Tag Archives: The Cool Car Guy

Cool Cars, Lexus

Lexus IS-F Cool Car Commercials

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Hey Cool Car Fans,

As many of my followers know, Becky and I go to the movies every week and I write movie reviews over at GoblinNetwork.com and SalesFreak.com for people to follow our trips to the box office.

2009LexusIS-F

I’ve been seeing some great commercials for the past year, on the big screen, from Lexus on their IS-F performance vehicle.  The IS-F has been designed to compete against the BMW M series and the commercials are pretty cool, so I figured I would put them up here at CoolCarGuy.com with some details on this ride.

I have some clients who are having me look for Lexus vehicles for them right now, so I thought I would show these commercials as a teaser on where Lexus is heading to move from just a luxury vehicle company to a high performance vehicle company.

This vehicle rocks for starting at around $56,760, plus dealer handling and any other options.

  • 5.0 liter V-8
  • 416hp – 371 lb-ft torque
  • 8 Speed Sport Direct Shift
  • 0-60 in 4.6 seconds

Check out the commercials.  This one shows all six of them in a row.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb2Fn-xoIrw[/youtube]

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John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

BMW

Cool Car Shot – 2009 BMW X6

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BMWX6_1Hey Cool Car Fans,

I was at the car wash last week and while I was there I spotted this sweet 2009 BMW X6 that had come through the wash and was being dried off. I couldn’t help but ask the owner, who’s name was Char (I’m assuming that she spelled her name kind of like Cher only with an a instead of an e), if I could take a few photos of her ride. She said she didn’t mind and she told me that she had owned six BMW’s and this was her favorite one of the bunch.

If you’re not familiar with this vehicle, let me share with you a little bit about it. The BMW X6 was based closely on the popular X6 Concept vehicle. BMW launched the X6 coupe-crossover for the 2009 model year, but don’t be fooled because it’s really a sedan on steroids.  They have called it a “Sport Activity Coupe”, which is really the first of its kind. It’s for people who want the functionality of an SUV, but like the performance and styling of a sedan.  Along with the wild exterior comes an all-new twin-turbo V8 that will find its way into other new BMWs in the coming years.

BMWX6_2It’s not just any twin-turbo, but one that delivers 300hp in the X6 xDrive35i and 400hp in the xDrive50i.  This ride fetches $55,900 and $66,650 respectively, depending on how the model is fully equipped.  Each of these vehicles get around 18 – 20 mpg on the highway.   So, you can get performance with gas mileage that is similar to an SUV, but how many SUV’s do you know with a twin-turbo 4.4l V8 and 407hp at 5,500 RPM’s?  Talk about a cool car that drives like a road worthy rocket ship that will go from 0 to 62 mph in about 5.4 seconds.

Even the xDrive35i has a twin-turbo 3.0 V6 with 307hp is a fantastic option and plenty of performance for most drivers.  BMW is the first automaker to bring such an SUV to market, but I’m sure other automakers will be planning similar coupe-like utility vehicles as more people spot these on the road. Land Rover recently unveiled its LRX coupe-crossover concept that looks interesting, but it’s hard to beat the BMW for all around quality and performance at a great price.

BMWX6_3If there is one shortfall of this vehicle it’s that it only seats four people instead of five like the X5 model.  However, the rear seating is on the same level as the front seating with incredible amenities in the vehicle.  This includes Google to car features that allow you to send a map to the car from Google through your computer, along with sport and steptronic manual shift modes, and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters to name just a few.  You get luxury with fantastic performance and just an all-around very cool vehicle for Colorado or any location with a change of Seasons.

Cool Car Guy Rating: Extremely Cool

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John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Cool Cars

Chris “Birdman” Andersen’s Monster Truck

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Birdman Truck1Hey Cool Car Fans,

My wife Becky and I were pulling into the Starbucks in Castle Rock this morning, where Hoss and I normally record The Cool Car Guy Show podcast, when Chris “Birdman” Andersen pulled into the parking lot in his unbelievable Monster truck.

A couple guys I know had told me they had seen this vehicle buzzing around the Denver area, but they didn’t know who owned it.  Well, now we know and it’s hard to miss this one.

I had to take a picture of his incredible, tricked out, totally black “monster truck” and post it up at CoolCarGuy.com.  I don’t know Chris, so I didn’t want to come across as some annoying fan and ask him for details about his vehicle when he’s simply trying to get a drink at a Starbucks. That would not have been cool.

Birdman Truck2Although, I did tell him that I took a picture of his truck, which was probably odd since most people probably want a picture of him instead of his vehicle.  I sure would have liked to have been able to get more details on it because it’s just not a vehicle you see everyday for sure.

I’m not sure how much he spent on this “bad boy”, but at least $150,000, probably more like $250,000 or $350,000 the way it’s tricked out.

Before you say to yourself, “What a waste of money.” as I know some of you are thinking, “He should have bought the new Aston Martin or some other supercar.” this is an incredible piece of machinery, if you are into trucks.  I mean look at the thing!

I’m sure he has to have a Commercial Driver’s License because of the size to drive it down the road.  Chris is a big man, towering over everyone in Starbucks Birdman Truck3and he can afford to drive whatever he wants with a new $25 million contract with the Nuggets, so cut him some slack.

Personally, I think his ride is over-the-top cool and makes a statement about who he is when he’s driving down the road.  He’s definitely not concerned about the gas mileage or about being politically correct, which is going to score points with most of the readers of CoolCarGuy.com.

Keep in mind that we live in Colorado and there are plenty of people driving Ferrari’s that they spent more money on than he paid for his ride that they can’t drive in the Winter. The “Birdman’s” Monster truck will go in or over anything that comes in front of it and I’m sure he can find some places in Colorado to take it in the mud for a great time.

His monster truck took up a couple parking spots at Starbucks, as you can see the sheer size of this vehicle parked next to the Cadillac Escalade and he was with his pretty girlfriend getting a drink.   I said to Becky, “I doubt she ever asks to borrow his truck.”, which is pretty smart for a guy with his toy.

Birdman Truck4I found a photo of another vehicle that Chris owns or had owned, maybe he traded up to this new ride because the other one is just a full size pickup compared to this vehicle.  However, he made a statement with that one too with a set of horns on the front of the truck, but there is no need for any horns on this “monster”.

As far as a Cool Car Guy Cool Car Shot goes, I’m going to rate his truck five stars for being Extremely Cool.

***** – Extremely Cool

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John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Cool Cars

What To Do When The CarFax Report Is Wrong

CarFaxWe are starting to see Carfax is making a major advertising push these days telling people that if they buy a vehicle without a Carfax report that they are doomed to Automotive Dealer Hell.  Of course, how many people buy vehicles on Ebay and Craigslist now with no recourse like they have when purchasing from licensed professionals?  Carfax is a good resource for people, but it’s not the “end all, be all” and sometimes it’s actually wrong.  What? A third-party source being wrong?

Have you ever  seen an error on a credit report?  They happen all the time.  A Carfax report is like a credit report for your vehicle and sometimes they get inaccurate information or information that doesn’t tell the entire story.  I’ve seen vehicles running through the dealer auctions and online that had a clean Carfax that I looked over and had been in an accident.

In fact, a couple years ago, a friend of mine who works as an Auto Consultant bought a Hummer at the auction and it had a clean Carfax. He did a frame and mechanical inspection on the vehicle.  Sure enough, it had been in an accident. The individual seller who sold it to the dealership that ran it through the auction, didn’t want to take it back because it had a clean Carfax, but a bent frame is a bent frame.

Many dealerships in Colorado now have you sign a form that when you trade a vehicle you are still responsible for any issues that were not disclosed.  This is because so many people have tried to rip off dealerships over the years with faulty vehicles.  And you’re shopping for your vehicles from a private party to save money?  Good luck with that because if you think licensed salespeople will lie to you, don’t think for a minute someone trying to unload their used car won’t.  Which is why people work with me.

Carfax is a great tool for people to use, but be aware that you still need to check out a vehicle and make sure that it’s what it should be. On the flipside, I had a guy call me today, about his 2001 BMW 330ci that shows it has been in an accident when it wasn’t in an accident. Someone had smashed the back window and pulled the seal to get into the vehicle to steal the radio. Because it was reported to the insurance company, it was coded by Carfax as an accident, but that’s not the true story on the vehicle.

BMWUnfortunately, especially on highline vehicles like BMW’s, Audi’s, Lexus, Mercedes, Infiniti and others, a Carfax report showing an accident can be the kiss of death!  There are many reputable automotive dealers now that will not take a vehicle that doesn’t have a clean Carfax into their inventory.  This is because consumers are demanding to see these reports as Gospel and the automotive dealers don’t want to sell someone’s junk either.

However, what does an owner do when the information is not correct and suddenly they can’t unload their vehicle as a trade or sell it for market value because of an innaccurate third-party report?

The only thing they can do at this time is go to the Carfax Help Center and put in a request for their report to be repaired. When enough people start losing money because of these errors, like having errors on a credit report preventing you from getting financing, I foresee the government requiring Carfax and other automotive reporting agencies will have to give these away for free.  Probably once a year to the owners of vehicles, like a credit report, and be required by law to correct the errors in a timely fashion.

Until then, here’s the link to the Carfax Help Center if you need to put in a request for having your Carfax report repaired.
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John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Cool Cars

The Cool Car Guy Show – June 12th, 2009

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StarbucksHey Cool Car Fans,

Hoss and I were at the Starbucks today near Park Meadows Mall on Yosemite broadcasting The Cool Car Guy Show live. It was a crackup because there is a constant flow of cars to check out as they blow through the drive thru.  I must have saw at least ten people who I knew, including clients pass by, which was pretty funny.  Apparently, many of my clients are huge fans of Starbucks.

We talked about a number of issues, including Chrysler being pretty much given to FIAT or at least 20% of the company for a kiss and a promise. Why didn’t the U.S. government offer the company to Ford, since they were giving it away? We also talked about what’s going on in the automotive industry and saw some very cool cars passing by, including a nice looking Infiniti G35x being driven by a client of mine, a Lincoln MKX, a Porsche Cayenne and a number of other cool cars. You can click on the link below to listen to the show, which is about 40 minutes in length.

Click Here To Listen Now!

We’re going to be creating the show on different days of the week at unique locations, but it was pretty fun at Starbucks since that place is a money machine with a constant flow of traffic, so you’re going to want to follow The Cool Car Guy on Twitter – @coolcarguy or both Hoss and I on Facebook to find out where we’ll be on any given day. I’m thinking we’ll be at the same location next week, weather permitting. You never know where we might show up and at what time because our schedules are nuts!

Pink ThunderbirdI finally tracked down a vehicle for my wife Becky to replace her Subaru Tribeca and I’ll be bidding on it for her next Tuesday at the Colorado Auction, along with another vehicle for a client of mine. I met a guy tonight who is kicking around getting a 2008 or 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT/8 and that should be a fun vehicle to track down for him. We’ll see if he moves in that direction. I also need to find an Audi Q7 and I saw a nice one today, along with an Audi S5 that I had to take a picture of since it’s such a sweet ride.

Be sure and tune into The Cool Car Guy Show as Hoss and I discuss changes in the automotive industry. You know, we’re kind of crazy when we do this show, but we try to have fun. I will be back with a new podcast for The Cool Car Guy Show with Hoss next week, so stay tuned.

If you’re thinking of calling me for a vehicle, don’t freak out about how busy I am because this is normal for me and that’s why people call me. If I didn’t know what I was doing it would be different, but I do this everyday, working with people to track down every make, model and price range. Give me a call or send me an email.

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John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy