, Falcon, or when Chevy could unload 290k Montes and 390k Chevelles in the same year ['73]) could hit 400k, but no more. Chevrolet may be selling at near its peak, but more than half of those are trucks, or truck wannabees like the Equinox. I understand why GM can't just wipe out entire divisions, and believe me when I say I am feeling their pain in my own portfolio of customers. However, it is badge engineering that is killing the company. Either GM has to figure a way to prune its dealers by 30% or more, or get rid of a couple divisions. That much is plain. Pitting dealer against dealer is benefiting no one, and I'll bet that a significant number of confused and pissed off customers just shrug and to to Ford or Nissan. It won't matter one bit if the Malibu is the best car ever built by anyone if GM does not figure out how to market it and NOT have the same damned car at Pontiac and Saturn. This may be GM's last chance at keeping their market share successfully over 25%. If they screw up this launch, we will be seeing the bottom side of 20% within a year.

I DON'T LIKE BEING MADE FUN OF..........................................

Only Chevrolet or Ford have any hope of selling 400k+ of ANYTHING. As much as I would love to see the Malibu sell 400k - without being whored out to Fleet, I doubt very much that can happen ever again. There are too many decent entries into this segment for the consumer to choose from - no matter how good the Malibu turns out to be. The best we can hope for is that it can bloody the Camcord's nose and bring their numbers down, rather than eating the Impala alive.

One thing I think that non-truck people fail to truly appreciate is the beautiful way the Suburban rides and handles for a vehicle of its size and heft. Think Mama Cass as a ballet dancer. The way the new Suburban corners, absorbs bumps and gets out of its own way is truly a marvel of engineering. It takes me back to the days when only big, American cars rode and felt right on the roads and highways. You know, before all the FWD crap and transverse engines killed the party.

We can play this 'should have' game all day. The Equinox was a decent vehicle - as a stop-gap 4 years ago, as was the Uplander. GM spent all of its money (and time) on the full size SUVs and the pickups. Okay, I understand that they are important to the American market. But in Canada, the minivans and CUVs are a more important market, particularly in the 3 largest markets: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver. I would liked (past tense) to have seen the GMC Enclave, Chevrolet Acadia (who cares about Saturn) and a kick-ass minivan exclusively to Chevrolet (no Pontiac version), maybe an upscale minivan for GMC and a small 4 cylinder CUV for Chevrolet. Ditch the Trailblazer. Let GMC keep the Envoy, if they want. I am not sure how far along the P-B-GMC amalgamation is going south of the border, but I am hoping that once its complete we can see a lot less of this re-badging going on.

It looks better in real life.

For sure it will canabalize the Impala. I love the Impala - it is my kind of 'American' car; however, with the older platform, the rear seat room is only the same as the current Malibu. If the new Malibu addresses these issues, plus has a better powertrain, ride, etc. , why would anyone buy the Impala? If GM gets this right and moves the Impala upscale and RWD in 18 months or so, then Chevy could have 2 hits on their hands. I am waiting with breath held.