balthazar

TC only has a 6' interior area- not good for me. They might make that work if they offered some sort of liftgate window, where you could extend 8' or longer materials out the back- because driving down the highway with the rear doors open is not a practice I would be comfortable with. Come to think of it, I don't see hauling firewood in a TC outfitted with shelving that productive/desireable, either. Truck is still the best solution.

>>"As the parent of three teenagers I can tell you, the cars kids are into are NOT domestics. ...Camaro, Mustang and Challenger are fine for us as forty something males..."<< My older son is 16, he's not a car enthusiast per say (tho he does appreciate them), but he drools over the Challenger & esp the Mustang. I think a LOT of teenagers see the asian makes by what's on the road for the most part- camcords, sentras, corollas & cheap sonatas- I don't see any of those pulling in today's teens either. There is NOTHING like a Mustang/Camaro from overseas to be seen, and as consumers-to-be, cars like a kia or VW or civic 2-dr are nothing special from the curb. Once they are actively shopping, things might be different.

Good ol' DOc Watson. Unbelievable engine lope- heavenly! The H/Os were complete beasts - so impressive. '68 would be my favorite, those Clint Eastwood 'squinting' taillights. Wonder if anyone moaned & whined at the time that 'the 442 & H/O don't fit Olds' im-maaaaaaaage, what is Olds supposed to be-eeeeeeee?'

Somebody, no doubt, could tell me what listening to stuff like is capable of doing...

inline 6 or 8 = pre-war 'technology'... ancient, out-dated, toyoyo/lexus builds a bunch of RWD cars- best in world because they sell so much, none have inline engines, bad design, old, V-type much more modern, better packaging, new technology, betterer.

"If the inline engine configuration was so great, everybody would be copying it, instead of no one, so it obviously isn't that great." "Inline configurations are ancient technology - Pontiac, Olds, Buick & Chevy used to be all inlines back, oh, 60 years ago or so."

"GTO quarters" -

I just love '64s and miss driving mine. Or maybe I should just get a Transit Connect.

Bloated whale, good price.

My bad- I thought it was available here! I swore I saw a TV ad for a 2-dr; guess not. Of the two choices, I'd certainly pick a Ford 4-dr over a toyota 2-dr, any day & everyday. Keep reminding yourself- 25 million recalled...

Maybe I should be more specific. WHEN I decide it's time to replace the DuraMax, can I work out of a vintage full-size wagon ?? The only thing I will be missing out on is 4WD in the snow and A/C. I got a helluva deal on the 2500HD, not sure I can repeat that and not sure I need to. Buy in price of a vintage wagon is easily half that of even a 1-2 yr old truck. And yes- it's VERY tempting. I've already owned two '64 Catalina sedans and a GP...

First off, there's no way I can swing an 'estimate/ first call' vehicle AND the DuraMax. That's out. This musing would is on the possibility of a DuraMax replacement. I certainly would not trash the Safari, but I would 'use it up' over the years. Naturally, I have no problem driving a 46-yr old as a daily.

The Merc still gets my vote.

When I moved into my current house, I bought my 2WD RC/LB F-150. I worked in graphic design then, but I needed a truck for around-house work, hauling firewood, car parts, towing, etc. In '06, now in my 6th year of construction/excavation, going off-road on job sites, plus now having 2 sons, required me to get at least a crew cab/4WD truck, so I did (2nd hand '04). Forward to today, no longer in excavation but still doing contractor/construction... I occasionally ponder vehicle requirements, esp once a current driver approaches 100K. 2500HD has 91K+, gets a steady 16 MPG, is pretty big to drive around (doesn't bother me, but Jersey is getting tighter all the time). Good truck, I have no complaints, and I know it'll be good to 200K easy. Maybe 3-4 times a year do I have the back seat empty, carrying 4/5 people, the rest of the time the back seat is folded down & the compartment is filled with tools for work. Wondering if I could do the same out of something like this. Tint all the rear glass, and I'd have to get a roof rack, but why wouldn't this do the same thing cheaper? MPG is not a relative issue; I drove a '64 for 2 years daily, returned a steady 15. I'm comfortable at that range, esp since it looks like diesel will never be cheaper than gas again. Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse...

ocnblu's definition of "no" ::

As much as I got burned out on Chevys (from association- my first Chevy was the '04 2500HD, if we ignore the shell of a '63 Nova convert I owned for 3 weeks), the tri-5s are without question; sweet. Not as sweet as a same year Pontiac, ESP '57, but sweet.

Olds must be busy working on making up a flashy, votable, poll thread....

All right Greg- where's XP-75 ????

I bought the issue of R/T when they ran a full road test on the W8- I thought (& still do) that the (exterior) design surpassed the norm for this genre of 'supercars'. Price doesn't surprise me really.

I like the idea of all GM brands being 'global', and I'd almost put GMC near the top there in importance, but I've never been convinced it's necessary.

Consider that stock-bodied '59 Chevys ran in numerous Grand National races (& other circuits). Junior Johnson won the '60 Daytona 500 in one averaging 124 MPH. A '59 Chevy was tested in the wind tunnel a few years ago- only way they could configure it to show lift from the fins was to test it in reverse. I don't doubt your mother's perception, but it was merely that.

Found this v interesting, thought of this ^ : >>"Personal liberty largely consists of the Right of locomotion -- to go where and when one pleases -- only so far restrained as the Rights of others may make it necessary for the welfare of all other citizens. The Right of the Citizen to travel upon the public highways and to transport his property thereon, by horsedrawn carriage, wagon, or automobile, is not a mere privilege which may be permitted or prohibited at will, but the common Right which he has under his Right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Under this Constitutional guarantee one may, therefore, under normal conditions, travel at his inclination along the public highways or in public places, and while conducting himself in an orderly and decent manner, neither interfering with nor disturbing another's Rights, he will be protected, not only in his person, but in his safe conduct.” ~ American Jurisprudence 1st Edition, Constitutional Law, Sect.329, p.1135.<<

It's built >here< so it's a >here< car. Yeah- I hear that ALL the time WRT the mercedes & BMWs cranked out in the U.S. : American cars. '59 Chevy sig implication is urban myth, BTW.

It's NOT anachronistic- TONS more work to be done; TONS. Entrenched politicians only seem to be able to execute cursory -not real & lasting- 'reform'. I'm sure you heard that currently, welfare roles number 40 million for the first time in history, so it's more timely now than it's EVER been.