GM develops fix for Volt battery packs

Hi Drivers

If you own a Volt - rest assured GM has fixed that fire bug. I'm sure you weren't panicked anyway as there doesn't seem to have been any real life incidents. This article contains the details on where to go in Canada for the free fix.

GM develops fix for Volt battery packs

Happy Driving!

Chevy Volts on Fire?

Chevy Volts on Fire? well not necessarily. For a hazard that has had no real life incidents it's sure getting a lot of press. What are your thoughts? Do you think the Volt is getting disproportionatly bad press?

New Westminster's A-List - only 7 days left to vote!!

Thank you so much for voting us onto last years A-List.

It's time to vote again this year - we would love your support once again! 

You can vote for your favourite New Westminster businesses and people by clicking on this link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NewWestAList

Happy Voting!

Got a friend who's pregnant - don't buy this book!

Morning Drivers!

I know . . . I should be writing to you about cars; but as you can likely tell from the very few posts my brain is all baby all the time these days.

I am two days overdue - really not a big deal - and so against my better judgement turned to a book that was given to me as  a gift when I first got pregnant to read what was up on 2 days overdue.

"The Pregnancy Countdown Book" by Susan Magee with Kara Nakisbendi, MD provides one page of tips, tricks, life from the trenches advice per day of your pregnancy.  It's relative pocket size, cute blue and pink colouring and quotes from real mom's would lead the casual observer to think it's a fun companion for any new mom.

That would be a big misconception.  Each day is filled with worse case scenarios and cautionary tales.  According to this book I was supposed to be fat and miserable and hate my husband and most of the world throughout my pregnancy.  Right now I should be preparing for post partum blues because being overdue I have no other option as I'm clearly miserable and feel like a failure.  The description of labour and various procedures was enough to make me almost throw up they were so harrowing and the lists of long lasting side effects and healing pains from labour has not checked out with any mother I've spoken to.

By the way, if you're reading this and recognize it as the book you gave me, sorry for the bad review, but please take comfort that based on the cover I would have happily bought it for someone too!

So how to link this back to cars and car buying?  Well, you can read all the car reviews you want, or find the perfect colour of cherry red; but frankly until you've taken it for a spin you'll never know if it's a great fit! 

Wish me luck and Happy Driving!

Honda, Toyota lose grip on U.S. family sedan market

Honda, Toyota lose grip on U.S. family sedan market

This is an interesting article for anyone looking to buy a new car. We certainly notice people being pulled between wanting what is traditionally the reliable great brands of Toyota and Honda and considering newer brands like Hyundai, re-imagined domestic brands like Ford or "the drivers car" like Volkswagen that offer more options on basic models and often greater style.

What are your thoughts? Are you a Toyota or Honda loyalist and will continue to be so? Do you think this is just a bump in the road?

Happy Driving!

Tell Us About Your First Time and Win a Samba Feast!

Hi Drivers!

We have a $40 Gift Certificate for Samba's Brazilian Steakhouse in Vancouver and we're itching to give it away!

Leave a comment telling us about your first car - what it was, how it felt to get it, what it meant to have it, anything else you think might be interesting to be entered into the draw. We will draw a winner on June 20, 2011.

Happy Driving!

To Buy or Not to Buy

You’ve probably listened to and read lots of news stories of late that involve an interview with a large car dealership telling you to buy now or risk not getting the car you want due to inventory shortage. It’s clear from the comments on the online stories that many people are skeptical of the truth to these stories. So what is the deal, is there, or is there going to be, a vehicle shortage? Should you be running out to buy a car right now?


L James Johnson at the Car Connection writes an interesting article that you might want to check out. Essentially he says there is no easy answer that each sale is a case by case situation.

Certainly from our experience we have noticed the prices rising. It’s not that there aren’t some golden nuggets to be found but it has been shocking to see how high some of the vehicles are selling for at the auction in the last month of two. While customers may be skeptical about the rising prices, it would appear that dealers are not and are willing to/having to pay the price to bring inventory onto their lot.

To understand how a few less Prius’ may cause your used Ford Focus to go up in price, it would likely help to understand how dealerships (large and small) acquire their used inventory. There are lots of ways for an individual dealership to acquire a used vehicle: wholesale it from another dealer; dealers only auction; trade-in’s; lease returns; purchase direct from customer etc.. But the bottom line is that there is really only one way for the industry as a whole to acquire used vehicles and that is when consumers decide to trade-in or sell their used vehicle when purchasing or leasing a new one.

I think you might be starting to see the problem. If Jane the Car Buyer can’t get her hands on the Prius that she wants then she’s not going to be trading in or selling her Ford Focus.

I believe this problem is compounded with the fact that the auto manufacturers have been selling at close to or below cost for the last two years as they attempt to recover and simply can’t sustain those types of freebies and rebates. Johnson touches on this in his article as well, stating the days of the huge rebates etc., are quickly disappearing (at least for now).

Apparently prices have risen approximately $1000 on average on a used vehicle from this time last year. We’ve certainly noticed an increase, although I’m not sure it’s that high. So should you buy before they increase more or hold out?

I agree with Johnson’s advice that there is no one answer. As I’ve always maintained, relationships are so important when buying a car, if you need a car speak to your salesperson or find one you trust and together you will find a car of value. Yes, that deal may not be as great as it was a year ago – but value isn’t (or shouldn’t be) based on entirely on price. Is it the car you want, does it meet your needs, will you be taken care of after you drive off of the lot? These are the things that bring real value to your purchase. And, yes, there are still great deals to be found!

Until next time - Happy Driving!