balthazar

I don't recall which trim level: I'll check it and get a few pics next chance I get...

ANY oiled-element air filter will only give you X-more HP for the first few months or so (IMO) of daily driving before dirt, dust & debris rob you of power over factory-spec filters. Unless you intend to clean it 6 times a year. The CAI --assuming it's well-designed-- should provide more power regardless. I would use the CAI package with a paper element for best results.

I agree with you Camino LS6: I have yet to see an import that either appeals to me... or even matches the hype that accompanies any of them. I spent 2 weeks in a '02 passat (with 29K miles)- why this car didn't have the amazing-fantastic interior I hear people bragging on VWs about, I don't know, Perhaps it had been completely swapped out for one from a mitsubishi because it was absolutely nothing special or appealing. As usual. Mis-aligned pieces, horrible seat adjustment controls, unlabeled switches, marginal ergonomics. Had 1 nice feature- the 'puddle lights' in the bottom of the doors. Whoopie-$h!. Add to that the regular mechanical issues it's had and the typical german throttle & braking lag, and the staggering subceptibility to cross-winds and you have a thoroughly marginal sedan. How & why people overlook these faults, I cannot fathom. I would (and have numerous times) bought & drove daily a vintage vehicle, tho this comes more from an appreciation for a well-built, user-friendly car with a minimum of plastic than anything else.

My dad just bought a Lucerne to replace his stellar-reliable '98 LeSabre Custom (which replaced his flawlessly-reliable '90 LeSabre). It's a silvery-blue color, has the V-6. Haven't driven it yet. Nice car.

My best friend lifted my girl when I went away to college in Detroit. Quickly turned out; he did me a huge favor (she was really messed up), tho at the time I was understandably pissed. The friendship was too strong to suffer for it and everything was fine shortly after.

Sounds like a decent price- obviously they vary depending on the specific filter. Mine was $54 ('over the counter') when the same paper element was around $5.

When I bought mine I did a price comparison: it would take me 10 years of annual paper filter replacements to 'break even' with the K&N, and that 10 years was without figuring in the cost of the cleaning/reoiling kit. This was before the patent ran out (2 years ago??) and another 6 companies brought out there own oiled filters (Air Hog and Barry Grant are but 2)- the K&N prices may have had to decline in the face of competition since. Still, cost effectiveness needs to be carefully computed before assuming 'you'll save money'. Most people don't keep their vehicles nearly as long as 10 years.

Good question. I do not know offhand who designed it. Probably overseen by Bill Mitchell. The familiar turquoise GM Mark of Excellence first appeared in the door jambs on '67s. It does not appear in Divisional print advertising until sometime during model year 1966. As for earlier versions, I have some corporate ads from 1930 where a very similar "GM" in a square (black & white, no underscore, "General Motors inside the square) is shown. It does not appear in a 12-page full-line GM ad I have for 1929, nor in a 1925 GM ad featuring all divisional logos (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oakland, Oldsmobile, GMC, Klaxxon, Fisher, Delco, Remy, AC, Harrison, Jacox, Fridigaire, Jaxon, Hyatt, Brown-Lipe-Chapin, Lancaster Steel, DN). After '30, it does appear, tho not consistantly, in GM corporate ads I have for '35, '44, '45, but not '60, '63, '64. I have an extensive print advertising collection and I would go out on a limb and state that it appeared in maybe only 25% of print ad & publications (corporate, owner's manuals, non-car division material, etc) between 1930 and 1966. Most of the time "GENERAL MOTORS" was merely spelled out. Here's a version from circa '44: slight variations were used- this one features "Diesel Power" underneath. BTW- that black & gold/yellow was the common corporate color scheme, too: I have a '64 part new in box with the same color scheme & logo, but a '66-67 part box was blue/turquoise on white. Clearly the '30 design is related to the current one, but someone tweaked it circa '66.

That 'wood' has to be fake- looks awful. I don't like how the entire dash is 'dropped down' from the windshield or the cheap-looking font on the gauges. How is the current maxima doing sales-wise: still an argument for too much overlap between the altima 3.5 and infiniti?

Or perhaps it was a "dumb move" because it is a dud in the market? "Hybrid" was established (marketing-wise) as a economy feature, and only in the past few years. Marketing a "performance hybrid" while the 'economy' concept is still gelling is an attempt to slide in on the "hybrid" good press coattails, confusing the issue for consumers. The marketing needs to be straightened out; I would not choose to label a 'performance' model as also being a hybrid, regardless if it is. I agree with evok that having a 'hybrid look' is also instrumental, at least for now.

Independant testing has revealed that aftermarket oiled air filters only provide a negligable HP boost and that's only when they are spotlessly clean. As they get any dirtier than spotless, they actually perform worse than a paper element throughout their respective life (oiled: to next oiling (often recommended @ 40K) vs. paper: replacement).... and the gap widens, too. There's a reason no manufacturer (to my knowledge; other than perhaps a stray sports car or 2) uses oiled elements from the factory. The oiled filter advertising hype is largely based on Week 1 of use only.

The Aura and the G6 are not "rebadges". A camry & an es300 are rebadges. If those can sell as obvious (even to non-enthusiast consumers) twins, the 'apparently' completely different Aura & G6 can too. The problem is not in those vehicles themselves. IMO you are oversimplifying the issue.

Got a new pic of me: see my avatar. Been feeling a bit run down lately...

Don't be ridiculous; they share the same engineering & quality control departments.

That's ironic; I predict analysts will "disappear within the next five years."

Friend of mine's S430 had his front suspension collapse, too. POS.

News like this really cheers me up.

I often volley with know-it-alls on wikipedia- just this week a slanderous & erroneous entry I corrected was completely replaced by the exact same text the next day; some of the 'regulars' there apparently think they have some sort of reputation to protect... Some of their 'research' sources & methods are quite humerous.

I see posted pics and avatars fine, but no smilies. There are also 4 red Xs under my avatar. Still.

The last gen Riv has some terrific surfacing & transitionals going on- the catwalk element is truely unique in the modern era. The jag in comparison is quite pedestrian from a design standpoint.

Interesting- it has the same beltline as the G6 yet no one mentioned 'goofy styling'. Even if a mitsubishi was appealing enough to consider, I would be nervous about buying one while the threat of a market pull-out continues to linger.

General Motors has never introduced a model that was billed as 'going to save the company'. That said, a number of recently introduced vehicles have exceeded expectations in both image & sales. Don't bother to mention those, tho.

>>"Kia has told Georgia officials that it envisions only five or six new supplier plants being necessary to support the Georgia auto plant."<< First off, can there actually be demand enough in NA sales to support a kia plant here??? These are the LCD of the automobile world- who's buying these POSs? 2nd- I hope to hell and back that Georgia will charge a billion-dollar licensing ('Right-To-Pilage') fee and apply the full commercial-rate tax bill on the factory-to-be, in addition to charging going rate for all permits & fees. You'd have to be a born-yesterday infant not to realize these import companies are riding a tsunami of good will and will make cargo vessels of cash- they will pay to play to get a greasy foot into the U.S market. What's that?? ...not gonna happen? What a f**king shock.

"gay-popular"? Wouldn't know. But Hawaii certainly is beautiful, aside from what you may see on Dog the Bounty Hunter. I would love to go back someday.

How are the fj's exhaust hangers? I like a nice, pliable exhaust hanger, preferably with stainless clamps over aluminized steel. And the rubber should have a nice grain to it, nothing bumpy or with reinforcing threads hanging out the sides. Build a competitive exhaust hanger and you'll get the sales, I always say.