regfootball

honestly, chrysler is lucky they got a deal brokered. i think congress and the amdinistration would have been happy to let chrysler be lost to attrition and let all attention be directed to keeping GM from being dismantled. chry fans should be lucky fiat stepped up.

i knew at some point lots of folks would call foul on obama motors inc. one story i read in business week magazine talked about how the obama task force has no one qualified with proper experience to be calling the shots they do. investors instead of giving up the farm would be better off ponying up money to pay back the govt all the money it has borrowed gm etc. and letting them reorg under normal process. the govt way is going to ruin it more than the normal bankruptcy. bankruptcy but not get rid of the union? the reason this mess happened was poor economy. the govt needs to fix the economy. not ruin the future for gm. thankfully, this task force nightmare at least delayed closings enough so it wasnt catastrophic.

simply put its a QC issue and regardless of the origin and supplier, the product says honda and honda needs to own up to it. i thought i read something recently about honda fit issues like no protection for the radiators or ac compressors or something and lots of owners having issues with rocks wrecking their fits. something a little extra protection in the front end would take care of. remember the last gen fits with corroded cables or gas tanks or whatever in the floor pan? honda likes to think it optimizes the engineering but that is merely another word for shortcuts i think. these people can feel bad for buying a product that doesn't work but in a way its fair justice for buying such an average and ugly car in the first place.

no, this is the box

my 500 was a 6 speed.

no this is the box

dang. beat me to the punchline

moons and tunes value package i think is what they call it. why its not called the EXCITEMENT!!!!!! package, i don't know.

a year after i wrote this i remain unimpressed. still, this whole class of car is bland. i still haven't finished writing my 010 fusion manual review. i thought the fusion was a nicer car, for me, although the differences are close to negligible. this accord is overrated though. it does score points on cabin space.

they have to. the gun is held to their head.

the cruze has genuine korean DNA. the astra has noticeable German DNA. sitting in the two, you won't confuse them. What bugs the tar out of me, is if we have to put up with tiny 1.4 litre motors and 120 hp. i fully expect this car be available with at least a 200hp min. optional motor. If not, fk GM this car won't sell with a Buick badge unless you get anything besides a buzzer out from under the hood.

people are losing love for toyota and are using hyundai as a surrogate.

cobalt SS and HHR SS are 2 of my favorite rides and one of them might be my next car. but honestly. a- the aveo is GMDAT. it won't get the love. b-GM won't be selling fun cars anymore. what GM should have done is give the Cobalt SS (and corvette) real competitive interiors and then people wouldn't find a reason to discard the whole car just because the inside isn't metrosexual.

it was down specced in features and quality though, compared to its euro brothers, to meet cost targets

the megane 5 door and wagon and this astra really make the case for great looking hatchbacks. the mazda3 looks positively cladded pontiac in comparison.

"visions of satty flogging a g3 around the 'bring on a test drive trying to compare the g3 to the mini"

yes, but it is GM.

one version of the fiesta may go that cheap. my guess is loaded fiestas will nip 20k though. focii are at 21-22 with all the trimmings. g3's even max out quite high.

truthfully my guess is the fiesta will be too pricey. a new heavily rebated g6 may be cheaper.

LMAO, your post inspired me to change a few things,.......

DOA. uninspiring inside and out. as long as it sells cheap though......... too bad the fiesta will make this look like carp.

i tend to trust road and track first when it comes to performance vehicle reviews, and then C/D. Although I do tend to think C/D is a little off. C/D tends to praise the Accord and 3 series a lot and when i test drove them i was like 'this is not that great'. i am not sure if i have seen R/T review on the camaro v6 yet. I know both of those magazines praised the cobalt SS which is why i am curious to drive one of those. i actually am curious to drive the genesis coupe but honestly i would never buy one. for me to buy a two door would require a styling statement and in that regard that is about 15 2 doors i would purchase before a genesis. and secondly i do not trust that the genesis is engineered to the same level of durability as say, a camaro. if i buy a car like this i surely don't want a wet noodle. and i really thought the genesis interior was forgettable and not at all anything you can't get in about 100 other cars from a styling standpoint. in fact, i'd really much prefer a GTI than a genesis coupe, if i buy a 2 door non US brand job. you can praise hyundai for their ability finally be in the room with the players but now they need to work on styling....i.e. their own identity. cripes even nissan has their own look.

making this car into a regal, with such a recognized name, would go a long way towards redefining the stereotype of buick VERY QUICKLY and thoroughly. Call it Invicta, and people will be saying, WTF is an invicta and they would have no clue who makes it. Say, 'i got a new Regal', and i bet even 1/3 of the clueless suburban housemoms even still remember Buick Regal. make it a coupe and sedan. maybe even consider the wagon. even if it only moved 50k units, its still a great defining product for buick. it almost makes you wonder if the new LaCrosse shouldnt go back to the LeSabre name. Then, bring back the chinese park avenue. if buick has to sell the astra, make it the buick skylark (sedan) and buick skyhawk (hatch). Only things left are riviera and century! somebody would pine for a roadmaster i bet.

i like the new astra enough that is if it were a buick now, i guess i would come to terms with it.....as long as they bring 200+hp and a 6 speed manual. i would also be fine with skylark or skyhawk. both those names i like from the past.

i liked the fiero. i knew a guy who had a white fiero GT, can't recall what year. prob the last year. sweet car. i liked the non GT ones as well.