ocnblu

Now see I disagree with ya there. While the Hemi makes a Ridgeline look even more citified, the FWD-biased driveline completely turned me off.

With designs like these, I am starting to take after my maternal grandfather. He was a Chrysler man (for cars at least) for decades. The Nitro, while its greenhouse reminds me of the same "bunker" style as an H3, looks great. An R/T is out of my reach, however. A part-time 4WD SXT optioned out like I'd want is around $26.4k. That's $400 more than my Colorado was 2 1/2 years ago. Not bad, but I wouldn't get an employee discount with a Dodge. Also, Mopar seems to have lower mpg ratings than others in class, especially GM. Still, the Nitro has some cool features, besides the macho looks... that slide-out load floor, for example, is brilliant. The M80 was such a cool looking little pickup truck. That was a major missed opportunity for Mopar, imo.

Thanks for that, Vipes. I've been sitting here racking my brain trying to figure out the missing vowel in the title of this thread.

spaghetti

Some of the trucks must be dragging the percentages down. I didn't click on the link... how did the 360s do, the 355s... the vans? They had to at least stagnate for such a low overall increase, I would think.

manual stimu... wait one sec.

Hmmm... he's right. It looks exactly like an NG Silverado, right down to the GMC lettering on the grille. GM really needs to work on differentiation more. OK, seriously, I'm glad the Sierra has a nice, upright front end. To heck with that laid back stuff. These 900 pickups are gonna be sweet.

A good number of people who miss meaningful cars had to switch to trucks for personal transportation. Zeta gives them a reason to get back into a car with the characteristics they desire. RWD with available V8 power and a roomy cabin. That is what I meant in my above post. Plenty of people buy a pickup truck as their primary, or only vehicle, yet do very little hauling except for maybe an occasional trip to the home improvement store. Pickup trucks are now more refined than ever, Croc. Most even have automatic transmission, power steering and brakes. Some even have (get this) power windows, locks and mirrors... and leather seats! So yeah, pickup trucks are used as personal transportation, and I will venture to say it is at least partly because cars have been castrated with transverse 4 and 6 cylinder engines and FWD. I've made this point before and it still stands.

Their bitches seem rather petty. I wonder what the take rate is for nav on 3 and Civic. Probably low, it's a pretty expensive option relative to MSRP on a compact.

22

I love wandering around junkyards. I could spend a whole spring Saturday wandering around, becoming transfixed by all the memories invented on the spot as each new car is encountered.

I think they really stink, that's what I think.

O O L

I haven't been swayed from my original position. It's amazing how some people can continue to define themselves as GM enthusiasts after reading some of the responses here. I am not a "yes" man either, but I'm not going to tear down the company when they do something right.

Viper, wait until later in the afternoon, it will be warmer then. Don't want you to catch cold. I am not aware of any goings-on here locally, but we have a substantial number of Latin people around here.

empowah, is that black car above a new GTI?

The local dealer has had 3 so far. First two sold, current one is bright blue with 5 speed. $28k. I think they start at like $23k, but the options run the price up quick. The mileage ratings are worse than a new Tahoe by 2 mpg. I understand part of the reason may be low gearing, but for the casual user, that's substantial. I haven't seen any on the road.

That was a sideways response to Viper's "inaction on desire" comment. It was a flash of desire that I didn't act on. I've also seen him in his hammock shirtless (it's in his side yard, next to the road). It's a new house near here. In the driveway... two Aveo hatches, a blue one and a white one with rims. Sorry to derail the thread... now, back to your originally scheduled program!

Two words: "Rabbit Diesel".

I still say GM has so much latent loyalty out there. They just haven't built the right car to get people back. Zeta's a huge first step, but yes, a smaller RWD platform would compliment Zeta beautifully. Kappa is fine as is... a sports car platform.

33k miles in 27 months. About average I guess. I'm ready for something different.

I wonder why Chevy didn't facelift the Aveo hatch similar to the sedan... unless they have something else in store for that model... I really hope they don't discontinue it.

I saw a hot, built Latino dude wearing khakis and no shirt, mowing his lawn yesterday. That was nice.

New Civic DX coupe on the dealer lot. Big black plastic filler rectangle where the RADIO should be. WTF? A 2006 car with no radio? Imagine if GM were so utterly cheap. Unthinkable.

pointy