Recommend a car for my wife

teejay99 · BELLE RIVER, ONT

Recommend a car for my wife

Dave Scott · ANCASTER, ONT

When we get to Canada, the first thing I want to do is get my wife the ideal car.

Here's what she requires, and what she has had in the past, in Scotland:

She likes cars that have a bit of power, if she needs to get out of trouble.

She likes the safety of all wheel drive for the wet days

She likes pretty cars, yes, she hates anything I will want, lol

She's not bothered about new cars, although she did once fancy a BMW Mini

She has worked very hard to get to where she is, and deserves something with a bit of class

Previous cars:

Mazda MX5 (Miata) x2

Mazda RX7 twin turbo

Subaru Impreza Turbo x2 (favourite)

She seems to have a thing for a Jeep Wrangler TJ, but I just don't think she will like the ride of that car. She's used to good handling. She maybe thinks she can re-enact the scene from Mork and Mindy, who knows, lol.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Looking at a budget of around 6 to 8K cash for her first car. (insurance will kill us as fresh imports )

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

Will it be too costly to ship her car here? I've seen plenty of cars with the steering on the "wrong" side...lol. I'm not sure whats involved in shipping or licencing however...
aside from that, she can get back into a Subaru but it will have to be somewhere in the 2002-2004 range for that coin I think. Not many AWD cars here in that range - mostly FWD

hemi43 · ONTARIO

If you decide to move to North America, then buy Domestic !!
Just because some Jap sare assembled here, does not make them domestic. Buy from the big 3

Chris58 · WATERFORD, ONT

Seeing as I'm in the midst of a marital separation, I'm not the right guy to give advice. In that light, I'd say a good ol corn broom!!! Lol! Sorry...couldn't help myself...a little bitter.

poncho62 · ADMINISTRATOR

Wanna trade wives?...Mine made me buy her a minivan.........

Actually, its pretty nice for traveling....mucho underpowered though

Chris58 · WATERFORD, ONT

poncho62 wrote:
Wanna trade wives?...Mine made me buy her a minivan.........

Actually, its pretty nice for traveling....mucho underpowered though

Wow...at least mine drives a new Camaro. Crazy as bat $hit though. I think they all are! You can have her...no warranty or guarantee. All sales final. No returns. There's that bitterness again.

Dave Scott · ANCASTER, ONT

I just have no idea what "the locals" drive over there.

I'm happy to adapt to our new country, but I don't know where to start.

I've seen a lot of women driving SUV's, but Ailsa doesn't like cars that big. The Jeep was a good compromise, but I'm sensing with your lack of enthusiasm that they're not that good? lol

wolfman1 · ST GEORGE, ONT

All the cars you listed above are available here
Cars that are made locally are the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKT
Toyota Camry, Toyota Rav4, Chevy Camaro , Dodge Challenger, Chrysler 300
Not sure what Honda models are made here
Obviously at your price range, you're not buying a new one but thought you'd might want to get an idea of what is built here
I just got rid of my wife's 07 Jeep JK, she didn't care much for the ride or the fuel mileage
Bought her a 2010 Ford Fusion
Lot's of different cars to choose from at your price range

Iwannagofast · ONTARIO

I just recently sold a Mazda 3 Sport (didn't need it any longer) Great little car, like a go-kart on steroids. Found a lonely stretch of road and hit 248klm with some pedal left. Handled really well. Or, a buddy has his Lincoln MKX for sale at my place right now. Can't remember the year but can get the details if required. Asking around $16,000.00. Looks like the one in the photo below.

SKAR · PETERBOROUGH, ONT

1st gen Awd 5 spd. Vibe. Awd have more parts to break but if you can get past that buy a fwd Vibe and drive worry free for years.

DaveM · ONTARIO

fatchuk wrote:
Asian Cars..... most are built in Canada ,

????

A couple of Honda/Acura models, and a couple of Toyota models.

No Kia, no Nissan, no Mitsubishi, no Hyundia, no Subaru, no Mazda. "most" is incorrect.

Not trying to fan an import/domestic war, but acurate info is important.

Our new freind from overseas is not looking at a new car anyway. And, IMHO, has his work cut out for him to meet ALL the criteria he mentioned above for an "ideal car" in that price range. My opinion, but if she like cars, and worked very hard to get get where she is and deserves something with class, I don't think I would see her in a 6 year old Matrix. (Not saying a Matrix is a POS, just doesn't fit the need, my opinion)

Maybe Audi A4, Subbie Imprezza, but you'll be into a 10 year old car to get a low mile good one at that price point.

I don't know what the used car market is like in Scotland, but It is overwelming here. There a millions of used/abused cars, and lots of small dealers that should be run out of business. Take your time. Talk to people in your new area for reputable dealers. Ask around, watch for rust.

-- Edited by DaveM on Wednesday 21st of November 2012 08:55:58 AM

-- Edited by DaveM on Wednesday 21st of November 2012 09:01:41 AM

-- Edited by DaveM on Wednesday 21st of November 2012 09:02:43 AM

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

fatchuk wrote:
I would say if your living in Burlington for the most part you/she will not really need to have AWD they do not get that much snow and the roads are well plowed so it's not nessacary to have an AWD unless it's just what she wants..
If your looking for a good reliable vehicle that holds a good resale value, has great fuel milage and dependabilty, good maintenance costs, comfortable, and safe, and well built ..you should probably be looking at any Honda, or their AWD Acura MDX.. Toyota Lexus, AWD, or any of their line, Hyundia, most Asian Cars have great reliability, most are built in Canada ,and employ as many people as the so called big three, maybe more and they have been built in Canada for so long they can hardly be called imports any more. They are more thought of as Asian domestics .
There will be about as many opinions as people who offer one, opinions are like a$$holes every body has one..in reality most of the cars that are built now-a-days are all pretty good, given the technology and bells and whistles we all want in them now.. You can get a problem vehicle in any make or model but thats the exception..

I totally agree - To say that domestics are king s**t over imports is absurd and totally archaic, yankee influenced thinking. IMO, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes, BMW, Volvo etc are all high quality vehicles. Honda and Toyota have large plants here in Ontario which are largly supported from local partsmakers like Linamar, Magna, Jefferson, Musashi and TG industies to name a few. I'd bet that those companies alone supply 50-75% of the vehicle components. Engine, driveline, suspension, body panels, plastics, seating...you name it. Southern Ontario produces every kind of car part you can think of (except maybe tires now) and when I visist these places, I see close to an equal amount of domestic and non-domestic parts being manufactured. I wish Magna and Linamar would team up and produce an all Canadian car.

As for AWD, its true that it isnt a necessity here. I live in a rural area that gets blasted by lots of winter winds. 7 or 8 out of 10 vehicles I see in the ditch are 4x4 trucks or SUV's. People get overconfident and spin out. I drive 2wd truck and have never been stuck or stranded. I put snow tires on the wifes FWD van and its like a rally car...driven through snow to the floorboards and never been stuck. Oh, and dont scoff at mini-vans. They might be frumpy, but comfy as hell. Her van seriously kicks the crap out of my F150 for passing and tows our tent trailer like it wasnt there.

-- Edited by Gearhead on Wednesday 21st of November 2012 09:42:57 AM

fatchuk · ST MARYS, ONTARIO

Hemi43 said.

There you go, that's this a$$hole's opinion !!

It's a free country and your entitled..I just dissagree.. what my father drove is irrelavent.. we really don't make much of anything here anymore everything in this country other than vechicles comes from China..including many so called domestic parts I buy a lot of parst and most of these North American companys you refer to, have all their product made offshore ..So don't balme me for that..And in my humble opinion It's far too late to turn that ship around..so get over it..Not trying to pee on your cornflakes but that really is an old argument. If the Asians didn't make parts and assemble vehicles here there would be some pretty high employment as those feeder plants make parts for both Canadian/American Domestics and Asian Domestics in the same plants and I think the So called north American manufactures have been sleeping in the same bed with the Asians for many,many years..but hey you are entitled to your opinion it has the same value as mine..It's free country..I just don't appreciate your trying to intimate that for what-ever reason that your values or decisions on where I should place my values or how I spend my dollars are better than mine..your view does not change the price of groceries at my table..

Edit..as for Domestic and Asian built cars and read this ...and just do a little research It's a really mixed bag of who makes what and where..nothing is what it used to be..

http://autos.aol.com/article/is-your-car-really-american/

-- Edited by fatchuk on Wednesday 21st of November 2012 10:50:08 AM

Pint and a Pound · AJAX, ONT

"I think the need for a 4x4 car stems from our attrocious weather in Scotland. The rain, not the snow. Did I mention I never had the barby out once this year? So it's looks like a RWD sporty number could be just fine for her"

If she feels the need for 4x4 because of rain slicked roads in Scotland she is definitely NOT going to want RWD when she gets to drive on our roads in winter. Winter conditions do not just mean the possibility of snow it also brings with it ice (sometimes invisible ice known as "black ice") ... at the very least she needs front wheel drive and four winter-specific tyres.

If she wants AWD, then that's what she should be getting.

As for Hemi's comment regarding North American products ... the company I USED to work for started out in the States in 1910, they bought up an existing company in Canada in 1931 in order to expand. This is a family owned company (both are now under the same name) and the family are now BILLIONAIRES because North Americans worked in their factories and North Americans bought their products ... regardless of the fact that the company was still profitable, they decided to move production to China. I guess a BILLION $$ just ain't what it used to be . Imagine what you would do if you won the LottoMax $50 mill ... it's mind numbing ... now imagine having a BILLION $$ and then deciding a good move would be to lay off tons of North Americans so you can earn more from Chinas cheap labour ... sickening. I totally get what Hemi43 is saying.

-- Edited by Pint and a Pound on Wednesday 21st of November 2012 12:34:08 PM

Jazz · THUNDER BAY, ONT

My daughter just sold her Mitsubishi Evo8..nice car. It is all wheel drive and big hp..goes like stink. Mitsubishi has the best warranty on the planet however I prefer the Toyota Camry for ride and reliability. If you buy domestic make sure the car comes equipped with a heated rear bumper,,they are much more comfortable to push in the winter.

dualquadpete · BLACKSTOCK, ONT

We had a 06 Pontiac Vibe [Toyota Matrix in diguise]& was a GREAT car never had a problem with it!! Toyota still makes their model!!! Janice & I looked at quite few new cars [Kia, Hyundia Chevy Cruise etc.& she almost bought the Kia but I suggested we look at a Ford!! She gave me a weird look as I'm not a Ford person!! Took a 012 Focus out, & withing 2 mi. she said she loved it, I drove it back to dealer after having to drag her out of drivers seat, & so far it's been a great car with the only problem a "recall" for computor & one flat tire!!!!We thought about another Matrix [Vibe] but that was like not getting a new car, exactly the same body style!!! best check out a few like TeeJay said then make your[or her] choice!!!

fatchuk · ST MARYS, ONTARIO

I would say if your living in Burlington for the most part you/she will not really need to have AWD they do not get that much snow and the roads are well plowed so it's not nessacary to have an AWD unless it's just what she wants..

If your looking for a good reliable vehicle that holds a good resale value, has great fuel milage and dependabilty, good maintenance costs, comfortable, and safe, and well built ..you should probably be looking at any Honda, or their AWD Acura MDX.. Toyota Lexus, AWD, or any of their line, Hyundia, most Asian Cars have great reliability, most are built in Canada ,and employ as many people as the so called big three, maybe more and they have been built in Canada for so long they can hardly be called imports any more. They are more thought of as Asian domestics ..I run an auto repair shop and recomend them as well built cars with few drivability issues....

There will be about as many opinions as people who offer one, opinions are like a$$holes every body has one..in reality most of the cars that are built now-a-days are all pretty good, given the technology and bells and whistles we all want in them now.. You can get a problem vehicle in any make or model but thats the exception..

Good luck on your decision and welcome to Canada..and the Ontario Rodder scene..If your passion is rodding you will have a great time ahead of you especially in the area you will in, there are many,many, rodders and rodding activitys ...

sasquatch · NORTH BAY, ONT

Not sure if this applies to all cars, but i have friends that bought a 2 door car that are paying more for insurance than others with 4 doors.

Apparently 2 doors fall into a "Sporty" model category with insurance companies , where a 4 door is classed as a family model.

Just my opinion to the question,, but the Pontiac sunfires, Chevrolet cavaliers, if you can find a low mileage older model, are very good reliable cars.

SKAR · PETERBOROUGH, ONT

Whereas id have to say avoid Sunfires and Cavaliers like the plague.

You could find her another Impreza for 6-7k over here.

fatchuk · ST MARYS, ONTARIO

Dave:

For sure when you get here, things you will not find a shortage of ..used cars,or SUVs, Wallmarts or McDonalds..and people looking to help you spend your money..best wishes on the trip and once again welcome..to Canada..I have a couple rodder mates in In Dunganon and Belfast that mangae the trip here every two years so I know their are rodders there.. one good friend uses the board name of av8minor and he had a morris with one o them rover aluminium rover v8 engines in it..great guy real name is Andrew Cooke..And we don't have the rain but damn we sure have something called humidity..makes you drink lots of beverages..

fixed some spelling errors

-- Edited by fatchuk on Wednesday 21st of November 2012 05:31:04 PM

fatchuk · ST MARYS, ONTARIO

I would agree with Skar on the Sunfires and Cavaliers..absolute junk in my opinion.. Sasquatch is correct about insurance ..Not sure if that is an age thing with young drivers or if that applys to mature drivers..but they do charge more for what the ins co considers more sporty..Pick-ups are cheaper on Ins too but that again I think may an age/driver experience related reason..Not sure why ..I have 5 grand kids driving and having a shop I seem to be expected to fix all the vehicles ..I have found my best luck with Asian Domestics very little issues with problems luck maybe..but I am sticking with them to keep my expenses down..I have never regretted buying quality whether it was cars or other stuff..

hemi43 · ONTARIO

fatchuk wrote:
should probably be looking at any Honda, or their AWD Acura MDX.. Toyota Lexus, AWD, or any of their line, Hyundia, most Asian Cars have great reliability, most are built in Canada ,and employ as many people as the so called big three, maybe more and they have been built in Canada for so long they There will be about as many opinions as people who offer one, opinions are like a$$holes every body has one..in reality most of the cars that are built now-a-days are all pretty good, given the technology and bells and whistles we all want in them now.. You can get a problem vehicle in any make or model but thats the exception..

Here's my problemk Fatchuk !!

You're 70 years old, and have reaped the benefits of living here in Canada I assume most of your life. You had your own business and people in your local community put bread and butter on your family's table by bringing their business to you. The least you could do is repay society by at least supporting North American jobs.

Don't give me that crap about Asian companies employing as many people as GM ford or Chrysler !! That's a load of crap !! Even if they did, it's still a foreign company and any profits go back to Japan ! You remeber Japan don't you ?? Did your Father drive a Jap car ?? I sure as hell don't think so if he was a real Canadian.

The younger generation coming up all drive foreign crap, because they don't have a clue at how important it is to keep North American manufacturing alive and they have had life too good. You old farts should know better !! There you go, that's this a$$hole's opinion !!

SKAR · PETERBOROUGH, ONT

He is buying used so its anything goes.

My girlfriend just bought a brand new Mexican Fiesta.......

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

hemi43 wrote:
You're 70 years old, and have reaped the benefits of living here in Canada I assume most of your life. You had your own business and people in your local community put bread and butter on your family's table by bringing their business to you. The least you could do is repay society by at least supporting North American jobs.
Don't give me that crap about Asian companies employing as many people as GM ford or Chrysler !! That's a load of crap !! Even if they did, it's still a foreign company and any profits go back to Japan ! You remeber Japan don't you ?? Did your Father drive a Jap car ?? I sure as hell don't think so if he was a real Canadian.

When you buy "domestic" where do you think the profits go? Thats right...to pockets south of the border. I no longer use United Rentals because they cut Canadian jobs and do thier admin/billing out of the US now. Does it matter if the "profits" go to Japan or the US? It's NOT HERE...we arent the US of A....hope we never will be. Perhaps you can explain what a "real Canadian" is...there will be lots of us wanting to know. I'm proud of my flag, but I dont wear horse blinders.

Dave Scott · ANCASTER, ONT

Now Now kids!

Didn't mean to start anything here, lol.

I appreciate EVERYONE's comments and advice.

I think the need for a 4x4 car stems from our attrocious weather in Scotland. The rain, not the snow. Did I mention I never had the barby out once this year?

So it's looks like a RWD sporty number could be just fine for her.

The first year for us immigrant scum is going to be very expensive. We did a couple of online quotes, a truck for me, and a boring car for her. Both quotes came back around the $3500 figure, and that was saying we would include house insurance etc.

Second year quotes were about half that.

I would love to get her a Solstice, as she seems to like the look of that. Are they any good? We would need to take that on finance of course.

I guess a trip to the dealer strip is on the cards then. That will be a fun day, lol. Have you ever tried selling a car to a Scot?

Cat in the Hat · BRANTFORD, ONT

cars for sale.jpg

Here are my recomendations!

Lousy fuel milage, no trunk space, crappy in snow......but fun as hell!

Dave Scott · ANCASTER, ONT

Grumpsbodyworks wrote:
Here are my recomendations!
Lousy fuel milage, no trunk space, crappy in snow......but fun as hell!

I think she'd like the middle one

dualquadpete · BLACKSTOCK, ONT

Mr. Scott, " Dave", I wouldn't worry about what to look for till you get here & seeing as your coming over early, just check out whats available & prices etc. I have a couple of neighbours that have the "Buy N/American views & make it well known around here!! My step son bought a used 2004 Kia 5door hatchback a Rio?? anyway, was the scurge of the neighbours who work at GM, but has had it for 3 yrs now put on well over 300,000th. KM & does the scheduled maintaince, 2 timing belts before they needed it & "THATS IT" Neighbour who works at GM got his son a 02or 03 Sunfire & they just towed it away this spring as the undercarrage fell out of it & was "deemed" UNSAFE!!! whole bottom suspension was "toast" rotted right out!!& the engine running on 3 of the 4 cyls. So much for the GM being better!!! He didn't like it when I said "Geez" Richards Kia is going great guns with close to 400 on it now!!!!When I hauled assembled parts units, into GM Osh. most of the stuff came from Mexico, but the tags said "made in China assembled in Mexico" That backward thinking won't cut it now days. The Asian -Korean mfg. are putting out top notch vehicle at a price "WE" can afford at "non union" wages & I don't want to go on that RANT just yet!!! Pete

hemi43 · ONTARIO

Gearhead wrote:
When you buy "domestic" where do you think the profits go? Thats right...to pockets south of the border. I no longer use United Rentals because they cut Canadian jobs and do thier admin/billing out of the US now. Does it matter if the "profits" go to Japan or the US? It's NOT HERE...we arent the US of A....hope we never will be. Perhaps you can explain what a "real Canadian" is...there will be lots of us wanting to know. I'm proud of my flag, but I dont wear horse blinders.

My last 2 cents on this, then I'm going to the shop to build something. It makes a big difference if the profits go to the US or offshore. Whether you like it or not, we are part of the US, and what is good for the US is good for Canada. I agree that it's impossible to buy a 100% North American made vehicle, but for Christ sake you at least have to try !!

Saying that it's too late to turn things around is a crock of $hit !! Maybe for you because your years left are numbered, but I'm thinking of my Kids and Grandkids that deserve the same standard of life that you've had, and if we don't start to turn things around we will be royally screwed !!

Dave Scott · ANCASTER, ONT

The UK is one of the best places on earth for buying cars. The only cars we DONT get are from North America, lol.

I can understand the loyalty, we had it in the UK for a long time but now we have NO british car manufacturers left. But I don't mind, I pretty much hated ALL British cars, lol. It all comes down to cheap labour. No Brit or American is going to put a whole day's work in, for a bowl of rice, it's just economics. We can still be proud of the history we both have, and our contribution to the world of industry.

I'm a big fan of Japanese cars. You just get sooo much for your money. More recently I've been buying BMW's, everything from M3's up to a very nice 740i Sport. Even had a few Audi's. Never had a VW though. Wait, yes I did, lol. I had a Mk1 Golf Convertible project, but it never made it to the road.

The Kia and Hyundai used to be the budget "haha, look at that stupid car" until the last couple of years, and now they are as respected as Toyota and Honda. Ailsa had a Kia Hire car a couple of weeks ago. It was a sort of mini SUV, and it looked and drove amazing. I surprised myself for liking it.

The budget we have in mind is pure conjecture. Until we are living there, we really won't have a clue about the cost of living. It's not as simple as just converting everything from Pounds, it's all relative to the price of cheese

Pint and a Pound · AJAX, ONT

I'm not sure whether you are even thinking of importing a car from Scotland but I have heard (my friends sisters husband) has a right-hand drive car and he was apparently, automatically placed under "facility insurance" which (as far as I understand) is just a polite way of saying "brutally expensive". To be honest, the expensive insurance could have been due to the type of car or his driving record (both of which I have no info on) but I was told it was because of right-hand drive.

I may not be correct with this but it would be worth looking into if you are toying with the idea of importing a vehicle.

Interestingly, a company in Markham Ontario (just north of Toronto) made some components for the latest Aston Martin supercar (Aston Martin One-77 and Multimatic of Markham).

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

hemi43 wrote:
Gearhead wrote:
When you buy "domestic" where do you think the profits go? Thats right...to pockets south of the border. I no longer use United Rentals because they cut Canadian jobs and do thier admin/billing out of the US now. Does it matter if the "profits" go to Japan or the US? It's NOT HERE...we arent the US of A....hope we never will be. Perhaps you can explain what a "real Canadian" is...there will be lots of us wanting to know. I'm proud of my flag, but I dont wear horse blinders.

My last 2 cents on this, then I'm going to the shop to build something. It makes a big difference if the profits go to the US or offshore. Whether you like it or not, we are part of the US, and what is good for the US is good for Canada. I agree that it's impossible to buy a 100% North American made vehicle, but for Christ sake you at least have to try !!
Saying that it's too late to turn things around is a crock of $hit !! Maybe for you because your years left are numbered, but I'm thinking of my Kids and Grandkids that deserve the same standard of life that you've had, and if we don't start to turn things around we will be royally screwed !!

No we are not part of the US. Yes, their economy affects ours and I do agree that profits generated on this continent, staying on this continent is marginally better. Unfortunately North America has to do many things in order to keep or bring more jobs back home;

stop buying cheap stuff to attain everything we ever wanted and more
shop local and buy custom or hand made
stop asking for more before doing more
abolish unions protecting lazy, underproductive, highly paid workers - They are killing our industry
push our MP's to introduce trade laws that state any country exporting goods to Canada must have to manufacture under the same environmental and labour laws that we do - no child labour!

Theres tons more I know...but truthfully, North America has seen its day. WE did this to ourselves. Corporate greed, excessive consumerism to the point where some people's credit cant take any more. We have forgotten how to live simply. 50 years ago, we lived in modest homes. Now the majority have huge homes to heat, furnish, maitain. We have become a giant, resource sucking entity so we can live like kings. We went from single car families to 2, 3 and 4 car families not to mention extra toys (sleds, motorcycles, atvs, boats)

teejay99 · BELLE RIVER, ONT

Dave , as to your prospective purchase , get opinions from independent sources such as J.D. Power and/or Consumer reports . As you can see here , asking 10 people will get you 10 different answers and usually a heated argument .

Car magazines , I've found , tend to be a little biased in their reports ...atleast they were .

I'm not going into my likes and dislikes because it is of no help to your wife . The Kia that you mentioned is one my wife likes the look of although we don't have one . Women tend to like being higher off the ground to help visibility in traffic as well as easier access to the back to remove things like groceries ( little or no bending ) . Kia has come a long way in their scores on the independent evaluators ...they used to be at the bottom of the chart but have scored very well in the past couple of years .
The Solstice is strictly a summer car IMO ...I've sold a few in the past ...more of a ladies car like the Mazda Miata .....not good in slippery weather , but fun otherwise .

T

Cat in the Hat · BRANTFORD, ONT

Dave.......Look at the shzit you stired! and your not even here yet!

All over "What car should I get my wife"?

Wait until you say somethink provacative.......

Welcome to Canaduh.....EH? You guys make us make us look like a bunch of yahoos ... arguing politcal crap when all he wants to do is ask about a decent car for his wife........ on a Car forum.....not a buy american forum...or a Jobs left Canaduh for China forum..... yeeeeeesh?!?!?!

Best thing to do is to take a look at dealers when you get here next week.....you might be surprised that our car prices are > lower or higher
PS....you can meet all these people yippin about buy North American......standin outside a WALMART ........ ROFLMFAO

SKAR · PETERBOROUGH, ONT

Solstice/ Sky would be terrible in winter due to the short wheelbase and wide tires. Worse than a Miata, although a lot of people do drive Miatas through the winter. The interiors in them feel very cheap and bulky. The gxp/ redline turbo ones are a bit more fun but a waste of money compared to a Miata or even an S2000.

My vote still goes towards a Vibe. Reliable, tons of room for a mid size car. More than enough power and good on fuel.

Dave Scott · ANCASTER, ONT

Grumpsbodyworks wrote:
Dave.......Look at the shzit you stired! and your not even here yet!

All over "What car should I get my wife"?

Wait until you say somethink provacative.......

Welcome to Canaduh.....EH? You guys make us make us look like a bunch of yahoos ... arguing politcal crap when all he wants to do is ask about a decent car for his wife........ on a Car forum.....not a buy american forum...or a Jobs left Canaduh for China forum..... yeeeeeesh?!?!?!

Best thing to do is to take a look at dealers when you get here next week.....you might be surprised that our car prices are > lower or higher
PS....you can meet all these people yippin about buy North American......standin outside a WALMART ........ ROFLMFAO

You know what, it's actually quite nice to see that there are still folk willing to fight for their country, economically that is.

The UK gave up a Looong time ago on that one. It's every man for themselves these days.

I love shows like Overhaulin, which use local guys for custom trimming, pin-striping, metal fabrication etc, it shows that the old trades are being passed on and folk are willing to pay good money for the service.

Another show I like is Amercian restoration. I would love a basement rec room with a wurlitzer jukebox, an original coca cola fridge and other assorted 50's junk, lol.

But back to the car...

I had thought about bringing a car with me, but for importation it would need to be 15 years or older, and to be honest at that age it will be a pile of junk and never going to last a Canadian winter, lol. I would also need to replace the headlights with that of a left hand drive car (they point the wrong way) and Tim Hortons Drive thru would be a right PITA! lol.

I shall go report back to the boss and let her know my findings.

hemi43 · ONTARIO

Dave Scott wrote:
I love shows like Overhaulin, which use local guys for custom trimming, pin-striping, metal fabrication etc, it shows that the old trades are being passed on and folk are willing to pay good money for the service.

Here's a pic I took of AJ a few years ago. She's as good looking in real life as on TV !!

427CARL · CLINTON, ONT

Funny conversations

By all means buy a non Big Three car!

We have suffered along with several Sunfires/Cavalliers They are all still running but only have 250-300,000 km They are so cheap, we actually had to buy a rad for one..

Stay away from S10's Our 2000 (U.S.) bullt 4cyl auto only gets 30 mpg with cold a/c and 250.000 MILES on it...

And don't buy Dodge \Jeep

Our 97 Grand Caravan has over 240,000 MILES on it and it needed brakes twice !!

funny guys.......

Sacotu · COBOURG, ONT

we've always had 2 winter beaters, one cheap small econobox with no options usually standard (usually a civic) and one 4x4 SUV (last was a grand cherokee that was replaced with a jimmy) that can tow a trailer. doesn't matter which one i drive but usually my wife will take the econobox in non slippery season and once winter is here she is always in the SUV.

DaveM · ONTARIO

Dave Scott wrote:

Here's what she requires, and what she has had in the past, in Scotland:

She likes cars that have a bit of power, if she needs to get out of trouble.
She likes the safety of all wheel drive for the wet days
She likes pretty cars, yes, she hates anything I will want, lol
She's not bothered about new cars, although she did once fancy a BMW Mini
She has worked very hard to get to where she is, and deserves something with a bit of class

Previous cars:
Mazda MX5 (Miata) x2
Mazda RX7 twin turbo
Subaru Impreza Turbo x2 (favourite)

People!!!! focus here!!!!! How the hell is a Sunfire/Cavalier even in this conversation!!!!!!!

Dave Scott · ANCASTER, ONT

DaveM wrote:
Dave Scott wrote:

Here's what she requires, and what she has had in the past, in Scotland:

She likes cars that have a bit of power, if she needs to get out of trouble.
She likes the safety of all wheel drive for the wet days
She likes pretty cars, yes, she hates anything I will want, lol
She's not bothered about new cars, although she did once fancy a BMW Mini
She has worked very hard to get to where she is, and deserves something with a bit of class

Previous cars:
Mazda MX5 (Miata) x2
Mazda RX7 twin turbo
Subaru Impreza Turbo x2 (favourite)

People!!!! focus here!!!!! How the hell is a Sunfire/Cavalier even in this conversation!!!!!!!

Yeah!, at least someone's taking it seriously!

Nice avatar by the way

sasquatch · NORTH BAY, ONT

If you had "FOCUSED" also,, YOU would have read that What i posted was MY OPINION!!

Take it or leave it i could care less!

Dave Scott · ANCASTER, ONT

sasquatch wrote:
If you had "FOCUSED" also,, YOU would have read that What i posted was MY OPINION!!

Take it or leave it i could care less!

Are you mad at me?

I was only joking big man, hence the comment about the avatar with the boobies, lol.

I value all replies.

hemi43 · ONTARIO

Dave, this is the problem with these damn forums, and to be quite honest I don't know why I keep going on them. Half my posts are taken totally out of context from what my intention was, and as well I'm guilty of going the same. The guys had it better in the old days when they just sat around a table face to face and talked about cars.

Dave Scott · ANCASTER, ONT

Hemi, I have seen some right old bust ups on forums in my time, all because someone forgot to add a winky face smiley, lol.

I'm looking forward to sitting round a table, or engine bay, yapping about our passion. If anyone upsets you, you can just chuck a spanner at them, problem solved

wolfman1 · ST GEORGE, ONT

After reading all this, my suggestion is take the bus or the GO train

sasquatch · NORTH BAY, ONT

Dave Scott, No not mad at you, i was commenting on the post that prompted this from DaveM. I only posted my opinion, and that is because they are still good little cars, good mileage, and there STILL ARE thousands on the road.(Gotta be something to that!!)

Still wishing you and your'e family a great welcome to Ontario.--Lol!!

DaveM · ONTARIO

I was merely suggesting that they don't meet ANY of the requirements listed in the original post.

hemi43 · ONTARIO

DaveM wrote:
I was merely suggesting that they don't meet ANY of the requirements listed in the original post.

Hey DaveM, maybe we should just stick to melting stuff and drinking beer on the weekends !! Then we don't get $hit from other members.