PurdueGuy

first look at the front I thought it was an STS. Overall the car looks great, but my first impression is that the regular model's front end looks more bold.

As a general guideline (not 100% rule), additives are junk. They are usually a "quick fix" that often just delays a problem, but then leaves you in a much worse situation. When something is broken, fix it right.

might consider (off the top of my head): mazda mercury marauder suzuki (maybe) honda (maybe)

Wow - two very different vehicles. I'd wait for the Camaro, personally - the Colorado could be a decent truck, but if you are just wanting a vehicle you'll love, I'd think the Camaro would be more likely to be a "home run" in the "car to love" category.

why do they bother doing time trials in the rain? *shakes head*

I could only think of one thing while I read that... DUUUURRRRRRR!

+1 euro milage specs aren't measured the same as US specs, are they?

Of course the pollution savings of buying a car built here is only partial if all the parts and materials still come from overseas. Raw material & smaller parts is usually more space-efficient to ship than whole cars, but still...

besides, they have to be able to get cheap cars to ramp & generally screw up for stunt shots. Lot easier to get a cheapo mustang & make it look enough like the main show car than it would be with any of the above (despite them all be waaay cooler cars.)

What improvements? I was under the impression that most of what made it seem more refined in the Malibu had to do with sound shielding and motor mounts...

...because we have a full understanding of the workings of Venus.

Not everyone wants to go up in size. I disagree about the pricing, I think it's fine where it is, especially with the kinds of reviews it keeps getting, which make me think it deserves the "premium compact" title. Especially considering the limited numbers being brought over, they'll sell every one of them. Limited supply + premium price = optimum profits. When the next gen comes and they offer a sedan, it might be nice to see it start in the 15's instead of the 16s, but for now I think GM is playing their cards right on this one. The only complaint I've heard (aside from those that don't like hatches) is that it's underpowered. And surprisingly, a number of reviewers have thrown that out and said it's powered pretty well, even if it's not setting any speed records.

Yesterday, I was telling someone about some of the known details of the next gen Astra and a couple other things, when he asked me if I had some sort of inside ties to GM. All I really do is read on here. Congrats on having so much up do date info that it makes people think I've got special sources. lol

lol great vid.

Sounds like you've fallen in love with the miata, and have decided it meets your needs. As long as you aren't like a few people I've known (I have no idea if you are or not) and are shaping your car needs in your mind to fit the car you've decided you want. Most people could use a little more room than that for their only vehicle (which I'm assuming this would be) for the occasional errand that takes up more than the space of a small duffel bag. So, if it truely meets your needs, the miata could be fun, and I've never heard any horror stories about its reliability. Just be sure - there are some other great small coupes and convertibles that would also be high on the fun factor & a little higher on the utility factor.

Letting people in... depends on my mood, sometimes I'm super nice, sometimes it depends on if they are acting like they're going to be a dork about it or actually user their signal & act like I actually did them a small favor. Helping people alongside the road... well, that's been on my mind from time to time. I used to stop & help whoever I might see alongside the road, and it was a really rewarding experience. One time a guy was alongside the interstate with his old clunker (I think it was an 80s honda, dunno, it's been a while). Wanting to see if I could help him fix the car real quick, I had him turn it over so I could hear what it was doing. After it turned over a few times, oil gushed all over the ground, and I hollered at him to stop trying to start it, it wasn't going anywhere like that. I offered him a ride to where he was going, which turned out to be a 45 minute drive. I was in a really good mood & didn't need to be anywhere in particular, so off we went. Turned out he was the son of a retired foreign diplomat, and I got to hear a little bit of some of the positive things that the US has done overseas in his country (want to say it was a northern middle east country, but I don't remember). On the other hand, safety bugs me. More recently I've stopped stopping for people alongside the interstate, because I know that most likely a police officer will be along withing probably 20 minutes, tops, and can assist the person more safely. Knowing the person should be getting the help they need in a reasonable time frame, I kinda feel I shouldn't put myself at risk of robbery or whatnot (though that's almost unheard of in Idaho from what I've heard, still...) What kind of car they bought doesn't even cross my mind (though the condition might, but only if it makes me suspect danger.) Honestly, I don't think the kind of car the typical person buys reflects much about their character, which is the more important thing. Most people are fed so much bull that they don't know what to think, and end up just buying whatever car looks pretty or their friend said is reliable. In which case... maybe it's best to do as others above have said and pick them up & educate them on the most pretty and reliable American cars. lol

you haven't actually defined what you need the vehicle to do. Just A to B with you and a few small items? Occasionally one passenger? More? Want to be able to haul stuff from the home depot for projects? Drive across country, or just across town? You mentioned snow... how much, and how well does it get cleared?

*scratches head* I was under the impression that the Caliber was the direct Neon replacement.

wait... you mean they're responding after only one incident? That doesn't sound like the Toyota we know! (wonder how many "unofficial" incidents there are...)

I agree, looks like a chinese ripoff of a BMW in the rear, likewise with lexus & the front

oh no, not gaining speed going down a hill! how terrible! Point out to your friend that it's good for gas mileage to gain all the momentum you can from hills. You can always downshift to regulate your speed.

I've even seen articles that state the EV1 was built in Spring Hill. Double Dur.

http://cbs4.com/local/Jorge.Pinon.energy.2.596732.html First paragraph of the article: Dur. The EV1 was NOT A SATURN, and WAS NOT BUILT BY SATURN. Its only connection to Saturn was that it was leased through their dealers. No Saturn badges, or anything. Why does it seem like no one ever gets this right? It was an awesome car in many ways, but it irks me when people cant get basic facts right. [/pet peeve]

more impressive than I expected, looks like Honda will be a contender for many years to come. Hard to tell who's closer to a truely sellable product, GM or Honda. Infrastructure will be a huge issue still, but each step along the way seems to get a little bigger. Home stations help - it'll be interesting to see if they stick around permanently (assuming fuel cell cars catch on), or if they'll just help until infrastructure catches on.

I figured it'd be the tent thing. Aztek's looked a lot more useful, though. Of course, it was a bigger vehicle.