Bargains To Be Found at 2005 NY Auto Show

Yawn! What the!? The 2005 NY Auto Show is over? Oh hell! Okay, here's our final report which is, we know, embarrassingly late. Here's our pick of the three bargain cars in their class (as shown at the 2005 NY Auto Show):

Compact/Mid-size:
Volkswagen Jetta, $17,900 - $20,000
VW has created one single deal in the VW Jetta. It's called the Value Edition and it's $17,900. It's a hell of a bargain. If you want to be like us, we'd only add two things (which then makes it not the exact Value Edition but... well, it's still the smart move): 6-speed automatic transmission and VW's Electronic Stabilization Program. We're talking under $20k. That price can be bit a deceiving -- the Jetta (like all VW's) can get spendy real-quick like. You have to keep it simple if you want to keep it a bargain. Our friends over at Autoblog had a problem with the Jetta's price and we can't blame them. This might be a great car for a great price -- but watch those options! And, yes, we hear you in regards to VW's recent quality control issues... let us pray...

Full Size:
Toyota Avalon, $26,000 - $34,000
This is a fantastic car. If you like your car bigger, quieter and fancier. We've said before that the Avalon is going to take sales away from nearly every domestic maker: Chrysler's 300c will lose a few sales, Buick will drop even further and Ford's poor 500 barely got out of the gate. Even the folks who might have looked at Cadillac or Lincoln are gonna jump on the Avalon. It's got space, looks, power and Toyota reliability. As if Detroit didn't have enough trouble.

Roadster:
Mazda Miata, ~$25,000
Does anyone even use the term roadster anymore? Anyway, for drop-top, 2-seat fun, you can't go wrong with the Miata -- it was great when it was introduced in 1989 and even better today. There are other convertibles (New Beetle, Mini Cooper) but we felt the Miata is still the best at what it does. What's that? You're too big to fit? Well, leave the fun to us and you just head on out to the back 40, thar's plowin' that needs to be done. You bigster.

Did you find any deals at the 2005 NY Auto Show? If so, share 'em with the rest of us -- holding back on a deal is equal to... is equal to... look, don't make us send that creepy Burger King dude over to your house in the morning. What the hell is that ad campaign trying to do us?

Be sure to check out all our Auto Show coverage

Thanks to Toyota for making it a ball-busting experience trying to find a pic of the '05 Avalon. Sheesh. It probably would have been in gray, anyway.

Comments

[GALA]

You know, when the Japanese cars started coming over, it was o.k. They aquired about 10% of the market in the 70's. This was o.k.

Now that they have almost the Lion's Share of the U.S. MARKET - IT IS NOT OK!

Americans should be far more patriotic and buy American. Why? Do you know how much better American cars are now than they ever have been! No Japanese buying American takes this into account. They blithely look over American cars because of "PERCEPTION" and go for the foreign automobile.

Personally, I am sick of it. And don't put any American flags or stickers on your foreign made cars please. You're just being a hypocrite.

[Jackie]

hi I was browsing some blogs and found yours. I'm writing a blog on cars for my class. I recently wrote a blog about the Jetta. I saw it at the LA Auto Show and it really bored me to death. And I totally agree with you about how options totally add up.

If you have time, stop by my blog. www.blogforthought302.blogspot.com

[steve]

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