CARBIZ

The Cobalt has the filter, too. You guys should see the Corolla Sport, with the skirting package, alloys and spoiler - now that is funny. What is funnier is that people will pay nearly two grand more for the ugly plastics on the Sport without one iota of performance enhancement. I mean, at least the Cobalt SS gives a bigger engine, wheels, tires, suspension improvements............. Just goes to show how stupid people are becoming. No doubt Toyota will sell every one of these pathetic little cars. I don't mind losing a sale to the Mazda 3 (well, I do) but I cry myself to sleep when I lose a Cobalt sale to the Corolla - unless it is an 80 year old Chinese woman!

We still have one brand new 2006 Silverado hybrid extended cab, if you'd like Canadian dollars, too!

All manufacturers really only need two or three brands. Gone are the days of the Big Three dominating this market. Now there are 12 major manufacturers in the market; whereas, 30 years ago (in Plymouth's hayday), there really was only 4 1/2 major manufacturers in North America (American Motors was always the ugly stepsister) so it made sense for the Big Three to have subgroups within them. Trust me when I say that the average consumer is too stupid and too overwhelmed with branding from every sector of our lives to care. Keep it simple, I say.

No doubt that Chrysler sank the lowest with the worst re-badges. The Plymouth Reliant/Dodge /Aries? Omni/Horizon? At least the current Cobalt/G5 have different color dash lights! My father's '69 Chrysler 300 was decidely different than the Newport and the New Yorker - the Imperial different again, although by that time the shells were becoming very clearly the same. I think one of the worst atrocities ever commited (right up there with the Cimarron, IMO) was the Imperial name being dropped in 1975, with the New Yorker and Newport both moving up from the previous year: talk about slamming resale! Can you imagine the poor sap who paid a premium for a '74 Imperial (which was quite a decent car, actually) and then suddenly saw the lowly '75 New Yorker his twin? Or how about the Newport/Dodge St. Regis of a few years later? I was a huge Mopar fan in those days and even my teenage eyes began to get sore from the ugliness and badg swapping! I dated a guy who had a '79 Skyhawk, and I have to say that even though it was very similar to the Chevy version, there were a lot of differences, especially in the trim, headlights, etc. Chrysler did us Canadians a favor by dropping the Voyager line, and even got to beat the F-150 as the #1 selling vehicle up here for a while. (The combined Caravan/Voyager had outsold the Ford for a while, but they were reported differently - then again, the Sierra/Silverado STILL outsells the F-150. Oh, well.)

Lefty, which was a BIG disadvantage in university. Ever try to unsnap paper out of a three ring binder in a lecture hall? It echoes! Lefties can't write on the front of a sheet of paper in a 3 ring binder. Not fun. And we get ink stains on our fingers if we write fast!

Never trust the computer. To get an accurate reading you have to do it the old fashioned way. I used to get 29 (Imperial) gallons on my '87 Shadow ES, 5 spd with a Turbo, which is why when I bought a (13 year old) '87 K-car for $300 and I was only getting 25 mpg, I was horrified. My '91 Caprice used to give me 23 on average, but that was more highway than city. My '98 Blazer would get 27 mpg (combined), but then drop to 13 when I was towing my 20' boat; whereas, the Caprice would actually get better mileage with the boat behind it. The Malibu 4 -cylinder will easily get 32 mpg, combined - and I am hard on the accelerator. I am currently driving a Pursuit (love the subwoofer and Pioneer speakers!) and it gets worse mileage than the Malibu. I blame the tranny. Over all, the Malibu with the 2.2 is the most impressive vehicle I have driven for fuel mileage. I will be the first to admit I drive like a maniac, which is the only way to drive in this city where the car-hating mayor sets the traffic lights to nail you on red every light and where the only north-south (sort of) route out of the city, the DVP, was built in 1957: if you see a gap, you gotta fill it, or someone else will!

The face plate of the current Equinox may not be award winning, but it is intuitive and not overly complicated. The "bowtie" look that Chevrolet is going to is decidely prettier, but function is equally important in a car environment. Too many, or too small controls are only confusing and take the driver's attention off the road.

You must be able to read, because you did get the 3900 engine thing wrong TWICE. Leather and that engine are only available on the LTZ. Look it up yourself. However, you did ignore the rest of my points. And my rant was merely a rebuttal to someone else's rant. I stack the Impala up against the Camry all the time, and have no problems selling the Impala. It is a great VALUE and it has a good reliability story to tell, too. I'd like to see you run the General. Where was the development money supposed to come from to make this $40,000 Impala that YOU want? GM had to "make do" with this Impala because all their funds were being poured into the GMT-900s and the UAW. So perhaps Toyota did spend a few bucks more on the Camry, but then perhaps THEY should have spent more on the Tundra and then perhaps it wouldn't be turning out to be such a dog, would it? Getting back to the CIVIC (that is, after all, the original topic), remember that it came out nearly 2 model years AFTER the Cobalt, so it damned well SHOULD be better. What is MORE shameful (and ignored by many) is that the Mazda 3 is still a better car than the Civic - and it is the oldest of the lot!

Just as long as everyone takes note that on any major purchase, whether a computer, plasma TV or car there will be a lot of extra charges. My computer, as advertised, was $1,099; however, it was $299 to upgrade to Vista Home Office & Student, get MS version of firewall/anti-virus, have them load everything and test it out, then another $29 for a HP printer (hell, the ink is worth more than that, so I took it and now I have two HP printers!), then $349 for the 2 extra years coverage, which he "discounted" to $269. :AH-HA_wink: Interesting to note that on the actual receipt, the computer was knocked down in price but the warranty stayed at $349, which leads me to suspect he is commissioned higher on the warranty. Hmmm. I let that one pass. I got another $50 knocked off for accepting a computer that was already out of the box, but clearly not used yet. So, the computer was $1,049, everything else was $600! Then, the great Canadian taxes kicked in, almost $231! Ouch. Still, on my Future Shop card I don't have to pay for 90 days. It was the same story when I bought my plasma TV 7 months ago: TV & surround system $3,400; cords and cabinet another $1,500 or so. Next time someone buys a $20k vehicle and bitches about a $295 admin charge I will kick them in the rubber parts!

You and I both know that GM is fighting back; in fact, it is fighting for its life - with one arm tied behind its back! Everyone is only too well aware of the mistakes GM has made. People like you make it your mission (grudge? axe to grind?) to make sure that we NEVER forget. Locally, we have the largest newspaper in Canada, the Toyota Star, that still buries Toyota's transgressions in the Business section, while throwing every fart or hiccup that GM or Ford make on the front page. You love to throw your resume around with an air of superiority, when your resume and mine are really no better than most. You are trapped by what you see in your local environment, as I am in mine. I deal with customers, suppliers, wholesalers, etc. and do occasionally tap into what is happening at our Toyota store, so that would give me slightly better knowledge than the average person - at least my anecdotal evidence is based on hundreds of examples, rather than a few! But I understand and appreciate that my sampling is greatly skewed because what is happening in Toronto is not normal for Canada, which again is not normal for the U.S. But I do think I have some advantage because of exposure to our Toyota brand. I admit that I don't like Japanese vehicles, nor do I like German vehicles. I was never raised on them; would never want to own one. Yes, my biases are definitely pro-domestic, although I used to own nothing but Chrysler's. I had two horrible experiences with Dodge in the '80's, but do I go around slagging Chrysler because of that? No. In fact, when one of my customers starts bitching about their friend/neighbor/co-worker/butcher's Chrysler minivan's tranny blowing up, I challenge them on that. Oh, it was a '99 Voyager. Are Chrysler's like that now? No. Adapt and change, I say. GM has done that, but the media is merciless to the point that it borders on propaganda. GM's newer products are leagues ahead of what they are replacing. Are they all class-leading? Of course not, but then neither is anything from Toyota. But why do apologists jump all over GM because the Impala is not this, or was not that? Instead, some people like to nitpick the $h! out of what the domestics have to offer, based largely on their own preferences, not what the average person would want. Does anyone give a $h! about "overhangs?" Would they even know what the hell that is? Not unless some self-appointed expert pointed it out. What about soft plastics? I get behind the wheel of an Impala and I am just fine with the lack of P-D-R-L and other "oversights." I don't like the Camry at all. Those are my opinons. But what happens when some import humper, disguised as a journalist gets out of his BMW and gets behind the wheel of the Impala? So, Enzl, you are free to point out every single failing of GM and tsk tsk the rest of us for gloating about Toyota's, but remember that some of us may get a little testy because we are so sick of hearing that Toyota can walk on water every day in the press, with our neighbors and elsewhere and forgive us wanting a little peace and respite on C&G

Nothing was wrong with my 4 1/2 year old MDG (Canadian brand) desk top. It has a DVD burner that I added 2 years ago, 256 graphics card, operates at 1.7 ghz, has 768 mb RAM, operates on XP, but I was working on putting all my MPEG-4 movies from my trips to Brazil onto a DVD, interspersed with my digital pics , maybe even a soundtrack, but this proved to be impossible with the old system. Roxio and I had a falling out about 3 weeks ago, resulting in my smashing the original program discs into a million pieces (while my horrified partner and our dog watched), then uninstalled anything to do with Roxio. Nero is far more intuitive and user friendly, but I knew I was going to be hitting a technological wall, so................. Today I bought a HP notebook. The usual duocore operating at 1.6, Vista, 17" widescreen. So far, so good, atlhough (like when we bought our plasma TV 6 months ago), the computer proved to be only about 60% of the price: the software, and warranty cost almost half as much. It still amazes me that computers are supposed to be so great, but the warranty is only a year, yet people demand their vehicles be covered for 3 or 4 years. Any, only one call to the tech center to get my internet working (my disc from last year was not Vista ready!) and so far, so good. The shopping experience was not great. Five years ago, the guy at MDG jumped up to greet me and was very knowledgeable. My trip to MDG last week was met with boredom and lots of looking at his watch. The guy at Future Shop was far more enthusiastic and knowledgeable, so he got my $2k.

I think I should abstain from voting! You should speak up when a dealer treats you right. Not only do they appreciate the pat on the back, it lets them know that going the extra mile is working. Consumers are definitely more demanding than ever now, so it is nice to get recognition that it is being appreciated.

Whenever I get an import humper in our show room, rather than getting into an argument I point out that our sister Toyota store's service department is MUCH bigger than ours and it is never empty That at least diffuses the argument and usually gets a smile. I believe that more and more people WANT to like GM again, and given the right push they will look at them. I have even had a few people remark about the negative press and wonder if something isn't up. I believe the tide is slowly turning. GM's recent releases have been more than decent entries. Toyota's foibles have been getting a bit of recognition, and I also believe the media is very fickle and largely vindictive. Once a few of their Lexus and Hondas start to blow up, they will turn on Japan Inc. like a pack of rabid dogs. I, for one, am not worried that GM has fallen from 35%+ market share in the decade that I have worked here. They had nowhere else to go but down. Every car manufacturer on Earth has made it their personal mission to attack the North American market. It is interesting to note that neither Toyota or Honda have the same appeal anywhere else, nor has their assault been as vigorous and relentless as here. Kind of makes one wonder, eh?

Not sure if this would skew the Impala's numbers or not, but the Canadian government recently gave the Impala LS/LT a $1,000 credit is they are E85 capable. We anticipate a bit of a spike up here because of that.

Not sure if this would skew the Impala's numbers or not, but the Canadian government recently gave the Impala LS/LT a $1,000 credit is they are E85 capable. We anticipate a bit of a spike up here because of that.

DITTO

DITTO

Very young baby boomer.

Duh, I know that, but my warning is to watch what is happening here BECAUSE we already have $4 a gallon gas, heading to $5 on our coasts. And I am aware of Canada's national sales figures and the Silverado is outsold by both the Sierra and the RAM. Chevrolet's name is sinking....fast in Canada - and your coasts, too. Sure, against a stand alone Pontiac store or Buick, Chevy would have the edge, but Canada has always been amalgamated. Right now, the P-B-GMC portfolio is more matched and fluid. As the widow of a former boss of mine said as she dropped off her leased Alero GLS and picked up her new BMW, Toronto is a "more sophisticated market." Read: if it is imported it is good. Forget that her husband sold Cadillacs for 20 years and paid for their kid's gold-plated education by working for GM - the kid was pushing for the BMW, by the way. Chevrolet was paired with Oldsmobile in Canada - and we all know where that portfolio is today. And the Corvette won't own ANY market at $10 a gallon, which we are one more Katrina or Isreali strike on Iranian reactor sites from.

TOYDUH has 14 models YARIS, COROLLA, MATRIX,PRIUS, CAMRY, SOLARA, AVALON SIENNA, TACOMA, TUNDRA, RAV4, HIGHLANDER, 4RUNNER, SEQUOIA FOURTEEN LEXUS has 9 or 10, depending on whether you consider the IS 250 and 350 to be separate: IS250, IS350, ES330, GS430, LS430, SC430, RX330, RX400h, GX470, LX470 They don't sell Scion here, so don't know, don't care. As to the 2 or 3 models remark, that is about how many models they had the last time I cared....Tercel, Corolla, Camry, plus - what, the 4Runner and some little truck they had 25 years ago.

This coming from someone who was patching together their Shadow? This is the point I have been hammering for two years on this board: people do not buy vehicles in a vacuum. Price (or, more accurately PAYMENT ) is very important. FOR AN EXTRA FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS? At some point, when a vehicle is designed, the bean counters, marketing guys and engineers have to draw a line. You could four-thousand-dollar yourself to death. I mean, why stop at the Civic? Why not go up to the Acura? Or an A4? Four thousand dollars is gas for a few years for many people.

As much as I would love to gloat, that would be beneath me to do. However, having said that, WELCOME TO THE BIG BOYS, TOYOTA. It is easy to only built two or three models. Not so easy to juggle 15 or so, is it?

Be careful, GM is amalgamating P-B-GMC these days, and I think if you add up the total model count, they are pretty close. Moreover, I am basing my opinions on the market in the greater Toronto area - the largest in Canada. The Corvette is dead. Most dealers here don't even stock them. The Monte Carlos, ditto. The Aveo sells, but Pontiac has a twin. The Cobalt sells, but Pontiac has a twin. Same for the Tahoe, Suburban and Silverado (the former two don't sell all that well in the Toronto area, a combination of $4.50 a gallon gas and people here would rather spend their $60k on a Volvo or Lexus) ditto. We never got a version of the Vibe, although we do have the Optra 5, which does sell decently. I could go on, but I think the point is that Chevrolet by itself is on weaker ground, long term, than P-B-GMC. There are lots of people who would never consider a Chev because of its "low-end" status, but would buy a Pontiac or Buick. That being the case, Pontiac has no business straddling the low-end of the price scale, too. Does it make any sense for the newly paired (for you guys) P-B dealers two have TWO lambdas while the Chevy stores have NONE? I say, let them have the lambda crossover, but give Chevrolet an exclusive segment busting minivan. That way, no over lap and everybody is happy!

HHR does not come available in AWD or 4WD, which seems to be all the rage these days. How many "cross-overs" does Ford, our old nemesis have these days? Besides, HHR is not selling well north of the border, nor I suspect in the areas where domestics are weaker, as most people will shop the Sante Fe, etc. which DO come with AWD.

I believe that both Toyota and Honda are getting arrogant to the point of hubris - shades of where GM was 10 or 15 years ago. The auto buying public is buying it because so far the media is on side, but we all know how fickle the media is. A few more fumbles from Toyota or Honda and they will fall FAST. The Element and the Scion product are simply the ugliest vehicles on the planet. If GM or Ford had designed them, the media would have killed them off by now. I mean, really - look at an Aztek and then an Element. They are equally ugly, yet equally "useful" in their own right. One was scorned by the media and the other adored. Makes no sense to me.