Driver Blog

Motor Trend Price Report (Review)

Motor Trend has recently added a new feature to their website, allowing you to search for the average sale price of a new car. It shows you dealer cost, average paid, factory invoice and sticker price. This information would be very useful in bargaining your next new car purchase.

I was expecting this tool to be rather simple, so I purposely tried pushing it to the limit by optioning a Porsche Carrera (non-S). I expected it to offer only a couple options (rims, leather interior, etc.). I was very surprised (and pleased) to see that they had a ton of the available Porsche options! 244 to be exact!

There are some downsides. I tried optioning a Lamborghini out of curiosity, and while it is an available option, it seems that they don’t have any information on it, as the tool just went blank. It’s sloppy to leave the option in the menu when it is not supported.

Also, the site is US-based. It asks for a zip code and provides US pricing, so a Canadian version would be much appreciated. Motor Trend magazine does sell in Canada, although the Canadian version of the publication has the same issue (i.e. all MSRP’s are the US dollar amounts).

Lastly, I am not convinced that it is quite as comprehensive as it implies. For example, after you option a car and then click to see the pricing, it says “gathering sales” and shows you a flash animation implying that it is creating a bar graph from all the sales it has “gathered”. Now I can pretty much guarantee that no Porsche with the exact combination of options I spec’d has ever been sold. So what was the average that it was “gathering” and displaying? My guess is it is a crude formula that about splits the difference between factory invoice and sticker, but my guess is as good as yours.

Overall it is a useful tool for someone buying a new car, it will give you a clear idea of the room you have to negotiate. However, there are shortfalls and so I am glad it is free. I certainly would not even think of paying for the service, certainly not until the weaknesses are addressed.

An “A” for effort…

According to this article, GM is trying to match the quality of Audi interiors. Audi has been recognized for quite a while as having top-notch interiors, so they are a worthy benchmark.

However, I just don’t see this happening. Audi is a premium brand, as such they can charge a premium price, and put some of that towards a premium interior. Even the best GM products (i.e. Corvette or Escalade) are often reviewed as “good, for the price”. If you increase the price, that review could turn negative quickly. Without a price increase, where are you cutting corners to step up the interior?

I think at the end of the day this is just posturing. Don’t expect your next GM rental car to feel like an Audi inside. And we have been waiting a long time for the Corvette to step up the interior, I have a feeling that we will be waiting a while longer.

In addition to all the gadgets, I bet Bond’s car is modified such that this couldn’t happen…

Take a look at this article about an Aston Martin DBS that had three of its rims stolen in London.

Who the heck steals three rims!? I am sure the intention was to steal all four, but this should really be an all or nothing proposition. What are you going to do with only three rims? It would be so bait for these hoodrats to stumble into Aston Martin of London and place an order for one DBS rear rim. Plus I doubt they have over a grand to buy the rim and tire anyway.

Even if they could obtain the full set, what would they do? Walk around Chelsea to find a DB9 owner and then try and sell the DBS rims to him/her?

The fact that the brakes were smashed on the ground is the expensive part. Over $25k based on the quote in the article. What a waste.

Toyota FT-86 Delayed

I was looking forward to this small and sporty rear-wheel drive car from Toyota. Now it looks like the wait continues until at least 2013.

I can’t imagine why Toyota would be stalling with this new product, they really lack something truly sporty in their line-up. Sure there is the Corolla/Matrix XRS, but comparisons from major car magazines have shown that those are not even in the same league as sport-compacts such as the VW GTI, Mazdaspeed3, Civic Si, etc.

Subaru is collaborating with Toyota on the FT-86 and will be releasing their own version, so that too must be delayed. Hopefully it will eventually see the light of day!

Nurburgring in LA

Take a look at this interesting video where Jay Leno drives the new SLS AMG on some great looking streets in LA. The exhaust note on the SLS sounds amazing, especially on downshifts! He says the route is about as long as the Nurgburgring, and it looks about as twisty too, pretty neat.

BMW, does that stand for Bury Me With it?

I recently came across this story about a life-sized M3 Cabriolet headstone on a grave. At $75k, you have to wonder whether it would have been easier to just have an actual M3 vert on there!

The picture in the article doesn’t look like the car is actually life-sized, although that could just be a matter of perspective.

In Mount Pleasant cemetery in Toronto, I have seen a grave with a wheel/tire on the headstone. This takes it to a whole new level!

GT2… RS!

Just in case you missed it, there is an RS version of the GT2 coming! Just as the GT3 RS is a lightened version of the already track oriented GT3, the GT2 RS will dial down the weight (down 90lbs), and turn up the power (up 90hp). Should be scary good!

There’s an app for Rolls Royce too…

I just finished checking out a new app for the iPhone/iPod Touch from Rolls Royce. It’s a free configurator for the newest model, the Ghost. While the Ghost is a “baby Phantom”, it is still big. It is longer than the long wheel base 7-series on which it is based.

You can choose from a number of options:

-interior and exterior colours (I don’t recommend sea green)

-three rim options (although they all look about the same)

-the silver hood/wind-shield surround looks good, see above picture (although I hear in real life it is painted silver on the Ghost, not brushed aluminium as on the Phantom)

-visible/invisble exhausts (until my car is electric I’ll take the exhausts please)

-sunroof (that’s an option on a Rolls!?)

What would make it better? Well, Rolls Royce has way more options than what this app contains, I would have liked to seen many more (if not all) the available options.

Nonetheless, I like that Rolls put this app out there, it’s an interesting free way to spend a few minutes. I think making configurators available on mobile devices would be a great way for manufacturers to reach a captive audience, I look forward to more of these in the future.

Open Air Meetings

While walking yesterday I passed someone parked in a spot along the side of the road in an Audi S5 Cabriolet. The owner was in the car, top down, evidently using some sort of Bluetooth/stereo integration because I could hear his telephone conversation.

Surprisingly it did not sound like a personal call, rather it sounded work related. This raises a few issues, why are you having a (likely confidential) conference call with the top down? Are you aware that any number of passerbys can hear your conversation?

After an Apple employee left some schematics of the new iPhone in a bar last week, it got me thinking that it is only a matter of time until someone leaks information by having their conference call on speaker while sitting in their convertible (i.e. in a parking spot, or in stop and go traffic).

While avoiding speaker phone calls in public seems common sense, I think employees could do with a reminder. Specifically, instruction to avoid conference calls on speaker phone while in a vehicle with its windows (or entire roof!) down.

Who said school isn’t fun?

My best friend and I had a great time attending the Advanced session of BMW Driver Training the summer before last, we are going back this year for the Perfection level. There are only so many opportunities in life to drive someone else’s 414hp M3 (or 300hp 335i) without the fear of getting a speeding ticket. So we are seizing the opportunity while we can!

atomic80 on TeamSpeed recently posted about his time at Porsche Sport Driving School, specifically a 3 day race license course. It looks like a great time, and I suggest you check out his post for all the details.

I would highly recommend checking out one of these driving schools, whether it be from Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, or a recommended private school (be ready to supply the car in that case). You can have a lot of fun, and learn something along the way.