Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Del Mar, California

Del Mar, CA Car Consumer Discussions

Re: Where to tint windows [mt56]

by delmar1 on Mon Aug 29 08:58:06 PDT 2005

All shops offer a lifetime warranty.....

Re: Michelin Pilot A/S [delmar1]

by delmar1 on Wed Jul 02 09:09:21 PDT 2008

An update to my Michelin Pilot Sport A/S.... Gas mileage has dramatically improved back up to my prior MPG. My guess is that the tires had to be broken-in...as it took about a month for the MPG to improve to prior levels. Overall...I would recommend the Pilot A/S. They drive well....perform well...and seem to be wearing evenly.

Re: EV-1 [tpe]

by gagrice on Fri May 16 20:45:12 PDT 2008

Rosarito Beach Hotel That was my hang out in Rosarito. I set up the Karaoke with a friend. Last I heard he was still living in one of the cottages they have. The house I leased was in San Antonio del Mar right along the toll road before you get to Rosarito. I loved the food down there and it was very relaxing. I could have bought the house I was leasing. I probably should have done that. Nothing in there for less than $200k now. Still shaky for a gringo owning ocean front in Mexico.

Re: boaz [boaz47]

by lilengineerboy on Thu May 08 21:04:02 PDT 2008

I understand all of that. But lets face it 108 HP Yaris is not by any stretch of the imagination a sporty little car. 2008 Yaris 2293 lbs Curb weight/106 hp = 21 lb/hp 2003 RSX 2800 lbs Curb weight/160 hp= 17.5 lb/hp 1995 Miata 2400 lbs curb weight/140 hp =17.1 lb/hp Not a huge difference there...don't get me wrong, I think the Yaris is ugly as sin, but eh, a lightweight car is fun to drive as witnessed by the Miata, which isn't what most call fast. The life of the car depends on the person as well. For someone like yourself the advantage is you aren't a family person. If you were the average family man with two adults and 2.5 kids a sub compact can't be your primary transportation. It could get you to and from work, that is point A to point B. 5 days a week. For me it would make a good week day car but it doesn't allow for a life style that includes dirt bikes, boats, quads or even camping. Nothing smaller than an Outback would fit the bill. It depends on how often that feature is required. I have to bring home lumbar from Home Depot, I guess I need a F250 at least...or I could put some of it in the back of the wagon or on the roof rack or rent the $9/day trailer from uHaul for the 2 times a year I do that. The rest of the time, I get 30 mpg. Bikes go on the hitch rack or on the roof rack. The roof rack takes a FE hit when I am using it, but not as bad as having to stuff the bikes in the back of a van. Shoot a Yaris requires too many compromises for winter sports and maybe even surfing. The Yaris requires a $200 roof rack, and no compromises in that respect. Yes I have been in a Echo and a Camry, the Camry is more comfortable when taking five people to lunch or driving to Del Mar for opening day. And how often does that happen? I don't think the Camry is what we are worried about here, because frankly the difference in FE isn't all that noticeable.

Re: boaz [nippononly]

by boaz47 on Thu May 08 20:12:34 PDT 2008

I understand all of that. But lets face it 108 HP Yaris is not by any stretch of the imagination a sporty little car. An economy car? Sure it is. But like I said not something promoted by most enthusiasts magazines as a performance vehicle. Will they save you money? More than likely but will they grab you like a RSX or a WRX? I don't think so. Plus they are in most cases something you use as a second car or a car you will be moving from to something better some day. The life of the car depends on the person as well. For someone like yourself the advantage is you aren't a family person. If you were the average family man with two adults and 2.5 kids a sub compact can't be your primary transportation. It could get you to and from work, that is point A to point B. 5 days a week. For me it would make a good week day car but it doesn't allow for a life style that includes dirt bikes, boats, quads or even camping. Nothing smaller than an Outback would fit the bill. Shoot a Yaris requires too many compromises for winter sports and maybe even surfing. Yes I have been in a Echo and a Camry, the Camry is more comfortable when taking five people to lunch or driving to Del Mar for opening day. If the question was should they make sub compacts I would simply say sure, why not. If the question is why aren't they something we dream of owning I have answered from what I consider the popular perspective. They offer very little more than smallness with the exception of the Mini. The manufacturers realize this and that is why the don't put as much effort into sub compacts or why they are willing to de-content them to save money. Will they do if we are forced into them because of fuel prices? More than likely but they will never replace the utility of a mid sized Sedan. Do I believe they are better than sub compacts than we were forced into in the 70s? Sure but they don't get the fuel savings one would expect after all of these years. We can say ya but all we want but I remember taking a trip in my old 96 SC-1 from LA to a bit south of you in San Jose. The little single overhead cam coupe averaged 39 MPG both ways. How are the new Sub Compacts going to impress anyone if 13 years later that can't all beat that?

rental CTS

by rayainsw on Mon Mar 17 13:11:04 PDT 2008

I rented a 2008 CTS last week. Nearly new – with less than 2,000 miles. I am pretty sure it was a ‘base’ V6 ( not the DI 304HP version ) and it was a decent car, certainly. I put well over 400 miles on it. Here are a few of my impressions of that CTS: The V6 gave the impression of working pretty hard as I drove ( alone ) from San Diego to over 4,000’ on my way inland, to Desert Palms. I expect that the optional engine would have helped, certainly – but would still not have been enough for me. But I expected that. My biggest disappointment with the CTS’s drivetrain was actually the trans. I have heard \ read much about how great the 6L50 is in the CTS. My Corvette has a 6L80. I drive mine nearly 100% in “S” & manumatic mode. 2 things about the CTS trans. drove me nuts – to the point that after the first 50 miles or so, I never used that mode again. Thing 1: In my Corvette, once in a gear ( fourth or fifth or sixth, for example, on the freeway ) it will NOT downshift without a manual request. Ever. The CTS will downshift based on throttle position – even in ‘manual’ mode. Often shifting down one or 2 or 3 gears. Weird. And not ‘manual’, by my definition. Not exactly sure what GM is thinking here – though I have experienced something similar in a couple of BMW 3s, with their Steptronic automatic. Thing 2: If accelerating at ( or close to ) WOT, commands to upshift are ignored. Again, my Corvette will do as told. And again, I have seen this behavior in BMW 3s. Weird. Both these odd ( to me ) choices in the programming of the automatic are counter-intuitive to me. And I dislike them both. A lot. When driven like a luxury car ( the fun portion of my trip, with my Daughter ) the CTS was fine. When I tried to drive it like a Sport Sedan – no dice. Would not work, for me. The suspension handled the surface street driving with my Daughter in & around San Diego, La Jolla and north through Del Mar to Cardiff reasonably well. I expect that it had the base FE1 suspension – and it definitely had Michelins that were biased ( much ) more toward ride than handling. Again as expected. On the highway portions of my driving, I was not as impressed – with either the ride or handling. The concrete slab portions of the San Diego area freeways were challenging – and the grooves caused some minor ‘wandering’. The CTS did not seem to have quite the “I know where straight ahead is” feel that I like at 70 +/-. With the tire pressures at 34 ( cold ) the botts dots were absorbed well. The ( rather steep w/many switchbacks ) descent into Palm Desert was handled reasonably well. And the CTS-v will likely be much more money than I am interested in spending, right now. I did not test drive a CTS – partly because it became clear that it would simply not have the acceleration & torque I am seeking. And the one time I did decide to test drive one, I stopped at the local BMW store & drove a 335i first. And that would not have been fair – so I cancelled that drive. Not a bad car – but so far as purchase: Not my cuppa tea. - Ray Glad some here are finding the CTS rewarding to drive . . .