Tag Archives: buying

impulse buy of the day. gloves.

Never let me go near a Dunhill store without taking my wallet from me; that’s the moral of the story.

As of yet, I have never been able to walk into a Dunhill store and not walk out with a bag in my hand, in fact my impulsive buying at that shop in particular is a bit scary.

The damage today wasn’t that bad….err, relatively speaking.  I’d been looking for a new pair of winter gloves for the past week or two, having even dismissed a pair i liked somewhere last week because they were “too expensive” ($100)…..fast forward to today, I was invited to the Audi Forum in Manhattan for some free drinks, a look around the cars they had, and a general social gathering.  The gathering was quite boring, so i swigged down 2 Amstels and decided to walk 9 blocks to go to the Dunhill store.

The damage?  Well the winter “Shearling” gloves i bought were $225.  But OH how they feel when i put them on……the inside is lined with mink fur, and the outside trimmed in leather and suede.  I drove home in the TT, and the gloves just felt EPIC.  Surely the fact that i’d just spent $225 on them made them just that much more beautiful.

 

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video of the day. Fulvia!

I can’t understand anything—so here’s my take. A man goes and checks out a Lancia Fulvia HF!

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Wheeler Dealers: Lancia Fulvia

I was hoping for a full episode about the Fulvia, but this seems to be a short summary of the Fulvia and some advice on buying one.  I’m not a huge fan of the S2 headlights on this one, i’d much prefer the Series 1—-but i have heard/read that the Series 2 had some mechanical improvements so they may be onto something.  I am staggered by how cheap these sell for on the secondhand market in the UK.  Unfortunately here in the US, since the Fulvia was never officially sold, even raggedy 1.3s have sold for around $10k.  Good ones tend to reach higher into the $12-18k bracket.  I won’t get into the gory details of an amazing one that really slipped away from my own pawing hands several months ago….

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Alfa Romeo return to the USA confirmed for 2012?

(above: Alfa Romeo Dress)

Motor Trend is reporting some info on the return of Alfa Romeo to the US market in 2012.  Fiat supposedly released a 5-year plan today, with information on the US market, Chrysler, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and how these products will be integrated into this market.

So 2012 is supposedly the debut of the Alfa Romeo Giulia (159 replacement) and MT is saying these will be RWD and based (loosely, hopefully) on the 300c and Challenger platforms.  This should be in Sedan and Wagon formats.  In 2013, will be the addition of a (new) Spider which will be based also on a RWD Chrysler format (wait a minute…the Challenger and 300c are HUGE….so what platform!?).

Either way, FIAT have been giving us this crap for many years now…so whether it happens is unknown….whether it happens on TIME is even more unknown…..but i DO hope it happens.

http://wot.motortrend.com/6636382/auto-news/breaking-new-alfa-spyder-on-chrysler-rwd-platform-in-13/index.html

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alfa romeo art

I stumbled upon this great site called just Alfa Romeo Art, with tons and tons of Alfa Romeo artwork for sale in the form of prints in all sizes.  The prices aren’t uber expensive, but not cheap regular posters either.  I’m assuming these are high quality prints, and have been done by an assortment of different artists from all around the world.  If you’re an Alfa Romeo fanatic, i’m sure you’ll be tempted by something on that site.  So much great art there.  I’m tempted to bust out with a Montreal print myself.

CHECK OUT THE SITE: http://www.alfaromeoart.com/

some more art i REALLY loved from this site…

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MTM Audi S3 for sale in Michigan!

Auto Europe in Birmingham, Michigan (a few miles from where i grew up!) has a 2009 Audi S3 MTM for sale at the moment with less than 5,000 miles.  I have inquired about the car and it comes with a full factory warranty (or remainder of), and is priced at $49,000.

After IEDEI brought you an exclusive article about Horschaus/MTM bringing european RS models into the US, it seems that this one is a US-spec Audi A3 2.0T Quattro which has been officially been converted from Germany to S3-spec.  MTM offers such an S3 conversion, which upgrades everything from suspension to wheels (MTM Bimoto wheels! sweet) to exhaust and even down to the S3 trim (door sills, badges, etc.).

What you end up with is a 270+ hp equivelant to a euro spec Audi S3.  Not bad at all!  $49k isn’t a bad price either, considering that IF the S3 did ever make it to the US officially, it would likely start in the mid-$40k range anyway.

The only issues i find with this car is (A) DSG instead of a manual, and (B) those absurd decals on the car (which i’m sure can be removed).  Otherwise, quite a car….and I have minimal experience with DSG, so maybe I can learn to love it as others have.

Check out the photos below, and if you’re interested go to the Auto Europe website linked at the bottom of the post for lots more photos and some specs:

from Auto Europe’s website:

The vehicle was bought via the Audi European Delivery Program and picked up from the factory in Ingolstadt and sent to the nearby MTM facility.  The conversion work was completed and the vehicle was shipped to America.  This particular vehicle has been featured in several magazines and is a very rare vehicle.

Audi Original S3 Bumpers and Side Skirts

Audi Original S3 345 x 30 mm Brakes

MTM 19 x 8.5 Bimoto Wheels with Pirellli P-Zero 235/35/ZR19 91Y

MTM 25mm Lower Springs

MTM Exhaust (Turbo-back, 70 mm stainless steel)

·MTM Chip Tuning (272 HP)

S- Line Trim

DSG Transmission

Panoramic Sunroof


AUTO EUROPE WEBSITE: http://auto-europe-sales.ebizautos.com/webdetail.aspx?iid=4574335

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SAAB DRAMA: Spyker places last-minute bid for SAAB!

“Dec. 20 (Bloomberg) — Spyker Cars NV today said it has submitted a renewed offer for General Motors Co.’s Saab unit.

“An 11-point proposal had been submitted to GM, addressing each of the issues that arose during the due diligence process” which will “remove each of the obstacles that were standing in the way of a swift transaction,” Spyker Chief Executive Officer Victor R. Muller said in a statement.

GM last week said it will shut the money-losing Saab unit after talks collapsed on a sale to Spyker, the second failure in less than a month to keep the 72-year-old Swedish brand alive.

GM and Spyker decided there was “no point in carrying on” after encountering issues that couldn’t be resolved, GM Vice President John Smith said on a conference call on Dec. 18.

“We have made every effort to resolve the issues that were preventing the conclusion of this matter and we have asked GM and all other involved parties to seriously consider this offer,” Muller said in today’s statement.

“We are very confident that our renewed offer will remove the impasse that was standing in the way of an agreement on Friday, and this would still allow us to conclude the deal prior to the deadline of Dec 31st”

READ!

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601209&sid=aPAUHW8aHK3c

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IEDEI Solutions: Hey Volkswagen! Buy Saab!

Yeah, that’s right.  I think VW should buy Saab.  Why? Here are my reasons.

1. SAAB hasn’t made a profit in years, and likely has debts.  VW has a huge amount of money at the moment, and is one of the only companies that can absorb the debt AND has the ability to bring Saab back into the global auto market with shared platforms, new engines, and most of all a brand identity.

2. Volkswagen’s global auto empire.  the Volkswagen Auto Group spans from Germany to Spain to Czech to Italy to all sorts of smaller conglomerates in China and South America, and what better international frontier than Scandinavia.  Yeah, VW needs a Swedish side to it.

3. F*ck Koeniggsegg….BUY THEM AS WELL if you want.

4. Relaunch a Saab 900 on the VW Golf platform, as a smaller, more practical solution built with a SAAB image……and with SAAB personality.

5. Launch the ‘new’ 9-5 (which i love the styling of….) on a VW/AUDI platform (A4 or A6?).

6. Make it a specialized brand with profitability and character.

7. Cancel silly developments like those Saab SUVs that GM was doing….

8. IEDEI told you to.

COME ON VOLKSWAGEN! you know you want some Swedish in yer.

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saab is on fire.

not in a good way. in a bad way.

Koeniggsegg announced today that they are NOT going to purchase Saab….those supercar making bastards have changed their mind—–AGAIN.

So SAAB is really on it’s last life now.  Will it burn and fade away like Pontiac and Saturn? Is there something else that’s gonna save it?

VOLKSWAGEN? Imagine that.

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IEDEI vs. Toyota Prius (Round 2): extincting rare metals.

Toyota-Prius

My quest to reduce the popularity of the Toyota Prius continues.  Hybrids are not without harm, in fact they cause their OWN sort of damage.  Here is further evidence, as the manufacturing of Hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prion…err…Prius is leading to depletion of rare, earch metals.  In their mad scramble for these metals required for the manufacturing of their cars, companies like Toyota are simply walking over and/or stepping over whatever or whomever it takes to keep their piece of the pie.

Hybrid FAIL….again.

http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/smart-takes/eco-friendly-hybrid-cars-push-rare-metals-toward-extinction/612

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IEDEI vs. Toyota Prius (Round 1)

toyota_prius

I’m really hoping some of you reach this blog, while researching information about the Toyota Prius.  If you were googling for reliability, pricing, consumer reviews, problems, troubleshooting, whatever.

Let’s start by stating the obvious; the Toyota Prius is a TERRIBLE TERRIBLE car.  It is SLOW, it is severely UGLY, it handles like feces, and it quite simply lacks any character.  The car is all hype, and for the several thousands upon thousands of minions who were too dim to actually bother trying to find a proper car and instead ended up with a Prius; think about what this car says about you.

Why bother dressing in a suit to go to work in a Prius?  You’ve already told the world you don’t give a crap what you look like; which is exactly why you’ve rolled into the work parking lot driving a misproportioned wedge.

tdi_logo

You wanted economy……OHHHHHHH.  So why have you not picked up a hugely efficient new Diesel which runs clean without spilling Nickel into the environment like the cancerous Prius seems to do.  Audi, VW, and BMW are all making solid diesel cars at the moment.  You can’t afford an Audi or BMW? Fine…..then drive over to the VW dealership and get a Rabbit (Golf in 2010) or Jetta TDI.  You’ll pull a solid 40-50mpg everywhere you go—and it won’t take you 15 years to get to 60mph.  More than that though, your friends will like you a little bit more, and the grass on your lawn will STILL be growing greener than ever.

Saving a few $$$ is not worth making an ass out of yourself.  The truth of the matter is; people hate seeing a Toyota Prius in front of them on the freeway, or getting stuck behind one in the city is generally worse than getting stuck behind a bus. Occasionally, you’ll see a minion of a human driving a Prius really really really fast (which is generally 40-50mph….fast for a Prion…err..Prius) and doing all sorts of weird maneuvers trying to draw attention to their strange little car.  Sometimes I wonder if these people think they are driving a Toyota Racing Development (TRD) tuned sports car?  Do they KNOW how slow and underperforming of a car they are actually driving?

You are NOT making the world a better place by buying a Prius.   You’re just making yourself look like a twit.

If I had extra money lying around, I would buy a Prius—-to have it junked and crushed for kicks!

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…and the most unreliable brand is: MINI!

I used to love the MINI, thought it was a great car for a great price.  As time has moved on—i’ve become more and more weary of them; maybe because there are so many of them on the road and maybe because they’ve started to simply look dated and boring now.  Once in a while, i encounter a tricked up version on the street which looks pretty sweet.  But the run-of-the-mill Mini Cooper really is a slow and boring car.

What makes all of this worse? The MINI brand is clearly the most unreliable brand sold in the US at the moment, according to JD Power’s annuall assessment of brand reliability.

So all the hype….BMW backing….and the Mini’s reliability SUCKS.  Nice one, Mini……Another reason never to buy one…

JDPower_Ranking.jpg

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SAAB will be cool again! KoenigSAAB is born!

 

koenigsegg_saab

Well i gotta say i was very happy when i learned today that Swedish supercar maker Koeniggsegg appears to be the buyer of the troubled GM-owned SAAB brand.

saab_99_front_1970

I had been pretty harsh on Saab a few weeks ago in my post about their direction, but it’s really nice to see them escaping the diseased hands of GM.

This is gonna be a fascinating combination.  So will SAAB go back to being a smaller niche company?  Or will K-Segg try and turn them into a higher volume, money-making swedish trickster?  My suspicions tell me that they’re gonna keep SAAB very specific, very swedish, and bring some of the soul back that’s been lost.  Whether they go retro or they go futurist—-i’m pretty sure that Koeniggsegg is really gonna put some good time and effort into resurrecting one of the cooler brands of cars around today.  It’s also REALLY nice to see Saab going back to Sweden….and not being sold to some rubbish Chinese carmaker….

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