I wish this wasn’t true. I wish there was a nicer way of saying this. Alas, there is not.

Canadian consumers are suckers, willing to buy at any price.

How else can one explain the record quarter for new auto sales during the first quarter of 2008. Sales that had their biggest increase since 1998. That’s a freaking decade, people!

Sales of new passenger cars were up 17.8%, the largest increase since 1976.  That’s more than three freaking decades!

I don’t get it.

Canadian cars are expensive. No, that’s too nice, they’re a rip-off. Auto manufacturers are scamming the Canadians and they seem more than happy to go along with it.

How else can one explain these sales numbers?

The Canadian dollar has been near or above par with the US for over a year. Yet Canadian car prices are still more than 10, 20, even 30 percent more expensive than identical models south of the border. The only leverage Canadian consumers have to reduce this discrepancy is to buy used cars, or simply not buy at all.

However, going out like lemmings and buying new cars just because the dealer’s marketing campaign uses slogans like “Canadian Pricing” while giving you a 3% discount on price is just stupid.

Boo on you Canada, Boo on you.