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If you are thin skinned or take things personally I guess there could be a problem. However these are is jest and I'll tell anyone offended to go bleep themselves. I'm not then skinned, easily offended, or politically correct. It would be very difficult to offend me. There are jokes that I have heard that I will not share here because it is not the appropriate venue. However there are jokes that are just plain racist and don't have a place anywhere. I think we all know the difference between in jest and unappropriate. It's no different than a joke you would tell in your circle of friends versus a joke you would tell at the company office party.

Here it is. I'll write up a review if anyone is interested.

I saw this posted on another forum--new GMC pickups with '73-87 style step side beds...apparently a dealer somewhere is building them, for shipment to Dubai. Kinda neat..

I think automakers could hit the standard with more electrification, which would make cars more expensive, but they can price war it out and cut profits if they wanted, none of these car makers are hurting. That being said I could see keeping the 54 mpg standard but pushing it back to 2030 to give carmakers more time. I also think adding a 25 cent per gallon federal gas tax would promote fuel efficiency better than CAFE, and we need tax revenue to pay roads since the Gov't has such a ridiculous deficit. And that being said, what the EPA wants to do doesn't matter because California doesn't want to play this game. California will win any legal battle because CARB was there first, and there is ZERO PERCENT chance that car companies make a car they can't sell in California (or states with it's emission laws) because 1/3rd of all new cars are under California rule, no one is throwing away 1/3 of their volume.

Fuel efficiency? Those targets COULD be met. Question is...there are a couple of questions actually... 1. Do we as a society WANT to change? 2. Do we as a society WANT to sacrifice? 3. Do we as a society ACCEPT the responsibility and do we ACKNOWLEDGE the shyte we are doing? Or do we as a society just say, "not my problem" and just go out of are way to do what the phoque we want to do and just damn the phoquing planet because either 1. #fakenews 2. Wont be around when it is truly too late I aint a tree hugger by any means But... I cant seem to forget the message in that 1960s movie either... I love me some 707 horses. But I could live with just 1 if it would come down to it. If it meant that we needed to. Im not sure our selfish society would want to do the same. *SIGH* And no...its not all about doom and gloom. But the thing is..going forward into OUR future...the whole phoquing planet has become selfish. Oh well...not my problem I guess... 1. #Fakenews 2. Ill be loooooong gone to see if doomsday is truly a reality or not.

In a move that was expected to happen soon, the EPA announced that it plans to revise the fuel-efficiency regulations that were approved during the President Obama administration. “The Obama EPA’s determination was wrong. Obama’s EPA cut the midterm evaluation process short with politically charged expediency, made assumptions about the standards that didn’t comport with reality and set the standards too high,” said EPA chief Scott Pruitt in a statement today. The statement goes on to say that the agency will begin working on new standards for cars for 2022-2025 with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The regulations that were finalized during Obama's tenure would require automakers to have fuel economy fleet average of over 50 mpg by 2025. Automakers have been pushing for the standards to be rolled back as it would cause vehicles to become more expensive, and consumers aren't buying fuel-efficient vehicles. “This was the right decision. To ensure ongoing fuel economy improvement, the wisest course of action is to keep new vehicles affordable so more consumers can replace an older car with a new vehicle that uses much less fuel -- and offers more safety features," said Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers - a trade group that represents a dozen automakers including GM and Ford. Unsurprisingly, this move has brought forth criticism from both consumer and environmental groups. “EPA’s decision defies the robust record and years of review that show these targets are reasonable and appropriate,” said David Friedman, director of cars and products policy and analysis for Consumers Union, the advocacy division of Consumer Reports. “Undermining these consumer protections will cost consumers more at the pump while fulfilling the wishes of the auto industry.” The EPA also announced that it was considering revoking California's waiver that allows it to set its own emission rules that are tougher than the federal regulations. Aside from California, 12 other states have adopted these standards that together account for a third of car sales in the U.S. Since President Donald Trump entered the white house, the relationship between the EPA and California has become very strained. California officials have vowed to fight back if the EPA goes forward. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article

That is an odd thought about Buick and Infiniti. I did recall a friend that had a G35 coupe, then a G37 Coupe and now a Q60 coupe. What did he have before the Infinitis? A 90s Buick Regal coupe.

• Only thing I'm aware of down in the left footwell is the headlight dimmer- same place it was for 75 years. I'm positive the washer was never foot-operated on Pontiacs in that era. My brother's '71 GTO has the dimmer switch there also. • I would guess that wiper switch was from the '74, font looks very similar to what was in my '72 Riviera. • I know that dome light well- dad's '70 Catalina had the same one. • I remember looking over his shoulder as he drove that '70 and looking at that red-lit Indian Head high beam indicator. I was sorely disappointed our '77 Cat only had a blue square. I believe Pontiac was preserving it's trademark- they took all Indian-logos off the outside after '55, but kept it as the high beam indicator until '77.

Mercedes-Benz USA reports March sales of 28,407 units Apr 3, 2018 – ATLANTA: Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported March sales of 28,407 units. Mercedes-Benz Vans reported March sales of 2,967 units (up 3.3%) and smart reported 110 units, bringing the MBUSA grand total to 31,484 vehicles for the month. On a year-to-date basis, Mercedes-Benz recorded sales of 78,474, adding 8,186 units for Vans and 321 vehicles for smart. MBUSA's year-to-date sales volume totaled 86,981 compared with 87,635 for the same period in 2017. "While winter storms in our Northeast region certainly impacted our totals, we continue to see strong gains for our GLC, GLA and S-Class model lines," said Dietmar Exler, president and CEO of MBUSA. "We expect strong SUV demand, combined with our diverse product line up, to help propel additional growth in the second quarter." Mercedes-Benz volume leaders in March included the GLC, C-Class and GLE model lines. The GLC took the lead at 6,064, followed by C-Class sales of 4,984. The GLE rounded out the top three with 4,573 units sold. Mercedes-AMG high-performance models sold 2,696 units in March, with a total of 7,619 units sold year-to-date. Mercedes-Benz Passenger Vehicles Mar-18 Mar-17 Monthly % YTD 2018 YTD 2017 Yearly % B-CLASS 33 50 -34.0% 122 159 -23.3% CLA 1,949 1,079 80.6% 5,455 4,010 36.0% C-CLASS 4,984 8,021 -37.9% 13,350 20,619 -35.3% E-CLASS/CLS 4,024 4,690 -14.2% 12,435 12,316 1.0% S-CLASS 1,627 1,434 13.5% 4,565 3,648 25.1% SLC 224 361 -38.0% 586 865 -32.3% SL 227 262 -13.4% 640 724 -11.6% AMG GT 114 103 10.7% 381 277 37.5% GLA 2,254 1,714 31.5% 6,524 5,915 10.3% GLC 6,064 3,126 94.0% 16,260 8,956 81.6% GLE 4,573 4,919 -7.0% 11,656 12,906 -9.7% GLS 1,974 2,938 -32.8% 5,496 7,741 -29.0% G-CLASS 360 395 -8.9% 1,004 1,005 -0.1% TOTAL 28,407 29,092 -2.4% 78,474 79,141 -0.8% Vans1 2,967 2,871 3.3% 8,186 7,433 10.1% smart 110 389 -71.7% 321 1,061 -69.7% MBUSA Combined Total Mar-18 Mar-17 Monthly % YTD 2018 YTD 2017 Yearly % GRAND TOTAL 31,484 32,352 -2.7% 86,981 87,635 -0.7% 1 Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner Sprinter and Metris Vans are sold and marketed in the U.S. by Mercedes-Benz USA and Daimler Vans USA, respectively.

I once joked to one of my aviation buddies about the Polish building a diesel powered fighter aircraft that was dog slow...only to be informed the Polish did just that at one point. Self deflating toys, Self washing ships, pilots that always have a fresh haircut. What is not to love about any of this.

Olds, without meaning to be negative also I think people need to think about how they see Greece. LOTS of anti Greek sentiment about. One of my friends recently referred to Greece as a 'white version of Haiti." Greek shaming is a very real issue, and I don't think being concerned about that is irrational. That being said, my ancestors part of them (biologically) came from Poland. I love jokes about Polish people. Let the humor begin!

Just group everything together, who gives a fck?

I tend to think of crossovers or CUVs as being the car -based models, while SUVs are either on dedicated platforms (Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, etc) or on truck-based platforms (Tahoe, Suburban, etc). Maybe as far as reporting sales/categorizing their needs to be a 3rd way--- categorize CUVs & SUVs separately from cars and trucks.

Ugh; Wretched. Minus (because such certainly isn't a plus); a toyota.

I'm not saying it's cheap either. But, for someone that needs a vehicle for the short term and wants as little hassle.... it may make sense? It is certainly a lot cheaper than renting a car from Hertz etc for more than a few days.

That just means Audis are more exclusive than high volume M-Bs. Volume isn't the right measurement with luxury cars.

You weens can have the XSE Hybrid on the left, I will take the Adventure, in that color on the right, with the Mocha Softex interior. Cool!

I heard Peter DeLorenzo on Autoline After Hours say how BMW was lost or dead in the water or something, but they outsold Mercedes last month and their cars were up 10% even though 2 of their cars aren't really cars.

!!!!! What salesman story? I totally guessed, wow and I was half joking!

If I'm not mistaken, I think that includes insurance and some maintenance, though. At least I think I read that in this or another article.

Trucks rule and cars drool.

That's pretty much what made my decision. I've been casually shopping for a truck for the past couple years. Unfortunately trucks that aren't old and very high mileage are 30K and up for used. My truck needs some work and smog is due on it. As it sits now it won't pass. I bought the volt because it was cheap, and the gas I'm not buying is about the car payment. When I have the time I'll work on my truck and get it back on the road. I just couldn't get rid of it. It comes in handy too often.

https://thisiswoodworking.com/blog/festool-truck-makeover/ Neat old truck used to merchandise product inside my local woodworking store, Wood Werks. "the Festruk"

I believe a tax would would have a similar effect as well. However the government would just squander any additional revenue from the tax. Knowing government, they would probably use the tax to start a new/additional agency devoted to how to force more fuel efficiency.

Sure...but isnt that how the bubble burst in 2009? Great...but didnt deregularization of Wallstreet in the 1980s by a Republican cause all that greed and shyte to hit the fan and send all of our jobs elsewhere and in the process creating a throw-out society which eventually led to the aforementioned bubble...oh...the de-regularization of mortgages in the 1990s by a Democratic also lead to that and now this current guy in power wants to bring back the jobs... I guess it would be a radical idear.... To have no limits JUST BECAUSE we can...because 'Merica Godammit! because obviously we humans have self-control and our leaders and our barter entrepreneurs care about the welfare of our being and are responsible and in no way do all of us as a species destroy the very phoquing planet we inhabit... I dedicate this song to you, because birthday

I put a damper on things, didnt I? That last thing I said... was meant in jest...as in if you have an ounce of a sense of humour, you would appreciate the ironic and sarcastic twist I just did... So...if it seems like Im angry...I AM NOT! Just trying to enlighten some of you...that while joking around is fun...we must tread very carefully on how we approach said humour. Sometimes...the jokes do hurt.

For what its worth, I have a huuuuge sense of humour. Problem is...ONE MORE TIME... That THAT was NOT a joke. Its distorted reality. Its what your POTUS calls #fakenews. You talked about your parents feeling the ALLIED bombs... MY mom's mother had to feed German soldiers in her home... But THAT was 70 some odd years ago... Two different men...GREEK men...in Greece... I wouldnt be dismissing this...I wouldnt be all sooo phoquing snug about how YOU got a sense of humour and I dont! Why am UI taking this this far? Well...A simple Im sorry would actually would do. A simple I did not know how you felt about this would be suffice. A little EMPATHY and COMPASSION about how phoquing severe austerity measures in Europe actually are... A little phoquing research would go along way instead of relying on your POTUS' own words #fakenews... From Italy, albeit not as instense as in Greece... From Spain Just as intense And yes...when the punchline is that Germany picks up the tab, because Italy and Spain and Greece are the punching bags...yeah...it pissed me off...knowing that GERMANY IS A HUUUUUUUGE REASON FOR THE DOWNFALL... Sure there was corruption in all three countries to which led to billions of dollars being pissed out the window...the corruption of the German money machine is far far worse... So...nada on that being a joke... We live in the USA and in Canada where all that did NOT affect us... Let's put it this way...something that hits you home...RECENTLY (because OBVIOUSLY YOU FORGOT HOW BAD IT WAS IN AMERICA WHEN THAT VERY SAME BUBBLE BURST HERE!!!!) Make a joke about that!!! When there has been people hurt from the joke you are about to crack...

In my ode to jokes a few posts up, I forgot to add the creativity factor. I'm laughing at the outlandish thinking process that even led to the creation of these jokes. When we were teens, we had (inside) acronyms for everything. Some of them were pretty funny. They went great with Big Boy burgers, fries, a Coke, and a side of zits!

Personally, I have never been a fan of CAFE. I do think the last administration's EPA went too far. The problem with CAFE is that it tells automakers to do what consumers should do instead: buy the right vehicle for their needs. If gas prices rise above $4 again, then consumers (when they can) will dump the gas-guzzling SUVs for fuel-sipping hybrids or even electric vehicles. The gas tax (or better still, a VAT on crude oil and its distillates) is a far superior way to improve fuel economy through markets and consumer response rather than through federal mandates. Auto safety, on the other hand, does not have a pricing mechanism. Hence the need for (most of) those regulations to stand as is. I doubt that this administration's EPA will end CAFE altogether since that would require a new law to replace the one from 1975. But I will welcome the end of CAFE, since it is heavily biased towards trucks and against large sedans from the get-go. One last thing: CARB exists for good reason (LA smog is a real health issue), but they can also buy (and do) cars that currently meet tougher European standards since many automakers already in many respects meet them overseas.

Hallelujah, it is about time cold hard reality sets in where government involvement is concerned. Also I fully and robustly support curbing California. Bunch of loons out there far removed from normalcy. A 50-state standard is best for the country. No one can regulate hearts, minds, desires. I say if you have the money... SPEND IT HOW YOU WISH. Is that a radical idear in 2018?