Thanks for another great article Sam; I LOL when I read, '...2002 **bleep**...' Good luck, looking forward to the next chapter in this auto-biography! ... View more

What a SWEET car - as an 8 year old, I was enamored of all these Colonnade beauties.  Amazing to think this car was available with a 4 spd!  By that time, mid size cars for the most part were not considered performance oriented, so all these performance goodies - on a Buick no less - are amazing!  A keen eye and desire could still go wild with the factory order books.  Great job keeping this rare car top of mind - I am sure the owner smiles every time the key is turned. ... View more

Sam, I very much enjoy your writing - mostly I can hear your joy.  Although this story was slightly different, the love you have for your Mom and Dad is very apparent - likely difficult, but there is joy in difficult memories too.  Please accept my condolences for the loss of your mom - may she rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon her and your whole family. ... View more

Love me some Brendan McAleer writing... great tribute to a really good man, Brendan.  And if anyone wants to LOL, look up Brendan's Hyundai Pony story... pure gold!   ... View more

Used to be the Scion FRS and is still the Subaru BRZ.... ... View more

You are correct - Britannia Beach, BC - Sea to Sky Highway, between Vancouver and Whistler ... View more

Fantastic.  Congratulations Molly - condolences too; tough time for sure, but such wonderful memories.  With two parents struggling with dementia, but knowing they recognize me, your Grandfather knew you were following in his footsteps and that is really special. ... View more

I was so excited when this new model came out - what a looker!  A nice styling exercise that looked to the past. Alas, we need an SUV and when the Corsair came out, WOW, that was it!  And my wife and I were so excited to drive one and we had picked out colour, trim, etc.  Then after the poor experience (the dealer has a 'Lincoln Showroom' delineated by a change in flooring, but the t-shirt/jeans Ford sales people are the same) of the test drive (car had no gas and they knew we were coming), the adherence to a short test drive even after we were told we could take it overnight as part of the Lincoln prestige test drive option, and the unbelievably disappointing test drive 'once over' by the sales person (we had to open the manual to find out how to move the seat), then the noise!  What Lincoln could be this noisy on the road!  My company car Escape we drove over was quieter when we got back in.  Huge disappointment.  Sad really. ... View more

Hey Aaron, sorry you had to go through all that, but I agree it was worth it for a sweet truck!  What a neat model of Toyota; most are extended cab and this one just looks right! ... View more

After years of Saturn's, Fusion's and Escape's, and with some finally realized budget, we did lots of research and settled on an X1.  Interestingly, in Eco-Pro it gets amazing mileage, in Normal it zips through traffic and in Sport, when the gearing changes, the second exhaust pipe opens up and the dynamics change, WOW what fun!  But (with $80K CA), I would recommend a M340i xDrive $65,000, 382 hp, - GREAT 8-speed paddle shift-able trans and it can be 3, 3, 3 cars in 1!  Add those winter tires Jack mentions to have fun in the winter and keep the MazdaSpeed too!  Have fun! ... View more

My Dad was a car lover, and was keen to share with me and did his best with no budget to buy 'nice' cars.  Mom likely had something to do his budget... But, I dream that the 1965 Parisienne we had was equipped with a 421 Tri-Power, and our 1969 Country Sedan had the 4V 390; I know our 1972 Country Squire had a 400, but I am not sure it had a 4 barrel.  Unfortunately I did know his 76 Cutlass (company car) had the 260 V-8, along with the 79 Malibu; one bright spot was the 79 Parisienne, but it had the 2 barrel 305.  Once I was 17 however, I learned Dad had a '56 Olds Super 88 Holiday 2-door hardtop in '58 when he and Mom got married - I immediately started to look for one in the Auto Trader and, success!  I found a '56 Super 88 Holiday 4 door and, after a bit of arm twisting and negotiation with Mom, we went to the Original Owner's house and there in the basement garage was the car - not exactly like Dad's but close enough, with only 36,000 miles (this was 1982) and we made a deal and drove it home.  Wow. My Dad's dream car, that he used to beat '55 Chevy's in casual street races with, Rocket V-8, 4 barrel, oil-bath air cleaner - immaculately kept by the original owner and subsequently his son.  Our connection was solidified and every time Dad drove the car he smiled - and when Mom wasn't expecting it, he'd open up all four barrels and the Rocket would take off - pure joy.  Sadly, three years later, we carried Dad's ashes in the car, surrounded by family and he took his last ride in the '56, far too young to pass, at 56 - interesting, right?  Miss you Dad; missed you for the last 34 years.  Happy Father's Day, love you tonnes (metric tonnes - they're larger) and thank you for giving me the passion for cars that you had, but which was kept on a simmer until we found the '56. 🙂 ... View more

Brilliant - you had me at the start and I finished my whole coffee whilst I read it top to bottom. Thank you. 🙂 ... View more