Reader Reviews
Test drive something recently? This is the place to post your impressions.
414 topics in this forum
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- Editor-in-Chief
- 8 replies
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As an owner of 5 of the 7 generations of Corvettes I feel the need to give some input into where we have come from and where we may be going. C3. Codename: Lmas I loved this car. 1979 L82 T-Top. 225HP/270lbs of Torque. 0-60 in 6.6 secs, C&D Link fuel economy that came in at about 15mpg.. on the road.. and looks that were constantly and consistently getting me ass. Well.. it and my gorgeous smile, beautiful eye-lashes, and way with words… smooth as a butter, and tasty as sweet cream :badass: I was 22 years old (1995)… and was able to afford this because I knu how to hustle.. in more way than one. “sell me the pen?” No *** sell me the pen, the paper…
Last reply by Cmicasa the Great, -
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So, the Smart came ... and stayed. It's not something that came and went. I will say something right off the bat - with their small size and automatics, they are a dream to park or squeeze through narrow spaces if in Europe. The Smart car has seen its sheet metal change in a few areas, and for the better. I remember how the front and rear styling in the original versions was underwhelming . Current versions feature grilles that look like grilles, and improvements in character lines and rear tail lamps as well. However, the biggest change is the slight elongation of the front of the car over the engine compartment. With there actually being a small amount of hor…
Last reply by trinacriabob, -
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I had the opportunity to rent a Chevy Cruze. This would have been the last gen model, prior to the arrival of the new one that is now in the showrooms. While the Cruze was definitely a step up in that niche from Chevy's previous Cavalier and Cobalt models, it was starting to get long in the tooth. It was never ungainly. It just seemed a little chunky. Though I haven't driven one, the current Cruze fixes all that. I got to select a car from the specified category at the rental car agency in SoCal. Take a pale gold one (a color that does NOT draw attention) with Florida plates (far away!) ... or take a red one (a color that DOES draw attention) with local plates?…
Last reply by trinacriabob, -
- 4 followers
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I rented a car because I got a good deal. AAA was giving a 3rd weekend day free if you paid for 2. Not only that, I got bumped up from a compact (because they didn't have any) to an intermediate. The car assigned to me was a 2019 Toyota Corolla LE. It was bronze with a black cloth interior and wheel covers on what appeared to be 15" wheels. Its styling is acceptable. The signature "angry appliance" grille isn't as bad as it is on some bigger Toyota's and Lexus products and an identifiable front fascia/bumper is welcomed. The greenhouse is sort of dull, as is the rear fascia. The small slats at the edges of the front bumper are odd but sort of grow on you. I t…
Last reply by trinacriabob, -
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- 7 replies
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I had reserved a mid-size car. I would have it for a week. I arrived to pick up the rental and there were no cars that I could see. The gentleman helping me pointed to either a Toyota Rav 4 or a Nissan Rogue. I did see a Malibu and a Fusion parked further away, and asked if I could have those instead. I was told that one had a mechanical issue that needed fixing and the other one was already assigned. I looked at the 2 vehicles available and focused on how well the luggage area was covered. I picked the Toyota Rav 4. I see the reviews bill it as a "cross over SUV." The interior and the controls took some getting used to. It's very different from a domesti…
Last reply by trinacriabob, -
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- Editor-in-Chief
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I was in NC and had rented a compact car for 4 days. I was hoping for a Cobalt or a Focus. No such luck...they were going to put me in an HHR or PT Cruiser. I told them I needed an 'effing trunk (I was firm, not rude). So I got a Yaris sedan. This is a short review. There is little that is inspiring to say about this car. It is the noisiest new car I've ever driven. It is a lawn-mower with a passenger car shell dropped onto it. To say that going from this car back into a 17 year old Regal with over a quarter of a million miles and feeling like one went from backpack cloth to velvet would about describe it. Shifts are rough, especially when throttled. The in…
Last reply by Robert Hall, -
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I spent Easter in Portland and had booked a full-size with Avis. A little over $ 50 for 2 days. Not bad. Avis doesn't have LaCrosses at this location, so I went up to the parking deck to see what they had and noted a couple of Monte Carlo parking spot numbers. I got a white coupe as a result of my snooping around. A couple of things have changed since the last model run and some things are the same. The first thing one notices are the seats. These are the plumper, boxier buckets found in the Impala. Unlike the GP, these are not the Recaro wanna-bes that are hard on anything above a 29 inch waist and one who has smallish lats. Rather, they are comfortable, nicel…
Last reply by BB_454, -
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- Editor-in-Chief
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I have a number of new features planned for CheersandGears.com for 2015. The first new feature comes to us from long time member Balthazar. He has cued up trivia questions for us to answer each week. Some weeks, we will be offering prizes to the first to answer all 5 questions correctly. We will reveal the answers to this week's questions in next week's post. In the long-running TV series "Married with Children", what brand/model car was Al Bundy always bemoaning? Name 3 makes of American automobiles that have had special 'Hurst' Editions. In which state was the 'Springfield' Rolls Royce auto built? What was the first model year of the Chevy Bel Air? Which …
Last reply by smk4565, -
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I was able to test a new 2013 CC "Sport" this past weekend. It was a much better experience than I had hoped for. I had it for a couple of hours and did a good mix of interstate and East TN rural driving. My daily driver is a 1999 C280 with over 250K miles. I provide that only so you can see what I am comparing the new VW against. The over all build quality of the CC (German made 68%) is OK, and I mean just OK. While it is as nice as similar priced Mazda and oddly as nice as the 2013 Mercedes CLA, it is nowhere near as solid as the now 14 year old C280 I drive. The panel fit is OK, but the paint will likely not hold up for a decade, as I would expect. The mo…
Last reply by Hengista, -
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Tested..... 2009 Routan SEL I think. White / tan cloth. Used.....11k on the odo. 3.8 litre motor. Lightly optioned. Highs- Room and Space - cargo and passengers Front row seating comfort. For those that like to sit high, this is nice. Seat can be adjusted for perfect driving position unless you like it low. Engine does well at highway speeds. Excellent frontal visibility and decent out the sides and back. Excellent gauges, convenient radio location, nice climate controls. Steering wheel feels nice. Sliding door windows can roll down and have built in sunshades. Good steering and handling. 3.8 has a decent snarl at certain speeds. Engine turns only 2000 rp…
Last reply by regfootball, -
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Was It A Mistake To Make A Muscle Car Out Of An SUV? 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer SS Review AWD LT 1SE Black Exterior / Ebony Interior In the 70’s a muscle car was a large, powerful, fast machine. My father owned a 71 Oldsmobile Cutlass S (badge brother to the Pontiac GTO and Chevrolet Chevelle) Unfortunately it was totaled and pie-wedged as a Big Rig ran over it, but by all descriptions it was fast as hell! It was simple back then: engine, transmission and speed. Of course as the RPM’s went up the gas gauge went down and that car “could pass everything but a gas station.” In this age of high gas prices this would seem to indicate that the age of the pony car …
Last reply by chevynj, -
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Ok, it's the end of summer and I want to take a few road trips before it gets colder. My sled is old, so I think I will take an Alamo rental into the "low" Sierra for a couple of weekend days to plunk myself onto an air mattress and enjoy the sun for a mere $ 22 a day....and collect some frequent flyer miles in the process. My reservation for a compact turned out to be a chance to try a Cobalt for over 200 miles. Mine was that electric blue with a hint of purple. The little sedan is pleasing to the eye. The front grille is definitely an improvement and the greenhouse with the sweepback in the rear passenger compartment side window is a departure from the ordinary, w…
Last reply by trinacriabob, -
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- 7 followers
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XT5 - 3 days, 300+ miles, Review Dropped off one auto Friday morning and was put into a 2017 XT5 in White with White / grey interior. Fit and finish is solid, comfort level, this auto has it and could easily be a road trip CUV. Ease of use is right up there especially if you are a GM previous owner, this auto makes it easy to get in, adjust and drive. CUE worked flawlessly for me and spacious, yup, had that in spades. This was the initial impression, once you get over the newness of being in an auto you then start to notice small things such as the drivers chair for me initially was fine, but by the end of the first day, I realized it was short for m…
Last reply by regfootball, -
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Reviewing the Altima was on my bucket list. I then saw another member did a very thorough job of reviewing it and wondered if I should review it. My spin on the car is somewhat the same, yet different, so I will review the typical base model Nissan Altima found in rental fleets. Japanese iron has made serious inroads into rental fleets. If you call ahead to find out what the full size car might be, you are likely to hear a list of Camry and Company. After a very slushy and unremarkable but absurdly cheap 2009-ish rental of a Camry in Canada, I vowed to avoid renting the larger Japanese cars in the future. It turned out that I had a weird flight connection in M…
Last reply by Paolino,
