Intrepidation

Summer is upon us once again and many of us can bid school "f@#k off" for a few months. This summer I'd like to do things... For the Intrepid: New wheels and tires, of the 18" variety Brake upgrade (at least to what the top models had) Get the small rust spot repaired Get the small dents out Possibly get a brushed-aluminum dash kit for the center console and trim Possibly get aluminum pedals Mod the engine some (although I'm not sure what to mod) Replace the light bulbs behind the gauges If the timing chain hasn't been replaced as per its scheduled replacement, have it replaced (have to call the previous dealer which it was serviced). Have the belts inspected For the Prizm Replace the rear bumper with a matching bumper (it's cracked and not properly fastened on the passenger side...it squeaks over every bump) Upgrade the stereo Get the dent out of the passenger fender Possibly find some cheap wheels for it Accent the interior (with a nicer shift nob and maybe aluminum pedals) Finish installing the new door panels Replace the driver's door handle (exterior). Get a new trunk bed liner Misc. Get a digital camera Get a PS3 Save money for apartment down the road Get anew power supply Possibly visit her family sometime in the summer for a couple weeks --Much of this is subject to change/approve by Jessica, and how much money we make and so on. So how about you guys? Any plans?

That was...not the brightest comment ever posted.

You know what the grill looks like? aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawww yeaaaaaaah Way to benchmark Chrysler's ugliest car Subaru...I guess the airplane nose wasn't ugly enough for you.

I always knew they were gonna go that to the headlights. So are the materials at least on par with the previous Grand Cherokee now?

Nothing..?

What's even more funny is how slow the car "accelerated"

Look at those misaligned exhausts...a classic GM styling hallmark of the 90's!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/18-BLACK-5-...1QQcmdZViewItem Even though I still like the V10s...I decided that I'd also like a digital camera this summer, among other things...so I went looking through what ebay had to offer...and well...they had a lot...but not much of what I wanted. Plus, it's tough to find styles I like that match the offset of the Intrepid. There's a lot of nice 5-spoke designs...the funny thing is many are stock designs off of Lexus vehicles as well as some Pontiacs. So I've come across these a few times and they match the specs of stock intrepid wheels nicely, the price is pretty good....and they looks pretty good I think...but I'm still not sure how they'd look on my car...so what do you guys think?

I thik the 2.4L is a good engine as far as the power it makes for its size...and Nissan does have the most experience with CVTs...that doesn't make them good...just ask Fly

Yeah, CVTs are pretty bad...Dodge should offer the 4-speed as an option for Calibers and a 6-speed for the R/T...can you image how much quicker it would be? I really like the Avenger, I wanted to look at it again but the last time I was at the dealership it was gone...somebody bought it. It turned a lot of heads when I drove it...how many midsize sedans do that?

I hate it no matter what stupid part of society does it...they're all tasteless idiots.

I've heard about the CG CRD...I haven't seen one yet...I think what made teh Liberty CRD so popular was it's cheaper price VS what the CG must cost....so you get a diesel of a great price. Do they factory CRD sales separately or just mash the numbers together with normal sales?

I know! I see at least 1 a day sometimes more, in all sorts of colors, although the most common is red, blue, and white..also some dark blue, a few silverr and a black one...none of them rentals and many of them weren't base models. The only new Chrysler product I see more often is the Caliber. I'd like to know what the sales number of the Sebring is lately.

Dude, that's an awesome sales pitch ...but it makes the rusty Shadow sound like a Rolls Royce in comparsion $250 bucks is a nice deal though...and I always wanted a truck...but that blinker fluid issue sounds serious...how is the headlight fluid holding up? Love that joke at the Ridgeline's expense.

What does the offset mean? Does it have to be + 40mm?

Wow she's a beauty...but there's a lot of other cars for a hundred grand (or less) that I'd rather own.

Haven't seen it yet but it sounds like it's not as good as the original.

So i was browsing ebay and came across some nice Charger R/T wheels for reasonable prices (and a lot less than the V10's)...but will they fit? I don't know much about wheels sizes, widths, if RWD VS FWD configuration matters and whatnot..all of our cars have stock wheels and/or hubcaps...any help? Also..this may sound stupid and pardon my ignorance but does the bolt pattern need to match perfectly? (5 x 115mm (Charger) verses 5 x 4 1/2" (Intrepid), etc.)?

Someone needs to be shot.

V8 + FWD + odd proportions (especially the tire width on the GXP) = not my cup of tea...but congrats! Hope you have a blast with it!

I'm sorry but how can you not notice something or not pay attention to an aspect of the car you feel is important? You're putting down 20+ grand on a car you should pay attention to every aspect of it so you know you bought the right car...it just sounds like excuses to me..especially " ... the old memory is fading now"..are you like 90? As far as tomb-like silence...why? It's nice to hear an engine if it sounds good...it also lets you know the car is alive and you're driving more than an appliance. Of course there's a difference between refined and raspy.

The Astra's diesel is cleaner though right? The Liberty diesel sold quite well until the canned it..wasn't their waiting lists for it?

A Charger?

A little respect, please The 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible doesn't have to be a true luxury car to hit the mark in its segment, but it sure wouldn't hurt. Up to now, you've most likely encountered the Chrysler Sebring convertible on a rental car lot. Middle-management executives across the country invariably anticipate a summertime business trip with the refrain, "We can take the Sebring!" Unfortunately it's not necessarily a gesture of respect, especially when it comes out of the mouths of people like the self-absorbed boss featured in The Office. It's no wonder the all-new 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible is clearly reaching several steps above the outgoing model in terms of features and design. It has to succeed, or face a troubled future as a punch line in a mean-spirited joke. Realizing its full potential Punch line or not, the Chrysler Sebring has had a lot of takers. It's been the best-selling convertible in the U.S. for seven of the past 11 years, so maybe the joke's on us. Some might dismiss its success as a product of fleet sales to rental car companies, but can you imagine flying into Honolulu or Miami without the option of a Sebring rental? So let's admit that this is an important car for all of us, even if we encounter it only on vacation. The 2008 Sebring Convertible comes a lot closer to the luxury car it's always wanted to be. It comes not only with a folding cloth top but also with an optional full-on folding hardtop. When it comes to interior luxury, there's a hard-drive-based navigation system with music storage. And the Sebring Limited convertible features a 3.5-liter V6. Of course, the Sebring convertible has some competition these days. The Ford Mustang, Pontiac G6 and Volkswagen Eos are all bidding for serious consideration as four-passenger convertibles, and at an affordable price besides. The Toyota Solara convertible comes closest to the Sebring in spirit as well as dimensions. Make your choices from the menu As it has in the past, the Sebring carves out its own niche in this segment with a wide range of choices, beginning with a soft convertible top or a folding hardtop. In fact the Sebring gives you the choice of no fewer than three different convertible tops and three different engines. The $26,145 base model comes with a 173-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a soft vinyl top. Once you step up to the $28,745 Touring model, there's a 189-hp, 2.7-liter V6 (with flex-fuel capacity). The vinyl top is standard for the Touring, but the cloth top is a no-cost option, while about $2,000 gets you a nicer top made of real cloth, while a lot more money gets you into the retractable hardtop. Once you step into the $32,345 Sebring Limited convertible, the 235-hp, 3.5-liter V6 is standard. The cloth top is the standard item, and the $2,000 hardtop is optional. Hard or soft top, a power hard-cover tonneau is standard, so retracting or deploying the top is just a matter of pushing a button. And when you choose the Touring or Limited, the key fob will trigger the whole process for you. Though the installation of the optional windscreen is a little clunky, the cabin is absolutely serene once the screen is in place. We drove around Los Angeles on a damp, chilled afternoon in spring, and the Sebring interior was comfortable and pleasant. Even our female driving companion had no complaints about the temperature, and there wasn't enough wind turbulence to invite any concerns about tangled hair either. Basically, the Sebring convertible with the top down is a win-win for everybody. Still a few steps away from top-down heaven Compared to the Toyota Solara convertible, we think the 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible has a better drivetrain, better driving dynamics and more interior features. Plus, the Sebring convertible's retractable hardtop makes this car as quiet and weatherproof as a coupe, and as fresh and fun as a convertible. The Pontiac G6 has a hardtop's versatility, but it's neither as elegant nor as refined. The Volkswagen Eos drives well, but it's short on interior room, and expensive besides. Still, the Sebring convertible isn't without its drawbacks. For example, the hardtop that quickly and easily converts the car from cozy coupe to spring fling makes its presence known when it's stowed in the trunk. The new Sebring convertible's luggage space is limited, whether the top is up or down. In addition, you can feel the presence of all that steel in the trunk when the top is retracted, as the tail of the car bounds up and down when the pavement rolls, and the back of the car also wants to follow its own path when the corners are fast. We'll also tell you that we could feel the 330 pounds that the 2008 Sebring Convertible has gained, a matter of an additional 3 inches in length as well as structural reinforcements, plus the hardtop itself. Not that the Sebring convertible aspires to be much of a sporty car. Smooth and stable is what this car is about. This car shines on the highway, not on the back roads. There's very little cowl shake, which makes the Sebring seem even better. All this structural reinforcement has even managed to cleanse this car of the dorky, upright, based-on-an-SUV feel of its sedan counterpart. The 2.7-liter V6 does an adequate job when paired with the five-speed automatic transmission in the Touring model, but the 3.5-liter V6 and six-speed automatic that come with the Limited really wake up this car. In comparison, the 3.6-liter V6 delivers a far more composed experience, plus a little bit of an exhaust note that gives the car some worthwhile personality. Style, comfort and even technology The real bright spot in this car's personality lies in the audio and navigation system. It's possible to rip music from a CD or USB device and store it directly in the 20-gigabyte hard drive (although only about 8 gigs are available for music), while the navigation system's updated graphics are nearly as crisp, clear and colorful as those found in the new Toyota Camry. The hard drive also includes Gracenote organizational software, as well as a DVD player that lets you listen to DVD-A discs or watch a DVD-Video disc while the car is in park. The options sheet also includes Boston Acoustics speakers. Features like this make the Sebring convertible different from other convertibles. And when you consider that the car itself is decent if not outstanding, well, maybe we should rethink what the Chrysler Sebring is really all about. Is it a wannabe luxury convertible that falls short? Or is it an affordable hardtop convertible that delivers great value in a fairly competitive segment? It might be a little of both. Those looking for a four-passenger topless sports car will be disappointed. Those looking for a comfortable all-weather convertible with a premium flavor will be pleased with the Sebring's look and interior features. Once you ante up for the Limited with a hardtop and MyGIG navigation/entertainment system, the Sebring suddenly seems as if it's almost a luxury coupe. The 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible isn't a real luxury convertible. Then again, it doesn't have to be. As long as all of us are happy to pick up the keys at the rental car counter for our summer business trip, then probably that's all we can ask.