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Comments
Can't wait til the first ice and snow here, a few X5s and X6s will be ditched
Yeah, AWD means more go but not necessarily more stop. Newbies get overconfident....
I have a simple snow solution. Here, where 4" or more creates armageddon, I simply stay home.
I wish more people would listen to me.
If only more companies did that. But then the entire micromanager class would be jobless, and they will fight to the death to retain their jobs. :sick:
Desktop VC stuff, too. Reduced our travel budget enough to pay my own salary many times over.
I'm trying to keep as many people home as possible. I benefit because it keeps people who don't know how to drive on snow (i.e. all DCers) off the roads.
I was in Potomac on Saturday, not sure where but I remember seeing an Elementary school.
Mostly, I was gawking at the huge houses.
Do you mean to imply that DCers can drive when there isn't snow? That's certainly not my experience.
We were just down there. Should have looked you up...
I take the Subaru to work when it's snowing, and either go in early or late to avoid traffic. No choice - I have to work, funny how you're essential when they need you but not when pay raises are handed out. :sick:
Yeah, Potomac is pretty nice, did you see Avenel for instance?
By the square foot, though, Bethesda and Great Falls (VA) are even more expensive. That's why you see bigger houses farther out.
City towns are popping up in Bethesda in the millions. With zero yard space. :surprise:
When it comes to snow, I think the problem is we don't get enough consistent snow that people ever really get good experience. People literally abandon cars on the side of the road when we get 2", it's ridiculous.
When I travel I also notice other regions have better drivers (not hard).
Texas - the best I've observed, trucks will pull to the shoulder to let you by. Unreal. That would *NEVER* happen in DC, they would sooner die than let you pass.
Floria - the fastest. The flow must average 10-15mph faster than DC's highways. Not sure if it's congestion or speed limits, or flat land, but I love how quickly you can cover long distances there.
DC - the worst tailgaters and rubber neckers you've ever seen, they should just stay home and not drive at all. One sneeze can cause a traffic jam.
Personally I think it is a generational thing where you have a generation of immature people some in their mid 40's now for crying out loud, that were raised on video games, texting, ranting on forums, and a general disrespect for each other ( regardless of what brand of car they drive, GM, Toyota, Mercedes, etc.).
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203611404577041691687370310.html
KBB forecasted Toyota on top, while ALG picked Subaru.
I own one of each so I'm not complaining! :shades:
http://www.bizjournals.com/prnewswire/press_releases/2011/11/16/LA06359
Lexus, a division of Toyota Motor North America, Inc., claims the top ranking among luxury brands for the first time since 2007. The Lexus CT 200h also won the Luxury Hybrid/Alternative Powertrain segment.
"Lexus has fully bounced back from its recent challenges, proving that it is one of the strongest brands," said Mr. Sundaram. "The brand is extending its reach with exciting and affordable new models like the CT 200h, while continuing to provide great luxury and value across the lineup. Lexus' reputation for value and customer service is also key to its dominance among luxury brands."
Toyota swept the pickup categories, with the Tacoma winning the Midsize Pickup segment and the Tundra winning the Fullsize Pickup segment.
So much for their "accuracy," which is frankly no better than a crystal ball I once saw in a flea market.
Yes, they're taking risks by standing behind their products, but they are standing behind their products...
I looked at Hyundai's numbers, and I'm sure I could make more money starting an independent business "assuring" Honda's real life real world values even better than Hyundai's program.
The numbers seemed pretty low to me, but at least it provides a decent worst case doomsday bottom line scenario.
Honda will be OK. They need to get back to their old customer focus though. Apparently premature Tranny and AC issues, and buff magazine inspired oddball designs are holding them back a bit these days.
Personally, I think over time people will realize that while Hyundai is much improved, it is maybe not quite as special as some make them out to be. I also think some of their styling, like the Sonata, is already looking a bit tired but I know there is a lot of differing opinion on this right now.
I think GM will settle in over the next few years, but Chrysler's sudden surge will end up with many Mopar trade-ins in the next 3-5 years (for other brands) as the current payments are finished.
The one I wonder a bit about is Ford. It will be interesting to see how the domestic market reacts to its Euro-ness?
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
I think Hyundai did the right thing with the Sonata's styling, by differentiating it from its main competitors. It's easier to gain market share on Camry and Accord with fresh styling than by immitation. As is true of any styling trend, Hyundai will have to refresh it, and eventually go in a new direction, because trends go in cycles, from conservative to aggressive, back to conservative. Since Korea is generally acknowledged to be the design leader, for style, in Asia - roughly what Italy is to Europe - Hyundai (and Kia) have good resources to draw on.
"I think GM will settle in over the next few years, but Chrysler's sudden surge will end up with many Mopar trade-ins in the next 3-5 years (for other brands) as the current payments are finished."
I think it's too early to make that prediction for Chrysler, because...
1. Jeep is very strong, and Sergio Marchionne is aggressively taking it global. The future looks very bright for Jeep, in my opinion.
2. Ram is gaining market share, and it's very difficult to know how separating Ram from Dodge will play out.
3. While the current Chrysler and Dodge cars are rather stale, new replacement platforms from Fiat will begin arriving in 2012. Since we haven't yet seen them, it's impossible to predict whether they'll have what it takes to retain current Chrysler and Dodge owners at trade-in time. The first new model, the replacement for the Caliber, will be displayed at the Detroit Auto Show in January. That should give us an idea of whether Dodge has the attributes to compete in the compact car segment.
Don't follow Toyota closely enough to tell you, but Subaru offers a Guaranteed Trade-in Value program if you trade up to a new Subaru, and the allowances are generously high. As in KBB value high.
There are certain rules about age and mileage, I think they want them for CPO re-sale.
Bingo.
I had a Taurus with 7k miles that had the stench of cigarette smoke. I had to take it back. You could not give me that car.
Right now we have a Sentra with 8778 miles, and it smells pretty bad, too. Something is wrong with the driver's seat cushion. I doubt it's faulty foam, surely prior misuse/abuse.
Don't even get me started on the Lancer we rented in Puerto Rico. A one year old rental feels like a 10 year old car.
It's like sampling a mattress at a cheap motel. It may be lumpy, dirty, even smelly, but it's not a fair assessment of how a Serta would perform in your house.
What's wrong with autocrossing?
If a car can't handle being driven, then it shouldn't be built!
History does repeat itself. It already has. Bailout #3 is around the corner.
One night, back in 1989, IIRC, the brand new, red-hot Miata pulls up. My buddy gets it, though. Bummer!
I couldn't find him for the next 15 minutes. Later he admitted he went for a joy ride, top down. Got away with it, too.
I almost got fired for autocrossing the owner's wife's Dodge Caravan thru the twisty garage. She was in the restroom and heard the tires squeeling. From the vents, I guess? Busted.
What saved my job is that I had a tire guage and was able to prove the air pressure was low. Phew, close one.
Even offered to find a service station to air them up. She passed.
I'm not proud of it but she was The Devil and cheated on her husband with the restaurant manager, so I didn't feel guilty about it.
Should have loosened her lugs or cut a brake line :shades:
Interesting and good analysis, but I've still got my doubts. Dodge (now Ram) has had upticks before with its trucks only to have lousy reliability and durability bring them right back down. New Fiat based models, you're right - time will tell. However, having just experienced Mopar's new V6 I've got to say it is far from impressive, let alone competitive. As I stated, I'm curious how this Euro thing is going to work out for Ford and its new world cars. Maybe Fiat will make a difference, but it seems that over history European gets press, but doesn't necessarily sell in this country. Sure, BMW is popular, but its also status and expensive. VW seems to be modifying their Euro design and Americanizing for the US market. I do think Marchionne is doing a great job for what he has though.
As for Hyundai, I agree with you. But there is a drawback to heavy styling - it has to be refreshened more frequently as you have noted. That can be expensive and pinch resale values.
What about suspension and drivetrain wear, which may not be immediately noticeable, but which will require premature replacement or repair of parts and components?
Good points!
One time this guy drove up in a beater Datsun, I opened the door for his girl, treated him well. $20 tip. Booya! :shades:
Parked Larry King's Lincoln Town Car 100 times. Cheap son of a gun used to tip just one single dollar, and on top of that he always had special instructions. His car stunk to the heavens with smoke.
Most generous tippers: Wilbur Marshall (Redskins player) and Paul Barry (news anchor).
Funny thing is a luxury car did *NOT* correlate with a larger tip, far from it. It was the young guys with a hot date who would tip best.
Toyota and other Japanese automakers recently have been ramping up cautioning rhetoric about their ability to maintain domestic production levels as the consistently strengthening value of the yen erodes profits from exports."
Toyota Threatens To Shift Japan Capacity To U.S. (AutoObserver)
With a US workforce in the South that is willing to work for a living, Toyota could add to their sales volume in the USA. As people slowly get over buying D3 just because of the name.
Going to make 150,000 Corollas there, at least initially. I think all the hybrid production comes from Japan.
They must really skip on the rust resistant coating.
People are always wanting JDM stuff that you can't get in the states, if only for the uniqueness.
VW sure tweaked their Passat for the US market.