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

davem2001

If you're in the mid-size segment, you can't be priced higher than a Camry/Accord and expect to sell ...who in their right mind would pay $28K for a G6 when you could get a nice Camry or Accord for A LOT less?

teds1

I just saw an Audi A8 W12... I'm sure there are less than 200 of these on american roads total right now. It looks nice the trapezoid grill looks kind of stately on the largest Audi. I am a big fan of the A8 looks overall though. It would definitely be my pick in the class if I was in the market for such a car

ateixeira

Love it, aluminum and AWD. So the body will last forever, and during that time you can go anywhere.

Makes the Phaeton redundant, too.

-juice

toomanyfumes

Mark LT, I think it's called. It was a greyish-silver. Did'nt really stand out, basically looked like an F-150 with a fancy grille. :surprise:

teds1

Not a new car I know, but I spotted a 70's yellow Ferrari Daytona Spyder last night whcih sounded sooooo great. Made my evening

lhess

spotted a silver Pontiac Fiero today at lunch. I hadn't thought about those in forever and they started talking about them over in the Solstice forum a couple days back and then I see one today. I hadn't seen one in a loooong time. A guy at my high school got a white one for his birthday and his parents put it in the school parking lot with a big bow and hung the keys in his locker (with the help of the principal). Pretty cool. The paint literally peeled off of it (and that big glue-on Fiero sign at the bottom) at the automatic car wash. He traded it for a mustang. That's ok. I was looking good in my Chevette!!

merc1

There I was ambling along on a rainy I-88 not expecting to see much of anything considering the conditions and whoa....a Black Rolls Royce Phantom with new car tags! Looks like something a cartoon villain or devil would drive. Such an immense and imposing car! I don't think any other luxury car commands more presence on the road.

M

kyfdx

In light silver-blue metallic... very nice..

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New car spottings are always a topic of discussion at our chats. So stop in tonight with your checklist!

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merc1

You seem to have seen every Mercedes model on sale in the U.S in the last few weeks!!! What part of KY?

M

stickguy

hows that for a mouthful?

Big honking car. I cheated though, it was on the showroom floor when I stopped at the Audi dealer.

Scariest thing is either the 122K sticker price (ouch), or the fact that it had a "sold" tag on it!

kyfdx

Near Cincinnati.. and my commute takes me right through the city..

I normally don't see that many AMG cars... I was sort of stunned myself.. S55 AMG a couple of weeks ago, and now the E55 AMG.. Both seen on the same road... suburban office park type area..

regards,
kyfdx

fintail

If I have any luck you'll be able to come to my house and see a C43.

Today I saw the new facelifted 911. Driven by some 60-ish year old woman in the slow lane, at about 5 under. I don't get it.

andys120

911. Driven by some 60-ish year old woman in the slow lane, at about 5 under. I don't get it.

Prolly belongs to her boyfriend :P

merc1

Probably the rarest luxury sedan in America. I've seen everything else either on the road in a showroom, but this W12 A8 never! I was starting to think it didn't exist.

BTW, I did see one at the Detroit autoshow this year and it has a 146K price tag. It has a "special build" Quattro GmBh package on it. The interior was easily the best I've ever seen on any car this side of a Maybach or Bentley.

M

merc1

I've saw a man once driving a SL55 AMG and he had to be at least 90. Really dressed and very suave looking. He had on his little derby and all, tickled me.

M

navigator89

Saw a blue Golf R32 with a body kit. The driver was crazy, kept weaving in and out of cars.

Also saw a Chevrolet Uplander today. Doesn't look that different from the Venture.

andre1969

must be readily available now, because in the past couple of days, they seem to really have popped up around here.

fintail

There was a W12 A8 at the show in Vancouver too. Gorgeous car, but so expensive.

When I'm old I hope I'm that old man in the SL55. But I'll probably be an old man in a fintail or something.

I've only seen one Cobalt coupe on the road here, but the sedans are now very common. Hey, at least they are selling.

davem2001

Saw one on the road for the first time yesterday.

stickguy

there is one in my town now. Saw a lady driving it, and later saw it in a parking lot.

Tres ugly in my opinion. Just looks squashed and mis-proportioned.

davem2001

Yep, I agree, not my favorite, either... sort of looks like a "chopped and channelled" E -class or like someone stepped on a clay model of an E-class and "smooshed" it

lemko

...from the Phantom - I spotted a Scion xC, Saturn Ion with the new grille, and a Suzuki Aerio.

ateixeira

Cheated and went to a dealer to see the new A4 up close and outside of a car show. A3 also, though their demo was wrecked on a test drive, can you believe that? So I didn't get to sample the 2.0T engine.

Saw the new Boxsters and 911s in person, huge improvements to those faces, both.

-juice

ghulet

....just bought a ML350, looks OK, but definitely looks smaller than the last ML (back is definitely more sloped), and way too much like a Kia Sorento (which, admittedly, was a shameless copy of the original ML). I guess I feel the same about the new ML as I do about the newest CLK and E-class--they just don't look as 'substantial' or something, I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe Mercedes strive to make their cars look 'sleek' is making them look too low or too small, I'm not sure, but I don't think it's the best idea. In comparison to other cars, they don't look as special any more, and not like they should cost $50k. Of course, now that Buick LaCrosses, Avalons and Chrysler 300s can have $38k MSRPs, I guess $50k isn't such a big deal any more. :surprise:

merc1

Very interesting point. I've said the same thing every since the 2003 E and CLK were first shown. They're "prettier" than the cars they replaced, but a little less distinctive. Then I get a look at older Mercedes and see how upright their winshields/A-pillars are an I'm like that thing was a good looking "box" back in the day. Older Mercedes were "cleaner" in design. Upright, less cutlines and more broad expanses of sheetmetal and very, very subtle "character" lines. The direct opposite of what the new SLK has running down its side for instance. Now the CLS is "clean" like Mercedes of old, but its far swoopier. If you look at the current SL for example, way too many cut lines and little nicks on the body for various styling elements like vents etc. Then look at the R129 SL. Clean block styling that is timeless and sturdy, but the new car is sleeker and "prettier".

Of course I like the way these newer Mercedes' look, but I clearly see that they aren't as distinctive as before. Thats seems to be the price of change. Wait until the new S-Class appears. The front end has to pass those Euro pedestrian safety standards which is going to kill that sloping hoodline Mercedes has been using for the last few years.

As you noted one of the biggest negatives about Korea's shamless copying is that the origial isn't free to evolve anymore. The new Lexus GS and Maxima are another example. Lexus had the look first back in 1998, then came the 2004 Maxima with from the rear, especially the rear glass treatment is pure 1998 GS. Now the new 2006 GS unfortunately looks like a Maxima. The Koreans are more bent on copying than the Japanese ever were imo. This new Sonata is pure Honda Accord from the rear and collection of various cars everywhere else. Oh well.

M

fintail

I liked the older generation styling too, of course. They made bank vaults look pretty good. The 126 S-class and 124 E-class are the perfect examples. The modern cars are a little 'pretty' and over-detailed in some regard, but at least they aren't ugly. And I do kind of like the E wagon and the big CL hardtop/

merc1

Yeah the W124 E was the best! The current CL though is by far Mercedes' best styled car at the moment. The CLS is stunning also, imo.

M

merc1

If I have any luck you'll be able to come to my house and see a C43.

I just noticed this comment. Due tell!!

M

fintail

The 124 was a great platform, they got a lot of use out of it. 10 years, a sedan, wagon, hardtop coupe, and convert. You still see them on the road all the time. The M103 6cyl is also usually regarded as one of MBs best engines too.

I think I mentioned the C43 incident on the chronic car buyers thread. A couple weeks ago I noticed one at the local Porsche lot...they marked the price down a bit and I went and drove it. Of course I ended up liking it a lot, so I was going to come back the next day and make an offer, afer I sorted out what to do with the 126. I came back, and it had sold. So now I am leisurely seeking out another one.

I saw a red A3 yesterday...maybe they're starting to pop up.

andre1969

I saw both a Ford 500 and a Freestyle, side-by-side. I think this is the first Freestyle I've seen on the road. Good looking wagon.

ateixeira

I saw a new ML on the road also. I kinda like them, actually. The old one seemed to tall and narrow.

Perhaps those that like the trucky/substantial look will prefer the old one?

-juice

andre1969

the phrase "SUV" really wasn't as much of a buzzword as it is today...we just called 'em what they were...trucks. Or just called them by name (Blazer/4runner/Bronco/etc). When that ML first came out, I didn't know what to make of it. IIRC it was the first, or one of, the first SUVs that seemed to attempt blurring the distinction between car and truck. It wasn't as trucky or macho as your typical SUV. I actually thought they looked more like minivans than SUVs! I think the first time I even saw one was on that second "Jurassic Park" movie.

The new one looks pretty good, though, in a Kia Sorrento sort of way.

ateixeira

Yeah, that hood did give it a minivan front end. Over time they refined it to look beefier.

The new one's hood is taller, less sloped, probably to avoid that stigma.

-juice

lemko

...black Toyota Prius.

PF_Flyer

I thought all the Prii (that's apparently the current plural in vogue) were silver!

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News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles

kyfdx

of new C6 Corvettes....

davem2001

Ironically, I've never seen a silver Prius on the road - I've seen a cranberry red, a light blue, a biege/tan, but never silver...only in pictures.

fintail

Up here in the NW, Prius are very common, both the old and new style. Heck, there's a couple of em in my parking lot at work. I saw a pleasant blue shade on one this weekend that I hadn't seen before. Most I see are white or silver.

I finally saw my first new style Corvette today

ghulet

I see the current Prius all the time, usually in that metallic light blue, but I don't see the old version much. That and the Volvo XC seem to be the vehicles-du-jour among our local nouveau riche townhouse dwellers. I also saw my first new Vette today, what a coincidence (and it was parked in the lot at the county court building at 26th/California!). It was a red coupe with chrome wheels, very nice. I like the non-hidden headlights.

fintail

I like it more than the old one anyway, yeah. Looks more athletic and modern.

ateixeira

They've been out for a while, I think I see 4-5 a day around DC/MD.

-juice

davem2001

Just haven't happened to see one in silver yet....

teds1

You know what I haven't seen yet though anywhere? The escape hybrid... and I've been looking for the tell tale vents in the rear quarter windows... Did Ford just make one as a marketing tool or are they actually selling these things? I don't think the american auto companies get the mass market appeal of these yet. Don't just make small weird looking compact hybrids as some sort of honda insightesque curiosity... Make a hybrid version of normal useful cars that people drive anyway. Look how many rx400h's Toyota has already booked, if they had a hybrid tahoe, or explorer they could do the same. Honda seems to have made a hybrid sportier than their regular accord. Who wouldn't want to see that torquey 240 hp v6 in the new sky/solstice body or a Mustang that got 30+ mpg. This is a no brainer to me. I am waiting for the powerful hybrid Subaru wagon which will be the greatest vehicle ever known to man ( in my opinion)

davem2001

I've seen an Escape Hybrid parked at the local Ford dealer that I pass every day going to work, but I haven't seen one on the road yet.

ateixeira

I nominate the Forester (non-turbo) as a good candidate.

Why? Because it already gets 22/30 with automatic, 23/30 with manual.

The RX400H and Highlander hybrids only get 26-27 mpg highway, so the Forester could outpace those by far.

The Escape hybrid is a lot heavier and the 2.3l engine struggles to move all that weight. Subaru's 2.5l is both stronger and more efficient plus it's pulling a lighter vehicle.

Hence the perfect candidate. It would easily be the most fuel efficient SUV, it almost is now even without the hybrid powertrain.

-juice

kyfdx

You don't see Escape Hybrids, because by the time they get up enough speed to get out of the garage, it is time to go home...

anythngbutgm

"You don't see Escape Hybrids, because by the time they get up enough speed to get out of the garage, it is time to go home..."

I guess they're selling very well in L.A. and we have 1 or 2 around where I live. But you can't wink without seeing a Prius or Civic Hybrid. Quite a few Insights as well.

stickguy

Black. But, it was on the showroom floor of the Ford dealer (behind ropes even).

Pretty sharp. Even gets 21 MPG highway.

really sad thing, I stopped to look at a Stang convertible, and they were nonexistant.

ateixeira

Saw a Continental GT today here in Washington Circle, nice. 2nd time I've seen it, pretty sure it was the same one.

-juice