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

fintail

CEO's son or nephew?

ateixeira

Saw a bunch of new cars...had to write them down there were so many.

First an EVO parked right out front, arrest-me-red. EVO 8, though, not the newer 9.

300C driving on PA Ave near the White House.

G6, also red, parked near 2000 Penn.

Pathfinder on PA ave.

Sonata on 19th street.

Baja wasn't new, but still rare.

H3 driving down PA ave. Saw another one of these yesterday, too. Wonder how long this trend will last?

Titan - not sure if it was new, but I noticed it because a little old lady was driving it.

New Grand Cherokee. Still haven't grown on me.

BMW Z4, hasn't grown on me, either.

Scion xA - I read that this is the lowest HP output car in America. It was on the campus of GWU, so probably a college student.

-juice

lemko

...sleek black 2006 Cadillac DTS! Good God, this car is beautiful! Funny how a slight facelift makes this car look so much better not to mention the much nicer interior. Darn! I just finished paying off my 2002 Seville STS in March! I don't want to renew my subvscription to the "book-of-the-month club!"

jaserb

No, just a principal in a small technology company that was bought out for too much money. The dot-com thing still happens now and then, just generally on a bit smaller scale.

But seriously, who would even want to retire at 28? What are you going to do for the next 60-odd years?

-Jason

fintail

I'm 28...I could retire now....start some goofy side business of my own (fintail restoration center...LOL) or something.

I'm seeing new 3ers quite often now. I saw a new Passat yesterday that must have been in dealer transit - it was covered in all the odd tape and plastic wrap, yet was on the road.

teds1

My girlfriend's cousin retired at 28 (right time right place stanford B-school grad in 95) from the dot com thing and he is just barely going back to work at 33, he has his pick of careers though and no salary requirements. He drives an Audi a4 avant 3.0 by the way

saw a few Maybachs near my office apparently they are being offered to guests at the 4 seasons around the corner.

also not a "future vehicle" but a lipstick pink (odd color but it looks good) Porsche 356 coupe (early 1960's) has been driving by me in the morning. Looks like it just rolled off the lot, gorgeous, and nice that the owner uses it as his daily commuter

ateixeira

These keep growing on me. Very handsome. I like Cadillac's styling direction.

-juice

kyfdx

The new Accord with the re-designed rear end... Not one, so far..

lemko

...saw TWO Buick Terrazas yesterday - a gray one and a red one.

navigator89

Chrysler Crossfire, in white. Yes, I know it's been out for 2 years but I haven't seen any.

lemmer

I was behind one in traffic today - they look funny from behind.

Someone in my office building drives a Crossfire every day, and they usually park nearby a daily driven Insight.

andys120

-New '06 Fusion sedan, very handsome in black, no wonder the ads feature that color. Way spiffier than the 500.

ateixeira

First wagon I've seen. Looks good. In some ways, I prefer the wagons over the sedans because they do away with the Bangle Butt.

-juice

kyfdx

Hey! Me, too.... On the way to work today.. A black Fusion SEL with temp tags.. Very nice.. 17" alloy wheels.. maybe a little too much chrome trim...

Really, this is the first car I've seen from the domestic makes that could compete with Accord and Camry.. very handsome..

regards,
kyfdx

lemmer

They had a Fusion at the auto show yesterday, but it was on a platform and you couldn't get up close to one. Obviously it is far to valuable to allow normal middle class people near them. Same with a Solstice. People had to console themselves by going next door to the Honda area and sitting in new Accords and S2000s.

kyfdx

Auto shows... don't get me started...

The Cincinnati show has to be one of the worst.. In late February 2003, they didn't even have a TSX in the Acura display... and..it went on sale April 1st!!

We always get the cheesy prototype cars that made the rounds of the "big" shows the year before... Although, we did have a Solstice in February of this year.. (no sitting in it, of course... lol).

fintail

Ha, at the Vancouver show in April they had a *Lucerne* all roped off and not able to be touched. Give me a break. I sat in a SL65 AMG!

Seattle show is this weekend, I wonder if I'll be able to touch anything.

boomchek

Yeah I saw that SL65 as well. I worked at that Auto Show at the Honda booth.

I sat in the Audi A8 and the BMW 7 Series as well. I guesss some cars if they're pre production maybe they don't want people touching stuff and breaking it and so they rope them off.

ateixeira

Jag XK roadster, the one with the red label, I forget which model. Not brand new but not common.

BMW 530i.

2 Avalons and an Outback. Both quite popular around here.

Infiniti M, seems to be the investment banker's car of choice.

Buick LaCrosse right out front.

-juice

andys120

while visiting the local Caddy store on business I spotted several new '06 DTSs. It's a big improvement over the wall-eyed look of the previous gen like my Dad's '03 DeVille.

The interior looked surprisingly good, much better than what you get in a CTS.

fintail

I went to the Seattle Auto Show today, and saw the new models they had there. I do think the Vancouver show is better...not so much selection in Seattle. No S-class or CL, among others. Did get to admire an A8L, those are super cool...but 81K!

Saab SportKombi thing....a friend of mine wanted a pic

Maserati in a pretty silver blue color

Bentley Flying Spur

I see so many new cars where I live, not much else made an impression on me.

Surprisingly, a few people were checking out the Mercury Milan. They were quite old though.

guss

I saw a Passat at the local YMCA . It looks very Camryesque.

With the Jetta resembling the Corolla it seems like VW is trying to rip-off Toyota styling. Why, I have no idea.

VW used to have the best looking cars.

lemko

...my first up close and personal experience with the Pontiac Solstice. This car is beautiful and exquisitely built. The G6 also seems to be well-built, but it's going to take years to erase people's bad memories of recent Pontiacs.

ateixeira

Brand new, but it was disabled and being lifted on to a flat bed tow truck. Not a good sign.

-juice

anythngbutgm

The G6 at the Boston Auto show was a complete disaster. Chintzy, cheap and ergonomically challenged, big time. FAR from well built, and that is NOT coming from a Biased opinion. The Fusion/Milan/Zephyr are 20 times the car that the G6 wishes it was.

I will agree that the Sky is quite impressive, as I thought it was. Base price 26 grand, with options, 30k... Nice interior for the Solstice as well, too bad the looks (as well as the air inlets) are going to be interupted once the liscence plate goes on...

stickguy

guess they had to switch to copying Toyotas since Ford now makes VWs, right??

lemko

...a co-worker had a Honda Accord and he traded it for a VW Jetta. Why would a guy trade one of the most reliable cars for one of the least? If he liked the look of the Jetta, he could've purchased a Corolla and at least maintained the reliability.

stickguy

why not? I like cars too much to tell someone to drive something they don't like just to be practical.

Besides, for all the bashing, a new VW isn't guaranteed to be a nightmare. I'm sure plenty of people buy them and have perfectly fine ownership experiences. Same with a Taurus, a Kia, etc.

Yeah, if I had to lay odds, I would bet the Jetta is more likely to have some issues. But, it has a 4 year warranty, so at least they will be dealt with.

Besides, car sales have always been driven more by emotion than commen sense (IMO of course). Otherwise, a whole lot few cars would be sold, and the ones that were would be much less exciting.

ateixeira

Some people get bored with appliances, so they get something they think has a little more character. The interior materials in most VeeDubs are also very nice.

Plenty of people are willing to take the risk. I bet the reason they switched to a Jetta was that Passat prices have crept up too high. C&D's Passat was $38 grand!

-juice

fintail

The Jetta has more issues....but how many are felt by the average buyer? I've known a couple people with late model Jettas who love them. A guy I work with bought a new Jetta diesel last year, and he has had very few issues at all, we're talking like a rattle in the seat. High grade interior with average mileage in the mid 40s, approaching 50 on the highway.

guss

would VW choose to go in this direction.

I love VW's for their exterior styleing and cool interiors.

I love Toyotas for their reliability.

I am just waiting to hear Toyota has hired VW's quality control guy. That will really send my head spinning.

I do agree that most people I know that have Passats love them.I guess it is just the internet stories about when they go bad they go really bad. Like the Jetta i used to see once in awhile that had a :lemon: sign in the window. You must really hate the brand to go that far.

ateixeira

That's what I have observed, one extreme or the other. They have die-hard fans and then people that swear they would never own one again.

-juice

kyfdx

..in black.. Nice.. wretched excess.. just the way I like it..

boomchek

I am working a deal involving a silver SL55 AMG right now.

Nice fella wants to trade in his SL55 AMG for a Odyssey Touring. He can't justify dropping $100k CDN for the Benz R Class. I am hoping this deal will happen so I can take the SL out for a spin.

anythngbutgm

I wish I had a camera! Silver Noble M12 passed me going the other direction this morning. I believe I've seen this car before...

fintail

Wow, that's gotta be the least fun trade I've ever seen

I hope it works out for ya though

navigator89

Saw my second Hummmer H3, in black. It seems tiny compared to the H2, but it looks nicer.

And saw another beige Avalon.

And several 300Cs, in just about every color, silver, white, black, green.......

kyfdx

I'm leaving my son's basketball practice.. and, right behind my black CR-V is a black Hummer H2.. Talk about contrast...

It is driven by a local resident, who is a former NFL player and now a national broadcaster...

So, he is taller, better looking, richer and drives a bigger car than I do... and, don't even get me started on his wife...

ghulet

...I've seen TWO new BMW M5s! I didn't even know they were building them yet. The first I noticed because of the color (it's called Indianapolis Red, think metallic Dentyne) and the big wheels, then noticed the standard M-type slotted vent thing on the front fenders. I saw one the next day downtown, in silver. Nice, but $81k is a lot of money for a kinda funky looking sedan with a puny back seat, no matter how fast. I'd sooner take a 550i and save $20k; I checked BMW's website, you STILL have to pay for a satellite radio, folding rear seat and rear seat heaters for that $81k.

boomchek

We've had some unusual trades come in before. One guy traded his 97 BMW M3 for an Element. Another guy traded a 3 month old WRX for an Element as well.

The one that takes the cake though is an acquaintance who came in and wanted to trade his Ferrari for a used Civic or Corolla. :confuse:

The used car was to be for his mom, and since he already drives a SL500 and a MDX, he had no need for his 1991 348 cause maintenance was pricey.

fintail

So maybe the out of place cars on dealer used lots are just nutty trade ins, and not cheapos picked up at auction as I have always suspected.

I'd like to know what the Ferrari/MB/etc dealers get

anythngbutgm

I wish I could get a picture, but a used car dealer in a nearby town has a Red Testerossa on the lot. Wonder what they traded THAT in for? :confuse:

ateixeira

Saw a Jetta this AM. Still not many around these parts.

I see 5 Avalons a day probably.

-juice

navigator89

a beige Land Rover LR3. It looks way different from the Discovery, mostly due to the longer wheelbase. It almost looks like a van.

Also saw a 2006 Lexus LX470. They did a good job touching up the taillamps. As usual, the LX470's interior is simply amazing.

derrado1

I've always, always despised LX470's. They look almost exactly the same as the Landcruiser, which is on virtually every street corner in Australia, and yet they cost a lot more. You can't just slap in some leather and different headlights. I think the pre-2006 LX470 even had the same taillights as the Landcruiser!

If I weren't so fascinated with American cars, I'd probably be hating on the Navigator, Escalade, Yukon Denali et all right now

fintail

"You can't just slap in some leather and different headlights"

Depends on how poserfied the locals are. In my mall cruising SUV loving community, the dorky cosmetic upgrades fool lots of aging yuppie fools and their brainless greedy trophy wives.

It's almost too easy to hate on those rigs.

kyfdx

Audi A3.. in silver....

Really looks good on the move... Too bad my wife doesn't like wagons, or this would be her next car... I think..

ateixeira

This will make you even more mad, then - my dad headed up a field office for a large bank in Suriname (later in Belize), and they'd order UN-spec Land Cruisers, I mean vinyl seats, diesel engines, manual trannys.

Any how, the funny thing was these vehicles cost around US$22k delivered (with insurance and even spare parts).

So it's funny to see a Lexus badge and a $70k price tag. They're paying more than triple for the same truck wearing a tux.

Saw a new Jetta today - it had just rear ended a car and caused a big backup on the Clara Barton Pkwy. :mad:

-juice

guss

I am a wagon guy and the the A3 is on my short list(in about 3 years).

Last week coming out of a realtors office I saw a Maserati Quattroporte in black.

Today in the parking lot of another realtors office a Bentley Continental GT in silver.

I don't know if the were buying, selling or brokers but the Real Estate market must be still doing all right.

The unusual part was the Maserati was a four door and the Bentley was a 2 door. When I think of these brands I picture them the other way around.

ateixeira

So I saw a bunch of stuff:

3 Priuses
Sonata
Monte Carlo (new front, old back, looks strange)
A8
Civic coupe (sharp)
2 300s
Galant
Canyon (not new but rare sight for me)
Pathfinder (same one as last time, parked in the same spot!)
Mini Cooper (one coupe, one convertible)
5 series
4Runner
Lexus GS
Cobalt sedan

Busy lunch!

-juice