balthazar

Stylistically, I like cars with unique, uncommon or extreme proportions. For instance; instead of the 'ponycar' long hood/short deck look, I prefer short hood/long deck. Only complaint I have about my 18-foot long '59 Invitca is that it's not the 7-inch longer Electra 225 (all in the rear deck). I like the concept of the El Camino, but would take that concept in a Cadillac flower car instead. Proportions is also what strongly attracts me to my COE: it's very snub-nosed & tall. As for tastes: give me my choice of any brand new car for free and I will sell it immediately and mechanically refurbish a 'patina-ed' '58 Series Sixty Special or a '56 Seville (with Sabre Spokes) and drive either happily for years. Better yet, make that new car a mercedesbach and I will build the Tucker model prototype with center seating and steerable front fenders with the cash.

I agree: they are playing it a bit loose with the "metal" definition. I mean; you have SlipKnot & Sepultura on the same list with the Scorpians & Kiss?? C'mon. Would've been a more interesting list had no multiples been allowed. Almost seems more like a popularity/ Hall fo Fame list than one based on quality. Of course, one man's quality.... Nice to see Megadeth & Pantera on there.

'59 was very daring... but since the core of the '60s, Buick deisign has been much more stately than daring.

No one wants to read you chowderheads tsk-tsking GM's further marketshare slide as you all tool around in alfas. No, it won't have a noticable effect (esp limited to sales thru maserati dealers- can there be 25 across the country??), but every little bit chips away at that number. So keep it under your hat. Stylistically, I'd much rather have the Camaro.

Just gotta know where to look. As far as ID'ing the vintage, it matters not, the door count. Still, here's a '70 Chevrolet Malibu 4-dr sedan.

"mid-size" is a relative term, so of course this generation mid-size/intermediates are much larger than you're used to. You should see what I own: 18 feet overall is average (that would be 'full-size'). Malibu/Chevelle '70-72 are of the same generation. '70 had quad headlights, '71-72 has dual. A billion pics online if you look. Prior to that, '68-69 share the same bodyshell, '66-67: another shell. 2 billion more online pics of those, too. RE: interior packaging: right, we've 'come a long way' with cramming people into cars so tightly you can barely shift position during a lengthy drive or turn (as a passenger) to the back seat. Every cubby and glovebox is an irregular, compromised space- awful. If only sardines could drive... On a size-related note; I am cutting up a bad '65 Bonneville for scrap (it was not savable realtive to it's value). The trunk pan (going to another '65 in MN) measures 76" from side-to-side by roughly 50" front to back. You could sleep 2 in there. I miss that volume of cargo space in cars- another reason pick-ups & SUVs have grown in popularity over the last 30-some years.

Ford 300 - like a rock MoPar 225 - never dies Pontiac 389/421, 400/428 - great, strong, long-lasting. Any Cadillac motor prior to 1980. Ford 239 - not the most reliable at all but easy to fall in love with; Honorable Mention.

A number of makes only have 2 models.

Japan Inc is really starting to crack at the seams. Nice.

Actually railing spindles have to be close enough to prevent a child's head from fitting thru (whatever measurement that may be). RE: Chimney - in first shot it's an elevated view. Chimney looks to be on the back half of the roof and it's merely not visible in the street-level angle of the newer shot. Looks like the same house to me.

DSR is completely meaningless. An HSR (hourly sales rate) would actually be more telling; some dealers have much longer hours than others. Why is this more accurate system not used? Stupid statistic spin doctors.

wikipedia {snorts} Who wrote that article- a 9-yr old?? >>"Engineers like to stick with what they know. Lots of suspension engineers are familiar with using coil springs. They could experiment with leaves if they wanted or they could stick with coils and get the job done. See the point about undertaking a research project."<<

What recent car in this segment has been "revolutionary"?

Chart percentages look majorly F'ed up. What the flaming Hell is the 'Daily Selling Rate' but a weasly way to wriggle out of less-than-good numbers?? Were there markedly less selling days in April of '05 vs. '06? I doubt it. Check it: acura division~ April '05 : 6823 April '06 : 6983 difference: 160 more units. 160 over 6823 units is a 2.3% increase.... yet the "DSR" column reports an amazing 6.3%. A 6.3% increase over 6823 units would be 429 more units, not 160. Someone care to spin this?

<<"...WHY the media is out to get Detroit..."<< Ever watch parents at a big picnic: talking nicely to other's kids while being short & harsh with their own? No doubt there's a phsycological term for the practice- I haven't looked into it in depth but it's very real. I've relayed this story before; my 'eye-opening': front page, headline story, 'GM recalls 375K' for relatively minor item. Same paper, same day, page 8 sidebar, 'VW recalls 1.2M' for defect possibly leading to vehicle fires. Wish I could remember the specifics, but this was 20 years ago. You tell us, enzl; WHY? GM 'deserved / earned' greater attention & emphasis on a less-dangerous recall because their cars were "inferior" to VWs?? How's that fit into the logic template? Advertising (not just automobiles) has trumpeted the 'virtues' of imported good for over 100 years. Sometimes the claims are warranted. No one can legitimately deny that sometimes they aren't. Well, some can.

Oak floorboards, crank-out split windshields and a 2-fuse fuseblock.

Whaaa? Toss another frame under it!!; GM A-Bodies used near identical frames- there are millions to choose from across the country. 'Bad frame' should never mean 'scrap it'.

A great quantity of consumers switched over to trucks in order to get V-8, RWD, full-frame, over-engineered, full-size vehicles... like the full-size RWD cars that GM used to make. I did. These not only had cargo & passenger room but also towing ability. A well-executed Zeta portfolio -esp coupled with fuel cost concerns- could pull the scale back to a car-dominant market again. Cadillacfan= >>"...make the Zeta vehicles better then it's competitors in every way to make them stand out. "<< Please name some competitors that have debuted/been redesigned and bettered every one of their competitors in every way. I'm not sure that's ever happened.

In other words it's Pontiac G6 modified to look startilingly like a Opel Vectra?? I don't get it.

blackviper8891= Let's read my comment again: "Retro is in the same boat as bland. You can have your Camry." Do you have any idea as to what I possibly meant by that? Guess not... well, looks like I have to explain it to you. I was saying that retro is just as bad as bland since both styling trends dabble in unoriginallity. Maybe you need to work on your 'explainations' more, hmmm? We were talking about retro and you bring up bland and the poster child for bland, the camry. As you yourself are so fond of admonishing others to do: stay on topic. But since you brought it up unbidden; what does 'bland' have to do with retro? Nothing. Bland design has no neccessary predisposition toward being unoriginal whatsoever. Bland adj: dull, insipid. Insipid adj: lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate or challenge. Dull, flat. Loads of fresh dullness rolling off assembly lines all over the world. I didn't change my stance and I certainly didn't say Retro is bland. However, I did say it was as bad as bland, being that they are both pointlessly copied. Do you understand anything I just said, or do I have to further evaluate my statement? I don't believe further 'evaluation' will clear the mud, no. See definitions above; bland has nothing to do with being copied. Also, evolutionary design isn't the same thing as retro. So no, E36s aren't retro, just evolutionary. coughhorse&#036;h&#33;cough. bmw has a long history of churning out the same reguritated design over and over and over with ZERO originality. I know- you're waiting to trip me up when I call it 'bland'. HA, I'm on to you! It's not bland because it's retro, it's bland because its stale! What the hell is an e36? Jesus- you haven't even gotten the pig and already you are elbowing your way into the secret handshake club of mystical bmw internal code references. Its pathetic. If you're so head-over-heels you should be proud to say "1997 318ti", because guess what; that's what bmw calls it. I simply didn't want people to continue blabbering on about a mute point. Not much different than being told to call the responsible parties and ask them directly to get accurate info yet being answered with blabbering about 'seeing proof' like someone is going to scan & post personal loan papers & legalese phamlets. And that you guys were no better than the import humpers who try to dissuade anybody from buying Domestic because of reliability. Same thing. There's a big difference between erroneous, outmoded perception and reality. Not the same thing at all. Try again. Because you asked, I did. Happy?

The cars pictured above are obviously & clearly the same car. The Aura cleans up some of the fussy, messy details of the vectra and - perhaps merely because the Opel is "German-engineered" and therefore above reproach, I dunno - the domestic version is a "dumbed down" train wreck.You guys who obsess and agonize over these miniscule details to this obsessive degree must go into a complete meltdown over the Pepsi/Coke issue.

While I empathize with you, 04Monte, truth be told Impalas are still a dime a dozen. I was at a car show this weekend and the place was lousy with Imps. If one guy want to build his car his way, that's his perogative. And yes- it makes sense from a budgetary standpoint to start with the best example you can get... tho that's (a budget) undoubtedly not a concern for Coddington customers. What I want to know is: where do all the nice usable stock parts go- the dumpster??

I know where there's a '35 Chevy truck and a Hudson pickup are sitting.You're welcome to come over & take pics of my '40 Ford COE, too.

I've been itching to get to that I-81 Scranton yard for years.....