Los Angeles, Detroit, Washington D.C. Auto Show Circuit
11-10-17, 05:47 PM
#16
Lexus Champion
I've been to the Philly auto shows which imho are particularly weak. As a kid, I remember getting free tix every year for the NY auto show prior to the Javits even being in existence, when it was at the NY Coliseum. there were always pretty models to have your pic taken with, which was exciting for a little kid. Other than Philly, in the last 15 yrs. I went to Baltimore because Subaru gave me free tix (wasn't worth it), and smAlbany, NY. I wonder if Detroit and LA has the glitz that I remember as a kid...who wants to see nice cars all roped off and locked LOL
I'd rather go to events....don't think I'm going to do the BMW autocross tomorrow, as we have to pick up in-laws at JFK as the timing is off....
I'd rather go to events....don't think I'm going to do the BMW autocross tomorrow, as we have to pick up in-laws at JFK as the timing is off....
The Chicago show bills itself as the oldest and largest in NA. It's held in McCormick Place with a million square feet and draws over a million each year. There's always a few model launches, but not at the level of Detroit or LA.
11-10-17, 06:02 PM
#17
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I noticed around '08 or so when the economy and auto industry were heading into the tank, there weren't as many elaborate displays and events as in the past at the Chicago show. Since the recovery, the manufacturers have ramped things back up although maybe not to pre-recession levels. The Chicago show always has 2 or 3 indoor test racks, usually simulated off road tracks from Jeep and Toyota and 1 or 2 acceleration demos.
The Chicago show bills itself as the oldest and largest in NA. It's held in McCormick Place with a million square feet and draws over a million each year. There's always a few model launches, but not at the level of Detroit or LA.
The Chicago show bills itself as the oldest and largest in NA. It's held in McCormick Place with a million square feet and draws over a million each year. There's always a few model launches, but not at the level of Detroit or LA.
Yeah, the D.C. show also has that indoor Jeep-circuit. It's admittedly costly (they have to rent a lot of show floor-space for it, and set up a lot of bulky obstacles), but it does attract a lot of show-goers.
Does the Chicago Show have the outdoor test-drive circuit set up, around the local city streets? D.C. has had that for a number of years now. Usually four or five different auto manufacturers will share the same circuit...sometimes alternating day by day, though Toyota, with its large size, seems to have part of the circuit every day. In these outdoor circuits, after a Drivers' License ID and (sometimes) an alcohol Breathalyzer check, you are allowed, with a company rep besides you, to drive it yourself....you don't sit and ride shotgun, or in the back seat wth others, wth a company-rep at the wheel, like on the indoor Jeep circuit.
Last edited by mmarshall; 11-10-17 at 06:05 PM.
11-12-17, 12:01 PM
#18
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
Glad you mentioned the 6-speed. 
That clears up something, and might (?) account for the earlier conversation (and potential disagreement) we had in the other thread about the so-called unreliable Legend clutch. You had a later 6-speed model...it may have been that earlier ones (with the 5MT), at least from what limited sources I've seen, were the ones with the unreliable clutch.
That clears up something, and might (?) account for the earlier conversation (and potential disagreement) we had in the other thread about the so-called unreliable Legend clutch. You had a later 6-speed model...it may have been that earlier ones (with the 5MT), at least from what limited sources I've seen, were the ones with the unreliable clutch.
11-12-17, 12:03 PM
#19
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
watching thousands of videos on youtube about it is easier, cheaper, more convenient, and more comprehensive. yes actually sitting in the few vehicles i'm interested in would be nice, but the hassle to do so is way too much
11-12-17, 05:04 PM
#20
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
no it doesn't clear that up. i had an '87 5 speed coupe, which i had zero problems with, contrary to your other 'unreliable legend clutch' post. i then had a '94 6 speed sedan. the 6 speed legend sedan clutch however (apparently the same one as the nsx), DID give out on me under warranty, and was replaced, and no issue after.
I don't remember the exact year you came to the U.S.
11-12-17, 05:59 PM
#21
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Sorry, but You-Tube videos just won't cut it for me....except for maybe Alex Dykes, simply because he is so good at what he does.
But, for me, the D.C. show is like an annual vacation for me. Except for the annual Thanksgiving Day meal with my friends and ex-co-workers in Maryland (some of which are also car enthusiasts), it's easily the biggest secular (non-religious) event of my life. The show is not that far away (about 40 minutes on the Metro subway), my house is only a mile and half from the subway station, I get a number of free passes each year from the dealerships, (sometimes VIP passes, where one of them is good for up to 4 people), and the subway even has free parking (and ample empty spaces) on weekends. Health permitting (and my knees are MUCH better now than they were last year, after the surgery), I'd be a fool not to go. No, I can't spend 7-8 constant hours on my feet any more like I could decades ago (I'm a senior citizen now)...But I can go for 3 or 4 days, and spend 3-4 hours at the show each day, giving my legs sand knees some up-and-down rest while getting in and out of vehicles and in the show's seating areas.Also, I like to do something at the show that makes young children happy. Toyota, Hyundai, (and, formerly, Scion), at their displays, have regular auto / auto-industry Trivia Games where the company-reps ask specific questions about their vehicles and the industry. Whoever in the audience is the first to shout out the answer correctly (or raises his hand and gets called) gets a small door-prize.....usually a cap, winter-knit hat, flashlight, T-shirt, phone-charger plug, coffee-mug, or something else along those lines. I, of course, being a long-time car guy, almost always get the answer correctly......so, when they hand me my prize, particularly if it is something a small child would like or use, I take it, turn around, hand it to a little child or pre-teen near me, and say "Merry Christmas". It's just wonderful to see their little faces light up with joy.
While I'm there, I also enjoy showing off the Mazda Miata's ingeniously simple manual-top-operation (and the Mazda reps, of course like it, because then they don't have to do it themselves LOL)
Even given the Miata's longtime popularity and notoriety, a lot of people, young and old, still aren't aware of how it works...they think it is some complex electronic system. (Mazda, in fact, does offer power-hard-top versions of the Miata, but I see little sense in actually buying one, unless you want the greater break-in security of a hard top, or if your arm/shoulder is simply too sore to operate the manual top). Anyhow, whenever I sit in a Miata (after I've actually shoehorned my large frame in LOL) and flip the top up and down once or twice, a small crowd inevitably starts forming around the car. I show people how simple it is...unsnap one big lever in the middle of the windshield-header (it used to be two levers....now one), push the folding-top up straight with your right hand, and it flips right back over your shoulder and down into the top behind the seats. To flip it back up, of course, reach back, grab the handle, yank the top back up over your head, quickly align the retention-lever with the housing, and snap the lever closed....it's that simple. A monkey could do it. 
The reps have timed me...I've unsnapped and dropped the roof in 2-3 seconds, and raised it back up and locked it in just over 3. Whenever people see how simple it is, they are amazed...that's one thing, of course (among several), that generates Miata sales
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