U.S. Car Buying

It wasn't too long ago that Canadians were heading south to save thousands of dollars to buy a car.

Auto manufacturers did drop prices after a public outcry over the huge difference in costs between cars in Canada and the US when our dollar was at par or even higher.

Now that our loonie is worth US80 cents - buying a car here can be thousands of dollars cheaper.

A year ago Canadian dealers were bringing US cars across the border to sell in Canada. And Canadians were flying south to drive American cars back.

There were big savings to be had. Consumer Reports said prices were about 26 per cent cheaper in the US.

Now -CarCostCanada.com -- a website that monitors car pricing --says the deals are on this side of the border. Spokesperson Paul Timoteo says it's the best time he's ever seen to buy a new car in Canada.

"When the markets are in turmoil that's when you want to take advantage of the great deals", he advised.

Timoteo thinks the best deals with current incentives are to be found within the next five weeks.

But take note -- the really big incentives are on the gas guzzlers. And if times get worse that could mean even better times for car buyers

So how much can you save now?

A 2009 Camry Le sells in Canada for $24,870. In the US the same car will cost you $22,370 American dollars.

With our Canadian dollar worth about 80 cents US - the same car in the states will cost almost $28,000 Canadian. When you factor in the exchange and compare you'll see a new Camry is more than $3,000 cheaper in Canada.

When our dollar was down around 63 cents -- car prices in Canada were the lowest in the world.

Car companies were selling here at a loss and 600,000 new vehicles per year were purchased by Americans in Canada. Bottom line -- while the dollar has made our cars cheaper compared to Americans -- when you are buying in Canada -- the price hasn't changed.

Top Rated Toys

If you ask kids what they want this holiday season, you'll probably get a lot of different answers.

So organizations like Consumer Reports and the Canadian Toy Testing council rely on kid testers -aged six to 12 to --find the top toys this season.

The toys ranged from newcomers like a $25 dollar Bakugan Battle Brawler set to old standbys like a $100 Lego set.

Boys had fun building a $50 Hot Wheels speed racer sky jump track.

So what were the kids' top toys?

Consumer Reports says a life-sized, FurReal Friends pooch Biscuit was pricey at $200 dollars but really popular with all the kids.

And the Hasbro Laser Tag 2-in-1 system for $100 dollars was a hit, too.

The Canadian Toy Testing council had kids put over 500 toys through their paces in the past year.

"Karito Kids" are a hit with girls over age six.

The dolls help children learn about different cultures around the world.

Kids also get to donate a portion from each doll sold to charity.

Old favourites like Monopoly are back -- with a new tropical look and a few new rules. And there is a new twist on paint by numbers.

"It was really cool because it had lots of great colours, good quality boards, and pretty pictures to colour," enthused one young tester.

As long as parents can stand the noise -KidiJamz had the kids spinning.

"I think it's really cool you can change the sound of any of the songs," raved another tester.

A Play Mobil dinosaur set is another children's choice winner.

Award winners had to be durable, safe and have great play value.

You can see the complete Canadian Toy Testing Council list on-line here: http://www.toy-testing.org/CTTCmm.htm

Still stuck for ideas? Today's Parent magazine website is also a great resource.

http://www.todaysparent.com/craftsactivities/pickapresent/index.jsp

It has a list of their latest and greatest kid-recommended toys.

For example, Today's Parent picked a hex bug for under $10 as one of this year's best toys.

It just shows you don't have to spend a lot of money to get a great toy.

With a report by CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen