Canadian International AutoShow

I went to the Canadian International AutoShow last month. It was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It was the first time I've gone in many, many years. I wasn't looking for a new car or anything like that. One of my friends was able to get discounted tickets. That's why I decided to go.

I went on a Friday because I thought it wouldn't be as busy as if I had gone on the weekend. I drove down with a friend. We parked in an underground lot that another friend told me about off Blue Jays Way, just south of Wellington. It was $12 for the day (even on a weekday).

My main purpose in attending the show was to take pictures of shiny, new cars. I was especially keen on seeing the Toyota FT-1 concept car (which I had only seen pictures of). I think it looks amazing. I was quite disappointed to find it wasn't there.

Still, there were some really neat looking vehicles. Of course, I've always loved the Corvette. The Jaguar, Infiniti, Lexus, Audi and BMW new and concept cars were neat too.

Then there was the exotic car section in the lower level of the north building. Incredible. That's all I can say. It was look, but don't touch there. Not unless you were loaded and actually looking to buy. Then they let you behind the roped off area. Otherwise you stood with the rest of the peasants behind the barriers.

I spent so much time taking pictures I never got the chance to sit in any of the cars (like my friend and most other people were doing). Oh well. In 10-15 years, when I decided to go again, maybe then I'll actually get into a car.

Is Dickie the Fonz?

My car radio had been out of commission for awhile now. One day it just started acting up and stopped picking up any of the radio stations All I heard was static.

Not too long ago I took it to the garage where I get my oil changed. The young owner there does minor car work as well as selling tires. He thought it might be the amplifier that was giving me problems, not the radio.

A couple of weeks ago I took it over to my friend Dickie's place. I had had a problem with what I thought was a faulty connector/adapter on my air compressor (that fit into my car cigarette lighter).

Dickie pulled a few plastic coverings off from the inside of my car and checked the connection to the lighter and found that it was faulty, not the compressor.

While he was at it, he removed a few more plastic pieces from my car and took out the radio for a look. We noticed that it "squawked" a bit after we tapped it. So after removing the radio Dickie gave it a couple of whacks, a la the Fonz (from the TV show Happy Days) and, lo and behold, it started working again.

That was great. It saved me big bucks from either replacing the radio or even worse, unnecessarily replacing the amplifier. Thanks, Dickie!

Car Troubles

I took my 2005 Saab 9-2X into the dealership last Friday. They were going to replace a vent valve. They said that was the cause of the engine warning light that had gone on in my vehicle.

I booked my appointment for 1:00 p.m. When I arrived there the mechanic mentioned he was pretty busy and might not be able to look at it for an hour. So I was advised that I should come back at around 3:30 p.m. because the scheduled work was supposed to take about an hour and a half.

That was no problem for me. Sherway Gardens (mall) was nearby so I walked over there to kill some time. I figure I could window shop if I was bored. I also brought some Sudoku puzzles with me as well.

I returned to the dealership on time. Not because I thought my car would be ready, but because the Euro2012 soccer quarter finals between Germany and Greece were on TV and I thought I'd watch it there.

As it turned out my car took a lot longer than they thought it would. By closing time (5:00 p.m.) the service consultant, Michele, told me that the mechanics weren't able to figure out the problem. It seems there was another issue with wiring or electronics or something.

She asked if I could make another appointment to come in and have some more tests done (for another $200-something of course). I told her I'd check my schedule out and try to make it the following Friday if I was available.

With that she gave me my keys and I went to my car...

... And that's when the adventure began...

I started my car and drove out of the parking lot. I had to turn left to go to the lights at the Queensway. From there I was going to head west to the Gardiner east onramp.

Well, when I stopped to wait for the lights to turn green my car started to sputter then the engine died. Even though I put my hazard lights on, the car behind me honked because, by now, the light had turned green.

I restarted the engine and made the turn. In my mind I was thinking, I should turn back and go back to the dealership, but instead I pressed on. There may have been a couple of reasons I did this. One, the dealership was closed; and, two, there was no easy way to turn around because there was a concrete median in the middle of the road.

So I headed on to the Gardiner in rush hour traffic. Bad move as I soon discovered. When my car was moving it was fine. But as soon as I slowed down or had to stop the engine would sputter and shudder. Sometimes it would keep running, but most of the time it would die.

I nervously drove in the right lane ready to pull off the highway in case anything happened. I learned to adapt. Whenever I saw the rush hour traffic slowing ahead I would slow down much earlier just to avoid coming to a complete stop. If my car was moving above a crawl it was still okay. But, sometimes it was unavoidable.

Luckily I only stalled once on the Gardiner. Instead of going up Jarvis (through the city and hitting all the red lights) I decided to continue to the Don Valley Parkway and get off on the Bloor/Bayview ramp. I figured it would be the lesser of two evils. I believed I would need to come to a complete stop less on the highway. I think I made the right choice because I only stalled once on the DVP.

Going though midtown was another story. There were a lot more lights and stop signs. I lost count of the number of times my car died after exiting the highway until the time I arrived back at my condo. It was more than 10 in total. Another trick I had to employ was rolling stops at stop signs. Of course if other cars were at the intersection I'd have to come to a complete stop and that spelled trouble.

Now I don't know why the mechanics let me take my car in that condition. Especially without saying anything about it. Of course I was upset and called to show my displeasure.

I got a call the next day from, Paul, the service consultant working that shift. He said he spoke to mechanic and they told him they had reset the computer or something like that and that it would take a day or two for it to learn the ideal idle speed of the car. He suggested I drive it for a day or two and if there were still problems to call back.

Well, that wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. But, I took it out for a 20 minute spin later in the day. Just around sides streets with little traffic in my area. I drove at slow speeds and stopped to see what it would do.

A few times it managed to keep going, but at other times the engine died. At that point I thought, I'm just going to take it back to the dealership for them to look at now, even though I knew the service centre would be closed. I figured I wasn't going to drive it in that condition anyway. Better it be there so they could look at it first thing on Monday and (hopefully) see what the problem was.

Going through the side streets to the DVP was challenging again. But, I was more used to the idiosyncrasies of the car by now so it wasn't as nerve wracking (just a little). I knew as long as I got it to the highway it would be fine. And the dealership was right off the Gardiner Expressway so that good.

I got there at about 2:00 and told the service consultant, Paul, everything that happened. He took note of everything and said he'd have Michele (the service consultant who normally deals with me) call me on Monday to update me about what was going on.

After that, Jason, the shuttle driver took me to Kipling station and I hopped on the subway and went home.

P.S. - My car was ready on Tuesday. I gave them another $500 for their troubles. Everything seems to be back to normal now. I hope nothing else goes wrong for quite awhile.

Car "Shopping"

Not my photo - Subaru BRZ

I went car "shopping" last week with one of my friends just for fun. We were just looking for an activity to kill some time on a Saturday afternoon.

I thought we would start at the Toyota/Scion dealership on Steeles Avenue a bit east of the 404. I was interested in seeing both the Toyota Prius C and new Scion FR-S there.

The C is the smallest version of the three Prius models. It's great on gas, but a tad too small as far as I'm concerned. The standard Prius, while a decent size, is pretty ugly looking. The V is the largest one. It looks reasonably good, gets good gas mileage, but is probably too large for my needs.

I sat in a few Scion models while I was there too - the iQ, xD and tC. The iQ is the smallest one. You could compare it to the Smart Fortwo. It is tiny. If you never had any passengers or never had to go buy groceries or anything it would be a fun car to putt around the city in. I never actually considered buying this car. My friend and I just sat in it because we wanted somewhere to sit while discussing what we were going to do next (after we left the dealership).

The xD is about the size of a Volkswagen Golf. According to the Scion website it starts at a very reasonable $17,280. But, being a Scion (which is like a poor man's Toyota) the interior finish seems a little chintzy. You get what you pay for.

The tC, starting at $20,940, was pretty sporty looking. The interior space was good too - both for the passengers sitting in the front and back seats.

Still the only Scion I really find appealing is the new FR-S, starting at $25,990 manual and $27,170 automatic. It's super sexy. They didn't have any in the showroom. But, my friend and I saw one in the parking lot as we were leaving. A couple of guys had just come back from a test drive and parked it there. It looks amazing.

Toyota and Subaru collaborated on this new car and came out with similarly styled models. There are a few slight differences in styling. But, as the Subaru salesman we talked to later in the day explained, the biggest differences were in the tuning and interior finish. He claimed the Subaru's were higher quality.

Following our trip to the Toyota/Scion dealership we went next door to the Lexus lot. There was only one car there I was somewhat interested in - the CT 200h (2012 model starting at $30,950). It's a hybrid. A few thousand dollars more expensive than the comparably sized Prius with fuel consumption rate slightly higher. But it's a Lexus which is considerably more luxurious.

After that we headed to Yonge and Steeles to check out the Acura dealership. There weren't any cars I was really interested in seeing there. But, we had some time to kill and couldn't think of anywhere else to go.

My friend thought the RDX, starting at $41,000 (according to the sales person), looked nice. A couple I know have one. It's a nice looking vehicle. Though the new one is larger than the older model. Too big as far as I'm concerned.

I sat in the TSX, starting at $31,890. It's a handsome 4-door sedan. I'd never seriously consider it though. For the same price I'd rather have the fuel concious CT 200h or sporty Subaru BRZ... which brings us to our final dealership... The Subaru dealership on Yonge (south of Drewry).

There were a couple of cars there I was interested in seeing - the Impreza, starting at $20,895 or $22,1950 for the automatic, and the new, flashy BRZ, starting at $27,295 or $28,495 for the automatic.

I have to say, the base Impreza is kind of plain looking. The Touring or Sport Package will set you back $23,895 and $26,095 respectively (for the automatic models).

So you have a conundrum... the Subaru Impreza with Sport Package for $26,095, the BRZ for $28,495 or the Lexus CT 200h for $30,950.

The Impreza with automatic transmission (CVT - continuously variable transmission) uses 7.5/5.5 litres/100 km city/highway. The 5-door model I'm interested in is very practical.

The BRZ has no fuel consumption numbers available on the Subaru Canada website. It's just a sexy beast.

The Lexus CT 200h only comes in an "automatic" version. Out of the three cars it has the best fuel economy using 4.5/4.8 litres/100 km city/highway. Yes, it uses less fuel in the city which is backwards compared to typical gas engines. That's because the electric engine is in use at slower speeds (in the city) so it uses less fuel then.

On top of the base price for all the cars you have to add between $1,500-$2,000 for delivery (which I find is ridiculous). Do we pay 79¢/lb for bananas plus 20¢ for delivery? Why not be upfront with your pricing and include all the charges?

When you add the HST and all other fees expect your bill to balloon to $5,000-$7,000 more than the base amount.

I'm not considering buying any time soon. My current car is still in reasonable condition. I plan on holding onto it until it's not worth the upkeep. Only at that time should I consider looking into one of these other cars.

New Car Shopping (Part II)

My friend and I went out again to look at cars. Again it was after lunch. This time at Congee Queen.

After we ate we headed just down the street to Toyota on the Park to look at the Prius. I thought it would be a good idea to continue looking for fuel efficient cars in light of the recent price hikes on gasoline.

When we got to the dealership we wandered around a bit. Similarly to many of the other dealerships no salespersons approached us. I'm not quite sure why that was. Though I suspect they might have to take turns trying to sell cars to potential clients. So you have to approach the front desk and ask for help and they'll assign someone to you.

Anyway, we were assigned Sylvain when we asked to look at the Prius. Since there wasn't one in the showroom he had to get one for us to look at. He found one and brought it to the parking lot out in front. We got in the car and took a look. Sylvain got in the back and told us about all the features. One thing I didn't like that much was the instrument panel. Instead of the traditional one with the speedometer and everything right behind the steering wheel the Prius had it on a long, thin strip on the dashboard. It seemed a bit strange to me.

The best thing about the car, of course, was the gas mileage. Though I believe Sylvain got the numbers wrong. His estimated fuel usage in the city was too low and for the highway was too high. On Toyota's Canadian website it's quoted at 3.7 L/100 kms City; and 4.0 L/100 kms Highway.

My friend and I were about to leave when this fellow came up and started talking to us. I thought he was an employee at the Toyota dealership. He saw us looking at the Prius and, I believe, had some nice things to say about it. He also mentioned that we should look at the Lexus CT 200h at the Lexus dealership next door because it was only a bit more expensive than the Prius, but much nicer.

He said he had compared both cars and was going to look at CT. He also mentioned he worked for Honda as a technician. His current car was a Toyota Camry though. As for hybrids, he said that Toyotas were better than Hondas. The Lexus salesman, Jim, who we were assigned echoed that sentiment.

They also didn't have a CT 200h in the showroom, so Jim brought one around for us to look at. We sat in it and he told us about all of the features. I have to say it's much more refined and stylish than the Prius. And it's base price is only about $3,000 more at $30,950 (plus freight and dealer costs, plus HST 13%).

Jim even suggested we take it for a test drive. He was the only salesperson we spoke with in the couple of days we were out looking that said that. For the rest we'd have to book an appointment. So that was kind of nice. I think they're quite customer-oriented at Lexus.

The CT 200h was a nice car. I drove it the same way I drive any car. In a pretty slow, steady way. I'm not one of those people who pushes a car hard and accelerates quickly from a standing start. So if it was a high performance car, I couldn't tell. It was just a decent car to drive. I liked it. It's fuel consumption rate is quite good too - 4.5 L/100 kms City; and 4.8L/100 kms Highway. Far better than any gas only engine.

It's something else to think about when I consider purchasing my next car that's for sure.

New Car Shopping

I went to lunch with one of my friends on Saturday. We had sushi buffet at Yang's up on Highway 7, east of Warden. As usual it was good.

After lunch we had a bit of time to kill so we thought we'd go look at some new cars at the dealerships up there. I'm not looking to buy anytime soon, but my friend is considering getting a vehicle in the not too distant future.

I have to say it was kind of fun looking at new cars. They're all so nice and shiny. Our first stop was a Honda dealership. We took a look at the Insight and Fit. The Insight is a hybrid vehicle that's quite good on gas. The Fit is a small, inexpensive, practical car. It also has decent fuel economy, just not as good as the Insight.

While I was there the 2011 CR-Z caught my eye (pictured above). It's an updated version of the old CR-X. My cousin David had one of those many, many years ago when he was still living in Long Island, N.Y.

The new CR-Z is a sporty looking, 2-door hatchback. As well as the Insight, it's a hybrid too. It gets 5.6L/100 kms City and 5.0L/100 kms Highway (CVT model). That's really good. It uses about half as much fuel as a gas engine SUV.

Starting at $24,290 for the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) model it's a bit more expensive than a regular gasoline engine vehicle. But, in the long run you're going to recoup the savings in fuel costs (which as we speak is a ridiculous $1.35/L) and you'll be doing your part to save the environment. A double bonus.

As for my friend, she needed something a bit larger. And she really was hoping to get something with 4-Wheel-Drive. So we shopped around a bit more.

Next we headed over to a Ford dealership. There we saw a Ford Focus and Ford Escape. We looked at the hatchback model of the Focus and considered the 4WD hybrid model of the Escape. Both get reasonable gas mileage. But, the hybrid costs twice as much. So I believe that vehicle is out of the question.

We also hit a Nissan dealership, where we didn't see anything that we were interested in, and a Mazda dealership. I suggested the Mazda 3 or 5, but my friend didn't seem too impressed with either of them. She kind of took a liking to the CX-7 SUV. The AWD (All Wheel Drive) version of that vehicle sucks gas like there's no tomorrow though.

As for myself, I liked the styling of the Mazda 3 Sport. It's a bit more practical than the CR-Z in that it's a 4-door hatch instead of 2. And it costs slightly less starting at $18,695 (for the automatic version). But, it does use quite a bit more gas (8.7L/100 kms City; 6.0L/100 kms Highway for the GX model with automatic transmission). So that's not good.

Anyway, it's something for me to think about in a few years when I'm more serious about buying another vehicle.