Ken Hardie AUTOTOPIC INVARIABLY, FOLLOW- ING any major announce- ment cencerning ICBC, the pages of B.C.’s daily and community newspapers display a variety of analysis, editorials and opinions from reporters, editors and indi- vidual motorists. The announcement of higher auto insurance premiums last Nov. 27 prompted a number of comments that merit examination, A number of writers and com- mentators noted that [CBC's 9.5% premium increase was un- reasonable, given that it was about Unree times the rate of in- flation. The federal government tracks the country’s inflation rate by fol- lowing the changes in price of a “shopping basket’? of goods and services that contains everything from a head of lettuce to home heating oil. , The comment has prompted ICBC’s staff to begin assembling a shopping basket unique to the corporation which, as you could guess, will follow prices ” for vehicle- and injury-related items, The rate of inflation for such Photo submitted THE SENTRA Classic, priced attractively at $9,590, is the old version of the Sentra, which was replaced by a new model in 90 in the U.S. Models kept i in Canada From page 29 Cheap, sub-$6,000 cars were not the only vehicles that wore “Not sold in U.S.” badges. TVR from Blackpool, England, used to sell convertible sports cars here. Two models were available: one priced in the $40,000 range, and the other in the $60,000 range. The. top-of-the-line’ model, TVR 420, was equipped with a 4.2-litre V8 that didn’t take’a back seat to many sports cars. Once in a while, I still see a TVR convertible around in the yuppie Kits beach area. Because of the difference in dealership setup, Pontiac always sold their own versions of the cars that were only sold as Chevrolets intheU.S. * Pontiac Acadian (equivalent to Chevy Chevette), Sunburst (same’ as Spectrum), Firefly (Sprint counter-model), and Tempest (identical to Corsica) were models that were ‘‘re-badged’’ for the Canadian market only. The” now defunct Passport dealership franchise was also ex- clusive to Canada, though the models they sold — re- badged or not — were also available in the U.S. The same story applies to the Asuna lineup of cars from Gener- al Motors. Afthough the brand is unique to Canada, the Sunfire, Sunrunner, and SE and GT models are all sold in the U.S.. under different names, either through Isuzu or GM dealerships. Like the Passport dealership, however, the Asuna nameplate has bitten the dust — it will disappear at the end of the '93 mode! year. Other *93 cars sold in. Canada but not in the U.S. include the Nissan Sentra Classic, Nissan Ax- xess. minivan, and BMW 320i sedan. The Sentra Classic, priced at- tractively at $9,590, is the old ver- sion of the Sentra, which was replaced by a new model in '90 in the U.S. In Canada, Nissan mar- kets both the old type (thus labelled Classic} and the new type . (simply called Sentra). ; By the way, I plan to make two dozen photocopies of this article especially for my wonderful friends in Michigan, just in case they haven’t heard of Sunrunners and TVRs... ing basket’ ch things as fenders and stereos or daily hospital charges and therapy procedures could prove to be much different, ICBC's claims-settlement costs are any indication. More than a few editorialists have pul the ICBC sate increase down to being ‘just another tax from the government.’’ While there is no doubt what- certainly if soever that higher auto insurance premiums are ‘‘taxing’’ for everyone, the ICBC rates you pay are not a tax. ICBC is a ‘‘user pay’? system that ensures that B.C.'s motorists cover the cost of vehicle-related losses —- those who cause accidents are protected fi- nancially, victims of losses are compensated and non-motorists do not subsidize these costs SERVICE DEPARTMENT OPEN 8AM-9PM_ MONDAY THRU SATURDAY VANCOU Genuine Mazda Parts & Accessories Specialized ‘Mazda ‘Service Afr enberof 7 The Northshore egy : ISUZU TROOPER Standard features include auto trans., alr- 4 | cond., DOHC - 24 valve engine, heated seats, ‘96 560 p/windows, locks & mirrova, tilt steering AM/FM cass, sound system, headlamp wipers & so much more. package and 4X4 Version Shown & “ESUZU SPACE CAB fous can’t bu: thia ts one standard equipmenL, space cab, 5 Yc @ lower priced ihe nicest ones available, For | tellability, performance and looks, it's unbeatable. 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