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Hi there! I'll admit writing this feels somewhat awkward as I really don't like talking about myself. Most of the time, I'm churning out news stories and reviews for various places. But this is somewhat important. Next week, I'll be starting a new job with JATO Dynamics as a Specifications Researcher. Basically, I'll be digging into the various information about features, options, and other information on new vehicles. This may seem somewhat odd to be moving from a writing position to doing a bit of research, but it actually uses a lot of the skills and knowledge that I have gathered from being a freelancer. Also, I've been feeling slightly burnt out in terms of the writing. I've noticed that it has been taking me slightly longer to get various pieces out, along with doing anything that is sort of creative and not sounding like a MadLibs. Now for the big question, what does this mean for Cheers & Gears? For now, I'll be taking a bit of a break from writing. I won't be giving up the ghost, but not doing a constant stream of news that I have been able to do since going freelance full time since 2012. I'll still be getting various news pieces, along with reviews and the odd opinion piece up. But I hope this break allows me to recharge and get back on writing somewhat more consistent and creative. I just want to say thanks to you, the members and readers of Cheers & Gears for somehow being able to put up with my writing for quite some time. It has been fun and something I enjoy, even when the thread somehow goes off the rails.

Thank you for all the time you've put in here over the years. We all appreciate it.

Wow they managed to make it look smaller and like agile. I think the RAM looks the most luxo but this looks the most techy in top trims

I'm not allowed to buy a wagon sadly

I am such a sucker for the Mustang. Even the II..... A couple of years ago, someone stuffed the 7.3 V10 in a II chassis! It was epic!!!

Good for toughness and more compact packaging.

The early Torinos. 1971. The hide-way-headlights are nice, but on the Torino, it reminds me of a 1969 Cougar. I prefer the Cougar's looks. Starsky and Hutch, but the Mercury version. A very dear family friend had one back in the day. A 1974 Mercury Cougar with a 351 Windsor I believe. Shyte brown. Kinda like this one if I remember the car correctly. As much as I hate that 1970s brown on cars, Im very fond of it on that Cougar. 1970 Lincoln Continental Mark 3 1974 Ford Thunderbird 4 door Convertible Town Car

Me either. Why not just twin turbo the 5.0 V8 they already have? I don’t get why they still isn’t an ecoboost V8. And it can’t be fear of turbo in a pick up because the F150 is mostly turbo and the diesel in the heavy duty is turbo. I also thought that V10 died in 2010 that engine was old 10 years ago.

This thing is really moving.

Thanks. One brand fans don’t get that some of us can point out the flaws in new cars (and old cars for that matter) and not be a fan of an opposing brand or never intending on buying new in the first place. Just because I choose not to buy new does not mean that my opinion is not valid no matter what some overcompensating person says (And no, I am not referring to anyone specific here). Hell, if you ask me, it makes me financially smarter to not pay a mortgage payment on a $70-100K car or truck. Let natural depreciation take care of the bulk of money waste there and then take advantage. It’s how my wife just got a 2015 Soul with only 20k miles for less than $13K. I’ve sold cars in the past and just did some part time work at a Chevy dealership last year so I don’t feel that I’m totally talking out of my posterior here lol. Carry on folks. Who’s the communist lol?

I remember riding in one at about age 6...my brother was a salesman at the local Ford dealer in the mid 70s, he'd come home with cars like a black '74-76 Thunderbird, dark blue '72 Gran Torino Sport, '76 Mustang II Cobra, etc...

It lacks the sound soul and fury of the flat six Porsche has had since forever. Give me the 6 over the four. The Push rod V8 a lot of people can handle....not naming names...

This was my thinking. Smart move to utilize the torquey design. Aren't there still rumors of a 7 liter going into the Rams?

Camry, ES too.

It is nice to see though.

Agree on the CTS wagon, for sure.

Then maybe I'm wrong.. I'm confusing U with someone else.. Who are U? Actually.. Doesn't matter to me in the end.. U know that. Cause U know me. pfft Sorry I don't put much thought into posting these days.. but today I'll put a little thought into it.. GM, Ford, Chry.. all have a much more storied past, with two still remaining steadfast in RWD motivated vehicles... way more than Hyundai. Personally I like the diversification of GM's portfolio of vehicles. My only complaint about the company as a whole stems from their heavy reliance on the 3.6L in so many vehicles that would benefit from existing twin turbo engines they already have tried and true. The Regal, Malibu, Impala, XT5, and XT6 included. Going back to the secondary subject, the Stinger, the Regal being the first, I am not attracted to the vehicle.. or anything from the Hyundai camp. Simple as that. The Regal is a more attractive vehicle for various reasons, and if I desired a mid-sized RWD vehicle I'd shop at neither. How is that hard to comprehend considering I have one of the epitomes of RWD mid-sizer sedans in my garage? Is there an issue because I won't downgrade.. or go balls to the wall in support of GM bringing a RWD sedan to the market for "every man?" My resume of RWD is solid.. past and present. I drive RWD almost daily in the winter with the Yukon. I drive RWD every weekend with the Z06. I drive RWD on every date nite with the CTS-V.. I drive RWD to every cruise with the 66 Impala SS. To some.. I might just have a RWD fetish.. I'm a RWD junkie.. I go cuckoo for RWD. My next car? RWD based AWD CT6V most likely. After that.. RWD based AWD Escalade most likely. Am I supposed to get upset that GM has also decided to appease the market whims of its primary customers in the CUV game.. women.. with FWD based vehicles that have one of the most advanced AWD systems on planet Earth? Nope. That goes for every one of the C1XXs.. the E2XXs. I mean... U are complaining about the fact that outta 16 actual cars GM sells here in the U.S. only 5 are RWD.. but give no evidence or credibility that more RWD available would make the the vehicles more desirable. In fact.. WHAT DO U DRIVE? I know for fact that the Chevy SS was available from the end of 2013 to the end of 2017.. Did U buy? Well why not? I mean the car is still basically brand new. I'm sure U could find a nice one still available GM Certified with under 10K on the odo. How about a Pontiac G8? a used one has to be going for under $10K by now?. U better be driving RWD. Otherwise , or by just looking at the market.. one might see that RWD doesn't sell in huge quantities outside of niche and luxury. GM has niche and luxury RWD based cars. I'm looking at the Stinger's numbers for '18.. it sold 16,806 vehicles. Genesis sold 9200 vehicles for all of 2018.. 3 vehicles included in that summary. This is to anyone... Back to FWD vs RWD in C/SUVS. The XT5 sold more than the X5. More than the GLE. The Lexus RX sold more than any of them. The MDX.. right up there. Of course only at Cadillac does having FWD CUVs damage the brand. BULLS#!+!!! Tell me why? Personally I'm of the mindset of as long as these CUVs fund me keeping the CTxs and Escalades in the line-up then I'm good. As long as Blazers, Equinoxs, and Traverses keep me getting Camaros, Vettes, and Tahoes.. GREAT Hell the only reason why FCA keeps the Charger, 300, and Chally going is because of net profit due to the fact that the platform is literally 1000 years old. I applaud their duping some into believing that the "Corolla Philosophy, but adding in a big engine and going fast in a straight line" is the American way. OH.. and just to piss someone out there who refuses to embrace change and moving into that change.. I hope EVs take over the entire automotive landscape by 2022

And I would agree with this 100%!!! I would own a Hellcat/Red Eye first. Or a Scat Pack. A Mustang GT, any engined convertible, GT350 in second place and Id skip the Camaro entirely. Maybe Id do a Trans Am 455 SD from Trans Am Depot in 3rd place instead of an outright Camaro.

Funny thing about 60s-70s Fords is the engines are usually pretty solid and reliable. It’s the bodies that rusted horribly here in the land of salty roads.

Uh it says "BROUGHT TO YOU BY GANDRUD AUTO GROUP". So it seems like it is a dealer site, not the definitive GM site. Gandrud probably sells Mopar products as well. https://www.gandrud.com/

And, except for some critical roads, the roads up there are not plowed since snow in the metro Seattle area is an infrequent occurrence. Ditto for the Portland (OR) area.

It looks fantastic in all trims....but top trims especially.

Friend of mine in high school had a 76 Mustang Cobra....we thought we were the king of the world cruising around Muncie Indiana in that thing at age 16.

Man, you really have to appreciate how competition improves the breed(s)! I would still opt for the rock solid reliability of the Cummins, but the 7.3 gasser in the Ford Super Duty would (if it is all that it should be) would make me choose the 7.3 over the Ram 6.4!

You see them more on the F-550 to F-750 chassis cab models. Very rarely on the F-250 to F-450.

I still much rather have a N/A V6 than a turbo-4

They are one hell of a good used value. 21-23k.

As does Toyota, and Ford, and Chrysler. They're all good engines.

The big GMC Denali trucks grow on me all of the time.

More to follow...

All-new 7.3L gas V8 available! 2020 F-Series Super Duty!

My self-imposed upper limit is around $35k purchase price with incentives.

Hmm...interesting...wonder what happened. I don't think the current (D4) Explorer has a low range.

Both of you take it to private chat

Agree with your assessment, the Camaro is sterile.

As far as pony cars go, Dodge has the firmest grasp on what customers want from the genre. I love the Mustang also, and find its sales decline disconcerting. The Camaro, with all its excellence in power and chassis engineering, comes across as antiseptic and a bit unfriendly. I would own a Challenger R/T first, a Mustang GT second, and a Camaro SS third... seems to be the general consensus in the sales race these days as well.

I keep searching, but I have not found a replacement for my Jeep. It is a perfect size. It has no power so I cannot get myself in trouble. It goes well in inclement weather. It has a stick. It is comfortable. It gets decent mileage for my commute. AND it is green. Turning over 37k miles soon. I've paid down on it a good bit, but I am always concerned about resale with any of my vehicles due to the number of miles I accumulate. So still I search. Silverado is too big and expensive, no regular cab shortbed available. Colorado has nothing substantively new since its resurrection. Passport is Asian in decent, even if it is as American as a Honda can get. Ram Classic is neat, and available in regular cab shortbed, but it is old. F-150 is too big for garage and is made of beer cans. Ranger is cool, leary of fuel mileage with EB 4. Blazer is too much money for what it is in the trim level I'd settle for. Edge is nicer than Blazer, really. Maybe the 2020 Trax/Granite/Encore will be a lively competitor. Keenly innerested in passing judgment on them. I wonder what is coming to Chicago? Is anyone donning their Kevlar vest and hitting the show? Do we have a preview, or is everything a secret?

Montreal is a beautiful city. Not more than any other city on this planet. But Montreal is unique. It has English and French architecture. Its got both old world European flair with modern American panache. Cuisine? Montreal always had world quality restaurants. Las Vegas, Boston, Houston are some North American cities that have equalled and perhaps surpassed Montreal in that area..but...Montreal, along with NYC still remain surprisingly relevant. What makes Montreal (and especially NYC) that great in all these areas? Montreal (and NYC) are trully real cosmopolitan cities. For a couple of centuries now. Food is where this shows. Walk the streets of Montreal in the summer and then you get to see how cosmopolitan Montreal really is. its just not the architecture that is stunning, just how NYC stuns you with its high rises....its how the people interact with each other. All the colours of the ethnics...how each is represented in the city. Its great!

Maybe you should take a visit up here and see for yourself. You know, Montreal is not Lancaster... in that the Province of Quebec with its Crown Corporation Hydro-Quebec actually produces a good chunk of the world's hydro-electricity. At a fairly cheap price for us Quebeckers to consume... Its too bad you dont believe. Please, come take a visit. Ill take you out on a date to entice you. We'll catch a Habs hockey game while we're at it. The Penguins or Flyers? You choose.

Ohhh hell yes...to both Marvin Gaye and the car. My dad had a Bronze one in a Country Squire with a 400. one of the first cars I ever drove....actually probably the very first car I ever drove myself with no one else in the car...dad let me take it around a park...good memories. We used to take it out to a park....sit and listen to college football on the radio....throw a football around....good memories as a kid.

Makes me think of this.. Also, bonus clip for Monday.