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

british_rover

I didn't look below the first post so it is a Spyker if no one else has guessed yet.

That company is in trouble though. They sold their F1 team and are struggling.

lemko

That would've been a good one for Mystery Car Pics!

fintail

It was pretty ugly and really pretty crude, like a homemade custom car.

Easy to believe they are in trouble, their car sales can't be high.

ateixeira

Cool car. I like it just for being unique, I'm sure that's what appeals to actual buyers.

bumpy

It looks like a Mazda CX-9 that was worked over with the business end of a chrome stick. I'm a bit surprised Buick didn't chrome the tires.

ateixeira

This morning. These seem to be trickling out slowly now.

british_rover

On the back mountain road I take to work sometimes saw a 2008 quattroporte in black.

I couldn't tell if what trim it was as it passed me too fast.

kyfdx

Pale green.. with the simulated carriage roof treatment, in beige/tan..

Sweet! :surprise: I thought they only did this with Buicks and Caddys, anymore..

andys120

I got a good look at a new Enclave today when I took my MIL's car in for service. I reached these conclusions:

1) It's nice looking and well detailed (exterior) but White isn't the best color for it.

2) It's HUGE, towering over the SWB Denali parked next to it. Perhaps that is why....

3) It's thirsty w EPA ratings of 19C-24H and that's for the 3.6 V6 w 6/A.

4) It's ridiculously tall for a FWD vehicle, again a higher step than the Denali. The women to whom this might appeal will not be pleased. I passed up a chance to sit in it because it looked like a pain and the interior didn't look that special.

5) I was more impressed by the Lucerne in the showroom with a nice coat of gloss black, tight shutlines, nice interior and a very solid sound when doors were closed.

andys120

I thought they only did this with Buicks and Caddys, anymore..

Nah, there's no end to the aftermarket conversions that add those silly things to otherwise good looking cars. I saw a
BMW E30 (early 90s 3-series) the other day with a black carriage half-roof over white.

At least he didn't put on a Continental Spare and Whitewalls. :sick:

bumpy

Silver, temporary tag, and a little "e" sticker on the back. Just another example of SUVs reverting back to the station wagons they used to be.

qbrozen

It's thirsty w EPA ratings of 19C-24H and that's for the 3.6 V6 w 6/A.

Sounds pretty good to me considering the size/weight/power of the vehicle. Neither our Pilot nor Pacifica were rated that high.

british_rover

And thats the overly aggressive 2008 EPA ratings. I am assuming the one you were looking at was a FWD model cause I think the AWD model is more like 16/23

ateixeira

The Lucerne is a slow seller and they can't build Lambdas fast enough! I think all 3 models are still below the industry-ideal 60 days' supply.

stickguy

new C 30 out in public. First owner operator unit that I recall seeing.

Starting to see a lot of new Accord 4 doors though. They are spreading.

kyfdx

So.. what's your gut reaction to the C30?

british_rover

Seen a couple around here but this is Volvo country.

natenj1971

Saw a silver 2008 Accord EX Coupe (4 cyl). Silver with optional rear spoiler. It doesn't look as huge as the specs make it out to be. Infact the previous gen looks wider (maybe cause it's shorter). Kinda like it.

stickguy

I like it, but I also have a soft spot for the old 1800ES (see, I left out the P!)

I checked one out at the dealer recently. Qutie roomy in the back, once you get in there. I'm 6' tall, and fit fine.

Funky styling, but kooool! Should do well.

C&D did a comparo test this month between the C30, speed3, Caliber SXT (?), and the WRX. I believe they called the C30 the car for baby boomer mini buyers (or something along those lines).

british_rover

I want a C30 and I am no baby boomer but then I bought a MINI as well and the demographics for that car have been skewed towards the boomers as well.

anythngbutgm

really wants a C30. She had one of those C-class hatches that everybody hated (but for utility, it was fantastic) and is definitely looking for a nice premium hatch again (The MDX is too much vehicle for her). I have seen (2) loaded version 2.0's in the white with the brown lower trim and they look fantastic.

Haven't driven one yet for fear that she'll buy it on the spot.

british_rover

Every dealer got a White 2.0 with the brown body kit and a Blue 1.0 as demos.

You can get good deals on either one of those although I would be hesitant to buy a manual with a lot of test drive miles.

anythngbutgm

That makes sense, both dealers also had the blue 1.0 now that you mention it...

If she does buy one, it'll most likely be an automatic , but I'd like to drive both myself. I'm curious to see how it drives compared the the Cooper S that we drove a year ago (before the makeover).

british_rover

Faster in a straight line but not as nimble with a bit more body roll in the bends.

More comfortable on the highway though without the runflat tires that they stick on all the Coopers.

anythngbutgm

Gee thanks, now you've spoiled it for me J/K

Actually, the reviews have said pretty much the same, but the Volvo is also bigger which is a big plus over the Mini (She is a business owner who makes occasional trips for supplies).I myself would probably choose the Mini from a drivers standpoint, but the wife wants a combination of utility, comfort and that hefty, solidity with a "essence" of a sport coupe thrown in like her old Benz and her 98' Accord V6 coupe she had previously.

british_rover

OH I agree the C30 is much more practical then the MINI and I will give up a little bit of fun to drive to get the better ride and practicality. I could adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel to a point where I could drive the car comfortably and have someone my size sit behind me. That would be impossible in the MINI. I couldn't fit in the back seat of the MINI at all.

kyfdx

Clubman..

Too bad it's dorky looking.. (dorkier?)

british_rover

Thats the other car I am looking at but I can steal the Volvo as we have Volvo dealers in my autogroup and I can't do that with a MINI.

guss

I saw my first Smart, and it had a brand new registration sticker so it was not a demo. I was more amazed by how wide it is than it's length. I think I could fit 2 of them side by side in one bay of my garage.

fintail

Audi S5, dark grey on red.

fintail

Oh yeah, I also saw TWO Saaburus today. Seeing as about 15 of these were ever sold, that has to be something. A new style S80 as well, maybe 7 or 8 of those have sold (I saw an ad for $399 lease on a V8 model, so they can't be moving fast)

qbrozen

i actually was noting yesterday how i've seen quite a few of those new s80s in my neck o the woods. I think I've seen more of those than I ever did of the previous style. It got me thinking "hmmm... wonder if I could get a good deal on a used one when my lease is up."

lemko

...new white Ford Taurus at the Franklin Mills Mall yesterday. The Fusion-esque grille really looks sharp on the car - better than the mesh grille of the Five Hundred.

anythngbutgm

But over the weekend I saw an old, probably early 90's Toyota Land Cruiser that apparently was powered by vegetable oil. Couple of bumper stickers stated it, the smell of french fries confirmed it.

As far as new goes, the new Highlander has found quite a few takers, the Tundra is a pretty common sight (quite a few with those contractors racks on them). Couple of new S80's a C30 V1.0, few new MDX's a bunch of new Accord sedans and a pair of new Nissan Rogues.

A friend of mine came over so we went and checked out the Mazda CX-9 for his wife (She is replacing her troublesome, not so fuel efficient Suburban). Nice, very nice... We were going to go check out the Saturn Outlook since sales of those seem to be less than steller = possible rebates? but the dealership was levelled and expanded by the Honda store next door. Maybe next week...

british_rover

When Volvo first came out with the new S80 they pulled a typical Ford and didn't offer a subvened lease. The V8 S80s were leasing for between 900 and a 1,000 dollars a month which is what a 50,000 dollar plus car should lease for with no subvention. The problem is people buying those kind of cars are used to leasing a 60,000 dollar BMW or Merc for under 900 bucks a month. Volvo gave sticker shock to the very same people they were trying to win over as conquests. Now in order to move the product they have to provide even more ridiculous leases then BMW/Mercedes do. If they had just come out with a competitive lease in the first place
they would have been fine.

Oh I also saw a V1.0 C30 on the road yesterday on the way back from our off-road driving school.

ateixeira

Accord Coupe, first time in person. Looks pretty good for a mainstream coupe.

Also saw a new Dodge Grand Caravan. Boy those things are boxy, though I'm sure that's for practical reasons.

A Ferrari tops them all off, though. What's the model that flips the lid 180 degrees to open it up like a Targa?

The exhaust note was AWESOME. He was moving slowly, then downshifted, it really asserts itself even at parking lot speeds!

anythngbutgm

180 degree flip? Isn't that the Challenge Stradale? Great sighting!

I'm not up to speed on the Ferrari models. I think it may have been the 599 Fiorano

ateixeira

Sounds about right.

I gotta say, in photos I thought "no big deal".

In person, especially with the exhaust note, my heart was pumping! :surprise:

fintail

I can believe this - this is only the second new style S80 I have actually seen on the road. I see lots of the old ones.

I got an email from my local MB dealer (I swear I never gave them my address) advertising an 08 E350 for $549/month, with 4K down. This is how so many E-class 'sell', and why the market is glutted with 3-5 year old cars. I suppose that $399 S80 might not be a bad deal.

qbrozen

My manager just leased herself a new C300. She took me for a quick spin in it. Its a nice car. Definitely bigger inside than I would have thought. I liked some of the little thoughtful features. The old-school radio frequency dial in LCD form made me say "cool" for some reason. The panoramic moonroof is nice, too. And I was pleasantly surprised at the feeling of oomph from the base engine. and her's has AWD to boot.

british_rover

That would be a Superamerica which is a crazy rare Ferrari.

ateixeira

That's it. It was black. The top was open.

Spotted at the Rio in Gaithersburg, MD, basically an upper middle class suburban area.

andys120

That would be a Superamerica which is a crazy rare Ferrari

I think you're right about the guy seeing a Superamerica but they aren't not even close to "crazy rare", 599 of the 575M Superamericas were made. You might be thinking of earlier Superamericas like the 1956 410 Superamerica of which 35 were made.

Sorry to be so pedantic but it's important to understand that before the Fiat takeover in 1969 Ferrari production numbers were very low. I grew up in NYC suburbs and during the 60s any Ferrari was something I'd see around twice a year (except for the 330GTC that belonged to a machine shop owner in my hometown).

Even that's not really rare for a Ferrari, I'd reserve "crazy rare" for cars made in single digit quantities like this 375 America Spider of which six were made.

british_rover

I was thinking crazy rare for a modern Ferrari but I thought the production numbers were much lower then 599. I thought total production was around a 100 for the whole world. Maybe I saw the number imported to the US and thought that was the total made for the whole world.

andys120

Here's the Ferrari 342 America I meant to post in #3969 (6 made)>

andys120

I couldn't find production figures for the 599GTB but I'm sure when it's all said and done the numbers will be two or three times those of the 575M Superamerica.

anythngbutgm

Oh man, what a beautiful car...

kyfdx

This is really what Saab needs.. The way AWD sells in the U.S., this could get them out of the hole.

Well... if GM weren't calling the shots..

kyfdx

If you've seen the new G35 sedan, you've noticed the chrome strip along the rear of the trunk lid... where a lip spoiler might be..

Today, while sitting behind one at a stop light, I noticed a little black square (about 1"), right in the middle of it.

Rear-view camera, working off the NAV?

anythngbutgm

Yes, I believe the new G is available with Backup Camera. Why anyone would need that in a sedan , I have no clue.