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

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  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Saw a privately-owned white Chrysler 200 travelling north on Oxford Avenue near Bleigh in NE Philly.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    I think I'm getting one as a rental for my trip to Florida next month. I'll be very, very curious how it drives. The Cobalt drives like a bigger car and is no better than the Cavalier was IMO. Maybe the Snuze will be different...
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I recently read that VW is talking with the UAW. Unless the Asian transplants do the same (and I wouldn't bet on it), that new Tenn plant may end up like the one in PA did if it goes UAW.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Spotted a new white Dodge Charger making a left from Magee onto Oxford Avenue in NE Philly.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    Actually the UAW approached VW employees. Legally VW can't stand in the way - all they can do is appeal to their employees. Thus far none of the transplants that (Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes) has had a union voted in by the workers.

    All those noted have been able to maintain a non-union plant because they offer competitive wages, benefits and working conditions. Hopefully this will be the case with VW as well. IMHO, I believe that will happen as the VW jobs are some of the best available in Chattanooga.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Toyota had union employees at NUMMI when they had their joint venture with GM.

    VW had union employees when they were in PA. They had lots of labor problems there too.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    edited July 2011
    Toyota had union employees at NUMMI when they had their joint venture with GM.

    As does Mazda at Flat Rick and Mitsubishi in Normal currently. But all of those were/are joint ventures with unionized companies (Ford and Chrysler respectively). GM, Ford nor Chrysler could have gone into those without being union. All the current independent transplants are non-union. Even BMW and MB, both union companies back in Germany, are not in the US.

    VW had union employees when they were in PA. They had lots of labor problems there too.

    That was in the 70's when one couldn't open an auto plant in North America without a union. Today, it's much different.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited July 2011
    Yeah, but VW is a heavily unionized company and I remember a link not too many weeks ago that indicated VW wouldn't fight organizing efforts tooth and nail, in spite of Corker's rhetoric down in 'Nooga. Maybe they figure it's a lost cause for the UAW in TN anyway.

    And here it is:

    anythngbutgm, "Can VW Overtake Toyota and GM To Become #1?" #202, 7 Jul 2011 6:23 pm
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    I don't see where in that article it says VW won't fight it. All it says is that VW recognizes it's the workers right to organize. Further the article doesn't say the UAW will target VW. It only says the UAW may look at the new plant as an opportunity. I'm sure the UAW will make an attempt just like it has at every transplant.

    VW does has a history of working with unions around the world - as does MB and BMW. That doesn't make this a slam dunk. It's up to the workforce to decide and if VW does things right, they won't vote it in.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited July 2011
    Part of that history is because German law requires VW to have union reps on the board of directors (link).

    I'm still waiting to spot a Chattanooga Passat. It was three years ago today that VW picked Chattanooga for the new US factory. :shades:
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    edited July 2011
    Part of that history is because German law requires VW to have union reps on the board of directors (link).

    That applies to all German companies - not just VW. IMHO, it's not guaranteed that VW will become unionized.

    The new Passats are starting to hit the dealers now.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 268,279
    BMW's SC plant is non-union...

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,597
    Saw a new plated SLK on the road.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 268,279
    New sedan... pretty sharp for a Civic-sized car.. One thing I don't like about it.. they try to hide the exhaust pipe. It just points down from behind the bumper cover..

    Also, second-hand, my son sent me a cell-phone picture of a new BMW 1M coupe.. really nice!

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Lots of eye candy there.

    Also some nice cars. LOL

    Most unique sighting was a Spyker C8, schweeeeet! Sounded great, too. We had 14 kids in our large group so they went absolutely bananas.

    The kids saw 2 Lambos in the parking lot and didn't want to leave the parking lot. Hilarious.

    On the road, we saw another Lambo, a Gallardo, the kids gave a thumbs up and got one back. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the driver responded.

    3 Ferraris as well, one of them nice enough to give us a little engine rev before driving past. Nice to hear a high revving V8 staccato in the evening!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,597
    edited July 2011
    Awesome that the driver responded to the kids. It irks me when I give a nod like that and get nothing back. Just Sunday I was driving on I-5 and came up on a CLK55 the same age as my E55. Older driver, moved over as I came up behind him (as it is western WA, he was dawdling - I was going maybe 62 in a 60), and when I got alongside him I gave him a thumbs up - as someone driving a car like that must be an enthusiast, right? He just looked at me blankly. When I am out in the fintail I get waves and thumbs up all the time - and I always try to give acknowledgement.

    On the new car front, not a lot the past day or so, but I have seen a couple new Charger rentals - huge improvement over the old one in my eyes,
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    We talked about this in here a short while ago, now Saab let the cat out of the bag and has displayed the Saab 9-6x prototype in their museum:

    http://inside.saab.com/the-saab-9-6-in-pictures/

    That became the 2008 Tribeca, basically. Note the taillights are identical, the hood is similar. Oddly enough Subaru did not use that interior, instead keeping the original from 2006.

    Interesting confirmation of our conspiracy theory.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,597
    I guess the bullnose Saab front end was no coincidence on the first version, either.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    Very slick triple black Audi A7 and a hawt Orange Lotus Evora. This morning was a sexy 370Z "Track Model" with a killer aftermarket exhaust system. Sounded incredible at WOT :shades:
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    At the mall, a new X3 and a pair of Focus sedans.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    This AM a white Maserati Gran Turismo.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    Spotted a new generation Buick Lacrosse, red with lol, a brown Landau roof and enough chrome to make a 50's sled look drab. Pennsylvania plates on that one...

    Also saw (2) Volts over the weekend, one silver on the highway going the other direction another, red, with Hertz tags.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Yeah? And I spotted pink elephants, purple bats, and blue cockroaches with maracas dancing the cha-cha, but then I sobered up.

    Funny how I live in a big city and have yet to see all these new GM cars trashed up with roadster tops, aftermarket chrome and other junk.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Don't take it so personally, a dealer messed up a nice car, so what?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,597
    I've seen a new style CTS and a Lucerne with the "full Florida" treatment, and west coasters don't usually go for all that.

    Yesterday I saw a new Lexus IS cabrio, kind of rare. Most surprising was that the top was down, first one I have ever seen like that - living on the edge for the typical Lexus-ophile, who freaks out when the window is down.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    edited July 2011
    I actually thought it worked for the profile, although the cloth wrapped over the rear window which would affect visibililty big time.

    I've seen a couple of CTS and STS's with similar roofs so seeing one on a Buick shouldn't be surprising.

    image
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Can't stand those...on any car.

    I've seen them marketed as "Simulated Convertibles", which is funny because convertibles only really look good with their tops down!

    I say gimme a sawzall and I'll fix that Buick in a jiffy...LOL.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,714
    >I say gimme a sawzall and I'll fix that toyota/Subaru in a jiffy...LOL.

    How about a Prius convertible.

    Or a Legacy convertible. That would actually turn out nice. I've noticed many Subarus on my drives to and from Columbus on I70. The pleasant styling would look good in convertible mode.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The Toyobaru was supposed to be a light/affordable coupe and supposedly would come as a roadster later. I wouldn't mind seeing that.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,597
    Saw a Tesla roadster...not many of those around.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...a grayish violet Acura RL travelling south on Bingham Street near Levick in NE Philly. I guess this color must be called "Sandstone" or something like that.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    Saw an Acura ZDX on Rt. 128 north of Boston. It was being driven by a "mature" gentleman - on his way to the eye doctor I presume.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    If the mature gentleman has his eyesight restored, he might next need to visit a cardiologist. He may suffer a heart attack when he's able to see what he's been driving all this time.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I almost barfed when I heard Mercedes was building their own version of a crossover coupe.

    Just what the world needs, another 6000 lb hatchback!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,597
    Saw a new style CLS63 yesterday
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    A4 in front of an A6, so I got a chance to look at both at the same time.

    From that rear view, the A4 looked sharper. Enough LEDs combined to blind you.

    They're hard to tell apart from some angles. Same sausage, different length.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,885
    It was black, so it didn't look too bad. The hump (what Hump?) was less obvious.
    Also, 2 Crosstours,1 white, 1 black, plus a ZDX.
    Pretty close to an 0 for 4 day.
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,597
    edited July 2011
    Checked out the newly remodeled local MB dealer today. They had a few new CLS and SLK hanging around...sat in a CLS...seems a little less claustrophobic than the old one, but at 80K+ was a little dear. Interior was pretty awesome, very high quality, engine looked very cool with the metal air intakes. Salesman claimed C250 diesel should be here in about 2 months.
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    Just wanted to pop in and say hi, haven't been here in ages because I've been busy with work.

    I made another move and jumped from my quick one year stint as Nissan assistant manager to take on a marketing manager position at a local exotic car dealership. All I see every single day is Lambos, Ferraris, Rolls Royces and everything else in between.

    Fintail, next time you're in my area give me a shout and I'll give you a tour of our facilities. You'd like it and everything we have in stock. Also there's a supercar luxury car show coming up on Sept 11 here in Vancouver with lots of very high end vehicles that will be there. Email me and I'll tell you more about it.

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,597
    Sounds fun, probably more interesting working with exotics sold to sometimes shady people than dealing with Versas and Cubes all day. And having to look at the Quest can't be fun either.

    I'll have to make it up there sometime. Unfortunately, Sept 11 is also The big local concours, which is an unmissable event here.

    Send me an email whenever, I lost some address book material and I don't think I have yours anymore.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    Spent 5 days on Cape Cod and you cannot drive down a street and not see a house with a new Sonata in the driveway. Wow.

    Other popular sightings were the new JGC and a couple of new Explorers. Saw 3 Acura ZDX's, a few "new faced" TL's and a slew of new and older MDX's. Guess I was paying more attention to and counting Acuras since the wife and I are talking about pulling the trigger on one soon... What an amazing time tho, the Cape is just beautiful this time of year. :shades:
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Saw one on the road, just as boxy as it looked on the auto show floor.

    If one it given as a gift, all you'd need is a bow, because it already comes as a box. :shades:
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    With temp tags in our garage, first I've seen that one. Wonder who got it?
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    Couple of new Hyundai Accents, definitely a nice looking step up from the old one style-wise. Definitely has the family lineage thing going with it.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I like the 5 door models. Tiny sedans have awkward proportions, not just the Accent but nearly all of them.

    138hp, DI, 30/40 mpg. It's not just competitive - it's the new benchmark for its class.

    Wifey had her car in for a recall and we got a Kia Rio loaner. I gotta say, econoboxes have come a long way. It's not even among the latest batch of models, but it had a driver's arm rests and the engine must have had 3 times the power of the beaters I drove as a poor college student.

    Lemme look...110hp from that one. My 86 Chevy Sprint had 48 furious horses on a good day. I think my Datsun had 70 horses.

    Even with an autotragic it could actually get out of its own way.

    The new Accent, at 138hp, has 288% of the power I had in my Sprint.

    Kids these days ... spoiled, I tell ya!
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    lol, I think my 87' Olds Cutless 305 H.O. V8 only put out about 155hp. :surprise:

    Then again, I got my butt handed to me in a race with a Vulcan powered 92' Ford Taurus...

    Still very impressive numbers for the littlest Hyundai.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    They should be exiting the "$9995 WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!" category as well. Loaded ones will approach $17k, but that's still nothing nowadays.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,597
    You'll also want a blindfold, as it is just hideous.

    Loads of Elantras in my area, a couple rental fleets bought them.
  • tifightertifighter Member Posts: 3,807
    CL63 Black series yesterday at the movie theater parking lot. Second one I've seen in the past month.

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

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,597
    I love the aggressive stance of those, on a car that is so kind of soft and gentle as a non-tuned model. Too bad they are still insanely expensive.
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