19th Annual Art For Life Fine Art Auction
Affinity Auto is thrilled to have the honour of being the presenting sponsor of the Collector's Preview of the 19th Annual Art for Life Fine Art Auction, benefiting the Vancouver Friends For Life Society on the evening of Saturday, November 17, 2012.
Affinity Auto on Twitter
Affinity Auto is pleased to announce that we are now on Twitter. Please follow us to stay informed about incoming vehicles and other news and events. Our Twitter handle is @affinity_auto.
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Launch of Friends & Company
Affinity Auto is proud to be the Founding Sponsor of Friends & Company, Vancouver’s newest network for GLBT-friendly business people and professionals. Friends & Company holds monthly networking luncheons and periodic special events. The net proceeds of Friends & Company go to the anti-bullying and teen suicide prevention work of Out In Schools. Friends & Company is a not-for-profit, non-partisan initiative that welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds. The Inaugural Luncheon, which is scheduled for December 2nd, sold out in just over two days! We hope to see you at future events and please remember to 'like' Friends & Company on Facebook to stay informed.
How the HST Referendum Results Affect Automotive Purchases
On August 26, 2011, the results of the BC referendum on the future of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) were released by Elections BC and the initiative to repeal the HST in favour of the old PST passed. In response, BC Finance Minister, The Honourable Kevin Falcon, released a statement that can be viewed by clicking here. In it, Minister Falcon announced that:
“An action plan has been established to guide the transition process and help ensure an effective and orderly transition from the HST to the PST plus GST system in B.C.
The PST will be reinstated at seven per cent with all permanent PST exemptions. The Province may make some common sense administrative improvements to streamline the PST.
The transition period is expected to take a minimum of 18 months, consistent with the report of the independent panel on the HST. During this period, the provincial portion of the HST will remain in place at seven per cent”
This means, for the foreseeable future, it’s business as usual for people who are buying or leasing vehicles in British Columbia. Therefore, as before, the tax on new and pre-owned vehicles remains at 12%, with no additional luxury tax. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about the HST results and how they affect your vehicle purchases.
Vancouver Friends For Life Society
In lieu of sending our clients Christmas cards this holiday season, Affinity Auto has proudly made a financial contribution to the Vancouver Friends For Life Society. We strongly encourage others to do the same. The Friends For Life Society helps many people all year long and their work is especially important at this time of year. Please click here to learn more about their great work or to make a contribution. Thank you.
The Vancouver Friends For Life Society is a registered non-profit charity that provides support to people confronting the daily challenges of living with life-threatening illness, as well as help for their families and caregivers.
Affinity Auto Joins Facebook
Affinity Auto is proud to announce the launch of our Facebook page. Please click here to visit us on Facebook and remember to 'Like' us to receive regular updates about our news and activities.
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Affinity Auto Announces New Location
Affinity Auto is pleased to announce that we will be moving to a larger more modern facility in the coming weeks. The new location is at 1918 Fir Street (on the corner of 3rd Avenue), two blocks east of present showroom.
The new dealership will offer substantially greater exposure, together with more showroom and office space. We feel the move will enable us to better serve our clients' needs. The building at 1918 Fir Street has a history that compliments Affinity Auto's business. The structure was purpose-built in the late 1980s as a luxury car dealership called 'The Toy Store.' Since then, the building has occupied a variety of other businesses and fell into a state of disrepair. Restoration of the building is currently underway and we plan to have our grand opening in April. Please check back soon for more details.
Affinity Auto is committed to making the transition to the new location with minimal impact to our valued clients. Our phone numbers, email addresses, and Web site will be unaffected by the move. Please feel free to call (604) 730-1001 if you have any questions.
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Affinity Auto Mourns the Death of a Friend and Mentor
All of us at Affinity Auto join in remembering Peter Ryce, General Manager (retired) of Park Shore BMW and widely respected leader and mentor in Vancouver's automotive industry, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on April 16.
Peter was unquestionably one of the most knowledgeable, kind, and humble people we have ever had the privilege of knowing. We admired him for his dedication to all things that he cared about and for his integrity. His death is an enormous loss and comes as a great shock. We will miss you, Peter.
Affinity Auto Named First Ever Double Gold Winner in 'The Best of the City'
Affinity Auto is proud to have been named the Gold Winner for Best New Car Dealer and Best Used Car Dealer in The 2009 Best of the City poll.
The West Ender, Vancouver's Urban Weekly, will publish the contest results in its February 26, 2009 issue and has announced that Affinity Auto's double Gold win represents the first time that both automotive dealer Gold Prizes have ever been awarded to the same company in the contest's twelve year history. "Indeed, Affinity Auto is the first car dealership ever to win two Best of the City Gold Awards for Best Used and Best New Car Dealership. Congratulations to your team!" said Alana Bennett of The West Ender.
The annual Best of the City contest seeks to recognize Vancouver's highest regarded and most respected companies based on an annual independent readership poll. Thousands of responses were received from the public in this year’s contest and the results were calculated impartially. Participants were asked to name their preferred choices for The Best of the City and the winners were not advised of the results until they were independently confirmed.
In response to the receiving the awards, Affinity Auto Vice President, Martin Spencer said, "It is a great honour to have our hard work and dedication to providing a truly different way of buying a car recognized with these Gold prizes. Our entire team is humbled by this unprecedented double Gold win which comes as a result of the enormous response that we received in this year's Best of the City contest. Thank you Vancouver."
The Best of the City contest results will be published in the February 26, 2009 issue of the West Ender.
Affinity Auto Featured on CTV News
Canadians have been tearing up the highways, importing thousands of American cars - purchased with our strong dollar. But the border will be closing to several models of new cars -- and the reason might surprise you
Trevor Kramer imports luxury vehicles from the US.
"The Canadian consumer has been gouged for a while and it's only now that the consumer can see it," he says.
Across the country in October, 28,500 American vehicles were imported into Canada. But you may be interested in knowing who decides whether a vehicle can be modified to meet Canadian safety standards. Turns out it's not the government: it's the car companies.
"If they don't give their consent the car doesn't get registered in Canada," he explains. "It's been said that that's a kin to putting the fox in charge of the hen house.”
For example, Honda has decided it's most popular models the 2008 Honda Fit, Civic, Accord, Odyssey, Element, Pilot and Ridgeline are “inadmissible” to Canada.
When we asked why, Honda blamed a new federal regulation requiring immobilizers as of September 1st 2007. American cars don't have them. In an e-mail response to our questions Honda says:
"Attempting to certify every modification from a safety standpoint is neither practical nor prudent." And: "Our initial research shows that making the required changes to some vehicles could cost the consumer up to several thousand dollars, although cost is not at issue."
Thousands of dollars for an after market immobilizer? We asked Rolando Angeles who has ten years experience installing immobilizers.
"They generally start at one hundred and seventy-nine dollars installed."
Not thousands?"
“At the high end you are probably looking at four hundred to five hundred dollars in all honesty," he insists.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada lists four after market immobilizers, which would meet the standard. Transport Canada could remove this hurdle by simply approving that list, allowing buyers to import 2008 vehicles from the u-s and install the immobilizer here. A simple solution.
Right now if the manufacturer says a vehicle can't be modified to meet Canadian safety standards-- Transport Canada takes their word on it. Transport Canada does not conduct any independent tests. But when we pointed out that could result in keeping car prices artificially high in Canada by preventing cheaper imports, Transport Canada told us—quote: "we are aware of the situation, we are looking at this closely, and we are committed to finding a solution."
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Affinity Auto Announces New Location
It is with great pleasure that Affinity Auto announces
that it is slated to move to 1767 West 3rd Avenue. Effective
Friday, September 28th, Affinity Auto’s existing showroom at Burrard and West 2nd will
close permanently.
Affinity Auto is committed to provide a smooth transition to the new showroom
while it is under construction—during this transitional period, Affinity Auto’s
inventory and administration offices will be housed at a temporary location at 1755 West 3rd Avenue, ensuring
minimal impact to our valued clients. Affinity Auto will continue to conduct business as usual during this time. We invite all of our clients to visit us at our new location, just fifty paces to the east of Affinity Auto’s
original location.
The grand opening of Affinity Auto’s all new showroom at 1767 West 3rd Avenue is scheduled for November 1st, 2007.
Affinity Auto retains it's primary goal of providing clients with a higher
level of service based on a no-pressure sales philosophy. Please
contact us
if you have any questions or concerns.
Affinity Auto Featured on Global TV
Affinity Auto Principals, Trevor Kramer and Cornelis Bobeldijk will be featured on several upcoming episodes of Global Television's hit automotive series,
Driving Television.
Automotive enthusiast and Driving Television host, Zack Spencer, interviewed Trevor and Cornelis as experts on importing U.S. vehicles for an upcoming series of episodes on the topic. Although the majority of Affinity Auto's vehicles are of Canadian origin, we have become very familiar with the process of importing cars by importing certain vehicles on a selective basis. Driving Television has received an uprecedented number of enquiries from viewers on importing U.S. cars. As a result, the upcoming episodes dealing with the topic are expected to be among the most viewed in the show's history. Driving Television airs nationally on Global.
Affinity Auto Featured on Front Page of 'Sounding Board' Newspaper
Driving to Success in 2007 (as Published in 'Sounding Board' Newspaper)
Members hit the ground running afer a red hot year
By Tashon Ziara
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The decision to open their first showroom in the spring of 2006, in the heart of Vancouver’s luxury auto district, turned out to be just the thing to put the company that Trevor Kramer founded five years ago on the map. It has also taken their web site from virtual non-existence to several thousand hits per day and garnered Affinity Auto, which specializes in luxury and performance vehicles, a great deal of media attention.
“We were a small but consistent company,” says Kramer of what started out as a two-man operation. “But we had reached a crossroads where we had to ask ourselves, do we keep pedaling the bike, going in the same direction or do we take a risk, bring in some partners and move up to the next level?”
Kramer and his associate, Martin Spencer, decided to go for it and today the company boasts eight staff, strong financial performance and a growing reputation with people who appreciate nice cars.
"A lot of companies sell pre-owned cars,” says Kramer. “Our whole approach is focused on winning a customer’s business for life. One way we do that is by having the nicest pre-owned cars in the city, fully reconditioned, polished and documented. Another is to provide a level of service that they can’t find anywhere else.”
Kramer also emphasizes the importance of giving back to the community and getting involved with organization like The Board of Trade.
“We joined The Board of Trade because we recognized that a huge proportion of our business comes from the local community,” says Kramer. “Eighteen months ago, if I went to a business event and handed someone my card, they would say, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’ Now, the majority of people I meet know who we are and that’s very exciting.”
For more information, please visit the
Sounding Board Website, the official Newspaper of The Vancouver Board of Trade.
Affinity Auto Joins Vancouver Board of Trade & World Trade Centre Vancouver
Affinity Auto is proud to announce that it has become a member of the Vancouver Board of Trade and World Trade Centre Vancouver.
For more than 100 years, The Vancouver Board of Trade has helped businesses
of all sizes to grow and prosper. The Board's mission is to promote, enhance and
facilitate the development of the region as a Pacific centre for trade, commerce
and travel. The Board strives to enable and empower its members to succeed, grow
and prosper in the global economy.
Affinity Auto is committed to its role as a contributing member of Vancouver's vibrant business community and we recognize that a large proportion of our clients are business people. We look forward to expanding our business community involvement through our affiliation with the Vancouver Board of Trade.
Affinity Auto Vice President Nominated for "40 Under 40" Award
Affinity Auto is proud to share the exciting news of the nomination of Finance VP, Martin Spencer, to the coveted 16th Annual Business in Vancouver
"40 Under 40" Award. The awards honour BC's outstanding entrepreneurs, executives, managers and professionals in public or private business, or in non-profit sectors. Winners are chosen based on such values as achievement, experience and innovation, vision, leadership, and community involvement.
Martin has played an instrumental role in the establishment and building of Affinity Auto’s luxury and performance vehicle business and the nomination is a well-deserved achievement that is the result of Martin's dedication and hard work both within our business and in the community.
Affinity Auto to be Licensed for Consignment
Affinity Auto is pleased to announce that the Motor Dealer Council of British Columbia (MDC) has approved an amendment to our Motor Dealer License to allow the sale of vehicles on consignment.
This important change will enable Affinity Auto to better serve clients by enabling the company to carry client-owned vehicles in inventory.
For further information, please Contact Us.
Affinity Auto Launches New Website
Affinity Auto has officially launched its entirely new Website and
Inventory
Section, which allows users to view detailed specifications and
photographs of all of Affinity Auto's current and soon-to-arrive vehicle
inventory 24 hours a day from the comfort their homes or offices.
The new Website is the result of extensive planning which included consultation
with existing clients and members of the public, resulting in a highly
functional and user-friendly format. Please explore the site and
contact us with
any comments or suggestions.
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Affinity Auto Celebrates Grand Opening
This weekend, Affinity Auto celebrated the grand opening of its new Burrard Street showroom in style with a two day event that welcomed clients, family and friends, media and local industry professionals
The grand opening culminated in a Gala evening, where guests were treated to a festive and lively atmosphere, featuring an assortment of locally inspired food and cocktails with live entertainment performed by the Jack Stafford Trio. Guests had the opportunity to speak directly with Affinity Auto’s Partners to learn more about the latest addition to Vancouver’s luxury and performance vehicle neighbourhood. Guests also took an up-close look at some of Vancouver’s rarest and most sought after luxury and performance vehicles, including a dark blue Ferrari 612 Scaglietti – one of only a handful in Canada.
The grand opening has already received extensive media attention and was featured on Vancouver’s CTV News at 6 in addition to receiving prominent coverage in Vancouver Sun columnist Malcolm Parry’s Trade Talk business column. “Affinity Auto has worked very hard over the past five years to establish itself as Western Canada’s premier choice for new and pre-owned vehicles,” stated Trevor Kramer, Principal responsible for Business Development and Leasing Operations for Affinity Auto. “With the opening of our showroom, we are looking forward to reaching new heights in this industry with our continued commitment to giving our clients extraordinary customer service experiences.”
Affinity Auto is not only committed to leading Vancouver’s luxury automobile market, but it is also committed to its local community. One day after its grand opening celebration, Affinity Auto showed its local pride by displaying a huge banner congratulating Vancouver Sun Run participants. The showroom is located at 1820 Burrard Street – a major intersection along the run’s route.
Affinity Auto Named Authorized Dealer for Escort
Affinity Auto is proud to announce that it is now an authorized retailer for the full line of Escort Radar and Laser Detectors and Accessories, in cooperation with DLC Distributors Inc.
Affinity Auto reminds you to always drive safely. When used in conjunction with safe and prudent driving, the use of high quality radar and laser detection equipment can greatly reduce the risk of getting costly speeding tickets. Escort has been consistently rated as the number one maker of precision radar and laser detectors and shifters.Please visit our showroom to view the full selection or
click here to visit our Accessories section.
Affinity Auto Named Authorized Dealer for Autoglym
Affinity Auto is proud to announce that is now an authorized retailer for Autoglym, makers of the world's finest waxes, polishes, leather care products, and care care accessories. Please visit our showroom to view the full selection or click here to visit our Accessories section.
Affinity Auto and Affinity Leasing Unite Under One Name
In a joint statement today, Affinity Auto Group Inc. and Affinity Leasing Group Inc. announced that, effective January 1, 2006, all business operations of Affinity Leasing will be conducted under the name of Affinity Auto.
Affinity Auto was created out of a desire to provide a higher level of service in the automotive business than existed previously. "By combining Affinity Leasing's existing business and brand equity with Affinity Auto, we hope to offer Vancouver's luxury and performance car market an entirely new way of buying a car," stated Cornelis Bobeldijk, Affinity Auto's Principal responsible for Sales and Vehicle Procurement . Affinity Auto has announced plans to open a luxury and performance vehicle showroom on the Burrard Street corridor in January 2006.
"Affinity Leasing began in Vancouver in 2001 and has grown steadily to the point that a strong retail presence has become the natural next step in our company's growth," said Trevor Kramer, President of Affinity Leasing and Affinity Auto. "Under the name Affinity Auto, we believe that we will be in a position to grow at a sustainable pace that will enable us to stay competitive in Vancouver's changing luxury vehicle market," Kramer continued.
A new corporate brand identity is currently under development for Affinity Auto. The design of the new logo will draw from the existing Affinity Leasing branding, while remaining unique. The name Affinity Leasing will be phased out over the coming months. Clients of Affinity Leasing can continue to contact the company through any of the existing telephone numbers and email addresses.
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