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

jcat707

I just saw my first R-class today. It was pewter. Looks like a Pacifica rebaged to be a Mercedes to me.

chidoro

Just saw my first Suzuki Reno on the road in blue. Sure seems like a long time they've been available before me seeing one but I imagine it's indicative of their sales. Shame too, it is a neat looking 5 door hatch.

lemko

...black Pontiac G6 coupe. I saw it up close and it's quite nice.

fintail

I saw a new Passat yesterday...not so unusual, but this was an absolute bottom of the line car, cloth, plastic hubcaps etc.

prosa

I walked past a parked Volvo V50 today. Nice shade of blue. It occurred to me that V50's don't seem particularly common, even compared to the much more expensive XC90. Could they (and the also-not-too-common S40's) suffer from a perception that they're not real Volvos, being built in Belgium rather than Sweden and using a Ford/Mazda platform?

210delray

That was certainly true of the last generation Volvo S40/V40 (not being true Volvos). I'm not so sure about the current cars, but the wagon sells in minuscule numbers.

210delray

Saw maybe my third one yesterday -- still misses the mark IMHO. This one was tan, not my favorite color. I got a good long look at it from a building next to it, because the older woman driving apparently got confused about when to move at a 3-way stop.

Those taillights are way too big, as I've said before. I still can't believe Ford really believes it can palm off the Mazda6 platform as a Lincoln. Meanwhile they're letting the LS, which could have been a good car AND a proper Lincoln, die on the vine.

lemko

Heck, Lincoln tried to palm off a Ford Granada as a Lincoln. Remember the Versailles?

210delray

Only too well, including the commercial with Frank Sinatra singing, "The Best is Yet to Come"! I guess one could interpret that as meaning the Versailles wasn't the best!

The Zephyr is a latter-day Versailles.

fintail

I saw 3 black Porsche Caymans today, or what I suspect was the same car 3 times.

Also not brand new, but a dark red Ferrari 360 as well.

merc1

Saab 9-3 SportCombi spotted with dealer plates. Nice "different" looking wagon.

M

ghulet

....the new SAABs I see most often are 9-3 convertibles. I see them all the time (and it's February in Chicago). Clearly I no longer have a soft spot for SAABs, especially since they're now just glorified GMs (same platform as the G6, right?). That fact, combined with their traditional quality problems and resale value, make me shudder to think most convertibles sticker north of $40k. Wonder what most are actually selling for (or, more likely, what they're LEASING for).

lemko

...for spotting new cars:

black Chevrolet Impala
silver Chevrolet Impala
red Dodge Charger
gold Cadillac DTS
silver Honda Element

jcat707

I saw a new 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo. I had no idea they redesigned them. There has been no advertising for them.

prosa

Recently I've been seeing more and more G35's. Mostly the regular sedans; the X versions and especially the coupes are much less common. I'd guess that in my area (Long Island) G35's alone seem to outnumber all Lexus models.

anythngbutgm

Looks like they're available for rent now. My buddy just had one as a rental from Avis I think.

jefferyg

passed me on the interstate this morning. Still had the window sticker in it so it had not been sold. I saw it a couple of hours later at Day Motors in McComb, MS. It was almost maroon. Not a bad color.

It looked pretty nice coming down the road except for the grill. Something looks out of proportion about it and the Bowtie is too big for the crossmember it's on.

On the whole it looked like they borrowed a couple of designers from Nissan. The lines are very reminiscent of the Armada. Not that it looks like one, but the sheetmetal is squared off like the newer Nissans.

I didn't stop at the dealership to see the interior. I hope they've made some major upgrades from the prior models.

With all that said, my first impression was that I was not all that impressed. The new Tahoe is another generic full-sized SUV. However, if Chevy carries this design over to their full-sized trucks, while still not anything exciting, it is a marked improvement.

fintail

Cadillac Cadillac Cadillac Style

lemko

Fintail, you KNOW those Cadillacs never leave the factory like that. That car was assaulted by the dealer to sell to some drooling moron with bad taste! Cadillac should threaten to pull that dealer's franchise for such a horrendous act! Good God! I thought the market for such self-destructive add-on garbage died off ten years ago!

imidazol97

Do I remember that someone said Cadillac discouraged their dealers from doing that to a car?

lemko

Cadillac sure does discourage it, but some dealers do it anyway. It sure doesn't help Cadillac's image when some 90 year-old geezer in a straw hat wearing a pink shirt, plaid slacks pulled up to his chest with a white belt and shoes and smoking a big smelly cigar motors up to the light in his new Caddy sporting the carriage roof, gold package, faux wire wheels and Vogue tyres as the snooty yuppie Lexus driver looks on in disgust. Fortunately, my Cadillac dealer offers none of its junk. Another Cadillac dealer about 15 miles away trashes all its used cars with this crap.

fintail

Oh I know that's not a factory job...but Caddy should still raise a loud stink about this cheesy junk. They need to vert sternly talk to the guilty dealers. Those accessories work very hard against the image of more modern models.

bumpy

There's probably some clause in the dealer contract that won't let them do anything worthwhile. Cadillac is not the only badge to get that treatment; I saw a 300C with a full carriage roof a few weeks ago. We'll just have to wait for the generation that likes landau roofs and track suits to shuffle off.

ateixeira

This morning I saw a newish Camry with a vinyl top. Yuck.

I love how they advertise them as "simulated convertibles". Toyota sells a Solara convertible if that's what you want!

-juice

kyfdx

R-class Mercedes...

They really should have just gone ahead and made it a minivan..

gsemike

Not a sharp car at all. I barely ever see any Pacificas around and this just looks like one of those badge engineered to be a Benz.

I've seen a couple so I guess that you can sell anything with a Benz name on it but they don't do a thing for me.

kyfdx

It actually makes the Pacifica look good.. It looks like an overgrown Toyota Matrix.. (not that there is anything wrong with that..lol.)

ateixeira

I don't like them much, either. The B-class actually looks a lot better to me.

R-class might get a boost from the show Gastineau Girls, because it's featured fairly prominently.

-juice

gsemike

might get a boost from the show Gastineau Girls

Well if you figure that 10 people watch it regularly, probably at least one of them can afford it so one is better than none. I guess that they're too expensive for Oprah to give away?

navigator89

two Hyundai Sonatas, in silver and white. Not sure if they were V6 or not.

And also a red Corvette, I think it was from 1968-1970 generation. Funny, I just won the same looking car today in Midnight Club 3 DUB edition.

stickguy

saw one the other day. The back end looked like something my 3 YO nephew would put together using his box of big wood blocks. All clunky angles, and I don't car for those wagons that drop off severly toward the back (ala the Magnum). Just plain ugly.

toomanyfumes

I passed a car carrier full of 2007 Yukon's/Tahoe's.

210delray

I understand Lund is a very big dealership, and I'm sure Cadillac doesn't want to risk disciplining this dealer for fear of losing some much-needed sales.

Besides it's in Arizona, so you know there's a ready supply of retirees who'll absolutely LOVE this froo-froo.

prosa

A Chevrolet dealership near me, not a large establishment by any means, has four SSR's on display right out in front. I can't imagine that the dealership actually ordered that many of the notorious white elephants.

navigator89

a black Toyota Yaris hatchback four door, and a red Suzuki Grand Vitara. I love how it looks.

ateixeira

Saw an HHR, an H3, and a Commander recently. I guess those stand out more than anything else, so that's what I recall.

Also saw an '06 turbo Forester driven by a little old lady, you go girl!

-juice

stickguy

Commander yesterday in a lot. Looks pretty bad. Way too tall and mis-proportioned

Saw an HHR at the market today. It was parked between an Odyssey and an Expedition, and looked very small. I think pictures make it look much bigger than it really is.

It was actually a commercial vehicle. Had Deitz & Watson deli stickers all over it, so must have been a company car.

gsemike

G6 Coupe - Looked OK. The shape is kind of unusual in a not necessarily good way. I guess that if I was shopping for a Scion TC I would cross shop it.

B9 Tribeca - Unusual in a good way. If the mellow out the nose, it would be quite attractive. At least the fit and finish was clearly good.

Equinox - in the funkiest purpleish color that I've seen in a long time (thumbs down)

HHR - It looked OK but is squarer than a PT which didn't appeal to me.

210delray

Tribeca -- I think they're pretty ugly myself. The front end is weird, with the "airplane" 3-section grille and the headlights above the grille, just like cars had before 1960.

And that "character line" on the rear quarters that runs into the taillights -- not good. Somehow, it reminds me of a '58 Chevy without actually looking like a '58 Chevy!

ateixeira

Subaru showed a black mesh grille, to replace the chrome one, at the Philly Auto Show. That tones it down quite a bit.

A chrome mesh might be optional, as they showed that as well. Bling Bling, I guess. I prefer the matte black.

Saw 2 Infiniti Ms this morning, an M45 and an M35x. I really like those.

-juice

navigator89

Spotted today..

- 2 sliver Hyundai Sonatas
- 2 Range Rover Sport, in black and white
- beige CL55 AMG
- white CLS
- beige Toyota Avalon
- about 3 redesigned 7 series
- too many restyled Grand Marquis to count, maybe 10?

ateixeira

Those are common around here, I don't even point them out any more!

-juice

gsemike

They're common on Long Island as well. I think that it's a hit and for good reason.

lemko

...a new black Buick LaCrosse in a neighbor's driveway! This is a guy who has a Lexus RX330. He must've liked my girlfriend's ride when he saw it in my driveway. Also spotted a black Scion xA.

navigator89

my first 2006 Kia Sedona, in white. Looks pretty good.

I forgot to mention, I also saw a white Maserati Quattroporte yesterday.

gsemike

As an import buyer, I have to admit that the black Ford Fusion that I keep seeing at the train station always catches my eye. It's a loaded black model with alloys, moonroof and fog lights. That's one car the definately needs the foggies to look balanced and complete in the front. The ones that I've seen without them look like there are big chunks missing out of the front bumper. The paint looks very good for what it is. If I was shopping now, which I'm not, I'd definately take a look at it.

fintail

Brand new DTS, white, still wearing temporary tags, driven by a 4 or 5 thousand year old man with a yappy looking lap dog, maybe going 30 in a 40.

guss

you go. It's the 4 or 5 thousand year old's skewing Cadillac's age up.

I saw a Mustang Gt with the top down the other day.I bet he was not counting on a 65 degree day in Philly when he bought it.

toomanyfumes

I've seen a few Fusion's running around,too. The front end is pretty distinctive when you see one coming from the other direction.

gsemike

front end is pretty distinctive

Pretty distinctive as far as copies of the CTS go