handing over keys of new car buyerkosmos111/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Regrets, Canadians have had a few – especially when it comes to cars.
One in three Canadians suffers from car buyer's remorse, says a survey of 1,508 adults conducted in late January by Angus Reid for autotrader.ca. The dissatisfied drivers regret not doing better and more research, not shopping around more and not assessing their driving needs better.
"It's a significant number," says Ian MacDonald, autotrader.ca's director of marketing in a press release. "Considering that more than 1.7 million cars were purchased in 2013, if one-third of those buyers walked away less than perfectly happy about their purchase, that's over half a million drivers who would have done things differently."
Additionally, 31 per cent of respondents thought they overpaid for their car purchase.
Vote buying
Would you rather have a Ford or a Figaro? If the latter is your choice, then you may want to talk to Colin Turnbull.
The Toronto man recently posted a classified ad on Kijiji to sell his 1991 Nissan Figaro accompanied by a sign featuring an unflattering picture of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in the back window with the message: "Buy this car or I will vote for Rob Ford. The fate of Toronto rests in your hands!"
"I thought I would jump on his popularity so to speak," Turnbull told Global News Toronto. "It seemed like a natural fit to get something to grab people's attention."
The price for the Figaro and one guaranteed anti-Ford vote? Only $14,000.
Record setter
A 1937 French roadster was the auction star of the recent Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, selling for an event record $6.6-million.
The car, a Delahaye 135 Competition Court Torpedo Roadster by Figoni et Falaschi – one of only two left in existence – was owned by American auto magnate Malcolm Pray, who died this past year at 84. In all, almost $67-million was spent at auction during the classic car show along north Florida's Atlantic coast.
If you have questions about driving or car maintenance, please contact our experts at globedrive@globeandmail.com.
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Darren McGee