Off Road Adventures in Western Canada
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2007/03/19: Federal Government Green Levy
The New Canadian Government (sic) i.e. the Conservatives, has introduced a new tax on passenger cars (those light vehicles which are not pickup trucks) to promote fuel efficiency. In the situation of new Land Rovers it would appear that the Green Levy will increase the cost of a LR3 or Range Rover by $2000. To increase vehicle cost, for a very limited volume of sales per year, will certainly result in lost sales and reduced viability for the franchise in Canada. This raises a serious concern when one considers that every new vehicle sold by Land Rover Canada will be impacted by the Green Levy. The other vehicle manufactures are more diversified - sales lost on SUVs will be made up on pickups.
Some may argue that purchasers of Land Rovers are not price sensitive and will simply pay the extra tax. Perhaps a few are, most likely almost all purchasers will give it some consideration. Pay the Green Levy on a Land Rover or buy a Ford 4x4 crew cab pickup with no Green Levy.
The New Canadian Government should avoid market place interference and allow consumers to decide which vehicle best meets their needs. If that choice is a heavy SUV then the consumer incurs a cost at time of purchase for the vehicle based on its manufacturing cost and GST. Frankly people have a right to spend their after tax dollars as they see fit.
What the New Canadian Government should have done was to negotiate with the provincial governments a progressive scale for vehicle registration. The primary goal should be to remove old vehicles from the road and to replace those vehicles with new models. New vehicles will certainly have better fuel economy, lower emissions, and be in better repair than comparable old vehicles. For example, if the vehicle is new there is no surcharge to register your vehicle. If the vehicle is between 10 and 15 years old add a registration fee surcharge of $200 per year. If the vehicle is between 16 and 20 years old make the surcharge $400 per year. If more than 20 years old make the surcharge a flat $500 per year. And this would apply to all vehicles on the road - no exceptions. Very few rusted out clunkers would stay on the road if their owners were paying out up to 7 times the normal vehicle registration fee.If a collector of older vehicles thinks this is unfair, well you don't have to register and drive your old beast. Park it and show it off in your garage. Besides it likely has minimal emission controls and pollutes the atmosphere in the same volume as 500 new cars. If you want to drive it, an annual $500 registration fee surcharge over 8 years would be equivalent to the new Green Levy of $4000 on the least fuel efficient new SUV.
The basic difference between a point of sale Excise Tax, the Green Levy, and taxing old vehicles is whether or not we want to disrupt the working of the current market for new vehicles. Play around with the current market and you will disrupt business plans, production facilities, employment, and just annoy those consumers participating on the leading edge of the economy. Frankly, it is far better to allow the market to determine the future for the cars we drive. Let government provide a mechanism to remove the obsolete technology from the roads.
2006/03/14:
The Discovery is back all properly repaired by the dealer. Great job by the way. The leaking radiator had a broken fitting on the left side. The sides of the radiator appear to be plastic and that is what sustained the fatal damage. The radiator also had a nice bump on the bottom - since it is recessed well into the engine compartment I have no idea how that could have happened. This damage could have been sustained when it was tossed into the dumpster - who knows. The service manager graciously knocked off $300 from the repair bill. Regardless I am happy, the vehicle is running great, and we can get back to having fun.
2006/03/10:
I have been a Land Rover supporter for a number of years. Overall I think they are great vehicles. However today after having my Rover serviced at the 54,000 KM interval I must say that I am a bit disappointed with my ownership experience.
A couple of years ago, at 36,375 KM while under warranty, the dealer replaced the radiator due to small leaks being detected. Today, the dealer has recommended replacing the radiator again, at a cost of $1400, due to a significant leak being detected. They felt it could have been a rock piercing the lower corner of the radiator during my drive over to the dealership this very morning. The leak is so bad that they don't want me to pick the vehicle up - the radiator has to be replaced.
One really has to wonder about the quality of the radiators in the Land Rover Discovery Series II. While I have not observed any radiator fluid leaks on the floor of my garage it is just possible that the dealer's story about a rock on the way in for service could be true. Having a skid plate will likely be a necessary option to avoid this type of problem in the future.
2005/08/20:
Lee Shornet invited me back to Alberta Safari Park to assist in the filming of the Tough Trail Challenge 2005. With thousands of dollars of prize money available, and some 35 trail tough vehicles entered it would be an exciting day. Cage Video Productions produced the final DVD of the event using footage shot primarily by their 2 camera men and myself - additional footage was provided by some of the vehicle crews. The DVD is available from Detail Plus Tires and 4X4 enthusiast shops.
2005/04/23:
Here are a few images from the Multi Club Run at Alberta Safari Park this past Saturday. There were about 40 vehicles running under clear blue skies and warm 20 degree temperatures, overall a beautiful day.
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2001/10/14:
This was an off road day at the Alberta Safari Park organized by Land Rover Edmonton. Some 20 of us headed out to try the custom build course set-up by Lee Shornet. The course winds through some 80 acres of unimproved land covered by stands of Aspen. The course itself appears to have been hacked out by simply removing the minimum number of trees necessary to get the vehicles through; no bulldozer trail here.
Driving
the course was a blast. One had to be careful not
to get too close to trees on the side of the course, particularly when
negotiating a turn. The mud was as real as it gets, with the
exception
that one can drive out of it after about 30 to 50 meters. A
few folks got
stuck including one of the fellows from the dealership mostly due to
not enough
right foot. It was sufficiently deep in at least one place that I
managed to punch out the nice plastic trailer hitch cover. The
hitch tube is about 20" above the ground so you can imagine the gumbo
which must have been pushed through the tube.
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2001/09/08:
Well the lease on the original
Land Rover Discovery
Series I
had run out and it was time to either buy it out or lease a new
Land Rover Discovery Series
II. I opted for the new lease. In many ways I will miss the
original Discovery. It was a very capable vehicle and had the
added benefit of a locking transfer case. The new Land Rover Discovery Series II lacks this very useful feature.
1998/05/16:
Pressed into service on May 16, 1998 the 1998 Land Rover Discovery came with a cedar stripper canoe from Evergreen Canoe Co. in Ontario. The canoe has commemorative Land Rover decals..
Click on thumbnail image for larger version. Images taken with Sony digital camera at 640x480 resolution.
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Northern Alberta Four Wheel Drive Association
Rover Landers of British Columbia
The Land Rover FAQ
4 X Forum of Southern Africa - excellent site with off road driving tips and user forum
Land Rover G4 Challenge
Ford Media Room - Land Rover Announcements
Contact Information
Please
contact me by calling (780) 486 6241
or by
sending
an e-mail
to: info.yyyy@thranite.com
Edmonton Alberta Canada
© David Mackie 1998 - 2007
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