JANUARY 2013 CAR SPOTTERS THREAD!!!

[ocnblu]

We've been given a chance to start over. A fresh start of vehicle spots, if you will. Why waste it? Here's the place to post your peeks this January!

[Robert Hall]

Coming home from a NYE party at about 1:30 am this morning I was passed by a white '13 Camaro ZL1. Sweet. I've only seen 2 ZL1s on the road so far, and both have been white.

[caddycruiser]

Today while still down in southern Delaware for New Year's, an all new black cherry colored 2013 Avalon on road with temp tags. The fish mouth set it off, first seemed like a Lexus. Doesn't appear as bloated box anymore.

[caddycruiser]

Also tonight...

2 new black ATS sedans on the highway. Had to stare both times as when moving, its 100% CTS until you get closer and realize smaller with different details.

Also a crystal red new Regal GS in Delaware. That breaks an all time record of me seeing 3 GS's in 3 months.

[NeonLX]

I also saw a new Avalon...I'm so out of touch with new cars that I at first thought it was some kind of late-model Jaguar.

Not a bad looking machine.

[Lamar]

Saw a new Civic today while on campus. Drove past it (it was parked) and thought it was an Accord. The MCE makes it look bigger, I guess.

[GMTruckGuy74]

So on New Year's Day I made a stop at two dealerships (one former) to check on a couple of things.

First stop was at the former Pontiac-Cadillac dealership where I stalk an '87 Pontiac Grand Prix LE coupe with 90k original miles (those of you around long enough know the backstory on this car). The last time I made a visit to this ex-dealer I notes another '80s GP also took residence inisde of the garage; the car cover was off and it too is white in color.

First, the '87 GP LE I hope to be able to purchase one day:

The "mystery" '80s GP (seen uncovered for the first time):

The next stop was at Burlington Chevrolet, which completed it's modern Chevy dealership renovation about two months ago. The original draw was a GM CPO '12 GMC Sierra 2500HD Crew cab, but I was quickly drawn to something else:

The dealership is known for offering conversion trucks by Southern Comfort, in both 2WD and lifted 4WD trucks. The one above is obviously part of the dealerhip advertisment program with it's dealership-inspired custom wrap (this dealer is also known for selling vehicles with the custom wrap process; I've seen Cruzes & Sonics galore come from this place).

My next spotting there was another Southern Comfort truck, this time with a two-tone wrap:

I've always been attracted to these trucks when a custom "two-tone" is installed. I think GM missed the boat here by not offering two-tone coloring as a factory option.

[balthazar]

'55 Bel Air 2-dr post, big project, rotted floor & door bottoms, black primer, asking $5000.

'70 Chevelle SS convertible, fresh restoration, 396/auto, triple black, gorgeous, except..... it had been trailered and got flipped- entire body was mashed & crunched. I think other than a few exterior bits, you might get the seats, some of the dash, factory rims & the powertrain/frame out of it. It's available for $4K.

[Robert Hall]

Black car day...saw a black Lincoln MkT Town Car edition in it's natural habit (near the airport). Saw a house that had two black Chrysler Crossfires in the driveway, one coupe and one cabrio. Saw the black Lincoln Blackwood today that I see every few months. Saw a black 5th gen Camaro SS convertible, top down.

[bobo]

Saw a Scion iQ. I can't believe somebody actually bought one.

[caddycruiser]

Forgot, last weekend while in NYC, my first MKT Town Car stretch limo trying to make a turn. Looked cool, stretched and all.

[balthazar]

Got a chance today to look over a '98 S-class mercedees. It was a S320, so a 6-banger. Some folk gush on & on about how "class leading" this car is supposed to be, but what a sackful of Lie that is. Cheap, chintzy & low-rent inside; cheap plastics, the piece that wraps around the lower seat cushion is too close to the cushion, and it was all cracked & broken from getting in & out. Seat tracks are exposed. Most of the buttons were black plastic, set in plastic wood on the console. They weren't all even spaced, either- looked haphazard. The gauges were as plain & generic as in a '80s econobox. It had a tumescent carpeted horizontal bulge running below the dash, impeding knee room greatly- assumedly it was covering some low-hanging dash guts, but it was intrusive & weird. Headlight switch was clunky. No sensation of any design effort whatsoever. Had a decent headliner tho.

I keep waiting for popular hype around a given vehicle to come remotely close to being realistic.

[Lamar]

Got a chance today to look over a '98 S-class mercedees. It was a S320, so a 6-banger. Some folk gush on & on about how "class leading" this car is supposed to be, but what a sackful of Lie that is. Cheap, chintzy & low-rent inside; cheap plastics, the piece that wraps around the lower seat cushion is too close to the cushion, and it was all cracked & broken from getting in & out. Seat tracks are exposed. Most of the buttons were black plastic, set in plastic wood on the console. They weren't all even spaced, either- looked haphazard. The gauges were as plain & generic as in a '80s econobox. It had a tumescent carpeted horizontal bulge running below the dash, impeding knee room greatly- assumedly it was covering some low-hanging dash guts, but it was intrusive & weird. Headlight switch was clunky. No sensation of any design effort whatsoever. Had a decent headliner tho.

I keep waiting for popular hype around a given vehicle to come remotely close to being realistic.

*whispering* don't let smk see this!

[NeonLX]

Saw a 1991 Plymouth Acclaim tooling down a side street near my place of work. Did my heart good.

Seriously. I liked those cars.

[Robert Hall]

Saw a silver Facel Vega parked at a restaurant today, quite a rare sight.

[balthazar]

My buddy couldn't manage to sell his mint, white, 2012 take-off Silverado dually bed, so he mounted it on his '99 Ram 3500 cab/chassis.

Actually, the blisters on the Dodge's front fenders work pretty well with the dually fender's lines. Now it's a 'Dodgrolet Ramarado'.

[Robert Hall]

Saw a white 1st gen post-MCE Toyota Avalon that someone took the 'Japanese Buick' nickname seriously with...had a late '90s Le Sabre grille (more or less fit) and a Buick tri-shield badge on the decklid with a 'BUICK' badge.

[Robert Hall]

At lunch today I saw a Coubird (or Thundar)---a red '85-86 Cougar w/ a black '87-88 T-Bird Turbo Coupe front clip. Weird.

On the way home saw a dark gray Tesla Model S in traffic, first one I've seen in person..very sharp, looks bigger than I thought..

Edited January 12, 2013 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Drew Dowdell]

Must be a day for Telsas. I spotted my first one in the wild. Incredibly sharp sharp car going down the road.

[caddycruiser]

Cool Tesla!

I see Fiskers in Philly, but never a Tesla S yet. Now said, I'll probably pass 5 tomorrow. They are around here somewhere, they have to be.

[GMTruckGuy74]

I saw a Tesla S in white when I was in Scottsdale on December 1^st. I was impressed!

I've seen a few Fiskers tooling on the NJ Turnpike, and a couple on a car carrier on same roadway traveling southbound.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Did a drive through of a GM Auto Mall complex in Lawrenceville, NJ yesterday (Princeton Chevrolet, Coleman Buick-GMC-Cadillac) after stopping by the mother-in-law's for a visit. Won't bore you with too many pictures, but got my first sighting of all three new Lambda's in the wild:

Front comparison of the 2012 and 2013 Acadia's:

Surprisingly the wife liked this Sonic LTZ Sedan (not crazy about the hacthback):

Was hoping to get our first official spotting of a '13 Buick Encore on a dealer's lot. My salesman at the dealership I buy from told me that while originally expected at the end of December, the Encore's are now expected at the end of January. I guess we'll have our first up-close & personal look at the Philadelphia Auto Show next week.

[Camino LS6]

Just saw an early Plymouth Duster ('70/'71) in that ubiquitous olive-drab metallic Mopar used back then. Car was bone stock and clean - right down to the body color steelies and cop caps. Probably a slant six car.

Young guy driving it.

[NeonLX]

Friend of mine had one of those early Dusters back in the day. He used to take it out on the gravel road near the farm and do "reverse drops" with it--he'd get it going about 20 MPH in reverse, slam it into drive and stand on the accelerator, so the car was still moving backwards while the wheels were spinning furiously forward. And he'd do it repeatedly. The fact that the tranny & engine never grenaded convinced me of the utter reliability of the slant six and Torqueflite tranny.

Edited to add that the car was NEW at the time. This dude was seriously crazy; he piled up a gorgeous '67 Buick GS convertible in the ditch because he drove like such an idiot.

Edited January 15, 2013 by NeonLX

[Camino LS6]

I regret not getting a pic of the one I saw - it was like looking into the past.

[Robert Hall]

Saw an unusual '80s Chevy Astro this evening...silver, black lower body, side sliding door window and one on the left side but no rear quarter windows, instead it had short, vertical louvers right behind the sliding door and window on the left...with red pinstriping above the black lower paint and around the windows....unusual, some sort of special trim package?

[ocnblu]

Yup, Nomad, I think.

[NeonLX]

Groovy.

Edited January 16, 2013 by NeonLX

[GMTruckGuy74]

Saw an unusual '80s Chevy Astro this evening...silver, black lower body, side sliding door window and one on the left side but no rear quarter windows, instead it had short, vertical louvers right behind the sliding door and window on the left...with red pinstriping above the black lower paint and around the windows....unusual, some sort of special trim package?

Yup, Nomad, I think.

Chevrolet Astro RS/Sport, late '80s into early '90s:

Edited January 16, 2013 by GMTruckGuy74

[Robert Hall]

^ neat...I vaguely remember seeing those back in the day...

[Camino LS6]

Ford GT and a Lincoln Blackwood out cruising in the rain this morning.

[Robert Hall]

Saw a new red Dodge Dart today at lunch, first I'd seen on the road, pretty nice.

[ocnblu]

From Wiki:

Chevy Van Nomad

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the name returned again on a trim package for the full size Chevrolet Van. It featured five-passenger seating with swiveling captain seats up front, a bench in the middle, and a spacious cargo area in the rear with no quarter windows. It could be had with plaid upholstery and two-tone paint. It was offered along with SportVan, CaraVan, Commercial Van, and Cube Van.

I could swear there was also an Astro van with a Nomad package. Yes, the one Moltie describes is the one GMTG posted, but jeez... I wish I could remember where I sawr an Astro Nomad.

[Robert Hall]

Saw a black Dodge Dart tonight, making 2 I've seen on the road and both today. It was a light in the lane next to a silver blue Charger, need sibling resembalance in the taillights. Saw a silver ATS and a red Volt tonight also.

[NeonLX]

My wife pulled up behind a blue Dart at a traffic signal. She thought it noteworthy enough to bring to my attention!

[Robert Hall]

Saw a black Tesla S in Scottsdale this afternoon, 2nd one I've seen recently. Saw a gorgeous black '50 Caddy Coupe de Ville pulling into my favorite Italian restaurant...had a vintage California black plate.

[bobo]

I saw a Tesla Model S on Highway 99 in Sacramento. First I've in seen in person, and all I can say is wow.

[Camino LS6]

Spied this in my travels today:

Gorgeous machine.

[Turbojett]

red 2013 Boss 302. Had a Laguna Seca wing, but standard Boss wheels. didn;t get a good enough look at the rear emblem, so i have no idea. It was damn hot though.

I've also seen a few ATSs out n' about, too. Very sharp looking cars (no pun intended).

also, so help me, I saw a Yellow Dart.

Must be a day for Telsas. I spotted my first one in the wild. Incredibly sharp sharp car going down the road.

2013-01-12 15.27.19.jpg

2013-01-12 15.27.22.jpg

That does it. This has taken the top spot as the best custom license plate I've ever seen.

[GMTruckGuy74]

We saw our first production 2013 Buick Encore FWD yesterday at Lester Glenn Buick-GMC in Toms River, NJ:

Very impressive car and size! My salesman at my B-G dealership emailed me Saturday morning to say their first 3 Encores have arrived too. Getting ready to go to the Philadelphia International Auto Show soon, so looking forward to sitting in one.

[Robert Hall]

I sat in the Encore at Barrett-Jackson on Saturday, along w/ the '14 Silverado, '13 Impala, and the ATS and XTS. The Encore seems Juke sized w/ a very nice interior.

[caddycruiser]

Darts. Everywhere. All of a sudden this month, I see new Darts everywhere more than once a day on the road, plus the one a neighbor bought.

Even odder, except for one that was white and one that was a lime green-yellow color, all others have been a medium gray with upgraded wheels. Look nice on the road. Seem to be catching some sales traction.

[NeonLX]

I still ain't seen but one Dart. And I live less than two hours north of Belvidere.

Mrs. Me saw one the other day and actually called me on the cellphone to tell me (and she doesn't like cars).

Edited January 23, 2013 by NeonLX

[Robert Hall]

Saw a blue Dart yesterday...never saw any until about a week ago, then I've seen 5 within the last week. Always seems to be that way w/ spotting new cars for me.. see one, then they multiply.

[caddycruiser]

A new looking (dusty here thanks to road salt remnants) blue Alfa Romeo sedan, driven by a little elderly guy. Haven't seen one of these in a very, very long time.

Also, a newly arrived 2013 Civic base sedan parked amongst other new Accords:

And a blue 2013 Civic out & about driving on the streets later. The chrome details, new wheels and other visual changes make a huge difference on this car, and brighten it up a ton.

[Robert Hall]

On my commute this morning I saw a gray Nissan Cube with the license plate I should have registered---'Cubical'.

[ocnblu]

OMG we've found your new car! How perfect is that?

[Robert Hall]

OMG we've found your new car! How perfect is that?

heh-heh..with that one, the plate refers to the car probably, for me it would refer to my work life...though w/ my current consulting gig, I don't have a cube...

Edited January 29, 2013 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

I haven't seen anything worth reporting in far too long. Just the usual mass production mainstream plastic boredom pods...

[NeonLX]

Walking back to the office today, I heard the unmistakable sound of an inline six exhaling through a rusted out exhaust system. Turned out to be a 1975-ish GMC 1500 pickup, with a "292" badge displayed in the grille!

The tinworm hadn't totally digested the truck's cab & bed yet, but it had a pretty good start on it.

What a glorious day this has turned out to be.