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

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Comments

  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    "although I couldn't see the front"

    Lucky you!
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,342
    in a parking lot in front of a office in a residential neighbor, near south street in Philly.

    Not the big one, but it did have a VT badge on the back. It was the real goofy looking one (seems all chopped up viewed from the side). Might have been a Diablo. Looked real out of place in the city.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    Saw an R8 at lunch, actually heard it first - I don't know if that was the factory exhaust system, but it sounded GREAT.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You beat me to it.

    Gosh, the lighting on the front has to rival the Aztek for sheer ugly.

    Funny thing is I sorta like the rest of it.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Saw a BMW X1 and a Fiat 500 Cabrio today - but I am in Berlin, so those aren't as exciting as they might be elsewhere.

    I've only seen one Prius and no Lexus here so far...
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I have yet to see either one of those on the streets.

    Do you mean X3, though? I thought the X1 was not out yet.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    It's apparently out in Germany, I definitely saw one.

    Tons of new style (F10-11) 5ers on the road already here, I can't count the number I've seen.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    5ers are abundant around here.

    I just heard on the news this morning that Maryland is the richest state in the USA - at least in per capita income. $70k/year average per family.

    Must be all the fat cats in Congress that live in the 'burbs, curve busters. :D
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    The new style 5er isn't terribly common back home yet...the Dame Edna model however is everywhere, making the roads uglier.

    Lots of highly paid public sector types, lobbyists, contractors who take Federal work etc there no doubt.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Bingo, absolutely.

    I wasn't a fan of the Dame Edna 5er either, but the new one seems to have gone softer. I do prefer its understated styling.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    The new 5er is fairly attractive...it's no E39, but it's a huge improvement.

    There's a new style 5er wagon in my hotel parking lot this morning, parked alongside an E36 wagon. There's also a Smart ForFour in the lot, kind of unusual.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    edited November 2010
    Saw another X1 today, had my camera with me this time:

    image

    Also saw 2 of them in the Kudamm showroom. Meh...

    Spotted a SLS near the Berliner Dom too

    And 2 Lexus in ~8 hours of walking around...an old RX and get this...an LS430 being used as a taxi...I kid you not.
  • 32333233 Member Posts: 21
    An LS430 as a taxi? Not a very smart choice considering fuel prices over there.

    I've seen a handful of new 5 Series around here. A sharp looking car IMO
    Yesterday a black Lamborghini Murcielago pulled up to me at a stoplight. It had Alabama license plates (I live near Atlanta). When the light turned green it just took off. It took me a minute or so to pick my jaw up off the floor.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,342
    pushes my buttons for what I need in a car. Would probably prefer a RWD one though.

    WIll be interesting to see some of the new stuff at the Philly auto show in late-January. I assume the 1 will be out by then?

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    I don't care for that frowning/scowling front bumper & lower grill. But beyond that I thin k the body lines work well.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,565
    I think I like the new X3, more... but, my wife currently leases an X3.. that's up next October... We've gotten some pretty sweet lease deals on her last two BMWs.. Assuming we can afford either one, the better lease deal will probably make the choice for us...

    (I guess that makes us poseurs... lol)

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Saw 2x new style A8 today, both diesel of course.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Saw another new A8 today and a new style Maserati coupe
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    I just heard on the news this morning that Maryland is the richest state in the USA - at least in per capita income. $70k/year average per family.

    Hey, that's why Andre can have a fleet of eight cars! :P
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I can't get over how much nicer these look. I never even considered the old one, and these have me staring.

    Also saw a new 4Runner. The windows look "chopped", like the 300C. I think I like the one 2 generations back the best.

    Two designs that seem to be moving in the opposite direction.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Saw a Buick Regal sportwagon today....well, I saw the Opel big brother :shades:

    Also saw exactly one Lexus in maybe 7 hours of wandering around Berlin today. One single car. And every single Prius I see, which is very few, are taxis. This isn't bad.

    I also saw the first Infiniti I have ever seen in Europe...a G sedan.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    The best 4-Runner was the first...well maybe not the best, but the coolest. 2 doors, removable top, lots of off road ability, 80s styling...what's not to like...
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Wasn't that a pickup with a cap, basically?

    I liked the 3rd gen. You could get a pretty decent V6 with a manual transmission in an SUV.

    Save the manuals.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...new maroon colored Lexus ES350...smashed head-on into a tree on Oxford Avenue in NE Philly. Watch out for those wet leaves! They're as slippery as ice!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Weren't some of those Toyota V6s troublesome? Or was that the earlier trucks?

    I wanted one of those early 4-Runners when I was a little kid....and what ended up in our driveway? A brown S-10 blazer with a brown interior. It still hurts
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The 1MZ V6 had sludge issues, basically the old 3.0l that went in their cars/vans until about 2003 or so.

    AFAIK, the truck engines (VZ series) were not affected.
  • bumpybumpy Member Posts: 4,425
    The V6 in the '80s-90s trucks had a reputation for eating head gaskets.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Mmmm, tasty head gaskets. :D
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,736
    edited November 2010
    Wasn't that a pickup with a cap, basically?

    Well.... not really. Only the front fenders, hood, and doors matched the pickups. The "bed" was attached to the front, so that required new metal. And the back seat did fold flat rather than the flip and fold that the Blazers (for example) suffered with.

    1st gen gets my vote, too. I owned one and loved it. The 22RE 4-cyl with 5-spd manual was pretty bulletproof and it was VERY off-roadable. A true SUV. Not to mention I think it was the best looking 4runner ever.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    edited November 2010
    I had a co-worker who drove a ~1990 Toyota V6 4x4...nothing but trouble when it was about 10 years old, he ditched it and bought I think a newer 4cyl model that was better.

    Saw several X1s in Berlin today, maybe it will be a success. Also saw one of those weird 4 door Minis.

    On the Lexus thoughts, today I actually saw 2 of them...an LS430 not in taxi service, and an old IS200 with a Nurburgring sticker on the trunklid.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Are there still a lot of fintails in pristine condition on the streets over there? How about Adenauers and pontons? Are you renting a car over there? If so, which one and what kind?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I've seen nothing older than a W114 here...fintails and older cars are held in the same esteem flamboyant 1950s cars are held in the US, and don't often see daily duty. Also, cars have to pass inspections here (unlike where I call home, where anything that runs can hit the road) and that makes hobby cars iffy daily drivers.

    I have seen some cherished looking W123s, and there's a nice grey C126 on the street where I am staying. But those herds are thinning out now too. But anyway, there are few cars older than 1990 on the road here, most of them being W123s W124s W201s and VWs.

    I'll have a car for a long weekend....I've booked in the 5er/E class group, won't mind an upgrade but won't complain if I get what I booked either :shades:
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Saw a Ferrari 612 parked in front of my hotel today, a small Aston, a Dacia Sandero (not new, but the name makes me chuckle now thanks to Top Gear), a big Lancia sedan with a name I can't recall, and a Citroen C6.

    Record Lexus day here, 4 of them! an older and new IS, a GX, and a LS430 - but the latter was pulling into the Japanese embassy so I don't think it counts.

    Oh yeah, one car I don't see at all here that I don't miss - Camry. Haven't seen one. They were sold here once, but didn't catch on where people like to drive.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    A place with no Camries? Germany sounds better and better with each description and they even have Cadillacs over there!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Do they even sell the Camry there?

    The American one is bigger, I'm not even sure the same one is sold in Europe.

    Don't they get an Avensis or something a bit smaller?

    Also - can you blame Toyota for giving US buyers what they want? Big, soft, comfortable, quick only in a straight line (C&D 0-60 was 5.8 seconds for the V6).

    They custom-built it for Americans.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    They sold Camry here until the pig snout, IIRC. But nobody bought them, not even old people. I've only seen one in German speaking Europe, and it was being used as a taxi in Switzerland.

    The Avensis sells here and there, especially the wagon, but is seen as fairly "souless". The middle-large market is very competitive and demanding here. Accord (TSX) sells probably better than the Avensis, but not in large volumes - here what we know as the TSX is not upmarket.

    Saw an Aston Rapide today in downtown Berlin.

    Only one Lexus today, an old IS going about 65mph on an unlimited part of the Autobahn.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I saw a 58 Olds 4 door HT today...on the Autobahn no less (but a nightmarishly congested urban part)...continental kit and all...
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Rapide sounds nice. Perhaps the best looking sedan...ever?
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,565
    Not that spotting one of these is so unusual..

    But, this one was traveling faster than the surrounding traffic on the freeway... I'd say an easy 70 mph...

    Almost every Smart I see is trundling along in the right lane, about 5-10 mph under the speed limit.. I always wondered if they were scary to drive fast, or they just attracted that sort of driver...

    I'm going to have to wrangle a test drive, somehow....

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    First in the flesh. Looked OK, I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest.

    From some angles it reminds me of the Calibra, and that's good.
  • tifightertifighter Member Posts: 3,785
    I sat in a LTZ at the local auto show today. Used a strange fabric mesh on some of the dash panels. Now, just before I sat in this, I sat in a CTS wagon, and I have to say, the Cruze didn't feel THAT much cheaper inside. Maybe roomier too. I was pretty surprised...I know the LTZ is a $26K compact Chevy, but still...

    25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0 / 03 Montero Ltd

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I saw a new Duster today - not a Plymouth, but a Dacia
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,670
    I got a quick glance of a silver Honda CR-Z going in the opposite direction. It looked like a Gen I Insight but about twice the size.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    $26K compact Chevy

    :surprise:
  • tifightertifighter Member Posts: 3,785
    Yeah, I know. ;) But what does that say about the CTS?

    25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0 / 03 Montero Ltd

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The CTS is nice - especially with the leather across the dash. Is that real leather?

    Kia Optima has imitation stuff, so everyone's doing it now. I think one of the compact Fords has it also (Fiesta or Focus, not sure which).

    Hyundai Genesis uses real cow hide on theirs.
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    Load up any Cruze competitor with every possible option and they won't be substantially different in price.

    With the subcompacts making a resurgence via the Fit, Yaris, Fiesta, etc. the compacts (some of which technically qualify as midsize) have been going up in price. The run-up in used car prices might have affected them as well.

    Of course all that added equipment comes at a price as well. Cruze, for instance, has more than the average # of airbags.

    My wife is starting to consider replacing her '01 Elantra which she bought for $14K. Decently equipped '11 Elantras will be 20K or thereabouts and fully loaded ones are several thou more than that. As someone used to inexpensive cars (the '01 was her first bought-new car) she's definitely feeling the sticker shock.

    Also, these are MSRPs we're talking about. Let the initial furor die down and street prices will hopefully be much more reasonable.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Wait for the new Elantra. Even the bigger Optima is around $21k with mid-levels of equipment.

    Then just add a portable GPS, or get an iPhone 4 with a nice mount.

    Tech gets old fast. If you look at residuals, loaded up models often depreciate more, because the technology ages quickly. Who would pay a bunch more for, say, and older Nissan Maxima with an outdated CD-based GPS? Not me.
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    I buy the car I want to drive, not the car I want to sell.

    Your point's valid, but is a minor influence over my buying decisions.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I guess it also depends on how long you plan to keep the car.

    Check the residuals, you'll see what I mean. Ask car_man in the lease threads, he's an excellent resource.
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