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Darn it, nope. I was hoping this thread was about an ex girlfriend of yours.

I've been thinkin'. Does anyone know where I can get a giant wing, body kit, curb feelers and altezza taillights to fit a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze?

I was walking on a concrete floor in our detail department... didn't feel a thing. My manager and assistant manager were both sitting in the office... they felt it. And of course I got the obligatory emergency call from my mom.

I think Chevrolet followed the wrong Asian carmaker when deciding to cut their V6 engine out of the Malibu. Shame GM follows ANYONE in the game. But, it's like they say... every Corvette is red... every Camry is beige. The new Camry is like the new Civic... an uglier rehash of what came before. Talk about invisible...

Bring back the XT name! Or at least SVX. Nobody wants to drive a brassiere, jeez man.

Thanks, Roger. Yup, the new small Buick is a baby stunnah. Looks like it will be Thursday evening when I pick it up if everything goes well between now and then.

Well Empowah, all I can guess is... perhaps Volkswagens only break while under warranty...?

I'm really mad right now. On the CTS-V overview page, I can pick Evolution Green as my colour... but when I click further into the "Build Your Own" area, Evolution Green disappears from the colour selections, even though it says I cannot have black wheels with that colour. And I don't see the green available on any other trim level of the CTS coupe, either. WHO IS GOING TO FIX THIS???

All really cool, but the '59 Buick really stands out. It's MASSIVE.

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But they sold 10 times as many a decade ago, when the truck was a standout in design and execution. They stopped trying.

You're right, Z06. And thanks.

A lack of decent cars made more people buy trucks... hence less of a percentage of trucks sold are used as work vehicles... hence, more multi-door cabs for hauling people, less room in the bed for hauling things to build this country.

I loved driving my VWs... but every one of them had a problem... or three or four. '92 Golf was built with inadequate water shielding for the drive belts... recalled to install a splash shield that should have been an elementary part of development testing. And the clutch linkage fell apart in a parking lot far from home. I think I used a paper clip to refasten it until I could get to the dealer. First '98 Beetle had loud squeaky brakes, and this was at a time when EVERYBODY turned their head to look at it... I used to coast as slow as I could before pressing the pedal to avoid turning ppl's smiles into quizzical stares. Second '98 Beetle overheated the first weekend I had it while driving in clogged Annapolis. So hot, in fact, the glue that held the VW emblem to the hood melted, allowing the emblem to fly off. I also lost the shift quadrant applique off the shifter, among other parts, and this was in the few months I had it. Even my beloved '00 GTI 1.8t had electrical issues with the power windows... the ability to open and close the windows by turning the key in the door lock was great... but the "pinch protection" was a little too protective... it would reverse the windows randomly with no restriction to trigger them. But they drive so great... if a person can put up with such foibles, driving a VW is a truly synergistic affair. They've got the major things spot-on. If they could get the little things right... they'd have little trouble shooting to #1.

Dodge's smaller pickup came out and was an instant hit with people who wanted something a little bigger than a "compact". With V6 and V8 engines, it straddled the market and found its niche. An MCE of the first-gen built the momentum, and with the second-gen truck, Dodge really hit its stride. I still see so many of the second-gen trucks around, especially the right-sized regular cab 4X4 with big tires. Then by the time the current-gen truck came around, they completely lost their mojo... amazing after the sweet second-gen. Boxy, thirsty and with a monolithically cheap interior and no regular cab, buyers dried up almost immediately, and with good reason. And next up is a "Lifestyle Vehicle" to replace the workhorse, RWD/4WD ladder frame Dakota... skepticism rises, again with good reason. They should have stuck with it. They've shown what they can do with deft MCEs that have turned some of their remaining sow's ears into silk purses, so to speak. With the reintroduction of a regular cab, some clearly delineated trim packages, a completely new interior and new exterior sheetmetal, not to mention the great new Pentastar V6 and new transmissions, the Dakota may have had a new lease on life. Now it's too late. Next we get a "Lifestyle Vehicle" to replace it. Sounds like a Ridgeline clone to me... or a Caravan with a bed. Either way, it is a nail in the coffin of the quintessential American vehicle... the pickup truck.

Well ya know... the Fiesta was as tiny as I'd ever want to go. The Up! (?) is snazzy, though. I was over at the 2012 Beetle site earlier this afternoon. That is a wicked nice car this time around. The "Heritage Wheels" are da BOMB, and since they're competing with the Mini this time in the "Premium Small" segment, even the base model is loaded with kit... wish I could have looked at one of these.

Don't you mean autotragic?

Went lot cruising this afternoon. Saw what was in my opinion the best looking 2012 Focus I've seen yet: Blue Candy SE Sport hatch with black and gray interior, manual transmission, and the black rims. Hmmm.....

I see no gold chains in that gallery.

Nope, before the Fiesta, the only 4-door car I had was the Catalina, and that was a gift. I still hope for a 2-door Cruze. The manual transmission, aluminum rims and foglamp availability on the affordable (for me) 2012 1LT helped shove me over the fence. Funny how those seemingly small enhancements made all the difference.

Well, you know what they say... Mopar or No Car... that is one hell of a sweet machine.

Sheeeeit... my cat throws up hairballs bigger'n him. Tell him to come over HERE and say that!

There's no place like home...

I predicted the Cruze would flop... and look what's happening this week. But nobody's buying electrics and hybrids in numbers to support what tree huggers predicted... not even those tree huggers themselves.

My next CD purchase... (yes I am old skool, sry) <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/94A2P-POso4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>