ocnblu

Me gusta too, except I am not a fan of park bench wings. With the boxer engine, this car will always belong to Subaru, imo. Can't wait to see an extensive gallery of real world photos, and then the real thing.

Oy BP, I hope you're humming again soon.

Those are some mighty fine looking pickups, GMTG, all of 'em. Sorry I couldn't get in last night to post the extended cab dimensions, butt there was a Futurliner with its buttocks all up in my face when I tried to make an entrance. ANYHOO... my automotive fetish of the moment is once again Jeeps. Wrangler and Liberty, namely.

Sorry, I'm pushing the Jeers button. Not because of the price, which seems normal (these cars hold their value amazingly well if maintained right), but because of the unnecessary gingerbread.

This past weekend when I was scoping out vehicles, I happened across an "Autumn Metallic" 2012 Cruze, new on the lot, it was sort of a red maple leaf colour. Never knew it existed, maybe it's a recent release after the earthquake/tsunami problem in Japon disrupted paint pigment production.

We should all have something to be thankful for this munt. Turkey and cranberry sauce are one thing (apologies to our Canadian friends), but spotting something unusual in the automotive landscape is truly something to be thankful for. Post away, and please pass the green bean casserole, will ya?

Well I could look it up and post it if anyone's interested. I'll do that tonight after work.

testicles

Test drove the 2012 Tacoma base model 4X4 today over my lunch hour. All I can say is... wow. Feels positively agricultural compared to what I'm used to. Coarse engine, buckboard ride, bolt upright seatback angle. Definitely feels old-school on the short drive I had time for today... or could it be that I'm the one getting old? Maybe if it's still there this weekend (it's the only one they have in this config), I'll venture back out there and take a longer spin. Oh, and Flo says it would be $85 more per 6-month policy period to insure it over the little Chevy Cruze.

Working at what is now a former L-M dealership, I can tell you right now, the blue hairs LOVE their Town Cars. The MKZ has become their reluctant, easier-to-handle small car choice once the Town Car has been patched up too many times from accidents. But they love to bang up their MKZs too... we just got a 2011 in today, a couple from New England had a bit of a misadventure.

The only compact, regular cab 4X4 pickups available anymore are Tacoma and the GM twins. I am disappointed in GM's lack of attention to the GMT355. This Tacoma kills for the price.

Did you say SMALL changes?

A gorgeous, stately old lady deserving of a good home. The price seems high, but hey, how many of these are left?

Somehow, Ford hasn't marketed the Ecoboost engine correctly in their Lincolns. Not nearly as well as in the F-150. People don't know about it. The subtle differences in trim are not enough to set the Ecoboost MKS apart. I would hope GM could do a better job of sharpening the visual differences and the performance attributes in a TT 3.6L Buick or Cadillac over the more sedate trims, and then making sure potential customers are aware of the benefits.

exam

What a perfect segue into a shift in direction. Went lot hopping today. Love the Wranglers. The one I'd want is $27,600+. Then I was thinking about compact pickups, and... lo and behold, I stopped by the Yota dealership, and boy, was I bowled over. The base model regular cab Tacoma 4X4, at $21,800+, has so many important functional features as standard equipment. It trounces the GMT355 for value in a small regular cab 4X4 pickup, when it comes to real, honest capability: High ride height, looks the part locking rear diff tilt AND telescope steering nice, big 245/75R16 all-terrain tires (not wimpy car tires) wheel flares composite, rustproof inner bed sliding rear window on the regular cab (optional at $140) (can't reach it in the GM ext cab, can't get it in the reg cab, in which you COULD) clutch-start lockout button (handy in certain off-road situations) I think I'm going to test-drive one and see how it is. Based on the features list, it offers the most bang for the buck in a traditional, honest, functional, no-nonsense 4WD vehicle.

TT 3.6L LaCrosse and XTS would get my attention quick. It would be their saving grace.

Paintless dent repair should be able to erase that ding. Still enough to piss somebody off, for sure. Sorry man.

I happened upon that vid this morning, and that is one tough looking little Patriot. That is how it should be set up from the factory, imo.

The GXP in the photo is not the production version, it's the concept. Even the production version was the best looking FWD Bonneville ever made. The Bonneville GXP was an example of GM giving Pontiac the good stuff too late, a reversal from decades past, when the brand was given what it needed to succeed.

Many kleenexes will be sacrificed. 100% secks.

sway

Gold-coloured reptilian vinyl, yessir! <iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lrqbV7le1t8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

That's pretty cool, a no-nonsense, base model, bench seat truck.

I called my dad, and before I could suggest postponing his birthday dinner out, he suggested it himself. So we're going tomorrow. Growing up on the farm with my uncle and grandfather, this is the kind of day we'd pile in the old Ford pickup and travel the roads all day, stopping to eat and barhop.