cars posts

Is it time to buy a new car?

According to a Harris/Decima poll from the beginning of this year, although 50 is the average age of car buyers, it's the 18-34 group that will be most likely to buy or lease a new car.

For many of these buyers, the process of buying a car is a completely new process, and one that seems to be shrouded in mystery.

So how to proceed?

Like so many things, it's not about just the colour and how you look in the car. According to AutomallNetwork.com, there are seven sins that could cost us more.

Consumers have been warned - with Mars in retrograde, electronics and transportation are always affected, as in this week's review of recalls in Canada:

Health Canada has issued a recall for the Lenovo ThinkCentre M70z and M90z desktop computers because of the potential of an internal component overheating and causing a fire.

The computers were manufactured between March 2010 and November 2011.

Lenovo has received reports of several incidents of fire and smoke emitting from the computers, but none of these have occurred in Canada.

Over 7500 computers were sold in Canada via online and authorized Lenovo retailers between May 2010 and January 2012.

Consumers are asked to contact Lenovo to confirm their computer is part of the recall and to receive a free repair at 1-855-248-2194.

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By John Rosevear

Toyota (TM) may have lost the U.S. sales lead, but it still leads in one key survey -- and that lead should give fans of the automaker hope as it gears up to retake lost ground.

Toyota retained its crown in the latest edition of Consumer Reports' annual survey of auto-brand perception, a sign that many consumers remain loyal to the company despite its struggles in recent years.

But the survey also showed that homegrown competitor Ford (F) is rapidly closing the gap. And other brands aren't far behind.

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As the days run out on 2011, everyone likes to look back at what's gone this past year.

Every week Walletpop Canada examines what products are being recalled, and regularly checks the Federal Government's site Healthy Canadians, to see what's been pulled off the shelves and removed from the grocery store.

There has been a steady list of recalled items found in every room of the house: male sexual enhancement drugs and herbal weight loss drinks to sports equipment, cars and toys - there are now a regular list of items that retailers and consumers need to be made aware. And another reminder - recalls don't expire.

So what items are repeat recall offenders?

I can spend hours looking for information online.

Sometimes its because of work - researching information and finding out answers to questions - but sometimes its a procrastinator's dream - looking up pretty things to buy, reading interesting blogs or reading the news of the day.

Canadians are busy online - according to Kijiji Canada statistics, we're busy looking through 1300 classified ads per minute, which breaks down to 22 searches per second or 185 listings per second.

The most recent statistics confirm online shopping is increasing, with $15 billion spent in 2009.

So what are we searching for online? What is tempting us to spend our hard earned loonies?

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You might be surprised at which cars are most frequently stolen in Canada. Topping the list is not your super-luxury sports car – those are probably too well protected.

It doesn't matter that they're well beyond their best-before date in car years, if you own an aging Honda Civic or Acura, yours is probably on the list of models car thieves and shady parts dealers look out for. (Toyotas, Fords, Cadillac, Chevrolet and even a Pontiac model all make the list this year too.)

The Insurance Bureau of Canada released its annual list this week. Interestingly, they say stolen cars are now showing up more frequently in the local market – they're not necessarily being exported out of the country. Oftentimes, they say the cars are being re-sold to unsuspecting customers.

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There are a lot of people out there who call themselves social media experts or gurus. They may or may not know what they're talking about, but that's a topic for another day. Every once and a while though you cross paths with a company that truly gets it. It's exciting when that happens. It's even more exciting when you see that they've done it by themselves.

Last year, Mathieu Gagne was disassembling cars. Today he works in a service and technology role. In a company of 200 people, his employer noted his passion for cars and for eBay, and put him to work on the task of moving the company's inventory for sale online.

Today, a little more than a year later, Lecavalier Auto Parts is being honoured by eBay Canada in the lineup of entrepreneur awards the auction company dishes out each year to some of their exceptional shop owners.

This week's recall report is all about the house again - and a special warning for all those gardeners who are trying to keep their gardens looking good this autumn.

Health Canada has issued a recall for the RedMax brushcutter, a gasoline-powered garden tool. The recall has been issued because the fuel cap of the product doesn't properly close, which can cause fuel leakage and a possible fire hazard.

The RedMax brushcutter is model TR2350S and the recalled shaft serial numbers range from 10215377 to 10625892 and engine serial numbers from 10115390 to 10425910.

Approximately 400 units were sold in Canada at authorized RedMax dealers. Consumers are asked to contact the company at 1-877-257-6921 or recalls@husqvarna to arrange to bring in the product for repair.

Nowhere is the saying caveat emptor more justified than in dealings with car dealerships' service departments. If there's a place on earth for customers to be on their toes, this is it.

In order to avoid legal difficulties, all parties in this story shall remain nameless. But it is true and, alas, typical.

A guy had a car. A European-trained driver, he's used to listening to his engine while motoring about. One day, before a longish trip, he had himself booked into the car dealer's service department, to have all fluids and brakes checked. As a special request, he asked that they check the timing belt, and if it's not perfect, replace it. And, please check the clutch, too.

Sarah Gilbert

You've heard the (often conflicting) wisdom about saving money on gas: Turn off the AC (or don't). Fill your tires (just exactly enough). Drive more slowly (but not too slowly).

But the best way of all to save gas is simply to drive less. Sure, that's easy for me to say: I don't drive at all! But I know we can't all go cold turkey, so we polled our writers and friends for the best ways to cut back on driving without cutting it out of our lives altogether. Check out our 17 tips -- some really simple, some a little more of a commitment -- that can help you save some dough on gas.