Columbus Ohio Auto SHow March 20th
Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 11:01 am
I went to The Columbus Auto Show this evening - it was a bit pathetic really. In addition to the expected absence of Pontiac, Hummer, Saturn and Saab, no shows included BMW, Volvo, Volkswagen and I am sure a few other makes that I can't think of at the moment., Toyota had a big presence but not one Matrix was included in their array. Attendance was a little light I thought. Ford had a new Fiesta on a do not touch platform - the new Focus was no where to be seen. My admission ticket was $7 buying on-line and I know where to park downtown for free that only involves an extra 5 minute walk so considering the nice Scion baseball cap I still got my money's worth. While I am not in the market for any new car, I like to keep up with what is available because, as the old Nationwide commercial used to say. life comes at you fast. You never know when your car might get totaled or stolen.One alternative I never looked at before is the Mazda 7. Has all the bells and whistles I would want and only $22,300 MSRP with automatic transmission. Its 2.5L with EPA 20/28 rating would suit me as I don't drive that many miles anyway. A little bigger than the Vibe - more like the Elantra touring - but sits you higher and IMO better looking.