Mercury

2009 OC Auto Show

Published by G

I was on hand at the OC Auto Show this weekend browsing through the latest and greatest from a handful of manufacturers. It was somewhat disappointing to see that some big name brands didn’t show up, but then again I can’t really blame them. Come November, the Los Angeles Auto Show should be in town, so there isn’t much of a spending that kind of money to promote your vehicles twice in the same market. Nevertheless, the OC Auto Show was solid because it was not too crowded and I got to hope into practically every single car. Hopefully, you took advantage of the free ticket I posted on the previous OC Auto Show post. I ended up realizing that the ticket was only FREE for Thursday and Friday. For Saturday and Sunday, it gives you a 50% discount for up to 4 tickets; still a pretty good deal.

For those who have never been to the OC Auto Show, this is a much smaller venue compared to the LA Auto Show. The most notable absentee was Mercedes Benz. I found that to be somewhat strange considering BMW, Audi, Infiniti and Lexus put up some seriously strong showings there. Now the highlight of the show was probably Saturday’s Hawaiian Tropic Bikini contest. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, the crowd had gotten pretty big and it was hard to see much of anything. I also happened to be with my wife, which pretty much explains why I didn’t get to see anything as well. Nevertheless, I did bump into some rather attractive booth girls and there were a few bikini models did roam around the show taking pictures with attendees.

Now lets go back to the cars shall we! 🙂

Acura: The fellows from Japan had the usual lineup, TSX, TL, RL, RDX and the MDX. They also brought in the production ready model of the ZDX, which looks looks like an oversizedd futuristic sports car with 4 doors and a big trunk. My biggest complaint? The color. Why on earth would you debut a production ready vehicle in a crappy brown color?! Great car, crap color.

Audi: Audi brought in all of their cars in glossy white and left the LED lights on to add to the COOL factor. Too bad they put the price tag on these cars too. Talk about sticker shock! One of the most surprising things about the A5 is the trunk space, its freaking HUGE for a coupe.

BMW: The BMW section was a bit bland. I didn’t spend much time there, but I did get the wife into a M3 and she loved the supple leather seats. Her direct words “wow, the leather feels nice”.

Buick: Buick showed off the new Lacrosse and that’s about it. It looks very Lexus-like. Why not just buy a Lexus?

Cadillac: They showed up the CTS trims and their new concept coupe, the Converj. They had this lady presenting the vehicle and talking about design philosophy, etc…then she asks “Do you have any questions? Like when its coming out or how much it will cost? Well it’s not coming out, so there’s no price for it”.

Chevy: Chevy brought out the big guns by displaying a full-sized version of Bumblebee of the Transformers. They even brought in an Autobot-branded Camaro to post next to it. Then my wife and I stood next to them and posted with them. LOL. It was quite entertaining. GM also brought out some of their high-end Corvettes and Camaros and displayed the Stingray Concept; VERY awesome looking as you can see.

Chrysler: Yawn…

Dodge: Double Yawn…

Ford: Probably the biggest disappointment for me was 2010 the Ford Taurus. That center console is freaking MASSIVE! I felt claustrophobic in there and that’s a pretty big car. Not only that, the plastic interior panels reminded me of BouncewithB’s company car, the Dodge Nitro. I could literally PUSH some panels in exposing huge gaps between them. You won’t see that in an Audi A6.  I spent about 5 minutes sitting next to this British guy inside the Taurus and all we did was whine about how Ford has disappointed us yet again.

GMC: Nothing too exciting, just the usual suspects.

Honda: The only  “exciting thing” was their hydrogen powered car that I’ve seen three times already.

Hyundai: Wife really liked the Genesis Coupe and proceeded to diss my G37 as having a “BIG BUTT” compared to the Genesis. How RUDE!

Infiniti: Wife, again tried to make me feel good by telling me the Moonlight White on the EX35 is much better looking than the Ivory Pearl on my G37. Gotta love her. 🙂

Lexus: New HS looks like a bigger more expensive high-tech Prius. Sat in the IS-F and I have to say that that car feels way too cheap inside for a Lexus.

Mazda: I noticed all 2010 model have the massive fish-lip that the 2009-2010 Mazda3 and Mazda6  came out with; yup, that includes the RX8.

Mercedes Benz: A no-show. Lame.

MINI: Sat inside the Clubman with the wife at the wheel. She proceeded to feel claustrophobic (like I was in the Taurus) and jumped out. Looks like we’re not getting a MINI after the TSX.

Nissan: I don’t think I made it there.

Subaru: Took a few pics of the STi. Good looking hatchback if I do say so myself.

VW: The new Golf / GTI are out and they look much better in my opinion. I would probably consider a 4-door GTI as my weekend car since its compact yet has more cargo room than my G37.  I spent some time looking at the Tiguan as well. My folks recently picked one up so I wanted to see what it was like. Its not the most luxurious car out there, but its well-built and has a nice interior.

Volvo: The new S60 and the C30 looked better in person. Their new crossover SUV XC60 looks wicked with dark tinted glass. I still wouldn’t lease one yet since I still remember my sister’s horror stories about her S70 back in the day.

Anyway, I would go on and on about the show, but I’m sure you guys want to see the pictures, so here you go!

2009 Top Safety Pick Awards by IIHS

Published by G

From IIHS

How vehicles are evaluated: The Institute’s frontal crashworthiness evaluations are based on results of 40 mph frontal offset crash tests. Each vehicle’s overall evaluation is based on measurements of intrusion into the occupant compartment, injury measures recorded on a Hybrid III dummy in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion film to assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement during the test.

Side evaluations are based on performance in a crash test in which the side of a vehicle is struck by a barrier moving at 31 mph. The barrier represents the front end of a pickup or SUV. Ratings reflect injury measures recorded on two instrumented SID-IIs dummies, assessment of head protection countermeasures, and the vehicle’s structural performance during the impact.

Rear crash protection is rated according to a two-step procedure. Starting points for the ratings are measurements of head restraint geometry — the height of a restraint and its horizontal distance behind the back of the head of an average-size man. Seat/head restraints with good or acceptable geometry are tested dynamically using a dummy that measures forces on the neck. This test simulates a collision in which a stationary vehicle is struck in the rear at 20 mph. Seats without good or acceptable geometry are rated poor overall because they can’t be positioned to protect many people.

ALL 72 WINNERS

Large cars
Acura RL
Audi A6
Cadillac CTS
Ford Taurus
Lincoln MKS
Mercury Sable
Toyota Avalon
Volvo S80

Midsize cars
Acura TL, TSX
Audi A3, A4
BMW 3 series 4-door models
Ford Fusion with optional electronic stability control
Honda Accord 4-door models
Mercedes C class
Mercury Milan with optional electronic stability control
Saab 9-3
Subaru Legacy
Volkswagen Jetta, Passat

Midsize convertibles
Saab 9-3
Volkswagen Eos
Volvo C70

Small cars
Honda Civic 4-door models (except Si) with optional electronic stability control
Mitsubishi Lancer with optional electronic stability control
Scion xB
Subaru Impreza with optional electronic stability control
Toyota Corolla with optional electronic stability control
Volkswagen Rabbit

Minicar
Honda Fit with optional electronic stability control

Minivans
Honda Odyssey
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona

Large SUVs
Audi Q7
Buick Enclave
Chevrolet Traverse
GMC Acadia
Saturn Outlook

Midsize SUVs
Acura MDX, RDX
BMW X3, X5
Ford Edge, Flex, Taurus X
Honda Pilot
Hyundai Santa Fe, Veracruz
Infiniti EX35
Lincoln MKX
Mercedes M class
Nissan Murano
Saturn VUE
Subaru Tribeca
Toyota FJ Cruiser, Highlander
Volvo XC90

Small SUVs
Ford Escape
Honda CR-V, Element
Mazda Tribute
Mercury Mariner
Mitsubishi Outlander
Nissan Rogue
Subaru Forester
Toyota RAV4
Volkswagen Tiguan

Large pickups
Ford F-150
Honda Ridgeline
Toyota Tundra

Small pickup
Toyota Tacoma

Shamefully, my G37 didn’t make the cut, but it made it into the “ALSO RANS” list:

ALSO-RANS
These 26 vehicles earn good ratings in front and side crash tests. They have ESC, standard or optional. They would be 2009 Top Safety Pick winners if their seat/head restraints also earn good ratings:

Chevrolet Malibu
Chrysler Sebring, Sebring convertible, Town & Country
Dodge Avenger, Grand Caravan
Infiniti G35, M35
Kia Amanti
Lexus ES, GS,IS
Mazda CX-7, CX-9
Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, Endeavor
Nissan Altima, Pathfinder, Quest, Xterra
Saturn AURA
Smart Fortwo
Toyota 4Runner, Camry, Prius, Sienna

Something sad to note here, no Chrysler cars made it to the top of the list. I’m starting to feel like Chrysler is one automaker that probably doesn’t need the bailout since they build such “average” cars.

Auto Insurance, Are You In Good Hands?

Published by G

When it comes to leasing, you gotta have 100k/300k coverage as the bare minimum. If you own a home, you probably want more than that. If you rent, you have no choice but to have at least that. The one part of leasing that somewhat annoys me is that because lessees tend to switch cars every 3-4 years, you will be pay insurance premium for new to 4 year old cars. That essentially means you pay more. Here is an example:

When it comes to insurance premiums, it is not solely based on your driving record, but it’s also on the value of your car. During a six-year span, the average 36-month lessee will go through two cars. A buyer on the other hand, can easily keep it for 6 years (most loans are at least 5 yrs nowadays). Since premium are based mostly on the value of the vehicle, as the car depreciates, your premiums drop (assuming a perfect driving record during that time period).

So who is insuring you anyway?

I have had five auto insurance companies insure me since I was 16 years old. First was Farmer Insurance, then AAA (Auto Club of So Cal), Progressive, Mercury and Wawanesa.

Farmers Insurance

I never had to place a claim through them, but my premium was very high because I was a 16 year old teenager. I do know one thing, we didn’t like our agent, he was a scheming little weasel of a man that didn’t return phone calls and kept raising rates.

AAA – Auto Club of So Cal

They where actually pretty decent, I believe I was 20 years old or so when I switch to them. I went through one claim through them and they responded very well when it came to getting my damage appraised and repaired. My biggest beef with them was that they did not follow through in pursuing the other party and see compensation for the damages. They just assumed I was a fault. It was a complicated situation (the car was damaged during transportation), and perhaps I should have try to settled this with the transportation company personally. However, I am was paying AAA to represent me and they failed to deliver. Also, you need to be an Auto Club member, so take on a yearly membership fee to that. I like AAA member services, but I’m not huge on their auto insurance.

Progressive

I had them for about two years and I think their service is unrivaled. They were awesome in terms of customer service. Hit-and-run situation, no problem, they took care of it. Hit a deer on the highway, no problem, sent an appraiser out to look at the damage on the same day. I moved to California (I was in NY at the time) my rate DOUBLED. They aren’t the cheapest around, and they never really gave me quotes from other “competitors”, but I forgive them because of the excellent care they provided during the time I had them. I guess you get what you pay for.

Mercury Insurance (Auto Insurance Specialists)

I actually didn’t know how I end up with these guys. I went to an AIS office to sign up for auto insurance, since in their commercials, they claim to shop your quote around and find the lowest one. They are brokers, so they I ended up giving me Mercury. Their rates were pretty cheap compared to Progressive, so I went ahead with them since I had just leased my BMW 325i and was already paying a hefty monthly payment. I actually kept them until Feb 2008, when a friend of mind recommended me Wawanesa (more on them later).

Mercury (and AIS) suck. They are cheap, but not cheapest. Like their commercials say, they probably are from the planet Mercury because they all sound like aliens instead of humans. I went through two claims with them, both in which I was not at fault, and their case managers spoke to us like they are reading from a script. When we called them, 90% of the calls went to voicemail. They wouldn’t return calls in a timely manner. Heck, I even wrote a nasty letter to them about my experience and all I got was an apology over the phone. Thats it. I stuck with them because they where cheap, so yes, you do get what you pay for.

Wawanesa Mutual Insurance

Notice I put a link on the title? I’m recommending them obviously. I’ll start with the bad, which is the fact that they only cover Oregon and California residents. I switched in Feb 2008 per the recommendation of a friend who enjoyed their quick responsive service and low prices. Low price indeed. They don’t quote the 6-month premiums, instead they quote you for the whole year. My 6-month quote for Mercury was around $900-$1000 ($2000 a year). The quote I got from Wawanesa was $1485 a year. Need I say more? Well, I do actually, I just hope that service is as good as my friend says it is, but other than that, I feel I got a great deal, saved a bunch of money and feel that I’m in good hands…for the time being.

Quick thought here…Insurance companies that advertise a lot tend to have higher premiums due to their advertising costs. Companies like Wawanesa rely on word-of-mouth, which is why their rates are so low. If you don’t live in California or Oregon, try asking friends and family about their insurance carrier. Find out what their experiences are and what their premiums are, it just might save you some money if you ask the right person.