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

fintail

I saw a new Insight doing duty as a Sears driving school car today

06stang

Saw a new 2010 Ford Mustang convertible on the road. First one I've seen around here and I like the redesigned front end, but I still think the rear end of mine ('06 GT) looks better.

Also saw a Honda Insight a few weeks ago. Wasn't too impressed; just looked like a Civic-Prius mix (to me).

anythngbutgm

Saw a new Camaro over the weekend, I think it was a V8 model in that dark, steel gray color. Besides being ugly as sin, the drivers side brake light wasn't working.

boomchek

I saw a few new Mustangs too. I didn't mind the looks of the previous ones. The new facelift doesn't do anything for me.

I do liek the rear turn signal pattern on them though. The 3 lights blink outwards to act as a turn signal. Not sure how to explain it but it's neat.

lemko

Are they sequential like turn signals on 1960s Thunderbirds?

boomchek

I guess that's what you'd call them. The three lights blink outward, one at a time.

anythngbutgm

Yup, actually, Mercury had a concept car back in 2004 I believe that incorporated the sequential flash. How it worked was a rotary switch that revolved 360 degrees touching each finger lead as it went around. Very classy IMO. :shades:

imidazol97

The Mercury Cougar had sequential lights in 67 or 68. And a Thunderbird had sequential lights at one point.

anythngbutgm

That was pretty much an exclusive Mercury feature wasn't it? Or did others follow/lead?

andys120

It wasn't an exclusive Merc feature, didn't it first it show up on Thunderbirds ca. 1964? Besides the aformentioned T-Birds, I think the Shelby Mustangs had it ca. '67 '68

texases

In addition to those Shelby Mustangs, I think the 'California Special' '68 Mustangs had those sequential turn signals, too.

iwant12

I owned a 73 Cougar (351 C) with the sequential turn signals. They didn't work when I bought the car; went to a junkyard and paid $80 for the little black sequential box to get 'em going again. 73 was the last year for them I believe. From what I've read, looks like the '10 Mustang has them too, and they're LEDs. Good job, Ford!

andys120

I just spotted my first new BMW Z4 (E89) roadster outside of a showroom. It was black, top down, looking like the ideal ride for a nice day.

It's definitely going near the top of my dream roadster list.

bhill2

The first car I am aware of that had the sequential rear turn signals was the the '66 Thunderbird (the last year of the squarebird). I know that the '64 didn't have them and I don't think that the '65 did.

ateixeira

They've grown so big, though.

I guess BMW is making room for the smaller roadster, Z2 IIRC?

I remember a while ago the Miata was 400-500 lbs lighter than the Z4, now the difference is something like 900 lbs! :surprise:

So it's more of a comfy GT than a sport car. Think SL, vs. SLK.

ateixeira

Was makes for a sorta dorky looking coupe actually looks a lot better with the top down. Besides the wide-eyed headlights I really like it, top down at least.

ghulet

I (finally!) saw a 1-series coupe the other day, I liked it, basically looks like a slightly smaller, rounder 3-series; problem is (as with many BMWs), by the time it's fully-equipped, it costs about as much as a 3-series, dudn't it?

As for the Cube---ick. Actually, the front is fine, I kinda like the unique window shapes and configuration, but the rear end looks like a cross between one of those mid-size GM wagons (74-77 Malibu) or an old Infiniti J30, either way with a camper top graphed on.

andys120

They've grown so big, though.

I guess BMW is making room for the smaller roadster, Z2 IIRC

Size wise it is perhaps half a size larger than the original Z4/E85 so it's not really very big but unfortunately it is fairly heavy, some of which is attributable to thew folding top.

There certainly is room for a smaller Z2, just as the "big" Healey 100/3000 left plenty of room for a basic 4 cylinder Sprite. Rumors of a Z2 persist but are regularly knocked down. It will probably depend on the state of the world economy.

There are also substantial rumors of a smaller Porsche $40K roadster based on a chassis to be shared w VW and Audi (R4?). See the new issue of CAR for some very interesting speculation.

ateixeira

A pair of them, one last night and another one this morning. Will they replace the RX as the model of choice for my DC-area suburban 'hood?

ghulet

....just saw one, sitting, yesterday: I think it was actually Hugger Orange (or the new variant), which was great; not an upper-level car but not base, either (had a power sunroof); nice interpretation of the '69, though a bit exaggerated (I don't know what makes GM or Chrysler, in the case of the Challenger, think people want gun-slits for side windows).....kinda wishing the taillights were just round and not chopped-up.

ateixeira

Drove through the auto park yesterday, everything was closed (sign of the times?) but we were able to check out a bunch of new cars.

Saw another 09 Miata in that Sunburst Yellow color. Beautiful, but why didn't they make it available in the hard top models?

Then we saw a new Cube, 5 of them actually. Prices were $16-24k, with a $2000 dealer markup (good luck with that). Nice rims on the high-end ones, but at those prices you're competing with far more substantial vehicles. Didn't like the drum brakes or the black plastic trim on the D-pillar of the driver's side.

Also saw the new BMW Z4, it must have the longest hood in the industry. At least proportionally. Feels like a giant hood with a small passenger cabin tacked on to the back of it.

It has definitely grown bigger, more of a GT now than a sports car, must dwarf the old Z3. This one was silver, with a red leather interior that was to die for. 3 metal ringed dials at the center of the dash actually wake up the usually dull BMW interior. They seemed to have moved it up to compete half way between the SLK and the SL.

Took yet another look at the 1 series convertible - again concluded the back seat is a +2 at best, and that's being generous. Sticker shock, too, when I saw a $41,000 price tag for a 128i, the base model. Seriously?

That's about it. Had the dealers been open I would have checked out a few more cars.

andys120

Also saw the new BMW Z4, it must have the longest hood in the industry. At least proportionally.

Perhaps it is the longest in current production but no doubt BMW's stylists intended it to reflect the classic proportions of the most beautiful BMW ever made>



Personally I love 'em both but then I grew up on long nosed roadsters.

davethecarnut

Saw a new E today. Short trunk deck. And those old style Lexus taillights....hmmmm :confuse:

lmp180psu

I thought that the pricing was just announced yesterday, but I saw one on my way home from work, with actual PA tags on it. At first I thought I was seeing things...guess they are for sale already? Pretty nice looking, better than a Corolla or Civic.

andys120

Pretty nice looking, better than a Corolla or Civic.

Are you kidding, the only way to make it look more like a Corolla would be to stick a 'Yoda badge on it?

texases

From that angle, yes, but it's a bit different from this angle:

fintail

Honda front, Toyota rear. I don't know if I like that upkick at the A-pillar...but it's not an offensive car, anyway.

kyfdx

In black..

Pretty cool.. but, not amazing..

lemko

...gray Ford Flex with white roof travelling south on Rising Sun Avenue near Borbeck in NE Philly.

stever

Light brown. The styling seemed a bit disjointed, but I'm more of a box fan. Edmunds' reviewer like it - think it's distinctive. I didn't peek inside but the interior pics look nice. (link)

bumpy

They're even more awkward-looking in person than in photos. Almost looks like a superdeformed version of the midsized car the Camaro should have been.

anythngbutgm

Wow, I don't know what this person was thinking. Saw a White Buick Enclave with what appeared to be a blown or ready to blow motor as it was spewing the nastiest smelling white smoke and sounded like absolute garbage. The engine didn't even sound like an engine as it was just a cachophony of rattleing, clanging and this high pitched whistle that sounded like a teapot. And they were driving it!!!

So what was it? Blown engine? Blown head gasket? i know they have some big problems with camshafts breaking but wouldn't that render the vehicle undrivable? Any of these?

There must've been a stench from this thing that was a mile behind it. I'm glad I was going the other direction otherwise I would have been sick from the smoke. :sick:

fintail

Local MB dealer had a new E-class coupe sitting out in front, but I didn't have a chance to stop and look.

lemko

...white Smart car on Huntingdon Pike going south.

ghulet

....I know this isn't the venue for this, but unless your only priority is being able to park in a small space, they just don't make sense on any other level: they're not cheap, their gas mileage is no better than an average compact (in fact, I think many do better), they seat only two, they're not terribly safe and they're ugly.

fezo

Somebody's driving a new red Camaro around our neighborhood. It looks much better on the road than in the pictures they've been posting. At very least until they come up with the convertible I'd still go with a Mustang but it makes things interesting.

fintail

It's all about 'look at me' - a logic-free zone. It might make sense in Paris or London, but it's a joke on this continent. From what I have seen of local drivers of those things, they are not the most vehicle-savvy.

kyfdx

Went to the fancy car show, yesterday... They hold it in a public park.. and it's huge, but all the streets leading to it are residential.... So, parking is nuts..

Anyway, on the way out, there was a Smart, jammed into a spot that was only about 18" longer than the car..

My quote, "That's the only time I've seen a Smart that made any sense, at all."

lemko

...looks like it has a shorter wheelbase than many motorcycles. I imagine a front-end collision in one would be a really messy affair.

qbrozen

Saw a Passat CC on the road. It is a little less ... I dunno ... just a little less than I gathered from the pics. I actually could have easily mistaken it for a Chrysler from behind.

And... on the not so new front... saw a Z8 today. Actually my 2nd in less than a week parked at 2 different offices a town apart, so I'm pretty confident not the same one. I'm not sure I've ever seen 2 on the road ever, let alone 2 in a week. Pretty odd.

lemko

...black 2010 Mustang GT at the corner of Rising Sun Avenue and Napfle Street. The taillights are the giveaway. They're out already?

fintail

I've read they are already in some rental fleets already :confuse:

kyfdx

There was a Z8 at the car show... which, reminds me...

Was shopping at the local BMW dealer about five years ago... Salesman says, "Don't look now, but that's Peter Frampton over there looking at the Z8!"

Naturally, I looked.. and, it was!

fintail

Someone in my building appears to have picked up a new M3. I must be in a ritzier place than I thought.

ateixeira

One driven by an old man on Rt 15 north on the way to Hershey Park, then a different one while I was driving back, a man in his 40s.

I would have guessed most owners would be female. We'll see.

Saw a Camaro on display at Hershey Park, also. It was getting only a few looks.

ghulet: to feed your flame even more, a 2008 Miata with a $5000 rebate is now actually the cheaper 2 seater option, and 0-60 comes in less than HALF the time, really (14.4s for the ForTwo with Premium fuel BTW vs. 6.9s for the MX-5 per C&D).

qbrozen

LOL!

Ya know ... and not that this reflects where you live, but just brings something to mind ... I am sometimes baffled by where I see cars parked sometimes. For instance, there is this tiny bungalow on a major road in my town with a Hummer in the driveway. In my old neighborhood of Cape Cods on postage stamp lots, there was one house with a Jag and BMW in the driveway. The list goes on.

fintail

I know exactly what you mean. In my area, where housing prices really inflated before the bubble burst, it wasn't uncommon to see a high end MB or BMW parked at a pretty dumpy place - of course the place was still worth 500K+. The key is "was"...parking a new CLS or 6er in front of that unrenovated concrete block bungalow seemed normal for a while.

In my building someone else drives a current model Lexus LS, which also seems a bit fancy for the place. I'm trying to think of the worst cars there...a few of the really neglected ones (old Accent that was never washed, leaky filthy early 90s Legend) moved recently...someone drives a ca. 1993 Camry that appears to have survived a Taliban battle, someone else has a dodgy sounding 80s Jeep...those might be it.

qbrozen

Come to think of it ... something else strikes me as a bit odd. Down the street from me at the McMansion part of the neighborhood, there are several houses with cars like Cavaliers, 20-year-old BMWs, Civics, etc. So the guy with the bungalow has a Hummer and the guy with the 5-bedrooms and 3-car-garage on an acre of manicured lawn has a mazda3. I guess its all about priorities.

fintail

Reminds me of a house I see in a nice low traffic area I take my old car cruising in when I have it out - a nice house, still worth nearly 2M even in this market, always has the same three cars side by side in the driveway (as with most people lucky enough to have a 3 car garage, theirs is full of no doubt worthless junk and the cars get to sleep outside). The cars are a pair of ca. 1995 LS400s and a ca. 1990 300E.

ghulet

....I live in a very un-fancy part of the city of Chicago (Humboldt Park); most of the cars (parked on the street anyway) tend to be early-to-mid '90s smaller Japanese cars (a first-gen Protege, plenty of Civics, Accords, Camrys, even a very early Kia Sephia), with lots of cheapo domestics thrown in (think 99-ish Malibu); the homeowners generally have nicer cars (one neighbor has a LR Discovery, one a Saab 9-5 Aero, one a new Altima) but nothing super-glamorous. A newer Benz or BMW would stick out like a sore thumb around here.

We also have the distinction of having one of the highest rates of depreciation in housing stock in the last year (we bought in 2006, naturally--this was supposed to be the next hot neighborhood). Look like we'll be here a while, barring a job loss and/or short sale! :P