Too bad that Pontiac is no more. GM could be capitalizing on the last season of Breaking Bad by selling the Walter White version of the Aztec. I have to admit that I get a vicarious thrill every time the narrative calls for punishing that design abomination. Will that particular Aztec now become a collector's item?
It sound as though tons of other businesses in Albuquerque are riding the coat tails of the series.
Those older farts like me will remember the days when they, or in my case, may parents, ordered cars. That included color, interior trim, engine, transmission and accessories. In my folk's case it was always a stripper
Gogi, I do remember a little of how cars were ordered in the 1950's, when I was a little boy. I remember coming down here to Florida from New York on a Super G Lockheed Constellation (4 hrs. and 20 min. flight back then) during Christmas break one year - I couldn't have been more than 8 or 9 years old. I remember my grandfather picking me up at Miami Airport in his 1952 Oldsmobile 98 sedan. It was very chilly in Florida that week, and when I got in the car, I asked him to please put on the heat - but he responded - I don't have a heater in this car. I found out that my grandmother's Chevy didn't have a heater either.
When I got back to New York, I remember telling my Dad about that and he responded that the heater in his 1951 Chevy was an "option"! Imagine, heaters in cars were an option back then - unbelievable. I think it was in the mid 50's when the government mandated heaters in all cars north of the Mason Dixon Line, but I also remember visiting my grandmother in Florida in the early 60's, and her manual transmission Chevy still didn't have a heater.
Free NAV updates. That's great, first I've heard of it. The way it should be especially on a Benz
After you posted this, I called my Benz dealership to find out if they charge for updates to the NAV in the 2014's and I was told they did charge for the service when an update is available, which is once a year. But, according to my service manager, he said that customers like me who do lots of business with the dealership are not charged for the service if it is requested.
Then, he told me - "...Mike, I don't even get an opportunity to change your oil or filter in your cars - and you are worrying about an update to a NAV system -you must be kidding..."!
I was replying to whoever said that a cell phone-based GPS was just as good as the in-dash one
What gets me aggravated about NAV/GPS systems is that the route they provide after either "requesting" or entering a destination is not always the best route. I needed to get to a doctor's office on University Drive in Coral Springs, FL from my house. I entered the destination and it routed me to Atlantic Blvd. and then west to University Drive. But the most direct route to University Drive from my home is via Royal Palm Drive - also less traffic lights and higher speed limit. So, I disregarded the NAV voice directions and was eventually re-routed using Royal Palm Drive after I ignored three attempts to get me to Atlantic Blvd.
I don't understand why the NAV systems do that. The same was true in my BMW and my Lexus. It directs you using low speed limit, high traffic streets rather than a more direct route. I was more interested in finding the specific building address than how I was supposed to get to University Drive - but I don't understand why it does that.
I have the settings correctly set, yet it does that a lot. It did the same thing in Orlando when I wanted to get from the hotel to the Turnpike South. It took me on major arteries and about 3 miles out of my way when I could have taken a more direct route.
I'm not sure why a la carte ordering is no longer viable for car manufacturers.
Because it's not efficient to put variables into a manufacturing system. Quality in manufacturing (in any industry) is based on designing something simply and putting it together over and over without introducing variables.
The Japanese were the masters of the above and they did a great job. Everyone followed their methods.
I'm quite disapointed with Nav on my 328. The screen is nice, map itself as well, but point of interest search is worthless, as is voice recognition for street address. It's not about my accent, most voice recognition programs understand me allright - including this for all other commands. I think the format of number-street-city-state, all spoken in one stream is too difficult for the computer to quickly sort through - too many variations. It's enough it drops it in one aspect and boom, I ask Ft. Myers Florida and get Colorado. Would be enought if it accepted segment-by-segment entries. Anyway, the experience is simply awful.
The alphabetical POI search is terrible, can last forever and often misses basic businesses that I know were around. BMW is so petty that they did not include any auto parts store in the database. Basically if you need a windshield washer, according to them, you need to go to the dealer.
The turn by turn direction feature is also not so great and is done by voice commands only, which means if I turned it off (I hate when the lady keeps talking over my music), the map is in wrong scale and I move fast, it's easy to miss the exit with voice turned off. Happened to me several times on interstates with densely spaced exits. I thought it would be next one, and before I knew it, I just passed it. A simple text of distance to next turn and its shape, just like in my portable Garmin, would solve this issue.
The unit is definitely NOT worth 2 grand price, even with additional integration features it has (BTW new models have those things standard, yet the navigation is still at same price). The updates are priced at outrageus $399 or something like that. Yeah, like I'm gonna pay to update this mediocre crap with similar mediocre crap at that price. Perhaps in 10 years.
The algorithms often use posted speed limits to determine the "fastest" route. No allowance for traffic, lights, turns. In that regard, my Garmin is even worse than my BMW factory unit, especially when time travel prediction is made. I also have alternative routing available on my BMW, but it's not always working well, either. Several times it would show me a route I KNOW was not the best. It is enought that it thinks it will take you 10 seconds less at those speed limits and it will put you there. A human being would never do that. I think over time they'll have some kind of "learn from others" feature, i.e. they'll interact with remote databases to post travel times and direct you according to those, not nominal speeds/distances posted.
I entered the destination and it routed me to Atlantic Blvd. and then west to University Drive. But the most direct route to University Drive from my home is via Royal Palm Drive - also less traffic lights and higher speed limit...I don't understand why the NAV systems do that. The same was true in my BMW and my Lexus. It directs you using low speed limit, high traffic streets rather than a more direct route.
There may be some settings you aren't aware of that may select shortest distance, shortest time, avoid highways, et al. My GPS' often don't take the way I would take because the route it selects is shorter - perhaps by yards.
The trouble is here is really no such thing as a "non refundable" deposit in mot cases. If the customer whines enough or go's to Small Claims Court the will get their deposit back and the store will get stuck with a miserable saleproof car to get rid of.
I would have bet big money that 1952 Olds 98's came standard with a heater but maybe not.
I can still remember newspaper ads for cars would state " Radio and Heater"
Growing up on the coast in So. California our cars had heaters and so did my early beaters but I can't for the life of me EVER remember using one and I mean NEVER!
If a heater core started leaking we would usually just bypass them and nobody cared.
A/C was rare too since summer temps were always between 68-75. When it hit 80 everyone went nuts!
No pressure if you don't have feedback, but this nice lady is asking about leasing an SUV. She doesn't need firm pricing or deals yet, as she's looking toward 2014... but make/model suggestions to look at might be welcome. And, of course, I have no idea what models consistently have lease payments that fit their budget. Also, I've told her twice that I think they're a great candidate for (re-)leasing, but please disagree with me if your opinion varies. http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f105381/404#MSG404
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Mike, just got the call for a gig at Hertz West in Pembroke Pines in the morning. We basically go back and forth to the BMW store and the Miami airport and Hertz's other lots down there. Our crew has the gig for Thursday and Friday so we'll get paid by the hour. The last few times I did this we've been pretty busy which is great...hate to just sit around doing nothing. This will be my 3rd day of working since Saturday so I'm pretty stoked as I just want to work as many days as possible with the ideal being every other day. Things really need to pick up though!!!
The Sandman
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)
My guess is that they aren't free to people who don't buy a new car every 11 weeks (or was it months?), but I could be wrong.
As I posted previously, they are not free but are comped for good customers! As for weeks or months - I still have the one I bought on April, so it must be months!
Why didn't I think of that before??? Let's go, I need to change it now. Wait the minute... Settings/Languages... wow what a choice: English, German, French, Spanish (I'm actually making it up, not sure if my BMW has even those four, would not be surprised if English/German were the only options there)... Polish? Nope... Any other Eastern European? Nope. Chinese? Nope. Indian? Nope Suahilli? Nope. Seems like you never looked into car's settings There is no Polish voice recognition software in any device sold in the US, let alone vehicle voice recognition command. Why would it be there? They don't even have one for much larger minorities, like Chinese or Hindi. It's too much effort for too little reward. I'm not sure if those guys even bother to do voice recognition for a Polish domestic market and would not be surprised if they didn't.
My Garmin actually has Polish language for menus and voice turn commands. It is full of grammatical and vocabulary errors (they obviously never bothered with a native speaker running even a basic test), but it generally works well enough to be understood, even if it's sligtly amusing. But we are talking highly advanced voice command, which is totally different. Even almighty Apple didn't bother yet to create multilingual Siri.
My gripe with the voice command is that address recognition format is simply useless. Unless the address is something really simple (easy street, easy town), it will simply not take it, native speaker or not. It is trying to fill several database fields at once from a continuous speach. What they should have done is allow field-by-field as an option, i.e. either speak the whole address, but when it proves difficult, allow "Number?", "Street?", "City?", "State?" format, as an alternative to the iDrive entries.
... but make/model suggestions to look at might be welcome
One exec at Kelly Blue Book picks these as the top choice in smaller SUVs under $25K
Among KBB’s top picks are eight models that were either recently introduced (the Buick Encore, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and Mazda CX-5) or were recently redesigned or refreshed (the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Toyota RAV-4, Kia Sorento and the Subaru Forester). Arguably the sportiest model on the list is the Volkswagen Tiguan – and it’s a worthy entry especially given its excellent 2.0-liter turbocharged engine – though we might question leaving out the segment’s other racy crossovers, the eccentrically styled Nissan Juke and the go-kart-like MINI Cooper Countryman.
For that matter, we could also make a strong case for including models like the unashamedly boxy Kia Soul, the family friendly Chevrolet Equinox and the mechanically similar Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, which for now we’ll just have to relegate to “honorable mention” status. *****************************************************
These retired people chose a 2011 Equinox which got good reviews in Edmunds but the steering and handling were not great. So, I doubt if they need or want a Tiguan. Only my opinion, but I would lean toward an Escape which gets good reviews and has a nice update. Or another Equinox although they probably need a refresh.
The CRV and RAV4 are possibles, but they may prefer to keep buying American. If they really want to save money they could buy back one of their current cars, since they have low mileage.
That's absolutely true. But, they asked for opinions, and we all gave them. I had a feeling they were trying to get the most car they can get for their monthly budget, and intend to trade cars every few years, which is what I based my response on. Financially, they'd be better off doing what you suggested, which is buy a nice car and keep it for awhile, but my spidey-sense said that's not likely in their plans.
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The Monte Carlo of this era has always been one of my least favorite cars. I call it a "stupid design." Long front, long swoopy back, with not much in the middle. How could it get worse? Well... as seen on our drive to St. Louis a couple of weeks ago (I was the passenger, no fear).
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My S.O.'s rental car in S. California this week. No idea how he scored that.
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Is anyone else bothered by the off-kilter juncture in the beltline of the newest Honda Odyssey? It looks as though the panels are mismatched between and below the two rear windows. It makes the van appear as though it was rear-ended and not repaired. I realize it's merely cosmetic, but it just looks wrong. Anyway, at least it's not as ridiculous as the Aztec or Rendezvous. I'd still take a Odyssey over any of the competition if I was in the market for a minivan. My brother has an 01 or an 02 I think and even then it was loaded with plenty of nice accessories.
I hadn't looked before now, but yeah... that bothers me. It's weird, and while sometimes "weird" can be interesting or unique (think Saab), this is not that kind of weird.
But again, like you, if I were in the market, that wouldn't deter me. I don't particularly care for the design of any minivans, but that's not why you buy them.
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Ah, I was going to do a picture but it can't be done until repairs are made. But, I always thought that back side window looked wierd.
I think they had one stylist who started ant the front and one started at the rear, and they got something wrong and just didn't meet at the right place.
Kirstie had a pix of an old huge Monte Carlo and I tried to reply but couldn't - and now her message is gone!
. I call it a "stupid design." Long front, long swoopy back, with not much in the middle
I tried to do a reply but it wouldn't let me, had to start a new thread. But, I agree, that is one of the best examples of a terrible design. A huge long hood and long trunk, but not much room for passengers. Also, small windows and poor vision.
It makes me think that is an example of really bad excessive design. But, "the Good old Boys Love Them", or people who are impressed with lots of macho metal, but little real substance.
I'm sure isell is going to say, It's just a misunderstood design. HA HA!
That is really funny. I think he would also say who really cares if the windows match up, as long as it gets him from A to B economically why worry about it?
I'm sure isell is going to say, It's just a misunderstood design. HA HA!
One other thought. I think the designer wanted to break up the standard minivan design, and instead of having all the windows even he put a dip along the lower window line - so it would breakup the minivan look.
When I see one I always think, that design is just wrong. But, the Odyssey is the Top Rated minivan, so they got something right.
But, no, I hadn't noticed nor would I be bothered.
Isell, I am just being silly, but aren't you supposed to be passionate about what you sell? Like, let me show you this beautiful Odyssey, they even made it look more like a sports car by breaking up the square van look,
AS OPPOSED TO;
I don't pay much attention to the looks of a minivan.
It's a MINIVAN and not a thing of beauty. I have one right here in mud brown, who cares about the color anyway? Oh yeh, there are no extra options but you don't really need most of them. No a/c, don't worry you can always roll the windows down - at least the front ones. A.M. radio only, but hey, you get some music and a few talk shows, maybe some farm news. No GPS but we'll throw in a few road maps. No moon roof but that's just a hassle, if you leave it open the seats will get wet - and since they are cloth they will take some time to dry - no moonroof is a good thing.
I am just having some fun and being silly, I know you wouldn't sell cars that way. But, a salesman does face objections and has to have a way of answering them. How do you answer about that strange design?
I don't pay much attention to the looks of a minivan.
Not to be too morbid, but in silhouette, the new Odyssey looks like a hearse. Nonetheless, my daughter has a 2007 with 206,000 miles on the odometer. The '07 rides like a charm and if the new model is anywhere close to the ride comfort for driver and passenger as the old, then it is the ultimate minivan. Oh, and by the way the new model even comes with a built-in vacuum cleaner. Nice touch!
On Wednesday, my wife, daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren (six of us) went to Martha's Vineyard on a day trip. Since this was a last minute decision we could not bring our daughter's Odyssey on the ferry. No problem, so we decided we would rent a car on the Vineyard.
Well, what do you know, no rentals except for a Corvette. The constant refrain was Obama is in town and we are all sold out. So in a desperate move we decided to take a Minivan 4-hour taxi tour. It cost us $350 for the privilege.
Our driver/tour guide was pretty nice. He took us to the usual places, except for the section where Obama is vacationing. Every restaurant was full so we had to wait in a long line for a tourist-trap meal. Forget about the Black Dog Restaurant, the wait was too long and furthermore it was difficult to seat six anyway.
Moral of the story, if you want to explore the Vineyard, book your reservations long in advance, especially if you're going to ferry your car. Everything is expensive, especially petrol at $4.79 a gallon. If there is a recession there was no sign of it on the island. It was as if we were in a different or parallel universe. No wonder Obama and the beautiful people hang out on the Cape regularly.
Finally, was the trip worth it? Perhaps. But that $350 cab ride will forever haunt me.
Oh, by the way, I learned something new...that Martha's Vineyard was once part of New York State.
I think that term is bordering, if not past, the line of being offensive.
Well, to me it is a Smoky and the Bandit kind of car. Sorry if I offended any one. I have a friend who loved his Monte Carlo that looked just like that one, he thought it was great because he was pretty big and he liked the large amount of space in the front seats.
To me, it has all the elements of bad design. I know there are enthusiasts who love cars like the MC. But, that's why they make them, someone will think it looks gorgeous.
I don't like the look of the Honda mini van either, but I bet that they dropped that rear window panel down to increase the rear/side vision for the driver. I don't think Honda would make something that ugly without a reason.
I think what I enjoyed MOST about that particular Monte Carlo was that it had been painted peach.
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but I bet that they dropped that rear window panel down to increase the rear/side vision for the driver. I don't think Honda would make something that ugly without a reason.
The kink is designed to allow the line of the 3rd window to meet up with the crease on the hatch. If the line had continued to rise, it would have met the hatch about 1/3 of the way up the rear window. It also allows for a larger third row view allowing more a roomier feeling interior and reduce the chance of car sickness.
It's another styling cue used to reduce the mass of the van. The rising belt line through the first 2 rows tricks the eye into thinking the van is much sleeker than the previous model but the current design is only 1 inch lower than the previous one.
Well that's the vineyard in August. It's one of the most popular summer tourist spots in New England and it's not easy to get there on the spur of the moment.
Moral of the story, if you want to explore the Vineyard, book your reservations long in advance, especially if you're going to ferry your car.
IIRC, the off island owners nake their reservations in February when the ferry releases the slots. Kind of like what it was getting Sox tickets in January.
When that design first came outI thought it was jarringly bad. The lines looked like the visual equivalent of nails on a blackboard. As the years go by I'm less in hate with it and now consider it quirky. Maybe because I read an article that said the SS Monte Carlo had the most hp/pound of any car sold.
I still wouldn't drive a peach one though.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Comments
It sound as though tons of other businesses in Albuquerque are riding the coat tails of the series.
Gogiboy
A YEAR later??? Wow, you have a lot of patience.
Gogi, I do remember a little of how cars were ordered in the 1950's, when I was a little boy. I remember coming down here to Florida from New York on a Super G Lockheed Constellation (4 hrs. and 20 min. flight back then) during Christmas break one year - I couldn't have been more than 8 or 9 years old. I remember my grandfather picking me up at Miami Airport in his 1952 Oldsmobile 98 sedan. It was very chilly in Florida that week, and when I got in the car, I asked him to please put on the heat - but he responded - I don't have a heater in this car. I found out that my grandmother's Chevy didn't have a heater either.
When I got back to New York, I remember telling my Dad about that and he responded that the heater in his 1951 Chevy was an "option"! Imagine, heaters in cars were an option back then - unbelievable. I think it was in the mid 50's when the government mandated heaters in all cars north of the Mason Dixon Line, but I also remember visiting my grandmother in Florida in the early 60's, and her manual transmission Chevy still didn't have a heater.
Those were the days!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
After you posted this, I called my Benz dealership to find out if they charge for updates to the NAV in the 2014's and I was told they did charge for the service when an update is available, which is once a year. But, according to my service manager, he said that customers like me who do lots of business with the dealership are not charged for the service if it is requested.
Then, he told me - "...Mike, I don't even get an opportunity to change your oil or filter in your cars - and you are worrying about an update to a NAV system -you must be kidding..."!
Case closed!!!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
What gets me aggravated about NAV/GPS systems is that the route they provide after either "requesting" or entering a destination is not always the best route. I needed to get to a doctor's office on University Drive in Coral Springs, FL from my house. I entered the destination and it routed me to Atlantic Blvd. and then west to University Drive. But the most direct route to University Drive from my home is via Royal Palm Drive - also less traffic lights and higher speed limit. So, I disregarded the NAV voice directions and was eventually re-routed using Royal Palm Drive after I ignored three attempts to get me to Atlantic Blvd.
I don't understand why the NAV systems do that. The same was true in my BMW and my Lexus. It directs you using low speed limit, high traffic streets rather than a more direct route. I was more interested in finding the specific building address than how I was supposed to get to University Drive - but I don't understand why it does that.
I have the settings correctly set, yet it does that a lot. It did the same thing in Orlando when I wanted to get from the hotel to the Turnpike South. It took me on major arteries and about 3 miles out of my way when I could have taken a more direct route.
Go figure!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Because it's not efficient to put variables into a manufacturing system. Quality in manufacturing (in any industry) is based on designing something simply and putting it together over and over without introducing variables.
The Japanese were the masters of the above and they did a great job. Everyone followed their methods.
The alphabetical POI search is terrible, can last forever and often misses basic businesses that I know were around. BMW is so petty that they did not include any auto parts store in the database. Basically if you need a windshield washer, according to them, you need to go to the dealer.
The turn by turn direction feature is also not so great and is done by voice commands only, which means if I turned it off (I hate when the lady keeps talking over my music), the map is in wrong scale and I move fast, it's easy to miss the exit with voice turned off. Happened to me several times on interstates with densely spaced exits. I thought it would be next one, and before I knew it, I just passed it. A simple text of distance to next turn and its shape, just like in my portable Garmin, would solve this issue.
The unit is definitely NOT worth 2 grand price, even with additional integration features it has (BTW new models have those things standard, yet the navigation is still at same price). The updates are priced at outrageus $399 or something like that. Yeah, like I'm gonna pay to update this mediocre crap with similar mediocre crap at that price. Perhaps in 10 years.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
2018 430i Gran Coupe
There may be some settings you aren't aware of that may select shortest distance, shortest time, avoid highways, et al. My GPS' often don't take the way I would take because the route it selects is shorter - perhaps by yards.
I can still remember newspaper ads for cars would state " Radio and Heater"
Growing up on the coast in So. California our cars had heaters and so did my
early beaters but I can't for the life of me EVER remember using one and I mean NEVER!
If a heater core started leaking we would usually just bypass them and nobody cared.
A/C was rare too since summer temps were always between 68-75. When it hit 80 everyone went nuts!
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f105381/404#MSG404
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The Sandman
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)
My guess is that they aren't free to people who don't buy a new car every 11 weeks (or was it months?), but I could be wrong.
dino, why not set the GPS language to your home language. No more accent.
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
As I posted previously, they are not free but are comped for good customers! As for weeks or months - I still have the one I bought on April, so it must be months!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
My Garmin actually has Polish language for menus and voice turn commands. It is full of grammatical and vocabulary errors (they obviously never bothered with a native speaker running even a basic test), but it generally works well enough to be understood, even if it's sligtly amusing. But we are talking highly advanced voice command, which is totally different. Even almighty Apple didn't bother yet to create multilingual Siri.
My gripe with the voice command is that address recognition format is simply useless. Unless the address is something really simple (easy street, easy town), it will simply not take it, native speaker or not. It is trying to fill several database fields at once from a continuous speach. What they should have done is allow field-by-field as an option, i.e. either speak the whole address, but when it proves difficult, allow "Number?", "Street?", "City?", "State?" format, as an alternative to the iDrive entries.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
One exec at Kelly Blue Book picks these as the top choice in smaller SUVs under $25K
Among KBB’s top picks are eight models that were either recently introduced (the Buick Encore, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and Mazda CX-5) or were recently redesigned or refreshed (the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Toyota RAV-4, Kia Sorento and the Subaru Forester). Arguably the sportiest model on the list is the Volkswagen Tiguan – and it’s a worthy entry especially given its excellent 2.0-liter turbocharged engine – though we might question leaving out the segment’s other racy crossovers, the eccentrically styled Nissan Juke and the go-kart-like MINI Cooper Countryman.
For that matter, we could also make a strong case for including models like the unashamedly boxy Kia Soul, the family friendly Chevrolet Equinox and the mechanically similar Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, which for now we’ll just have to relegate to “honorable mention” status.
*****************************************************
These retired people chose a 2011 Equinox which got good reviews in Edmunds but the steering and handling were not great. So, I doubt if they need or want a Tiguan. Only my opinion, but I would lean toward an Escape which gets good reviews and has a nice update. Or another Equinox although they probably need a refresh.
The CRV and RAV4 are possibles, but they may prefer to keep buying American. If they really want to save money they could buy back one of their current cars, since they have low mileage.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
"you missed your turn, dummy!"
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I jumped in and gave her my opinion but I've learned that people usually end up doing what they planned to do n the first place.
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Gogiboy
But again, like you, if I were in the market, that wouldn't deter me. I don't particularly care for the design of any minivans, but that's not why you buy them.
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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Ah, I was going to do a picture but it can't be done until repairs are made. But, I always thought that back side window looked wierd.
I think they had one stylist who started ant the front and one started at the rear, and they got something wrong and just didn't meet at the right place.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
. I call it a "stupid design." Long front, long swoopy back, with not much in the middle
I tried to do a reply but it wouldn't let me, had to start a new thread. But, I agree, that is one of the best examples of a terrible design. A huge long hood and long trunk, but not much room for passengers. Also, small windows and poor vision.
It makes me think that is an example of really bad excessive design. But, "the Good old Boys Love Them", or people who are impressed with lots of macho metal, but little real substance.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
That is really funny. I think he would also say who really cares if the windows match up, as long as it gets him from A to B economically why worry about it?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
One other thought. I think the designer wanted to break up the standard minivan design, and instead of having all the windows even he put a dip along the lower window line - so it would breakup the minivan look.
When I see one I always think, that design is just wrong. But, the Odyssey is the Top Rated minivan, so they got something right.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
It's a MINIVAN and not a thing of beauty.
But, no, I hadn't noticed nor would I be bothered.
But, no, I hadn't noticed nor would I be bothered.
Isell, I am just being silly, but aren't you supposed to be passionate about what you sell? Like, let me show you this beautiful Odyssey, they even made it look more like a sports car by breaking up the square van look,
AS OPPOSED TO;
I don't pay much attention to the looks of a minivan.
It's a MINIVAN and not a thing of beauty. I have one right here in mud brown, who cares about the color anyway? Oh yeh, there are no extra options but you don't really need most of them. No a/c, don't worry you can always roll the windows down - at least the front ones. A.M. radio only, but hey, you get some music and a few talk shows, maybe some farm news. No GPS but we'll throw in a few road maps. No moon roof but that's just a hassle, if you leave it open the seats will get wet - and since they are cloth they will take some time to dry - no moonroof is a good thing.
I am just having some fun and being silly, I know you wouldn't sell cars that way. But, a salesman does face objections and has to have a way of answering them. How do you answer about that strange design?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Not to be too morbid, but in silhouette, the new Odyssey looks like a hearse. Nonetheless, my daughter has a 2007 with 206,000 miles on the odometer. The '07 rides like a charm and if the new model is anywhere close to the ride comfort for driver and passenger as the old, then it is the ultimate minivan. Oh, and by the way the new model even comes with a built-in vacuum cleaner. Nice touch!
Well, what do you know, no rentals except for a Corvette. The constant refrain was Obama is in town and we are all sold out. So in a desperate move we decided to take a Minivan 4-hour taxi tour. It cost us $350 for the privilege.
Our driver/tour guide was pretty nice. He took us to the usual places, except for the section where Obama is vacationing. Every restaurant was full so we had to wait in a long line for a tourist-trap meal. Forget about the Black Dog Restaurant, the wait was too long and furthermore it was difficult to seat six anyway.
Moral of the story, if you want to explore the Vineyard, book your reservations long in advance, especially if you're going to ferry your car. Everything is expensive, especially petrol at $4.79 a gallon. If there is a recession there was no sign of it on the island. It was as if we were in a different or parallel universe. No wonder Obama and the beautiful people hang out on the Cape regularly.
Finally, was the trip worth it? Perhaps. But that $350 cab ride will forever haunt me.
Oh, by the way, I learned something new...that Martha's Vineyard was once part of New York State.
Now that you mention it........................
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I think that term is bordering, if not past, the line of being offensive.
Especially when applied to those who dare to like Monte Carlos of the past.
>A huge long hood and long trunk, but not much room for passengers. Also, small windows and poor vision.
Why not apply test that to some current vehicles?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Been there done that. I would rather spend time around North hampton NH or Ogunquit ME. A lot less hassle and nice ocean, great lobster rolls.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Well, to me it is a Smoky and the Bandit kind of car. Sorry if I offended any one. I have a friend who loved his Monte Carlo that looked just like that one, he thought it was great because he was pretty big and he liked the large amount of space in the front seats.
To me, it has all the elements of bad design. I know there are enthusiasts who love cars like the MC. But, that's why they make them, someone will think it looks gorgeous.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Had a great time. Regrets? $170 pedicab ride in Central Park...
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They are regulating the pedicabs a lot more due to experiences like yours.
BTW, I miss all the buttons (Italics mainly)
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f09ff51/93377#MSG93377
I think what I enjoyed MOST about that particular Monte Carlo was that it had been painted peach.
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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The kink is designed to allow the line of the 3rd window to meet up with the crease on the hatch. If the line had continued to rise, it would have met the hatch about 1/3 of the way up the rear window. It also allows for a larger third row view allowing more a roomier feeling interior and reduce the chance of car sickness.
It's another styling cue used to reduce the mass of the van. The rising belt line through the first 2 rows tricks the eye into thinking the van is much sleeker than the previous model but the current design is only 1 inch lower than the previous one.
Moral of the story, if you want to explore the Vineyard, book your reservations long in advance, especially if you're going to ferry your car.
IIRC, the off island owners nake their reservations in February when the ferry releases the slots. Kind of like what it was getting Sox tickets in January.
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When that design first came outI thought it was jarringly bad. The lines looked like the visual equivalent of nails on a blackboard. As the years go by I'm less in hate with it and now consider it quirky. Maybe because I read an article that said the SS Monte Carlo had the most hp/pound of any car sold.
I still wouldn't drive a peach one though.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
And you passed that up??? You could have rented 3 of them for your party of six or sent 4 of them on a walking tour of the island.
Priorities man, priorities!
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
That's the same thing I thought when I saw the Lincoln MKT...
LOL
Totally different issue then.
Peach color doesn't help, but I thought almost all of them were maroon.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250