CARBIZ

Why don't elitists like Gore just name their son "Sarah" or "Becky" if they are trying to seek attention.

Although I am enjoying all this Tundra bashing, it really is silly comparing the Tundra, which is a passenger pick up FIRST, to either the Chevy 2500 or Ford F-250. The point of the "half ton" pick ups is that they have a smoother, nicer ride and are really meant for the weekend warrior type, occasional towing or towing lighter (sub 5,000 lb is best) items. For those who are serious about towing or hauling, of course the Ford and GM versions are superior to the Tundra. That is without question. However, the real point is that the weekend warrior, the posers, would be horrified at the ride/handling of the heavier duty vehicles. How many of the people out there on C&G have ever driven the Ford F450? A lawn tractor is quieter and has a nicer ride. The Silverado 3500 with the dualies is not much better. I have driven both, and would not want to own either. Both vehicles are rude and crude when empty, because their real duty is to be hauling a 10,000 lb trailer or a ton of manure in the back - that is what they are designed for. If you try that with a "half ton" truck (which is what the Tundra really is), of course the frame is going to bend and twist. Trust me, I love this Toyota bashing, but the Tundra is still NOT a real truck. As always, Toyota is cutting the middle and, despite their billions in American/Canadian profits being freighted in shiploads of cash back to Japan, they still did not commit the money to make a truck that can be equipped for the dozens of different uses. They made one truck, which will appeal to the weekend warriors who read CR, but to nobody else. Ford, GM and to a lesser extent, Dodge have done their home work and know what real truck people need and want. They have been doing that for 80 years, back when trucks were real trucks. You know, before they were "gentrified" with power windows and visor mirrors. You can compromise on a mid-sized sedan because those people don't know what they want anyway, unless they are told. However, the contractors, farmers, lumber jacks, whatever - they seek no compromises. They know what they need - and the Tundra aint' it.

One of our oldest (if not THE oldest) Cadillac dealers closed 3 months ago and a 40 storey condo will be slapped on the roof of the facade. Just what Toronto needs - another 40 storey condo. (Oh, on their old used car lot, TWO 40 storey condos are going up) Pretty soon, Bay St. will make Manhattan look like Kansas.

Exactly. The P-B-GMC amalgamation should give Detroit some breathing room and allow the products to be spread out better. Buick has no business competing with the Malibu, IMO. Let Chevrolet occupy the lower and middle stratus, while Pontiac can be the sportier division and Buick go after the traditionalists who don't think a soft ride is sacrilege. I am still not sure where the hell Saab and Saturn fit into all this.

But like in any normal (non-unionized) labor setting, smart people will manage their careers accordingly. I am sure a lot of dealers are just waiting for that check to come from head office so they can shut it down. Do you think they will care about someone who has worked for them for 15-20-25 years? One of the oldest Cadillac dealers in Toronto closed recently, and their employees were offered a job in (get ready for this) Mississauga - a half hour drive away in good traffic. Smart people will see the writing on the wall and get out while they can, whether that is out of the business entirely or switching vehicle lines, or changing cities, you gotta do what you gotta do. I, myself, and watching what GM is doing to Saturn with a wary eye. IMO, Saturn will really begin to squeeze Chevrolet dealers in the GTA once the Opel product becomes well received. I'm not sure it will have the same effect in the States, but I've noticed more cross-shopping with the Vue and Aura than in the past. Like Hyundia and Kia, Saturn once may have been a joke but now is getting some credible products while the small car line (which is what sells in this city) is being starved at Chevrolet, or at least has to be shared equally with the stronger Pontiac-Buick line up. I might add that the Hyundai dealer up the street sells triple the vehicles in a month that we do, largely because he only has 8 or 9 other dealers to do battle with, not 39.

Well, at least it was in a Toyota Prius. Can you imagine the embarassment to the family if he was caught driving in a Chevy or a Ford? Do people actually name their kids II or III? I thought that was only in movies. Are we running out of names, or something? Tell Al III that marijuana contributes to Global Warming. He should not smoke drugs. Ecstasy or cocaine is better - they don't have to be burned

I don't understand what the big deal is. Thirty years ago, vehicles were going in the right direction, forced to by OPEC. Weights dropped, horsepower dropped, innovative technology was explored (fuel injection became commonplace, for example) and fuel mileage improved. A mid-80s K-car could get 30 mpg, but of course had anemic performance, which is shunned on C&G, naturally. Manufacturers can do this. Consumers will get used to it. I doubt it will be all that painful. If countries like Brazil can do this, with their meager resources, then why can't we? The past 15 years we have seen an explosion in horsepower and weight, which is contrary to what was happening in the '70s and '80s. Where did we suddenly get the idea that we were awash in $10 a barrel oil? I don't think anybody wants to see a return to the lines and shortages of the '70s, so let's make this work before some crackpot in Iran or Venezuela forces it on us.

I'll loan you my sister's 4 boys (oldest is 14) for the weekend, that will fix you....... Second oldest called 911 a couple years ago because he got grounded. Police took them all away for the night. My mother and other sister had to drive 2 1/2 hours to take them for the weekend until Child Services could complete their report. Youngest decided to lay spread eagled on a Corvette we had in the show room two years ago while my sister was buying a Silverado from me: 4 years old and he didn't feel inhibited about climbing up on a car and laying down!!!! I could go on, but I think you get the picture. The National Post did a great article a couple weeks back about a generation of brats who are growing up who feel "entitled," who were told they were "special" and now that they are becoming young adults they are unprepared for the rear world where their feelings are "hurt" and they will sue at the tiniest slight against their character. Ever see a Yuppie parent or (God forbid) Generation X parent negotiate with their 3 year old? Get the feeling I don't like kids? When I used to have my own company, often parents would let their brats loose in the store and they would run up and down the aisles. I remember a parent giving me $h! because I barked at a kid who was about to get his head caught in the turnstile - after I'd told him 3 times to not play on it! Or how about going to an expensive restaurant (the local Keg Mansion) to have a nice, quiet dinner and the people at the next booth with their 4 year old who squirmed, fidgetted and refused to stay sitting. What were they thinking? Or how about at my partner's citizenship ceremony 3 weeks ago when two families of (I dare not say what nationality) were politely asked to leave into another chamber because their numerous spawn (and they only come in herds) were creating a fuss for the other 60 some-odd people. GAD, I'm starting to sound like my grandfather!

Well, I have to admit that personally I am happy to see Chrysler return to the "American" fold, although as we have frequently debated here, that may have less and less meaning; however, it still remains to be seen what Cerebrus' true intentions are. Let's not pop the champagne corks just yet! And I have to admit that I was wrong. GASP! When Daimler bought Chrysler (oops, I'm sorry - "merged"), I predicted that they could become a powerhouse to be reckoned with. I reasoned that with Daimler's engineering prowess, Chrysler's design scope (remember, at one time the Ram, and "cab forward" designs were head of the class) and buckets of money, Daimler-Chrysler would set the auto industry on fire. Hmm, I guess not so much.

Unfortunately, both GM and Ford are merely following the market downward. There has been a few dealer closings in the Greater Toronto Area, both by Ford and GM, but still dealers are selling about 1/4 of what they were only 10 years ago. In most cases, it is only the used car departments that are keeping many of them alive - or the service department! Although nobody wants to work at the dealer that is the one to close, generally it is better for everyone. I agree that price erosion is largely the result of too many dealers chasing too few customers, and I don't see that serving anyone - not even the customer. I think more than anything, customers don't like confusion, and in good times dealers are all generally singing the same tune; while in bad times, there are wild swings in prices and often outright lies. I've seen sales numbers for this city, and generally Chevrolet dealers are getting pummelled. I am afraid that may be foreshadowing what could happen in the States once amalgamation is finished. Take a look at the product line up for Pontiac-Buick-GMC combined stores, then look at a Chevy store. Which franchise would you rather own, especially in a market where trucks don't sell all that well?

Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel.

Newfoundland or Ontario? These are the choices? That is sort of like a banana split or dried prunes. Newfoundland is a beautiful place to visit (in July when the ice comes off for two weeks!), but live there? They are the only Province to have a NEGATIVE population growth. Judging by all the Newfie flags I see on the back of trucks around here - they are all living in Ontario! To answer your question: what the hell are Cibie Super Oscars?

I have had exactly that thought for very slow business days. We have a concrete median in front of the dealership. We could get half naked women to hold signs above their heads or wear ONLY a sandwhich board below their waist to point out daily specials we are having. It is win-win: people will either pull in to check out our specials, or a 8 car pile up will keep our body shop busy!

Being budget conscious and a "price whore," are two different things. A "price whore" is someone who has a signed deal somewhere else, yet continues shopping. I had one of those recently on the phone. He admitted to having a signed deal with deposit (which means he has legally bought it!) for an Avalanche and he even named the dealer, but wanted me to beat the price. I told him that not only could I lose my OMVIC license for even talking to him, he was the most unethical piece of trash I have ever talked to. He didn't even miss a beat, he added, "well, then if you don't want my business." Want your business, sir? The other dealer can and probably WILL force you to take the vehicle you BOUGHT. How would you like two? A price whore is someone who has bought their last 3 vehicles from the same guy, then shows up at our dealership and wants a price on a Corvette. The guy who sits beside me got this a-hole recently. We both looked at each other, knowing that all this mistrusting jerk was doing was testing his salesguy. Since nobody has the car in question and Corvettes could no longer be ordered (not '07's anyway), even participating in this charade was a sign of mass stupidity. Sleezeball salespeople would be tempted to "low-ball" this hapless idiot to "destroy the price" (in the words of a fine salesman that our company fired a year or so ago); instead, my neighbor told him to come back when we had the price lists for the '08s. Price whores usually get jerked around because seasoned salepeople can smell them a mile away. Reputable salepeople won't deal with them. Why would we? No matter what price we give this guy, he will automatically take $50 a month off (it is never $5 or $8 - it is always something outrageous) and declare he has THAT price somewhere else, or he takes our price and goes back to the dealer where he really wants to buy anyway and beats them into submission. Instead, they will end up with the revolving-door salesman who knows nothing and has no ethics, who then low-balls the crap out of this guy and sends him on his way. But to get back on topic, the HHR is about the same Price as the Cobalt and the interest rates are the same. So a cash deal or a finance would work out to be roughly the same; however, the "residual" is lower so the lease is actually a little higher. I am not sure what that says about GM's faith in the long term of the HHR, but I never question their reasoning when they set the residual values. Again, keep in mind prices and programs are regionally adjusted. An Uplander is the same price as a HHR around here!

Not to mention the UGLY mandated bumpers in '73. After '73 the Eldo just got uglier and uglier, IMO. '71 was a very good year.

What they said. The Intrigue has better seats. The 98's seats were way too short! They only came up 2/3 the way up my back! The Intrigue handles way better and has better power off the line. If it has PCS (doubtfully in '99), then it would be a fer-sure.

Well, at least they are calling it what it is: a tax. Speed laws and speed enforcement has never been about safety. It has always been about taxing the hapless motorist. I passed 3 speed traps on my way to work yesterday morning from downtown Toronto to the suburbs - and that was at 8 a.m. on a holiday weekend. While legislators are quick to villify motorists as being the cause of the next Ice Age, the sprawl of Suburbia, most miscarriages and probably the failure of crop bees, they love motorists when it comes to tax time. Just last week the car-hating Toronto council voted to slap a $60 annual registration tax on vehicles in this city, on top of the $74 annual fee that the Province already charges. Add that to the $65 million in parking tickets and I would say that this city would implode if not for the motorist, yet they hate us in every way. Unfortunately, a few spectacular crashes involving street racing plays right into the hands of the legislators. They will jump on the bandwagon of public panic that is fueled by the car hating media and use the hysteria to plug a few holes in their budgets. Frankly, I wouldn't mind paying these speeding taxes, except for the added insult that your insurance company then slaps a hefty increase onto your annual premium, too. Double bull$h!! Just further proof that our so-called democracy is broken. I've seen studies where upwards of 85% of the drivers ignored the posted limit. Would it not then follow that the posted limit is too low? (GASP!) Not to our tax happy politicians! It just means more enforcement. Look at it on the bright side, boys and girls: these same fascist legislators will never slap a speed governor on your new vehicle BECAUSE this has nothing to do with safety and EVERYTHING to do with raising money for their pet projects.

I'm not sure that Turbo is necessarily a "win." It adds unnecessary complication and possible long-term problems. GM's key fobs have always changed security codes. The LT with the 2.4 is available in the passenger van. The 100,000 mile power train warranty has to be a win. Electric steering is subjective. I like it. Other don't [shrugs.] The sport package is quite impressive, especially the 17" wheels. I drove a base HHR yesterday to do some errands. It was a 2006 with 53k km. I have to say, I was impressed with the smoothness, quietness and the pep of the 2.2 engine. These vehicles are not meant to be pushed hard, but it is surprising what happens when you do. Wolf in sheep's clothing. The flat torque curve of the ecotec engine really benefits these puppies. The HHR has more usable space in the back, once the seat is up. Especially because the cargo area is more squared off. The HHR benefits from better weight distribution because the battery is in the back. Added benefit: you can give your buddy in his PT a boost from the back of your HHR or the front

JEALOUS. JEALOUS. JEALOUS. When I worked at a P-B-GMC-Cadillac dealer in downtown Toronto 25 years ago, these beasts were nightmarishly hard to park. We used undeground parking in a government building for the service cars and we could fly up and down the ramps with all the new Sevilles (the old "bustle-backs), the new Devilles, etc., but these (then) last generation Eldos were WIDE. They took care and aiming to do the 90 degree turn and go up the ramp. Still, loved driving them!!!!!!

Since you are in Orangeville, we share the same rusty climate. When a customer trades a vehicle in, without exception, I can tell without even asking whether they had the vehicle rust proofed or not. Nothing survives more than 8 or 9 years up here without some form of help, whether it is some meticulous owner who washes/waxes the vehicle religiously, or whether they had it undercoated when they bought it, or whether it has been garage stored and only has 35k km on it - a vehicle needs special treatment up here. I have had bewildered people ask why their 1980s "anything" with only 80k km is starting to rot out. Whether driven a lot or not, our winters here are nasty. There are not too many places in the world where a vehicle has to endure 105 F in the summer and -5 F in the winter. That kind of swing is not good for the vehicle mechanically, nor the paint.

I can't say I blame Toyota for doing what they did (if we were truly honest, we would admit that most, if not all manufacturers have done similar stuff in the past), but what truly irks me is the fact that they got away with it. Not a whimper from the media. I don't think I even saw any coverage on this up here. All the Toyota apologists shrugged it off. Darren Seeman (I think that was his name), who runs ToyotaLife.com, was even quoted as saying he would continue to tell people that his Lexus was 300 hp! Yet, 4 or 6 years ago, Hyundai got slammed with a class action suit for a transgression a lot less than this. HYUNDIA! I mean, who ever buys a Hyundai for horsepower? People are just happy when they start!

I have to agree with the line "one of the best and highest quality TOYOTA interiors to date." No argument there. I don't mind it. Still wouldn't be caught dead in one, though.

Proving that there is a sucker born every minute, they will sell. The streets of downtown Toronto are already polluted with these things, usually driven by a 45+ yr. old school teacher. I'm all for fuel mileage, but I can't help but smirk every time I see one of these. Buy a Miata convertible if you want small and cool. Buy a Malibu 4 cyl. if you want cheap and good gas mileage. Buy a Smart if you want to get stared at for all the wrong reasons. Then again, it will probably take attention away from the driver's comb-over.

Maybe, but they aren't in the same snack bracket. The Equinox and Maxx start at $26k (Can); whereas the HHR is $20k. The Maxx and Equinox are V-6s and better equipped, but when people see the "from" $19,300" in the HHR ads, it's a lot harder to get them to bump $6k (oh, and plus our lovely 14% GST/PST combo.) (Right, you're in Alberta so you only get nailed by Ottawa - lucky you!)

You're gonna love this sales story: many of the HHR prospects end up buying the Uplander here. They are priced the same in this market, yet the Uplander RWB has 17" wheels, OnStar, ABS, V-6, 7 passenger seating, heated mirrors, etc. For the same money, you'd get a LS 5 spd HHR with the 2.2 engine, no ABS, no OnStar, etc. Perhaps that is why the HHR is not doing as well in Canada as it is in the States. (I think I remember seeing total Canadian sales of 6,500 or something like that for last year, as opposed to 100k for the States -not even proportionately close.) The styling hits people or it doesn't. Usually, if the person likes the HHR, the styling and then the ride/handling (particularly with the Sport Pkg on the LT) will seal the deal. Frankly, the interior dimensions, horsepower, height, you name it are nearly identical for the HHR and PT. Kinda coincidental, no? The only clear wins the HHR has is in the over all length (about 8" longer), a bigger gas tank (nearly 2 gallons larger) and better highway mileage. Otherwise, the two are very close. Obviously, there are a lot of comparisons between the two vehicles, but if you park them side by side, they do look fairly different. The HHR is more squared off and "trucky." Of course, there are a lot of cute features, like remote starter, automatic headlights, etc. that are "wins" for the HHR, but in the end this is one of those vehicles where I find it wiser to shut up and let the vehicle sell itself. Perhaps surprisingly, I have not had a lot of PT owners look closely at the HHR. I would say it has been more minivan downsizers who are interested in it - and most in the over 45 age bracket, too. We are located in a very "sophisticated" market (read: GM is getting its ass kicked) and I have lost deals to the Mazda 5 (UGH) and others. This is a wagon-wannabe and I suspect the absence of AWD has hindered its sales here. I think this vehicle had the potential to tap into the Subaru market ( a lot of lesbians have looked at the HHR!), but some people wanted AWD. IMO, Chevrolet needs something about the same size as the HHR but in AWD to pick up the Tracker sales that we lost. Hell, even the Vibe was available in AWD!!!!