caddycruiser

Okay. It's not stopping. Part way in, I think we're up to around 5" or so...hard to tell, but close guess. Big & heavy. We shoveled around the cars to keep the driveway from getting too deep, otherwise the rest is as it is. And some dizzy street video:

Yes. North DE, dry and bright. Down here in beachy DE, let's just say it's white. "Delaware" keeps getting repeated on weather channels. And it's only just started. Didn't measure yet. I'd say maybe a start of 2-3"? The cars are looking taller.

I saw! Sorry for not responding yet. Promise I will!

I still do too. I wanted a "sports" package that also had some height & utility. The G8 was one rare car I was legitimately comfortable in...yes, again, I never should have gotten rid of it, but alas. The car aspect of the car I still didn't like. You can sure fling this ute around...the driving dynamics are impeccable. And red dash lights...one previous Pontiac aspect I always missed...my eyes love it. Friend loves the Avalanche "so nice". He traded in his 2009 Ram quad cab for it, a truck he bought pre-owned with 14k and traded in with 17k on it...after a year. Wanted more stuff. Having the factory Nav installed (I had it sitting around in a box, never did it) for him in 2 weeks. His only complaint is fuel mileage...drives like a nut, that's why. Zoom zoom zoom. I need a new sig. Good night.

Exactly. Again. Joy. The weather guy won't stop saying "Delaware", and of course the family felt it only fitting to keep the Weather channel on 24/7 today. Sun. Come back. Winter is eck. Blow east, just blow east and barely dust us...come on... Mom has taken the snow as a sign from God she was never meant to have a Camaro. Literally. Oh joy. Get 'yer shovels out...

Ho Ho Ho. Hope everyone is having a great day, and week to come. Now, about that snow...go away. Sunny Christmas's are grand too. Cheers to 2011. It is looking so much brighter.

Actually...well...if you go back to summer of 2008, it's been 6 since then...Fleetwood, G6, Malibu, G8, Avalanche and now CX-9. Some think I'm on a bizarre lease plan...but also are never shocked when I appear with something new. Working around them daily, and selling, it was natural. I sold this one to myself, which made fun paperwork. The fact that a friend WANTED my Avalanche and I wanted 2 sales instead of 0 in a day made it easy. The CX-9 seems to most like a family ride, and it is...but there's more to it. The overall experience & package, just stellar. I can't believe the "feel" of quality in the doors, seats, dash, etc. after what I have had in the past couple years. My G8 was closest in this way, but the rest quite a mix. Very nordic. Ski lodge trekking vehicle. Not just a FWD minivan based cube, by any means. It's different. No complaints, other than I wish Mazda could figure out how to make the Sirius sound as clear or clearer than FM. Robotic. After years of GM's with stellar XM & stereos, it's odd to adjust to. Things a brewing in many, many ways...moving, life, etc. It's just that time. The 6 other seats should stay empty, for the most part.

...and now Zoom Zoom daily. Surprise Since I started working at the Ford, Mazda, Nissan and Hyundai dealer in July, I've gotten to experience and try out a lot of vehicles, see what real customers say about them and see them in service. I started in Nissan, then moved to Mazda and have been with them ever since. It's a complete experience, and the owner's are more fanatical than any I've seen of the brands on sight, and the performance, quality, etc. Mazda was a brand I honestly didn't know much about before, but became all about very quickly. First few days I got to take a new CX-9 Grand Touring for some errands and was wow'd. Months went by, and so did the Avalanche. Loved it as well, but the bulkiness was getting to me. Like driving a living room with some nice pep and mileage (5.3L/6L80E sweety), but a truck and no doubt about it. I kept looking, I kept driving things, and as an employee, whatever I wanted I could make it work. Merry November/December, Mazda introduced a special holiday employee pricing program for dealer employees--the under invoice discount normally only Mazda corporate employees get. A fully loaded CX-9 was more than possible, AND a friend I used to work with...at random...called me out of the blue looking for an Avalanche "just like yours". The Flex was #1 for a while, tried a Taurus, the Maxima, a Fusion, the 6, the Murano, a MKS...kept coming back to the CX-9. The Flex I enjoyed before felt HUGE afterwards, just HUGE, and soft. Took me some time to figure out what I wanted specifically, then flipped to a 2011 vs. 2010 because we could make the pricing work and I liked the updates, traded my Avalanche and re-sold it to the friend in the same hour. Ta-da. Now zoom-zoom. And the Avalanche has a nearby home with an owner as OCD, if not more, than I was. I never could get comfortable in a car again after going up^^^, but missed how a car drove. This rides, handles and accelerates like a sport sedan, but I can sit higher and comfortably in a cockpit, have space for anything & everything, and the level of quality and fit & finish is like nothing I've had thus far. The only vehicle to come even close in quality was my G8. Feel of the doors, the dash, the doors, the quietness...it just oozes luxury and quality. It's a 2011 CX-9 Grand Touring FWD (again, beach land...AWD...no use), in Liquid Silver with Black Leather, Moonroof/Bose, Nav, Power Liftgate, Tow Prep, Moonroof Deflector, Remote Start, Roof Rack, Rear Bumper Step Plate, Splash Guards, and then I had the iPod Integration and (my must have) 3M Clear Bra installed. Dealer traded it from a dealer in North Carolia, so a friend and I had a fun roadtrip down in a 1-way rental (2011 Malibu...both of us enjoyed it a LOT), and got to break it in coming back. Before I bought the Avalanche, I drove Acadias and Enclaves...and was so close to saying yes. Just the right kind--although those weren't totally right, and a little large--package, regardless of the "mom" comments I got. Mazda found me, and the CX-9 knocked my socks off. Love driving it. Sport sedan with big guy space and practicality, and a 5mpg improvement over the Avalanche with my driving, so far. It zooms. Back roads have been fun, as have a couple roadtrips already. Zoom-zoom...big smile...interesting, ey

Happy Birthday and great picture!

Unless used to zip tie them to a padded room. WTF is that grille about... Wow. I continue to see more 80's Regals, Monte Carlo's and Cutlass's, new and different everyday, near where I work in MD than I ever thought existed. I literally think every other person there owns one, in some shape or another.

When these first showed up, they seemed hot with all the previous web chatter, etc. Very cool little car. But we sure haven't sold many...and if anything, lately we've sold more and had more interest in our Mazda 2's. Price point vs. size, drive, etc. I like the more loaded-ness of the Fiesta, but the Powershift trans is odd and the price climbs up quick. Common to the 2 and Fiesta, don't expect too much back seat or cargo hold and you won't be disappointed. Interesting little Ford. I like it. But it's not for everyone, and still a new market of sorts being upscale tiny.

Whoa. You win.

Sweet cars...will have to send the Coronet shots to dad. Infatuated with them, as he currently rebuilds his 4th, a 1968 440 Coronet. I'm 24 and now on car #6. Variety is great.

Nada. The 2010 9-5's have some stacked cash on them. Actually, even the just rolling in 2011 2.0T, etc. models also do. Fitzgerald's in MD has a good example of such pricing: http://www.fitzmall.com 1) 2010 9-5 Aero MSRP: $51780.00 Sale Price with Rebates/Cash: $40759.00 2) 2010 9-5 Aero MSRP: $53740.00 Sale Price with Rebates/Cash: $42523.00 3) 2011 9-5 Turbo4 Premium MSRP: $50140.00 Sale Price with Rebates/Cash: $43877.00 It's blowout pricing under cost, as they always do, but the rebates/cash are there too. Dealer cash, loyalty, rebates, etc. The 9-5's are super attractive, for a higher end larger midsize sedan that stands out...and the same for the old, but still graceful 9-3.

They have HUGE rebate/dealer cash on Saabs right now, so more likely than not, it's no demo just a great discount. I was just looking at new 9-5's that were nearly $10k off. Saab. Home of the econocar sized discount.

The 2010 and earlier Elantra is a great value, for many, with rebates and low financing. But look at it or sit in it next to a new 2011 or a lot of other small cars, and it proclaims "rental" in a big way. A customer I had test drive a new 3, the Elantra, the Tucson and the Focus liked the price/features of the Elantra a lot, then inside he said "rental" and ruled it out unless it really came down to just numbers. Now the 2011 is here and well...yeah. Shocking, completely different vehicle.

These cars do feel big, in a not so big, but still "it's bulky..." kind of way. Very, very nice car, nice looks as long as it isn't a base model SE with the small silver wheels, and a cool cockpit. I finally drove a new SHO off our lot this week, and liked the size, features, look and promise of turbo power...but it did feel large and I just didn't fall in love with the front seats. A hair too soft and not properly shaped for me, but I could adjust. Need to get more seat time with the Ecoboost, but just in the short mulling around that I did, it felt like a strong V6 with some extra kick...but again, I didn't go above 45/50. I was most interested to drive an SHO after the year and memories with my G8 GT. Definitely a different car, but either way could give you similar power/performance depending on which drivetrain layout you preferred. The G8 feels like a Bimmer in a good way, the Taurus feels like a big FWD based sedan that's well polished.

They're not so much padded, as they have upholstered panels and the softness from that. Regardless.

It was freezing & windy as could be, I could barely hold the door open...shook the iPhone a little when snapping. I want to see more base models, but again, for what you get and the apparent quality/styling/economy/value of this, it's going to make a strong proposition when marketed well.

Some new shots of the '11 Elantra in its own thread... Also this "chromie chrome chromie chrome" '07 Avalanche trade-in. Local truck, and a rare 6.0L at that. But wow did he like gluing every type of Autozone chrome giblet on it he could find...even covering the headlights.

After my Friday nighttime shots of the first 2011 Hyundai Elantra to arrive at our dealership, posted here: ...I was down again with my Sonata customer to go over her books (Trailblazer EXT -> '11 Sonata, talk about doubling fuel economy...) yesterday, so I had a few minutes of daylight time with the Elantra. Wow to the looks, again, and as expected, the paint quality, fits and so forth. It's a Hyundai, and though I've not driven it yet, what a looker for the class. This first one we've received is a Limited with the Nav, meaning fully loaded (even heated rear seats) with a sticker of $22830. In that regard, and size/pricing, it already seems to fit perfectly well under the Sonata which starts in the around $20-21k and is bigger, then can be optioned up in the same way. I want to drive it, but assume should be very Sonata like, just a smaller and lighter version. Every Sonata customer we've had (a close friend included) has confirmed the mileage rating of that car is not only accurate but conservative, and one would presume the same here. Very swoopy, very nice detailing, and a comfortable car front and rear. I hopped in the front seat as it was left by the last driver, and was comfortable, not expecting to see as much rear seat room as I did. Where the Cruze I tried out felt closed in/tight on me front & rear (not a tiny car, but the layout felt that way), this car is airier despite being swoopy with the expected high beltline and such. Speaking of materials and so forth, the styling of the Elantra inside is just as knockout as the outside--if you like the look, and I'm one who does. It has rich character, and pops amongst the sea of "other stuff". The inside isn't filled with rock hard or Bentley soft stuff. There are points on the Cruze dash, for instance, that are softer and even a little richer. But nothing is cheap, either, just a little shiny in spots and solidly assembled. There are different textures and lots of gloss/chrome/silver sections, all which blend well. The Sonata has softer & more matte-finish materials overall, and both are quality, the Elantra is just one step down. Nav, Bluetooth, upgraded audio, heated seats front AND rear, perforated leather, an airy feel, and the 29/40mpg rating...as long as marketed, this car will sell in droves just like the Sonata. We only received the one so far on Friday afternoon, had it prepped and put out front on display. Hasn't gotten much traffic yet, but also hasn't been marketed or otherwise yet. I'd presume not the entertaining "BMW'ish" Mazda 3, but more luxurious, spacious and better mileage. Great competitor to the Cruze, but at lower pricepoints with a LOT more stuff, 200% more design flare, better mileage, etc. Waiting to see the first new Focus's, as that one will be interested too. The styling+price+equipment+mpg's will be hard for anything to touch, and should get more converts. Amazing replacement for the current quality but rental humdrum Elantra. Stay tuned... And the nighttime shots from the spotters thread, blurry window sticker included...

The logo...still baffles me as to where they do try to force them on & it's always a different spot on the same cars. In the license plate cove would probably work. Intriguing new small car, for sure. The looks, mileage, price & package may be hard to beat, if marketed well.

A pair of intriguing trades on our Ford/Hyundai lots. The 2010 Insight most of all, traded for a new Hyundai. The all new 2011 Hyundai Elantra, this one a Limited, and our first to arrive. WHOA styling in person, and then you see the 29/40 mileage rating. I was shocked to see one already.

SO weird. Today going to work, THE "local" Blackwood (only one) for sale in a yard/driveway on the highway about 10 miles from my house. What is with the Blackwood all of a sudden...this one at least is the untouched original. It intrigues me. Wonder how much.

Lincoln Blackwood, outside a little convenience store in a tiny MD town, with the 20" chrome Harley Davidson F-150 wheels from the same gen on it. Been so long since I've seen one, and odd with the mismatched but kinda matched wheels.