Karl's Daily Log Book - READ ONLY

2391 messages, Last post on Nov 30, 2005 at 6:50 AM

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What is this discussion about? Coupe, Sedan, SUV

Karl Brauer is the Editor in Chief of Edmunds.com, which means he finds himself in a different vehicle almost every day of the week. If you want a daily road test review regarding the latest cars and trucks to hit the market, along with commentary on everything from auto industry happenings to L.A. drivers to his latest close encounter with Johnny Law, this is the place to be.

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#2323 of 2391 Re: "What exactly is it about CA that is so appealing to the rest of the... by splatsterhound Oct 24, 2005 (1:07 pm)
Replying to: xmf314 (Oct 24, 2005 11:29 am) Other than the great year round weather, a unique thing about L.A. is that it is one of the few places in the world where you can swim in the ocean, ski in the snow, and visit the desert, all in the same day. Ah ha ha ha ha! If I had a dollar every time I heard that line from someone in CA.... Yes, it was once technically possible to do that. But if you wanted to do that today, you'd spend 12 of your hours in traffic, twenty minutes in the ocean and 30 minutes on the ski hill. I heard that line so often I would ask people: "But have YOU ever done that?" And people would sort of shuffle and look away. I, too, can swim in the ocean and ski in one day and be home at night. It's called flying on an airplane. It's about as easy to do as getting around LA. Boy, all this topic talk sure makes me NOT miss LA. And this talk was originally about Nissan, right? Anyone see today's Wall Street Journal about LAPD arresting pushy movie 'characters' who were hounding tourists in LA? As to the fellow who said moving is harder because of both people working in a couple, it's true. CA is so expensive that almost no one I knew had a stay-at-home parent. Everyone was home at 8 p.m. at night in order to pay their mortgage and their crazy lease payments and on and on and on.... I think Nissan's head US honchos just want to cash out of their real estate and move on... Replies to this message: xmf314 (Oct 24, 2005 5:13 pm)
#2324 of 2391 Re: "What exactly is it about CA that is so appealing to the rest of the... [splatsterhound] by xmf314 Oct 24, 2005 (5:13 pm)
Replying to: splatsterhound (Oct 24, 2005 1:07 pm) Other than the great year round weather, a unique thing about L.A. is that it is one of the few places in the world where you can swim in the ocean, ski in the snow, and visit the desert, all in the same day. Ah ha ha ha ha! If I had a dollar every time I heard that line from someone in CA.... Even with today's traffic it is still possible to do the above. I have driven from the beach area of Santa Monica up to my son's house in the San Gabriel Mountains near Lake Arrowhead, and then down to my wife's relatives house in Palmdale in the high desert in one day. It's true that it's not as easy as it used to be because of the traffic, but if you travel at the right times of day it is no problem.
#2325 of 2391 cars by phillyone Oct 24, 2005 (6:03 pm)
Is there any more car related discussion on this board? California real estate prices are fascinating but this doesnt seem like the place to discuss such issues. One thing I do know about CA is that it is dominated by imports and I wonder if that gives CA based journalists a warped view of the automotive world. I read that 20% of Toyota's sales come in the state of CA which means that Toyota really isnt nearly as dominate in many of the other states. When I read info written by people from CA I get the impression that they think non-imports arent sold to anyone other than rental fleets. They also seem to think that no one outside of UAW territory drives domestic vehicles. I live in a pretty balanced area where Toyotas and Chevys are very common. All the normal import success stories (accord, altima, camry, etc.) are big here of course. But not everything import is popular here, I rarely see Titans, Tundras, Sequioas, Ridgelines, etc. In other words, import trucks are not nearly as successful as import cars in my area. I rarely see pickups of any kind unless it's a construction site, and when I do see pickups they are from the Big 3. BMWs, Cadillacs and MBs are very common, but Audi's are not that common by comparison. The RX330 and ES330 are big sellers, but the GS is rarely seen around here. Same goes for GX470 or LX470. Anyway, I would like to see the Acura TL compared to the Passat V6 and Maxima. Three wonderful FWD V6 sedans that would appeal to the same prospective buyers. I think that is a very even match up and Edmunds should be the first to see how they compare. You really cant go wrong with any of those class leading luxury sedans. Replies to this message: ejj (Oct 25, 2005 4:47 am)
#2326 of 2391 Re: cars [phillyone] by ejj Oct 25, 2005 (4:47 am)
Replying to: phillyone (Oct 24, 2005 6:03 pm) I think there is a variety in every area--it even depends where you live. In my neighborhood of Minneapolis, you don't see that many domestic products. I went to an in-law wedding a ways out of town--we were the only import car in the lot. Audi is very common here--as are the LX/GX 470, etc...
#2327 of 2391 Re: Remote start isn't really an "innovation" though... [redmaxx] by kevm14 Oct 25, 2005 (5:42 am)
Replying to: redmaxx (Oct 21, 2005 1:19 pm) If the temp is less than a set amount, it turns on the heat full-blast, thinking its winter. If they just let the auto climate control system maintain the current set temp (instead of going to one extreme) then this wouldn't be a problem. But this isn't your fault. Over-using? No, I just want to keep the car cool some times when I go into a store. Why are you even using the remote start feature? Just leave the car running!! Replies to this message: redmaxx (Oct 27, 2005 8:56 am) kevm14 (Oct 27, 2005 11:13 am) redmaxx (Oct 28, 2005 8:48 am)
#2328 of 2391 Re: Contrarian viewpoint on some of these "engineering" firsts [phillyone] by kevm14 Oct 25, 2005 (5:44 am)
Replying to: phillyone (Oct 21, 2005 2:08 pm) I think a big reason ATTS "failed" is because, to properly utilize it, you'd basically have to push a FWD compact to 9/10ths and mash on the gas. On the street, few people drive like that.
#2329 of 2391 Re: Contrarian viewpoint on some of these "engineering" firsts [dieselone] by kevm14 Oct 25, 2005 (5:46 am)
Replying to: dieselone (Oct 21, 2005 3:45 pm) The problem was it was very expensive and many people probably didn't want the added complexity on their truck/suv And don't forget who designed the system: Delphi. Replies to this message: imidazol97 (Oct 25, 2005 6:13 am) nitromax (Oct 25, 2005 7:11 am) kevm14 (Oct 25, 2005 7:11 am)
#2330 of 2391 Re: Contrarian viewpoint on some of these "engineering" firsts [kevm14] by imidazol97 Oct 25, 2005 (6:13 am)
Replying to: kevm14 (Oct 25, 2005 5:46 am) >And don't forget who designed the system: Delphi. I'm not sure if you're saying that's good or bad? Delco/Delphi has engineered many things through the recent years. I would consider that a plus. Replies to this message: nitromax (Oct 25, 2005 7:11 am) kevm14 (Oct 25, 2005 7:11 am)
#2331 of 2391 Re: Contrarian viewpoint on some of these "engineering" firsts [imidazol97] by nitromax Oct 25, 2005 (7:11 am)
Replying to: imidazol97 (Oct 25, 2005 6:13 am) http://edition.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS/10/08/delphi.bankrupt.ap/
#2332 of 2391 Re: Contrarian viewpoint on some of these "engineering" firsts [imidazol97] by kevm14 Oct 25, 2005 (7:11 am)
Replying to: imidazol97 (Oct 25, 2005 6:13 am) Not saying either, just that I don't see how GM will get such great results of R&D efforts (like quadrasteer) since Delphi went chapter 11.