CARBIZ

More telling, boys and girls, is the $59 BILLION trade deficit for a SINGLE month! How long can the American economy sustain that kind of outpouring of cash? Looking at the numbers on the above list, I find a bit of comfort in knowing that the pain is being spread around between friendlies and unfriendlies, but at the end of the day the American taxpayer is going to have to pay the bill at some point. At first glance, it would appear that the ROW is financing Iraq and America's thirst for oil. That is not a good combination for the future.

Dell didn't get back to me when I bought my personal computer 4 1/2 years ago, even when I left a nasty message saying that I had $2,500 to spend and I would be spending it by 4:00 that day! If they can't be trusted to give good personal service BEFORE delivery, I sure as hell didn't want to trust them AFTER. So, I went with MDG, which is a local Canadian company that puts together their own systems. I've been happy with them and their service. We use Dell computer at work and they seem okay. Most of the computer hassles are largely due to the fact that our IT person is an IDIOT (my apologies to Idiots around the world.) I am in the market to buy a laptop this time around and would probably go with MDG again, although the above remarks about Lenovo are interesting and I may shop those, too.

Perhaps. Toyota doesn't have the legacy costs that GM/Ford currently do, and if they can avoid having that in North America they may not run into as deep trouble; however, a bloated bureaucracy is a bloated bureaucracy and a company that has been expanding for as long as Toyota has may find it difficult to put the brakes on and deal with a stagnant market share. Frankly, I am somewhat surprised at the number of very public screw ups Toyota has commited in the past 18 months or so. We can debate the value of the frontal crash tests, but the ugly truth is that for a truck that is supposedly state of the art to fail this test is beyond being a joke - it is sad. Toyota is the King of PR Spin and this is just another stupid mistake that could have been avoided.

This item was picked up in the National Post today, too. The entire time I was reading the article about the plummeting prices of houses in Detroit, I couldn't help but think about all the shiny new Hondas and Toyotas I had just seen while walking my dog a little earlier. When I read these kind of articles, it makes my blood boil. Yes, the Big 2.5 have done some stupid things in the past, but the size of the avalanche of Japan Inc's market share grab in the past 3 or 4 years is breathtaking. These are people's homes and lives that are being destroyed while people selfishly buy ANYTHING, as long as its imported.

Was the "victim" pre-pubescent? If not, then she is not a "pedophile." We tend to blow these stories out of proportion. Not too long ago, people were married by 13 or 14. Every case is different. I was already active at 13 and none the worse for it, I might add. It tends to appear worse when the relationship between the "victim" and "perpetrator" is one of the older person having a degree of power over the "victim." I tend to think it is not a great idea for teachers to have sex with their students, regardless of the age.

Sorry, I forgot what I was going to say...I'm finding it hard to type while beating my head against the wall......................

Did you say that all in one breath?

Great read! For people who know what they are doing and have the time/patience/nerve to deal with strangers in their own home, going along with strangers for a test drive, the cancelled appointments, the insults and games (after all - do you think the guy who finally shows up will GIVE you what you want for your precious car?), then selling your own vehicle is certainly the better way to go. I wonder how much of a difference someone can get on a $3k car anyway! But it should be pointed out (in Canada at least!) that the combined 6% GST and provincial tax (8% in Ontario) is only charged on the difference between the trade-in value and the purchase price of the new(er) vehicle. If your trade-in is worth $10k or more, that is a significant chunk of change. 14% of $10k is $1,400 in tax savings. There is always the potential for mischief when the title is transferred. You reall want to make sure the other guy transfers it; otherwise, the cops may be banging on your door in the middle of the night six months later when your precious ex-vehicle was involved in a hit and run. Then there is the fun if your vehicle isn't "free and clear." The bank won't release the lien until it is paid off, the buyer (naturally) won't give you the cash/check until the lien is released. Stalemate. Who is going to pay for the "safety?" If your vehicle is a $500 as-is vehicle, then nobody will care about the safety. I recently had a student who had paid $1,000 cash for a '97 Cavalier in a private sale, only to discover she couldn't license it in Ontario because it was beyond passing safety standards. She had no recourse but to scrap the car and forget about her $1,000. I imagine if you are going from an older car that is worth, say, $3k to a newer old car that is worth $8k, the risks/benefits could be in your favor. However, when buying new or high-end vehicles, I wouldn't take the chance. Our company is currently in litigation with a previous owner who traded in their 2002 Odyssey, which we then flipped to our sister Toyota store, but when they put the vehicle up on their hoist (it apparently handled poorly during a highway test), it was discovered the vehicle had subtle frame damage, indicating a serious accident. The customer who traded the van in lied to us. Fortunately, we are professionals and our trade appraisal book includes a section on mileage, accidents, repair work and liens that the customer must initial. It has saved our asses many times - and we know what we are doing!

Next to lawyers, accountants are my least favorite people. Cook the books? What temperature, sir? There are far too many companies out there getting their knuckles wrapped for shady books. The CEO always shrugs and says,"I didn't understand what I was signing off on." Well, you're paid $5million a year - get educated!!

To answer 66's question, can he name one union that is GOOD? Here are my experiences with unions: 1) worked for the provincial government in the summer of '79 as temporary work. What a mess! The department head (who made the princely sum of $32k a year (worth, what, $75k a year today?) basically had no job and was organizing different colored pales for paper recycling, after he came back from 5 weeks holidays! One old guy rolled cigarettes all day and only had 2 mail routes through the government building (which took him maybe 30 minutes each.) When I asked my supervisor why this guy wasn't fired, she said because he had 3 years to go to retirement. 2) worked in a unionized hotel a couple years later. One of the guys got caught smoking pot on the job (they were all high) and was terminated. He busted up the employee locker room, ripping a sink out of the wall and caving in 3 lockers. The union got his job back but he had to pay for the damages, poor dear! 3) My buddy worked for the post office for 3 months. He kept getting threats from co-workers to slow down. The pressure was enormous. He decided the money wasn't worth it and quit. 4) teachers! what about the one who had a coke addiction and was suspended 3 times before finally getting on medical leave. Their attitude of entitlement is legendary. I can't speak directly to the UAW/CAW, but I think you can see where I am coming from. This isn't the Thirties any more. There is a lot of legislation to protect worker's rights and safety. Unions have become a power in their own right.

Just another example of the media in general ganging up on Detroit. Toronto's own National Post wrote an article yesterday about global warming and they cited the Prius as an example of Toyota being a responsible company. No mention of their new truck plant in Texas, of course. Toyota has become synonomous with reliability, great gas mileage and low emissions in the minds of many lazy writers that actually know nothing about the auto industry. I want to know why these lazy-assed media guys have not bothered to go to Japan and get to the root of all evil: MITI and their complicity in feathering the beds of Japanese companies while they assault North America. There truly is a story of epic proportions, but that would involve actual investigation by guys who get an easier job of it simply blasting Detroit.

Dragon, I wouldn't get too cocky - our government loves to poke and pry into people's lives. Canada is always in the forefront of ramming government agendas down people's throats: seatbelt laws, anti-smoke provisions, banning approved pesticides, Kyoto, I could go on, but I need a joint.................

Face it, the entire concept of a military and war goes against the grain of how the so-called modern Western world views itself. I don't want to make light of a serious subject, but the West is getting soft and although I am all for the integration of our militaries, it is going to bite us on the ass - er, so to speak. I am gay, so I am very grateful that the world has changed since I came out at the age of 15 in 1976, but our enemies are not hampered by political correctness or sensitivity training. These Generals are old - older than me, and they were raised in a different era. I know they are supposed to represent the military when they speak, but I am more concerned that they know which end of the gun to use and who to point it at! As things are unravelling in Iraq, I think that some thinkers are starting to grasp the magnitude of the mess that we are in. We in the West think we have it all figured out, but 80% of the world is living in squalor and is very jealous of what we have. In a real war, the U.S. may have to come up with an extra million or so troops pretty quick, and I doubt they will have time to figure out with whom the recruits have been sleeping with!

The Big Three didn't have a lot of choices, or don't ya know that Ford hired a lot of thugs to break up the unions as they were forming. Just look at what the last strike cost GM in '98. Many dealers closed their doors by late summer of that year - there was nothing left to sell. Unions served a great purpose 75 years ago, but they have overstayed their welcome, IMO. In the interests of playing fair (something that Japan Inc. wouldn't know anything about), it would look good on Toyota if they were organized - by the union, that is!

I'd like to believe in a benevolent government, but as long as humans are involved I am not holding my breath! I have been on the short end of the stick with the government and the law too many times to trust them to do anything right. Paranoid? YOu bet! I can see a lot of advantages to this technology (locating lost children, errant spouses, misplaced cadavers), but it is too open to abuse. Sadly, this technology is inevitable, IMO. There are too many crazies out there that want to kill innocent people and if being able to track everyone is the only way to stop crazy people from doing that, then it will happen. The public, goaded by a well organized PR campaign, will demand it.

These are very wide vehicles and getting a mirror clipped while parked on the side of the street would not be unusual. I think the build quality on these vans was a bit spotty. The 4.3 engine was a bit thirsty, but fairly reliable. Of all the models I have sold, I must say that Astro/Safari fans are the most loyal. I know of people that have owned 2 or 3 over the years. Some people loved their van and had no problems; others proved troublesome. As these vehicles pass into antiquity, they are being passed down to second and third owners. Think of who needs to seat 8 people AND can only afford to buy an older used vehicle. That person won't have a lot of cash so they will call around looking for replacements parts.

True, all Japanese cars look...well, Japanese.

For the record, I think the interior of the Ridgeline is overly busy, the outside is unappealing and it is atrociously over-priced; however, having said all that, HONDA DOESN'T CARE. Nobody who would even be caught dead looking at this thing gives a flying f$%k what we think. It has the H on the hood (as opposed to the H that looks like it got hit by a REAL truck that you see on the hood of a Hyundai!) and that's all those weekend warriors care about. I doubt they would even want to scratch the finish by putting fire wood in the back. This is a pretend truck for women and sissies (and I am a sissy so I can say that PTHHHHH). [There - that should raise a few hackles!]

Well, I had a GM Oshawa couple pay cash for Z06. Between the two of them, they were making more than $160k a year. They were in their mid-30s, their house was paid for. You can kind of see why Detroit is in a bit of a panic. They have much older/more senior work force than Toyota does in North America. The labor costs are astronomical. Still, it is going to hurt those workers. We can debate how motivated/lazy or whatever these men/women are, but the fact is that many people can't afford to take a big pay cut. Delphi, anyone?

And you are missing the bigger point about these global companies: Japan does not participate in the global economy. They block and control every foreign national that wants to build, own or sell anything in their country. Look at how long it took Toys R Us to get into Japan. How harmful can a toy retailer be? Why is Japan the only major market in the world where nobody other than domestics sell anything of any consequence? You can buy GMs in Germany, India, Australia, Chile and China, but in Japan? Toyota, Honda, etc. have had it very easy on their home turf for decades.

Hey, you leave disco alone....them's fighting words! Somebody bought Saturday Night Fever! It was the best selling album up to that point! Of course nobody will admit that now! LOL

I used to get crazy over this kind of stuff, but it is becoming so commonplace now that I would go through an entire bottle of valium in a week if I had apoploxy over every single infraction of the Toyota spin machine. Magna and others are merely positioning themselves to pucker up to Japan INc when (no longer if) Detroit goes down for the count. Simply good business sense for Magna. Sadly, however, it is only hastening Detroit's demise as the suppliers and others head for the lifeboats.

In Canada, GM offers the employees of McClaren-McCann a special discount to encourage them to use GM products. All the top executives have GM products. (I should know: I sold those vehicles to them.) I guess when you represent a broad spectrum company like GM or Ford, it wouldn't be too hard to coax your employees into their producsts. Pity the Hyundai account though. Without denigrating their product (who? me?), they just don't have the breadth or choices. A guy making $160k is not going to drive a Sonata. You would think all of this would be a given, but even at our dealership we have guys driving NIssans, VW, there is a new guy with a Pathfinder.

I don't care what GM compiles about me. I am waiting for the insurance companies to a) insist all vehicles are so-equipped and b) access to the data during renewal time. I don't think GM has any sinister/hidden plans for the technology, but as with radar detectors came hidden radar cameras, we all know the technology is open for abuse. Your local service center already has many ways to tell you have been abusing your car (like holes in the trunk where the nitro lines used to be on your Corvette with the blown engine, for example), without worrying about OnStar. The funny thing about OnStar is that the people whose lives were saved renew at 100%.

I've seen people on this board (import humpers) jump on the jobs numbers as proof that Detroit is fat and lazy. However, I take the numbers as proof that Japan Inc does not source its parts here, but only builds here. If Toyota hires 900 and GM lays off 2,400, does that mean Toyota is more efficient? Japan Inc. will spin it that way. The truth is far more complext. Although the number of lay offs for the Big 3 are stark, the reality is that Japan INc gets a clean sheet with their newer factories and more flexible labor. Kudos for them, but at the same time it clearly isn't fair that GM and Ford are hampered by their UAW contracts. Couple that with the fact that most of Japan Inc's parts come from Japan (and they still import more than half of their vehicles), it doesn't paint a rosy picture for the future of the auto industry in either of our countries.