Intrepidation

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16824254005 19" windscreen monitor for $120. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16824009126 $10 gets you a 20" from Acer. I have both brands and they are very good. What size monitor do you have now?

Larger monitor is a good idea, you can also increase the text size.

haha! Ok fine, it has a hump back and a saggy ass.

It looks fine until you get past the B-pillar, then it all goes to hell. The interior is nice though.

Ponce de Leon spent his career searching the Florida wilderness for the mythical fountain of youth, hoping to recapture his glory days. Car buyers often follow his example, buying the same kind of car they had in their youth, either as a restoration project or in the form of a new nostalgia model from the same manufacturer. The question now for the domestic car industry is whether such cars can also serve to recapture their glory days, when the car makers commanded huge market share with hot models that future owners sketched in study hall, or plastered on the inside of their lockers. Ford has remained in this sporty coupe segment since its introduction of the Mustang at the 1964 New York Auto Show. Chrysler jumped back in last year with a recreation of the Challenger that it originally built to compete with the Mustang. And now, after a seven-year hiatus, Chevrolet is returning with the Camaro. These “heritage” models have a spotty record, with some hits like the New Beetle, Mini Cooper and Mustang, and some misses like the Chevrolet SS-R, Ford Thunderbird and Plymouth Prowler. The quality of the car under the vintage veneer seems to strongly influence the outcome, as the SS-R, T-Bird and Prowler were terrible cars to drive and live with, while the more successful models have been good cars as well as faithful recreations. Considering this background, Chevrolet’s Camaro is poised for success because it’s both a stunning recollection of the ’69 Camaro and because it’s a fantastic car for driving enthusiasts. GM cut no corners in producing the Camaro, making it the most successful of the neo-classic pony cars so far. For the Camaro, GM made no compromises. The car enjoys the benefit of top-flight suspension, brake and steering hardware that is derived from the Holden Monaro, a traditional rear-drive car built by GM’s Australian subsidiary. But unlike the Challenger, the Camaro’s engineers were able to push and pull on the chassis dimensions as needed to retain the concept car’s classic lines. The only departure from the original is the use of a b-pillar (the roof support between the front and rear seats) on the new car. The original Camaro was a hardtop design, with the roof arching gracefully from the windshield to the back-swept c-pillar at the rear. Modern crash safety and body stiffness requirements make pillar-less true coupes too expensive for high-volume, moderately priced models like the Camaro. Hit cars have supported the domestic manufacturers through tough times in the past, and the Camaro could be a new profit engine for GM. The company took 14,000 confirmed orders from consumers before production even commenced, and had 800,000 inquiries from potential customers through the company’s Web site. “The Camaro is evidence that GM does indeed produce cars that Americans want to buy,” crowed Troy Clarke, president of GM, North America. Of course the new car faces the dreaded “headwinds” which are blamed for every missed profit target in American business, but what better to counteract a slumping market than a hot product? Apple doesn’t see iPod sales tanking because of the economy, because consumers want the product. The Camaro is a more costly product, obviously, but if some people feel they have to have it, then GM stands to starting inking some black numbers on its balance sheet sooner than it would have otherwise. “The buzz that I’ve seen for this car is the most I’ve seen in my career,” observed Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. To succeed, the Camaro needs to appeal to not only the die-hard classic car enthusiasts and today’s performance car afficianados, Peper said. It needs to attract people he terms “life enthusiasts” rather than just driving enthusiasts. That means poaching sales from the Honda Civic Si, the Scion tC, Nissan 370Z and probably intercepting some fashion-conscious buyers who might have previously bought New Beetles or Mini Coopers. Backing the flash that will appeal to status-seekers is bona fide dash that means the car has genuine street credibility for its performance. The entry-level 3.6-liter six-cylinder model, the kind derisively referred to as a “secretary’s car” in the old days, now has 304 horsepower churning through a six-speed transmission. It accelerates the car to 60 MPH in 6.1 seconds, which is faster than the original V-8 model’s performance. This is GM’s best V-6, seen previously in the Cadillac CTS, and it includes the latest technology such as direct fuel injection. The financial news network talking head who attended the Camaro’s press introduction dismissively asked the Chevy guys why they would introduce a car like this now, the implication being that stupid American manufacturers only know how to make gas guzzlers. Except that the Camaro scored 29 MPG highway on the EPA’s official test. That’s better than the manual-shift Scion tC’s 27 MPG, for those who insist on tallying the GM vs. Toyota score. Over time, most Camaros will be six-cylinders, and in the future there may even be four-cylinder versions. But in the immediate future, gearheads are going to buy a bunch of Camaros outfitted with the company’s signature Chevy smallblock V-8s. And they will enjoy them. As with the base engine, the V-8 can also be matched to either automatic or manual-shift six-speed transmissions, but the 6.2-liter V-8 puts out either 426 or 400 horsepower (depending on the transmission) and a sound that is symphonic perfection to drivers whose hearts beat to the music of internal combustion. Both engines, with 24 MPG highway for the manual transmission and 25 MPG for the automatic, score better fuel economy than the 22 MPG of the pocket rocket Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. MSNBC

Well I mean, we could take it a step further and say the CC is like whatever the hell Mercedes calls it's "4-door coupe" I would kind of give you the front, but not the back, and even then I wouldn't say it looks like it that much The detailing is all completely different, as are the shapes of the grille, intakes, headlights, etc. I like both, of course I like the CC because it reminds me of an Intrepid from the side profile.

Nah, if anything it reminds me of an X6's butt. only better looking.

How about a Cobalt? It's the same damn thing as a G5 anyway. +1 on the Astra.

That's pretty clever!

Some people also have a holier than thou attitude.

black Pontiac G8 GT

Volume may be volume but the consequences of fleet sales is lower resale value and profit margins, as well as doing nothing to help the brand's image.

Absolutely!

Yes, I noticed that little issue with the G. It's not pixalation but a weird annoyingly with the stroke. I fixed it, I just have to update the banners. As for the text, I'm guessing you mean the slogan. I went for black with a white stroke because it works with every banner color and is easy to read. If I added the metallic gradient it would have been hard to read. I thought about using blue to match GM's logo color, but it didn't go well with say, the red Holden banner. I did not get an emo vibe.

But it's still an issue of square peg in round-sh hole. Although that is much better than most units. Thanks for the link Z! I posted this on allpar, they tell me the 4-disc units are notorious for being easy to break, and that the redesigned 6-discs are a lot better. I'll just put my factory unit back in for now...plus with the changer in there I loose the storage cubby that I use to keep my phone and mp3 player in.

So if it can build the Camaro and the Impala I see no reason why it couldn't build the Caprice instead of the Impala with retooling.

This is true, and where companies like Toyota, Honda, and more recently Chrysler shine with their flexible manufacturing systems.

So I swung by the auto auction Wednesday for fun and to see what they had. Most of teh stuff wasn't of any interest, but an `03 Nissan Altima 2.5 V6 did catch my eye. I decided to spend some quality time with it and see what it was like. Overall the car was in good shape. Engine ran well, interior was clean and in good shape besides a cubby door forward of the shifter that wouldn't close. Exterior was in good shape save the yellowed headlights. Fired it up, revved it some, pooped the hood and gave it a walk around. Everything looked and sounded good. They have a pretty big area where you can test drive the cars, and get them up o 40-50 mph at full throttle before having to stop. It's also wide enough to test the handling. I pulled out of the parking spot and drove it towards the track. When I got to the entrance I came to s stop, then mashed the throttle. This sucker ca move! I also didn't notice any torque steer. Plenty of wheel spin before the tires found traction, but once they did it was off like a rocket. I made it to 56mph before running out of space, so I did an emergency stop. Brake feel is good and the car felt well controlled as it came to a stop with no fuss or drama. The ABS worked well without being bothersome. After I did a coupe more runs (for fun), I tossed it around to see how the body motions were controlled. Pretty good I would say, certainly better than most family sedans of the era and better than some now. The ride is pretty firm but not harsh. Steering has actual feedback and good weighting, as well as being pretty accurate. Brake and accelerator pedals are easy to modulate and have good feel too. It's definitely a car for people who like to drive. After I was done flogging it I poked around the interior. First thing I'll say is that it's cheap. I know it was a big complaint with the pre MCE Altima like this one. Most of the dash is hard plastic as are the door panels, and it looks and feels cheap. Being gray didn't help matters either. However there was fabric padding where it mattered. Also, while being cheap, it was no where near as cheap as the horrible interior of the Grand Prix I drove that day. The seats were comfortable and ergonomic were generally good. All of the controls were easy to reach and intuitive to use. I especially liked the auto up and down windows for both the driver and passenger. The gauges were easy to read and looked pretty cool. Stereo sounded fine...nothing amazing but not bad either. Backseat room is pretty good too, although at 6"1 my knees did touch the seatback of the driver's seat when it was moved all the way back. Trunk space is ample. As for the exterior, I have no complaints really. I've always liked the look of this generation and the dual exhausts are a nice touch. Overall I would recommend this car if you're looking for a used family hauler and place driving enjoyment and power over the nicest interior. Pros: Acceleration Handling Exterior Styling Roomy Cons: Cheap interior Back seat a little tight for taller people.

Dude, a few weeks ago I saw a Focus done up with Mustang stripes and "Fustang" on the back.

That is indeed true. If the economy doesn't pick up all 3 face oblivion and the fallout from such an event would be catastrophic.

Think of it as an investment, it means it will last longer before needed to be upgraded/replaced.

One thing that no one can deny is that if you look at Ford VS GM, Ford has managed to get a hell of a lot more done in the four years Mullally's been in than GM (or Chrysler). Ford has a plan Mullally has shown leadership and the ability to make decisive action Commitment to utilizing Ford Europe's resources and creating truly excellent, global products Taking the existing product, and working with what they've got to make them excellent (Mustang, Fusion) Setting themselves up so they don't need to be begging for government aid I could elaborate more but you get the general idea. While I certainly don't blame Rick for all of the companies problem,s you just have to look at Ford to see how much they've changed and improved since Mullally took them hell to see that much more could have been done at GM. -- Second warning though, keep it civil guys. Heated discussion is fine, but not personal attacks.

Reach out and touch faith!

Dogs have their own personal Jesus!

I almost fell out of my chair laughing! :rotflmao: