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I saw a new 124 (silver/black top) and a '70s 124 (brown/tan top) about 2 weeks ago...first time I'd seen either in ages. Or move it to Dodge. Give it a new fascia and racetrack taillight, an optional Hellcat engine, etc...maybe call it Viper Jr.?

Also.... the best answer for someone who doesn't care about cars and doesn't like to drive is a bus pass and an Uber account.

Okay. Everyone has something that doesn't resonate with them. In our house, most everything was topped with tomato sauce. I'm guessing that when you get pasta you probably order it with another type of sauce, such as pesto, mushroom/garlic, clam, etc. I tend to get sick if I eat anything with curry, for example. I brought this up because Wishbone made this dressing in the '90s and I'd buy it regularly. Then, it started disappearing from the shelves but they'd still feature raspberry vinaigrette. Why? That doesn't sound appetizing. At any rate, I was buying cases of the sun dried tomato vinaigrette toward the end. Twenty years later, Kraft is making it. I never saw it at my regular supermarkets. I just found it at a new supermarket. Score. This market will therefore become a regular shopping stop.

Yea- they went into recall overdrive after that thread. Total is at least 55 million since about ‘05. Is Ford anywhere near that? if it were Chevy or Ford, you could scarcely get away from that number, but because it’s Toyota, it goes unreported of course.

If Tesla has a future as an independent car maker, I think they need to remove Musk and bring in more stable leadership. Let him focus on Space X and the Boring Company.

I hope they move the 124 to Alfa Romeo or something. I know it's a Miata, but it's a nice little rig and the different engine gives it a different personality from the Mazda.

I just want to point out that none of you corrected me when I slipped and called it the 6.3 liter.

Very thorough. My take on the corolla is as follows; much like a Kleenex tissue- if it's new, clean & uncrumpled, it has a latent function when needed. The very second it gets used, its garbage.

I rented a car because I got a good deal. AAA was giving a 3rd weekend day free if you paid for 2. Not only that, I got bumped up from a compact (because they didn't have any) to an intermediate. The car assigned to me was a 2019 Toyota Corolla LE. It was bronze with a black cloth interior and wheel covers on what appeared to be 15" wheels. Its styling is acceptable. The signature "angry appliance" grille isn't as bad as it is on some bigger Toyota's and Lexus products and an identifiable front fascia/bumper is welcomed. The greenhouse is sort of dull, as is the rear fascia. The small slats at the edges of the front bumper are odd but sort of grow on you. I think they're more stylistic than functional. So be it. Within the first half hour of driving it on the interstate, I made up my mind about this car. It's competent and easy to live with but it's boring. The last time I had a Corolla was in Montreal about a decade ago. It was a 10th generation Corolla. (I cheated and looked at Wikipedia to figure out its generation.) What I remember is how vague the steering felt but that, with that, the road was fairly well isolated. It was a trade-off. The current Corolla provides more steering feel and, with that, more of what is going on with the tires is transmitted through the steering wheel. There is more road feel but there is also more tire and road noise that is sent into the cabin. It's not significantly more, but I noticed it. For its genre, acceleration is fine for everyday situations. It's not the best car to get out of the way or merging onto the freeway when dueling with an aggressive V-8 equipped Ram/F-150/Silverado/Tundra driver. I'm almost sure the engine is their ubiquitous 1.8 litre 4 cylinder that has been around for eons. Kudos for how nicely the engine bay is laid out. It's very logical. Fluid checkpoints are easy to identify. It would be a snap to change the battery. And, of course, there are what appear to be hard plastic manifolds that are an everyday occurrence on price leader Asian imports. Since a person spends most of their time inside the car, the Corolla's interior is worth talking about. The seats are nicely contoured, have decent looking stitching, and don't tire you out after a long interstate jaunt the way small car seats used to. The dash is fairly sensibly arranged in most aspects. There are the 2 large dials with the tach and the speedometer with fuel and temperature gauges inset into each of these dials. Thankfully, there is a temperature gauge. On econoboxes like Chevy Sparks and Sonics, the temperature gauge is now gone. I want the redundancy of a temperature gauge backed up by a warning light. What was irritating is that the Corolla has square information area between the big round dials that tells you all sorts of things. The A and B trip odometer is easy to set and reset. However, while you might get range and current fuel economy, I could not find a simple setting for a digital display of the speed. I find this to be an excellent thing to have and one that is easier to work with than the speedometer dial. I therefore had to rely on the dial. Maybe I couldn't find the setting. On Cruzes and Focuses, for example, the easily located digital speed display is much appreciated. There are three stalks on the Corolla. One is the turn signal, the one at the right is for the wipers, and the cruise control is on a stalk set in as a downward angled protrusion on the right. I don't like the appearance of it but it's easy to work with. There are some other things worth mentioning about the Corolla's interior. There is a somewhat chunky and tall horizontal band at the right of the instrument panel for the driver. With this, the audio screen, which is fairly large, is set within it and avoids what I call the "laptop left open" look. In the upcoming 2020 Toyota Corolla, the "laptop left open" is overly prominent. I think I'll pass. The screen is fairly easy to navigate. Two horizontal air conditioning vents and a separate digital clock are above it. Below it is the climate control. What was unique and likable here was the use of toggles instead of dials to regulate the temperature. You just tap them upward or downward to get the desired Fahrenheits. That small panel is also easy to work with. The glove box is fairly spacious. However, the center console has a few demerits. The cubby hole in front of the shifter with the USB ports and lighter is small and not optimal for larger phones. Also, the armrest and the space inside the console are underwhelming. In larger Toyotas, these become more capacious. There are a few more things about the interior's ergonomics. I like that Asian cars are retaining floor tabs to release the trunk AND the fuel door from inside the car. A secured fuel door is a good thing to have. Surprisingly, the Corolla also offers good visibility. I dislike rear headrests but it appears they are here to stay. The two principal ones are integral with the rear seat while the center one is adjustable. If they weren't there, visibility would be even better. While not a religious diatribe, a revelation came to on the third day ... of the rental, that is. I was out of town with the car on the first two days and used it locally on the third day. A friend of mine was in the car on the third day I had it and was going on about how all these Toyota Corollas now had CVTs. I was convinced that mine had a geared transmission. As it turns out, it did have a CVT. It's a modified CVT, though. It shifts from first to second gear the "normal" way before operating as a CVT. This is probably to pacify those who would otherwise detest CVTs ... and there are many. However, I should have known better. In situations where I had to pass or pick up speed, the rpm's spooled upward and then wound down slowly and haphazardly. With a step gear transmission, the shifting of gears would have been crisper and identifiable. The plus side of the CVT is that, on freeway jaunts with some minor amounts of stop and go traffic, the car was pulling in about 38 mpg. I believe that, on a highway jaunt that has no gas stops and the like, the Corolla 1.8 + CVT can get 40 mpg. The Corolla appears to be about the same size as a Chevy Cruze but can't touch the surprising refinement of the Cruze. Instead, it almost drives more like a Focus. It's also priced more like a Focus while Cruzes cost a few thousand dollars more. For those seeking value on a budget, you really can't go wrong with a Toyota Corolla and its legendary reliability. However, if someone needs to drive a car that they also really like, this may not be the car for everyone. I give the Corolla a strong B+.

i’ll go to the grave saying the 500 abarth is the best city car on the north american market. so many people complain that sub-compact cars are boring appliances, yet fiat builds something that’s actually fun and practical and nobody cares.

I went into a store chain that features odd batches and stumbled onto some Greek cucumber dill dressing. I bought a bottle. Unbelievable stuff. I then wanted more of it the next time I went in. They told me they only get it in from time to time. The next time I see it in stock I will have to buy at least half a dozen bottles. It was priced at about $ 1.50 per bottle.

Toyota: Only ten less than Nissan per 1000...if one does not want to go back into time to reveal that Toyota has recalled the most cars in history of all time...and those recalls happened in THIS generation in OUR lifetime just a short 10-15 years ago... GM is STILL paying the price for their shenanigans that happened close to half a phoquing century ago... So...is Toyota really that reliable if we are gonna go with this 2018 recall data sheet? Because all others in the lower section are all UNDER 1000 recalls per 1000 vehicles...and by a margin of 43 per 1000 where Subaru sits at 985. Toyota is closer to the highest number of recalls section than they are to the lowest side... You cant accuse me of purely hating on Toyota...I "recommended" the Corolla and the RAV4...because those two are fairly cheap and reliable transportation perfect for folk that just dont give a shyte about cars but need one to get around...but I also know that Toyota cut some serious corners JUST to get to the number #1 spot of being the manufactuurer to sell the most cars 15-20 years ago when they made that decision to try to top GM...and STILL cut corners to this day actually when looking at that very same data sheet. GM is at 958 recalls per 1000. That would be lower than Toyota, right? Yet we STILL hesitate to give GM kudos... At least that is how I interpret this...

I like the Fiat 124 Abarth. Like you said, its a nice little rig. It looks good. Looks like an authentic little Italian roadster. I most definitely would buy one if I lived in an area where there was sun...and it actually warmed up the place at least 8 months outta the year. Because where Im at now...sometimes the sun is shining hard, but it aint doing much other than looking pretty in the sky.

Newman's Own is awesome, very popular around here. Wife loves Raspberry Vinaigrette. Family eats it all the time.

There was a Parmesan Caesar dressing that I think Newman's Own made that was fantastic, but I only ever found it twice. Lately we've been getting these little seasoning packages that you mix in with the salad, some olive oil, and feta, and they're great too.

An electric sports car seems like a logical next step for the e-tron sub brand, and they already showed off an e-tron sports car concept a few years ago that looked like the R8.

We ALL sawr it though! :ah-ha:

MB hasn’t made a penny of profit on any of their failed EV attempts.

The issue with removing Musk is half of the brand’s fanboys think he’ a genius, the other half think he’s out of control.

It honestly should have been a Alfa Spyder to begin with but to me, Alfa is no better than Fiat for same reasons I mentioned earlier. Sure they look better than the Fiat models overall but their reliability is still garbage just like it was more than 35 years ago. If someone wants a 124 that bad, they should just get the car it copies. Just my two cents.

There was a story we did a few years ago when Toyota was doing loads of recalls. They avoided the "largest ever" recall headline by issuing a bunch of smaller recalls. But I went on the NHTSA database, downloaded the data, tallied it up, and they had a lot more recalls in the time period than Ford (the current record holder). Unfortunately, the ravages of time and site software upgrades have damaged the original article, but you can read about it here:

Kill it with fire. Almost a decade since they started selling cars in the US and the facts and numbers show that no one wants the POS on wheels, just like the last time they sold cars here.

2019 model is very dated, dating back to 2013 on the platform from 2006. The all new 2020 might increase in sales due to no American competition.

I am honestly surprised stock holders have not sued and demanded Musks Head on a platter. https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-price-stats-put-stock-plunge-into-perspective-2019-5-1028228512#shares-have-been-cut-in-half-since-musk-s-funding-secured-tweet5 WOW ?

How? Tomatoes make me ill. I have to disagree with that above statement. Sorry.

This is totally understandable, the Avengers / Iron Man movies have made peoples interest in electric Audi's rise. I read somewhere that they were getting requests to buy versions of what Tony Stark was driving. Yet if they think Marvel movies will drive profits for them, I think they lost a seal in that engine some where.

Wonder what their model for this being successful was?

Wonder about the test crash worthiness myself....

Random thought: sun dried tomato vinaigrette dressing is downright delicious.

Its a French sir name. Cadillac is a street name, and the Metro station is on that street and so the Metro station takes the name of the street its on. https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5768388,-73.5466271,3a,39.8y,65.5h,88.64t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBqKV-qH-HXp0f4krtejSLQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 My 99 soon to be 100 year old auntie lives near this Metro station. In fact her old apartment and her new old age home is a mere 5 minute walk from there. Further east on Sherbrooke Street, there is a McDonald's. That would be the first McDonald's Iv ever been to waaaay back when I was 5 or 6 years old. A little later, a Burger King opened up. And you guessed it...that would be the first Burger King Ive ever been to. Both are still there. A St. Hubert BBQ rotisserie chicken restaurant is a tad closer. My family would eat there too often enough. The Olympic Stadium is further WEST on Sherbrooke street. Yes. The Montreal Expos would play there. And yes...I would go see them play often as I lived close by. On Ste Catherine Street. Yes...The same Ste Catherine Street that is the heart of Downtown Montreal. Pie-IX Metro station is where the Olympic Stadium is. In Between Cadillac Metro and Pie-IX Metro would be Viau Metro station. And those are the streets that those Metro Stations are on. The Stadium would be between Pie-IX and Viau... When clicking on the link, turn the direction towards west, and not even advancing forward on anything and you would see the Olympic Village Appartments.

I like being within 15-25 minutes of the downtown/CBD of a city. With Cleveland, I'm in a close-in suburb--about 20 min to downtown and the closest beach, with Phoenix and Denver I lived in suburban portions of the city, within about 15 minutes of downtown. I have lived rural---on my family farm, but I would never live rural again..I don't want to be very far from the amenities of the modern world like a level 1 trauma center, a wide selection of restaurants (not chains) and quick food delivery options (DoorDash, Grubhub, etc), culture like museums, concert venues, etc, within 1/2 hr of a major airport, etc. Having Uber/Lyft as an option for going various places is advantageous. And of course high tech jobs are in the cities and suburbs, nothing happening in rural places like where my family farm is.

Once the other luxury brands are producing a few electric sedans and CUV's each with similar or better range and performance, I don't see Tesla remaining an independent company.

I loved those 300ZXs. Especially with the T-Tops. It took me a couple of years after they came to market for me to fall in love with them because I had this "nothing could touch an American car" attitude with my love for Trans Ams. But I quickly changed my tune. The Dodge Stealth/Mitsubishi 3000 and the Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon changed the way I viewed "imports". And so I also looked at the 300ZX differently. It was a Car and Driver article of 1992 or 1993 that I read about the 300ZX that said that they viewed the 300ZX as a (then) modern classic car that had a timeless design, much like a 1969 Camaro. I think that was the turning point for me liking it. I secretly loved the Eclipse/Talon and I thought the Stealth/3000GT were awesome looking, that I finally was honest with myself about it being OK to like other makes and brands. I always hated BMWs. I still do. THAT will NEVER change...

GM does not understand ridesharing like Uber and Lyft. Then again, GM had no idea whether ridesharing would lift off or be a dud. I understand why Maven was set up. Then again, it would not surprise me if Maven disappears within 18-24 months.

It's a hypothetical question. I'm going to be doing these a bit more often to spur some conversation around here.

@dfelt I am on board with Cadillac returning to names. As a result of the letters and numbers, I no longer know what's what. As for the name Calais, it was on a Cadillac product at one time before Oldsmobile picked it up as a type of Cutlass ... and as a stand-alone name plate. French names and Cadillac go hand in hand. Cadillac is a French word. It's even one of the stops on the Montreal Metro's green line!

Some are electric, some are gas. have gas heat in my current house. I know with the air conditioning my summer bills are only about 1/3 what they were in Arizona.