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

lemko

...a beige-colored Lexus GS350 AWD and a black BMW with the name "DINAN 3" on the decklid. Not being versed in BMWs, to what does this refer?

qbrozen

Aftermarket tuned version.

anythngbutgm

Dinan is an aftermarket tuner from what I remember...

link title

teds1

So this is better than a sighting... I got to drive one.

My uncle has leased XK8s for the last 8 years and this year when his came off lease they wouldn't lease him another or renew his lease for some reason, he had to go to the new XK. They delivered it Sunday, and for a while we had both of them in the driveway, both in british racing green with tan tops. I got some great photos and you could really do a nice comparison.

He was bummed a bit as he really loved the old one and wasn't sold on the new XKs for several reasons (trunk space being cut in half was one of the major ones).

I on the other hand Looooove the new XK even though the old one was nice. I drove it around the neighborhood a bit and from what I can tell the car is much tighter and more coiled than the last version. The steering is more focused and the car seems more agile without losing it's substantial road feel. He is going to love it, he just doesn't know it yet. Watch out for bumps though with that front lip spoiler.

ateixeira

Long weekend at the beach...let's see the ones I remember:

XL7 - the new ones don't seem to be selling that well, though I kinda like it.

Nitro - looks like a chopped 1984 Cherokee. Not my style.

MDX - soccer mom vehicle of choice around me. Tons of 'em.

fintail

I got behind and beside a new unplated S63 in traffic today. It was not very becoming in white, but it sounded very nice.

stickguy

A Dodge magnum. 2 tone paint was bad enough, but it had full rear tire skirts on it. Not something you see every day. Or want to.

ateixeira

Saw about 3 Saturn Vues over the past week, while on vacation.

andys120

There's lots of two-tone Magnums and Chargers running around here, most of 'em belong to the Po-lice. :P

Lots of cops are re-adopting the old black and white scheme
which it's believed gives them more "presence". It does...too bad the highway patrol doesn't adopt it. They are becoming nearly invisible with those new low-rise light bars (a State Trooper told me their cars use 20% less gas running w/o lights on top).

lemko

Didn't the old Highway Patrol cars have the lights inside the car on the package shelf and maybe a colored light and a spotlight on the A-pillars?

andys120

Didn't the old Highway Patrol cars have the lights inside the car on the package shelf and maybe a colored light and a spotlight on the A-pillars?

I guess you're right. This is from the Broderick Crawford TV series, it's not very clear but I don't see any bubble gum light on these prowl cars>

ateixeira

Been seeing a lot of these new ones. I wonder if they updated it enough, given the RAV4 and CR-V updates went a lot further.

lemko

...unusual Honda S2000 in a teal blue metallic. Up until now, all I saw were red ones.

bumpy

Suzuka Blue, definitely one of the less common S2k colors.

kyfdx

New body style.. I predict this will be at least as popular as the old model. Very attractive.

anythngbutgm

Also referred to as "Vintage" as it is supposedly geared towards the older folks.

Not that I agree with that as I know plenty of younger guys with that color, but it is kind of a running joke amongst the New England folks at S2ki.com.

ateixeira

I've seen only one on the roads so far. Saw another at a Toyota sponsored event.

Toyota is all over the place in Ocean City, MD. They sponsored the Sundaes in the park and the Volleyball tournament this summer.

kyfdx

That was my first one... a teacher at my son's school.

Usually, I see all the new Toyotas and Lexi early, as Toyota has a parts distribution facility near my work place, and all the managers have company cars.

ateixeira

We have a Toyota and Lexus dealer near my house, but they arrive no earlier than other regions. Lots of Lexuses in Potomac, MD, though.

gsemike

That's a beautiful color. Usually I see them in grey or really yellow. I'd take that blue over either of those.

fintail

Yesterday I had a white Lamborghini Gallardo roadster behind me in traffic...driven by a very average looking middle aged woman. Maybe a car dealers wife? She didn't have the fake tan and haughty expressions so common of the Stepford Wives around my area (who likely would be scared of such a car anyway). I thought it was amusing.

The day before I saw that light blue Bentley Flying Spur I see on my street now and then, and as it was in a parking lot I saw the driver - a maybe 70 year old woman. She had a kid with her, and she made him ride in the back (?)

kyfdx

The grandson has to sit in the back, because Fluffy, the poodle thats dyed to match the light blue Bentley, is sitting in the passenger seat.. :surprise:

british_rover

Safety first.

Kids should always ride in the back seat where it is safer.

fintail

I think I am leaning towards the poodle scenario a little more :P

In something of that size, you are probably safer than in the back seat of a normal car. The kid was also maybe 10-12 as well, so not a toddler. I did notice the self-closing doors in action too, which were of slight interest to the kid, but the woman couldn't care less.

Today I saw the Ferrari Enzo I have seen a few times in my area. It was at a gas station, drivers door open in that eyecatching way.

british_rover

Ehh if he is only 10-12 he probably isn't heavy enough to sit in the front seat. Even with the weight sensors in the passenger seats of most new cars I wouldn't want a kid that is under the upper threshold of 100ish lbs.

fintail

I can't imagine rich granny as being so attentive...she accidentally set off the alarm (which sounded like a Radio Shack unit from 1991) when she left the car. Maybe she didn't want him fooling with the radio :P

Today I saw another 08 C class and a new Highlander

british_rover

I am just too used to dealing with super overprotective parents looking at new cars.

New highlander is UGGLLYYY

I haven't seen a new C-Class on the road yet but it looks too much like the S-class for me.

andys120

I popped into the Volvo dealership today to have a quick look at the new C30.

I was pretty impressed, it looks better than in photos which make it look like a truncated S60. It's small but not small enough to compete w the Mini as some suggest it might (One had a Swedish flag painted on the roof.

It's expensive for a small car, right up there w the A3, the base model's Monroney read $27K while the turbo (T5) ran about $30K. Posted gas mileages were not impressive, 17 City/ 29 Highway which is about what my 5 Series BMW gets and it's a much larger car.

british_rover

Both C30s are T5 but the Version 2.0 has the dynamic chassis standard and different exterior styling.

The 1.0 base MSRP is 23,445

The 2.0 is 26,445.

The 2008 EPA ratings rears its head again. I bet you would have a hard time getting under 35 mpg highway with a C30.

fintail

I saw my third new C-class today. It does have a different look than the W203, it seems taller and shorter, which is refreshing in this day of short greenhouses. It does look more substantial than the outgoing model.

When the new S class debuted, I was not fond of it, but I don't mind it at all now, save for the weird dash.

lemko

...black Mercedes S550. The guy went in the store and left his little kids in the car unattended!!! I guess neglecting your kids isn't just limited to the poor single mother leaving her kids in a battered 1984 Voyager minivan in a Wal~Mart parking lot.

qbrozen

But it IS an S-class. So kind of like being left at home in your living room on the leather sofa.

teds1

I will have to post a few times to remember it all but for starters I saw an AMG CLK Black Series (In white Ironically) up in Boston.

Also an Orange Gallardo spyder in Orient Point Long Island.

I also visited an astonishing private Car Museum in an airport hanger in Long Island. This really cool old guy had accumulated about 40 cars. They were mostly brass age-30s and many were marks I had never heard of. He has 4-5 cars where they are they only example left in the world, including a unique 1901 steamer and some early electrics. his taste is towrds the quirky and unique (like a 50s Tatra Czech Police Car) and it was a very cool tour. What was really cool is that he had restored most of them himself up from salvage condition with the help of local high school kids.

magnette

Saw one of those new(ish) Porsche GT Carreras in my street at the weekend - first I've seen on the street. Looks like a super boxster, and sounds great too....

ateixeira

MDX this morning

Pearl white 08 Tribeca. Nice color.

andys120

I had a little chat with a guy who parked next to me in a brand new CX-7 which is one of the few crossovers I'd consider. He told me he liked the car except for the gas mileage, he only got 20mpg driving from Long Island to NH (about 250-300 miles).

That's pretty bad IMO, might as well get a Murano and enjoy that 3.5 V6 power.

fintail

Strange thing about CX7...I saw one as a taxi in Vegas

ateixeira

Murano does cost a bit more.

A neighbor has one and they said the same thing, love it, great price, but the gas mileage was lousy.

anythngbutgm

Like the RDX are perfect candidates for an optional V6. I think Turbo power still has a limited audience.

ateixeira

I guess both manufacturers would rather sell you a pricier sister model (CX9, MDX).

ateixeira

OK, saw a Bently coupe, an Aston DB7 convertible, and then a DB9 coupe, all while driving through Avenel in Potomac, MD. I guess the poor people drive Bimmers.

kyfdx

Wow... very nice..

lemko

...the first Buick Enclave I've ever seen in the metal. It was dark burgundy with a beige leather interior. It is a quantum leap over both the Rendezvous and the Ranier. Looks like Lexus finally has some serious competition in this segment. Congratulations, Buick!

ateixeira

Benz SLK350

Lexus IS350

Bentley coupe - 2nd one in 2 days

A3

Acadia - hard to tell apart from the Outlook, the D-pillar in body color is what helps.

Lacrosse

Escalade EXT

kyfdx

It doesn't have a CDI or Turbodiesel on the trunk lid,.. This one had BLUETEC spelled out..

davethecarnut

Hey Fintail, do you remember looking at the C class from, say, the 8 o'clock or 4 o'clock position? IMO it looked awfully awkward. But the side view and front view were nice. The S class is "different" to alot of people, but not as "different as a Bangled 7 series.

davethecarnut

Where?? Of course, I live in California, so I'll never see one

kyfdx

Cincinnati

fintail

I think at some angles the greenhouse can look kinda tall. And I don't like the star in the grille of the sport models, I am an old school MB person, and star in grille is for 2 door cars only. But, I do think this is a more proper design than the old C-class, which somehow seemed kind of immature to me.

If someone gave me a new S class, I would not decline it.

Today I saw TWO CLK 63 black series! One was at a MB stand at a car show, but the other was in a parking garage, driven by a nondescript looking young woman. I talked to her about it...she said it was her dads, and she didn't know anything about it other than it was fast and too expensive. I could deal with one of those...

The MB display at the car show had all the new AMG cars up to the S65.

lemko

...a white 2008 Buick LaCrosse with the more substantial grille. It should address the complaint that the LaCrosse looks too much like the last-gen Taurus. However, if you put the Taurus and the LaCrosse next to each other, they really look nothing alike.

Shoot, I'd consider the LaCrosse Super for myself.