balthazar

Cool, retro 1982 styling... but how are they going to update it ??

My buddy's brother just bought one of them- 2nd-hand report says the body is 'excellent' but there's no drivetrain at all. Supposedly it was the brother's 'dream truck'. He paid $2000.

>>"I actually wish they would import some of this lost-in-translation, automotive-anime, Japanese subculture madness here. Modern cars in the US are all pretty much the same, dictated by certain car norms, shapes, and functions..."<< Which reminds me, why must professional models be slim, blemish-free & attractive? Why not some short, fat, dumpy ones w/ bad skin? This cube thing is in lockstep with the Aztek: ungainly, 'unnnatural' & unattractive. As with any sector you care to name, there's always somebody who finds those 'qualities' endearing & interesting. If we're very lucky, the xb will wither & die, the element is already slated for extermination, and the cube will never arrive. >>"Why must luxury car interiors be covered in leather and wood?"<< No worries here: MANY of them are primarily swathed in plastics.

Not sure where he heard of it... but my son made one for himself a few years ago- he was around 10. Turned out pretty good- he still uses it whenever he has occasion to.

>>"the confederate flag is a symbol which, despite offending millions by its mere display..."<< I missed the survey that determined this; "millions", really ?? When, where & who tabulated this?

Haven't had issues with either style here in Jersey. From my observations, the wiper-mounted ones disperse the fluid better, and I HATE the look of the plastic nubs on the hood; I prefer the cowl-hidden ones- protected and invisible. I suspect the steady 'laying-down' of windshield angles has made the cowl-area ones too close, making them overshoot the glass, thus the hood mounting. They look like sh!t there, tho.

I HATE cupholders between the shifter & armrest- haven't been in a car yet that had them where any drink would interfere with your arm. I would pay & change out the console in my wife's car could I get a matching one that would put the drinks either anyplace else or behind the armrest.

Read/heard countless stories about seller's remorse RE their first car.... to the point that although I have no near-term plans for touching it (there are 2 projects in front of it), I still have mine, even tho many who remember it have offered to buy it: '64 GP.

Thru the Fire & Flames - Dragonforce (:wink: - guess what I've been playing?)

UPDATE: my buddy with the hydraulics/plow shop reports toyo doubled-back (with zero engineering changes) and OK'd turdras for plow installation in order to shut up the dozen or so disgruntled owners who insist their truck is 'just like a real truck'. No doubt toyo can afford to replace frames with their cash reserves.... but we can only hope that this is more widespread than I seem to think and the news goes mainstream that these trucks are cracking/breaking under mild use.

In general the LaC Super front end really 'butches' up the LaC, but that slight point on the bottom center always catches & directs my eye- the grille looks good but would look better sectioned 1-2 inches.

>>"Eating a plant-based lunch (such as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bean burrito..."<< Nope, sorry, the Flatulence Campaign has issued a PR that informs everyone how they can do their part to reduce methane gas emmissions; bean burritos are O-U-T for the environmentally-aware ! I'd post it here but it's 11 pages long and includes many diagrams.

YOU may refer to them as coupes, but in your open-mindedness, you must realize not everyone is always going to agree with you, right? >>"No one would call them 2dr sedans... "<< Sorry, it's the absolutes in your posts that prompt me to unintentionally dog you on occasion. And you can desist calling me a curmudgeon, "it's not 1970 anymore".

I cannot see how you would see it otherwise... except that the automaker told you it was so. Lemmee guess; you also believe the 2-dr bmw 3-series is a 'coupe', right? O...K...

Not familiar with any of the ferrari alphanumerics, but yes; many people WOULD call the current Mustang a 2-dr sedan... because it is. Classic definition (as opposed to -say- mercedes') is a derivativge of the term 'closed coupled', and the physical definition of this would be a Viper of Corvette: no rear side glass, and by nature of them being 2-seaters: quite closed coupled. Many automakers play fast-n-loose with terminology (ala mercedes) purely for marketing reasons.

I remember something exactly along these lines on the cover of a major mag in the 1970s IIRC, I had thought it was connected with Oldsmobile.... can't find it offhand googling....

(RE: the magazine covers at the top of the page) -- sorry, but if my performance car choice has to be between the G8 and the Challenger, I'm already in the Dodge dealership as I type this.

Regal, and by extension: Regal T-Type > Grand National at least has heritage connected with something sporty/performance oriented. Last Century was a rental car with very little positive image beyond 'dependable transportation'.

We all wear our Sensible Hats and talk about how turbo 4-bangers are so-ooooooooo much higher performance than old musclecars.... then this low sinister black snarler rips by, growling and snarling and howling, blowing our Sensible Hat right into the ditch, forgotten. Challenger looks & sounds fantastic; can't wait to see one in person. BTW: WRT '6.1 = handles better'... ever hear of 'power oversteer'?

>>"Pontiac as a stand alone brand (as well as Buick) is for all practical purposes over."<< Not sure how what preceeded this quote supports that anymore than anything else we've seen, but OK. >>"Although most all will swear otherwise, Camaro will infact pull most all potential Firebird enthusiasts"<< Never saw or heard of a survey that assessed this, and I have no idea what quantities GM is putting on 'all potential Firebird enthusiasts', but whatever it is, I still believe it's overstated. Of course, the more of a 'badge job' a Firebird may be due to budgetary constrictions, the more this will be self-fufilling.

I am forced to use the online service I do because it's part of my wife's employment agreement (Merrill Lynch). It's very easy IMO, but it's certainly not the cheapest ($30 a trade).

Corvette's success/heritage/ROA is immaterial here. Of course the Viper, having debuted in 1989 IIRC cannot match the Corvette's heritage in the unbridled decades of the '50s & '60s. But within it's short lifespan to date, it hasaccomplished a TON of great image as the flagship sports car of ChryCo. I have a strong feeling Dodge today would be close to where Plymouth was circa 1990 if the Viper had not blazed forth 19 years ago. Current Viper is fairly fresh, and should be making money at this point (unless it's a matter of a special assembly deal), and I would think they could continue it until it's overdue for a next gen. I for one will hate to see it go and hope something else can be worked out. And the volume of it cannot impact CAFE numbers much at all. This whole CAFE thing sure looks like one of the worse things to happen to the auto industry ever, from the enthusiast's view at least.

>>"It replacing the Catera (and the Cimarron before it)..."<< Uhhh; no. You might as well go back another 20 years and say it's replacing the Calais, too (mid-'60s entry-level model). >>"...was just a coincidence, I guess"<< I would have to believe this is the case.

Sold as Freedom - Anti-Flag

Only one I really missed for a long while was my '57 F-250 Styleside, only owned it about a year & never really got it up & going, but I really was smitten by it. That whole in my 'car heart' was plugged with my '40 COE, tho.