Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

xwesx

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28firefighter said:

In other news, I’ve put over 100 miles on the Q5. Nary a rattle and the gas gauge is still showing full - now here is the magic question: is the fuel efficiency this good, or is the gas gauge broken? German car…could go either way!

Neither, really. They do tend to sit at or near full for a while before dropping. At least on my Q7, when it shows a half tank, it has probably made about 3/5 through its actual range.

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

LOL! You are an amateur. I put a little over 300 miles on my Tacoma just yesterday alone. Drove to work. Drove home to pick up my 17 year old. Drove him up to the Sheraton at Bradley International Airport (BDL) for a BBYO convention. Then since I was on 20 minutes away from one of my 15 year old's favorite pizza spots (RED ROSE) in Springfield, MA I grabbed a party size to go. Drove home. Then drove my 15 year old to the hockey rink & back, then picked him up.

Quite the day! What is BBYO? Bring Back Your Offspring?

nyccarguy

"Will easily save me 20+ minutes in traffic each way."

Then it is a no brainer

(and lord knows I've been paying for it in my vehicle registration fees for almost a decade now).

Here too. Vehicle registration, Personal Property taxes, Business Taxes, & Business Real Estate Taxes. Now they have congestion pricing. Then if and when I want to take the train, it costs a lot of money and is not convenient.

laurasdada

The T in Boston, should be/was such a great resource. Now, a hot (and occasionally, deadly) mess. Cynically, all the graft from the Big Dig (well, all projects) could have gone into the T instead of pockets...

Used to take MetroNorth from Westport to Stamford back in the day. Didn't save time but saved so much aggravation. Was great to glance out the train window to the mess on I95... Office was, iirc, less than .5 mile from the Stamford station.

pensfan83

kyfdx said:

Looks like a good day for a ball game!

40 degrees and snow in the forecast!

ab348

Speaking of transit: here in Halifax the city spends $145 million worthless Canadian dollars on a transit system that most see as only a last-resort option. I took it 20 years ago and it was awful - buses arriving early, late or sometimes not at all. At rush hour you would usually have to stand and the buses were packed like a sardine can. Connections usually meant a half-hour wait. The best day of my work career was when I got a job where I could drive to work.

pensfan83

28firefighter said:

Man that merge onto the Fort Pitt Bridge to hit the Park West still gives me flashbacks.

That part of the Parkway East was underwater for 2 days. 5 inches of rain and the rivers reached the major flood stage for the first time in almost 20 years. I was told another 2-3 feet and the field at the ballpark would have been impacted.

tifighter

@breld said:
This surprises me, but I guess BMW didn't want Audi getting all the hot wagon glory.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a44344061/bmw-m5-wagon-teaser/

Too bad there isn't a market in the US for the more reasonable wagon variants.

I’m actually surprised how often I see RS6 Avants. No reason why BMW shouldn’t grab some of that business.

28firefighter

pensfan83 said:

28firefighter said:

Man that merge onto the Fort Pitt Bridge to hit the Park West still gives me flashbacks.

That part of the Parkway East was underwater for 2 days. 5 inches of rain and the rivers reached the major flood stage for the first time in almost 20 years. I was told another 2-3 feet and the field at the ballpark would have been impacted.

I remember the last time it happened was during my freshman or sophomore year at Pitt. Mon Wharf was flooded for like 2 weeks.

cdnpinhead

The unspoken word related to mass transit is that it's often the refuge of those who have little to lose but want to stay warm/cool. The LA system is a mess in this regard, and I'm not sure about many of the others. Well established systems like NY (oh wait, people are regularly pushed in front of trains) and others may be better.

Please prove me wrong. Bring data.

au1994

cdnpinhead said:

The unspoken word related to mass transit is that it's often the refuge of those who have little to lose but want to stay warm/cool. The LA system is a mess in this regard, and I'm not sure about many of the others. Well established systems like NY (oh wait, people are regularly pushed in front of trains) and others may be better.

Please prove me wrong. Bring data.

In Atlanta too. They can pay the nominal fare of 2.50 and ride the whole line, typically they do this all night.

corvette

For the NYC leg of my road trip, I found a hotel in NJ that offered free parking in a locked garage and was about 0.4 mile from a bus line that took me through the Lincoln Tunnel to the Times Square area. From there, it was easy to connect to the subway. (I've stayed in that area before, but since I was road tripping it, and the NJ hotel was significantly cheaper, it made sense to go that route.) Given that most museums and other attractions don't open until 10, you're not commuting into the city during the peak morning rush hour. Getting back was a little tricky, as it's not easy to find gate information at the PABT. My fares were under $45 total for three days of sightseeing.

I've probably also told the story here about a previous trip to Chicago, flying into O'Hare. The person I was with was uncomfortable with public transportation and we Ubered everywhere, including from O'Hare to our hotel in River North during morning rush hour. The dismaying thing about that commute is that you can actually see the CTA trains pass you by while you are stopped on the interstate, since the tracks run parallel. I'm a big fan of using public transportation when I'm a tourist in a city where the system is good.

corvette

Also, as I mentioned to @nyccarguy offline, if any of our Northeast contingent is in the area, I extremely highly recommend Casa di Napoli in Union City, NJ. It's an old-school, family owned Italian hole in the wall restaurant. They only take cash and don't sell beer or wine, but you are welcome to bring your own. The food is probably objectively an 8 out of 10, but the ambiance of the place makes it a 10.

And, Karma Kafe in Hoboken knocked it out of the park with my Doordash order. The butter chicken was outstanding, and the one entree made two meals for me. Their chili garlic naan was very spicy but very good.

laurasdada

Wife's family in Jersey City, will have to see if they know Casa di Napoli. May have eaten at Karma...

28firefighter

@cdnpinhead - this is something Seattle is grappling with as well, especially since there was no fare enforcement at all of any kind for a while. That's changing and I expect to continue as the light rail adoption goes up and they wonder where their revenue is.

That said, I'll give kudos where kudos is due - they have significantly beefed up security presence on and off trains at stations which seems to be making a difference, especially during rush hour.

28firefighter

So....here is my story for the afternoon. TL;DR - don't be like me.

The Audi was filthy - it's clear they didn't do much of a detail at all. So I decided, this afternoon I would give it a good wash and wax. Start my usual routine - dry the car and notice - "man this paint feels really really rough." And then...I panic.

The following stream of consciousness went through my brain as my blood pressure went up:
"oh my god oh my god oh my god I finally did it - I stripped the clear coat off the car with the pressure washer. Did I use the wrong nozzle? Was I too close? Oh god my wife is going to kill me....."

And then I realized - the dealer mentioned they had taken some tree sap off during prep. I bet this car was parked outside and given the seattle treatment (never seen a wash that wasn't falling from the sky). Go in the garage, get my clay bar....2 hours later, 2 clay bars later and an entire bottle of instant detailer and we have solved the issue. I'm taking a break for a bit, but will go back out and put some wax on.

Stay tuned for more tales of the idiocy of 28FF...

kyfdx

corvette said:

For the NYC leg of my road trip, I found a hotel in NJ that offered free parking in a locked garage and was about 0.4 mile from a bus line that took me through the Lincoln Tunnel to the Times Square area. From there, it was easy to connect to the subway. (I've stayed in that area before, but since I was road tripping it, and the NJ hotel was significantly cheaper, it made sense to go that route.) Given that most museums and other attractions don't open until 10, you're not commuting into the city during the peak morning rush hour. Getting back was a little tricky, as it's not easy to find gate information at the PABT. My fares were under $45 total for three days of sightseeing.

I've probably also told the story here about a previous trip to Chicago, flying into O'Hare. The person I was with was uncomfortable with public transportation and we Ubered everywhere, including from O'Hare to our hotel in River North during morning rush hour. The dismaying thing about that commute is that you can actually see the CTA trains pass you by while you are stopped on the interstate, since the tracks run parallel. I'm a big fan of using public transportation when I'm a tourist in a city where the system is good.

Sounds awesome.

nyccarguy

What am I missing with this 2011 Civic Hybrid besides the fact that it is 13 years old and they are asking $9K for it?

tjc78

@28firefighter said:
So....here is my story for the afternoon. TL;DR - don't be like me.

The Audi was filthy - it's clear they didn't do much of a detail at all. So I decided, this afternoon I would give it a good wash and wax. Start my usual routine - dry the car and notice - "man this paint feels really really rough." And then...I panic.

The following stream of consciousness went through my brain as my blood pressure went up:
"oh my god oh my god oh my god I finally did it - I stripped the clear coat off the car with the pressure washer. Did I use the wrong nozzle? Was I too close? Oh god my wife is going to kill me....."

And then I realized - the dealer mentioned they had taken some tree sap off during prep. I bet this car was parked outside and given the seattle treatment (never seen a wash that wasn't falling from the sky). Go in the garage, get my clay bar....2 hours later, 2 clay bars later and an entire bottle of instant detailer and we have solved the issue. I'm taking a break for a bit, but will go back out and put some wax on.

Stay tuned for more tales of the idiocy of 28FF...

We’ve all been there.

On the other end of the spectrum … I just did the unthinkable. I took the truck through the auto wash. Not proud of it… but have other things that need to be done instead of spending the time handwashing it.

This was after the truck actually did truck duties bringing a ton of junk to the dump.

fintail

28firefighter said:

So....here is my story for the afternoon. TL;DR - don't be like me.

The Audi was filthy - it's clear they didn't do much of a detail at all. So I decided, this afternoon I would give it a good wash and wax. Start my usual routine - dry the car and notice - "man this paint feels really really rough." And then...I panic.

The following stream of consciousness went through my brain as my blood pressure went up:
"oh my god oh my god oh my god I finally did it - I stripped the clear coat off the car with the pressure washer. Did I use the wrong nozzle? Was I too close? Oh god my wife is going to kill me....."

And then I realized - the dealer mentioned they had taken some tree sap off during prep. I bet this car was parked outside and given the seattle treatment (never seen a wash that wasn't falling from the sky). Go in the garage, get my clay bar....2 hours later, 2 clay bars later and an entire bottle of instant detailer and we have solved the issue. I'm taking a break for a bit, but will go back out and put some wax on.

Stay tuned for more tales of the idiocy of 28FF...

It's the western WA way - 100K worth of vehicles sit collecting moss on the driveway while $200 worth of yard sale rejects and failed MLM junk lounges in the garage.

sda

And yet more fun. The Q5 windshield took a hit earlier this morning. My wife delivered some food to be taken to her parents. No good deed goes unpunished.

roadburner

My BMW dealer received a couple of negative sales reviews. I'd file them under "Money talks, BS walks":

Unfortunately, I did not have a positive experience with this dealer. I contacted BMW of Louisville about a vehicle that had just been listed online and was told the vehicle would be in within 2 days but wasn't yet available. I repeatedly reached out to the salesman that I initially spoke with (Will Heaton) to follow up in an attempt to make a deal and received zero communication. I reached out to the dealership multiple times over the following two days to work the deal. However, I was told to wait for Will to get back to continue the process. Still concerned, I called again this evening to make sure my interest was noted and was told that the vehicle had been sold.

I understand vehicles aren't kept or held for potential buyers but I was not given an opportunity to make the purchase. I was not contacted by the dealership to inform me that the vehicle was being pursued by another individual. Overall the experience was extremely subpar. This is the type of thing I expect from a Hyundai dealer, not BMW.

It is a very frustrating car-buying experience! I made an appointment with Cameron, who was fantastic, to purchase a new BMW X3. We planned for a weekend appointment in advance and arrived before the scheduled time. I confirmed with Cameron the vehicle we were interested in was available. Cameron checked out the key, and the vehicle was brought to the front of the dealership to review features before our test drive and appraisal of our current X3. After reviewing the features, we were given the key for a test drive. As we buckled in, someone came outside and said the car was sold. Another couple on the lot saw the vehicle being brought to the front of the dealership for us and ran inside to purchase the car. The vehicle was not sold; the couple only completed a credit application. However, I was not allowed to do so, nor was I advised I needed to put down a deposit or anything to secure the vehicle while we were viewing the car. We were interested in purchasing. This situation was unacceptable and rude, as our business was not valued. We have bought from this dealership in the past, but no longer will we consider them for our business. Once again, Cameron was very friendly and apologetic. However, after he spoke to the manager, he was not able to rectify the situation.

nyccarguy

tjc78 said:

@28firefighter said:

So....here is my story for the afternoon. TL;DR - don't be like me.

The Audi was filthy - it's clear they didn't do much of a detail at all. So I decided, this afternoon I would give it a good wash and wax. Start my usual routine - dry the car and notice - "man this paint feels really really rough." And then...I panic.

The following stream of consciousness went through my brain as my blood pressure went up:

"oh my god oh my god oh my god I finally did it - I stripped the clear coat off the car with the pressure washer. Did I use the wrong nozzle? Was I too close? Oh god my wife is going to kill me....."

And then I realized - the dealer mentioned they had taken some tree sap off during prep. I bet this car was parked outside and given the seattle treatment (never seen a wash that wasn't falling from the sky). Go in the garage, get my clay bar....2 hours later, 2 clay bars later and an entire bottle of instant detailer and we have solved the issue. I'm taking a break for a bit, but will go back out and put some wax on.

Stay tuned for more tales of the idiocy of 28FF...

We’ve all been there.

On the other end of the spectrum … I just did the unthinkable. I took the truck through the auto wash. Not proud of it… but have other things that need to be done instead of spending the time handwashing it.

This was after the truck actually did truck duties bringing a ton of junk to the dump.

That's not unthinkable. Your truck is a lot of real estate to WASH, SOAP UP, & DRY. I ran mine through the car was as well this AM before work. Do they do a perfect job? No. But it is good enough for me.

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

My BMW dealer received a couple of negative sales reviews. I'd file them under "Money talks, BS walks":

Unfortunately, I did not have a positive experience with this dealer. I contacted BMW of Louisville about a vehicle that had just been listed online and was told the vehicle would be in within 2 days but wasn't yet available. I repeatedly reached out to the salesman that I initially spoke with (Will Heaton) to follow up in an attempt to make a deal and received zero communication. I reached out to the dealership multiple times over the following two days to work the deal. However, I was told to wait for Will to get back to continue the process. Still concerned, I called again this evening to make sure my interest was noted and was told that the vehicle had been sold.

I understand vehicles aren't kept or held for potential buyers but I was not given an opportunity to make the purchase. I was not contacted by the dealership to inform me that the vehicle was being pursued by another individual. Overall the experience was extremely subpar. This is the type of thing I expect from a Hyundai dealer, not BMW.

It is a very frustrating car-buying experience! I made an appointment with Cameron, who was fantastic, to purchase a new BMW X3. We planned for a weekend appointment in advance and arrived before the scheduled time. I confirmed with Cameron the vehicle we were interested in was available. Cameron checked out the key, and the vehicle was brought to the front of the dealership to review features before our test drive and appraisal of our current X3. After reviewing the features, we were given the key for a test drive. As we buckled in, someone came outside and said the car was sold. Another couple on the lot saw the vehicle being brought to the front of the dealership for us and ran inside to purchase the car. The vehicle was not sold; the couple only completed a credit application. However, I was not allowed to do so, nor was I advised I needed to put down a deposit or anything to secure the vehicle while we were viewing the car. We were interested in purchasing. This situation was unacceptable and rude, as our business was not valued. We have bought from this dealership in the past, but no longer will we consider them for our business. Once again, Cameron was very friendly and apologetic. However, after he spoke to the manager, he was not able to rectify the situation.

————————————————-
If what the potential buyer said is true, I don’t blame him/her for being upset, especially for a customer that has bought from this dealership before.

There’s two sides to every story. Therefore, I’d like to hear what the dealership says about this.

Maybe the buyer should be happy they couldn’t do business on the first car they were interested in since chasing after a dealership to make a purchase could lead to being beaten like a baby seal.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

sda said:

And yet more fun. The Q5 windshield took a hit earlier this morning. My wife delivered some food to be taken to her parents. No good deed goes unpunished.

————————————————
That’s annoying. I’ve had that happen a couple of times but fortunately I only had to pay $50 for each replacement.

Since you’re here to make this post, I take it you didn’t blame Mrs.@sda for not avoiding that boulder.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

What am I missing with this 2011 Civic Hybrid besides the fact that it is 13 years old and they are asking $9K for it?

Maybe that since it’s at a Mercedes dealer they figure you’d be buying it for your maid. Hey, they’re giving you a $29 discount, what do you want? Cars.com says “great deal” on price and it does seem cheaper than comparables. No accidents, one owner. CarFax indicates 6k oil changes. My only concern would be the hybrid battery.

Is this going to be for your kid? You could buy worse cars. Reliable, not overly powerful, should keep him out of trouble.

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

@28firefighter said:

So....here is my story for the afternoon. TL;DR - don't be like me.

The Audi was filthy - it's clear they didn't do much of a detail at all. So I decided, this afternoon I would give it a good wash and wax. Start my usual routine - dry the car and notice - "man this paint feels really really rough." And then...I panic.

The following stream of consciousness went through my brain as my blood pressure went up:

"oh my god oh my god oh my god I finally did it - I stripped the clear coat off the car with the pressure washer. Did I use the wrong nozzle? Was I too close? Oh god my wife is going to kill me....."

And then I realized - the dealer mentioned they had taken some tree sap off during prep. I bet this car was parked outside and given the seattle treatment (never seen a wash that wasn't falling from the sky). Go in the garage, get my clay bar....2 hours later, 2 clay bars later and an entire bottle of instant detailer and we have solved the issue. I'm taking a break for a bit, but will go back out and put some wax on.

Stay tuned for more tales of the idiocy of 28FF...

We’ve all been there.

On the other end of the spectrum … I just did the unthinkable. I took the truck through the auto wash. Not proud of it… but have other things that need to be done instead of spending the time handwashing it.

This was after the truck actually did truck duties bringing a ton of junk to the dump.

I just took my truck through the brushless wash. It was too cold to hand wash and I wanted to get salt off the undercarriage. Why is that unthinkable?

oldfarmer50

sda said:

And yet more fun. The Q5 windshield took a hit earlier this morning. My wife delivered some food to be taken to her parents. No good deed goes unpunished.

Wow, that looks like a bullet hole!

explorerx4

@sda,
The Mustang has had one of those rock chips in the windshield for about 25 years.

tjc78

@nyccarguy
@oldfarmer50

I just know it’s not the best for the paint…. But I’m in the final 16 months of the lease. I shouldn’t even care!

oldfarmer50

Talk about an antique car:

https://www.mecum.com/lots/1116737/2015-flintstones-flintmobile-golf-cart/?aa_id=579561-0

Just sold at Mecum Houston TX $25000

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@sda,
The Mustang has had one of those rock chips in the windshield for about 25 years.

My F-150 had a small one. I got it fixed so it wouldn’t spread.

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

@nyccarguy
@oldfarmer50

I just know it’s not the best for the paint…. But I’m in the final 16 months of the lease. I shouldn’t even care!

Use the brushless car washes. Not as effective but gentle on the paint. No swirls. I compare those whirling brushes to washing your car with steel wool.

tjc78

@oldfarmer50 said:
Use the brushless car washes. Not as effective but gentle on the paint. No swirls. I compare those whirling brushes to washing your car with steel wool.

Unfortunately we don’t have many of those around especially by my shore place.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

Talk about an antique car:

https://www.mecum.com/lots/1116737/2015-flintstones-flintmobile-golf-cart/?aa_id=579561-0

Just sold at Mecum Houston TX $25000

————————————————-
I’ll bet it’s a rough rider.

Like they say in the biz…there’s a butt for every seat.

FWIW, I doubt that thing gets a wax job every year, if ever.

jmonroe

roadburner

On the subject of rental cars...
My son flew in to Phoenix for the Final Four (to meet with some sports bloggers and possibly some people from ESPN) he found out his rental car reservation had been cancelled-and renting another would cost serious money. He is NOT happy.

tjc78

@roadburner said:
On the subject of rental cars...
My son flew in to Phoenix for the Final Four (to meet with some sports bloggers and possibly some people from ESPN) he found out his rental car reservation had been cancelled-and renting another would cost serious money. He is NOT happy.

I was recently there for work. That airport and rental car center is a zoo.

corvette

I am pretty sure it was my trip to Phoenix where I happened upon a guy at the off-ramp to the rental center unloading his belongings from a white Mercedes ML rental he had just stuffed into the concrete wall (popping the curtain airbags) into another white Mercedes ML. Truly one of those "WTH did I just witness?" moments. Did the rental company give him another identical car instead of telling him to sit this one out?

nyccarguy

@roadburner said:
On the subject of rental cars...
My son flew in to Phoenix for the Final Four (to meet with some sports bloggers and possibly some people from ESPN) he found out his rental car reservation had been cancelled-and renting another would cost serious money. He is NOT happy.

That stinks. There was a Seinfeld episode about that eons ago. What did he end up doing? What company did he rent from?

stickguy

the rental we picked up at Newark was from Enterprise. Van itself was nice and clean, and the agent in the garage that took care of everything was great. Friendly and efficient. Even told us that having the EZpass stuck up by the windshield on that van would not work well because they get blocked sometimes, and went and got a suction cup transponder holder and told us where to attach it.

Much better experience than picking up from Hertz for the way down.

also, on the way to the counter, we passed a big window where you could see into the prep center. Looked like a cross between a gas station, and an assembly line. Multiple rows of cars with doors and trunks/hoods open, gas pumps (looked like!), vacuums, all that stuff. I assume there was some sort of wash area too.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

@roadburner said:

On the subject of rental cars...

My son flew in to Phoenix for the Final Four (to meet with some sports bloggers and possibly some people from ESPN) he found out his rental car reservation had been cancelled-and renting another would cost serious money. He is NOT happy.

That stinks. There was a Seinfeld episode about that eons ago. What did he end up doing? What company did he rent from?

Haven't heard yet.

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

On the subject of rental cars...
My son flew in to Phoenix for the Final Four (to meet with some sports bloggers and possibly some people from ESPN) he found out his rental car reservation had been cancelled-and renting another would cost serious money. He is NOT happy.

————————————————-
You should have told your Son to contact the 2 Enterprise execs we have in here. They’d have straightened out that location in no time.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

@roadburner said:

On the subject of rental cars...

My son flew in to Phoenix for the Final Four (to meet with some sports bloggers and possibly some people from ESPN) he found out his rental car reservation had been cancelled-and renting another would cost serious money. He is NOT happy.

That stinks. There was a Seinfeld episode about that eons ago. What did he end up doing? What company did he rent from?

I may be biased but those look like Hertz colors.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:

@roadburner said:

On the subject of rental cars...

My son flew in to Phoenix for the Final Four (to meet with some sports bloggers and possibly some people from ESPN) he found out his rental car reservation had been cancelled-and renting another would cost serious money. He is NOT happy.

That stinks. There was a Seinfeld episode about that eons ago. What did he end up doing? What company did he rent from?

I may be biased but those look like Hertz colors.
————————————————
Looks like it. Probably before @Sandman6472 straightened up and move onto Enterprise.

jmonroe

ab348

nyccarguy said:

That stinks. There was a Seinfeld episode about that eons ago.

Attendant: I know what a reservation is for sir.
Jerry: I don't think you do. You see, you know how to TAKE a reservation, but you don't know how to HOOOOLD the reservation. And that really is the most important part. (Jerry waving his arms) Anyone can take a reservation.

Attendant (after talking with supervisor): We do have a Ford Escort.
Jerry: I guess that'll have to do
Attendant: Do you want the insurance?
Jerry: Oh yeah, you better give me the insurance because I am gonna drive the hell out of that car.

Sandman6472

Having worked at both company's now, think Enterprise is the better company. Much better to their employees. Our boss is one of the best bosses I've ever had in my working career. I know most of my co-workers love the job. Think for a retiree who wants to get out of the house & make some extra cash, it's the perfect gig. Most of our days are from 8 am to 5:45 pm, give or take which isn't bad. Personally, I'd rather do a 10 hour day once I'm there but since the pandemic, those are few & far between. Like working the occasional weekend as it's usually just a 6 hour day and I like a 30 hour week if possible. We get paid bi-weekly unlike at Hertz, where it was weekly. I never had a weekly paycheck before and did get used to it!

Michaell

Met up with @breld, Mrs. @breld and @jpp75 and attended the Denver Auto Show yesterday.

As now seems to be the case with many auto shows, a lot of brands were not represented - MB, BMW, Audi, VW, Infiniti, Lexus, Cadillac, and Acura were not there. Still plenty to see, however.

Since none of us were really shopping for something new, we were able to comment without bias what we saw, what we liked, and what we didn't like.

What stood out to me? The fact that every SUV manufacturer is trying to duplicate the rugged squareness of the Land Rover Defender. The new Santa Fe was there - boxy, but not too tall. Lexus GX? Present, and boxy. New Toyota Land Cruiser? Same. I think the melted bar of soap approach to styling may be behind us.

I must also be getting old, as everything seemed to be more expensive than I expected. The only two vehicles I saw that were surprising, in the price department, were a Dodge Challenger 392, which stickered just under $60K, and a Kia Sportage SX-Prestige Hybrid, which was $39K.

The new Hyundai Kona is a looker - @Sandman6472, I heartily recommend one for your next car, when you're ready.

I sat in a Corolla SE AWD Hybrid, which I'd had my eye on, and didn't fit all that well. The Corolla Cross Hybrid might be a better fit, but certainly more expensive.

I'll let the others weigh in with their thoughts, should they decide to post.

roadburner

Turns out my son's budy was able to rent a van at a reasonable cost so all is well.

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

nyccarguy said:

That stinks. There was a Seinfeld episode about that eons ago.

Attendant: I know what a reservation is for sir.
Jerry: I don't think you do. You see, you know how to TAKE a reservation, but you don't know how to HOOOOLD the reservation. And that really is the most important part. (Jerry waving his arms) Anyone can take a reservation.

Attendant (after talking with supervisor): We do have a Ford Escort.
Jerry: I guess that'll have to do
Attendant: Do you want the insurance?
Jerry: Oh yeah, you better give me the insurance because I am gonna drive the hell out of that car.

————————————————-
That’s a classic.

I don’t know what year that was (and too lazy to look it up), but even my grandkids have seen that clip and the boys especially like the part about beating the hell out of the rental. My sole granddaughter said something like “that’s mean. Can you really do that”? The boys had to straighten her out.

jmonroe

28firefighter

I saw the new Santa Fe today while running errands. Reminds me of the Ford Flex more than a defender.