Sunday lot observations

[mustang84]

Today was a beautiful day so I decided to take the LS out for a drive and stopped around at the local lots. I saw my first new Taurus, a couple '10 Mustangs, and the new Equinox. What really surprised me was the lot traffic. The Ford-Hyundai-BMW dealership was packed with people; there were at least 6 driving around in cars and another 4 or 5 walking the lot. Most people seemed to be checking out the Ford side, although there were a couple over in the Hyundai area.

Then I went to the Lincoln-Mercury dealership and nobody was there. Drove down the street to the Chevrolet dealership and only a couple people...same with the Nissan one next door. Then I drove north to the BPG-Caddy dealership. The Pontiac sign is now gone and the new cars lot was practically empty. There were some new CTS's and some GMC's, but hardly any Buicks and no Pontiacs. IMO, it was one of the nicer dealerships in town but it looks so empty now.

Then I drove across the interstate to the Toyota lot, and there were a couple people in there looking at Corollas and Camrys, but nobody else that I could see. Last dealership I hit up was a Ford-Chevy-Pontiac one and there were a couple people there and also a nice black '05 or '06 LS V8 Sport with 17" chrome wheels. It was sharp.

If the lot traffic is any indication of July sales figures, I think Ford is going to do pretty well. The others...not so sure.

[A Horse With No Name]

Ford Hyundai and VW are the ones to watch IMHO.

Ford is our leading domestic right now

Hyundai from the far east

VW from europe.

I think once fuel prices go up again, the VW diesel thing will bring them a lot of sales.

Ford will do well with its current lineup, better with the new Focus and Fiesta.

Hyundai with the assurance program and warranty will do very well.

Chris

[regfootball]

the subie dealer and vw dealer i was at yesterday had major traffic. of course, i test drove the used astra at the vw dealer. man i want one.

anyways, GM dealers still do not seem to be getting love, nor chrysler dealers. i think hyundai is stealing the toyota lemmings / cr faithful right now. kia is doing well also.

i think mazda is doing alright. hard to know if nissan is suffering.

the industry is picking up. those like me whose life has been put on hold due to the economy cant really partake in the great deals right now, but the new model year, cash for clunkers, bankruptcy in the rear view, and stabilization of the dow i think have made it obvious to some folks that they cannot drive the rigs they have forever.......

[ocnblu]

New Legacies and Outbacks are freakin' HUGE compared to the outgoing model.

[A Horse With No Name]

regfootball...

Just get an Astra when you can. You will love this car. Not sure why it never got any love in the US.

And then Autocross it...at least once. Drive it at the limit and you'll know just how good that damned chasis is.

Chris

[Oracle of Delphi]

regfootball...

Just get an Astra when you can. You will love this car. Not sure why it never got any love in the US.

And then Autocross it...at least once. Drive it at the limit and you'll know just how good that damned chasis is.

Chris

Price point was too high ...

[daves87rs]

regfootball...

Just get an Astra when you can. You will love this car. Not sure why it never got any love in the US.

And then Autocross it...at least once. Drive it at the limit and you'll know just how good that damned chasis is.

Chris

+1

[regfootball]

New Legacies and Outbacks are freakin' HUGE compared to the outgoing model.

which is why now i would consider one. prior to now, it was of no use to me as it was too small.

they put the frames back on the windows, and gave the car enough room for family duty.

curb weight is still in check though. the outback with all wheel drive weighs less than an epsilon 2 malibu. the legacy or outback comes with a 6 speed manual option now. if you opt for an automatic, the CVT gets some pretty incrdible mileage too. based upon the weight and EPA ratings i would expect to get close to 30 highway with one. my taurux x does pretty well for its weight at 20, but i would like a vehicle to touch 30 i could use for trips too.

of course i gotta test drive it. the forester was a sucks ass vehicle to drive. can't recall any worse test drive i had (oh yeah, suzuki XL7)........so i hope the legacy / outback is the real goods.

to be honest i think the size increase will alienate some of their traditonal buyer base, but it will be more than offset by mainstream consumers and toyota defectors.

Edited August 3, 2009 by regfootball

[regfootball]

regfootball...

Just get an Astra when you can. You will love this car. Not sure why it never got any love in the US.

And then Autocross it...at least once. Drive it at the limit and you'll know just how good that damned chasis is.

Chris

i'd like to get one new if posible to use my GM card and get the sales tax exemption, but saturns business model really sucked ass for the car that had import / exchange problems. i put about 25 miles on that XR 5 door yesterday. it just feels right. the seat fits perfect. the steering wheel falls to hand beautifully. the shifter is a nice thick arm to grab onto. the steering is perfect and the ride and body control is too. i whizzed up cloverleafs in the perfect third gear and you'd swear it doesn't matter that the engine is only 130 some odd hp. its so much more of a solid and mature and composed and rewarding car than the FIT. The engine fits right in the torque band at whatever speed / gear you are in for what you need to do and the road feel is super and the clutch is butter. then i just cruised at about 65 and listened to the hum on the motor. not intrusize at cruising speed. the instant mpg readouts were amazing, the thing sips fuel. I love the dash and door panels. You would not guess there is much difference between it and the cobalt SS at normal driving speeds other than less acceleration. the astra is so much nicer all around, even if the SS is more roadworthy.

the astra is light and frisky where the jetta for example feels heavy and lard on the front end and the jettas suspension is a bit hoppy too.

by now there are likely no completely loaded astra XR's left and if there is the dealer is still trying for an insane price.

VW dealer was advertising 0/66 on the GTI's. think anyone will bite on that?

The 5 door astra XR is about right in terms of sporty for me. The 3 door with the 18 inch rims and summer tires rides a bit harder and the steering has a little more road impact coming through as well and i even think the 3 door must have a quicker rack too. Is that the case? The 5 door with 17's and good all seasons is fine for me.

The cobalt SS in contrast, you do not quite get the steering feel at lower speeds, but then when you do amp it up a bit you get how the steering is sport tuned and it obviously is bred for higher speeds and such. I kind of did not like the Cobalt SS clutch, a bit stiff and kind of late and grabby for what i would use as a daily driver. but that is being nit picky though.

i don't know if i should ever autocross. i think i would break the car. LOL.

Edited August 3, 2009 by regfootball

[regfootball]

Price point was too high ...

come on, where is the borger discount.......

i might be the only person in america left who wants to buy an astra......

Edited August 3, 2009 by regfootball

[capriceman]

come on, where is the borger discount.......

i might be the only person in america left who wants to buy an astra......

I own one and drove it once so far in the snow. once I get some time off Im going to take it down some Alaskan mountain roads!

[A Horse With No Name]

Price point was too high ...

True. But not much higher than the Civic, etc.

Still wish this car had sold well here.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

i'd like to get one new if posible to use my GM card and get the sales tax exemption, but saturns business model really sucked ass for the car that had import / exchange problems. i put about 25 miles on that XR 5 door yesterday. it just feels right. the seat fits perfect. the steering wheel falls to hand beautifully. the shifter is a nice thick arm to grab onto. the steering is perfect and the ride and body control is too. i whizzed up cloverleafs in the perfect third gear and you'd swear it doesn't matter that the engine is only 130 some odd hp. its so much more of a solid and mature and composed and rewarding car than the FIT. The engine fits right in the torque band at whatever speed / gear you are in for what you need to do and the road feel is super and the clutch is butter. then i just cruised at about 65 and listened to the hum on the motor. not intrusize at cruising speed. the instant mpg readouts were amazing, the thing sips fuel. I love the dash and door panels. You would not guess there is much difference between it and the cobalt SS at normal driving speeds other than less acceleration. the astra is so much nicer all around, even if the SS is more roadworthy.

the astra is light and frisky where the jetta for example feels heavy and lard on the front end and the jettas suspension is a bit hoppy too.

by now there are likely no completely loaded astra XR's left and if there is the dealer is still trying for an insane price.

VW dealer was advertising 0/66 on the GTI's. think anyone will bite on that?

The 5 door astra XR is about right in terms of sporty for me. The 3 door with the 18 inch rims and summer tires rides a bit harder and the steering has a little more road impact coming through as well and i even think the 3 door must have a quicker rack too. Is that the case? The 5 door with 17's and good all seasons is fine for me.

The cobalt SS in contrast, you do not quite get the steering feel at lower speeds, but then when you do amp it up a bit you get how the steering is sport tuned and it obviously is bred for higher speeds and such. I kind of did not like the Cobalt SS clutch, a bit stiff and kind of late and grabby for what i would use as a daily driver. but that is being nit picky though.

i don't know if i should ever autocross. i think i would break the car. LOL.

I thought I'd break the car too until I tried it. It will help your driving skills more than you can imagine.

Glad someone else here thinks the VW feels a little heavy. The astra is just right, and the MINI just wants to play.

But the VW GTI wants to grow up and become a fullsize German luxury car. And it shows. All FWD cars tend to understeer a little bit, but in stock form the GTI will plow like a John Deere if you autocross it.

Astra, MINI and Cobalt SS are all MUCH more responsive IMHO.

Chris