Harry Metcalfe of Harry’s Garage fame did an interesting preview video of this weekend’s Silverstone Auctions event today. I find these fascinating to see what is popular (and not) in the U.K. and Europe. The popularity of Fast Fords over there seems such a contrast to Ford’s image here.
Drove my first Alfa Romeo yesterday and liked the way it drove but hated the ergonomics. Took me a few minutes to figure out the audio system and even took a bit to find the start/stop button which was right on the steering wheel! What a moronic place to put it!!! It was a white over black four door unit, name started with a "G" I think and it accelerated very briskly onto I-95. Audio system was just meh and naturally, had no Sirius/XM subscription. Looked very sharp in that white color, paint was pretty shiny...all in all, a very handsome automobile. Not too large either. Have heard that their reliability is nothing to write home about & the nearest dealer is Rick Case down in Weston Florida, a good half hour from home. Would I ever consider owning one? No, but a lease...sure. Also drove a Mini Cooper 4-door Countryman and except for some turbo lag & some rough shifting at first, did like it. Size is just about perfect for me, seems to be a wee bit smaller all around than the current Golf. Visibility was great, seats comfy enough & think it's something I could live with for a long time even though it is a German vehicle, something I'm not sure I want to own next time around. Took both vehicles from the Palm Beach area down to Ft. Lauderdale airport and due to traffic on I-95, got about an hour of seat time in much stop & go traffic but was also able to hit the accelerator at times. Both did pretty good in that respect with the Alfa the better all around driver. My lead driver yesterday knows I like the foreign vehicles so he made sure I got two good examples yesterday which made for a good day, if not long, we ended at 6:15. But well worth it! And it's days like yesterday that make me want to stay on my current 3-day a week schedule.
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Drove my first Alfa Romeo yesterday and liked the way it drove but hated the ergonomics. Took me a few minutes to figure out the audio system and even took a bit to find the start/stop button which was right on the steering wheel! What a moronic place to put it!!! It was a white over black four door unit, name started with a "G" I think and it accelerated very briskly onto I-95. Audio system was just meh and naturally, had no Sirius/XM subscription. Looked very sharp in that white color, paint was pretty shiny...all in all, a very handsome automobile. Not too large either. Have heard that their reliability is nothing to write home about & the nearest dealer is Rick Case down in Weston Florida, a good half hour from home. Would I ever consider owning one? No, but a lease...sure. Also drove a Mini Cooper 4-door Countryman and except for some turbo lag & some rough shifting at first, did like it. Size is just about perfect for me, seems to be a wee bit smaller all around than the current Golf. Visibility was great, seats comfy enough & think it's something I could live with for a long time even though it is a German vehicle, something I'm not sure I want to own next time around. Took both vehicles from the Palm Beach area down to Ft. Lauderdale airport and due to traffic on I-95, got about an hour of seat time in much stop & go traffic but was also able to hit the accelerator at times. Both did pretty good in that respect with the Alfa the better all around driver. My lead driver yesterday knows I like the foreign vehicles so he made sure I got two good examples yesterday which made for a good day, if not long, we ended at 6:15. But well worth it! And it's days like yesterday that make me want to stay on my current 3-day a week schedule.
Was the Alfa a giulia or a Stelvio because we have mostly the latter up here?
If you think the stop/start button was hard to find on an Alfa Romeo I dare you to find it on a Porsche Panamera:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
FYI, Sandy, the MINI is German owned, but they are assembled in England.
I want to make a joke about combining 2004 BMW engineering with a British Leyland build quality ethos, but I've known people with Minis who didn't have big issues, so maybe we are past that.
FYI, Sandy, the MINI is German owned, but they are assembled in England.
I want to make a joke about combining 2004 BMW engineering with a British Leyland build quality ethos, but I've known people with Minis who didn't have big issues, so maybe we are past that.
I had the same initial reaction, "the worst of both worlds".
Drove my first Alfa Romeo yesterday and liked the way it drove but hated the ergonomics. Took me a few minutes to figure out the audio system and even took a bit to find the start/stop button which was right on the steering wheel! What a moronic place to put it!!!
One of the few things that I really don't like on my 2013 F150 work truck is the placement of the ignition switch. It's on the steering column, hidden completely behind the steering wheel. You either have to lean way over and look around the wheel, or else feel your way around until you find the opening.
FYI, Sandy, the MINI is German owned, but they are assembled in England.
I want to make a joke about combining 2004 BMW engineering with a British Leyland build quality ethos, but I've known people with Minis who didn't have big issues, so maybe we are past that.
We are on our second one. While not Honda-like in its reliability, neither has it left us stranded.
@oldfarmer50 said:
Was the Alfa a giulia or a Stelvio because we have mostly the latter up here?
If you think the stop/start button was hard to find on an Alfa Romeo I dare you to find it on a Porsche Panamera:
He said it started with a G, so I’m guessing it was a Giulia.
I saw a video recently, and I’m trying to recall the car, I think it may have been an MB SLR, where the start button was on the top of the shifter. Seemed quite a poor choice to me.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I thought Porsches used the "worst of both worlds" philosophy, having an ignition switch on the left of the steering column, requiring the driver to insert the smart key into a slot there and twisting it to the right to start in the old-fashioned way?
Just imagine any other manufacturer trying to get away with that.
Was the Alfa a giulia or a Stelvio because we have mostly the latter up here?
If you think the stop/start button was hard to find on an Alfa Romeo I dare you to find it on a Porsche Panamera:
He said it started with a G, so I’m guessing it was a Giulia.
I saw a video recently, and I’m trying to recall the car, I think it may have been an MB SLR, where the start button was on the top of the shifter. Seemed quite a poor choice to me.
The OG MB keyless go innovated around MY 2000 had the start button on the shifter:
I thought Porsches used the "worst of both worlds" philosophy, having an ignition switch on the left of the steering column, requiring the driver to insert the smart key into a slot there and twisting it to the right to start in the old-fashioned way?
Just imagine any other manufacturer trying to get away with that.
I had a rental X5 that needed the fob to go into a dash slot before you could press the button - seemed amusingly pointless.
In the late 90s, MB started using a key style across the range that was a "smart" fob rather than a traditional key, but it required placement in the key slot and a turn to start:
Our land rover LR2 had that stupid design. Had to insert the fob, push it in to make it hook in, then push the start button. Nobody has ever asked for extra steps to start a car.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I thought Porsches used the "worst of both worlds" philosophy, having an ignition switch on the left of the steering column, requiring the driver to insert the smart key into a slot there and twisting it to the right to start in the old-fashioned way?
Just imagine any other manufacturer trying to get away with that.
The Panamara I drove had a regular fob.
If you look at the picture of the Porsche I posted you’ll see a switch on the dash just off the 8:00 position of the steering wheel. It looks to have a white line on it. If you turn it to it’s first position it turns on the headlights. Only if you turn it further do you discover it’s also the motor on-off switch.
It took me 10 minutes in the dark to figure it out.
The Alfa Romeo button is out of place but at least it’s labeled.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
One of the few things that I really don't like on my 2013 F150 work truck is the placement of the ignition switch. It's on the steering column, hidden completely behind the steering wheel. You either have to lean way over and look around the wheel, or else feel your way around until you find the opening.
This is why you see a lot of used cars with tons of scratches around the switch, people trying to insert the key without looking.
That’s where keys used to go on basically every generation of Porsche….pretty sure the target market will know where to look.
Well, given that the bulk of their sales are SUVs that get driven to the salons and trendy restaurants by wealthy spouses of the monied elites, maybe not.
Was the Alfa a giulia or a Stelvio because we have mostly the latter up here?
If you think the stop/start button was hard to find on an Alfa Romeo I dare you to find it on a Porsche Panamera:
He said it started with a G, so I’m guessing it was a Giulia.
I saw a video recently, and I’m trying to recall the car, I think it may have been an MB SLR, where the start button was on the top of the shifter. Seemed quite a poor choice to me.
The OG MB keyless go innovated around MY 2000 had the start button on the shifter:
Not to mention an ejector seat!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
You got that right. That beast has more swirls than a birthday cake.
jmonroe
Are you joking or does it look that bad in the photo? I used a two bucket method and was pretty careful with it. It has also not been through a car wash. In person I don’t see many swirl marks at all.
@nyccarguy said: @tjc78 - nice job cleaning up your RAM. That’s a lot of real estate to dry.
Thanks. One thing for sure you need with this is a bottle of spray detailer to go over the spots that didn’t get fully dry or drips that happen from the seams or mirrors
You got that right. That beast has more swirls than a birthday cake.
jmonroe
Are you joking or does it look that bad in the photo? I used a two bucket method and was pretty careful with it. It has also not been through a car wash. In person I don’t see many swirl marks at all.
———————————————— Calm down. I was just joking. Nice to see that someone scraped you off the ceiling so you could post a reply.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis Ultimate just like jmonroe's. '18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
I think I only hand washed the Tundra once the entire time I had it—before it got its one and only coat of sealant. It required the use of a step stool and climbing up in the bed.
When I wash my pickup and minivan, I usually just hose off the roof and otherwise ignore it. Everything else gets washed properly, just not the roof as I am very leery of ladders these days, even step ladders. When I occasionally pay for a hand wash and wax, everything gets done, and that usually happens every 2 or 3 months.
I thought Porsches used the "worst of both worlds" philosophy, having an ignition switch on the left of the steering column, requiring the driver to insert the smart key into a slot there and twisting it to the right to start in the old-fashioned way?
Just imagine any other manufacturer trying to get away with that.
I had a rental X5 that needed the fob to go into a dash slot before you could press the button - seemed amusingly pointless.
In the late 90s, MB started using a key style across the range that was a "smart" fob rather than a traditional key, but it required placement in the key slot and a turn to start:
The ‘11 328 is like that. Push button start but you have to insert the fob into the slot in the dash.
Seems like one of those things rushed to market. “Look!! We have push botton start too!!”. (well sort of…)
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
I would rather just have a key at that point. By then most cars only needed a blip of the key and the computer started it anyway much like push to start.
Maybe I can get a nice China Blue on Dark Blue non-bling spec G550 for 100K off MSRP now. Right?
Ha! Probably still impossible even at MSRP. Even before the madness G’s were subject to ADM if I’m not mistaken
I briefly talked about this with a salesman when I was at the dealer waiting for my tire swap. He mentioned they could get 10-20K on a G550, and 50K on a G63. This uncertain economy has still been very friendly to the upper end of the income/wealth scale, as usual and as expected (feature not a bug), I am pretty sure I've read that exotic car sales are also breaking records.
You got that right. That beast has more swirls than a birthday cake.
jmonroe
Are you joking or does it look that bad in the photo? I used a two bucket method and was pretty careful with it. It has also not been through a car wash. In person I don’t see many swirl marks at all.
———————————————— Calm down. I was just joking. Nice to see that someone scraped you off the ceiling so you could post a reply.
jmonroe
What did you expect when you make fun of someone’s baby?
You got that right. That beast has more swirls than a birthday cake.
jmonroe
Are you joking or does it look that bad in the photo? I used a two bucket method and was pretty careful with it. It has also not been through a car wash. In person I don’t see many swirl marks at all.
———————————————— Calm down. I was just joking. Nice to see that someone scraped you off the ceiling so you could post a reply.
jmonroe
What did you expect when you make fun of someone’s baby?
FYI, Sandy, the MINI is German owned, but they are assembled in England.
I want to make a joke about combining 2004 BMW engineering with a British Leyland build quality ethos, but I've known people with Minis who didn't have big issues, so maybe we are past that.
We are on our second one. While not Honda-like in its reliability, neither has it left us stranded.
Most of the problems we experienced with our Clubman were caused by substandard service performed by shops before we bought it.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Comments
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Yeah but he imports them and fixes them too!
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
Also drove a Mini Cooper 4-door Countryman and except for some turbo lag & some rough shifting at first, did like it. Size is just about perfect for me, seems to be a wee bit smaller all around than the current Golf. Visibility was great, seats comfy enough & think it's something I could live with for a long time even though it is a German vehicle, something I'm not sure I want to own next time around.
Took both vehicles from the Palm Beach area down to Ft. Lauderdale airport and due to traffic on I-95, got about an hour of seat time in much stop & go traffic but was also able to hit the accelerator at times. Both did pretty good in that respect with the Alfa the better all around driver. My lead driver yesterday knows I like the foreign vehicles so he made sure I got two good examples yesterday which made for a good day, if not long, we ended at 6:15. But well worth it! And it's days like yesterday that make me want to stay on my current 3-day a week schedule.
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
The current Countryman is built in the Netherlands; the first generation Countryman was built in Austria.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
If you think the stop/start button was hard to find on an Alfa Romeo I dare you to find it on a Porsche Panamera:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Rule #1: Don’t buy black
Rule #2: See rule one.
Washing this beast is a project.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
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Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
He said it started with a G, so I’m guessing it was a Giulia.
I saw a video recently, and I’m trying to recall the car, I think it may have been an MB SLR, where the start button was on the top of the shifter. Seemed quite a poor choice to me.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Just imagine any other manufacturer trying to get away with that.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
He said it started with a G, so I’m guessing it was a Giulia.
I saw a video recently, and I’m trying to recall the car, I think it may have been an MB SLR, where the start button was on the top of the shifter. Seemed quite a poor choice to me.
The OG MB keyless go innovated around MY 2000 had the start button on the shifter:
In the late 90s, MB started using a key style across the range that was a "smart" fob rather than a traditional key, but it required placement in the key slot and a turn to start:
Our land rover LR2 had that stupid design. Had to insert the fob, push it in to make it hook in, then push the start button. Nobody has ever asked for extra steps to start a car.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
If you look at the picture of the Porsche I posted you’ll see a switch on the dash just off the 8:00 position of the steering wheel. It looks to have a white line on it. If you turn it to it’s first position it turns on the headlights. Only if you turn it further do you discover it’s also the motor on-off switch.
It took me 10 minutes in the dark to figure it out.
The Alfa Romeo button is out of place but at least it’s labeled.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
That’s where keys used to go on basically every generation of Porsche….pretty sure the target market will know where to look.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
You got that right. That beast has more swirls than a birthday cake.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Not to mention an ejector seat!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Lol-
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
Are you joking or does it look that bad in the photo? I used a two bucket method and was pretty careful with it. It has also not been through a car wash. In person I don’t see many swirl marks at all.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
@tjc78 - nice job cleaning up your RAM. That’s a lot of real estate to dry.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Within the last week or so the dealer I visit updated the VW logo.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
Thanks. One thing for sure you need with this is a bottle of spray detailer to go over the spots that didn’t get fully dry or drips that happen from the seams or mirrors
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
Are you joking or does it look that bad in the photo? I used a two bucket method and was pretty careful with it. It has also not been through a car wash. In person I don’t see many swirl marks at all.
————————————————Calm down. I was just joking. Nice to see that someone scraped you off the ceiling so you could post a reply.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
I think I only hand washed the Tundra once the entire time I had it—before it got its one and only coat of sealant. It required the use of a step stool and climbing up in the bed.
Well you got me! 😝
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
Ha! Probably still impossible even at MSRP. Even before the madness G’s were subject to ADM if I’m not mistaken
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
Seems like one of those things rushed to market. “Look!! We have push botton start too!!”. (well sort of…)
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
I would rather just have a key at that point. By then most cars only needed a blip of the key and the computer started it anyway much like push to start.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
Ha! Probably still impossible even at MSRP. Even before the madness G’s were subject to ADM if I’m not mistaken
I briefly talked about this with a salesman when I was at the dealer waiting for my tire swap. He mentioned they could get 10-20K on a G550, and 50K on a G63. This uncertain economy has still been very friendly to the upper end of the income/wealth scale, as usual and as expected (feature not a bug), I am pretty sure I've read that exotic car sales are also breaking records.
Calm down. I was just joking. Nice to see that someone scraped you off the ceiling so you could post a reply.
jmonroe
What did you expect when you make fun of someone’s baby?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
That was a great commercial, hit home.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I saw this M2/ Maxima photo on LeaseHackr
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha