Camino LS6

Which is one of the things I love best about Holden. Their independent spirit has yielded the most desireable products (for me) in the GM universe of late.How incredibly resourceful they are, even with limited backing.

Thanks, PCS. The "60th anniversary" shot shows the color pretty well, I guess. But I've seen real-world pics of a Commodore painted in "karma" and it looks much darker and greener. If you run across a real-world pic of a Ute in that color please post it! I think it is my leading contender when it comes time to order my next new ride.

What a load of assumption! No insecurity. No criticism of my country enters into it ( I was simply born here afterall). I'm not being defensive man! You simply don't get it - we have no need for diesel at every filling station here. There is no market to support such capital investment. One or two in any vicinity is more than enough to meet demand. And in rural areas, it isn't lacking as you seem to think, it is just distributed differently. Farmers have it delivered to the farm. Diesel is never any farther from you than the nearest interstate highway (worst case scenario). This country's economic life depends upon truck transport, so diesel is the lifeblood that keeps it moving. Don't think of it in terms of the passenger car and you will begin to understand. You should have discussed the topic with Americans while you were here to gain a more complete understanding of the use of diesel here. Nearly all trucks above the size of a Full-size "one-ton" in this country are diesel powered. They are literally everywhere in great numbers, and thus , so is diesel. The way Diesel is used, and thus distributed, is the only difference in availablity. In fact, I would venture a guess that the US consumes a like amount of diesel fuel in total to that of the EU. Passenger cars are the visible aspect of this for you. That is understandable, but it misses the reality when used as a barometer of diesel in the US.

Excellent read, PCS. I remember waiting in gas lines in my parents' IH Scout "Aristocrat" that year. Mom was pretty good with the 4 speed! It's good to see the Colonnade cars getting some respect these days, I was part of the chorus damning them back then - but the Pontiacs were always pretty nice looking. Now that three Colonnades are in my barn, I remember them more fondly than I once did. They sold like hotcakes, and every other driveway had one of the wagons in it! All of the Colonnades were very comfortable to drive and much more responsive in handling than their size implies. Other than the extreme lack of power, they really were quite nice all around and more sophisticated in suspension and braking than their much-loved predecessors.

Your characterization is absurd. Diesel is available within a short drive in any populated area in the US. If you own a diesel, you will have to invest a good 30 seconds to perform an internet search to know which local station carries it. As for McDonalds, I would never darken the doorway of one of their stores.

Agreed on the optispark. Check out an f-body forum for everything you'd ever want to know about it.

Semantics - nothing more. The implication of your remark was that the US was still using the old "dirty" diesel. If you didn't know of the switch, just say so. It's not a big deal, really. "Scant availability" is no more correct than "short supply" when describing diesel in the states. "Appropriate availability" would be accurate. Precious few diesel passenger cars are sold here - the market has always resisted them. I buy diesel for my Silverado about 2 miles from my home.

" Favoured teenage posters" ? A rediculous remark, my friend. The fact is that Diesel is not in short supply in the US, and never has been. Our demand for it is simply focused on its use for trucks rather than in cars. There is no debate that it isn't used in cars in any way that approaches a European level, obviously. But, what you said was that low-sulfur diesel was in "short supply" in the US and that simply isn't true. So, what you posted wasn't conjecture, it was simply incorrect. I corrected your error with the facts of the matter - opinions are not a factor here.

I am very, very glad to hear this great news! Make it count.

Awful.

Congrats! ... I've been here forever.

I want to see a Ute in Karma Metallic.

aatbloke: You are wrong about low-sulfur diesel in the US being in scant supply. In fact, all diesel sold in the US is low-sulfur per the federal mandate that went into effect in 2007.

By CaminoLS6 GRRRRRRRR!

Love it!

Awesome.

Diesel is $4.70/gal. here.

It would take something like a production Velite to get my attention. ...Or an HSV Grange with the Tri-shield. :AH-HA_wink: I usually don't go in for luxury, but that car is just so elegant.

Blue Highways was a good read.

No offense intended, but what are you talking about?

Moving forward... err backward... errr several directions at once no. Toyota quality - it's skin deep.

This one has potential.

Maybe, maybe not. But I don't think a gap of meaningful proportions will open between them any time soon - no matter who is "in the lead" in a given year. Still, if GM's winning streak comes to an end at 77 years, it will never be topped. Automobiles as we know them will cease to exist before that could happen. Decent lifetime record if you ask me.

Oldsmoboi is, of course, right about this. However, a flex fuel vehicle is a compromise by definition. Given that millions of them are on the road, they should be as reliable as a dedicated gasoline - powered vehicle. They may not be optimised for the fuel, but durability and reliability should not be an issue. Damned lack of infrastructure is the culprit here. If that were in place, the engines could be optimised.

This will be a back and forth struggle for years to come. One quarter is meaningless.