Tag: purchase

Video: Powerball winner’s first purchase will be used Acura NSX off Craigslist

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Acura

Video of Powerball winner Paul White

We don’t play the lottery very often, but when we do, even a five-dollar win is cause for celebration. So we can’t possibly imagine how Paul White from Minnesota is feeling after scoring a third of this week’s $448 million Powerball jackpot. It has to be an overwhelming experience, but we think he’s going to end up handling it well if his first press conference is any indication.

Like some of us, White has a pretty reasonable idea of what his first purchase is, and boy, is it a good one: an early Acura NSX. Yes, this man has class. Rather than run out and buy a clichéd Rolls-Royce or Lamborghini, his first instinct is to go pick up a $30,000 Acura that he has been eyeing on Craigslist for months. It’s enough to make us wonder if he’ll use his winnings to get on the list for one of Acura’s new NSXs when they finally come around in 2015.

Watch White describe what it is about the NSX that makes heart skip a beat in the press conference video from USA Today below (note: video autoplays).

Continue reading Powerball winner’s first purchase will be used Acura NSX off Craigslist

Powerball winner’s first purchase will be used Acura NSX off Craigslist originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Barrett-Jackson buyer reneges on $700,000 Bugatti Veyron purchase

Filed under: Performance, Auctions, Videos, Bugatti, Luxury

2008 Bugatti Veyron at Barrett-Jackson
2008 Bugatti Veyron at Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas – Click above to watch the video

It’s not very often you see a Bugatti Veyron going up for auction…especially at Barrett-Jackson. Perhaps better known for their muscle cars and classics, the occasional late-model sportscar will sometimes pop up, but we can’t ever remember a Veyron crossing the block. Well, on Saturday night, a 2008 Bugatti Veyron with 11,800 miles on the clock did indeed cross the block at B-J…but things didn’t go quite as planned.

The one-time fastest production car on the planet (it’s been trumped by Bugatti’s own Super Sport) might have sold for over $1.8 million new, but was struggling to break the 1 mil mark in Vegas. Heck, it barely got to $700,000. Now, that’s still a lot of money for a car, but it should have brought much more – we’ve never heard of a non-wrecked example going for anywhere near that little. In the end, the Bug went to a guy seated near the stage who outbid a couple of phone bidders – but that’s when it got weird.

Saying that he hadn’t actually bid and then that he was only trying to help, the would-be buyer rescinded his bid… and was promptly escorted from the premises. Barrett-Jackson didn’t want to lose any credibility – so CEO Craig Jackson stepped up and bought the car himself. Just as he was announcing what had happened, he got a phone call from one of the other phone bidders who was saying he’d take the car off Craig’s hands. Quite the little soap opera, but good theater nonetheless. Follow the jump to see the video and take a look at the gallery below as well. Hat tip to Larry!

Gallery: 2008 Bugatti Veyron at Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas

[Sources: Speed TV, Barrett-Jackson]

Continue reading Video: Barrett-Jackson buyer reneges on $700,000 Bugatti Veyron purchase

Video: Barrett-Jackson buyer reneges on $700,000 Bugatti Veyron purchase originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volkswagen closes purchase of 90.1% of Italdesign Giugiaro

Filed under: Volkswagen, Design/Style

1974 Volkswagen Scirocco designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro

The Volkswagen Group has completed its takeover of Italdesign Giugiaro (IDG) with the purchase of a 90.1 percent stake in the design studio. The shares in the company were purchased by Lamborghini – “owned” by VW Group member Audi – and the remaining 9.9 stake is still in the hands of the Giugiaro family. The buyout was originally reported back in May of this year and the studio/small volume manufacturer are now part of the ever-expanding auto conglomerate. The top management of the company, including founder/chairman Giorgetto Giugiaro and his son and vice-president Fabrizio, remain in place.

Volkswagen and IDG have a relationship going back decades, when the elder Giugiaro penned the 1970 Volkswagen Porsche Tapiro Concept as well as the first generation Golf and Scirocco. It’s unclear if IDG will continue working with outside clients or will now dedicate itself to VW Group projects.

Gallery: Italdesign Volkswagen Concepts

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading Volkswagen closes purchase of 90.1% of Italdesign Giugiaro

Volkswagen closes purchase of 90.1% of Italdesign Giugiaro originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus allowing outright purchase of LFA in U.S., demands right of first refusal if you try to sell it

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Lexus

Lexus LFA shown

Lexus LFA – Click above for high-res image gallery

Shortly after the LFA supercar was unveiled last fall, Lexus announced that it would only be available to lease in the U.S. Toyota’s intent was to drive speculators out of the market for its $375,000 supercar by forcing owners to hold onto the car for at least two years. Once the lease was up, customers would then have the option to buy the car outright. That two-year lease, by the way, costs the princely sum of nearly $300,000, which Lexus wants upfront as part of its 1Pay Lease Program rather than in monthly installments.

Lexus has apparently had a slight change of heart. According to a letter delivered to Autoblog by an LFA intender (see below in gallery), American customers will now be able to buy the LFA outright, but only on the condition that they sign an agreement giving the dealer first right of refusal to buy back the LFA if the owner wants to sell it within the first two years. The dealer will have the option to buy back the used LFA for either fair market value or the original sticker price, whichever is lower.

What happens if an owner sells the LFA within two years having not given the dealer the chance to buy it back first? The dealer is owed the difference between what the buyer originally paid for the car and what he sold it for, plus any legal fees. So whether you decide to lease or buy the LFA, Toyota is going to considerable lengths to ensure that no speculators will make a profit on reselling the LFA during the first two years.

Though 99.9 percent of Autoblog readers are most likely not in the market for an LFA, we’re still curious if Toyota’s tactics strike you as fair or would deter you from handing over your inheritance for a car that comes with strings attached, so have your say in Comments.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Lexus LFA

Gallery: Lexus LFA Purchasing Letter

Lexus allowing outright purchase of LFA in U.S., demands right of first refusal if you try to sell it originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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