Atlanta Car Show (Buckhead: appointed, 2013, living in)

[carrot]

Anyone else go and very disappointing this year? Its been 8 or so years since I've been and was excited to take my 6 year old but found it really dull. No Porsche? BMW had limited selection...no concept cars to speak of...I was looking forward to collecting all the flyers from each manufacturer but there really weren't any. Just kinda a bust all around.

Anyone else notice this? Has it been this lack luster over the last couple years? Next time I'm itching to go to a car show I guess I'll fly to Detroit!

[PKCorey]

I haven't been here ever but I was underwhelmed as well on Friday. $20 down the drain. I walked the whole exhibit in about 30 minutes, if that. It was so small!

Like you said, no Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Range Rover or Jaguar and I'm sure others that I can't even remember.

Audi having most of their display locked , Chevy not having their cars on so you can play around with anything.

Cadillac, Nissan, Acura and Lexus seem to be the only ones who know how to have their cars active for an auto show.

I may try and use some points and go to the NY Auto Show for the first time in a couple weeks.

[skiime]

I used to go every year since I was 10 or so (I'm thirty-#$% something now) and I stopped going about 5 - 6 years ago because It just kept getting smaller and smaller. I guess it's a sign of the times with manufacturers not wanting to spend a lot of money on the smaller car shows, but I really miss seeing all the concept cars and higher end cars. I mean, that's why most people go to a car show. I really couldn't car less about seeing the newest crapbox from Kia or Chevy. The boat show has gone down the same path too unfortunately. I guess blame it on the "economy."

[vince217]

for me, the Atlanta Auto Show not really a car show per se, but more like a new cars display, where most of the the car dealers are centrally located.

[emcee squared]

I went last year and was rather disappointed. Before that, I went to the Minneapolis Auto Show for many years. To me, it had a much larger selection of vehicles and fun things to do.

[CaniMove]

Did Lincoln have the new MKZ there? Only reason I would've gone was to see Lincolns. Don't care about Porsche or whatever else. Well, maybe Jags would have been nice to see too.

[belleislerunner]

I went Saturday night and was similiary underimpressed. Of course, I've been to the Detroit and NY ones - so it's hard to compare. Like comparing Manhattan's nightlife to Buckhead lol. I've found Detroit's is the best to attend because it attracts thousands of international journalists for the unveilings so they pull out the stops.

But what really irked me is you'd walk through the displays (e.g. Jeep) and there's be the base Jeep with cloth seats, no trim - and then the leather/high end version all decked out. I get they show both to see the difference between a 22K Jeep and a 42K Jeep - but if I only sat in the "cloth seat" version of the models - I would instantly have thought "ghetto car" and kept walking. I guess in my perfect world, every car presented would only be leather/fully equipped and if you wanted the cheaper version - you saw that at the dealer. But even pickup trucks/small cars had the basic cloth seat/unattractive interiors. Time to put the best foot forward.

I was also disappointed Mercedes Benz wasn't there - only because I remember the Superbowl commercial with their model starting at 19.9K and I was curious how that would compare/contrast with their other models. I think the most expensive car there was the Audi R8 coming in at 242K (which was roped off) for your lusting pleasure.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by CaniMove

Did Lincoln have the new MKZ there? Only reason I would've gone was to see Lincolns. Don't care about Porsche or whatever else. Well, maybe Jags would have been nice to see too.

Yes, it was.

Originally Posted by belleislerunner

I went Saturday night and was similiary underimpressed. Of course, I've been to the Detroit and NY ones - so it's hard to compare. Like comparing Manhattan's nightlife to Buckhead lol. I've found Detroit's is the best to attend because it attracts thousands of international journalists for the unveilings so they pull out the stops.

But what really irked me is you'd walk through the displays (e.g. Jeep) and there's be the base Jeep with cloth seats, no trim - and then the leather/high end version all decked out. I get they show both to see the difference between a 22K Jeep and a 42K Jeep - but if I only sat in the "cloth seat" version of the models - I would instantly have thought "ghetto car" and kept walking. I guess in my perfect world, every car presented would only be leather/fully equipped and if you wanted the cheaper version - you saw that at the dealer. But even pickup trucks/small cars had the basic cloth seat/unattractive interiors. Time to put the best foot forward.

I was also disappointed Mercedes Benz wasn't there - only because I remember the Superbowl commercial with their model starting at 19.9K and I was curious how that would compare/contrast with their other models. I think the most expensive car there was the Audi R8 coming in at 242K (which was roped off) for your lusting pleasure.

The white Lexus LFA was the most expensive model there. I didn't even check out the black R8 because I was so pissed that the S8 and S6 were locked so I walked off .

I didn't even go to the Jeep display at all but I get your point. I think, the main issue seemed to be a lot of the cars were dealer cars. It didn't click until I was leaving to check the destination of the cars. Probably explains why the cars were base models. You don't want to risk damage to your "good" stock.

[v8don]

Wow, when I was living in Memphis they Ferraris, Bentleys, Lambos, Porsche etc. at their car show. Its hard to believe Atlanta wouldn't have these makes and models.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by v8don

Wow, when I was living in Memphis they Ferraris, Bentleys, Lambos, Porsche etc. at their car show. Its hard to believe Atlanta wouldn't have these makes and models.

We do a good bit of driving so most Atlantans simply view a car as a tool to get around rather than some kind of status symbol.