Google Studies how we Shop for Cars

Narrowing their focus on the automotive industry, Google conducted a survey about how we shop for cars online.  They then invited me to the Google office to share the findings.

Google noted that only 1/3 shoppers will buy a badge not on their initial list. And the average amount of time spent shopping is 28 days.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

Only 43% of shoppers take a test drive? Way too low guys, get out there! What looks appealing online may fit your poorly. A feature you glossed over online, meanwhile, may become important in real life. 

Remember – car shopping is supposed to be enjoyable! Plus, writing a cheque that large gives you a lot of power, so have fun with that.

Read about visiting Google here.

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Fight Every Speeding Ticket

A 2-part mini-series on speeding.

Read the other one, from the police perspective, here.

We speak with Jason Baxter at X-Copper Legal Services on why he feels it best to fight every ticket.

Read it online at Autonet.ca.

Favourite line:

Always fight a speeding ticket, because the insurance company can use that one ticket to raise your rates for three years.

You do this for the insurance game – not to save on the ticket itself, but in an art-of-the-long-view thing.

Update

Okay woah, this one really set people off over at Autonet… 118 comments what?! Might be a site record.

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Speeding Advice from the Police

Speaking with Constable Stibbe, the toughest enforcer on the team. Last year he wrote over 5,000 speeding tickets, or 20/day.

He details how to avoid a ticket, and what to do if you get pulled over.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

Even the “toughest enforcer” waves people on. As Stibbe says, “hey, everyone has the occasional bad day.”

A 2-part mini-series on speeding.

Read the other one, from the fight-the-ticket perspective, here.

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The All-new 2014 Nissan Rogue

Read my full review here on Autonet.ca. Liked it a lot.

It’s the finishings, though, where the Rogue outshines the competition. The instrument plastics are smooth, and the fake-o carbon fibre looks sharp, but it’s the soft-touch material found on all surfaces that really makes a difference. It may not translate in print, but it does in real life.

It’s a 2.5 L engine producing 170 hp and 175 lb-ft of torque, and the vehicle will tow 1,000 pounds (like a jet ski).

To call it sporty is a stretch, but it’s not supposed to be; the Rogue is a utility vehicle, and it does that well.

Buy the SV trim, the middle one, and forget the third row, it’s too small to be functional. As I said in my review, “It’s tiny; I barely fit, and I’m the size of a troll doll”.

But why I declared it the leader of the compact-SUV segment, is because of Nissan’s invention – the The Divide-N-Hide cargo area. Love it.

Contain wet items in the floor,
so they don’t infect the whole load.
Then Tetris the pieces around in the back,
you can really OCD out. 

Bet this will be copied by the competitors.

I tested the Rogue in Nashville, here’s the post about that trip.

That’s their football stadium, LP Field.

And that’s Mark Richardson, photobombing my entire test video.

HAHA that’s good footage. Motoring TV has it right now, will link it up when it’s online.

2014 Nissan Rogue

Starting at – $23,498
Top trim – $33,098

 

 

Canadians Dominate the Auto Industry

Canadians dominate the auto industry – but we’re pretty quiet about it – which is why this week I’d like to do some bragging, politely.

I’m singling out Nissan, BMW, GM, Chrysler, Ford and Toyota, then the auto journalists too.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

The ending – last 3 paragraphs:

And then there’s the Canadian auto journalists – and I think this is indicative of our culture – we are consistently booked into one of two waves… 

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