The 2006 Auto Show

This afternoon we went downtown, parked in a wet garage (there had been flood watches earlier), and walked to our ugly, ugly convention center designed by Peter Eisenman. We stayed about an hour, and although they let you sit in a $60,000 Lincoln or Mercedez Benz, they rope off the $344,000 Lambourgini. I couldn't believe the gas guzzlers (like 11 mpg) I saw. And people whine about gasoline prices?

I think my favorite is still the Dodge Magnum for comfort, looks and value. But Dodge has a new little guy that was really cute and reasonably priced--the 2007 Caliber.
There seemed to be plenty of room inside, the seats fold down for cargo space, and the gas mileage is good. Auto Week doesn't seem to know what to call it--"Coupled with a Magnum-like face, flared fenders and bold shoulder lines that flow into the taillights, it’s little wonder people mistake the car for an SUV. . . It’s not an SUV, and we wouldn’t call it a mini crossover either. This new Dodge may be boldly styled and ride a tad higher, but at its core the Caliber is still a sedan, just a new interpretation of what a compact sedan can be."

With the low end model right around $14,000 and good gas mileage, I think people will like this one. I did.