Purposely Trashed Camaro

A guy at work has a V6 Camaro and it looks trashed.  I don’t know who it is so I can’t ask, but it’s got to be on purpose because it is so terrible.  I can’t imagine something accidently causing this except for maybe a fire?  Maybe some people would think it's cool but I bet the loan company wouldn't be thrilled.

Traffic Cops Serve No Purpose Beyond Cash Generation

Today I’m driving to work in my huge H3, nothing special just rollin’ along with traffic.  I pop over the hill and there is a cop, I was driving with others and didn’t think much about it.  But nope he singles me out and pulls me over.  He walks up with the attitude of a bored checkout clerk, shoves the radar gun in my face and says, “You’re doing 75 km in a 50km. License and insurance.” I give him what he requested and he goes back to the car.

So I’m sitting there thinking how I was just driving to work, not bothering anyone or driving recklessly at all.  I then realize it’s all a load of shit.  These traffic cops have exactly the same job as parking enforcement, they are sent out there to generate money.  That’s it.  They tell us we broke the law but it’s a bunch of shit.  I wasn’t driving reckless, I was with others doing the same, and we we’re all just going to work.

One enjoyable thing about it was that I pulled over into a super small and busy street so his car was in the way and blocking traffic which forced him to get his crap done rather than delay me as long as he could.  So he came up to the car and said, “Here is your license and your ticket” and walked away.  He then got back in his car and did a U-turn pulling up to the intersection behind a school bus.  The light was red and I guess he didn’t want to wait so he chirp his siren and light at the school bus until it moved and ran the red light, once he got through he shut them off.  What an asshole.

There was really no point to the ticket other than to generate money.  He wasn’t serving and protecting anyone, he was just making cash for the city.  I’m glad my job isn’t that pointless. 

If someone is driving recklessly or unsafely certainly pull the guy over but to bother people just doing their daily grind to work is just bullshit.  I really didn't want to break out the radar detector just for my boring daily commute but it looks like I have to.  Yes I know they are illegal in Ontario but better than a ticket.

Awww Hell No : Fire Destroys Skyline Warehouse

From AutoBlog

On Sunday evening May 1st 2016, a fire broke out at the Ontario, CA location of International Vehicle Importers. 24 cars were destroyed in the fire along with several motorcycles, and sadly two of the company's shop dogs also perished.

Sean Morris of IVI has been a significant figure in the USA Skyline import scene, and most of the destroyed cars were R32 Skylines. The company also has warehouses elsewhere, including Long Beach, so the entire inventory was not lost in the fire; some of the vehicles were also saved as they were being repaired. Morris was taking part in the One Lap of America event during the weekend, so he wasn't present to see his warehouse and Japan market cars devoured by the fire.

Full details of the fire are not yet available, but the loss of the dogs makes the entire ordeal a little bit sadder. No matter how rare the Skylines and other cars were, they are only made of metal.

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/05/03/nissan-skyline-importer-fire-report/

Houston's Flood VS Hummer H1

This modified Hummer H1 seems unaffected by the flooded Houston streets, even when it’s over the hood.  Modified by Search & Destroy Tactical Vehicles I was so impressed that I contacted them to see what they can do for an H3. Turns out there isn’t much.  The H1 has the diesel engine which can be waterproofed whereas the 3.7L in my H3 isn’t as flexible.

My H3 can of course get some of the cool bits like a snorkel and so forth but I'd be a little concerned that when the water gets high enough that the snorkel would be needed I'd be testing the seals on the doors for sure.  Reading the forums I guess the H3 has a great deal of waterproofing right from the factory.

Anyway check out the cool H1 in action on Houston's flooded streets.  For more info about Search & Destroy's modified vehicles check out their site.  Search & Destroy

Second Drive and Ticketed!

Some people have never gotten a ticket.  Some have gotten so few that they can recall what happened with each one.  I have gotten so many tickets I literally have no clue how many I have gotten.  Mainly they were all from speeding but there have been other things like excessive acceleration but never a fix ticket because I generally keep everything in tip top shape.

Well today I was driving the Shelby to work for the second time since I bought it and got pulled over.  I was doing absolutely nothing wrong so I had no clue what the problem was.  "Sir, I'm pulling you over today for not having a front plate."  I said, "Go look, there is no place to mount it." "Sir, that's not our problem.  In Ontario you are required to have a front plate."  BAM! Fix ticket for $110.

I'm sorry Officer but no amount of money is going to force me to drill holes in the front of a Shelby Cobra.  Really stupid law, all you see of a Shelby is the back anyway.  ;)

I Got Away With IT! ..... sort of.

Insurance in Canada is crazy expensive.  I really don't know why people put up with it.  In the US my 2007 Mustang GT cost me about $85 a month through Allstate.  Here in Canada my 2007 Hummer H3 costs me about $100 more than that.  That's right, almost $200 Canadian.  Insane.


So before I bought the GT500 I contacted my insurance agent and said, "If I buy a car in Canada and register it in Ontario can you still insure it?" She said sure.  So I then contacted Service Ontario (Ontario DMV) and asked if I could use a US insurer to cover a car registered in Ontario?  Their reply was, "Allstate is an accepted insurance company in Ontario."  So to me that said yes.

So yesterday I go to Service Ontario to finalize my GT500's registration.  I applied for two years and when it came time to finalize they said, "Wait, it says you don't have insurance."  I then showed her the paperwork from Allstate saying I did have insurance and they said, "Well it's not in the Ontario database."  I said. "That's because it's a US insurer." "Oh you can't do that."  But I checked with Ontario Service and they said I could and my insurer said I could and I couldn't have gotten a loan without full coverage.

Frustrated she said, "I can override it once and allow it but when your stickers expire you won't be able to do it again."

So I guess we'll see what happens then but for now I'm good for two years of my GT500 legally on the road using cheap US insurance.  Of course it all happened just in time to have an April cold snap and blizzard.  I'm afraid there is no cure for Canada.

SPRING FEVER!!

I’d just like to mention not being able to drive my GT500 is driving me crazy!! I’ve had it since February and haven’t been able to legally drive it yet.  Not only has it been too cold but in Canada when you bring a car from a different province you might as well be bringing it from a different planet.  Ontario at least cares nothing about the tests it has had in a different province.  So I need to get the safety inspection done again and the emission check done again.  Then when I thought I finally had everything complete the Service Ontario department says they don’t like my insurance.  So they give me a temp 10 day plate sticker.  Of course Canada being Canada the weather turns to crap and there is an ice storm during that time.

The reason they didn’t like my insurance is because Allstate gave me a temp policy to patch the time between my last car and when this new policy starts in April.  Ontario sees the temp insurance and won’t accept it.  So now I’m watching a few warm days pass by and I can’t drive it.

Whenever I'm commuting and I see someone tooling around in their summer ride I feel the frustration rising.  Soon though .... very soon.