The 2012 Chrysler 200 from Detroit is a solid ride

I have been working with the good folks at Ray Laethem Motor Village for a few months and it has been a great experience. They are really working hard at changing the customer experience and making buying a car the fun and enjoyable time it should be. And that’s awesome!

Yesterday, they flipped me the key to a shiny new Detroit made 2012 Chrysler 200. It’s a nice ride. And it has tons of amenities like:

Navigation

Integrated Blue Tooth that you can stream music through AND use for your phone

Power Leather Seats (at least in the front)

A slick cockpit that is ergonomically designed

40 GB Hard Drive so you can store photos, videos and music

Moonroof

Fog lamps and more

One of the things I really like about it is that I’ve driven over 70 miles and the fuel needle hasn’t moved off of Full. This car has 29 MPG on average AND doesn’t feel sluggish when you step on the gas. From my understanding the “S” series of the 200 lineup comes with a 283 HP 3.6 L Pentastar engine. I’m going to drive one of those soon too. I’m also looking forward to checking out the Chrysler 200 Convertible as well.

All in all I think this is a great car for about $26,000 and a sub $200/month lease payment that has good styling and a nice ride. 

The 2012 Chrysler 200 from Detroit is a solid ride

I have been working with the good folks at Ray Laethem Motor Village for a few months and it has been a great experience. They are really working hard at changing the customer experience and making buying a car the fun and enjoyable time it should be. And that’s awesome!

Yesterday, they flipped me the key to a shiny new Detroit made 2012 Chrysler 200. It’s a nice ride. And it has tons of amenities like:

Navigation

Integrated Blue Tooth that you can stream music through AND use for your phone

Power Leather Seats (at least in the front)

A slick cockpit that is ergonomically designed

40 GB Hard Drive so you can store photos, videos and music

Moonroof

Fog lamps and more

One of the things I really like about it is that I’ve driven over 70 miles and the fuel needle hasn’t moved off of Full. This car has 29 MPG on average AND doesn’t feel sluggish when you step on the gas. From my understanding the “S” series of the 200 lineup comes with a 283 HP 3.6 L Pentastar engine. I’m going to drive one of those soon too. I’m also looking forward to checking out the Chrysler 200 Convertible as well.

All in all I think this is a great car for about $26,000 and a sub $200/month lease payment that has good styling and a nice ride. 

Way to go Detroit!! The all new Buick Verano is a great car

While watching “Celebrity Apprentice” Sunday night I was thrilled to learn that the task for the March 11 show is to sell the all new Buick Verano. Why is this exciting? Because my client, Ray Laethem Motor Village located in Grosse Pointe, MI is a Detroit area Buick dealer. It seems like such a great opportunity to use the web and “Goo Ju” (my shorthand for Google Juice) to help them sell more cars.

In an effort to prepare for this great opportunity I went to the dealership today to create a video of the all new Buick Verano.I decided to take it for a quick spin before starting to film. It’s a heck of a nice car.

The first thing I noticed was the “intellilink” system. This is GM getting smarter about how we integrate audio, phones and connectivity in general. The display is crystal clear and the 7 inch touch screen makes it very user-friendly.

The heated leather seats and dual climate control made this car feel like it was a lot more expensive. I found the ride to be very nice as the power of the vehicle was mated nicely to it’s very smooth shifting transmission. The car actually felt much bigger than it is, I was reminded that it was on the smaller side when I got out and looked in the back seat. If someone was sitting behind me their toes would have been curled up. I have a tendency to push a seat pretty far back when driving. In fact at one point while playing with the power seat in the Verano I had it so far back I couldn’t touch the pedals!

The styling looks similar to the Buick LaCrosse and between the way this car looks, handles and is priced you will be reminded that this is not your grandfather’s Buick. I am really impressed with the work that the Detroit 3 is putting out and the all new Verano is no exception.

Give my friends at Ray Laethem Buick GMC on Mack Ave in Grosse Pointe a visit and ask to take it for a spin.

Really excited about the 2012 Buick Regal GS from Detroit

My buddy Stephen Sadler of Buz.fm traded in his Hummer H3 about a year ago for the 2011 Buick Regal. It’s a good looking car, has a ton of standard features like leather heated seats and doesn’t break the bank. I remember the first time he let me drive it I thought, “this isn’t your grandfather’s Buick”.

When Jeff Laethem, owner of Ray Laethem Motor Village and client of mine, first showed me the 2012 Buick Regal GS I had to upload some pictures of it to Facebook. This was one of them:

Turns out I wasn’t the only one who thought it was a hot car. About 12 people commented. People said it looked great. And those who drove it were even more impressed.

I loved the 6 speed manual. It handled like a luxury sport from Europe and reminded me of my Infiniti in terms the subdued sophistication.

My partner and I drove it around a subdivision so I can’t tell you that we ever really stomped on it. I am certain that had we done so this car would have responded happily.

On the off chance you know someone looking for a new car in Detroit  can you kindly share this page on the Buick Regal?  Thanks!