2008 New York Auto Show: Brady's Final Thoughts From NYIAS

I know I've always been more than happy to find out whatever there is to know about a new design as far in advance as possible. But when I was actually attending the unveiling of the new cars in person, it was anticlimactic to know what was going to come rocketing out onto the stage or what was under the tarp before the press conference began. And there isn't anything all that fascinating about sitting with a crowd of other journalists who also know everything about the car as the manufacturer plays music as loud as possible in an attempt to drum up excitement. Bob Lutz even asked at one point if he was at a Pontiac press conference or a rock concert.

Don't get me wrong, I always have fun at auto shows. Who could complain about being on a floor filled with the latest new cars, ones that most people have not seen in person?

But the press conference experience would have been infinitely more enjoyable if there were an excited buzz among the members of the press as the clock ticked down toward the unveiling of the latest car. I would have loved to be part of a crowd of people who saw the new Nissan Maxima's headlights for the first time, asking each other if their eyes were playing tricks on them and then bolting to the media center to file their photos and stories.

With a minor face-lift, the Kia Optima wasn't the most important car at the auto show. But until the very second I saw it, I didn't know what I was going to see. I wish there were more moments like that one. -- Brady Holt, Student Journalist