To rent: Toronot/GTA

2311 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Fediej, Jul 10, 2017

cshiao

Discussion Starter · Jun 28, 2017

Hi everyone,

I am new to the forum. I am thinking of buying a CRZ in the next six months. However, I want to try to live with one and simulate how I would drive it (commute, run around town etc). I am a mature driver, not a test pilot that abuses cars.

Is there anyone out there willing to rent out their CRZ over a weekend maybe? I am located in Toronto Ontario, in the GTA area.

Let me know.

Thank you,

Clark Shiao

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Spdbump

· #2 · Jun 29, 2017

Most of us it is our only car so renting one I do not think is going to happen. Although one dealer here claimed they had CR-Zs as loaners but they also tried to sell me a transmission service the car did not need...>

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Shamarskii

· #3 · Jun 29, 2017

Within the GTA it may be hard to find another owner... much less a forum member

I've spotted only 4 CRZs and idk about active members being here at the moment.

But yeah, as Spdbump said, mostly our only car. So you have two challenges:

Find someone in the GTA... and hope they're able to loan it to you.

Anyway, which Model/year are you interested in?

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Spdbump

· #4 · Jun 29, 2017 (Edited)

The only way to know if this vehicle is right for you( or at least a high percentage of your needs) is to test drive one. There are so few CR-Zs made and they are now discontinued that your idea of borrowing one for a while is just not practical. People tend to buy vehicles with capabilities they never use ( off road truck used as a daily driver, 4 wheel drive in areas that have no snow, large SUV which usually has just a driver in it. ) When buying a vehicle buy one that meets most of your needs and rent when it does not.

I have said the following many times in this forum but will repeat it again. These are the steps to buying any vehicle from a dealer or other party.

1) Negotiate the total price. (Never talk in terms of payments)
2) Negotiate what accessories you want and extended warranties if you want one
3) Negotiate the financing if you need it
4) At the end and only if you need to, discuss your trade in

Be prepared to walk at any time. Do not become emotional. Don't put too many restrictions on what you want. Choose from what is available in your area.

As for "borrowing" A CR-Z, if you have a CarMax in your area they give you 7 days to return the car( for a refund) and you only pay for mileage like you would if you rented one.

I hope the above and my other comments were not too harsh. The CR-Z is a misunderstood vehicle and not even dealers understand them. It is (was) a low volume niche car. When I bought The Speed Bump (new) none of the dealers had them on display and the sales people and other staff at the dealership knew nothing about them. I found The Speed Bump (new) with a bunch of it's Brothers and Sisters ( from the current year and year before) hiding in the back of their storage lot. Other dealers had just one on display.

With them having been discontinued in 2016 they are even rarer and not in demand despite the letter from a local dealership that claimed they were in high demand and they would give me over $9k if I sold mine to them.:frown2:

Good Luck finding one that has the color and options you want. With a CR-Z as I said you may have to settle for what exists not what you want.:smile2:

There was a few members that came in here and either bought one and quickly disposed of it or talked for pages and pages about how they would buy one and modify it then they bought something else.

This is not the car for everyone but if it meets your needs get one and then read about all of the changes you can make to yours after your moditis infection occurs.:surprise:

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cshiao

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 29, 2017

Thanks for the replies guys. I am thinking of picking one up an EX, years doesn't matter. I will find one if the prices is right in my area.

I really appreciate your comments Spdbump. I was debating getting one three years ago when I was buying a car. Instead of getting the CRZ, at the time I needed a little more room so I got an Insight instead. The Insight is serving me very well, commuting, carrying people, I even did a 6,000 miles roadtrip to the Canadian East Coast in the span of 9 days! I really misses driving a manual (switched from an Honda EP3 Civic Si to Insight) so I want to look for a six speed EX to get into.

The reason for me to try to rent one is really try to live with it for at least a couple of days to see what it is like. I don't think I can get a good feel just by testing driving it for 15 minutes only, hence I am here.

I am willing to swap my car with anyone here if they are willing to rent their car to me for that couple of days.

Hopefully someone will consider my request, or maybe I will just have to take the plunge and just get one. :smile2:

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Spdbump

· #6 · Jun 29, 2017

Just get one! The CR-Z has an amazing amount of luggage and storage space with the divider (seat back in other countries) up. Even more with it down. The Speed Bump was purchased in VA I then moved to TX and then to NY ( 3 years three different states) you would not believe what was packed in the car for the cross country trips without blocking any windows. If I had a camera I would have taken pictures but alas I did not have a camera at the time.:smile2:

cshiao said:
Thanks for the replies guys. I am thinking of picking one up an EX, years doesn't matter. I will find one if the prices is right in my area.

I really appreciate your comments Spdbump. I was debating getting one three years ago when I was buying a car. Instead of getting the CRZ, at the time I needed a little more room so I got an Insight instead. The Insight is serving me very well, commuting, carrying people, I even did a 6,000 miles roadtrip to the Canadian East Coast in the span of 9 days! I really misses driving a manual (switched from an Honda EP3 Civic Si to Insight) so I want to look for a six speed EX to get into.

The reason for me to try to rent one is really try to live with it for at least a couple of days to see what it is like. I don't think I can get a good feel just by testing driving it for 15 minutes only, hence I am here.

I am willing to swap my car with anyone here if they are willing to rent their car to me for that couple of days.

Hopefully someone will consider my request, or maybe I will just have to take the plunge and just get one. :smile2:

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Shamarskii

· #7 · Jun 29, 2017

I see that you mentioned carrying people. Hopefully you're alright with one person legally, since it's a 2 seater for us.

The perks with it being a two seater is space... it's actually a lot. I've carried 4 tires in there, still had a little room left and seeing out the rear. I even lay down in the trunk on some weekends after moving the passenger seat up (I'm 6 feet tall). To me, it's like a mini cargo vehicle -- and you see that it's been used like one too

I got a 2011 EX. On the UVIP, it's worth $7.3k, wholesale value is low $9k... so if you look on kijiji, you can expect prices around there for a 2011.

You might as well just grab one! If anything, they DO sell when they appear on kijiji (I missed 2 other CRZs before I got this one). So if it's not for you, post it back up on it.

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96firephoenix

· #8 · Jun 29, 2017

Shamarskii said:
The perks with it being a two seater is space... it's actually a lot. I've carried 4 tires in there, still had a little room left and seeing out the rear. I even lay down in the trunk on some weekends after moving the passenger seat up (I'm 6 feet tall). To me, it's like a mini cargo vehicle -- and you see that it's been used like one too

Yea, the cargo area is great. I"ve also done a full set of wheels and tires in there.

I had to remove the Pass. headrest and hang some of it over my shoulder, but I got a brush guard for my Ford Explorer inside the CRZ.

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CR-Z Canadian

· #9 · Jun 29, 2017

These cars are not exactly flying off store shelves. Some dealers may be motivated enough to help you out.
You might be able to arrange an extended test drive, if you can convince a dealer that you are dead keen. Even possibly from a used car lot. Maybe someone you've dealt with before.
I know someone in London who was able to get an overnight "test drive" with a new 2017 Jag F-Type (and funniest thing is, he didn't wind up buying it!). He was a 60+ year old successful doctor, though.
But even a day with the car will tell you if it will handle your regular commute, parking, and lifestyle. Better than just taking it around the block, anyway!

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cshiao

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jul 9, 2017

Update:

Picked up a 2011 EX last Friday, very happy about it. There are nix and dings here and there, overall pretty good shape. Will pick up a set of new tires for it this week and start shopping for winter rims.

Thanks for your replies and comments!

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Shamarskii

· #11 · Jul 10, 2017

Eyy! Congrats @cshiao!

As spdbump would normally ask for.... you got pics?

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Defiant

· #12 · Jul 10, 2017

Good job. Not many cars are as much outright fun, and their practicality, apart from the single passenger seat, is hard to beat. But if you aren't needing to ferry bodies around, you're set.

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Reactions: 2