A Horse With No Name

+1 Chris

For some reason though the Charger looks a whole lot better as a Police car than the Crown Vic. The PD depts around here have switched to chargers, and they just look right in black and white with a push bar and a gun rack. Chris

...and while were at it, let's not pick on Reno. She's a better man than I am. Hell, I bet she can piss farther standing up than any guy who posts here at cheers and gears. Chris

All I was saying is that it is stupid to hold this womans past against her. Also...she's willing to work for 5 grand a year part time. They ought to be glad they get anyone. Chris

+1 on the shortbed stepside deal. I remember as a kid James Garner used to play Rockford on TV and his TV dad drove one that looked cool. We used to ahve a really nice one in the landscaping company I worked for going through college...but 5 years of plowing snow and 5 Indiana winters took their toll on it. And to carry on discussion of the Astra, it has to be the under-rated car of the decade. It is a huge seller in Europe for a reason. But I digress...I still want a Cooper, yes it is more expensive...but... Chris

The trunk release is a minor issue though. Overall, I like the G8 better than the Charger and really even better than many of the BMW products. Chris

...and I still feel the G8 is a step in the right direction. Chris

Actually, there really are nude pics of Hillary floating around somewhere. Back in the good old days, I guess, the directors of one of the private schools she attended supposedly photographed all of the girls "nude" for medical reasons, supposedly as a check on posture. I read this once from a reliable source. ...and no, that 'source" wasn't hustler. But there seems to be no logical common sense on anything regarding sexuality and the law. Check this out: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,456345,00.html Chris

If were talking about respecting some of Nissans earlier efforts (like your old Nissan, which I thought was cool) I can handle that. Sadly, Nissan, like most other Japanese makes, seems to ahve lost its way. At least Nissan isn't building anything quite as horrendous as the Ridgeline... Chris

Yes, it will be the Mk VI. Chris

Perhaps given the financial climate they were playing it safe, as the supplier probably wanted a firm commitment before making the seats. Someones head would have rolled at the assembly plant if GM had spent a bunch of money on seats they couldn't sell. Chris

Besides, cars that have real residual value (CTS, Wrangler, Toyota 4 Runner, MINI, TDI Volkswagen, etc.) do so by being unique and having a fanbase. If we want residual value, make the cars unique, limit production and have a fanbase. Which brings up something else of value-Pontiac should not be a volume brand per se, leave that to Chevy. Pontiac should be more like BMW (but not copying it). Lower volume and Higher profit. smk4565, what I don't like about your idea is that it would be higher volume and lower profit. We've seen how well that works, why not try something different? Chris

Sport Compact car actually had an SRT-4 Neon as one of their project cars. It evewn had stripes with the graduated blocks up the side, like the 70 AAR Cuda. Way too cool. Chris

Rumor is the TDi is going into the Rabbit/Golf for 2010 or 2011. Now all VW needs is a dealer network and they will be set. Chris

...this would be interesting. Since these cars would be too cheap to repair, walmart wouldn't need a service department to fix them. Chris

Part of the modern "just in time delivery" building process they use to build cars. Things would irony of irony been much easier in say 1949, when you ordered what you need before you needed it. I run into the same thing in my line of work...they will send out 4 guys to run conduit and pull wire, and then the conduit and wire doesn't get there until hours or days later. And then there is the inevitable question "why aren't you done yet?" The writer of Dilbert is an optomist when it comes to corporate/buisiness behavior, IMHO. Chris

....and then the evil process could begin. Rebuild the 307 after you swap in the other motor, and now you have a cheap motor for a 38 Olds rat rod or something. All of us should own far too many cars. Chris

Still a beautiful place to work. I like the Jag in the background also! Chris

Well, if they do get bought by the Chinese, and they do bring back a cheapened Chevette from China (and put a diesel in it perhaps) there is one advantadge. If you drive it on a date and get to go out with her (or him) again, you know that they love you for something other than your money. Seriously though, I am so tired of crap from China filling our landfills I could just scream. Chris

I think your right, Moltar. To me the cars have a different charactor anyways. The G35/35 is sorta soft and femmy while the G8 is a very masculine design. They would IMHO appeal to different buyers. Also glad to see different choices for buyers. Not everything has to ape a BMW, unless you work for Car and Driver magazine...in which a Mustang should come with an M badge and an inline turbo six from Bavaria. Chris

I agree. Maybe if the prius makes it up your driveway, we could burn it in effegy. Take that Toyota... Chris

Reg, of those to me the only choice is the Astra. And while I respect 68 hugely, I disagree with him on most Nissan products. The Versa is just a terrible car, well behind the Fit, Astra, Cobalt, Focus, etc. Chris

balthazar, I coulpdn't agree more. Often, once things get to the point of unmanageable morass (think our current political and automotive culture) comes real reform, change, and growth. Perhaps the current climate of clusterf@@@ will push ineffective people out of the way and give someone like your talking about a chance to shine. Chris

Very nice coverage, I would disagree about teh Maxima, interested to hear why you liked it. Glad you liked the Miata. Were Volvo and VW not there? How much appeal did Acura seem to have to people there? Also, I have noticed young people up here seem to be turning back to American cars. You mention the couple where they boyfriend was panning them, were there very many young people there excited by American cars? Just curous. Also, I would disagree about the Evo..to me the front end treatment on that car reminds me of a sname trying to perfrom oral sex on a lemmon. I just don't like the (current) Evo at all. Chris

I can really see a Pontiac Mini fighter...that would be an interesting design competition here. However, again it can't be just performance, because the market for performance cars isn't that big, and you can't rely on performance cars alone to carry a brand. Case in point, Solstice, Sky, Miata and Z4 were all selling about 1200 cars a month apiece before the economy went south, and now they are selling about 1200 cars a month combined. Pontiac in its era was all about stylish cars for interesting people...why else would Major Healy drive one on I dream of Jeanie, or Fred McMurry drive one as the dad in My Three Sons? They cast the car perfectly to the charactor IMHO. When I was a kid, most of the people doing interesting things or trying different things drove Pontiacs. My dad's assistant drove a LeMans (same era as PCS car) and he rode his bike across Canada to raise money for charity. I know I am rambling, but to me the essence of Pontiac is the creative spark of the people who drive them. Not only about performance...but also upgraded (more elegant than flashy) styling and about technology and saying your a different kind of person. A Pontiac should never be dull. A dull Pontiac IMHO is as much of a sin as a Cadillac Cimmerson. Chris