LA Autoshow by joits
I love the fact that its a major city and so we get all sorts of major conventions. The annual Autoshow may not be as big as the Detroit one, but it still is pretty cool. Its pretty cheap, I think about $8 per person... as well as $8 for parking. Basically the idea is you get a preview of next year models as well as current models. Most of the time you get to sit in the cars and get a feel for them, unfortunately there are a few cars that are locked. One highlight is the hall where the aftermarket items are displayed. You get to see Cadillacs with 24 inch rims and all the latest electronic gadgets like tvs and video games, etc. One recent addition is the celebrity car section. You can see what what celebs and their fat bank accounts can do to Escalades or Ferraris or Beamers.
The only downside... unless you're rich, you do come away with a feeling that you somehow don't make enough because more than half of the cars in the show are out of your price range.
The annual autoshow is usually in the first or second week of January. Check the LA Convention Center's website for more details.
http://www.lacclink.com/