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

ateixeira · January 2010

It went from being a rental car you hoped not to get, to a competitive entry.

fintail · January 2010

I think the worst rental car now goes to the PT Cruiser. Even my 60+ year old mother hated the one she drove last year. How can those still be made?

andys120 · January 2010

I rented a PT Cruiser this fall; I asked for a Malibu or Fusion but they never give you what you ask for. :mad:

That said I didn't hate the PTC, it was a handy size and had decent power and economy. The only bad thing about it was the absurdly wacky steering ratio, it was like maneuvering a bus, not what I expected in a small car.

texases · January 2010

A rented PT Cruiser messed up half a day of a vacation two years ago. We rented a convertible to better see the redwoods and sights in California. The car refusted to start one morning, :mad: luckily in the hotel lot outside Yosemite and not at a parking lot inside the park. The rental company trucked up a replacement 4 hrs later. A Monte Carlo, :sick:

stever · January 2010

I reserved a car from Alamo last month down in Austin. Naturally they were out of the subcompacts I had reserved (er, yeah, that's why I reserve 'em - I like free upgrades).

They sent us down the aisle and told us to pick whatever we wanted among the dozen cars parked there. There was an HHR, two PT Cruisers, a Dodge Magnum, and the little white car we chose. A Hyundai Elantra. We came real close to taking one the PTs, but didn't make the plunge.

We put ~1700 miles on it; I did all the driving and found it quite comfy. Plenty of cockpit room for an Idaho wide stance driving position (I hate it when my knees get cramped by the armrest or console). It only felt a bit ragged flooring it onto the freeways up to 80mph. The only regret was that I forget to bring a UBS stick loaded with tunes.

fintail · January 2010

My mother was thrown off by the window switches being high on the console...she never even thought to look there. She had to dig out the owners manual to find them. She also didn't like it because she thought it was too loud, and kind of shoddily built. But at least it didn't break down.

Speaking of rental convertibles, a friend of mine rented a deluxe convertible (I forget from which company)..he got a Z-car...but the convertible top was jammed and wouldn't go down. He exchanged it for a Solara, which for some reason he liked. He's on the road now and called me this morning about his current rental. He reserved the cheapest thing, and he got it - a Kia Rio.

It makes one envious of the rental fleets I saw in Germany.

ghulet · January 2010

My mom, since her 300E died some two years ago, has been driving rental cars exclusively (I know, don't ask, it's a point of much debate). So far: a basic Mitsubishi Galant (liked), a Maxima (hated it, said it was a guzzler), Charger (hated, she referred to it as 'the Batmobile'), a Sonata (recent, she mostly liked) and several HHRs (she pretty much likes, for the cargo space). She's convinced, because of retirement and apparently so-so credit, that she can't buy a car....apparently it's better to spend twice as much on a monthly rental. :confuse: Because nobody else in the U.S. in a not-so-great financial position (never mind her home equity) has ever bought a car.

fintail · January 2010

Yeah, like all of our mothers can be, she's a little off. What's a monthly rental running her, maybe $600/mo? Even if her credit isn't perfect, I have to imagine she could get something of her own for that. I bet if she checked her credit report she would be pleasantly surprised, too.

I rented a Galant back in November...it was so-so. It was economical and had no problems even at 40K, but the throttle was way too sensitive for my tastes, and the interior plastics were less than impressive.

kyfdx · January 2010

HHRs are actually okay..

PT Cruisers... less so, but bearable..

Calibers... worst ever..

andys120 · January 2010

Actually a Cobalt was one of the better rentals I've driven in recent years, it was fairly lively yet economical. Much better than the PTC and a little better than a Focus.

The lame-o styling would keep me from ever buying one but it's a good temporary car.
IIRC the HHR is the same car with different bodywork.

kyfdx · January 2010

I will say.. if you are driving the HHR in an unfamiliar location, in the dark.. trying to follow a detour on your GPS, because a co-worker, (who drives for a living), failed to tell you that a major state highway was closed for a bridge outage (when you specifically asked him about the route you should take), and you slam on the brakes because the road is out ahead, and you need to make a left turn...

.. then, that box of donuts on the back seat will flip over on to the floorboard... but, you'll put on the flashers.. get out and pick them up and put them back in the box... and, never say a word when you put them out at the meeting..

Other than that, the HHR was just fine..

ateixeira · January 2010

I talked a friend out of a PT, asking him, "you really want a Neon-based multi-purpose vehicle built in Mexico?"

ghulet · January 2010

that sounds like a completely rhetorical situation, though. Still, I guess that could happen, though.

boomchek · January 2010

Would that be an Edmunds hosts' meeting by any chance? :P

qbrozen · January 2010

Saw my first X6 in person today. A bit better looking than in the pics.

boomchek · January 2010

One looked like a base model with ugly wheels. Dark blue. The other a yellow RS.

Not a bad car but not special looking by any means. I think the Challenger looks a bit more stylish.

ateixeira · January 2010

Same here, in terms of styling. I'll like the way the Mustang sounds the best, and the Camaro's performance. Any chance to combine the 3?

fintail · January 2010

Local MB dealer suddenly has a pile of new E-class on the lot...must have been 15 cars. Must be expecting good sales.

The diesel version of that thing needs to come back asap. I have read in 2011 we'll see a C250 diesel.

kyfdx · January 2010

Ha! No... we only meet in cyberspace!

lemko · January 2010

...champagne-colored Mercedes CLK 320 - a true hardtop - next to me in traffic where Oxford Avenue and Verree Road fork in Fox Chase in NE Philly.

fintail · January 2010

It may have looked new, but model year 2005 was the last for the CLK 320 IIRC...replaced by the 350 for 06 and with slight cosmetic changes in 07. :shades:

On the hardtop note, MB has offered at least one true hardtop model in the US each year from 1961-today.

anythngbutgm · January 2010

Saw my second new SRX this morning, once again this one was Silver. Looks decent but heavy. I also don't think it will age well over the long run.

I have yet to see a new Lacrosse on the road and the new Equinox is rare. Still only seen one new Terrain which is the same one I see every morning on my way to work. In contrast I've seen 2 new Sorrentos already and those things just came out...

Outside of Government Motors stuff, couple of GLK's, lotsa new Outbacks and Foresters, only one or two new Legacys mixed in with the numerous Accords, Altimas and Camrys out there.

As far as exotics, as expected none with all the white stuff around

anythngbutgm · January 2010

You know what I've been seeing a bunch of lately? Mitsubishi Outlanders! Even the brand new, redesigned model with the EVO nose has been sighted a bunch of times already. Heck, the first generation models 2004? can be found, I just saw two of them in a small in town parking lot over the weekend. Seems like a popular model or are they just giving big incentives on those?

ateixeira · January 2010

Outback and Forester are indeed selling briskly.

Legacy sedans are not being produced in large numbers, plus demand for Outback is stronger, so in the Subaru threads there are people having trouble finding loaded Outbacks and Legacy sedans, too.

Equinox is selling well - again it's a matter of not enough supply. Same for the Terrain.

fushigi · January 2010

I see the Outlander all the time. There's a red '10 GT in my garage.

There were just a couple of incentives on it when I bought it last month beyond the owner loyalty (which I got) and other day-to-day incentives like college grad & military. There is/was a Sam's Club deal on leases but leases don't make sense for my ownership pattern. There was also a 0% for 36 months, which I opted out of as I didn't want a payment that high. They may have added incentives since I bought; I don't know & the Mitsu site is down due to the California weather.

There were numerous improvements for 2010, including a better interior, more powerful & fuel efficient V6 with better AWD system, better stereo (now 710 watts), etc.

And Mitsu, following their typical advertise-one-car-at-a-time pattern is advertising the Outlander right now.

ateixeira · January 2010

That's the ad with the invisible people in it, right?

fintail · January 2010

I've seen several new Equinox and/or their clone in the past couple days.

Spotted a Taurus too.

ateixeira · January 2010

I see more Equinox (dozens) than I do Terrains (2 or 3). Wonder what the sales split is?

fushigi · January 2010

Yep. Not really the best car commercial I've ever seen but not bad and at least it is somewhat unique.

anythngbutgm · January 2010

Seen a bunch of the new Golf model (love the redesign btw) and this morning saw my first new GTi. I don't know what it is about the GTi but it just has the right look about it. The proportions, the short overhangs and the tight seams just makes it look so much more expensive than it actually is. I can't for the life of me figure out why no other automaker can come up with their own 2 door hatch like that with a hot drivetrain. Hey, maybe someone unexpected like Mitsubishi can jump into the ring, I bet it would be a gamechanger for them. I had hopes for Honda but unless they can make it a jacked up SUV over 5 times bigger and twice as heavy they won't go for it :P

lemko · January 2010

...just bought a new Chevrolet Cobalt sedan. It's sort of a greenish-silver color.

ateixeira · January 2010

Found it, for those who haven't seen it yet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vReZVussw7k

That reminds me of this Kia commercial with the hamsters, except it's all other cars that are invisible, besides the Soul:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUiO7Ouon9c

ghulet · January 2010

....but I just saw 'The Price is Right'; one of the showcase contestants overbid on his showcase, which included a Porsche Boxter, by $176 :sick: I wanted to cry for him. I very rarely see Boxters here in Chicago (they don't make a lot of sense here--well, once in a while I'll see one in the tonier neighborhoods, i.e., the Gold Coast and some north shore suburbs).

fushigi · January 2010

It definitely doesn't qualify as new but once or twice a year I'll spot a Delorean driving around Westmont. Then again my commute does take me past the Bentley & Lambo dealers. :surprise:

lemko · January 2010

...new black 2010 Buick LaCrosse at Bleigh and Oxford in NE Philly this morning on my way to work.

boomchek · January 2010

Last time I saw a Delorean anywhere in the wild was in Beverly Hills 2 years ago in Beverly Hills when I was with my wife on her business trip.

fintail · January 2010

Spotted another Taurus today...a few must be selling.

ateixeira · January 2010

I saw one on Canal Rd in Georgetown going home yesterday.

I dunno, not liking these narrow windows. I'm sure visibility was better on the Five Hundred.

Plus it just seems huge. The Fusion is more right-sized.

Of course from a Miata anything seems big.

fintail · January 2010

There's still a market for larger cars, I guess.

I don't like the gun-slit window trend, in the name of "safety" but also to give an isolated feel as demanded by the lowest common denominator driver who doesn't pay attention to their surroundings anyway.

The Fusion is a much more appropriately sized vehicle for me too. I remember someone mentioned the Taurus is reminiscent of the 65 Ford...in a way I can really see that.

fintail · January 2010

About a dozen new E class sedans and half a dozen new E class coupes at the local MB dealership this morning. Three Camaros at the Chevy dealership, and a Panamera sitting at the Porsche lot.

anythngbutgm · January 2010

Spotted 2 new 4-runners. Like the redesign but the last one was still my favorite. It's funny because I have yet to see an ad for this new vehicle, it's like Toyota is very quietly releasing this one with little promo.

Ironically, I saw an ad for the Volvo C30 this weekend. I've always criticized Volvo for not marketing this vehicle whatsoever and I was told here on the boards that they were not going to advertise this (then new) model. Glad to see they gave in and started advertising this cool, funky little hatch :shades:

ateixeira · January 2010

Our cub scout troop leader got a new one of these.

Roomy little bugger. I swear it has more useful room than a Civic.

lemko · January 2010

...a couple of new Nissan Muranos. Strange-looking beasts!

boomchek · January 2010

I don't really care for the design that much when I see it in person.

ghulet · January 2010

oh yeah, those Fits have an astonishing amount of interior space. Plus, unlike the majority of Hondas, you don't feel like you're sitting on the ground, or at least in a tunnel.

ghulet · January 2010

....but what is the difference between a 550i Gran Turismo (for which I've seen many commercials) and an X6 (which I have seen in person--they's UGLY)? BMW has a really dizzying array (48 models, not counting those with transmission choices) available in North America right now, good Lord. I can't imagine dealers even keeping one of each (even just the 'good sellers') in stock. Then you count interior color and textile choices, stand-alone options, packages, wheel/tire combos....it's like GM in the '60s. I'd think for their own sanity, they'd reduce at least a little of the redundancy, or at least otherwise streamline a bit.
Funny, in 1988 there were like ten or so models available in NA, most of which offered very few options.

ateixeira · January 2010

The 550i Gran Turismo is a 5 door hatchback version of the 5 series sedan. At least is adds utility to the equation.

The X6 is a "coupe" version of the X5, i.e. a low roof SAV with half the utility removed. BMW gives it more powerful engines to set it apart from the X5, but I'd rather have an X5 with the X6 engines.

british_rover · January 2010

The Gran Turismo also sits higher then the regular five series, has a longer wheelbase and is actually built on the 7 series platform.

I hope it actually does sell well as it will hopefully encourage SAAB to build an affordable five door hatch that actually gets good mileage and doesn't sit on stilts.

ghulet · January 2010

.....it's highly unlikely that the U.S. would receive it, what with SAAB having sold all of seven-thousand-whatever units here last year.

kyfdx · January 2010

Yeah... the 5-series GT is really a 7-series...

I've heard that all of the new 5-series will be moving up in scale, though..

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

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