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Take a ride on your bike, let your hair fly! Srsly, hope you have a good one sir.

Not pretty. Seems to be a change for change's sake, not a real improvement. Taco is another "compact" truck that has gotten too big over the years. Speaking of, I was at Lowe's yesterday and sawr an 80's Toyota truck, reg cab 2WD in red, with a new BBQ grill in the back. It had the local dealer's mark on the tailgate, and I was amazed at how well it was preserved. One could tell it had been used as a truck, with chips and scratches in the paint, and faded period vinyl graphics, but it was rust-free and kept clean, at least on the parts I could see. I chuckled at the quaint clamp handles on each side of the tailgate. I wondered if this was a truck preserved by Rusty Jones, otherwise it should have been a rusty hulk by now.

Not sure on the gas tank size, but size does matter when cruzing range is involved. Reasons I chose the 1LT over the Eco are just personal preference, apologies to those here who have Ecos and love them. Stickier tires, sportier gearing, no green badge, thicker sheetmetal, no underbelly panels, no mechanical shutters in bumper, easier to clean wheels... and still rated at 26/38 mpg. I joked to the saleskid when he asked me why I didn't want to buy the Eco I was driving with a point to the decklid: "green badge takes ten points off my man card!". He laughed. He's cute. And come to find out, he lives in my development. But then I rattled off the list above over the course of the drive, again, personal preferences, and he understood and didn't try to hard sell me. A thunderstorm was just finishing when I got there. We were standing there on the lot with our umbrellas and he points and says "cool! A rainbow!" So we stood there and marveled at the full DOUBLE rainbow for a while. He even yelled over to his co-workers standing on the porch about it, a couple of older guys who were not as impressed. But I digress. I am hoping I can consistently beat the EPA ratings, as I was able to with my Ford. Time will tell. The car is at a dealer in Tunkhannock, PA... a 3 hour drive down from the mountains. I hope the DX driver is careful, that's rugged country up there.

Closest Fiat dealer to me is Downingtown. Too far to travel.

I am not just picking on the Volt, the Leaf is even more ridiculous. The Nissan Leaf is useless. At least the Volt's powertrain has a backup plan... the tried and true ICE.

Thanks Moltie. After driving it with the slick manual, I'm confident this "emergency choice" is the right one.

Thanks, Camino.

I hope to God I never have to find out. I'm trying to maintain some semblance of optimism after this latest setback I've been dealt. I need stability in my life. If only my love life were settled like yours, maybe all else would fall in line.

First Fiat 500 in town, the other night, parked along the street. I was past it before I realized what it was, it was dark after all. OH, and forgot to mention, a new Nissan work van high top in white with big ol' Enterprise logo on the side, at the rental office. And I cannot believe how many new Foci I've seen as rentals already.

It is a beautiful design, but the mechanicals let it down big time. If this were RWD with turbo Ecotec, a manual transmission and no needless trendy electrical powertrain interference, it would be viewed as more authentic, and therefore more desirable. More "permanent", less "fleeting". To me, the sudden reversal into producing this car comes across as an indicator GM will try to recoup some forecast losses on the Voltec propulsion system by sticking this stunner of a body over a ho-hum powertrain and jacking the price, and profit per unit, up.

Whoa holy crap what a nice looking gangsta car. Tint the windows and she'll be really stylin' and profilin'! Congratulations.

The Chevrolet Cruze is a very nice driving vehicle. Solid, with a 6 speed manual that is so sweet to use. Forever before, when I drove a manual transmission car for the first time, there was at least a short learning curve, getting to know the clutch and shift action. This was like butter, with magic, short throws and a stubby lever. The 1.4L turbo has torque at the bottom, something I could not say about my zippy little Ford. The Cruze is nice, it has presence enough (where before I thought it bland) compared to the 2012 Ford Focus, which feels styled to the point of overkill, both in and out. My Fiesta was a great little car, I'm not gonna lie, I've missed driving it this past week. It was torture seeing it every day on our lot in the state it was in. It was finally towed out yesterday. LONG story short... I made a decision last evening after driving the Eco. By Thursday evening at the latest (the car I want has to be traded from another dealer), I will be taking delivery of a 2012 Cruze 1LT sedan with 6 speed manual in Blue Topaz Metallic with black and gray interior and two dealer-installed options: foglamp kit and cargo net for my groceries. The 2012 1LT enhancements, including the 5-spoke aluminum rims, plus the foglight installation, really help make the car look sportier. This car won me over with the drive. I'll be a proud GM owner once again, for $20 more a month than I was paying for my Ford.

I am absolutely LOVE ING the fact that in the Pebble Beach gallery of photos, everybody is tripping over themselves to photograph and investigate the Ciel while COMPLETELY ignoring the Delta-based ELR. If anything is more obvious...

Has Subaru updated the 2012 Impreza site, or is it still the same lame, vague attempt to string ppl along until November?

Test drove an ECOweenie Cruze 6-speed manual last evening. Would love to be able to give a 2012 Impreza Sport Premium hatch 5 speed manual a try too, but November is a ways off.

My jaw hit the floor. Phasers on STUN. Mesmerizing shot out of the park. This is what Cadillac can be.

Toned down just enough for production, I thought it would have made a cool little Stingray.

I am very pleased with my settlement. I'll have $6500+ left over after the bank is paid. The check was in the mail to me yesterday according to the insurance person. Dealer I called said he found 2 Cruze 1LT manuals he can get from another dealer farther away. Blue Topaz (new color for '12) with black and gray interior or Black Granite with black. I didn't give him an answer yet. Tonight after work, I plan on going over there to test drive an ECOweenie they have in Blue Topaz. Wild card is still my insurance premiums and the outcome of my citation. Or I could just buy an '02 S-10 4X4 outright and have no payments atall...

No need for gap insurance. It appears I'll have a decent amount left over after the bank is paid. My next concern is my insurance premiums. Thanks uncle davey, I do feel better every day. No sudden moves, no coughing or sneezing and I'm almost normal.

2011 Fiestas are all but gone off the lots, and 2012s aren't around yet either. The 500 is a sweet little machine, but I'd want to be closer to the dealer if I bought one. Same goes for Mini. There are several 2012 Cruze 1LT manuals out there, not to mention ECOweenies. I think I'll test drive a Cruze first, but I need to know how much money I'll have before I do much of anything. I might be posting a photo of a '66 Rambler American in the Garage if the settlement is low and depending on how my premiums go.

If you look VERY closely, you can see a life-size 2011 Ford Fiesta SE hatch parked on the hood ornament.

My premiums go to Flo. And they said it would be today or tomorrow when I get paid. Of course the bank gets paid first, as it should be. Not sure what the amount left over will be, the car was too new to peg a value easily.

good dog

No surprise. People sure do like the simple, affordable Cruze though.