My Car Reviews
2008 Tesla Roadster 2dr Conv
Updated 10 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Know about vehicleMy review:
The Tesla Roadster. Or is it? I am not quite sure what it is or supposed to be. The speed is there, but the juice runs out before you get to the first open road away from the traffic. Good concept but not realistic. I had the chance to speak to a few people who owned it and did some reading up myself. The car just doesn't make any sense! For the price you would think they could make a better car but they didn't. It might be good for the Earth but the way the car drives, you might be better off getting a Honda or a Toyota!
My suggestions for improving this car:
The car needs to stay charged at least 8 hours at a time. Make the car easier to buy if your paying over 100 G's.
2008 Lamborghini Gallardo 2dr Cpe
Updated 10 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Driven itMy review:
Wow! What a car. The "Baby Bull" has a temper and it needs to be unleashed.
Not only did I get to drive it, I got to kep the car for over 10 days straight. Well, since I was offered to test drive it (my client owns a dealership), I simply couldn't turn him down. I ended up getting a rental that I could keep while they were out of town the whole time. I took it up the winding hills and it handled perfectly. Just my kind of car...
The V10 is crisp and powerful, and it's not wasting one bit of torque to all 4 wheels. The all wheel drive system adapted by Audi is highly functional and gives the chasis a nice, predictable feel. Bella!
My suggestions for improving this car:
The driver's footrest is awkwardly positioned to where your left knee is in your chest. I don't get it???
2009 Porsche 911 2dr Cpe
Updated 10 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Driven itMy review:
I had the opportunity to drive a 2009 Porsche 997 Carrera S through some of Southern California's winding and twisting roads for a day. I had to go for training in Palmdale and the company had rented the 997 for the day! Perfect!
The car cut through the turns effortlessly like a hot knife through butter. The current 911 was equiped with the latest "PDK" transmission and now available with launch control. The car drove like a dream, but there is an element of real driving missing from this equation. I would have had more fun driving a Carrera S (or any sports car) through these roads with a manual stick shift gearbox. I praise Porsche for the seamless 7 speed double clutch system used in PDK tech, but I wanted my stick shift back.
I can't complain much though because most other investment bankers showed up in Mercedes-Benz or BMWs.
My suggestions for improving this car:
No spare tire is a little scary. Especially, when you are in a ghost town. Porsche needs to find a way to add one as a standard.
2006 Porsche Cayenne 4dr 6-Spd Manual
Updated 10 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Driven itMy review:
My dad bought this car when it first came out late 2005 and he just loved the car. I, on the other hand, was a little disappointed with it.I took it out on evening, just the both of us, on our way out to dinner. I was expecting to feel like a true Porsche driver in it, but to my amazement, I felt a little poorer sitting in it. The 2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo is a rocket, but the interior consists of too many cheap plastic trim items that either peel or break if you barely touch them. Fragile, but fun.
If you are going to pay this much for a car, make sure that the interior reflects the price. It isn't worth paying for something you keep having to take back to the shop. True enough, my dad ended up trading it in for a good old boxster.
My suggestions for improving this car:
It is too fragile to be an off road vehicle. The vehicle is too sensitive to the outside elements. It should be more rugged.
2004 Ferrari Enzo 2dr Cpe
Updated 10 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Know about vehicleMy review:
I am afraid that the ENZO frinds its way into the wrong hands all the time. I am always reading about someone without any driving experience, that has a million bucks to spare, wrapping one around a pole. Watch out! This one will bite you.
One of my clients own the ENZO, and they definitely do not know how to drive this car. As powerful as it is, this car must be driven with care and by someone experienced enough to enjoy its power. My client surely knows nothing about cars. If it wasn't for the dividends he gets from the investments I make for him, he would not be able to afford this. On top of that, he over-steers the car and drags every gear out way over its limit. I'm surprised he hasn't burned the car out!
My suggestions for improving this car:
Not a realistic car for the streets. Ferrari needs to make it harder to aquire. Too many goons are able to park on in thier living room.
2010 Volkswagen GTI 2dr HB Man
Updated 10 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Know about vehicleMy review:
The VW GTI is the best bang for your buck. This car has every element of fun. The front wheel drive version has a bit of torque steer, but the all wheel drive version is perfect, and in the twenty thousand dollar range. The suspension is tuned for comfort and sportiness when needed. The instrumentation is placed conveniently within reach without having to take your eyes off of the road.
I loved driving this car out at Laguna Seca. I had booked a weekend driving school out in Monterey in the Laguna Seca Race Track. They had two VW GTIs for test, along with the other Mazdas and it was a great experience being able to take the car out without worrying about speed limits or over-driving it. The car took the track well and everyone was impressed with it.
I must say that Volkswagen is truly a car maker. They know what drivers want and they know how to build it.
My suggestions for improving this car:
VW should go further and make a lighter weight version with a bit more power and no sunroof for the true driver.
2007 Lotus Elise 2dr Convertible
Updated 10 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Driven itMy review:
This is the most raw sports car I've driven in a long while. My dad was in town from Florida and we had to rent one for the weekend just for the fun of it. We were taking it out everyday since we got it. One of the drives had s going through a tunnel, to which I almost went deaf when we emerged from the darkness. The engine is loud and revving it up really made it roar. We love the sound of the Lotus.
Few things I noticed though. Lotus was not concerned with an IPOD adapter or placement of cup holders when they designed this car. It was designd for pure driving enjoyment. This is the way a "sports" car should drive. If you even drive a Porsche these days it even feels a little too comfortable, and you forget what kind of car is wraped around you. Driving the Elise, I never forgot how much fun I was having.
My suggestions for improving this car:
The car is a little under powered and is a little over priced. Lotus should manufacture there own engine for the Elise, instead of having Toyota do it.
2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 2dr Roadster 5.5L
Updated 10 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Owned itMy review:
How can a car that fast be so uninteresting?
My girlfriend drives this car and I keep trying to talk her into changing it out but she claims that this car is great, which surprises me. The first time she came to pick me up from lunch, I was taken abac by the lack of power and design wasted from driving an automatic transmission. The gear box should be a sequential 7 speed that the driver has the freedom to select a gear from a stick shift and not a button. This car would be much more intriguing if it had a more agressive edge to it.
Being an investment manager, I know enough to say that this car isn't worth investing your money into. Unless you are into the look of the SLR and would like to claim fame in the likes of Paris Hilton (she owned one of the two black ones), I would not settle for this car at all.
My suggestions for improving this car:
Lower the price and make it more interesting to drive. I never see a true driver buy this car. If McLaren's name is on it, then make it more symbollic to the roots.
2009 Aston Martin DB9 2dr Cpe Man
Updated 10 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Know about vehicleMy review:
My best friend Ryan from Florida owns one of these. I got to drive it when I was out visiting him but it wasn't a good experience because he was so careful with this car that I felt like I was on a curfew driving it. He would not stop lecturing me about going too fast or being gentle with the steering. I was more stressed out driving the car than I usually am at work dealing with the Dow Jones and demanding brokers.
After that drive, I was a little disappointed with the car. This is a touring car- not a sports car. It is elegant and classy, but it lacks that certain James Bond style the DB's inherited in the 60's. It looks nice, but I'm sure they could do better. Most of the people driving Aston Martins these days do not look anything like 007, neither does Ryan!
My suggestions for improving this car:
The car should be more sporty like a Porsche or Ferrari. Those are the competitors, so Aston needs to be able to keep up. For the money I'd rather have the Prancing Horse in my garage.
2010 BMW M6 2dr Cpe
Updated 10 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Know about vehicleMy review:
Another fast, powerful car without the option of a stick shift. Why can't BMW give us the choice? This car would be so much fun without having to get whiplash from the abrupt paddle shifting. The styling is too far out. They need to bring this car back to Earth. Since the first newer generation (2001 and up) 7 and 6 series' came out, I realized that the designers are from another planet.
I've always known BMWs to be safe driving cars. I know people who have walked out from wreakages and accidents because the car held together so well, but this car blows my mind! I've read all about it and talked to dealerships about this car. I'm just waiting to get my hands on one and actually test drive it.My suggestions for improving this car:
Redesign the car and make it more fun to drive. This body style is getting old. You can't fool anyone by changing the head lamps and tail lamps.