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

fintail

I spotted several 08 Accords yesterday, as my workplace is adjacent to a Honda dealer, and the cars were out being fueled I suppose.

Also, another 08 C-class, a new style Focus 2 door, a Volvo C30, and a retractable BMW.

kyfdx

Aston Martin Vantage

I didn't even know what it was, until I caught up to it.. Closest dealer is 120 miles away..

It's very impressive...

anythngbutgm

New C-class, couple of 335i coupes, a new X5 and Altima Coupe.

Oh and blast from the past, saw a Buick Rendezvous this morning. Haven't seen one of those in months, they've pretty much disappeared :surprise:

Yesterday, I saw a new CTS on the back of a carrier. Looks good in white. Also had an Aston Martin Vantage tailing me up to work for a while. What a stunner!

ateixeira

I think I saw a CTS as well, wasn't quite sure (it was far) but it didn't look familiar the way an STS does, so that must have been it.

lemko

...silver Honda Fit and what appeared to be a yellow Lotus Elise.

stever

I went cross town this morning (cross-county really) to get some straw and coming back on the backroads I encountered 3 sheriff's cars escorting a new 15 passenger van. Except the passengers were all in full military gear and were riding on running boards hanging off both sides and the rear of the van. Couldn't tell if there was anyone riding inside with the driver.

Looked like a load of Keystone Cops.

Probably something cooked up with Homeland Security grant funds.

fintail

I've seen several LR2 the past couple days

anythngbutgm

I saw a new Sebring convertible this morning on the way to work. I think it looks fantastic. The back end is a bit heavy, but the overall profile is elegant and classy.

Tundra pickups are becoming quite popular here, as is the newest CRV. Saw an 08 Accord sedan this morning, a couple of 335i models and as usual, a bazillion new Camrys. The SEV6 model of those look really good.

gsemike

Yesterday while walking to Penn Station, I saw one of those black and gold Hertz Mustang GTs. It's not everyday that you see someone baking tire around a corner in Manhattan at rush hour. The guy was making a spectacle of himself but looked to be enjoying himself and the car sounded sweet.

british_rover

LR2 sales are really heading up it will be our number two seller behind the Range Sport soon.

ateixeira

What disappointed me on the Sebring 'vert is that the visibility is very poor. The rear window is the same size on the soft top as it is on the hard top.

Usually hard tops have better visibility!

Bummer. Seems like they dumbed it down, the hard top that is, to soft top standards, since they offer both.

The G6 has a much better view out.

andys120

I spotted a Dodge Sprint van equipped for RV duty with a Pop roof and (I think) side extenders.

lemko

...gray Lexus GS450h Hybrid. The car had neat-looking painted wheels with chrome accents. Also spotted a black Ford Mustang GT. It was followed by a black Pontiac GTO. Too bad the traffic was so dang heavy on the Roosevelt Blvd. last night. Would've loved to see those two race each other - cops and "Big Brother" cameras be darned!

ateixeira

Vantage coupe, gorgeous!

This weekend, let's see, saw a couple of the newer Escape/Tribute models. I still say they didn't change enough.

Saw just my 2nd new Highlander on the roads, too.

fintail

I saw this new thing today

qbrozen

what the heck is that parked next to it??

qbrozen

I was behind a new Vue on the way to work this morning. I gotta say, its pretty unattractive from behind. I think it is the "overdoneness" of it. The reflectors recessed into the bumper, the plastic silver tailpipe surround, and the fat chrome strip across the tailgate all look like afterthoughts. Remove all of that and I think it would be so much better.

ateixeira

Ferrarri 599 GTB (new)

Behind it are an Audi Q7, also new, and a 911 slant-nose conversion kit.

qbrozen

oh, a conversion kit. I guess that would explain why I couldn't figure it out. Makes it look a bit like a TR7 in the front in that pic. Don't know why you'd do that to a porsche. And the wheels are pretty darned hideous, too.

kyfdx

Very popular conversion in the '80s, which is what that one looks like... Usually done on turbos...

ateixeira

Sadly I had a roommate in college that actually liked those monstrosities. He even had a poster with one.

guss

of the Porsche looks tiny compared to the Ferrari.

I saw the an '08 Accord on the road. Coming at me the front grille is very similar to the Pilot.

lemko

...white Lincoln MKX and a black Lincoln Aviator. Uh...do they still make the Aviator?

ateixeira

Yes, but they call it the MKX.

fintail

I saw a new style Highlander today...not remarkable for anything but that it wore a "sport" badge. Come on, this thing is as sporty as a diesel Chevette. Who do they think they are fooling? Oh yeah...

alltorque

Sat outside having a coffee and watching the world go by on Saturday in Dalkey, just south of Dublin. In the space of 30 mins spotted 2 x Bentley Conti GTC's, (Silver and Graphite), a Conti GT, (Silver) and a Ferrari F430 in dark blue. Staggering. BMW 6's, (hard and soft-tops), almost commonplace. There's a lot of money swashing around Dublin at present but the driving standards are attrocious. On Tuesday saw my first Lexus President LS460 near Dublin airport - Black and black windows, very intimidating. My wife said that if they fitted a big gun on the roof it would make a fine main battle tank................she's not really a car person, bless her.

Came back to UK for a touch of reality.

bumpy

with maroon sides and an obnoxious body kit.

fintail

Altima coupe...kind of like a Japanese Monte Carlo. Like a G35/7 from some angles, dumpy from others. The car was white, that didn't help.

A co-worker's mother took delivery of an 08 V6 Accord yesterday, she drove by to show him and I had a look. Pretty nice, and big indeed.

fintail

Today I rode in a Volvo C30 and a new MB C300 - a friend is thinking about either, and test drove them. Both pretty refined cars. The new C-class really is a step up from the W203, seemed nicely finished even at the 34K relatively stripped model I experienced. The C30 was also pretty basic, lots of empty spots on the dash and console, and it didn't even have cruise (neither of us could find it anyway). It did have pretty nice seats (manual, seems odd these days). 26K sticker.

guss

I was behind a new Highlander yesterday. From every angle It had Camry in it. It's like they got the same guy(or committee) who designed the Camry to make a tall wagon version.

andys120

I saw a new Ferrari F430 Spider while stuck in traffic yesterday-- top-down, perfect convertible day. :shades:

lemko

...yellow Lotus Elise and a white Audi R8.

qbrozen

yup. cruise control is a $185 option on the C30. They are hoping to appeal to a younger audience by making pretty much everything an option. I don't mind the idea, but a custom ordered volvo can take quite a long time to arrive, PLUS they are charging I believe a $300 "customization fee" right from the getgo. So if you JUST want cruise control, that $185 option becomes $485. yikes!

british_rover

Land Rover did the same thing with the LR3 when it first came out. With the exception of the 4wd systems and safety systems nearly everything was optional. As the 2005 production moved along more and more things became standard or in some cases were dropped. Within a year they had paired the options list down to just three or four packages and made everything else standard.

They used the marketplace to figure out which options people wanted most often and made those standard. Things that were often ordered with other options became standard and thing that no one ordered were dropped completely or made dealer installed accessories.

fintail

It's pretty crazy, as the base car is not exactly cheap. In comparing the MB to the Volvo...to equip the Volvo like the MB, it would end up costing only a few grand less. The Volvo seemed like a neat little car and was remarkably smooth...but for me, a new Mercedes for not much more is very appealing.

qbrozen

true. But where the volvo appeals is that you don't HAVE to get all that stuff, ya know? So you COULD get a $23k volvo, if you were so inclined.

Not to mention the hatchback versatility.

british_rover

I don't see people cross shopping a C-class vs a C30 either. Those are about as diametrically opposed as two passenger cars can be.

fintail

That's probably part of it, along with the cars not truly being in the same target market as british_rover said as well. Maybe the comparison was greater for me because my local MB and Volvo dealers are next door to each other.

kyfdx

Buick Enclave...

Nice.. about the same size as my CR-V... :surprise:

qbrozen

HUH??? same size as your CRV??
Are you sure you saw an Enclave? The Enclave is a full 2 feet longer than a CRV, 8 inches wider, and 6 inches taller.

orr.... were you making a joke?

kyfdx

small joke..

kyfdx

Almost forgot...

Nissan X-Trail

ateixeira

I saw one, too.

It *is* basically a Camry wagon, though.

mb789

I spotted a 2008 Jeep Liberty. First one I've seen on the road. Looked burgundy color. Sharp looking, but could be mistaken for a Commander at first. I've seen several others at dealerships, though.

guss

It looks like Jeep is trying to make all of their cars look like the old Cherokee, Commander all the way down to the Patriot.

ateixeira

Nothing wrong with a family resemblance. I tend to think the Compass looks a bit out of place, though.

andys120

I spotted a Bentley Azure cruising the Hutchinson River Parkway in Westchester, naturally it was blue but a dark blue not what you'd call "azure blue".

andys120

IMHO Jeep should fire the entire styling/design department, except for the new Wrangler and the GC they look pretty awful. I cringe every time I see a Compass, Patriot or Commando, they use some of the design cues of the Cherokee but lack the simple attractiveness of the original Cherokee.

derrado1

Saw my first Patriot today, as well as my first Commander. Goes to show how unsuccessful Compass/Commander are around my neck of the woods... still haven't seen a Compass on the roads, only just seen a Commander, and the Patriot's fresh off the boat and I'm already seeing 'em. To add insult to injury, Compass is the same price as the Patriot.

When I first saw the Compass in pictures, I thought it was ugly. Then it kind of grew on me. But seeing one at the Jeep dealer the other week made me realise its ugliness.

ateixeira

Saw two of these this AM.

I have to wonder if they are selling well, because I haven't seen a lot of these, and there is a Caddy dealer in my zip code.