I always thought it was a great car for old people. It is the right height that they can slide in rather than climb up or crouch down. The tail gate is easy for groceries. Really easy to park. Decent sight lines. GM’s dealer network means you are always near a dealer. Old people like the Buick badge. My Grandmother…

Is there a federal sales tax hidden within the sale price of vehicles in the USA? If so, I had no idea. They don’t have any sales taxes on component goods so I assumed it was the same for finished products. I don’t actually know much about US tax law. I couldn’t find any rates posted online but I can’t imagine it is…

Analytically, In my smallish city I’ve noticed that the older expensive neighbourhood has really nice houses and quite a lot cheaper cars. Two years ago I drove through it and was shocked at how many Pontiac and Saturn’s I saw (which were cheap and at least 7 years old). We also have a newer fancy neighbourhood with…

Living on the boarder I have learned that even when talking about price disparities Americans instinctively assume you convert everything into US dollars for them. While I read your CAD and USD as the prices in their respective countries I there is a language barrier where I am not surprised that most Americans would…

There are sales taxes ranging from 5 to 17% depending on the province. However the manufacturers don’t get any of that money it all goes to the government. The point is that companies can charge significantly less and still make a profit. The Spark being the prime example as $9,998 Canadian is like $7,500 American…

Yes but by that point Ford will probably only be making 4 or 5 profitable vehicles. With their abandonment of both popular products and larg regions I honestly think Ford is prepping for a takeover.

I love paddling and a good set of roof racks. It is remarkable what you can haul with some careful planning. I’m sure you have had many warnings already. The one I will bring up is to watch out those nuts don’t shake loose form the wind turbulence. There is quite a bit of stress up there and things will shake loose if…

I’ve had a Prius V for over 8 years now and have thoughts on some of these issues that are similar to my car.

Are pilots concerned about reading rate of change from their dials? Analog can often do a much better job at that. I am just guessing but if they are reading the tangents (change in velocity or change in altitude) you can often see that better with dials as they move. For cars that isn’t very important as they operate…

No need to apoligise, you were asked.  The way I see it sometimes people need to rant. And posting them to social media type forums means that if someone doesn’t want to hear you rant they can just ignore it.

My grandfather just sold an 82 Trans-Am with fewer miles for $16k Canadian. Only one owner, red everything.   It took a while to find a buyer.

It goes back to before NAFTA when there was a trade agreement for automobiles between the US and Canada. There is a legacy that the markets are so integrated that they don’t bother tracking what portion was made on each side. Once NAFTA came in and Mexico joined the trade group and has become extremely integrated but…

I use to check content ratings at a job I had. It would be almost impossible to separate Canadian and US contribution. Remember most parts are made of other parts who have many components. It is just crazy how integrated the production scene is. I remember the radio buttons were made in the USA out of US plastic but us…

I think I like it. While black out lights are silly, I like the front end.  All the exterior shots look pretty good.

It makes sense to me. I have been expecting the used values of budget cars to increase for a while. There is a notable portion of the population that wants reliable basic transportation. But the massive decrease in budget car sales over the past 5 years makes me think there is going to be a low supply of them on the…

Super Cruise might have a Nintendo feel to it but I am planning on holding out until Cruise 64. I think the 3D rendering will really take the self driving to the next level.

For me this event served as a reminder to take a look at the museum and see all the things that I had donated. Having played previous animal crossing games I was familiar with the museums but I hadn’t bothered to actually take a look at this one. I was happy to see how thoughtfully designed it was and how much it…

I live near Buffalo NY and will add the only issue is if you mix the two together. We get plenty of snow and I’ve always found 2wd sufficient. However the first time I experience snowy hills I was a bit taken aback.

Thanks for sharing. I had no idea the pick up fees were 15%! The Delivery fees seem more reasonable given the additional work involved. While I like the apps, I will be calling my pick up orders from now on.

Sounds about right. I calculated between 6,500 and 7,500 $ Canadian year for a Prius V depending on how long I keep it and estimating future repairs. Around $6,900 if I sold it today after 8 years.  I’ve talked to quite a few people who look at the additional costs and use it as justification to get a more expensive…