regfootball

i don't like the RSX interior myself. A cobalt coupe interior is awesome in black cloth and honestly off hand the only other small car I can think of in that price class that has a nicer interior is maybe a MAzda3. The Civic's new interior is ok but really offbeat and ricerish and doesn't do anything 4 me.

RWD = more weight to carry, more driveline friction losses especially at 90 degree transfers of power. FWD allows the transaxle to spin parralel with crank if i remember. losing wieght allows the engine to downsize some too which saves fuel.

i wonder what the life cycle cost is of being killed in a side impact crash in a cracker box hybrid or having battery guts eat your skin versus being in a decent sized car with some crash protection.

maybe the BBW's like it

considering how crappy the charger/magnum/300 interiors are, its no surprise that this is apparently sucking huge too.

every other business does it, why should GM be any different? they use contractors to avoid paying benefits and to 'try out' new hires.

a. the value pricing was a scam. if you look, the MSRP's are up across the board for most decently optioned models. b. the dealers still have no product. most losts still look vacant. c. gas prices are still casuing doubt in consumers whether they should buy a small car or get another large car. d. the economy is still in a lull e. neither GM nor Ford seem to be advertising anymore. f. Ford I know has some big time lease incentive programs going on now too g. the most important thing...new product, even with all the new GM products this year, they still are not bringing out new and improved products to replace their old clunkers fast enough. GM should be doubling the pace of their newest products.

wow. that interior is CHEAP and HORRIBLE.

G20?

well i wasn't saying GM was the leader in this regard. But their cars today are getting better. Packaging efficiency is one thing I like in a vehicle, which is why I have an Aztek and am currently looking at a Ford 500 or Freestyle.

I tested a redline Ion awhile ago and it was an absolute hoot. the interior felt junky, but it had power and handling that will make you smile wide. If the cabin were larger I would buy one. Its too tight for the kid, much less adults, in back, although the rear doors are handy in that aspect. Honestly, if you want a fun car with balls and handling...cheap, you can't go wrong on this one. Get over the dash, you'll adjust. The seats are killer, the shifter is sweet.

:)

if we only had a new Camaro, this would all fix itself.

haha, I'm glad someone else sees the highway robbery going on in that industry. Farmers are the most government incentivized propped up giveaways in this country. and true, the tastes of Americans would love to see more global type cars. Detroit has been naive to think that everyone wants an AMURCHAN flavored car.

they used to. I think now their policy is very few fleet sales. as in close to zero, read that like 2 weeks ago or something. BTW, my Diamante rental on a trip back in 98 is why I have purchsed 2 Diamante rental return cars since then. in lieu of say, a new Saturn L series at the time. I've had Endeavor and new Galant loaners recently that made a great impression on me also. That's partly why I think the Galant would be a sedan I could enjoy driving a lot in spite of its cheap interior. I was able to decide first hand if I liked it. Point being, i do think in some cases, getting good product out in the rental fleets is like good advertising, and getting someone to actually TRY your product instead of just reading a magazine or internet journalist hack article...well, I think that's a good thing. It all boils down to if the car is good. No one is going to like a Taurus from renting it, to buy it. What grates me though, Chrylser, Toyota, etc are now dumping into fleets but NOOOO we hear nothing about it from the press.

it's the walmart loving mentality of our folks that has perpretrated the cheap at all costs culture. tell walmart to stop selling chinese shit then.

scaper, we're all waiting for more pics of your babe too.........

"You don't need to see my pocketbook to see my sunshine" "You're so hot, even if I didn't get to bask in the glow of your sweet sunshine, I bet I could still get *hot* in your shade". :rolleyes: seriously stace, post your mug, we wanna see how much of a babe you are!

Bucik going to a 4/50 warranty is a HUGE step in the right direction. Saturn, GMC, and Pontiac at a minimum need to go that way too.

yes there are all those outside forces, but still, sooner or later, either the workers accept compensation cuts to keep their jobs or all the jobs go bye bye. The external factors will not be fixed anytime soon. It comes down to, do you want the job or not. Its a cute idea to stand up for a matter of principle, but the numbers laugh at principles and will make the decision. Fix what you can now that is under your control. property tax's, school tax's, real estate, rent costs are influenced by so many other things there is no possible way to recitify them to allow GM to continue to prop up an arbitrary (not market set) compensation level. As for the global economy, there is no way to stop it, it can be tempered. But reality is we cannot sustain ourselves with only our own resources and knowledge. Isolationism would be our quick and nasty downfall on so many fronts.

prices on the cars are simply too damn high. the problem is, folks won't pay big stickers for domestic cars and far too many idiots drop huge coin for the imports. that alone necessitates rebates off too high MSRP's to prop up negative equities and still be under a mythical loan value. I like what Mitsubishi has for warranty 5/60 BTB and 10/100 PTRN. Even if you hate their cars, the warranty is great. Thing is, their cars don't need the big warranties because they hold up quite well. I know Hyundai and Kia have what are seemingly good warranties on the surface, but I'm not sure if they really are any good beyond the asterisk. I still would be leery of a Korean car, even with their warranties. Yes, rebates, cheap interest, reasonable msrp's, high lease residuals, warranties, we want it all. Free maintenance items or cost efficient scheduled maintenance plans like Saturns will be huge in the future. I envision a day where if you want to lease, you will roll your lease payment, entertainment and safety subscriptions, and maintenance all into one bill like Saturn can, for worry free, hassle free, customer friendly driving. Folks want less hassle and easier to comprehend pricing structures. Simply put, the cost of cars is oputpacing most average folks' ability to earn enough to pay for them. The upper middle and upper classes seem to get over the hump enough to buy 2-3 luxury vehicles (i.e. no domestics) in their household and they are the ones being so picky and causing the classlike stratification in the market. These are the folks all the car mags write to appeal to. Not the average low to middle class folks.

i am an 80's pop/metal child mostly. If anyone wants to listen to NEW music that is a definite nostalgia trip try to find WIG WAM- Hard to be a Rock and Roller SHA-BOOM! The Race Is On you can get soundbytes and reviews at melodicrock.com I am dead serious when I say its like going back in time. Polished power pop or glam like you never left the 80's or early 90's. Highly recommended. If anyone here likes Rick Springfield, be sure to listen to the relatively new cd Shock/Anger/Denial/Acceptance. He's still excellent even though he's a fossil. I like other stuff like Diana Krall (as in "Diana, krall over to me on yo knees) and some country. I just don't get time to listen these days.

after speaking with the Ford dealer today, Ford is stepping up to the plate with AGGRESSIVE programs on the 500/freestyle and who knows, maybe I'll have one by the end of the week? the manufacturers must be scared shitless about another bad month and I'm guessing Ford is getting proactive and is gonna stimulate buisness on their slow moving non-truck models. either that, or the arrival of the Fusion means 'gotta dump the chicago trio'. I don't care. 3 rows of seats so i can shove the moth-in-law in the back.

and stace, you could humor the group and show us your sunshine.

scaper, she's insanely frickin hot, but I can only see two pics. I almost gotta see more to make sure. :)