Forum Weekly Review June 14

In this weekly segment, we cover the top discussions going on in the car forums. These threads may be the most recent hot topics, or epic threads that we just wanted to dig up and feature.

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Used Car Market Drying Up?
Forum member richardchan2002 is asking other members if they are noticing that the used car market is drying up? “I’ve noticed there are a lot more cars being listed for sale, not only here on beyond but in other places as well” He notes. “A lot of them have very fair asking prices close to black book and still aren’t moving. Many people I know have resorted to trading their cars in because they can’t move their car at all.”

Saskatchewan Bans Lift Kits; Sets Sights On “Monster Trucks”
Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) recently implemented a new policy targetting truck owners who install lift kits to raise the height of their trucks. The new policy was introduced following studies in the US that showed that trucks with the lift kits made it more dangerous for other users of the road. I doubt SGI is going to target everyone with a lift-kit, but instead will focus those on the extreme end with danerously high ride heights. Either way, many truck owners are furious.

iPhone 3G First Look and Discussions
How could there be a weekly review during the iPhone 3G launch that didn’t include a nod to Apple’s second generation iPhone? Rumors are that Roger’s is ramping up their data plans. The data plans will apparently be starting at $30 for 300MB and will go up to $100 for 10GB. Are you switching to Rogers/Fido to get a second generation iPhone?

If you missed last week’s forum weekly review, you can see it here

Fido and Rogers To Offer iPhone 3G On July 11

Fido, Canada’s fourth largest wireless provider and number one in wireless customer satisfaction, today announced it will also offer iPhone 3G to Canadians when the device launches on July 11. Rogers had announced back in April that it would be bringing the iPhone 3G to Canada later in the year but the Fido announcement is a welcome surprise.

“Fido services and devices suit our customers’ urban lifestyles, so iPhone 3G is the perfect fit for Canadians looking to be fashionable like this amazing wireless device,” said Rob Bruce, President, Rogers Wireless, owner of the Fido brand. “As the brand voted number one in wireless customer satisfaction, we are thrilled to provide our customers with the device that ranked the highest in customer satisfaction from a wireless cellular manufacturer.”

I am surprised that Roger’s did not keep the iPhone 3G exclusive to the Rogers umbrella as it has done with other popular phones in the past. Those of you who were wondering if the Canadian MSRP would be inline with the US MSRP, theres good news. iPhone 3G will be available to Fido customers at $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model on a three-year price plan. Canadians will likely get hosed by the terrible data plans though.

3G iPhone Coming To Canada

Rogers has announced that the 3G version of the iPhone is coming to Canada later this year. While many Canadians have been happily using their iPhones for awhile now, most have not been able to use the iPhone to its full potential due to the terrible data plans offered up here in Canada.

“One of the things I think we need to be aware of is pricing works on data, where we price it by the application,” Rogers Communications president and chief operating officer Nadir Mohamed said Tuesday during a news conference before the company’s annual shareholders meeting.

It was long rumored that the only reason the iPhone was not made available in Canada was because of our dismal situation in terms of data plans from the Canadian carriers, but Tuesday’s announcement suggests that there will be some big changes to the data plans to accomodate the iPhone and other smart phones.