To be honest, I really feel like writing, "ARGH!!!!!!! $4.59 for premium this morning! ARGH!!!!!!!" Especially because less than two months ago I was bitching and moaning about $3.99 per gallon. Might be time to put me on suicide watch come August. Ahem. Like all of you, as I drive I am constantly scanning the road for cars. Not so much to drive better. Rather, I just love cars. In fact, one of the aspects I most enjoy about Los Angeles is the constant non-stop parade of interesting cars. A few weeks ago I saw nine Aston Martins in a day– and only one was a DB7. I also saw three Ferraris, several Bentleys, a Rolls Phantom and Maserati GranTurismo, the latter being more beautiful than you can imagine. Plus, of course, more Porsches than you can shake a pair of Pilotis at. But aside from the exotic metal, LA serves as a starting point for trends. Let me put it this way — when we reported that Toyota had sold 1 million Priora, I wasn't surprised. At all. Nor was I shocked to learn that while Toyota sales are stumbling, Yaris sales are through the bloody roof. Between yesterday and today, I've counted 17 of the beefy looking pods. What have you been seeing?
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The inside of a bus, mostly.
I see a lot of Subaru wagons here in Colorado.
I see a lot of Mazda 3 sedans these days.
I am seeing alot of Priuses. They seem to be everywhere.
I notice a lot more Fits lately. I went from being the only Fit driver in my town and seeing maybe 1 or 2 on drives to Atlanta, to seeing at least two a day in recent months…the same going with the yarii.
I’ve been seeing 08 Foci everywhere in CT. All are the sedan. Maybe seen 2 coupes in the last month.
Oh.. and a massive amount of sheeple in new Corollas.
The wierd thing is, I’m having trouble answering that question. I guess that means not a lot of new stuff. I thought it was odd that the Chevy Malibu my cousin rented this past weekend was the first one I’ve ever seen on the road. I saw a Lincoln MKX for the first time as well. I have seen a suprising amount of Focii recently, that hideous plastic wart always catches my attention. I am not looking forward to eating it but I am preparing my pallet.
More Asian cars here in central Indiana than I have ever seen before. More Hyundas and Toyotas and Hondas.
In Detroit I see tons of Foci. Lots of the new (ugly IMHO) version everywhere. Every color imagineable.
Some Yaris and Fits. Some Prii. Some Escapes.
Lots and lots of people driving slow in giant SUVs.
More wagons than I’d noticed in the previous 5 years combined.
No A4 Avants though.
Kansas City is still full of body on frame SUVs. But the change over has been quick – looking down the block in suburbia I’ve noticed many new Hondas and Toyotas.
Originally from NJ, went to school in NorCal, and Mazda3’s weren’t all that common. I recently moved to the Seattle area and they’re everywhere.
Oh, also saw a Lotus the other day. White Elise at night. drool…
In addition to what everyone else has noticed, lots more motorcycles and scooters. Many piloted by obvious newbies to 2 wheel transportation. Saw something almost isetta sized and shaped this morning, but couldn’t tell what it was.
I see dead people.
tulsa_97sr5:
I can’t believe I forgot to mention motorcycles, as they are now everywhere.
Roadkill and some litter.
Bikes and Subaru Foresters with bike racks.
I see a lot of bicycles, scooters and motorcycles on the road in Alaska. The Excursions and Yukons seem to be disappearing in favor of fully optioned Subaru Foresters and Outbacks.
jaje mentioned that Kansas City was full of big SUVs. I just spent 4 months there and will concur. KC doesn’t have public transportation and residents regularly commute 20-, 30- and even up to 50-miles each way. They’ve got to be hurting.
Smart (SMART?) cars are giving themselves a good show over here on the Kitsap Peninsula (Seattle-ish). I believe there are a total of six liters of SMART running around?
I am seeing a lot of the 2008 Highlander Hybrid. And it’s not just because I bought one. In my little corner of suburbia, a lot of us are trading in our big SUV’s (in my case an X5) and the Toyota is a nice alternative, with a steady 25 mpg on regular gas. Someone should write a review (not me, I hate writing.)
Tons or Toyondissan sedans make the commute into NJ on I-78 everyday. Besides that there are quite a bit BMW’s and Audi’s, with the occasional Benz. Also, every day I see a hideous looking FJ Cruiser.
tony-e30 :
My understanding from a co-worker is that Smart cars get preferential boarding on the ferries like motorcycles do (at least on the Bremerton – Seattle run) so that may help explain some of the appeal.
There’s a couple here where I work and they seem pretty neat in person. Sort of like an easter egg with windows and a steering wheel.
I’ve seen a lot of Fits, and also a lot of new Hyundai Accents and some Corollas in Southern Maine. I’m also seeing a high amount of full size pickups parked in front of houses with “For sale” signs on them.
I’m still seeing a lot of big (3/4 ton and up) pickups and SUV’s in South Florida. And crotch-rockets…..a LOT of bikes on the road. I guess $4.89 diesel hasn’t hit hard enough yet. With the housing construction at a total standstill it can’t be that they’re on their way to work….
A lot of older motorcycles that seem to have been dusted off for new duty. Asheville NC
Of the new vehicles available, I’ve seen tons of Yaris, 2nd gen xB’s, xD’s, Fits, Aveos, and Focuses lately. Additionally, the trucks I share the road with on my commute are driving a lot more conservatively.
edit – I’m also seeing a lot of new MINIs on the road including 2 Clubmans where I work.
Kias. Lots of cheap Korean stuff.
Here in PHX more than half of the vehicles on the road are silly fullsized trucks and SUVs. But I do also see plenty of Smarts and more and more Yaris, Fits and Versas showing up. We probably have more modern muscle cars roaming the roads out of anywhere in the country including Mustangs, Chargers, Magnums and even the unloved modern GTO.
Here in NYC, besides OLD subway cars, I see a lot of new Escapes, Focii, Mazda 3s, Mini’s (but no Clubmans yet), and I have started seeing a few new Smart cars in the past month…
Pontiac’s and PT Cruisers, and a lot of old men on Little Rascals. This small Northern Indiana town is dominated buy people who buy on (I GOT A GREAT DEAL!)I think. The Aveo is the Prius around here.
I’m in Canada, so lots of small cars, lots of pickups, not quite so much of the in-between stuff (large sedans, wagons). I would say the Mazda3, Hyundai Accent, Carolla, Neon, Cobalt(s), Golf all are plentiful.
Around here I’m seeing a lot more motorcycles and a lot less SUV’s. Oddly, the number of non-commercial pickups does not seem to have changed much. People are driving a bit slower as well.
In Boise, I still see plenty of Ida-necks in their 3/4 ton pickups or 1/2 ton SUVs. But there is a pretty varied mix of vehicles, no ultra-premium brands usually seen. A good amount of AWD crossovers and wagons too, as well as FWD compact and midsize cars.
I have really noticed alot more of the new Focii lately, and starting to like the side and rear profiles a bit more…wouldn’t trade the 3 for it though.
Here, in the midwest, I don’t see much change in the vehicle mix from a year ago. A few more people may be driving at or below the highway speed limit, presumably in order to save gas. (I suspect they never drove very fast at any time.)
Mattresses, ladders, pickup bedliners.
I saw a Bently with 22″ chromes on a flatbed yesterday. Highly unusual in Tulsa.
This is Vegas, baby! I see more exotics on a daily basis than folks elsewhere see in a year.
Also, lots and lots of rental cars!
Here in Northern NJ: Far less SUVs and pick-ups than last year, lots of Fits, an insane amount of BMWs, in particular 3-series with x-drive (yuck).
The other day I was in Northhampton, MA and saw an Audi R8, Lambo Gallardo Superleggera, Ferrari F430 Spyder, and a McMerc SLR bumper-to-bumper, stuck in traffic.
Pointless? On so many levels.
Either some friends out for a cruise or a comparison test occuring.
I saw a Tesla roadster a while ago. Fast, fast, fast.
I see lots of pri-i. Even more bicycles by people who pay no attention to red lights, stop signs, or traffic that can outweigh them by 100x (semis) yet still figure they can listen to their iphones/headphones/blah blah and OTHER people BETTER WATCH OUT for them!
Hah.
I almost hit a bicyclist (probably in his 40’s) while making a right turn. He was listening to headphones riding the wrong way on a two way street while running a red light!
Where the hell are the cops to protect these people from themselves?
I’ve seen 1 Smartcar…lots of new Foci–black is the best color for this car !
Saw an IS-F in the parking lot at Starbucks. I hope he or she paid cash.
I’m still seeing a lot of single-passenger pickup trucks and SUVs doing 70 and 80 MPH (or higher). Does that mean gas isn’t high enough yet?
Vancouver (5.39/gallon for premium): full of everything mid-90′ recycled from the US on the East and South side of the city, full-size Pickup Trucks and SUV’s in the Fraser Valley, plenity of Euro Exotica in West Van and mucho scooters and bycicles downtown and @ UBC grounds, as usual this time of the year.
In other words: nothing changed.
In Colorado, lots of rusty old Geo Metros; Jeep Commanders; Subaru Foresters and Outbacks; and lots of new Ford Foci.
In Wyoming, lots of Buick Lucernes. Go figure.
In Stony Brook NY I see NONSTOP Audi Q7s. It’s crazy that there seem to be more and more brand new luxury gargantuan SUVs even as their buyers complain about gas prices.
Tampa used to be SUV city but more of the new vehicles now tend to be small cars like the Civic, Corolla, Fit, Scion xB, Focus, Cobalt, Mazda3 and the like. The economic slowdown has definitely seen a trend not just towards smaller more efficient cars but also cheaper vehicles.
I am seeing mostly the inside of my wife’s 07 Focus. We made an agreement for me to drive the Focus on my 60 mile commute M-W and she gets it back for Thursday and Friday and I then get my F150 V6-5M back. The original Focus really does handle very well. We save about $80-100 month now, however.
I havent seen ONE one series on the road yet. but you are right a lot of new chromy focuseses.
Frank Williams :
June 3rd, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I’m still seeing a lot of single-passenger pickup trucks and SUVs doing 70 and 80 MPH (or higher). Does that mean gas isn’t high enough yet?
Frank, if my memory is right and you’re in Atlanta, that means they’ve slowed down.
It may be what I havent seen that is significant. Here in SF…… Of all the hyped new vehicles, I havent seen one Land Cruiser or LX570. I think I have seen 1 Sequoia (didnt it come out in December??) Havent seen any of the new X6 and only 1 1 series. I think Ive seen maybe 3 Malibus. Havent seen one Astra. Im starting to see a lot of the new Corollas along with a few Matrixes (no Vibes, tho) and (surprisingly for a West Coast City) a lot of Focuses (maybe they are rentals). A few smart (dumb) cars, natch. This is definitely the town for them.
Basically SF is a sea (bay?) of Priuses, Yarises, Fits, Civics, and Camrys, with the occasional Audi A3 (I swear they sell everyone of them here) thrown in.
In West Virginia, I see a lot of 2 or 3 year old SUVs and trucks — sold during the employee-pricing-for everyone zero-percent-pull-it-push-it-drag-it trade in sales. They were financed for full (or more) value then, and the owners are upside down on them now — sometimes owing TWICE as much as a dealer is willing to give them on trade. So they’re stuck with the $80 a tank fillups, making payments for a car that is worthless, and praying that they don’t total it — and end up paying a few grand out of pocket just to get back to even!
More cars, more motorcycles. Lots of low mpg vehicles for sale in abandoned parking lots.
Out here in the sticks i’m seeing alot of old junk back on the road.. fixed up to pass inspection and people parking their SUV in the field where the 92 cutless used to be.
Volvo V70s, priii, here in suburban boston.
I actually saw a pair of Honda Insights on I80 in IA the other day.
boston to NH and back, I see same as $2 gas era, number, type and driving.
Well do spot some prius and 08 focus, but its still 80 in left lane with one guy in F150 or expedition or trailblazer or durango or woman in explorer or minivan at 85.
Plenty of bmws but not a 1 yet. Smart dealer is sold out for a year, they are showing up on the road. Lots of Mazda3, same as 2003-4-5-6-7. Audis everywhere, subies.
Very few exotics in usual traffic.
I see legions of pissed-off drivers. And more motorcycles/scooters.
Albuquerque is seeing mostly large trucks and SUVs. At our local Ford dealership, a month ago there were several Focuses. Every time I go by I see more and more big SUVs on the lot and more small cars on the road. Focuses, Cobalts, and big American trucks. Smaller Japanese vehicles like Subarus in some places. Still mostly big trucks on the road here though.
Being in the big ol’ Heart of TX, we still have plenty of full-sizers around here.
Those of us with little resources seem to be buying new small cars of all sizes (xDs finally took off around here, Fits have been here for a while, the unfortunate collection of Aveos, and MANY older Corollas). Those with a bit more money are driving Altimas and Accords with the I4 option.
As a few have mentioned, there are countless Full-size trucks and SUVs with For Sale signs parked all over the place. Believe it or not, we have a lot of used dealerships that seem to focus ONLY on full-sizers.. which leads to fears I had in an earlier post about the, ahem, less skilled drivers (with 25″ rims on Town Cars) buying dirt-cheap biggies now that the price has dropped so low (2004 suburbans in great shape for 9-10K right next to a 2000 Corolla asking for 10-11K).
I don’t see the mix of vehicles changing much yet in my usual meanderings through West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Malibu, and the western San Fernando Valley. I’ve been hoping for a decline in SUV traffic for improved vistas and line-of-sight, but alas my forward view continues to be blocked as it so often has since about 1991. In fact, I swear I’m noticing an uptick in Range Rovers! The usual Italian and British exotica materialize every day. German iron is so common it’s lost all social meaning.
The rising stars that stick out in a sea of groupthink traffic composed of formless Japanese sedans, me-too German bloat, and blinged-out SUVs: lots of new Chevy HHRs; Cadillac CTS has launched well in SoCal; mild uptick in Fit/Yaris; there are more Vespas on the streets of Santa Monica. Three Smart sightings in four days looked like the same person, all on freeways and not being driven confidently.
Phil
I’m seeing people driving a whole lot more slowly than they were a year ago! That, and a tilt in the car:truck balance back towards cars. I’m also getting the feeling that some people are dusting off the old compact s-box which has been parked waiting for someday and are driving the old POS whilst the shiny new SUV stays home except for special play dates.
I see a lot of bright headlights, mainly because I drive and work at night. Apparently, people in Eastern Ontario don’t know how to turn off their high beams.
Well, I choose to be somewhat more scientific, here is the top 10 Swedish sales figures for May 2008, and I guess that’s what I see driving too
1 VOLVO V70II
2 SAAB 9-3
3 VOLVO V50
4 VW GOLF
5 SAAB 9-5
6 AUDI A4
7 FORD FOCUS
8 VW PASSAT
9 PEUGEOT 307
10 SKODA OCTAVIA
I must say that the facelifted 9-3 wagon is selling surprisingly good.
During May the record number of 60% of sales were non gasoline, that is diesel, E85, gas or hybrid. BUT many people drive their E85:s on gasoline…
I am in RI, which – of all the places I have lived – seems to be the last place to see new cars. Heck, Cleveland was more fashionable – automotively speaking – than PVD is.
But, today I saw a 1 Ser. (silver). Last weekend I saw 3 or 4 Clubmen.
Q7 are growing in abundance – they must really have dropped the prices ’cause it still is the Herman Munster of SUVs.
Loads of 3 Ser., A4, Camry, Subies (of course) and the new Volvo with the glass gate from the P1800 ES is beginning to be visible.
My neighbor drives a silver Maybach which looks, for all the world, like a 1995 Continental.
meh, I really dont pay much attention to cars unless they are 30 yrs old or older. Yesterday, I saw a Model A, today , I saw a 34 Ford PU.
Still watching F250-size trucks and SUV’s fly past me at 80+ MPH, while I lug along in the slow lane, doing the speed limit.
Oh, I’ve seen more people stick closer to the speed limit these days, but we still seem to have plenty of people who can afford to keep on dumping a hundred bucks or more per fillup into their personal monster trucks. And given the speeds they continue to fly down the freeways with, I presume they’re filling up pretty often.
dgduris – PVD’s homely cars could be a hangover from when they taxed the living hell out of them every year as real property. IIRC, the rate was around $50 to $60 per thousand in the 70s and 80s. I never owned a good car until I got a clue and moved from the city. Another feature of Providence cars was their miraculous retained value – at least in the eyes of the tax department.
Silicon Valley: Prius everywhere, a good mix of other makes and models, occasional Suburban with mommy and baby shoving through traffic to get to the commuter lane.
What is more interesting is what I am NOT seeing: Smart. Zero, nil, nada, not one.
Detroit area: allot of focus’ but mostly just people driving suvs and pickups really, really, really, freaking slow.
Same thing I always see when I’m going someplace: a big cardboard sun shade with that nagging warning “Remove Sun Shade Before Driving.” Who do they think they are–Ralph Nader? Car designers have decided there is no need to be able to see to the rear or side, so it naturally follows that forward visibility is superfluous as well.
Here in the Midwest I still see many PU and SUV’s. That is Truck based SUV’s and some CUV’s. This is mainly the sticks. In the suburbs a lot of Prii, Camry’s, Accords, Civics, Elements, Matrix, and Corrollas. Mini’s are also popular in the professional urban areas.
There are no Prii available at this time among the 5 Toyota dealers in the area!!!!!
The Fit has not really caught on here, there are about 25 available within the local Honda dealers. The TSX and TL are also popular.
In civilized areas Toyota and Honda dominate. In the rural areas Dodge, Ford, and GM dominate.
I live in a fly over State were only 25% of the population have a BA/BS or higher.
In the Twin Cities suburbs…
The vehicles I see routinely are:
– Priuses are extremely common.
– Camrys… of course. Hybrid Camrys occasionally.
– Accords, including the new one, which I like.
– Civics, including the very occasional hybrid.
– And the usual panoply of SUVs, pickups, old Ford Tauruses, some Fusions, lots of Escaps, minivans, whatnot…
There doesn’t seem to be a big visible tilt away from SUVs but one commuter I see routinely replaced a mid-size pickup with a Yaris. Still some of the regulars in their Ford 250HDs or whatever are still driving them.
The one vehicle type shift is motor scooters… once pretty rare, I now seem to see a couple a day. I haven’t noticed a big increase in motorcycles, though. And probably more bicycles than I would consider normal.
The vehicles that I’ve noticed as being uncommon:
– I’ve seen two Maserati Quattroportes this year (one on several occasions). What a beautiful car that is.
– I’ve seen three Bentleys. Two current models and one that was probably a dozen or so years old.
– I’m finally seeing a few, very few, Malibus. I think I’ve seen 5, now. Very low presence for this car.
– I did actually see ONE Aura hybrid. Yep, I’ve seen more Maseratis and Bentleys this year than GM hybrids.
I see a lot of Excesscalades, Suburbans, Hummers, F(1-4)50s (mostly F250+), Acadias. Chrysler 300. The new CTS. Also really popular around here are FJ Cruisers and Nissan Xteras. Tons of Cayennes (including S and Turbo).
Towards sportier cars: 350Z, S2000, Porsche 911 and Boxster. Aston Martins and Maseratis aren’t rare. Maseratis are almost commonplace even.
Then, lots and lots of Fits. I used to be one of maybe three Fit drivers in the area. Now there’s at least 50. A couple Focuses…. Hyundai Accents. Elantras. Aveos (unfortunately).
Toyota Solaras. AND TOO MANY PRII.
(By the way, I live in South Tampa, Florida)
I drive by a fancy private school in Silicon Valley every day. The pickup lane two years ago was bumper to bumper Tahoes and Expeditions. They have all disappeared like Houdini. Gas prices are not hurting people who pay $30k per child per year for private elementary school. The rich may not care about gas prices but they apparently do care deeply about looking fashionable. Now in fashion: minivans (!)
Plenty of old pieces of crap with their paint peeled off, muffler dragging on the ground, and blue plumes of smoke at every light.
No wait… that’s the auto auction I did a week ago.
Nevermind…
Here in Southern NH, it’s Ford Focus-land. Lots of 07/08 Corollas too. Far fewer SUV than even a month ago. I had the pleasure of watching a guy almost blow a gasket at the gas station this week as I was filling up my 99 Escort ($38) he was filling a Suburban ($140). He was so pissed I thought he might douse himself and end it all right there.
Matrixes are the most common car among people I know, although Corollas are much more common than any of the Yaris configurations (3 door hatch, 5 hatch, sedan) on the road. For a bit of a price jump, you get more room for a negligible loss in economy, so why go with the Yaris? Small cars in general are popular in the Canadian market, I think even 5 years ago, when gas was cheaper, the seven best selling car models were all compacts, and that doesn’t seem to have changed.
And 4.59 per gallon of premium? It’s $1.35 a litre of regular unleaded in Vancouver (about $5.11 per gallon). While that includes the transit levy, the new carbon tax hasn’t even kicked in yet
in reno nv you see pickups, hundreds of them and 4 wheel everything. but the biggy is the subaru..it is taking over much of the suv market..the well equipped outback is seen everywhere and most of their owners are smiling that smile of ” I told you so.”.. I drive saabs, and am practically alone, but I like the “not me too” niche. ssj.
Up here in NE lower Michigan, I’m seeing a few more Corollas and a number of Kias. What’s strange about the Kia sightings is that most of them were purchased in Traverse City, which is on the opposite side of the state, while there is a Kia dealer in Bay City, which is like, a little over an hour away.
Oh, and Chevy HHR’s are becoming more common around here. I don’t know where all of them are coming from as the Chevy dealer around the corner from me doesn’t keep a whole lot of them in stock. Meanwhile, the Escalades and Tahoes are gathering quite a bit of dust down there…
Not much difference where I am out here in Palm Springs. I think the snowbirds have retreated so there aren’t as many Continental GTs out to play. Still a lot of people out in trucks and SUVs…
Lots of Priuses, Focuses, more Yarises and Versas, and tons of Civics and VWs.
What’s surprised me what I’m not seeing. I see very few Corollas newer than 7 or 8 years old. Or at least I don’t think I see them. They might just be blending in.
“The pickup lane two years ago was bumper to bumper Tahoes and Expeditions. They have all disappeared like Houdini.”
I think it’s just the 3 year lease phenomenon. Several of our neighbors and friends are on their third car in the five years that we’ve lived here. (Tail of oldest lease, full 3 year lease in between, beginning of new lease). I wonder if the automakers are taking this into account when planning product. roll outs. In 1.5 years, half of the remaining SUV/pick up lessors will be in the market again for another vehicle.
i was L.A. recently for the first time and at the airport i saw two ferraris and countless porsches. driving around for the week i had to remember to wipe the drool several times.
i used to have the bike rack at work all to myself. yesterday there were 8 bikes there.
i see alot of yari & foci here in worcester, ma.
fits, prii, and for some ungodly reason, new accords.
What is weird to see is to drive up to Detroit and all those non Big 2.8 cars on the roads.
No major shift here (just North of Pgh. PA); a few more Fits, Foci, new Corollas.
But the Yukons, F250’s and Expeditions are definitely driving s l o w e r
That’s right, there are a decent number of new Accords in Southern Maine too. Our neighbour across the street just replaced a leased Civic with a 4 cylinder Accord, and a guy a few houses over got an Accord when the new model first came out last year. I don’t know what the appeal of them is, but to each his own I guess.
I saw 2 fawns and a Black Bear crossing Rt 80 last week, while riding my motorcycle to Omaha
Now that you mention it, as I trundle along in my 1997 Toyota Tercel, I am noticing that many of the big trucks and SUVs are slowing down. Stupid thing is that many folks are seriously considering trading their GSP (gus-sucking pigs) for smaller cars while still horribly upside down in them. Seems stupid to run to a stealership to lose several thousand in depreciation to save $60 a month in fuel, but then, what do I know? There does seem to be an uptick here along the coast of South Carolina in more fuel-efficient vehicles such as Fit, Versa and Focus, but there are still enough examples of Bubba driving by in his lifted F-150. Go figure…
‘supremebrougham’
I used to fly in to do an auction near Bay City. They had this donut shop less than a mile away that was absolutely brilliant. Nice thick donuts with a cup of coffee as big as my head. I think there are certain things in life that are worth all the health issues, and that donut/coffee combination was one of them.
One other thing. That area of our country is extremely pro-American and very economically depressed. The one thing that stayed with me was that when it came to the repos, the ones in Bay City were on average far better than most everywhere else. I think only Tulsa had cars that were better looked after.
I won’t bore you with my experiences in Frankenmuth. But I will say that between a summer place in Michigan or Maine, it would be a tough choice. Georgia S-U-C-K-S in the summertime.
I noticed a lot of people are driving slower. Now I pass almost everybody if I go 80 in a 75. It’s weird.
The only cars with paper plates I’m seeing are small ones around San Jose.
I was filling up my Miata last Friday, and a guy yells over from another aisle, filling his Impala, “I gotta get me one of those small things! This is killing me!”
I saw an Aveo 5-door last night that was on its way to being tricked out, enhanced with a coffee can muffler.
Everyone has slowed way down – almost no one is doing 80 mph.
Lots of vintage small motorcycles and scooters out to play this Spring/Summer. More than ever before. Lots of new four cylinder cars in the local new car fleet. Still big trucks and SUVs but they are driving very carefully most of the time.
Traveled over the weekend and the Sat night traffic was running 5-10 mph slower than the limit. Semi-trucks were running 60-65 mph. Nice drive that night.
I-40 is quiet several nights a week now. Can hear it in our neighborhood and I notice when I take the dog out for a walk at night before bed.
Drove a GEM electric yesterday. Two of them on the local university campus now. 25 mph tops. Plastic doors, windows, and everything. Fine for 25 mph or less but I would not even come close to considering mixing with regular traffic even at 30 mph. Safer than a motorcycle maybe. At least on a motorcycle you can go the speed limits. No where around town where the limits are that low except the university. Now a 45 mph version might be perfect for this small town but it would have to be much more substantial. Needs more wheel travel too. These are meant to be used in urban areas and the pavement is worst in the local urban areas.
Saw an electric three wheeler in traffic a couple of weeks ago! Would rather have the GEM…
Lots of tiny early 90s compacts out and about lately. Have noticed 6-8 Geo Metros lately. Most are in good shape. One though has an engine near death – pistons rattle and it smokes alot.
In dc it seems to business as usual, BMWs and Audis. Though I have seen a couple of smart cars.
In Chicago I see the same ol crap that I’ve been seeing for the past couple of years, most of it boring to butt ugly. When are the stylists going to shake it up a bit? I do see less traffic on the weekends except for tourists coming into town.
Way more bikes in certain parts of town. Lots of little high mpg scooters too.
spent last week in Los Angeles, Pasadena, La Canada: wall to wall cars. Mercedes are passe; saabs and audi’s are second cars; Lexus and jaguar very common; still the occasional Bently and more escalades than ever seen anywhere. Then a whole lot of Ford Escape and Prius hybrids. Very nice vehicles and politically correct. So, the Political correct crowd, drive hybrids to work, but keep prestige cars for nite life and show off, Day; Saturday at the chic malls.
jack
Steven Lang,
I always appreciate your insights and commentaries. I live about seventy miles north of Bay City, so I am curious as to where this donut shop is you speak of?
You really nailed the profile of this area. And the used car market in Bay City is rather interesting. I enjoy strolling through the two major import lots there on the weekend, the variety and quality of the cars is usually very nice.
For some reason a lot of people I talk to around here still think they can’t live without their giant SUV’s. My boss has a TrailBlazer and she asked me to look at it the other day and see if I could figure out what one of the pictogram idiot lights was supposed to mean. I noticed that the 4wd was engaged so I put it back into 2wd and the light went away. Anyways, I told her about that and then I said that she would also get a little better fuel economy. She replied, “I don’t go anywhere, so I don’t care what it gets…” Um, okay.