I spotted a NEW (insert make/model) today!

fintail · November 2013

Never seen a Leaf before? Do you live in a bunker somewhere?

I saw a few Teslas today - had expected more in lala land, but maybe they aren't as into tech as in Seattle. In Beverly Hills,., saw a Bentley Mulsanne, a couple of new S-class, a dbag smoking in a brand new unplated SLS, a boatload of new E-class - all base model lease specials I think, and the burnt shell of a Lamborghini Murcielago on a flatbed truck.

berri · November 2013

"burnt shell of a Lamborghini Murcielago on a flatbed truck"

Sure you're not cruising New York City :-)

fintail · November 2013

Too many Prius and not enough honking to be NYC

Oh, I saw an RL-X today too - so they've sold at least 4 now.

fintail · November 2013

Saw a couple new MDX, a couple CLA, and a couple Cherokees sitting at the dealer.

Sandman6472 · November 2013

Saw one today and like the C Class so much better but I'd take either. Saw a couple RLX's but we have a lot of Acura's down south here. Sat in an A4 and really liked it though it did scream VW to me. Lots of temp plates down here lately so I guess the economy is definitely picking up. Neighbors got a new Fusion and have driven a bunch at work and Ford has done a nice job and so much nicer than the previous generation. If Ford could fix the problems with their computer systems and the crazy auto tranny in the Focus, they could be even more successful but I dislike every Focus I drive due to that tranny, just isn't as smooth as other vehicles. And their sound systems are just too complicated...hasn't Ford heard of the kiss concept???

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

fintail · November 2013

Was jogging by the Chevy dealer this morning and saw a 2014 Corvette being unloaded, wrapped in white plastic like an Audi. It was sharing a truck with a 2014 CTS, and I think I saw another 2014 CTS hiding away on the lot.

fintail · November 2013

Saw 2x Tesla in 45 mins this morning, one driven by someone who makes me think Tesla is attracting BMW drivers? No signal, crosswalk crowder

Also seeing so many new Range Rovers that it feels like I'm in Russia.

Sandman6472 · November 2013

Got to drive one of these from Ft. Myers to Ft. Lauderdale airport yesterday and was very impressed with it...very smooth and enough power when ever I needed it to pass others. Was unimpressed with the seats though as my spine was pretty soar after the couple of hours it took to get to the airport. All the controls were where they needed to be and it was easy to use my flash drive in the audio system...sound was o k also. Not sure if I'd purchase one when compared to the competition but it was a nice vehicle.
Drove a Ford Explorer on my second trip and liked it much better and the seat had more padding where I needed it. Again, the flash drive paired nicely with the system though the controls and instructions were a bit confusing at first. Think after some study, things would become more intuitive. Vehicle drove very nicely especially in the pouring rain and I chose it because of the lousy weather...I enjoyed it a lot!
There was an Enclave but someone else grabbed it first but hopefully I will get a chance to drive a lot of vehicles. We did these jobs for Avis yesterday and they had all the vehicles in a certain area and we got to choose any that had keys and a full tank of gas. Great way to do things for a change and hopefully we will work for Avis more in the future. I think this new company and I will get along great!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

andys120 · November 2013

I saw my first Fiat 500L and was surprised at how big it was, I thought I was looking at a Subaru until I realized it was Fiat's new CUV, loooking quite sharp in Jet Black, wearing the same hubcaps as lesser 500s.

explorerx4 · November 2013

A black Focus ST. Might get a chance to drive to tomorrow.

fintail · November 2013

Saw a CLA and a 2014 CTS on the road today - the latter had dealer plates, probably being test driven.

stever · December 2013

Silver - neighbor's downstate boyfriend got it recently. Not especially wild about the interior materials but liked the layout a lot.

berri · December 2013

I actually saw a new Lincoln MKZ in a hotel parking lot this weekend. That's the first one I've noticed outside of an auto show earlier this year. It was silver with Michigan plates. Can't say it did a whole lot for me. I liked the white one at the auto show better. I think I'll need to see more of these before I can really make my mind up. It didn't seem as distinctive as I thought it would, so maybe I have seen more of them and just not noticed?

texases · December 2013

Nothing rare, except that I was driving it. I've wondered for years (since driving my friend's dad's '79 528i) about the 5 series. So I rented one. Bottom line: eh.

Seat was borderline uncomfortable (too narrow); interior room was OK, engine (turbo 4) was rough below 3ooo rpm, powerful above. Most disappointing was the handling. Nothing special, and a bit vague on center. I imagine it would be special on a high speed handling course, but my drive up highway 1 (PCH) didn't disclose anything special.

Very disappointing, but now I can cross that up my list.

berri · December 2013

Ah, the old "check" done that - all too frequent an occurrence in life. But your philosophy toward the experience is the right approach I think. Better to have tried, than wonder what if in life. IIRC I've read several disappointing reviews of the 5 series. Maybe it's just a combo of getting too big with too much cost cutting.

Mr_Shiftright · December 2013

If a BMW doesn't have an inline 6, I'm not interested.

I can't understand why BMW cockpits are so cramped.

fintail · December 2013

I saw a BMW 4er coupe today, and a Kia Credenza (I think I will call it that now)...the latter car was a rental, I think.

fintail · December 2013

How poorly optioned was it? Some of the 5ers I've read about in the fleets are pretty sparse.

stickguy · December 2013

It's a Cadenza. A Credenza is a dining room hutch.

kind of a neat little car though. Not that I likely could ever get myself to buy a car at a Kia dealer.

fintail · December 2013

Yes, I know the name. It's a goofy name, and sometimes I give my own names to cars (usually in ridicule).

The Credenza is probably a fine value, as it seems to come pretty loaded even in base form, and is decent lookinh.

texases · December 2013

"How poorly optioned was it? Some of the 5ers I've read about in the fleets are pretty sparse. "

Yes, not a lot on it, had the vinyl interior. But the problems I had wouldn't be fixed with some minor options. Put the turbo 6 in, sure, but that's big $$.

fintail · December 2013

528 is the cheap lease special, which is probably why fleets get them. Which company was it? I know at least Avis and National have them.

Saw another Credenza today, I think this one wasn't a rental.

andys120 · December 2013

This has been my week to see high dollar German iron. I spotted a new S-Class, which I could tell me the new headlight shape and the ornate LED running lights. Black, naturally and I think an improvement over the current model but still not as regal as the top-of-the-line Merc should be IMO.

Up until today I think I've seen maybe two or three Audi R8s outside of car shows but today I saw two. Both were white, one with a silver "sail" , the other with a black one and some lettering from a custom body shop. IMHO white does nothing to enhance the looks of a high dollar car, especially not a sports car, it sucks all the drama out of the shape.

Last but not least, I saw a new BMW 650i Gran Coupe, a nice looking car (white again!) but no prettier IMO than it's Five series equivalent which cost 8 or 10K less IIRC.

Another rarely seen car showed up twice on my radar today, the Porsche Panamera, One was white, the other silver, both seen a few feet apart in a restaurant parking lot. I realize it's a minority opinion but I like Porsche's 4-door sedan, it even looks good in white, at least to me.

Sandman6472 · December 2013

Stick, I've learned one important lesson in life, and I am a little older than you, and that is to "never say never" about anything! We seem to be so much alike especially with our car favorites and all and I think the new Hyundai/Kia products are the best they've ever been and can compete with the big boys now. Heck, I even dumped a Honda for a Hyundai and I am very pleased right now. I really wanted to like the ILX but seriously, it's just a gussied up Honda Civic...just like putting lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig! Nice enough vehicle but the price premium just wasn't worth it in my opinion. I think for the same money, there are s many better choices out there. And trust me, I looked and we all saw how I was all over the place with my search...I looked from A to Z and considered a lot of vehicles. Luckily my job helped me see what the many options were...and still are. That Ford C Max I drive Thursday would've been a great d d and I really loved the Lexus CT...and don't forget I started out looking for a convertible toy for myself!
My point here is to just "never say never" and best to keep an open mind. Check out the Elantra GT, both of you...think y'all be pleasantly surprised with the vehicle! It's that good!

The Sandman

Michaell · December 2013

Check out the Elantra GT, both of you...think y'all be pleasantly surprised with the vehicle! It's that good!

I agree - since I own one! Lots of features and a great driving vehicle for the price. Almost 1500 miles in the 4 weeks I've had it.

robr2 · December 2013

...3 Nissan NV200 vanlets on my 150 round trip to Cape Cod and back to fix a faucet for my Dad. One white, one black, one red. I really like these as small work vans.

I checked one out at a Nissan dealer recently. I was surprised to see 15" wheels on it. I didn't think anything came with 15" anymore.

Sandman6472 · December 2013

Absolutely, it's the one car that I really liked, really liked and maybe it's me but I felt like I was sitting just a bit higher. And that dark grey one is still sitting at the dealer, hard to believe. They did put a newer Limited as the "managers special" in the pre-owned section yesterday morning with the leather and it truly was a nice vehicle, that light sandstone color and it still had the dealer plate on it. Think they were just fishing it out there as obviously a salesman or manager is using it as a demo or whatever. I asked if they had any demos for sale but was told no...demos are a good choice if they knock enough off the price and the mileage isn't much above the 3k mark. Basically a new vehicle but sold at some discount for the used mileage, a great choice depending on the vehicle and deal. Lots of folks, like Suze Orman, really like the pre-owned vehicles to save some on the depreciation but only the Buick store was going to have a couple of demos...soon.
Wife just drove it home from the library and complained about it like I thought she would but she finally admitted it drove very nicely! Yay! But she did say that in a few years I'll be loping for something to replace it and told her doubtful about that. Not going to go through this stuff for awhile as it does take a lot of work to research, test drive and deal with the dealerships and their sometimes "smooth" operators. The majority were pretty good but the "what will it take to get you to drive this home tonight" guys left me cold and I eventually walked away from their deals...the lady with the no pressure won my business through that and her product knowledge, something that really surprised me. This woman knew her Hyundai product line which is a must in my book, know your product line so when the customer asks a question or has an issue, it gets answered or corrected the first time. This is exactly my experience with her and she would get all "11's" if such were allowed. Hopefully a survey will be mailed to me so I can give her all 10's for a job well done. Now if she had gone to bat for me to have swapped out the alloys or given me the free oil change I asked for, well that would've been better for me and for her but I won't hold it against her as she did know her product line!

The Sandman

Sandman6472 · December 2013

Isn't there a forum just for this in here? Think so but not sure actually.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

stever · December 2013

Not exactly since there are so many dealers spread out all over. They get mentioned in the various Prices Paid discussions and there's a few "one-off" discussions you can find by searching on "dealer".

But we do have a whole module on the Edmunds site dedicated to Dealer Ratings and Reviews where you can search and review dealers by zip code or state or make.

We also have reviews for Auto Repair Shops - dealers and indys.

stickguy · December 2013

I want to check out the Elantra GT. Sounds like a nice fit for what I like. I mentioned it to my son (the one thinking about the ILX). He scoffed at the idea ("I don't want a Hyundai"). Quite the snob for a kid just out of school, still looking for a career-track job!

The ILX though seems way different than the new Civic. Especially the interior. No way I would get a Civic. And the GT Elantra, once you add the key options (power heated leather, moonroof) stickers for close to an ILX.

the ILX lease out right now also has about 2.5K discount (25.5 cap cost off of a 28K MSRP.

we could do a sign and drive (just DMV fees down) on an ILX for just under $300/mo (for 35 months), with 12K/year. So not really that much more than the cost to lease a strippo model which is usually what you see touted in the lease ads.

texases · December 2013

Have you thought about the Mazda 3s? It's getting great reviews, sounds like a fun hatchback.

stickguy · December 2013

I liked the last ones. Will be interested to see the new one in person soon.

anythngbutgm · December 2013

I have a coworker who bought herself a Mitsubishi Mirage and that thing is riding on 14's! Still, for a work van, 15 inchers are pretty small.

qbrozen · December 2013

If a BMW doesn't have an inline 6, I'm not interested.

Really? so a v8 M3 doesn't interest you at all?

Sandman6472 · December 2013

Funny, as I knew I could never do the ILX after coming out of a Civic...the ILX just wasn't that much different and to be honest, the Verano is so much more car for the $. Too bad your kid is such a car snob as my kids were thrilled to get the keys to their Accent and Versa...sure the younger one wanted the Mini but she knows that will come in time and we decided that as their 1st vehicles, what we got them was just perfect as we did have to stay on budget since we bought them both within a 2 month period. Luckily they were both thankful for what they could get and still like them both.
As of now, the Mazda is going to stay until the '15 models come out if possible and she'll look at the Accent and Mazda3. She even brought up the idea of her having taken over the Civic and me selling the Mazda but I know last Sunday she would have refused that idea and she even admitted she didn't really want my Civic but that would've been the best scenario...would've cost me a bit more but would've been well worth it. Oh well, best she gets what she wants, when she wants and as you know with your own wife and the RDX, happy wife, happy life! So, as long as the a/c still works, we are good to go. And told her when she's ready, find your exact vehicle and then call me in to test drive it and then sit down with you and the dealer to negotiate. She balked at this but I convinced her to do it my way next time as I think I can get her a better price by using this site and all it's knowledgeable folks plus the other sites I know of to get her the best and fairest possible deal. All I want is for her to be happy with the vehicle and the price she will pay. End of story.

The Sandman

Mr_Shiftright · December 2013

Nope. I have no interest in a V8 M3 whatsoever. Not even on my radar. I would just buy a Camaro if that's what I wanted.

explorerx4 · December 2013

Black Sorrento in the parking lot at work.
Also, for the first time on the road, a new Jeep Cherokee.
Could have been on a test drive.
It was the same color as the one I saw out front of the Jeep dealer the other day.
Bigger than I thought it would be.

Sandman6472 · December 2013

Saw one in black today and it really is a vast improvement over the last generation...have yet to drive one at work yet. Seeing many more new Corolla's around in the rental fleets. We drove a bunch of newer GLK 450's and Camaro's down to Miami last week from West Palm...very nice vehicles

The Sandman

fintail · December 2013

Saw something odd today, maybe not new. BC Canuckistan-plated X5, pre-2014 model, with a "turbo" script on the back, like Porsche turbo script. I've never noticed that before.

Also seeing 2014 E-class fairly often now, the facelift has gone over well.

fintail · December 2013

You mean GL450? Did you drive one of those beasts? How was it?

Those seem like they'd be a very nice comfortable vehicle, one of the more appealing "real housewives" style vehicles.

lemko · December 2013

I saw what appeared to be a new Camaro, but the taillamps were completely different. Did the Camaro get new taillamps for 2014?

Michaell · December 2013

Did the Camaro get new taillamps for 2014?

Yep, they sure did.

andys120 · December 2013

Yep, they sure did.

I suppose that's one way to stop the complaints about the new 'Vette having the same t/ls as the Camaro.

texases · December 2013

Those new taillights are not very interesting, reminds of something like a Nissan 240SX...

Mr_Shiftright · December 2013

How does anyone SEE out of that car?

Michaell · December 2013

How does anyone SEE out of that car?

I test drove a 6-speed SS and found it extremely difficult to see things around me. I much prefer the Mustang in that respect.

Haven't driven the Challenger but I suspect it's better than both.

fintail · December 2013

Today I saw an Equus - not new or remarkable, but it had the goofy KDM hood ornament. I couldn't see the driver, but I'll wager it was one of the rabidly nationalistic local Korean expats.

Also saw a new BMW 3er GT, which kind of looks like a Crosstour to me.

kyfdx · December 2013

"First rule of Italian driving.. what's behind me is not important..."

(paraphrased from a great movie.. Can I use quotes for a paraphrase?)

Mr_Shiftright · December 2013

Gumball Rally!

"what's behind me, it's not important..."

explorerx4 · December 2013

Get the convertible?

I spotted a NEW (insert make/model) today!

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