North America's Largest Auto Show

Hey Blog Buddies,

I've been diligently stitching away on one of my WIPs with not much progress to show, so thought I'd share my day with you.  Here is where DH and I went:

As you may be able to read on the banner,

"North America's Largest Auto Show" is

their description, not mine.  But I'll go along with it.

It sure takes up a large chunk

of McCormick Place.

We're not really in the market for a new car.

But the old flivver (Pontiac SUV)

has almost 100,000 miles on her,

so we thought we'd just look around

to see what's out there.

This was DH's dream:

A Porsch 911 Carrera ($125,000)

Beautiful, isn't it?

...moving right along...

Ford cut one of their vehicles in half:

Those crash test dummies need some clothes!!

We decided to take an actual test drive

in a Chevy Volt hybrid.

It's a little different than a test drive

at your local dealership.

They don't run a credit check on you,

or try to sell you the car.

However.

Everyone who took the test drive

had to take a Breatholyzer test first.

I'm happy to announce that

this was the first and only time

 that I've ever taken one!

(We both passed, in case you're wondering.)

Makes me wonder if this is the

wave of the future for test drives

at a dealership?

Anyhoo, this is the Volt.

It's a miracle that I got a photo

without dozens of bodies surrounding the car.

Probably because it was a weekday.

The car was cute, fun to drive

and had decent pick-up.

But the battery lasts for only

35-50 miles, then the gas engine kicks in.

It's practical (and economical) only

if you do a lot of short trips--

not so much for longer trips.

And then there's the sticker shock:

There was a charming elderly gentlemen

who I waited for for over three minutes,

but he would not move his head (as you can see).

Maybe he went catatonic when he saw the price?

You can get sizeable energy rebates on

both your Federal and Illinois income taxes,

but still.

Yes, it's $40,000, stripped.

Again, moving right along...

A lot of folks have a favorite make of car,

and mine is Buick.

(We had a very, very bad experience

with a Toyota--a total lemon--in the 70's which

has permanently scared us off the

popular Japanese makes.)

My dad had a great Buick Special

for many years when I was growing up.

That dates me, I know.

And I had a reliable Skylark as an adult.

So the Encore caught my eye:

It's quite small for a Buick.

They're describing it as a mini-Enclave.

It won't be out until 2013.

They only had one model on a turntable.

You couldn't touch it or sit in it.

I asked about price and was told mid- to high-20's.

I'll be waiting.

Hopefully, our Pontiac will keep chugging along.

What is your favorite make of car?

Thanks for going to the Auto Show with me!