2011 Los Angeles Auto Show

Published 2011/11/212012/01/11 by G

Last year, the Lotus Esprit blew me away. This year, my vote for “Car of the Show” at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show has to be the Jaguar XC16. I’ve examined the car from all angles and I cannot find one in which this car looks awkward. If I could mix and match cars, I would take the GT-R in XC16 clothing. That would be my ideal dream car.

Moving on…This year’s Auto Show did not have as many concepts as last year. It felt a little bit more “toned down”, possibly due to the economy. Despite this, it wasn’t a bad show. I didn’t get to spend as much time as I wanted to, but that was fine because much of what was at the LA show was also at the OC show. There were just a little more “high end” cars, but that’s about it.

Here is a quick run down of what was at the show and a few highlights

Acura – Nothing new. Their lineup was quite stale at the OC Show and it remained that way two months later at the LA Show.

Audi – A6/S6 and the A7/S7 were the new rides this year.

BMW – They showed off the iSeries which you probably have seen in most enthusiast websites/magazines. I also took some pictures of the concept a few years back. From what I understand, the i8 is supposed to make it to production with few changes (I am certain the glass doors are gone).

Buick – The Verano is ugly. Enuff said.

Cadillac – Showed up the Ciel, which was featured at Pebble Beach and the Converj, which was at a previous auto show some years back. I believe the Converj will be either an electric or hybrid car and will have performance that matches it’s aggressive looks. Possible the next CTS-V? Perhaps.

Chevrolet – I think you’ve seen enough Cruzes, Camaros, Coverttes and Volts to last you a while. NEXT!

Chrysler – As I was saying on the OC Show post. The 300 is one American sedan I would consider driving. Beats speaker system is truly insane for one that comes factory installed. I felt so gansta sitting in the backseat as the speakers were blaring Dr Dre tunes.

Dodge – Super Bee Charger in the House! The car looks mean! The HEMI looks meaner. Overall, I’m very happy to see Chrysler cars improving in such as short time. Now, I would like to see Chrysler pull a Volvo and start introducing some sweet leases for us.

Ford – The Escape was really the only “new” car to be introduced. It didn’t exactly wow me, but I can see it stealing some of the CR-Vs dominance (you will see what I mean when you see pics of the production-ready CR-V).

Honda – What a let down! The production-ready CR-V looks gutless! And if it drives anything like the old model, it’s performance will be gutless too! Check out the interior! Can we say weak sauce? Can’t wait to see what Consumer Reports does to the CR-V on their next review.

Hyundai – The Azera really wow’ed me. After talking to the product adviser and sitting in the car for a good 5-10 minutes, I came away impressed. The leather is soft and supple. The interior is well put together. The center stack follows the same overall layout found in most new Hyundais, but has a noticeably more “upscale” feel. The estimated MSRP is going to be in the low $30,000s, with most experts estimating it to be around $32,000. Everything, including Nav, comes standard. The only possible option (from what I am hearing) is the panoramic moonroof and maybe the window shaders, although those could be standard too. If you thought the Buick LaCrosse was the Lexus ES killer, think again.

Infiniti – The JX35 was introduced as a 7-passenger SUV. Not impressed. It looks like a weak attempt at cloning the Toyota Highlander which can be had for thousands less (if you don’t care about having quality interior materials). I’d be surprised if they sell more JX’s than EX’s. I would have liked to see a concept version of the new G-Coupe based off the Essence. That would have been fun to see.

Jaguar – XC16 all the way. This car is a beaut! If they would have given it a better sounding name instead of the typical “Letters + Numbers”, I’d name my kid after it. “Come here XC16!” just doesn’t have nice ring to it.

Jeep – New Compass and Patriot look like baby GCs, except the proportions are all wrong. I know Jeeps are meant to be rugged, but they could have done a little more to the interior. In contrast, you can see the GC looks nice inside and out. Even the storage area looks high end with fancy chrome touches.

Kia – GT concept looks cool, but not as sexy as the XC16. It does show a lot of promise and possibly a glimpse of things to come. Michelle Wie gets a custom Kia Soul! I highly doubt she would be caught dead in one. Them Rappin’/Dancin’ Hamsters, on the other hand, are a hoot. They give the Soul some street cred. Definitely cooler than rolling in a cardboard box, toaster or dryer.

Land Rover – Not much to say here. Doubt any of these rides will ever make it into production, but they are fun to look at. They almost feel like they will transform into a robot at any moment.

Lexus – More LF-A. *Yawn*

Lincoln – *Crickets*

Mazda – The CX5 actually look pretty good. You can totally see the styling cues of the Shinari concept on the front fascia. I really hope this crossover does well and gives the CR-V and Escape a run for their money.

Mercedes-Benz – I’ve pretty much seen all of the “new” models on the street or in previous Auto Shows with the exception of the C63 Black Edition. This thing rocks. It’s like Europe’s answer to the mean-looking American car!

MINI – See OC Auto Show…

Mitsubishi – I didn’t bother stopping by…actually, I don’t recall seeing them at the show. Maybe I stopped caring…

Nissan – Last year they had the Ellure. This year they had…NOTHING!

Porsche – Showed off their Panamera Hybrid and the usual 911s, Cayennes, Boxters and Caymans.

Scion – FR-S was in the house this year and it looks great! For those that have not been following the FR-S, expect about 200hp and a $24k price tag once it’s released. I don’t expect the production model to look too different unless Toyota decides to cheapen the experience some more. If the price is reasonable, this could very well be sitting in my driveway on day.

Subaru – Just like the FR-S, the BRZ should be priced and spec’ed at around the same range. There is talk of a STi trim, but I haven’t seen any details on that just yet. Originally, I thought the BRZ was the clear winner in the “looks” department, but after seeing them both in person, I have to go with the Scion.

Volvo – Same cars as last year. Same cars as this year’s OC show. Nothing new to report.

VW – A Beetle R was on display and it still looks girly. Hood vents and quad-exhaust pipes do tone down the estrogen somewhat though. For the record, I don’t have a problem with the Beetle looking girly. It’s just that VW is trying so hard to market the Beetle as being more “unisex” and I just don’t think its happening. Maybe if they dropped a huge supercharger hood scoop? Nah….

Others – Here you will find some pics I took of the more “unusual” cars.

LA Auto Show 2009

Published 2009/12/112010/11/04 by G

The 2009 Auto Show, overall, was worse than the 2008 show. That says a lot because the 2008 show wasn’t all that good either. However, considering the state of the industry in these economic times, one has to be surprised to even see an auto show these days. Before I get started with my list of highlights from the show, I’d like to point out that many manufacturers skipped out on this years show. Notable absentees include: Nissan/Infiniti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Saturn (obvious reasons) and Pontiac (even more obvious). The most surprising participant was Saab. Considering what’s going on with Saab right now, I wasn’t expecting them to be there at all. For all we know, their future may not extend past this holiday season. That would explain why the didn’t show their concept cars this year.

Now lets move on to my First Annual RwG Auto Show Awards! Remember these are personal opinions, which are open to debate. Chime in if you disagree!

Star(s) of the Show: I would have to give the Audi R8 Roadster and the Lexus LF-A the nod on this year’s show. Last year, the one that impressed me most was the Buick Riviera. This year, I didn’t even recall seeing it. Nevertheless, these two super cars are sexy and I wouldn’t mind having either one parked in my garage at some point in my life.

Runner-up: Fisker Karma/Sunset.

Concept of the Show: I would have to give this award to the Honda P-Nut. Probably the strangest yet unique vehicle on the show (The BMW Vision came a close 2nd). It’s got the “cute” factor as well, so it doesn’t hurt. It sits three, in a “McLaren F1” formation, featuring the driver middle, allowing passengers to have a lot of leg room. Clever. Ladies, be sure to wear pants when driving this thing because oncoming traffic and pedestrians can see EVERYTHING through the windshield. 😉

Runner-Up: Volvo S60.

Hybrid of the Show: Fisker Karma/Sunset and the Chevy Volt get the award for this category. The Karma/Sunset is cheaper than it looks; It has the looks of an exotic, but it comes in at under $100k. It also comes in two trims, Sedan and Coupe. Gotta Love It. The other winner, the Chevy Volt, should be selling for around $40k. It is a bit more expensive than the Prius, Insight, Civic and Fusion, but the fact that you can run it purely off the electric motor can potentially save you a load of money on gas over time (if you commute is less than 40 miles round trip). For me, I practically don’t have to pay for gas since my commute is 10 miles round trip. Added bonus? It doesn’t look like a pod (think Prius/Insight).

Runner-up: Ford Fusion.

Surprise of the Show: Buick LaCrosse/Hyundai Genesis. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, GM and Hyundai…And yes, I remember what I’ve said about Hyundais and GMs. But these two sedans look and feel better than I ever expected. The Buick was elegant and fairly well built. Materials where plush and the didn’t carry the typical cheapness found in earlier GMs. The same can be said about the Genesis sedan. I sat in the backseat and was VERY impressed with the quality of materials. The leather was soft and cushy, plus there was a TON of legroom. The only question I have now is, “how do they handle on the road?”.

Runner-Up: Hyundai Sonata.

WTF of the Show: Every show has a “WTF” car that just looks weird or makes you wonder what the designer was drinking/smoking when designing the car. This year’s award goes to the Porsche Panamera. I know there are a lot of concept cars that give off the “WTF” aura as well, but the thing about the Panamera that beats them all is that this vehicle is production-ready. Seriously? A 4-door Porsche hatchback?? Its like a flattened, stretched and lowered Cayenne or something. Really bizarre. What’s really funny is that there were these folks commenting about how “gorgeous” this car was and what not (dude peeking into the cockpit in the 2nd pic; the one with the flannel shirt. You know, your “typical” Porsche buyer. LOL.), so I guess they didn’t mess up that bad. But then again, there were some people out there that really loved their Pontiac Azteks too.

Runner Up: Jeep Lower Forty. Mini Concept.

Here is the full gallery of pics I took at the show. The goods, the bads and the uglies.

What’s Going On – December 2009

Published 2009/12/01 by G

Welcome to the last month of the year! Generally, lease deals are pretty weak during the holiday season, with January and February not being any better. However, this month (and possibly the next few months) could be different thanks to a weak economy. Now, without further ado, here are the topics for December.

Lease Rates and Promotions

As you know, lease rates don’t usually start popping up around the web until the 2nd week of each month, however, if you have been keeping up with lease rates like I have, you can start seeing some patterns. This month’s pattern is simple, since all lease promotions are carrying over through January 4th, 2010, you should expect the lease rates to remain the same until then as well. It may also be to your advantage to wait until the last couple weeks of this month since there might be a chance that some cash incentives may pop up in order to sweeten some of the holiday deals. I just checked out the VW website and noticed that the Sign Then Drive promotion was extended to January 4th as well (it was scheduled to end last night), so whatever deals you were seeing last month, should still apply this month. On another note, the $1500 lease cash on the Acura TSX V6 is a goner, so the deal I mentioned in the “Shopping for the Next Ride” post is probably gone too, same with Eric’s deal. The thing about cash rebates is that they come and go depending on what the banks are willing to do, so it is always a good idea to stay in touch with your dealer to see what comes in.

MB C300

Just a little FYI for those of you shopping for a MB C300 this month. About a week after my initial test drive, I got an offer at invoice, so my guess is that this ride should easily go below that. That does change things a bit, making the car a bit more enticing. Here’s an example of what I would be expecting on a 2010 C300 with COMMAND and 7-speed auto tranny if I were to get one right now.

MSRP $37,765
Invoice $35,183
Estimated Holdback $1132.95 (3% off MSRP)
Sale Price $34,683 or $500 below invoice
MF 0.00095
Residual 57% (12k miles per year)
Term 36 months
Estimated Inception Fees $2000
Monthly $418 before tax. $459 after (9.75% sales tax)

I’m sure you can milk more out of the holdback if you wait until the last couple days of December, but I think being able to split isn’t so bad (after all, they got a family to feed too). It is likely that the deals might be better down the road, specially during the summer. Another thing worth noting on the C-Class is that remaining 2009 models are probably getting a sizable discount right now. We’re talking 9-10k off MSRP, so that’s definitely worth looking into if you plan to buy.

LA Auto Show

The LA Auto Show begins this Friday, with a special preview Thursday night which costs a crap load of money. You can get a few bucks off the admission if you order your tickets online. I haven’t figured out which day to go yet, but it is starting to look like it might be Monday December 7th in the evening/night. I might also consider going this Sunday afternoon/night after my nieces choir recital. We’ll see how it plays out. So who else in the So Cal areal is going?

Transfer of Liability

If you recently traded in a vehicle, you probably signed a DMV form that transfers the liability from you to your dealer. Your copy should be a pink slip with your name, signature and the dealer information on it. GUARD IT WITH YOUR LIFE! Specially if you live in California. Here’s why…Last September, I got a parking ticket in the mail from the City of Pasadena. I thought to myself, “wait a second, I haven’t been in Pasadena in ages”. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the car was my old Mazda3, which I traded in back in May of 2008. In order to prove that I longer had this car in my possession, I had to mail them a copy of this pink slip proving that I no longer had the car. In CA, even after the car is traded in, your name will remain on the registration until someone purchases the car and re-registers it. This means that if the car stays on the dealer lots and is driven around as a demo or loaner, you will remain liable unless you can prove you no longer have the vehicle. The worse case scenario here is that if there’s a fatal accident and that car is involved, you could be liable unless you can produce that little pink paper proving that the car is no longer in your possession. This is a drag in my opinion. I spoke to the finance guy over at Cerritos Infiniti about this and that is pretty much the explanation I got. I haven’t confirm this with the DMV yet, but I figure it’s worth noting now in case you had a trade-in recently. Remember to keep ALL your paperwork, for as long as you can.

Why Warranty Is Good

This is just me venting, but yesterday I took in my wife’s TSX to get an inspection, tire rotation, oil change and the mechanic discovered a leak on my struts. This costs about $400-$600 to replace, plus wheel alignment. Ouch. I have yet to confirm with the dealer, but I think this should be covered under the basic warranty. This car only has 31,100 miles, so it’s rather shocking that such a big problem came up. Nevertheless, I am thankful that I can probably take this to the dealer and have them take care of it. More on that after I take it in for repairs. The real point of this topic is to outline the importance of leasing your car WITHIN your basic warranty period. If you are leasing a non-luxury vehicle beyond the 3 years or 36,000 miles, you better make sure you have a four-leaf clover or a rabbit’s foot. My advice is to avoid leasing beyond the basic warranty to avoid unnecessary costs. Be sure to pay attention your leasing and warranty terms or you could be out of a lot of money. Think about it, even cars as well-built as Acuras can have problems.

What’s Going On – November 2009

Published 2009/11/042009/11/16 by G

I skipped October’s post because I was pretty busy with work and my weekends were packed with activities and errands. Just keeping up with lease rate posts was extremely challenging with the limited amount of time I had. So anyway, here are a few things going on this month that may affect or may not affect you.

Dealerplace

As I mentioned a few months ago, the Dealerplace thing didn’t really do as well as expected, so I have removed all direct links to that part of the site. I haven’t told the dealers about it yet, but they have been fairly in active as of late so I don’t think it will affect their bottom line. I do thank them for the information they’ve provided in the past. Those of you living in Southern California, if you still want to contact them, I have created a space in the forums where you can find their contact information. Just keeping it simple instead of building an entire website just for dealers to NOT use it. Haahaa.

Referrals and Affiliates Disclosure

Apparently, the FTC has mandated that sites, such as mine, disclose relationships with vendors that I promote (more on that here). Since I refer products and services to US residents, I am pretty much obligated to tell you if I get a kick back from any of the folks I recommend. So that there aren’t any misunderstandings, here is a list of folks I do get referral fees from every time you click on their links, sign up with their service or purchase something from them.

Google Ads. This one is pretty obvious since it says “Advertising” right above it.
Yahoo! Autos. Yes, I do get a referral fee every time you request auto quotes using their service. I recently added a widget on every page to make quote requests quicker/easier. Please use it if you need a quote. It really helps me out. 🙂
MyFico. I’m not only a affiliate, but also a client. I do actually have an account with myFico and have used it, that is why I recommend it. I also get a kickback from referrals.
Amazon. com. This is new and you will find the ad right below the Yahoo! one on the right panel under “sponsors”. I only get something if someone clicks the link and buys something. All of the money I make here is from my own shopping or from friends who are trying to help me out.
LeaseTrader. I do get something IF someone signs up with their service, but I haven’t had a single person do so in almost a year. Sad. Haahaa.
ING, Up2drive, Web2carz, Carsdirect, Leasecompare, Experian, Equifax, Creditreport.com, Tire Rack and Esurance. are also business where I get commissions from. But haven’t.

So there you have it, this is what keeps the website going. Well actually, Google, Yahoo and MyFICO keep the website running. The rest don’t give me squat. In the future, I will be updating all my links to with the word (Referral) next to any link, so that you know the business relationship I have with them.

The only people I don’t get anything from are the dealers I refer to on the Dealerplace site or on my posts. I don’t get a dime from them. I refer them since they are nice folks and easy to work with, but that is about it.

As you know, I’ve always strive to be transparent about the things I do on this website. That is pretty much the premise of why I even began doing this to begin with. So I thank you for your understanding and ongoing support.

I also would like to thank those of you who have given me gift cards (The Miller Family) and offered to pay me for my time or donating to the site (VJ).

About the ML Last Month

VJ, I wanted to let you know I did get your email and read it through. I think it would have been nice of Brian was able to disclose all of the information pertaining to his deal. For those who don’t know what I am talking about, head over here. Basically, Brian had a trade in I didn’t know about, that is why he was able to get about $10k off MSRP on his ML (according VJ). There is a lot of missing information here, so I am not going to get into any finger pointing here, but it would be nice to know the final numbers. Until then, I wouldn’t go out on a limb and say the 2010 ML 4matic was great lease deal since no one besides Brian was able to replicate it.

Los Angeles Auto Show

Who’s going? I know I am. This year’s show will take place in December 4th to the 13th (instead of November). It is never too late to start thinking about it and planning for it. The list of exhibitors have not been listed yet, so keep an eye on that list. I don’t think it will be disappointing, but you never know.

A New Ride

Mrs G’s 2007 TSX is nearing the last 6 months of its lease, so we’re looking around for a new ride for her as well. She’s interested in (yet another) sedan, but with the amount of driving she does on a daily basis, we have to be choosy in terms of gas consumption, comfort and reliability. I was personally thinking that she might be willing to rough it a little bit by going down to a Honda Insight, but the problem is the warranty on non-luxury brands is only up to 36k miles, which isn’t exactly a good idea since she does a lot of driving. I thought about her getting the G37 sedan, but the need for premium gas and it’s so-so MPG really make it a tough car to get for her. Another alternative would be to keep her in the Acura line and get her the new TSX or maybe upgrade her to the TL if she can get past the looks. Decisions, decisions. Regardless of the outcome, expect some extra numbers from me as I search for the right ride for the wifey in the coming months.

Weekends, Holidays and Vacations

Since the holiday season is slowly approaching, I (like most people) will be pretty busy with life relate things. So, my email, blog and forum responses will probably drag a few days longer than usual. If you haven’t noticed, this past October was kind of like that, so I just thought I’d let you know that there will be a bit more of that in the coming months. As far as vacations go, end of December/Beginning of January is usually when I head out of the country for some R&R. This coming trip will take place in the first 2 weeks of January. I will be in Uruguay and I won’t have internet. This also means you won’t be seeing any lease rates on the website for the first 18 days of January. It sucks, I know, but I do need a break since it’s been nearly a year since I’ve taken a vacation. The good news is that January isn’t really known to be a great leasing month. Typically, I will see November rates last through December, then January rates stink it up for about two months. Starting March through the summer, we start seeing numbers improve significantly. Keep in mind that this is subject to change depending on how sales figures look during that time. But overall, the auto industry is still struggling, despite the fact that Ford managed to post a profit recently. That was probably due in part to the Cash for Clunkers program, which we won’t see happening again any time soon. In my opinion, the outlook is still bleak for the next 6 months (at least).

RIDE with G

For those who lease cars

LA Auto Show

2011 Los Angeles Auto Show

LA Auto Show 2009

What’s Going On – December 2009

What’s Going On – November 2009