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Duncan

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About Duncan

  • Birthday 11/25/1979

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Colorado Springs
  • Interests
    Cars, license plates, cars, video games, cars, music, cars, film, cars, sports and, uh, cars (did I make that clear enough?)

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  1. ...is fantastic. Totally 1970s - as it should be. And yeah, something about the Olds 455 sound...just beautiful.
  2. Well, I agree with you partially. Kill the nonsensical Compass, keep the recently-refreshed and decent-selling current Patriot for a bit longer, and then redesign it on an evolution of the Journey's platform in a few years. Keep it reasonably-sized (no third seat for the Jeep version, thank you), make it nimble in town, and add an optional Trail Rated package for those who want it (like me). The current Patriot is admittedly a pretty substandard beast even with its revised interior, but it does one thing right in attempting to get some real off-road ability out of an economical package. I'd appreciate more work along those lines from Jeep in the future - along with the usual harder-core stuff like the new Grand, the Liberty (hopefully with the new 3.6 engine soon) and the Wrangler. I mean, if the Russians have been selling crossovers like this successfully for decades... ...I'd think Jeep could get on the same bandwagon by now, and do an even better job of it. (By the way, this is my first post in a while - good to see the C&G crew remains as sharp as ever!)
  3. My parents used to haul me and my brother and sister around in an '88 Dodge Colt Vista, which was about the same size as a Mazda 5 but had 4WD to boot. That was a neat little wagon. Got better mileage than the Caravans and Aerostars everyone else was driving, too.
  4. Anyone else see an easy opportunity? Ford used to have the Focus wagon here, but that recently disappeared. Maybe Saturn can capitalize with a version of the Astra wagon.
  5. Duncan

    Building a 128i

    But it begs the question - if it's that similar, what's the point? Why sell a slightly smaller, less spacious version of the same vehicle? The same vehicle with BMW's new four-cylinder engine would make a lot more sense. Maybe that's BMW's plan - I hope so.
  6. Lemme just edit what you apparently forgot to emphasize. That's closer to what you intended, right? It would fit your usual pattern...
  7. I have to agree, as the V8 is kinda the whole point of the Camaro. My only compromise would be the choice of an automatic over a stick, since that's probably the only way to get DOD and the extra economy it provides.
  8. I did, thanks. And this is what I read: Translation: Remove GME/Holden/Daewoo from the company as the "stronger" side, leaving GMNA to survive on its own (perhaps called something else, though we would know better). You may personally translate that in the opposite direction - removing GMNA and leaving GME/Holden/Daewoo to survive - but my definition is how such a move would eventually pan out in regards to the home country's industry. (Remember, GM is still an American company. Remember?) Feel free to ask yourself how the separation of Chrysler from Daimler panned out. My view is that a stronger Daimler took what it could use, then excised Chrysler and threw it out like so much dead weight - allowing Chrysler's stock to plunge, since clearly Daimler had "no faith" in their American arm's abilities. I'd rather not see a similar situation as to what has happened/is happening with Chrysler (merger with large auto company, later buyout by investment group, subsequent misdirection and economizing, and probable eventual sale as a tax write-off) or MG-Rover (basically the same, but with complete collapse of the organization first before the tax sale). Australians should consider this an ominous prospect as well - what use would GME/Daewoo have for anything that Holden is able to provide, except on a token level?
  9. My 60-year-old father, a long-time import buyer (most recently Toyota for my mom and Honda for him), was amazed at the quality of the Malibu when we saw it at the Denver Auto Show recently. As he said, "I'd be proud to own this car. I'm glad GM finally gets it." He also really liked the Buick Lucerne (he was surprised that it offered a V8 engine), but is amazed at the amount of energy expended on the marketing of full-size trucks and SUVs. Keep in mind that my dad generally views cars from a design/practicality standpoint. For instance, despite all of its other fine features, he immediately discounted the Ford Five Hundred for having a "crappy trunk" (specifically, with exposed hinges and poor finishing). He was also very impressed with the new Challenger and the Mustang Bullitt ("that's what these cars need to look like" - he never liked the last-gen Camaro, as it was too futuristic for his tastes), and has finally been vindicated by the HHR Panel in his wish for someone to build an economical panel truck (though he still wishes it came with 4WD of some kind). I suspect he'll be even more impressed when Ford finally brings over the Transit Connect. He has also grown quite appreciative of my sister's Kia Sedona (perhaps the best cargo space value on the American market), is only half-convinced about my own Mazda 626 (since he hates its low stance compared to Mom's Camry), loved his old Subaru Justy and Suzuki Swift purchases, and thinks the Toyota FJ Cruiser is an overpriced plaything that doesn't justify its poor fuel economy or compromised design. And don't get him started about people who use pickup trucks as family sedans. The current Toyota Tundra, to him, is a bad mistake that Toyota never should have made - too big, too lacking in quality, and too much of everything he didn't like about American pickups. Finally, he sees no reason why EVERY car shouldn't have a hybrid system. He wishes his own Element came with one, and still laments that Honda won't put their system on more vehicles that need it. He might have seriously considered the Saturn Vue Hybrid at one point, but it has never had enough usable cargo space for him. What does all this tell us? That intelligent design, practical engineering, and competitive products can win over even the jaded import buyer. If the American makers keep that in mind, and continue working toward great products rather than easy profits, a turnaround IS possible.
  10. Correction - the plants and employees of Chrysler will be owned by a foreign company. And wouldn't it be ironic if Renault, who Chrysler squeezed out of their company once (via AMC), came back along with Nissan to take them over entirely?
  11. No, it doesn't. Half of GM's engineering that it will need to survive in the next decade - EcoTec engine development, smaller platform architectures - is centered in Europe and Korea. Stock analysts like these kind of moves because they shake up the market and increase speculation, which is good for them - but $h!ty for actual product development. Not to mention the effect on corporate morale - it turns everything into a saleable asset, rather than an integral part of the company. For those who will instantly compare this to Ford's sell-off of Jaguar and Land Rover, that's not an apt comparison because neither of those brands did much that was innovative on their own - they borrowed from the larger engineering centers of Ford Europe and Volvo Cars. (This is why I still think selling Volvo Cars would be a horrible mistake - they have done, and continue to do, a lot for Ford.) What needs to happen is a serious rethink of how GM develops its vehicles - every vehicle should have the strongest possible case to be able to be sold to as many buyers around the world as possible. Whether this is derived from something as simple as offering different powertrain choices in various countries, or is more complex like substantial platform-sharing arrangements, each vehicle needs to make a case for itself. Splitting the company into digestible chunks, however, is the fastest way to having no company at all.
  12. I would think one of the 6T automatics is a given. Having a NA 2.0 DI is also a good idea, but a smaller engine - maybe a 1.6 DI? - in base models would not hurt. However, adding the hybrid tech is probably a bit much - GM is already having problems with battery supplies, so there's no need to aggravate that further until things stabilize in that regard. Finally, has anyone heard anything about a two-door version of this car? All I've heard and seen relates to the four-door...I'll be sad if the coupe disappears.
  13. Agreed. But thinking back to the Mako III (1993, I think?), it's impressive how much actually made it into the C5. If this so-called XR1 is a similar forecast, color me intrigued. Also, is Bumblebee still using fake wheels, or are those the real alloys this time?
  14. Fair enough. Keep in mind, that's a review of the Lumina as a used car - if I'm remembering correctly, CG's new-car reviews for the Lumina grew steadily less forgiving after 1992 or so. (This makes sense, considering some of the best-ever versions of the Camry and Accord were arriving about that time.)
  15. My problem with that is, why the hell should Buick be FWD, too? (I mean, if it's good enough for Pontiac...)
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