[KishoreC]

I, like any car enthusiasts, have a nasty habit of looking at others cars. I have been doing the same here, during my trip to silicon valley.

So I thought, it makes sense to write one post about the cars.

I have been in US. Stayed for 5 years, from 200 - 2005. Visited again in 2008 for 3 months. But during my current visit, I notice undercurrent of change.

First of all, The car scene here seems to have changed a lot. Cars are lot cheaper, because gas costs almost 3 times than what it was 3 years ago.
An example would be, 2011 Toyota Camry costs Aprox. 19K USD. gas $4.0 - 4.5 Per gallon.
10 years back they used to cost 22K+ USD, Gas $1.2-1.5 Per gallon.

Secondly, Silicon valley is dominated by Japanese cars. Honda, Toyota and their luxury brands Acura and Lexus to be exact. Everyday while smoking, I cannot help but noticing that 60-70% of the cars parked at my office parking lots are Japanese cars. There are lots of BMW, Mercs also. People in bay area definitely have lots of money.

Thirdly, Car TV commercials have changed. It looks like American car makers have learned their lesson, after destroying themselves. Each car commercial now has an advertised mileage, which was unthinkable five years back.

Check out this ad of 2011 Mustang. 31MPG and 305 BHP ?

YouTube - Ford Mustang 2011 V6.0 - TV Commercial

2011 Dodge Durango -- A SUV

YouTube - Where Has It Been | Dodge Durango | Commercial

And lastly, spotted a black Lambo in front of the hotel. Took out the camera only to notice that it is already gone.

[lexusES350]

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

nice travelogue, I am liking the amount of pictures uploaded, its keeping me wanting for more.

I also see one Prius Taxi. Are those available for self drive rentals too ?

Yeah....Self driven hybrids are available at select locations from most major rental companies such as Hertz, Avis and Enterprise but they usually charge a premium for it.

[KishoreC]

It's a sunny day. The first one in our trip.

We waste not time at the hotel and come out after breakfast.

Whole day is spent on CA 1 again. It looks like this would be the main attraction in this trip.

Couple of pictures taken on that day.

[KishoreC]

Things have started to pick up in the office. Weekdays have become busier.
So throughout the week we only manage to go out for dinner and hit couple of local malls.

Sharing some pictures taken during the second week here.

Seeing these small helicopters being sold in every mall. I tried one of these 3 years back. The thing broke quite easily. They have become better it seems over these years. You get a huge range of tiny ones to 3 feet long. Fun for kids and adults alike.





Found this photogenic one outside of Eastridge mall.



The whole week has been sunny. Looking forward to a good weekend.