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

explorerx4

It looked pretty darn good.
Also, a new bright blue Taurus, with matching grille.
Didn't like the matching grille color.

stickguy

well, I have now seen in person (as in sitting in my driveway) the Santa Fe. Huge improvement over the current model. And very, very nice. Stylish, great interior, lots of room (particularly cargo) and tons of features.

very impressive.

can't wait to actually get a chance to drive one!

tjc78

Is it now officially in the running?

stickguy

yes. It was already, subject to seeing it in person. And may be the top of the list now.

fintail

And the white Scion Freeze that a local used lot was trying to flip for nearly 10K over MSRP is still sitting there, marked down to 29.9K...amusing to see the plan didn't work.

stickguy

I stopped at the local Sube dealer last night, and they had one sitting out front. Did not see the sticker though. Sharp car. I would like to have one, as soon as they add a moonroof option!

anythngbutgm

Chrysler dealer nearby has a Dart out front on a podium. Looks good, might even be the best looking in it's class IMO.

I did see a Civic Si sedan in Carbon Gray yesterday, which looked good, but I think the Dart has a little more flair and originality.

lemko

...black BMW 128i pulling out the driveway of the Knowlton Manor onto Rhawn Street in NE Philly.

texases

I guess I'm surprised at how few of those 'bargain BMWs' I see... :confuse:

kyfdx

All coupe and convertibles..

If they had brought the sedan... or the five door hatch, I think you'd see a lot more of them....

stickguy

any 2 door is still a niche car.

stickguy

if they had the 5 door (or even the X1), I would still be trying to convince the wife "of course there is plenty of room for all your junk"!

kyfdx

The X1 will sell like crazy, assuming the supply is there...

BMW
"cheaper"
"SUV"

Though, might not be cheap enough....

iwant12

Saw a silver FR-S yesterday heading to work in Fort Worth. As it was merging onto I 35, I knew right off what it was. I actually slowed down and ran alongside to get a better view. Have to say it looks better in person. I could see a nav screen on the dash. Couldn't see if it was a stick as it was still dark outside. Overall the car looked really nice! And I'm intrigued because it looked like something I'd like to drive. But I'm a SUV guy and I really love my new Grand Cherokee.

stickguy

when is this mythical beast supposed to show up now? I got tired of hearing about it a good year or 2 ago!

kyfdx

September... taking orders now...

My dealer will have one in the showroom on Tuesday ... no drives.. It leaves to go somewhere else the next day..

fintail

Visited the local MB dealer today - saw a new G-wagen, designo, 114K MSRP. Not much else of note, but they did have a pretty E350 wagon, sport and pano, being taken for a test drive. Same SLS in the showroom as last visit. Saleswoman, who was shockingly knowledgeable about past models - drooled over my E55. She told me there's a reason the lot seldom has anything older than 5 years old on the lot - the employees buy the older MB trade-ins.

They have a crazy lease deal on a normal spec E350 - 499/month, usual 5K upfront. That's about 10% cheaper than the MBUSA site rate. Must be some excess stock sitting around.

Also saw a Scion Freeze, black.

stever

Okay I'll bite. You mentioned the "Scion Freeze" the other day.

What is it - the iQ? As in Brain Freeze or ?

stickguy

It's the FR-S. And the Subaru Breeze is the BRZ

kyfdx

Scion FR-S..

Twin to the Subaru BRZ

Freeze and Breeze..

fintail

Exactly. I give dorky names to cars :shades:

stever

lol, I'd heard the Breeze moniker but I pay more attention to Subaru's I guess.

Funny that a net search turned up zilch; not even you guys.

So, get two of them together and you have Febreeze?

fintail

could work. The acronyms are kind of nonsensical for me, so I had to take it a step further.

I googled it too - found one result for this thread. Maybe I have created something better than my "pigsnout" Camry and "catfish" Infiniti FX :shades:

stever

Well, back in the day we called old Citroëns "catfish" cars. I bet if you sent a pic to your Georgia friend and asked him what the car looked like, he'd say channel cat.

Not that we ever saw one back in Mississippi (Citroëns I mean), but we got pics of it in Popular Mechanics.

anythngbutgm

Still enjoying the JGC? If you don't mind me asking, what sort of mileage are you seeing? I believe you have the Pentastar V6?

I really, really like the new one, IMO it is a grand slam for Chrysler and really shows a ton of effort that they are putting into their new products. And they nailed it with the feature content as well. Even the 30 thousand dollar, 6 cylinder Laredo model looks more expensive than it really is. :shades:

fintail

When I was young, I called the Citroen DS style cars "slugs", and of course a 2CV is a snail. I wonder which French car could be a frog :shades:

Hey, Nissan has French influence, the Juke kind of reminds me of a deformed toad.

tifighter

Today. Two guys just driving down the street. In a F40. Like you do. Welcome to SF.

anythngbutgm

on the highway last night, are these even out yet? :confuse:

Also saw my first, and then my second new RX with the whole "Spindle Grill" thing. It looks good IMO but not really as polarizing as I was expecting.

fintail

Saw two FR-S today, one white still sitting at a used car lot, one black on the road.

tjc78

Did the Avalon have an awful (giant) lower front grill? If so than it is the 2013.

They aren't out yet as far as I know.

lemko

Sad. The Avalon was about the only Toyota-branded product I would consider and they had to go ahead and ruin it.

tjc78

I've had two Avalons (03 and 06) and I would run away screaming from the 2013. It is a styling debacle if I've ever seen one.

I think they also made it smaller, what's the point? Its not like it didn't already have a small overlap with the V6 Camry XLE and a lower optioned ES350.

Oh well, I'll look elsewhere when the Buick's lease is up.

lemko

Maybe I'd consider a used Avalon as a replacement for my Mercury Grand Marquis. My wife and I saw a 2012 at the Philly Auto Show this past February and thought it was nice.

tjc78

You would like the Avalon (05-12). It has a very soft ride, lots of smooth quiet power, is comfortable and will pull 29-30mpg at 70-75MPH. Mine was very reliable as well.

It does a lot of what the Panther platform vehicles do well and actually has a bit more rear leg room (but less trunk space)

They are usually pretty pricey used and I'd bet you could get a late model Town Car for the same price or cheaper.

lemko

Panthers of any sort are getting scarce around here. The livery drivers are snatching them all up. I would consider a late model Town Car. Latter day Grand Marquises seem very decontented and I don't like how the stylists shrank the headlamps. The front end looks awkward compared to my 2005 model.

texases

"It is a styling debacle if I've ever seen one. "

YIKES! I hadn't seen it. Kinda like a Camry and the 2013 Fusion had love child...

tjc78

Grand Marquises seem very decontented

Yes they stripped away the air ride, power pedals, power pass seat, power lumbar, and you'll never find one with heated seats.

The market just became flooded with a bunch of 2011 Crown Vic LXs (equipped just like the last MGMs). Many of them are available in the 16-17K range with under 20K miles. That is a lot of car for money.

They had to have come from a rental company, because as far as I know the last Vics were not sold to the public.

tjc78

YIKES!

I still don't know how that got approved. :confuse:

fintail

Good! Don't have to worry about getting one as a future rental. Although Hertz will probably keep them around until 50K++ miles.

Speaking of rentals, that's where the last batch of old/clean style Avalons have headed. Maybe a good used buy in another several months.

That new one is just a mess, different for the sake of being different, lame desperate attempt to add personality to a car. Does the lower grille have any function at all?

tjc78

Although Hertz will probably keep them around until 50K++ miles.

When I was renting a lot of cars, I used National. I don't think I ever got into a car with more than 10K miles. Many were practically brand new.

Speaking of rentals, that's where the last batch of old/clean style Avalons have headed. Maybe a good used buy in another several months.

Wow, that sucks for anyone who bought a 2011/12. You are right that will make the values drop a bit.

imidazol97

>Camry and the 2013 Fusion had love child...


I don't think it was "love."

That's awful.

What does the rear look like? The current toyota rear lights are better than the jukebox previous version, but still look odd to my eye. Sort of like the new VW Beetle mess.

fintail

I think National has the best overall fleet of a major carrier, miles tend to be low and some cars are good spec. Sometimes works well in locations where they share with Alamo too - you can talk your way into going to the National side.

They even made a website for the Avalon...I read they bought 5000 of them. They'll all hit the market at once.

tjc78

Limited models too. Toyota must have had to use up a lot of parts.

fintail

Maybe they were afraid everyone would be holding out for the oh so pretty new model :shades:

explorerx4

A yellow Boss 302. It listed for about 46k with upgraded seats and a car cover/other stuff option. Also has a 5k markup from MSRP.
It was my dream car in high school.

stickguy

stopped at the Dodge/Jeep dealer (so the wife could check out a JGC). Did not have one inside, but they did have a Dart (red rallye, no roof).

nice looking, but would not pick that color. Did love the shifter, and the huge knob. pretty roomy. Dash was interesting, but a bit busy. not sure about the seats, looked nice, but a bit oddly stuffed. but as usual, not enough front tilt (would absolutely have to have a power seat if offered).

Nice car though, should do well, but for me, reminds me of the cell phone commercial with the German dude in the little bathing suit ("that car is for a younger person, wouldn't you say?"

anythngbutgm

Checked the Internet and sure enough that was what I saw. At first I thought it was a new Dart but it was too big. Then I thought it was an new Hyundai, then I thought it was a new Fusion.

I only caught a glimpse of the front end, not enough to judge. But it was the tail that identified it as the new Avy.

2013 Toyota Avalon

anythngbutgm

Couple of new CX-5's, a revised Venza and a Subaru BR-Z.

Also a funny encounter on the highway with a new Saab 9-5 chasing down a Caddy STS. Must've been doing over 100mph (Ignorant clowns) and the Saab eventually passed and left the Caddy in the dust. Wasn't even close, the guy in the Caddy floored it after being passed but it's acceleration was far weaker than the 9-5. I'm thinking it was the V6 model, not a Northie.

lemko

Yeah, those new Avalon shoppers are like contestants on Let's Make a Deal who held out for what was behind door number three and got zonked!

lemko

...dark orange Scion IQ with a driving school sign on top on Oxford Avenue in NE Philly plus a red Buick Veranno in the parking lot at work.