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

lemko

Heck, Wally and the Beav must've seen the same films I saw when I took driver's ed in the early '80s!

fintail

Well, Germany controls the EU, and Italy seems to be just a step above Greece and Spain...so what the German ego wants, he might get.

fintail

Probably the same "simulators" too. I seem to remember the gauges looked like something out of the early 60s, old timey big thin rimmed steering wheels too.

berri

I remember as a kid that there used to be these driver simulator machines by the pinball machines. For a dime, or whatever, you'd drive the vehicle looking at film footage. It would throw things at you like a jay walker, car pulling out and the like. You were penalized each time you hit something reducing your score. Except we'd play them deliberately smacking into the events to see who hit Zero points first. Then we'd go get a milk shake or Coke. Wait, that food is probably illegal in some cities now!

ateixeira

Bummer, they shook hands. VW sent Winterkorn.

I was hoping for a fight to the death in the octagon:

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120928/COPY01/309289880/fia- t-vw-dispute-highlights-tensions-as-european-market-hits-17-year&cciid=email-aut- onews-daily

fezo

By the time I took behind the wheel driver's ed (at the time a regular public school class) I already had my license (this was the height of the baby boom). The car was a 67 Ford LTD. I hated driving Fords for years after that.

buya

Haha, that's so true. Dare you get into an MBA class as an undergrad, you'll not get A's if there's a limit to be handed out even if you deserved it.

Good thing we're not in school forums, or I'll have to say school is good etc. But lemme say this for records -- School is good. Go get your education and learning certificates.

fintail

Or do it as an adult, and you/your employer more or less just buys the degree . More and more MBAs are cranked out in a cookie cutter factory fashion, yet nothing is really improving. Hmmm

A nation of MBAs, financial advisors, and lawyers... while others crank out doctors and engineers...I guess I am on the wrong forum too :shades:

explorerx4

Didn't realize it was a new one when it was trailing me, so didn't pay much attention.
As I noticed it driving by me, I didn't realize it was the same car.
It looked like across between a previous gen Lexus GS, Acura TL, and maybe a 4 door Camaro.
Overall, it looked better in real life than the pictures.
It was a light yellowy pearl white.

kyfdx

Black on black... 5XX HP.. dual-clutch automated manual...

Got to take it for a drive.. stupid acceleration and grip... just nuts..

fintail

Friend of mine visited today, just had to stop by the local Rolls dealer. They had several loaded Ghosts sitting outside, some MSRPs well north of 300K - those are some mighty nice 7ers. Did the 1% build that?

Also saw a C63 coupe.

ateixeira

Godzilla. That thing is a giant killer.

Price creep is turning *it* into a giant, of course.

ateixeira

In Mary Kay pink, with metallic.

Sign of the economic times?

explorerx4

Parked outside the show room, base MSRP was just over 30k, but bottom line was 37k+.
It looks just under Taurus size to me.
Also, our town has a new Police Interceptor.
When to a regional fair last weekend. Mass state police have at least one Interceptor Utility.

fintail

Saw a BMW "Gran Coupe" , a less flamboyant CLS. Also an X5M, which to me screams "[non-permissible content removed]", just a little ostentatious. And a new Camry on a two truck, freshly crashed.

robr2

When to a regional fair last weekend. I've seen a couple on duty along 93/128 north of Boston. Mass state police have at least one Interceptor Utility.

There are quite a few of them. I've seen a couple on duty along 93/128 north of Boston. My understanding is the Utility Interceptor will be the base statie vehicle.

Winchester police have one as does the Mass General Hospital police force. My town got a Caprice PPV. It looks small next to the Crown Vics.

I've also seen at least one Taurus Interceptor - City of Everett but I see it north of 128.

I too spotted a new Fusion outside a local dealer. I'm going to try and go over tonight to look at it.

ateixeira

At first glance I thought it was a new Escape, but as it got closer I realized it was the C-Max, hybrid badges and all.

Add that one to the "looks better in person" club. I really liked it, more than the Escape, even.

Might be a tad on the small side to replace my minivan, but I'd still try one on for size.

stickguy

I doubt I could have sold the wife on it, since she had a serious distaste for the Escape (and the C Maxx will have the same pesky blue oval!), but the MPG could have been a real selling point.

One day I need to stop at the Ford place to see if they have one. And Honda, just to see if the new Accord is as nice as the reports seem to say it is. I really disliked the last version.

ateixeira

47mpg and it's more powerful than the 'V. More mpg + power = win-win.

What is resale like on those?

ALG used to rate models but now it's subscription only, bummer.

ateixeira

Not new, but rare. Caddy's Corvette, basically.

fintail

I saw one of those yesterday, black. Probably will become more of a collectible than the unloved Allante. Two strikes for Caddy trying to compete with the SL.

ateixeira

Caddy took a bath on the Allante when they guaranteed resale values would match the SL. They took as much as a $10,000 loss per car.

I drove an XLR at a Taste of Lexus event, ironically. I remember lots of hard vinyl surfaces, built to last rather than look or feel good. Not elegant for what it is, but should at least be durable.

That event was a hoot, they had cars from many brands available to compare. Even a hill for the Land Cruisers to climb.

Now that the market's back up, hopefully automakers start to host events like that again.

fintail

I just remember Clarkson sitting in an XLR and complaining about the cheap switchgear - a classic GM weakness. But they seem to be working on that now.

Should be an advertising write off - but those events are very rare in the Seattle area, where car culture itself is subdued at best.

ateixeira

Yeah, that's almost OK in a 'vette, given the bang for the buck, but in a Caddy? Should be nicer.

ateixeira

Dark red, first in the flesh!

Lookin' good.

fintail

It was priced highly too. XLR-V was priced like a base SL, seemed a good deal, but was only marginally faster than SL550.

I saw an ATS at the local dealer Monday.

ateixeira

Speaking of Leno...here's the Boss 302 episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4LXYK4rR7Sw#!

And to get back on topic, that's a car you can forgive for cheap switch gear.

edit: mixed my threads, oh well, Boss is still new.

lemko

Funny, I was just at my Cadillac dealer the other day getting an oil change/state inspection/emissions for my DTS and spotted a red ATS in the showroom.

fintail

All bang for the buck. Even the V6 is impressive.

You rarely see ads or commercials for them either. Not needed.

fintail

Saw an unplated pearl white XTS on the road, and the ATS I saw at the dealer the other day was gone.

Not new, but I saw a Volt in a dark blue that looked good on the car...hid some of the awkward details, maybe. Also saw a late model rarity - Escalade hybrid. Of course, it was speeding - something like that suffers from "lowfat" mentality - like a low cal food, the tendency is to eat more of it. The driver of the hybrid gargantuan hybrid useless SUV knows it gets slightly better mileage, and will drive it in a way that brings mileage back to normal.

ateixeira

I always felt like GM mis-used hybrid tech.

First, nobody wants a mild hybrid. Everyone who has tried has failed.

Second, market them on contractors' pickups for their generator-like capabilities. Charge all your cordless drills, for instance.

The ads should focus on that. Not 20mpg, which isn't real world and wouldn't be that good even if it were!

fintail

I bet jackrabbit starts and speeding in congested suburban areas makes that tank get well under 20mpg, too. I suspect the Escalade hybrid didn't have a huge production run.

ateixeira

For hybrids I think the maximum size should be right around the C-Max I saw the other day, at least to optimize the gains.

Otherwise there's just too much weight, large vehicle plus batteries.

Of course Porsche will shatter stereotypes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFNIqxTT_mw

fintail

I saw a Cayenne hybrid the other day. But when you get to that level, it's all about posing with the badge, results don't mean much.

ateixeira

I hate to admit it, but the new Cayenne looks 1000 times better than the old one.

I wouldn't even consider the hybrid model. I'm not even sure I'd consider the diesel, either. At that level just get the V8 and enjoy it for what it is and the noises it makes.

You gotta pay to play, if you care about gas mileage then why are you buying a performance SUV in the first place?

Replace the Panamera with the much better looking Sport Turismo and all is forgiven, Porsche. Ferdinand can RIP again.

lemko

A friend of mine has a new Tahoe hybrid. He must like it because this is his second one.

fintail

It's sleeker, anyway. Not something I'd ever want, but I suppose it isn't worse than the original. Might as well go all-in and get the turbo.

Funny how that Panamera wagon is so much better looking than the sedan. It's what the car should have been all along, almost like a 21st century 928 in a roundabout way.

fintail

I suspect there have been sweet year end deals on those. Get it down to a price and it might even equal the fuel savings to a smooth driver.

ateixeira

Local dealer doesn't even have a single one in stock! Must be the recent gas price scare. People are so fickle...buy a $50k SUV to save a couple of bucks a week on gas.

robr2

...Fusion and C-Max today at the dealer.

I stopped by and checked them out. The C-Max is a tidy package which I think will be a great alternative to the Prius. It's not going to put the fear of God into Toyota but it might convert a few "domestic only" buyers. Plus it looks bigger than the Prius.

The Fusion was great. A couple of little things I noticed. The headliner is scooped out in front giving the folks up there more headroom. The console is influenced by Volvo - the front of it is accessible from behind the main waterfall. The mirrors are mounted on the door instead of up on the front door glass area. Lastly was the roof. Most vehicles have a rubber strip to cover the unfinished weld between the roof panel and the uni-body. The Fusion has a finished weld there. Does this make it better? I don't think so but it's one more piece of quality workmanship.

Also rear legroom was great. I adjusted the seat for my 5-11 and 32" inseam and had plenty of room in the back.

ateixeira

Did you try the back seat in the C-max? It doesn't slide, but did you feel like it was roomy?

I think it appeals to more than just domestic buyers.

Mirrors on the door are good for visibility when parking.

robr2

Did you try the back seat in the C-max?

No it was locked and I didn't want to get into a conversation with a sales rep.

ateixeira

I understand. That's why I love-love-love auto shows.

sunshinelady

HAS ANYONE PURCHASED OR LEASED THIS NEW CAR? ITS BEAUTIFUL BUT WORRIED ABOUT SERVICE, NO SPARE TIRE COMES WITH THE CAR, THAT LISTS FOR 35,000. I READ A POST WHERE SOMEONE OUT IN CALIFORNIA GOT IT FOR 29,000. PLEASE LET ME KNOW ANYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT THE CAR

stever

For purchasing info try here:

Kia Optima Prices Paid and Buying Experience

Lots of cars don't have spares any more. Saves on gas.

fintail

Newbies: Escape, facelift GLK

ateixeira

I've seen plenty of these, but this was in the basement garage charging. Before that I'd only seen a Volt here.

The building offers charging for $0.20 per hour, less than half of the cost of electricity in this area, so you basically get free juice.

It's part of some super platinum LEED iridium gold certification.

andys120

Ford's new Cute Ute is selling like hot cakes in NH, I see a new one almost every day.

ateixeira

Saw one just now.

From Ford's release:

Escape compact utility sales increased 14 percent for the month; 23,148 Escape sales mark best-ever September sales

stickguy

pretty sure at some points the old escape was #1 seller in it's class.

we saw a few out on the road, and my wife commented that it looked "angry" It really does, from the front or back. The back looks like those angry bird cartoons.