Cars: Search & Destroy

I swear that read as "commuting with men in the nude"

http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/facelvega.jpg

More to the point, I'm in love with their logo

http://www.cars-a-z.net/f/facel-vega-logo.jpg

http://www.pcauto.com.cn/pingce/gwsj/bmw/0410/pic/041019_1series_02.jpg
http://www.screensavershot.com/automation/bmw1.jpg

I can relate to this. I would add Corvette owners to this lovely group of folks. Thankfully there aren't a lot of them.

I can't decide if I like the look of this car.
http://www.mbusa.com/media/images/main/models/gallery/photo_gallery/cls/coupe_ext_1_main.jpg
http://www.mbusa.com/media/images/main/models/gallery/photo_gallery/cls/coupe_ext_5_main.jpg
http://www.mbusa.com/media/images/main/models/CLS500C_main.jpg

I think I've come to the conclusion that this is the single most offensive automobile:
http://content3.us.porsche.com/prod/cayenne/cayenne_common.nsf/Resources/cayenne_gallery_exterior05/$file/stg_5.jpg

my roommate in college's sister was a professional trophy wife. she had a big ol V12 SEL, which is probably the best car I've ever ridden in. Going 130 for big stretches and the ride was so smooth that if you closed your eyes you wouldn't even know the engine was going. she also had a porsche 911, but only let us go around the block in it.

I read that MB has screwed themselves by differentiating their brand and their price points so readily. To the effect of I think ten years ago there were 3 lines and now there are god knows how many. And the dealerships are hurting bc they have such a wide range of people with different expectations coming through their doors and they don't know how to cater to them. Plus, the product has gone down-hill. However, the 70s Mercedes has the Euopean art film cachet. Think of all the MB sedans pulling up in the Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.

I've seen a lot of the new Jettas on the road. They are not that bad, but I wonder why they had to make the Jetta so much bigger. Maybe they will introduce a cute, pre-Jetta like car?

Ideal car @ this moment = the same thing, but new, or maybe one of those benz vito vans.

http://imgs.idnes.cz/ak_aktual/A040108_SAM_1024PEUGEOT407ELIXIR01_N.JPG

too bad i dont have a drivers license, or money

So I can't find anyplace else to put this -- over the weekend I went home to Carmel to visit my folks as well as my aunt and uncle, who had come out for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, aka old fancy cars galore that sell for millions. I didn't go on Sunday to the event itself but on Thursday I found myself at a couple of side events and while I'm obviously not a car freak per se, I figured folks would like to see some of what was on offer -- Duesenbergs, Bugattis, Aston-Martins, etc. etc.. Look through my Flickr set and go nuts.

So I can't find anyplace else to put this

I Love Cars?

I've been to both the classic car races at Laguna Seca and the Pebble Beach Concours about a half dozen or so times over the years. (my mom hasn't missed it in 25 years) It's gotten much more expensive to go now, but I like dropping in now and then

The other big event at Monterey is the Christie's auction on Thursday night. The big story out of that was Steve McQueen's Ferrari 250 GT Lusso selling for 2.3 million

Higher than I'd heard estimated. Nice.

And thanks for all the IDing, of course -- will update the captions accordingly.

along these lines, I'll get around to organizing that FAP to the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar one of these days(has a car collection but the musical instruments look even cooler). Huell Howser made it look boffo but then he tends to do that.

Um, can anyone tell me about frame damage? I took my car to Carmax and they told me it had frame damage and would therefore offer me $8500. Its blue book value is like $14,000. Before, I took it to the dealer I bought it from and he told me he would give me $8500-10,000, possibly $10,950. I had body work done after I lost control on ice (had a back door replaced) but neither the dude who fixed my car nor my insurance told me there was frame damge. There was $5,000 work done on it. What should I do? If I offer this car for a private sale, what should I divulge? I don't want to screw anyone over, but I feel like the car is worth at least $12,000, but maybe there is frame damage and it is a piece of junk? Should I just try to get as much as I can from the orginal dealer?

No advice for me? I put it on Craigslist for a little under what I think it's worth--waiting to see if anything happens.

Can you take it back to the repair shop and say "hey, you missed the frame damage"? Do they have a frame machine that could straighten it out?

I just checked my report from the repair shop, and they do list "frame work" as one (of many) of the repairs. The frame is apparently fixed, but now the car is tainted and its value considerably reduced.

We drive one of these, but black and three door rather than five:

http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop-460x345/micra40_ew.jpg

It's alright; economical, nippy, easy to park, comfortable, etc., but not very exciting. I'm not really into exciting, though.

This is my dream 'normal' car, I think:

http://www.analogstereo.com/images/om/volkswagen_polo.jpg

Can't really afford /justify one now, but in a couple of years we'd love to get one. It just seems like the perfect small car, the platonic essence of small carness. I always think when I see one "why would you want to drive anything else?" Apart from maybe, if money was even less of an object (ditto practicality):

http://www.autobytel.com/images/2007/Volkswagen/EOS_Staff/400/07_VW_EOS_07.jpg

If money was no object, though...

http://theaviator.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/aston_martin_vanquish_01.jpg

The best car in the universe is the Mach 6 by Racer Motors:

http://blogs.cars.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/01/14/mach5500.jpg

It's powered by a Bernoulli engine.

Whoops. That's the Mach 5.

http://blog.wired.com/underwire/images/2008/04/17/sr1864660.jpg

i want a smart car or a mini. or a fiat!

http://www.classicaldrives.com/50226711/new_fiat500.jpg

car sharing, people

NB - i am an employee of a chicagoland car sharing company

i think i'd look pretty silly driving an element, so i guess i would like a 1986 accord or, especially if road noise is a problem, a 1988 legend

I drive past a '75 or '76 BMW 2002 every day and I swear that if it ever goes up for sale...

It looks kinda like this:

http://www.theresearchsource.net/images/2002.h3.jpg

I had a 1990 V6 Legend for a long time. My Acura mechanic drives a 1988 Legend.

The Legend was one of the best cars ever built IMO. I drive a newer Acura but I think the Legend was better. If you can find one that's never been in a major collision you should get one.

I drove an Oldsmobile Alero (2001) for 6 years without a problem, then it just DIED. No little, fixable problem, it needed a new everything, which would have cost more than the car was worth. Now I drive a Mini Cooper S, and it's the bestest ever. You can fit a lot more than you'd think inside, and it's fast and fuel efficient.