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

ateixeira

At least it's tiny, so it doesn't occupy much space.

fintail

I was in a tourist area, lots of rentals. Maybe the Koreans are testing cars under the use and abuse of the rental market...lots of H and K rentals out there right now, GM isn't the big fleet offender anymore.

Saw a CT sitting at the dealer, looked to be kind of pearl white.

ateixeira

I'm heading to Orlando this summer, so I'll check out which cars are the fleet darlings. I've only ever seen one single Sonata rental.

fintail

Maybe call the local agencies to see what they offer - seems to vary by location. The Koreans were big with Budget there from what I can see, while local Budget has a Nissan majority. I rented through Thrifty,who even lists the Sonata on its site, but in ATL had a mainly Ford and GM fleet. My non-scientific anecdotal observations in my town would put Sonata rentals at maybe 1 in 5, maybe more.

ateixeira

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/14/video-keira-knightley-straddles-ducati-for-co- co-chanel/

Blah, just blah.

tifighter

The recent Duc GT1000 was available in a black/beige two-tone color. I liked it.

fintail

Brand whoring, aint it grand.

Most Ducatis I see around here are ridden by midlife crisis stuffed suits who just cruise at suburban speeds anyway, visiting a track about as often as my fintail.

ateixeira

Link?

That one is all beige. It's invisible.

tifighter

Link?

tifighter

Image shows in preview, but not on post. That's a first.

Here's a link: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aa4dZFX8kfr2rVDuH2CY-Q?feat=directlink

ateixeira

That's a whole lot nicer.

I would've gone with a bolder color instead of beige, but that looks fine.

I like those Reese's interiors with chocolate/peanut butter colors.

Perhaps because of my appetite! LOL

tifighter

Now you're making me hungry. We haven't had lunch yet on the west coast...

ateixeira

I did, but now I want dessert!

stever

I've found that sometimes the img tag breaks at the "wrong" spot and the entire line of "code" will disappear, so no pic will show up.

In this case I think it's the https that's messing the link up (instead of the usual http).

iwant12

Saw my first new 2011 Regal today. Wonder why it took so long for the first sighting? This car's been out for a while. It was at a stop light, so I got a good view of the front 3/4 view. It was okay IMO. Nothing to write home about.

andys120

I've been wondering where they are too. I see Lacrosses all the time; maybe the Regal is just too small for Buick types.

fintail

I've seen a few of them, but outnumbered by Lacrosse at least 10:1. Probably too small and expensive for the typical Buick demographic.

ateixeira

Wonder why it took so long for the first sighting?

$1000 dealer incentives on top of $500 cash back or 0% financing.

Consumers waited for the deals, and now they're here.

I did the math and that means invoice prices start in the $23k range. That's cheap!

fintail

Saw 2x CT at the dealer this morning, Mountain Dew and either off-white or silver, hard to tell in the dark.

ateixeira

Brown color, not as well executed as the brown Buick uses on the Enclave.

fezo

This is what happens when I see brown and Buick in the same sentence.

A buddy of mine, back in his starving college student days had this old brown 64 Buick he referred to as the brown bomber. It was everything you;d expect in what was no doubt a $150 car. No knock on it. It had its day and that was well before he bought it.

My favorite of its many quirks was that the plain old analog clock in it only ran when the ignition was on. Of course this meant it was useless but it was certainly entertaining.

andys120

I think the Regal is selling poorly because it's priced only a few hundred cheaper than the equivalent Lacrosse and doesn't get any better mileage than a 4 cylinder LC.

I really don't know who the Regal is aimed at. The baby-boomers who might prefer the Regal's European provenance would probably prefer more exciting styling and six cylinder power. They might also prefer a model name that didn't remind them of their father's Buick.

The Old Timers are going to gravitate to the bigger Buicks especially for virtually the same money.

texases

"I think the Regal is selling poorly because it's priced only a few hundred cheaper than the equivalent Lacrosse and doesn't get any better mileage than a 4 cylinder LC."

I wonder if the same thing will happen to Ford once they start selling the new Focus. I bet many people will buy the new Focus instead of the Fiesta, assuming the costs will only be slightly higher for the Focus.

ateixeira

Regal is aimed at the sporty end of the segment - they pitch the German heritage and all.

Sales are up but the incentives had a lot to do with it.

I think it tries to compete with the Acura TSX, but may end up being more of a Suzuki Kizashi alternative.

andys120

Regal is aimed at the sporty end of the segment - they pitch the German heritage and all.

Yes it is but the name and the styling are all wrong for that segment. Tle Lacrosse has a sportier look and a sportier name IMO.

kyfdx

I think it competes with the TSX, as well.... but, that's a pretty small target...

I bet it outsells the TSX... just from the built-in domestic-only consumer base....

Sandman6472

We're interested in this model as the wife's new ride in either 2012 or 2013...she's an old Buick driver and we like 'em. She's been with foreign brands since 1993 but if the Verano meets her list, it could very well displace the new Elantra from our garage. I prefer the Elantra but since it'll be her car & she's paying for it, her choice for what she wants. Can always get the Elantra when I replace my '06 Civic in 2014 or '15.

Hoping tie Verano will debut soon so we can all get a good look at it!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

ateixeira

I have mixed feelings.

It could be the next Cimarron, or...

Since Buick is getting unique powertrains, and they're powering a much lighter car, it could turn out to be a performance bargain.

Execution will be crucial.

lemko

The platform the Veranno is based upon is a quantum leap over the cruddy Cavalier upon which the Cimmaron was based. Cruddy foundation = cruddy house.

ateixeira

I've seen mixed reviews on the Cruze, though.

I guess I should go sample one myself. Some call it ground breaking while others nicknamed it the Snooze.

Though perhaps Buick's turbo will wake up the performance.

texases

fintail

Ugly'd it up, of course.

Speaking of ugly, saw a Crosstour and 2x ZDX today, probably giving them away now.

texases

They sure did - followed one for a while tonight, this color but with white fender flares...close-up there's not a good line on it from the back, IMHO:

fintail

Saw another Juke today...no coincidence that it is one letter off from "puke".

Saw the Mountain Dew CT on a test drive, too.

Sandman6472

Funny, I didn't find the Juke to be that bad actually...had easy ingress/egress for me which I liked. Would like it in a slushbox but they don't seem to offer it that way. Nissan interiors have definitely improved a bit in my opinion & my kid loves her Versa tremendously. I've been driving it once a week with her for about 120 miles and once the CVT gets going, it moves very nicely. Once I put the cruise on, I'm a happy guy. And lastly, the brakes stop the car in a controlled, linear way which I appreciate, as some of the drivers here in South Florida drive stupidly...feel I have good control with this car!
The Sandman :sick: :shades:

fintail

Oh, it might have some technical high points, I just think styling-wise it is atrocious, one of the worst things on the market right now. It doesn't really have a good angle.

I had a Versa rental last year, it was OK for what it was.

ateixeira

Have you seen sales figures? They have sky-rocketed.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.

Personally I like the one from 2 generations back.

lemko

...this one pulled up alongside me on Saturday as I was washing my Mercury Grand Marquis on the street.


2011 BMW 535i

A neighbor from a block over just bought it and was showing it off as he knows I'm something of an auto enthusiast. His old ride was a Ford Windstar minivan. Must be livin' large nowadays!

ateixeira

A lot of critics are saying it went a bit soft. Funny factoid - the Hyundai Genesis had a quicker speed in Consumer Reports' slalom maneuver thingy. Is that officially embarassing?

I found the 535i a bit laggy, it's not quick until the turbo spools. Didn't get to go fast enough to test the suspension, but it sure was comfortable.

The V8 was a lot better.

BMW's Nav screen is HUGE but M-B's is easier to read for some reason.

lemko

Whoa! Better not tell my neighbor that! He had a grin on his face so big, I'd think his smile wrapped all the way around to the back of his head. It's quite a leap going from a Windstar to a new Bimmer.

fintail

But which model,and equipped how?

Lexus LS also had the worst accident avoidance figures according to the same source.

If only we'd get a 535d. The F11 I rented had wonderful seats, and the nav is indeed excellent, especially for a German.

ateixeira

Not sure but CR tends to buy volume models.

The Genesis R-spec is not even out yet, nor is the M5.

Is BMW reserving the "sporty" for the M only, though? That would be a mistake IMHO.

fintail

Well, let's say they compared a base 528i (sans sport and premium) to a Genesis 4.6 - and I could see CR doing this just to get attention. Who knows what would happen.

I don't know if a BMW that lacks sport package is really any sportier than its competition. German cars are all about options.

ateixeira

That's true - you have to option them up appropriately. Unfortunately those packages are spendy.

fintail

That's why the Germans are so profitable - the margins on option packages have to be gigantic. You can base a 5er or E in the upper 40s and load it up to over 70K without a lot of trouble - and that's not counting tuned versions.

boomchek

Haha, don't laugh, we can't keep enough Jukes in stock.

I think it's popular because people just want something different than generic cookie cutter cars.

fintail

Maybe it's a reactionary movement to the past decade of Corollas and Camrys.

Juke is still a styling freakshow, but nobody is forcing me to buy one :shades:

ateixeira

Actually I'd love to see that powertrain in a Versa R.

Lighter, lower, faster, cheaper.

Plus more room inside.

qbrozen

and I'll say it again. I like the Juke.

Its just too bad it is overpriced.

ateixeira

That's why I think the same engine in a Versa would make sense. They even have a 6 speed manual available.