We were at Universal Studios back in the summer of 2000. We had a bit of trouble finding the way into the parking lot, but once we were in, we had a lot of fun.
I didn't see Columbo's car (or Peter Falk's, for that matter) but I did see the "Back To The Future" Delorean car sitting in a backlot parking space during the tour. A huge set from Jim Carey's "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" was set up just down the hill from the "Psycho" house. Pretty funny. Universal was a fun place, and I too would recommend it to others.