regfootball

ONE THING THOUGH it would look out of place to be driving the Cobalt, and wearing the gold chain. That's a look you can only really pull off adequately with a genuine camaro (or trans am).

GTI has a couple demerits. I like the GTI (was admiring one over noon) but...... pricey compared to a basic Jetta, especially since the wolfsburg is several grand cheaper and way cheaper to lease....GTI or GLI lease is out of my budget. GTI is at a significant disadvantage to larger more functional vehicles for the same price. For example, a 28 grand GTI is hard to justify as a second family car when i could get a seriously nice Edge new or lightly used for that price. The GM product has advantages over the pricey GTI because of price and the fact that i can tap 2k in GM card dollars. Astra is far cheaper with new leasing deals and pricing adjustments, as is the Vibe GT is cheaper too. HHR SS has sim performance, but holds a huge functional advantage and saves $$$ to boot as well. Mazdaspeed is cheaper than a GTI by a little bit. Not sure I like mazda's anyways. Rather feminine. The sterile German car thing gets to me also. VW's are tidy, but rather unimaginative on the inside.

ok here x2 but remember, you always can count on the people's republic of california to eff a common sense plan like that up.

election is coming up, duh. the people profiting from high gas prices found big resistance and pressure from forces when it went north of 3.50. they were reminded not to bite the hand of the american public that feeds. they were reminded that all sorts of legislation would be put in place to end their gravy train if they didnt do it themselves. who's gonna buy a car to use the gas they sell when the price is too high. so gas will drop....and cheney and bush and their buddies will still have plenty of time to make out like bandits before they go.

cool thread.! GM and Ford should really let their US customers know how well they do in Europe.

well, i've driven a buttload of stuff now. a few left to drive. a few i want to drive again, but basically i like my car i have (500) and would be plenty happy with a new taurus or sable. that said, an edge or flex or taurus x would be fine too. the edge maybe is a leader due to its style factor. The Taurus X impressed me a lot for its athleticism and car like manners for a 3 row crossover. I don't even really mind the focus that much (I've had two separate 08 focus this year each for a week as loaners) and its a pretty good little commuter car. that said i have some GM car dollars also that are burning a hole in my pocket. more on that shortly. VW was high on my list but between arrogant VW salespeople and the fact that the Jetta (and Rabbit) sedan is really the only affordable product.....sportwagens with options start to even get high.......that, and i am just not VW material. not urban enough, or thin enough, or metrosexual enough. whatever the case, i just don't think its me. I probably should just try a mazdaspeed 3 just to make sure I am not missing out on something dandy. If the right Magnum or 300 came along used with 3.5 and AWD for cheap i may be snagged. I've driven an Accord and Odyssey and to be honest the chassis feels a bit light and the handling in the accord was good. the odyssey is overrated. it holds a corner good but the cabin is too loud and the chassis feels weak and not isolated enough for this type of vehicle. The accord creeps me out anyways. I do give it credit for lots of room. I can get a super deal on a used Endeavor and they hit the bogey with me on many areas, space, handling and ride, comfort, cargo, function....all that. big warranty left even on a used one. But premium gas and lesser than desired mpg make me pause on them. The seats in the bendover are some of the most comfy out in SUV land and the handling is pretty excellent, especially for an SUV. The fact that no one wants one might make a good deal for me. i've even scoured the net for used Freestar/Monterey vans. Bad mpg is their stigma, and they are not refined like newer vehicles, but they offer a ton of space and all that for cheap. And my wife would have a great time loading up the back on Lowes and Home Depot trips. I've considered Caravans and Quests but i just could not get a caravan I dont think and Quest now is just weird to me even though i almost got one 3 years ago and then swtiched and got the 500. so, the problem with Fords has been that I am leasing and i got a great deal on my 500, this time around i do not think i can get equivalent value. I may be forced to downgrade and go some other make.....GM. LOL. My sales dude suggested a Fusion to me, but to be honest, every time i have driven either the FUsion or the Mazda6 I am underwhelmed. I just don't get much out of it. Its really just a mediocre creepy car.....maybe the 010 Fusion is improved. The 09 Escape i drove with the revised v6 and 6 speed was pretty good.....so the fusion will benefit from that. So coming back to GM, the products that have wowed me......initially i liked the astra and still do. but the high engine rpm and lack of power in general is a complete dealbreaker. I could live with no sync and no armrest and no cupholder and all those flaws but the engine is not sufficient. but the best part of being interested in an astra was really being able to drive the Aura. I have come to really like the Aura 4 cylinder. Great engine, the rest of the car feels great. I would like more tire, and more grunt off the line. Maybe an 09 Aura XR 4 cylinder with alum wheels and wider tires and 6 speed auto will fix all that (can't wait to drive the 6 speed and paddle shifters!). I will not consider an Aura XR because i dont think the price or mpg or any of that is a real advantage over my just reupping on a taurus. To me the appeal of the Aura is an economical but fun 4 cylinder powertrain option. It really made me appreciate the rest of the package. JUst the right amount of sport and space and all that. If i can swing a great lease deal, i may do it and use my GM card dollars. In comparison, the Malibu sits well also, but is overstyled to me. I like the more athletic look the aura has. I prob need to drive the g8's again, but i think the RWD in my climate keeps them out anyways. The v8 was impressive. i thought the v6 lacked powertrain refinement. Enough that the car just didn't feel all of a piece. It needs a 6 speed auto and some suspension or noise control. The rest of the g8 I love. The g8 styling is TO DIE FOR. Perhaps too pricey for me anyways. I've wanted to try a Vibe GT but haven't yet. I need to do that. The price and packaging is appealing. Wish it had an ecotec instead of a toyota mill. The Saturn Outlook is still desirable to me, but now feels too large. It's just too big for me to drive everyday but I do love its capacity. It really would be an awesome tripmobile. Its fairly athletic in town, too.....but its taller than i think i would want. the cockpit is soooo comfy on this vehicle. Yet the FLex feels as comfy and doesnt ride as goshdarn high as the outlook. So i would get a Flex over an outlook anyways. The car that has made the most favorable impression on me aside from the Taurus X is the Saab 9-3. A base 9-3 without the 17 inch wheels netted a great ride and handling combo to me, this i could tell after driving an Aero v6. The firmer ride of the Aero i think i would enjoy in time after having the base car to break in for awhile. The 4 cyl turbo has no lag and the clutch and shifter were sweet. I've always loved the dash layout. And the looks of the 9-3 improve each year, its a sweet looking car now. The pretty big deal breaker on the Saabs is price of entry and the blg flaw, SMALL BACK SEAT. unforgivable size really. But liked the Saab much better the creepy VW's I drove. Jetta is fine, its the Passat that weirded me out and i think the 9-3 is a better car than the Passat. I should probably drive a Malibu and a CObalt. I should try a Lucerne too because its a sweet looking car, but it would be too pricey for me i think. I gave up any notion of a Grand Prix after piloting my FIL's yesterday for a length of time (right after my Aura test drive). The Aura 4 cyl is a much nicer car than the Grand Prix with the 3800. The W body can go away AFAIAC. The real darkhorse here for me is the HHR aside from the Aura. I really enjoyed my HHR SS test drive and I love the 4 comfortable adult seating positions. there are few very vehicles that accomodate 4 adults so comfortably. I love the cargo area and i love the dash. It really is a cool vehicle. I think i could even like a more basic one with a stick of course. Fold flat seat! Rebates are huge on the HHR right now and it might even make the turbo affordable. The turbo is sweet and relaxed. I think that the HHR SS is a great road vehicle and in town is very agreeable and docile as well. And I am sure my kid would absolutely think the little truck is a HOOT. For GM, do i wait for 09's ? (USB and bluetooth) or take advantage of 08 deals? One reason i really want the Ford is sync, pretty damn badly actually. Anyways, for GM, the Aura and HHR really do it for me as far as affordable rides. Aside from whatever used bargain presents itself, talking new, the question is, spend more for the more expensive fords or go for the smaller leaner GM cars? Both the Aura and HHR really impress me a LOT. I'm a ford guy tho, every ford with the 3.5 impresses me a lot too. I've gotten used to higher riding cars, so the Aura is a low rider to me, yet it feels comfy and sporty.

small cars have gotten so much more livable and drivable. I think people still buy as big as they can in many cases, but college kids for example can't afford grand prixs anymore. they can only afford small cars. and second family cars more and more are becoming small cars. it means that GM should not think of small cars as penalty boxes.

vette! duh! that's always near the top. chinese PA is hot too. H3 is a nice ride! Equinox would even be a cool as $h! vehicle if they gutted the cheap interior and put a decent 4 cyl. motor under the hood.

G8 probably. GXP. Saab 9-3 i like, as the HHR, malibu and Aura, CTS, Astra, Cobalt SS, Lambdas, really like lots of GM stuff. and damn, i am shopping right now and I still like the Fords better but two cars are still in the very highly probable on my list.... the HHR SS turbo and Saurn Aura 4 cyl. Once i get a chance to try the 4 cylinder with the 6 speed and paddle shifters, I will know if its something I can drive everyday and be happy with. The 4 speed is damn good with the four cylinder and ecotec revvs so nicely at 80+ mph. I spent half a day drving my FIL's grand prix with the 3800 yesterday and this was right after drving the Aura again. I would much rather have the 4 cylinder Epsilon Aura then the W body Grand Prix with the v6. The Aura shocked me, it would be a tremendous commuter car, and would be excellent on road trips too. That's why I want to try the 6 speed. The HHR is so practical, 4 comfortable adult places to sit, and lots of cargo room in a unique package. Best part of the HHR, nice dash and gauge cluster, with 4 simple round vents with closable directional covers. Perfect.

motor trend suks, maybe they will be wrong.

right. GM get off your ass and get this car here now. make the ecotec turbo an option please. that really is an awesome interior, kudos!

i dont think the base passats are too spendy, but put an automatic and a few options on it, and yeah its too pricey.

drove an xr coupe again today. yup, the engine is the dealbreaker. can't take the drone on the highway. too bad, the rest of the car is pretty sweet. especially when you drive the aura 4 cyl right after. i think its really making an impact on the aura sales.

forester might be killing the CRV which would be justice served IMHO. forester hits a big target with women and all that.

their large cars TANKED

someone got a BORREGO?

weird.

OMG the passat got killed. Jetta does well because the SE is priced right and recently they have had the wolfsburgs, good package great price.

can i get a job as a 'plastics graining consultant'? seriously! is there such a thing! the architect bit i've had enough of! kudos to chrysler for acting fast to try to correct the issues with these cars.

i really like the Astra and Auras upswing. I see lots of Auras now that they offer the 4 popper. Aura is a great buy for the everyday commuter. this could be a turning point for saturn getting their mojo back. Impala is a nice car but looks like it is getting cannibalized by Malibu. Chevy needs to get creative and really package the Malibu in ways that will motivate people. Special packages and such with lots of features for a good price. g8 sales are not good. But look people, all those little FWD crackerboxes are keeping pontiac alive. g5 sold 2600 units! And you wonder why they have that stuff in the lineup. dealers need something that will keep the doors open! H3....OMG

mother of GOD THEY are effed. vans are holding up ok though.

tundra sucks and so do its sales

grand marquis rocked the charts! escape was.....down? edge and mustang held surprisingly well. economy = people only want or can afford to buy small and cheap right now. 2200 flex....not bad.

already a used 09 honda TSX at a local dealer here. 200 miles on it. must have sucked. or the owner read the bad reviews and couldn't live with herself. if honda didnt make TLs and TSXs and RL etc they could easily move 2.2 BILLION accords each year. THERE IS NO DOUBT.

cupholders sunroof mp3 player connection / control, none radio wasnt made idiot proof for AMURCHANS 6 speed trannies paddle shifters high MSRP no bluetooth only 140 hp / no turbo option 4000 rpm at freeway speeds no sport seats or 18" wheels for the 5 door no sedan 18" tires are not all season only black interior tell ya what though, i am waiting to see what this months incentives are, at the right price i could totally be ok with one for awhile.