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

boomchek

I think we're going to see much more subcompacts everywhere with the gas prices the way they are.

We're a Chrysler store, but we sell a ton of 1 year old Yarises. Can't keep them in stock.

andys120

I'm seeing plenty of Yarises but I think the Fits are outnumbering them as well as the Nissan Verve.

fintail

A friend of mine says he saw a Hyundai commercial being filmed in downtown Seattle the other day - the cars had the fake plates always seen in ads. He says he saw a Genesis and some very small Hyundai, he didn't know what it was. I wonder if it is even something for the NA market.

06stang

but I saw the new 2009 Dodge Challenger yesterday. Didn't even know they were out yet :P I took a 3-day trip to the coast and there was one parked at the Tillamook County Smoker.

Also, nothing special, but i saw at least 20 of the new 2009 Hyundai Sonatas. Saw maybe 2-3 of the new Accords and Malibus, but seemed like there was one after another of the new Sonatas. How well are these things selling?

fintail

Today I saw a Jag XF and shortly after the new Lincoln which somehow reminds me of it.

fintail

I'll bet those Sonatas were mainly rentals...up in Seattle anyway many fleets carry those.

06stang

Ah.. that makes sense. I couldn't believe that the new Sonata's were doing THAT good.

magnette

Went to the London Motor Show today. Among the highlights were the launch of the new Lotus Evora (it's been code-named Eagle until now, and I'm not sure about the name they settled on). Also sat in the Alfa Mito, which is really quite nice, although very much from the Fiat school of interior finish...



Girls on the Alfa stand looked good too

boomchek

The shape of the Lotus, especially the greenhouse, and the way the windows kink up at the B pillar, reminds me of the old Lancia Stratos

lemko

Oh, there were plenty of privately owned 2009 Dodge Challengers on display at the Carlisle Mopar show.

fintail

To me, Evora sounds/looks like an Aussie name...but cool cars. You should come to NA and attend a show, you'll be blown away by the awesome stuff available here

fintail

I saw an Ariel Atom today...first one of those I have seen in motion

boomchek

Dropped by my old Honda dealership today, and had a look at the Pilot. My buddy showed me one they have that they use for demos, as they can't get any in, and wait list is on till September.

Looks better than in pictures. I'm not fond of the Pilot's bulldog face, and some of the plastic trim inside, but otherwise it's anice change from the old one that was getting boring to me.

qbrozen

A wait list? Huh. Should send the buyers to NJ.

I also stopped at the Honda dealer this weekend. They had one in their showroom and more on the lot. At first, as I was sitting in the showroom, I looked over and thought "huh. why would they put a Pathfinder in their showroom."

I really don't like it. Previous gen was much better looking. And the price has gotten up there, too. Our '03 EXL was about $31k. I checked the sticker and this EX with no leather or moonroof was over $32k. Then the dealer tacked on a bunch of crap, including $1300 running boards!

boomchek

Then the dealer tacked on a bunch of crap, including $1300 running boards!

I find Honda is notorious for overpriced accessories. I learned that when I went to work for Nissan, and then Chrysler, and found most of the stuff including running boards and spoilers to be half price.

andys120

I agree Boomchek, the old Pilot looked too much like a Minivan, the new one has a much stronger look that will probably attract more male buyers, perhaps at the expense of females.

lemko

...spotted by a Camry Hybrid and an Accord Hybrid in the same champagne color.

andys120

I'm no big fan of boxy SUVs but the black RR Sport I saw this morning had a certain appeal, perhaps because it's so rare these days to see 70s-style tall side glass.

ateixeira

Saw one of these little buggers this morning, also with ads plastered on the side.

I've seen a couple of Pilots and they don't look any better in person. Maybe I'll get used to them.

kyfdx

I'm starting to see a few of these every week...

Somehow, I don't see them taking off like the MINI...

magnette

They did here .. I bet if your prices get as high as ours, they would be more popular there, too - but only in urban areas, as I can't imagine anyone would use one to cruise across the praries, or something....
Having said that, I was passed by a Smart Fortwo the other day on the motorway - I was doing more than 80mph, and he came past at more than 90.... Probably still doing 50mpg, even then

kyfdx

All automatics over here.... I doubt any are getting 50 mpg..

qbrozen

On my way home from work on Friday, I spotted an orange Challenger parked out in no-man's land in a nearby office parking lot.

texases

"I spotted an orange Challenger parked out in no-man's land in a nearby office parking lot. "

I saw my first one yesterday, coming the other way. OK, but lacks the 'wow' factor the current model Mustang had for me.

lemko

...black VW Eos convertible as I was coming home from work yesterday afternoon.

texases

I saw one of those VW Eoses (?) too - looks didn't do much for me, seems that making a hard top retract results in odd proportions.

kyfdx

It does have the stubby nose look.. gets worse with the top down, IMO..

texases

"gets worse with the top down, IMO.. "

Yes, and that's the opposite of what most (regular) convertibles do...

boomchek

New Lambo Gallrdo roadster. White color. Way cool. Came into our dealership (he bought a Jeep from us before). He showed us how the front suspension raises for speedbumps and driveways.

He also has a black Bentely Continental GT that he lets his teenage son drive :surprise:

ateixeira

I think a lot of hardtops look that way, though, i.e. not as clean as a soft top.

ateixeira

Saw a new one in our garage. Camry Junior.

kyfdx

Sounds like you are on a tilt... better stay away from the car lots..

ateixeira

At work, I mean, not ours.

Though I am thinking about a new Miata... and I have 3 buyers lined up for my 93 Miata.

lemko

...was behind a black Porsche Cayman at the corner of Cottman and Oxford in NE Philly at lunchtime yesterday.

ateixeira

That's funny because I've seen 2 of them this week, and they're still pretty rare around here.

One was at Summit Point raceway, another here in DC.

I have also seen a couple of new Corollas driving around.

fintail

Parked beside a new TSX the other day. I have seen them on the road but not up close. It seems to have grown about 20% in every direction...and not in a good way. It just looks kind of bloated now, compared to the relatively elegant old one.

ateixeira

I sat in one at the local mall, and know what you mean. It's not the compact it once was.

fintail

I'm pretty sure I saw an 09 Fit on the road today.

lemko

...yellow and black Smart car at work last Friday! Seems one of my co-workers bought one as I saw it going in the gate at lunchtime.

bksward

And which super hero left his shield sitting on the front bumper?

Its like an Accord mated with something from Cadillac...

Makes the chrome on the bumper of the current generation Jetta look subtle...

andys120

Not the more truckish looking 2009 model but brand new '08s, the first I have seen.
Al so spotted in my rearview a brand new E92 BMW M3 in a pretty shade of LeMans Blue (BMW has more different blues than anyone). In the rearview I mistook it for a 335ic, I didn't notice the hood bump but when it blitzed past me I spotted the tailpipes
and the M3 emblem.

fintail

That's a good comparison, it has some Caddy DNA, and not in a good way.

I also really do not like the ad campaign for these things, touting it as a car for that mysterious common-as-hens-teeth demographic of ultra-successful young entrepreneurs. Most TSX I see around here are driven by middle aged women. Blaoting up the car and making it chromey won't make the 3/C/IS/G set run to it, nor those who "start a business, sell it, and buy another" who probably drive Ferraris, Porsches and the like..

fintail

I have seen a couple new M3s....they are more subtle than the previous version, but you can sure hear them as they go by. Still haven't seen a C63.

I also saw a new style A4 last night...I give it a year before LED running lights become as much of a cliche as fender vents.

lemko

...or is there actually going to be a BMW M3 with a V-8?

texases

"or is there actually going to be a BMW M3 with a V-8? "

Yep, a 4 liter one, I think. I'm sure it's faster, but it seems like they're leaving some history/character/whatever behind. Kind of like when Saab stopped selling hatchbacks.

andys120

Yep, a 4 liter one, I think. I'm sure it's faster, but it seems like they're leaving some history/character/whatever behind. Kind of like when Saab stopped selling hatchbacks.

I agree with you but given the gas price situation I'll bet the next M3 is more like the current 335i (turbo 6) than the current M3.

The twin turbo 135i is quite the little rocket, nearly as fast as the new M3.

fintail

I saw a white new M3 a few minutes ago, and as a strange coincidence a black late 80s M3 also drove by.

andys120

I look in my rearview and see what looks like an A-M V8 Vantage coming up, a second look reveals that it is in fact a Jaguar XK, when he passed me I noticed two things, the driver and passenger were in their late 70s or early 80s and the car wore a small "R-Type" badge (performance model).

This was a great looking car, better looking than photos. It looks too much like an Aston but those are, after all, some of the best looking cars out there. Once you realize that there will never again be a car as beautiful as the Series I E-Type, you can accept the XK-R as the beautiful car it is.

BTW, it was a silver coupe. :shades:

lemko

Spotted a black Mercedes-Benz S550 on my way to work this morning. It was driven by a very casually dressed older man wearing a baseball cap.

ateixeira

This was funny - we drove by a Smart dealer the other day and did *NOT* see any Smarts.

We did not go inside but I guess they have none in stock. Perhaps you have to get on a wait list?

The lot was full of big Benzes.