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The Oakville Beaver, F rida y M a rc h 8, 2002 - 21 BESTWIIEELS {Continued from page 19) OAKVILLE "Looks kinda like a baby Aztek," another volun teered. I grinned and pictured cubicle walls crashing over in GM headquarters as marketing types swooned at the comments. "That Magnetic Hill place is about a dozen klicks back," the cook told us. "There's no sign anymore and the road's covered with snow." "You might find it," he added dubiously. Mark and I looked at each other. We were already late. If you check the website, you'll see a picture of the Team Lava Vibe parked on a snowy incline with the cap tion "Magnetic Hill." That's all I'm saying. We carried on with the tour, visited awe-inspiring landmarks like Birdhouse City (?) and The Big Apple (ha!). Like our Lava team name we had crept inexorably forward in points, pulling our third-place team, as Mark would say, "to, umm . . , third place." And, like Lava, we were hot and smelly, relieved to arrive safely in Toronto, ready to hand off our red Pontiac Vibe to a fresh Team Lava duo. Through it all, The Vibe had performed without complaint. We had one minor glitch, a lost bolt and loose sunroof that I McGyvered with a Q-tip. The Vibe dis played some of the sidewind susceptibility of other tall cars and vans and the base engine version struggled in the teeth of a gusting head wind..I would probably opt for the sexy-skirted GT version with the stronger engine and sweet-shifting 6-speed, if I had the cash. But our allwheel drive model was sure-footed in the snowy stretch es and we were all-day comfortable, dazzled by a hand some interior and dash layout, and pleased with some of the unique features - like the handy dash-mounted 115V AC outlet. There was plenty of interest in the Vibe along the way - pointing fingers, slowing cars and questions at the pit stops. Some car buffs had even come hunting for us after following our progress on the Internet. And, any one interested can get more info about the 2003 Vibe and continue to follow the journey on the drivethevibe.com website until the March 14 finish. I know I'll be watching. Go Team 'Lava! Lava Red Vibe performs without complaint inspection and escorted us onto the hill. He was even gracious enough to park his cruiser beside the Lava Red Vibe. He declined to pretend he was frisking and hand cuffing Mark for the photo but, click, thanks, that's pret ty much the shot I had in mind anyway. We waved goodbye to our RCMP buddy and contin ued on our way. For every yin, there's a yang, and we would later run into an OPP jerk with absolutely no sense of humor. But that was further down the road and we still had a lot of driving to do. And, actually, there was more to our trek than just driving. "But, hey, we're no chimps!" was co-driver Mark Hacking's favorite phrase. Like the shot on Parliament Hill, as documented proof of our two-day driving relay route, we also had to use our brains in a daily trivia treasure hunt. Armed with a dizzying array of technology - laptops, digital camera, Blackberrys, cell phones, satellite phones - we stopped at assigned points to take pictures, find facts on local landmarks and download them to the website. For example, did you know that the stone bridge in Pakenham is the only one in North America with five arches? That both Tweed and Creemore claim to have the smallest jail on the continent? (Somebody's lyin' here.) And that the town of Picton is named for Sir Thomas Picton, second in command to the Duke of Wellington at the battle of Waterloo ? "And Waterloo, as everyone knows," Mark added, "was a famous hit by the Swedish group Abba." I glanced sideways where Mark was happily buried under laptops, cell phones and maps. Sometimes I won der about Mark. And, oh, did you know that there's a version of New Brunswick's Magnetic Hill right here in Ontario? There's really more than a dozen of these sites around the world but to find the Ontario version, we had to pull into the one-diner town of Griffith and ask in the restaurant. "So, how's that 'Vibrator'?" one local piped up as he looked out the window. 2002 Chrysler a month for 4 8 months, 20,000 km/yr plus freight & taxes. See dealer for details Add just $25.95** monthly for full 48 mth/80,000 km maintenance service contract -F te ia * e s f iv e s t a r d & O O Oakville's 2000 · 2001 H E O Five Star Certified Dealership M E C H R Y S L E R LOCKWOOD P A R T S I 175 W yecro ft Rd, g§ O akville 905.845.6653 (between Kerr & Dorval) S A L E S S E R V I C E I. E A S I N ( The new Lexus is 300 manual has arrived. (Very quickly.) LEASE RATE 5 .9 % PRICED FROM $ 3 7 ,8 2 0 ' Lease a well equipped IS 300 w ith prem ium sound system, HID bead lamps, clim ate control fo r Add H" allay wheels, fog lights, powerfront suede and leather seats + $45 per month Add full leatljer seats. 6 disc CD changer, limited slip differenUal + $68 per month $385' The new IS 300 5-speed manual is now available. (Cue stampede of performance enthusiasts descending on Lexus of Oakville). Recause, as anybody with et>en a passing interest in luxury sports sedans knows, the IS 300 with its 215 hp, 3-0 litre in-line six has been universally lauded for its wf>rld<lass fferformance. And that' s with an automatic trnasmission. Everything you expect from Lexus, and a lot more that you don't The2002RX300Luxury E dition p rice d a t $51250** PER MONTH <585" The2002W O O Sport E dition p rice d a t $52,1 0 0 f PER MONTH m The RX300 was the first SUV to offer genuine off-road credentials with the levels of comfort and refinement found in a luxury sedan. With i>ehicle skid control, four-wheel drive, traction control and ABS, the 2002 RX 300 Sport Edition is everything you expect. And more. The Sport, Edition features include leather, heated front seats, driver seat memory, integrated garage door opener, moonroof, brushed aluminum trim, rear spoiler and electrochromic mirrors. Things you can grow accustomed to, like the envious glances and admiring comments. The R e le n tle ss P u r s u it Of P e r fe c tio Entire Lexus line on display in our showroom Complete business centre i. (Z) L £ X U S Lexus o f Oakville State of art service equipment Indoor delivery area 2475 Wyecroft Rd., Oakville · 9 0 5 - 8 4 7 - 8 4 0 0 www.lexusofoakville.ca ` Sample payment: 5.9% interest rate; $7,750 down; Security deposit $500; Kilometre limit 24,000 per year. Additional km at $.15 ($.10/km if arranged at outset of lease agreement). This offer applies to 36 month leases from TCCI on approved credit for new 2002 Lexus IS300. **6.9% interest rate applies to 36 month lease from TCCI on approved credit for new 2002 Lexus RX300. Applies to dealer in stock inventory only. This may not be combined with any other offer. SAMPLE PAYMENT; RX300 (B package) - Interest Rate: 6.9% - term 36 months - MSRP: $51,250 Down Payment or Trade In: $9,660 - Lease Payment: $585/month - Security Deposit: $500 - Kilometer limit 24,000 per year. Additional km at $.15/km if arranged at outset of lease agreement.) Model shown may feature optional equipment 16.9% interest rate applies to 36 month leases from TCCI on approved credit for new 2002 Lexus RX300. Applies to dealer in stock inventory only. This may not be combined with any other offer. SAMPLE PAYMENT: RX300 (C package) Interest Rate: 6.9% - Terms 36 months - MSRP $52,100 - Down Payment or Trade In: $9,600 - Lease Payment $595/month - Security Deposit $500 - Kilometer limit 24,000 per year. Additional km at $.15/km ($.10/km if arranged at outset of lease agreement. Applies to dealer in-stock inventory only. This may not be combined with any other offer. Freight PDI, licence and all applicable taxes are extra For complete details please contact Lexus of Oakville. Offer expires March 31,2002. Model shown may feature optional equipment