This year the show will take place from February 6th - 9th, 2014 and on Sunday, February 9th at 5:00pm there will be a live New Car Giveaway event at the Oregonian Media Group booth. Last year we entered to win a 2013 VW Beetle; the process was surprisingly easy. We were informed that if we won the car, we'd need to return to Portland and be there in person to accept our winnings. On our 4 hour drive home we were discussing options to pick up our car (call us optimists). All of the discussion was completely unnecessary since this is the guy who won our new car:
It was probably best that way since I doubt the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle will fit three booster seats into the back seat for my kids. Despite losing the giveaway, this event is one of our favorite car events each year to attend and is well worth the 4 hour trip north. Let's face it, it's not every day you are able to brush shoulders with the Ferrari, Lamborgini, and Bentley. The Luxury Loft allows you an up close and personal look at various luxury vehicles and many supercars.
Because we travel a lot with our kids to various auto shows, we end up spending a portion of our time seeking family friendly activities at these events. The Kid Zone was a perfect place for the kids to have a little fun of their own and breaks up the day of walking around looking at cars. The show as a whole is a very family friendly event and the Kid Zone makes it much more so.
The Great Outdoors exhibit features every type of outdoor accessory you could possibly need for your Subaru Outback, Subaru Forester, Jeep Wrangler, or whatever outdoor vehicle you own or plan to purchase at the show. Another fun activity that was offered at The Great Outdoors exhibit was the remote control off-road vehicle challenge. For a small fee you could attempt to get your remote control car thru the mountainous terrain and to the end while remaining upright....much more challenging than one would think (and much more so if you have a 4 year old tugging on the controller for his turn).
Besides the various activities and giveaway there are the cars. If you are in the market for a new car, used car, motorcycle, or any type of vehicle, this is a great opportunity to sit in them, check out the engine, and test all of the options before making your decision.
You might be thinking that this type event would leave you open to being trapped by over-zealous car sales people never to escape. Honestly we were concerned about the same thing. We only were trapped by one such sales person and ended up just having to casually walk away. We did take his business card and promised to call him if we were in the market which seemed to placate him a bit. That was definitely the exception to the rule though. Everybody was very respectful of our 'just browsing' status however were readily available to answer any questions.
Admission into the show is $12/adult and $8/child. Weather you live in Medford Oregon, Klamath Falls Oregon, Grants Pass Oregon, or Ashland Oregon you'll find the Portland International Auto Show well worth the drive. It will give you the chance to have a hands on experience with the new 2014 car releases and the chance to stay in downtown Portland, eat in some great restaurants and overall have a fun weekend.
Rhonda Hurst
Auto Emporium Magazine
No comments:
Post a Comment