Atlanta Spotters Thread

On average, how much are valets tipped?

 

Wow...I need to get out more. Cars are everywhere.

 

Valets are tipped between $2-$3. Nothing more than that.

 

You want the car up front, you are laying down a lot more than that when you come out or when you go in. I was a valet at the Ritz in Naples for two years, rarely did I get handed a couple of ones from someone driving a nice car. Most people know that these guys generally have to run quite a way to get the car and it had to be parked. Those guys work hard and don't get paid much of anything hourly. Hook them up.

 

So Chris, on average how much these days?

 

i'd wish he'd get off that luxury kick. he is getting soft in his old age.

 

I am a 5 dollar guy. Keeps it simple. If I am wanting to leave it up front it is more. That usually entails either one of two things, having a really nice car that they want to bait the bowl with up front or something that they are afraid to park. If I am driving my car, usually hand the guy a $10 or possibly a $20 depending on where we are going, and hand it to the valet when I get out and ask them to "keep it close". Usually works.

 

Chris do you get to take any of LoA's cars out for dinner? Or lunch?

 

Nah, gotta have a daily. He has a couple other toys in the garage that would make anyone realize he is no softy!!! But I am assuming that you know that ;-)

 

I did when I worked there. I am not there any longer. I left just over two years ago, but yes I used to drive them very often.

 

Believe it or not, I used to be a valet at a nice restaurant a few moons ago and it was one of my favorite jobs ever. Not only are the tips pretty good (think about it, $2-5 every few minutes really adds up), but every now and then I'd get a special "flash" from an escort who enjoyed seeing a 17 year old kid blush!

 

Some very decent cars out today despite the clouds and early rain. Between 3:30pm and 4:30pm, an extremely rare 2002-2005 Acura NSX at Lenox Mall, a silver Rolls-Royce Phantom on Texas plates at Phipps Plaza's valet, and a dark gray Aston-Martin V8 Vantage at Lenox Mall's valet.

A few highlights: a horribly-modified black Maserati Coupe on South Carolina plates appropriately reading ALL4SHO. That thing is beyond words. Tax-dodger of the day goes to the red Ferrari F430 on Montana plates. In the west, we joke about exotics on Montana plates because you can register there with just a P.O. Box and pay just a flat fee, because there's no sales tax there. Because of this, legend has it that Montana has more (registered) Ferraris per capita than any other U.S. state.

Absolutely incredible spot today, though, was a Ferrari 365 GT4 BB, the rarest of the three Berlinetta Boxers with only 387 manufactured. I saw the car driving in a neighborhood near Emory and a few seconds later the owner pulled into his driveway. After I asked him 'Is that a 365 or a 512?' he immediately became friendly and even opened the hood up to show me the engine. The driver said his father owned the car, which he mentioned had been in a sizable accident at Road Atlanta a few years ago, which led to some bodywork. He also said the car was leaving for Florida on a trailer to go back to his father in the next few days, still.

My first-ever BB sighting!!

 

Amazing spot of that BB, Doug. All I have seen lately was this Audi RS6 driving on Peachtree towards Chamblee. The sound of this car is extremely raw...I swear it sounded just like a Diablo or Ford GT.

 

Had a pretty good night tonight. The first couple are from the Atlantic Station parking decks.
First and foremost saw a Lexus LS 600hl.
- http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6130/image00001uc4.jpg
Second saw a white IS-F
- http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/668/image00004cp6.jpg
- http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9900/image00005hq2.jpg
- http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1139/image00006zz4.jpg
Saw a Jaguar XF but couldnt get a good enough pic. of it since it was from a camera phone and it was black. Here is the pic. of the rim. Tires are fat.
- http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4010/image00007rc9.jpg
Saw a very well kept M3. Pictures dont do it any justice.
- http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5816/image00002oi4.jpg
- http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/8937/image00003da7.jpg
Next saw a Aston Martin DB9, we actually talked to the owner....hes the guy in the pic. Real nice guy.
- http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/9391/image00008dt4.jpg
Next we went up to Buckhead, nothing at first but then went to the Intercontinental where I used to valet, we were about to leave when we see a silver Gallardo come in and we follow it in. He revs his engine once and revs it once again. Pretty good bunch of cars at the hotel. No pics. though. Overall a pretty decent night. Sorry for the bad pics.

 

That was a good night!

Z06, Rolls as usual, lots of AMG Mercs, and a black 997 was also out in front of intercontinental.

 

awesome BB spot! I love the BBs - makes me miss my old one! did you get any shots of the interior?

 

That is John Apen's( former owner of FAF) 365GT4/BB...he just moved to Florida and wrecked his Boxer a few years ago...

 

Thanks - it definitely was an awesome spot - one of my best recent ones. As for interior shots, I blanked it - too busy discussing it to get any!

That fits, because while we were discussing it the man driving it told me his father knew Ed Wettach, the current owner of Ferrari of Atlanta.

EDIT: Spots from last night included a silver Lamborghini Gallardo leaving the Intercontinental, and a yellow Lamborghini Gallardo at Lenox Mall valet. Also caught a black Maybach 57S on Florida plates, and a rare Plymouth Prowler turning into the Embassy Suites next to the Intercontinental.

Today, I saw the Intercontinental's brown Rolls-Royce Phantom actually being driven! This was in front of the Intercontinental, but the vehicle turned off Piedmont on to Peachtree and continued past the hotel. I can't recall having ever seen this car on the move before. Also caught a yellow Lamborghini Gallardo at Houston's valet, and a fantastic white Bentley Continental GT Speed at Phipps Plaza valet.

 

On Sunday, in Augusta at the Master's, a Ford Model T, 21 GL55 AMG's (all on Florida plates), are those even out yet? I think they were the player's chauffer cars. White Maybach 57 in spectator parking.
In Atlanta, today, coulden't tell what car was next to it but a black on black 575M or 550 Ferrari at Phipps. I coulden't tell because we drove by really quickly but it looked nice.

 

Who fixed it?

 

A few decent sightings today: a black Maybach 57S on Florida plates that I commonly see in Buckhead (so commonly, in fact, that I'm no longer going to post it, just like the Phantom at the Intercontinental), a black Aston-Martin V8 Vantage on Virginia temporary plates at Peachtree and Piedmont, and a wonderful drive behind a red Ferrari F430 Spider all the way down Old Ivy Road from Wieuca to Piedmont. When we got under GA-400 he downshifted and the roar was spectacular. Perhaps the best part was approaching a four-way stop, when several young women on the other side went crazy smiling, staring, and pointing at the Ferrari... I've got to get me one of these.

 

Tonight around 1:15am, a black Aston-Martin V8 Vantage on University of Georgia plates at the valet at the Westin Buckhead.

 

My friends always make fun of me for carrying my camera everywhere - including when I go to class - in case an exotic pops up, despite my 2006 sighting of a Lamborghini Gallardo on Emory's fraternity row. Well hopefully they'll ease up now after today's sighting of a red Lotus Elan on Breast Cancer plates near Emory's Woodruff Physical Education Center around 12:35pm. The M100 Elan isn't very impressively-styled, but with just 559 sold here it's quite uncommon!

 

Doug, after you graduate...what's going to happen to this thread? Will you still be here to take pictures?

 

Before I came here, this thread was so inactive that I didn't know if there'd even be interest if I started posting pictures... so probably like that. However, don't fear: I'm not even half way through college! That said, sophomore year ends on Wednesday, May 7, and then I'm back to Colorado for more than three months... you'll have to keep things going without me, Victor (and all)!

Surprisingly few cars out tonight despite the perfect weather: a tan Bentley Arnage at Aquaknox valet around 7pm, and a silver Aston-Martin V8 Vantage and Lamborghini Gallardo there at around 10pm. That Gallardo is the one that's been camped out the last week or two at the Intercontinental; oddly it's on local plates. Also caught a white Aston-Martin V8 Vantage at BluePointe's valet around 6:45pm, the slightly-updated Aston-Martin DB9 in a parking lot near West Paces and Peachtree at around 7:30, a yellow Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder on temporary plates out of Lamborghini Atlanta at around 8pm on Peachtree going west towards Piedmont, and best of all a yellow Ferrari F430 Spider on Florida plates at Phipps Plaza's valet around 7:15pm.