2000 Dodge Durango: Firm and very truck like. You can tell this model is sitting on a truck frame.
2005 Toyota Sienna: It's nice, but very heavy, you feel every pound of power door and entertainment system.
2011 Cadillac CTS4: Great Build. Good Price. If the ATS is built this well Audi should be worried.
1/15/13
2000 Ford F-350 V10: Not sure if V10 really adds more to this truck than the big V8 does.
2009 Chevy Silverado 1500: Base truck is very trucky.
1/16/13
2001 Honda Odyssey: This drives just like a bigger CRV or Element. Build is about on par too.
1/17/13
2008 Chevy Impala LT: If you think you want a Camry you may want to look at one of these. By '08 these are just about equal. Chevy moving up, and Toyota moving down.
2007 BMW X5 4.8i: The Ultimate Driving Machine......'s Fat Cousin.
1/18/13
2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser: Drive is OK. Not a lot of power, but it doesn't drive clunky.
2004 GMC Envoy SLT V8: A Trailblazer by any other name would drive as averagely. But nice seats.
2010 Ram 1500: New interior is leaps and bounds better than the old truck. Otherwise it's a truck.
2005 Volvo XC90 AWD: Drives ok. Comfortable, but from the inside it feels Bigger outside.
2010 Lexus ES 350: If your first priority in buying a car is how nice the interior is, this is your car.
1/8/13
2010 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T: Power is much better in two wheel drive with the 2.0 Turbo engine. It drives well, but it's just too high.
2004 Honda Element: Great cargo box, not so great to put people in the back what with no roll down windows or anything. Honda makes better trucks than cars these days.
2010 Jaguar XF: Forget the ES 350, you want a GREAT interior get the XF, Huge slabs of real wood, leather everywhere, and it's damn fun to drive to boot. Look at one of these before buying a German.
2005 AUDI A4 Cabrio 1.8T: Lots of cowl shudder, Engine is ok, but this is still just a slightly nicer Passat.
2003 GMC Sonoma: It's little, It's a Pickup, um.....yea.
1/9/13
2004 BMW 530i Sport 6spd: At over 100,000 miles this car still drives like a dream. This may be a perfect car. It's a shame the new 5er isn't as fun to drive as this.
2011 Toyota Prius: This car is just flat out cool and compitent. No it's not sporty, or cushy, but man this is what Toyota used to be about.
2005 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 5spd: Great power with the 2.5 Inline-5. Exhaust tone is strange but not raspy. Cruising on the freeway at 3000 rpm however the exhaust note gets tiresome.
2009 Toyota RAV-4 Sport: Lots of power but for no good reason.
2011 Toyota Prius: As cool as the instrument display is, I still don't like it in the middle of the dash so far away.
2008 Chevy Impala: It's an average car for an average american. At this point i's basically on par with the Camry. Not sure who that's damming to more.
1/10/13
2007 Kia Sedona LX: It's an ok minivan, no frills or fancy entertainment systems, but it will move 7 people around with minimal bitching.
2006 Mazda 3 2.3: Zoom-Zoom! Fun and dynamic with lots of power for cheap! Also Mazda understands you pull BACK to Upshift!
2011 Ford F250 Powerstroke Slam-Eagle: Every once in a while you come across somebodies custom labor of love. Be it the bitchin van with the wizard fighting a robot dragon painted on the side and a built in water bed, or a Mustang tuned to an inch of it's life for the 1/4 mile, or in this case, a low profile towing rig pickup that has no pretension of being used anywhere the tarmac ends. All trucks for towing should be low like this. Drives great, and you don't need a drop hitch.
That's as tall as you ever need to tow stuff.
Oh yea and wicked custom paint work UNDER the clear-coat helps too.
This guy alone adds 200 pounds of towing capacity!
2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder: It's nice to be reminded of what cars used to feel like all low to the ground and sporty. Sure this one had no power steering, but I needed the upper body workout.
1/11/13
2004 Toyota 4-Runner V8: Taller and less solid feeling than the old blocky 4-Runner. Very thirsty. Still love the big, mitten workable climate controls though!
Well to my surprise there was actually work to do New Years Eve. So that's good.
12/31/12
2010 Mazda CX-9 AWD: Great dynamic feel. AWD system is un-obtrusive and really solid. I'm really starting to take a like to this thing. I hate CUV's, but this is fun to drive. If I suddenly discovered I had 3-4 illegitimate children, this is the vehicle I'd buy.
2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDi Cup Edition: More visual bark than performance bite. It's just a TDi version of the Jetta GLIwith a big goofy front clip. It's still VW nice, but "Cup Edition" Just looks a bit silly.
Looks like the race car, If you squint.....
1/1/13
Office Chair Jousting, Yea, it's a thing!
1/2/13
2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 w/20" Rims: Yea, somebody did this, and yea then we bought it. Ride was smoother than I expected, but braking was poor with the big heavy rims.
Luxury?
2000 Ford Windstar: Has a very solid feel. Conveys strength and protection. Doesn't necessarily deliver mind you....
2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE: These cars continue to impress, Great CVT, Great Engine, but steering is a bit light.
2007 Dodge Nitro SLT 4x4: Even tighter than it's sibling Jeep. No shoulder or foot room. It's like they designed this thing to not be used.
1/3/13
2009 Toyota Venza: Neat styling for a tall wagon CUV. Drives well and has good power. Really feels like it was designed by the group that did the Prius.
2003 Honda Pilot: Smart storage layout, doesn't drive too tippy. This doesn't have that fake "Truck-ey" feeling many of these kinds of cars do.
2011 Hyundai Sonata SE: Smooth, comfortable, with great interior design and trim. The back light (the rear window) has distortion dead center.
2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE: You just don't need the V6 with the Nissan CVT. Save the money.
1/4/13
2009 Saturn Outlook: Build quality and design is on par with VW/Audi. You can defiantly tell that the latter saturns were pulled out of the European arm of GM.
2007 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro: Engine has nowhere near the pull of the BMW 2.0 Turbo. Chassis is tight and fun to drive, like a sharper VW Passat. Not a whole lot of knee room though. But, I love the hard click of the buttons in the Audi.
2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser: It drives like a really top heavy Neon, which it is. The Retro interior has a good novelty factor, but overall it kinda looks like it was trying too hard. I will say though, Chryslers cheap interior materials don't seem so bad in the retro style.
2006 Mercedes-Benz E350: Smooth and luxurious. Overall an ideal competent car. The only issue is the brake by wire system needs a very gentile foot.
2011 Lexus RX 350: Big and soft, I can't compliment the style and materials of the interior more, but it can't hide that it's just a Toyota CUV.
2009 Lexus ES 350: Aside from the interior there is NOTHING that makes this car stand out as worth the price premium over a Toyota or Honda.
2002 Chevy Avalanche: If you need to tow, but don't want a Suburban or a Pickup, it's sorta there for you.
2008 Toyota Sienna: Real good utility, and lots of space.
12/4/12
2002 GMC 2500HD with a 36' race trailer: seats make it about 8 hours but after that they just loose all their support. BIG 454 V-8 doesn't even notice a 5000+ Pound trailer. Allison transmission is a MUST for towing. 24 hour round trip run, no problem, and only used 2 1/2 tanks!
WATCH out for the overhang swing!
12/5/12
2003 Mercedes-Benz E500 Sport: This feels more CAR than other cars. M-B has been making cars longer than anyone else, so it figures. Sport trim however seems to be a relative term.
12/6/12
2012 Honda Pilot: This feels like a really nice and useful SUV. Generally feels good and sturdy.
2011 Mitsubishi Galant: It's ok, but it doesn't stand out at all. For '11 no drive off door locks or a locking fuel door.
2006 Lexus RX 400h: This sits just way too high.
2004 Mazda 6 5Door V6: Tight and responsive, nice interior, fun to drive, auto stick goes the right way around. back to upshif, forward to downshift.
12/7/12
2003 Ford F-150 5sp: No A/C, no tach, 5-speed. Pure Basic TRUCK. It's refreshing to be reminded what cars were like before the standard option list exploded.
2009 Ford Flex Limited: Big and solid, tonnes of space, but you feel like a little kid sitting in it. It's just TOO big.
2007 Kia Rio LX: Great simple ride, comes bone stock empty. But, it feels better than some more expensive cars in its segment.
2004 Jeep Liberty: Stout and tough feeling. It does feel a bit crude however.
1998 Ford Mustang V6: Drives so old school. The simplicity is kind of nice.
2004 Dodge Ram 1500: I swear they make these tall just for the sake of being tall.
2002 Acura TL 3.2: Nice ride, I'd take this over an Accord.
11/27/12
2009 Chevy Impala SS: This car has way too much engine for its front wheel drive suspension. Overall good build quality, but the seats are unsupportive.
2010 Acura RDX Turbo: Great throttle response with the turbo. This CUV has a nice low center of gravity feel to it.
2012 Honda Pilot: Things learned by Honda in the Ridgeline can be felt in this. Overall it feels more sturdy and less like a bloated car than most Large CUV's. Defiantly get this over the up-badged Acura MDX which just feels gaudy.
11/28/12
2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited: This car is Fantastic! Smooth autostick gearbox, great middle of the road power (not weak but not overpowering the front wheels), Awesome powertrain warranty! Overall fit and finish is on par with new Fords. GIVE THIS A LOOK!
2009 Nissan Altima 2.5 S: The 2.5 S has too much of an option spread, this one had nearly nothing where as previous Altima 2.5 S was really nicely equipped. But still it has a great engine, and a nice smooth CVT.
2009 Ford Escape XLT: Comfortable and still un-apologetically truck like, but small truck like. Like a Pony or something.
2008 Toyota FJ Cruser: SO FUN! It's almost a Pantomime of a truck. It has all exaggerated "truckey" characteristics and style cues. It just screams "Lets go Play In the Mud!". I mean it has three tiny front wiper blades, why? because why not?
1,2,3, The shifter looks like a marital aid!!!
2008 Toyota Solara SE Convertible: Soft and floppy like a Camry which isn't particularly sporty, it's the car that signaled the end of the cool Toyotas like the MR2, Supra, and Celica. None of these problems matter too much though when you put the top down!
Yeup that says 37° F. I'm that stupid.
11/29/12
2003 Dodge Neon SXT: Direct, Immediate steering responce. I know it was not the best car in its class, but I understand why it does so well in 24 Hours of LeMons.
2007 Nissan Murano S AWD: Older Murano's like this are way more fun. Funky interior, sport setting on the CVT. Weird how it runs in sport mode @ 3500 RPM, but it's dead in the center of the Torque peak.
2005 BMW 545i Sport: Great power and Throttle responce. Sport suspension and seats really make this car special on an already great chassis.
Just watch out for that right front corner, DERP!
2007 GMC Yukon: Great Interior, perhaps the Escalade IS Overrated.
2004 Toyota 4-Runner: HVAC needed too much time to interpret. Good, low, legs forward seating position. It's the Quintessential Japanese Truck style SUV.
2005 Ford Focus: It may look new, but it's still the same as the old '90's Escort deep inside. The new stuff is way better.
11/30/12
2011 BMW 335i X-Drive: Astronomical launch with the turbo engine and AWD!
2004 Suzuki XL-7: Great little body on frame trucklet. Feels very '80's you can tell not much has been done to modernize the chassis really. Should not have tried to be upscale though, the interior is mismatched to the overall truck. It should be utilitarian, not fake wood and such. Also, all Toyota switch gear.
2008 BMW 328xi: This car just has such a confident, solid feel. The "28" engine (the N52 Inline 6) is the right amount of power to keep you out of too much trouble, but still have fun.
2005 Chevy Cobalt: Like yesterday's '05 Focus, this feels just like the old 80's-90's car it still basically is under its body. Expect an old Chevy Caviler not a modern car.
Or if you want to be a Dandy, Picture the Cadillac Cimarron. A Turd by any other name would smell as foul.
2001 Honda Ridgeline: Stunning execution, I thought I would hate this thing. Feels lower than it actually is, drives great, and why is this engine not in everything?
2007 Honda Fit 5spd: Great little car. Good steering feel. Drives just like it does in Gran Turismo 5, SO FUN, and HUGE storage area.
2002 Ford Ranger: It's like the little Donkey of trucks.
11/20/12
2009 Nissan Murano: This would be a fantastic minivan.
11/21/12
1998 BMW 528i: Pure Driving Joy! This E39 generation of the 5 series is probably the near perfect sedan. You miss none of the added gadgets BMW puts in their cars now when you drive this!
2006 Lexus RX 400h: Good electric power boost. As usual, hybrid batteries balance the car out fantastic.
2008 Toyota FJ-Cruser (modified):WOW, lift kit and crazy big tires just make this MORE fun!
2004 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 SLT HD: Great power and HUGE towing Brakes!
2004 Ford Taurus SE: BLAH?
2003 Acura MDX: This is a LUXURY SUV?
2005 Chevy Impala: It doesn't even have a DOME LIGHT!?
10/31/12
2004 Volkswagen Jetta: Like putting on a well worn pair of boots. The MkIV aged real well, except for that "soft touch" plastic. That stuff should be banned.
2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor: CUV, it sits like a chair, rides like a box.
1979 Honda Trail 90: It's like a scooter meets a mountain goat. Can't wait to ride it to work in the spring. 100 MPG!
It does however need a bit of work to be road legal again.
11/1/12
2005 Subaru Baja: Feels lighter and more responsivethan the Outback. I want this turbo engine in my Outback. "Metal" trim instead of "wood" so you know it's "tougher".
2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse SE: Too much form over function. Like an "idea" of the old Eclipse, but only visually. Quick initial turn in, but then washes out, back end does nothing, it's just allong for the ride.
2007 Nissan 350Z: Very track oriented car. Stiff and well planted; good power anywhere in the rev range.
It's like a car version of Mega Man.
2005 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4: Meh...
11/2/12
2006 Saturn Ion: Tight, much more euro than the old Saturns.
2005 Ford Explorer: Bleh, so middle of the road. When it's not flipping off it.
2011 Volvo C70 T5: Incredibly solid for a hard top convertible. Good power and good auto transmission
2009 Volkswagen CC: Too tiny inside. Ok Headroom, but the door entry is way too low, I hit my head EVERY TIME.
2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Limited: I really kinda like Sync. Truck is Ok, but CG is in a weird spot, somewhere midway between an SUVs and a crew cab pickup.
2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STi: Good low CG, but feels bigger and less powerful than the EvoX by a significant margin. Nicer interior though.
Evo wins this round.
10/24/12
2007 Hummer H3: Surprisingly it does ride different than a TrailBlazer. Like riding in a TONKA TRUCK, but visibility is pillbox poor.
10/25/12
2007 Acura RDX Turbo: Great pickup, fun turbo noise, comfortable and responsive, great primary and secondary controls. Bit too darty on the freeway, not much on center feel.
2010 Lexus GX460: Man I love Toyota Trucks. Fantastic new interior, but I'd rather this truck Un-Luxed and ready for the dirt.
2008 Ford Mustang V6: GREAT! Very American car. Drives like my old 90's T-bird did. Perfect for the beautiful sunny warm day!
2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV: 4 Gallons doesn't even make the gas gauge move!
2004 Saab 9-3 Turbo 2.0: Fun Driving, very European feel for a "GM".
10/26/12
2003 Ford Windstar: You can defiantly feel it is biased around the Taurus.
2004 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab: Big Truck.
2012 Ford Focus SE: Fantastic total execution! Great Power, great maneuverability, Fantastic!
2008 Ford Taurus SEL: Overall great car, great engine, but why does it have an SUV sitting position?
2005 Honda Element: HUGE INSIDE! Good ride. Better than the CR-V!
2007 Toyota Highlander: Good solid SUV without trying to be a "Truck".
2002 BMW 330Xi: the E46 is the perfect BMW. Great even at 100,000 miles!
2006 Cadillac CTS: Soft ride, but defiantly a Cadillac.
10/2/12
2002 Toyota Hilux 4dr. SE5: Fantastic near the floor seating position. Comfortable for 200 Miles! Smooth and stable.
10/3/12
2006 Chevy Impala LTZ: Poor design, piss poor build quality, wont keep a lane. OK design and build ethic for a small pickup truck, NOT for a family sedan at its price.
2006 Chevy Cobalt: Great economy car. Seems like it was built with the same budget as the Impala. Good for something in the economy car segment, not so much for something the size of the Impala.
2005 Ford F-150 4x4 Crew Cab: Essential Truck, but trying to be too big.
10/4/12
1998 Ford Taurus V6: It's old, but it's not bad.
2003 Chevy TrailBlazer: truck.
Something seem ODD to you?
2006 Ford Fivehundred AWD: A pretty nice car ruined by a terrible seating position.
2007 Chevy Malibu LS: It's a car. No frills, no panache, but it's a car and it's good at being a car.
10/5/12
2010 Mitsubishi Lancer EvoX SE: Long trip out to Butler, PA. Totally worth the risk of a triple digit ticket. Bit thirsty at a highway mileage of 18 MPG. Truly more racecar than road car, but still comfortable driving at high speeds on regular roads.
Bye Evo!
2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid: Battery gives this car great balance. Drivetrain is fantastic and smooth. Cool to go 35 MPH on just electric, but needs some kind of pedal feedback so you know when it will go into engine mode.
2007 Honda Accord: This is a much better car when it's not trying to be "Sporty". Avoid the V6.
2004 Ford Explorer XLS: Can't decide if it should be a truck.
8/29/12
2007 Volkswagen Passat Wagon: Nice but the new transverse engine layout still is noticeable.
2008 Kia Spectra: Good ride, not sporty but not rough either.
8/30/12
2009 Lexus ES350: Toyota Avalon with a nicer interior.
2001 Honda Civic LX Coupe: Tight and Fun.
2004 Cadillac SRX: Utter crap. Not luxurious, and not worth the money.
2005 Hyundai Tucson: I don't even remember it, CUV's are that dull.
2005 Chevy Equinox: Competent but seat is too high, why isn't it just a wagon?
8/31/12
2008 Nissan Sentra SL: Strong Pull, good turn in dynamics.
2006 Toyota Highlander V6 4WD: Fantastic execution of a unibody SUV.
2011 Kia Soul: Good head room, but a bit gutless. Rather a Spectra.
2004 Dodge Stratus SXT 2dr: Poor Gearing, but it's nice and low.
2002 Buick LeSabre Limited: Lux everything, even a GM HUD! Feels a bit old for an '02, but nice on the highway.
200x Mini Cooper S Turbo: Pure tiny car FUN!
WHAT?
This was my first week at the job, I was still working out format and how much I wanted to say. Also found a cache of Hearing Aid batteries in the '02 LeSabre. Really says it all for Buick.
