CARBIZ

...hell, maybe I am one of those trannie hookers you eye every night on your way home!

HOney, we are probably neighbors!

I am surrounded on 3 sides by condo projects going up: a 43 storey tower, a 14 storey tower with a 33 storey tower behind it, and a 14 storey tower going up a block away. Within a 5 block radius of Yonge/Bloor there are 8 towers going up that are in excess of 40 floors, including an 80 storey tower just proposed for the corner. I try to navigate this maze nearly every day (my gym is in the 51 storey Manulife Tower that was pretty lonely when it was built 35 years ago). None of these streets can handle the traffic now on a good day, let alone with the constant lane closure and street excavations. I went to a GM meeting in Markham on Wednesday and it took me 55 minutes from downtown (Jarvis/Wellesley) to Kennedy, just south of the 407. 55 minutes. That used to take 30 minutes. The city has been so successful with "in filling" the downtown core that the DVP and Gardiner are stopped in both directions most of the day. I realize that other cities have worse traffic. I have driven in both New York and Chicago more than once, but it is outrageous to compare Toronto with either of those cities, but that is the point: whenever someone dares to complain about lack of infrastructure in this city, we get compared to London and New York. I just want to cry. World-class? Who are they kidding?

I can't think of ten that I like, however, I did drive a Datsun 300ZX a very long time ago and liked it a lot -cool dashboard electronics. The current Murano is very nice. I like the Mazda 7 & 9 Nothing else comes to mind......the Altima is okay. There are a few very good designs, but I honestly don't pay much attention to them. Worst? Element, Element, Element, Element....did I mention Element?

The tree huggers keep the agenda on "commuters" as though that is a 4-letter word, but the DVP northbound is grid-locked most of the day, all day. I have sat on it during a Sunday afternoon, crawling. I have come back from my sister's house in Pickering on Christmas day and crawled from the 401 south to Lawrence. The city likes to keep the agenda on transit, but the truth is the DVP is the only way out of the center core of the city to go north or east. Don't believe me? Yonge St. and Avenue Rd. are the only two to go north from the core that connect with the 401 - yet they are only 2 lanes in each direction. Jarvis is great downtown (except the St. Lawrence Market area), but then meanders through residential neighborhoods, shopping districts - then ends at Lawrence Ave. anyway! Forget Bayview: it bottlenecks at the Bayview shopping area, south of Eglinton and then basically ends south or River St. Leslie? Ah, sorry, it doesn't connect between Eglinton and Danforth, then ends around Gerrard again, then picks up to the lake. The Scarborough Expressway and Allen Expressway were to have alleviated the pressures on all the so-called arterial roads, but they were never built and the result is perpetual gridlock from about 7 a.m to 9 pm on the DVP and Gardiner. The 401 which at least has 16 lanes in some places, does occasionally move. Why is it that a person ceases to be a human in the eyes of city politicans, once they get behind the wheel and become a "motorist?" We pay $6 billion in gas taxes, which go into general revenue, while hardly any of the money is put into either roads or transit. But there is always money for the homeless and pet projects.

Ah, but the secret is "parts" of the companies are foreign-owned or controlled. Does Ford "own" Mazda? No. MITI screens every sale/purchase. Foreign nationals must form "partnerships" and "alliances." This way, they get our trade secrets, experties, technology, without losing any of theirs. China even has two sets of stocks that can be sold; one for real Chinese and one for the rest of us. Nobody ever said that the Japanese are stupid. Of course, they have to appear reasonable. Canadian newspapers are full of headlines these days about one national company after another (HBC, Abitibi, and now possibly Alcan) are being sold lock, stock and barrel to foreign companies. Even though there are some restrictions on sales to foreigners of companies and assets, there are no such restrictions on owning property here.

"1. You sound like a racist. That's my call. " Name calling, the last resort of the incompetent, that's my call. For the record, I lived with a black man for 4 years, and dated a Hong Kong pop star about 5 years ago. YOU don't know me, so try sticking to the facts and don't resort to name calling. Bully for you that you created jobs for Americans, but if any of those jobs are involved in selling Japanese made vehicles, then those jobs are part of the problem, not the solution. Or apparently you haven't paid any attention to the numerous studies, articles, etc. written on the decline of the American auto industry, posted on this very site, which has resulted in the disruption of hundreds of thousands of lives, while Japan Inc opens the odd plant here and there. On the one hand it is great that your little bubble, your corner of the world is doing great, but many, many industrialand white collar jobs are being lost in both our countries due to "free trade," yet Japan's trade is anything but. There is no denying that. Their markets are not open. That is plain and simple. Their people are suffering for it, too, by paying higher food prices and lousy bank rates; however, they are a tiny, paranoid nation that has to import most of its materials, so exporting value-added goods is what it needs to do for survival. Again , Japan blocks imports. Try to buy up property or a company in Japan - not easy. Ask Toys R Us. So, to end this (increasingly) pointless discussion, buying Japanese = bad (due to unfair and lopsided trade policies), not because I am racist, bigoted, ignorant, foolish or any number colorful (but tired) adjectives people want to hurl around.

Bob, you must've used a special "daylight" lens and taken the shot at 4 a.m.! I went to pick my other half up at Sheppard/Jane a couple of Sundays ago and the eastbound lanes were completely stopped. On a Sunday! Was I ever glad I was going westbound! The point missed by those who do not live here is that Toronto is ONLY 2.5 million. Even if we include the GTA, which would encompass the commute zone of, say, Burlington to Oshawa, we are barely up to 5 million. The trouble is our loud-mouth politicians DO compare Toronto to New York or L.A., which is a total joke, considering both of those cities are triple the size and then some. This city's infrastructure is old, out-dated and horribly under-funded. Most of the other highways were built 50+ years ago and have not been expanded, thanks to the tree-huggers. What blows me away is that by the Toyota Star's own figures, 76% of the people in this city DRIVE to work, while only 16% take transit, yet the city blew a billion dollars on the Sheppard subway line (5 stops that go nowhere and is running at 50% capacity) and won't even discuss widening the DVP (built in 1957) because - get ready for this, too many people will use it!

There are points to brag about, but having the busiest highway in North America is not one of them, especially when Toronto ranks as the 7th largest urban area! The trouble is with the way the city was laid out. City planners early in the last century never planned for wide enough streets for future traffic, then as buildings were knocked down and modernized in the '30s and '40s (when it was clear the auto was going to dominate), roads still were not widened. Consequently, virtually all of the downtown and mid-town arterial routes are only two lanes in each direction. Worse, they are choked with parked cars and this city's foolish promotion of "street cars." I have travelled in many other "young" cities and they were smart enough to plan for 6 and 8 lane arterial roads. The 401 ends up being the only choice for east-west travel, unless you count the equally deficient Gardiner Expressway, which the city is currently planning on strangling until it literally falls down. The tree-hugging-broccoli-eating-save-the-whale types are proud of having killed any highway construction after the late '60s, but the crushing traffic and 16 hour grid-lock on many thoroughfares has been the result.

WardsAuto.com, I couldn't have said it better. Calls of "xenophobia" (a cute term for "racist") won't wash with me. As I have tirelessly said, Japan does not allow imports of finished products. It blocks them at every turn. I don't give a damn where a vehicle/MP3 player/T-shirt/toaster is built, as long as the originating country is not playing footloose with trade rules. China is currently appearing to be all nice-nice because they need our technology, so we can be friends. For now. Naivete is going to get us as nations nowhere. The U.S.' current account deficit cannot be sustained forever. At some point the bill will come due. The only choice Americans have is whether they want a little pain now, or a lot of pain later. I would love to believe in the noble aspiration that we can elevate others to our standard of living, but in a future where increasingly hostile nations are vying for increasingly diminishing natural resources we could be commiting suicide, literally. I'd like to know exactly how the "domestics" left the back door open? I'd suggest that members here who are particularly fond of all things Japanese to bone up on MITI in Japan: what their function is, mandate, etc. Dig deep, because the truth won't be in glossy publications. For example, why are Japanese consumers propping up the banking system so that multi-nationals can enjoy 0-interest loans? If GM is "off-shoring" its manufacturing at this juncture, who can blame them? If Washington is not going to wake up to what Japan Inc is doing, as a matter of survival GM and others have no choice. It is the voters (and unemployed) who should speak up! Sadly, as long as middle-class America (and Canada) has their pizza and their remote controls, they are content to ignore the decline around them. We have all made choices in our lives. Some that we are proud of, some that we rationalize. I am happy that my life is portable enough that if confronted with the choice of selling out my country, I can refuse. I sympathise for those who may have made choices in the past, that although they may have seemed harmless at the time, are now only coming to light as having been far more insidious. But then the human condition allows us to rationalize almost anything, from a simple car buying decision, to choosing to purchase "hot" computer because it is a good deal, without regard to who we may be hurting. I enjoy this debate and I refuse to be dragged into name calling and insults. My skin is thicker than that and I am confident that I will have history on my side. I just wish that I was wrong.

GM and Ford are in a pickle. Nobody is denying that. We can all pull out our resumes and turn this into a pissing match, but the fact is that GM and Ford are swimmng upstream on this one. They are trying to do what is right and look after their employees while having grenades lobbed at them from Japan! If the Japanese government totally supports their industry (zero interest loans, artificial devaluation of the Yen, MITI interference at the highest levels) while Ottawa/Washington do nothing, then is it to be believed acceptable to join forces with the winning side just because, what - they are winning? Sorry, but I find that very sad. You can justify it anyway you want, but throwing in with Japan Inc is greatly contributing to the collapse of not only the North American auto industry, but perhaps the entire industrial backbone of North America. We can't just sit back and point to Wall Street or Silicon Valley and say, "See, America is still great," then pat ourselves on the back. Or are people missing the fact that a war is going on - a Clash of Civilzations, really. That war needs to be fed by taxes from gainfully employed people and from an industrial base that can continue the flow of arms. I have said this before and it is worth repeating: What will a future President of the United States do when he has to commandeer factories for war munitions when all those factories are owned by foreign companies? Is it not enough that a trillion dollars worth of dollars is currently held by our "friends" in Asia? Do we have to completely hand them our industrial base, too? So we can drive a shiny new Lexus? So we can have more choices of what to drive? Save a few bucks on a toaster or a pair of jeans? I am not the only one who worries that perhaps our "friends" have found a kinder, gentler way to contain the West; without firing shot, really. It is not such a stretch to connect the dots to where this is all leading. Wall Street smugly declares that the Chinese or Japanese wouldn't dare collapse the American dollar because they own too much of us - what kind of solution is that? What if they don't have to collapse the dollar? What if they just need to threaten to do it? Our democratic process is so seriously fractured right now that neither Washington or Ottawa could agree on what to order for supper, let alone Trade Policy. The lawyers have so bamboozled the politicians and Big Business that we are fighting over who is dumping softwood on each other, while far greater battles are being completely ignored. This is not just about manufacturing jobs. This is about who owns and who controls the trademarks and patents of an entire industry. With Ford and GM out of the picture, all of those patents, processes and technologies are up for grabs. They would be gone forever. If we as individuals don't decide to do what we can, in even small ways, to support what is left of industries on this continent, then we deserve to become second or third rate nations of service providers. I do not blindly support everything GM is currently doing, but I deeply resent the trade policies of many Asian countries and Japan in particular. Simply glossing that over is naive at best, unpatriotic at worst. There is plenty of blame to go around for reasons why GM is where it is today, but I personally will not EVER buy any Japanese vehicle or Japanese-made vehicle. For the record, I have always felt that way, long before I started selling GM products. When a friend of mine bought a new '87 Corolla, it nearly ended our friendship.

"It's the whole idea of Rick Wagoner "....looking out of his office window at the RenCen, seeing all those domestic and GM cars running around....and thinking that everything's hunky-dory...." Ah, wasn't Wagoner the CFO of GM-South America for a few years? From what I've seen, the senior, senior management have a lot of "world experience," it's more the middle-management who may be a little myopic. These are not stupid men and women, but I think they need to ditch the suit and go hang out in dealers around the country, both their own and the competition's. Forget the professionals that haunt focus groups and talk to the common man/woman out there.

You're taking this too personally, Enzl. I am not targeting you specifically. I am, however, targeting some of your points that your raised. Chill out! I have a good idea who you are. I've been following your posts, too! The Henry Ford remark was just over the top because that happened 80 years ago, while the temp positions Toyota is doing (if true, BTW) is here and NOW. Far more relevant, wouldn't you say? I have had this argument with dozens and dozens of people over the years. Our politicians on both sides of the border are playing this game, too. I had this argument with town business people and council when I ran my own business for 11 years. They would fight Sunday shopping, Big Box stores, anything to keep the status quo, because they thought it would benefit them personally, but it was hurting the Town. I could see that, and I was proven right, ten years later! If you read my posts, I have said many times that Toyota is and should be doing exactly what it is doing, because that is what true capitalism is all about. Avoid unions? By all means! Pit one state against the other for tax advantages? Of course! You will also realize that I deliberately leave Germany and the EU out of this because they are practicing fair markets and free markets. You can easily buy a Opel or Vauxhall in Germany or France, but what about Japan? Can that be said, too? Just don't expect me to hold it against GM that it is struggling to honor its commitments to its employees while Toyota gets a free pass. I may dislike Unions, but I understand GM has to deal with them. Toyota does not. Is that fair? No. So I will continue to put my money where my mouth is and I will NOT consort with the enemy, because that is what I believe Japan to be. They do not play fair. For the record, I place most of the blame on our governments and the media for paying attention to crap that is not important and ignoring what is. The Japanese government, like Big Business will only get away with what we let it get away with.

I want to drive them all, too, so you are not alone! I am old enough to remember these vehicles (as mostly beaters), but not old enough to have driven them. A guy I briefly dated in the early '80s had a '62 Plymouth - power brakes but no power steering! I had a '67 Polara in '79 and I did (illegally) get to drive my father's '69 300 quite a bit in '75ish. I love watching old movies just to get glimpses of old cars like these. The 2nd or 3rd Planet of the Apes featured a '71 New Yorker in a few of the scenes. The Happening (horrible movie, but great soundtrack) had a '66 (I think) Chrysler convertible featured prominently. Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (original) had a lot of cool "Forward Look" Chryslers. Just a few movies that come to mind. But best of all - nary a Honda or Toyota in sight!!!

I've always liked the 300, even the last generation. Kudos to Chrysler for making something destinctive. Whether one hates the look or loves it, it generates discussion about the styling and the company. Although I think it is a mistake to have the 300 pull double duty (under $30k and over $40k - Canadian, boys and girls!!), it wouldn't be a new way of doing things. My father had a '69 300 and the differences between the 300 and the Newport Custom at the time were mostly in engine size, seat cloth/vinyl and the grille, so there is a history to this. I like the current Impala/Monte Carlo, but they are more conservative in nature, which is GM's culture, for sure. However, I doubt you will find many people who would say the Impala/Monte are UGLY (non-descript, bland, perhaps, but not ugly); whereas, I've met lots of people who strongly dislike the current 300. I don't view that as a bad thing. As a perennial "also-ran," Chrysler needs to be noticed. Their marketing has always been done to a different beat. GM, however, has illusions about catching the Camry and believes that can't be done by taking risks.

I suppose then that we should not buy a Ford because of something that its founder did 80 years ago? Why stop there? Nissan was an extension of the Japanese military, contracted to build trucks and equipment in Manchuria, using slave labor. It's amazing how people will dredge up crap from the past about what Ford, GM or Chrysler did, but ignore what Japan Inc is doing NOW. Yes, they are creating jobs, but if they are creating 1 job for every 3 that the Big 2.5 is shedding, then that is losing math by anyone's accounting standards. That is the same mentality that Wal-Mart has used as it bulldozes through towns and cities, closing up small, family run businesses that have functioned for generations. Oh, but thank God I can buy a toaster for half the price it was 10 years ago!!! Why is there such a hate-on for Michigan? Some people appear to be happy that Detroit is imploding as a city! If Toyota was so charitable, the least it could do is open plants in the Detroit area to help that city out! Ha, ha. You know, my '83 Rampage was a piece of crap; so was my '87 Shadow. Do I go around dissing Chrysler today because of my eperiences 20 years ago? When I replaced my '91 Caprice and went looking for a car that could tow my boat, I was annoyed that nobody made RWD cars any more, but does that mean I am going to boycott GM and Ford because they abandoned a market that I felt was needed? And in my opinion, a big part of the problem that GM and Ford are facing is because so many dealers went to the Dark Side and bought up import franchises when they were cheap, and since they are now making money hand over fist at their import dealers, they don't give a $h! if Chevrolet/Dodge/Ford fail. A collaborator is someone who sells out their friend because it will benefit themself. Would I work for Toyota or Honda or BMW? Absolutely, emphatically not. But then I have morals and integrity.

I wonder if the Japanese government pits city against city like we do here? I can't believe people would be making light of jobs being lost in Michigan, just because Kentucky or Texas is getting some. That is just outrageous. Japan Inc is laughing all the way to the bank and must absolutely love watching us North Americans eat our own!

You guys are right. I concede. It is more important that I have no controls over my life and have complete choice to do whatever I want, whenever I want. That's called anarchy, guys. There has to be some form of controls, it's just that some of them are subtle and you don't know they're happening! You can choose a little intervention now, or a convulsive spasm later - that CHOICE is certainly yours. The great Canadian and American experiment has produced a lot of successes in a kinder, gentler time. What we don't accept (or realize) is that many of our trading "partners" are not encumbered by the same nuisances, like democratic process (China and others) and are for more homogenous in their directions. If you listen to the conflicted bleatings out of Washington or Ottawa these days, you would be forgiven for getting the impression that nobody has a clue what is going on. While we worry about Kyoto and other niceties out of the '70s, the world has become far uglier and, worse, more confusing. Was not dealing with the Soviet "threat" at least a little more obvious than the shifting sands of politics that exists now in, say, the Middle East? Japan may be a little more fuzzy and confused in its domestic policies, but thanks to MITI, it's foreign policy is not so fuzzy. We cannot exist solely on "service sector" jobs. Intellectual property is very valuable, to be sure (just ask Bill Gates), but that is assuming your trading partners respect intellectual property rights. As long as Silicon Valley and the great thinkers in New York keep spitting out new ideas, trying to discover the next big thing, "emerging market" countries will keep on copying them and selling them back to us at a discount. I grew up on Star Trek and truly want to believe the future will be bright and rosy, but 3/4 of the world lives on less than $1,000 a year and many of those people hate us and our way of life. On the other hand, if those people were to strive for our standard of living, the planet would implode from the strain on its resources. There's a great choice: keep 'em poor so they hate us and we can use up the planet; elevate them to our level so they can compete with us and exhaust the planet. It's almost comical, really: but stepping into a dealer show room can be the most political statement that you can make for your and your country's future.

Whatever you do, don't become Stepford Parents. I used to have a lot of straight friends when I was younger and maintained most of those relationships once they got married (providing I got along with their spouses!), but soon lost track of all of them after they had kids. It isn't just that they no longer had time to get together or do anything - it is like their "self" ceased to exist. They had no time (or energy) for any of their own personal interestes of hobbies. It was kind of scary. It's no wonder so many marriages destintegrate: even if they survive the stress of 20+ years of raising kid(s), often when the kid(s) have finally left home the husband/wife don't even recognize the person sitting across the breakfast table from them.

That was cute, Enzl, but thus far GM is opening factories in other countries to build vehicles for those countries. Thus far, very few foreign-built GM vehicles are making their way to the North American market. However, Ford and GM's plant closings in North America are a DIRECT result of increase import presence in North America, that much at least is clear. Toyota may get a lot of free press over opening a new plant in North America, but the odd person may notice that Ford and GM are closing plants (and laying off people) at a much greater rate. Would it not follow, then, that Toyota's smoke and mirrors PR is just that? I am merely pointing out that should GM get fed up with the lop-sidedness of the issue and abandon production, if not sales, in North America - well, as horrifying as it is to contemplate, I can't say I would blame them. And what is coming out of New York these days, other than a lot of fat cats getting richer from pushing a lot of paper around, not to mention some high level corruption scandals? Does anybody actually BUILD anything in New York any more? This entire "service industry" growth has me suspcious. Isn't that sort of like some pyramid scheme? I mean, how many people does it take to invest other people's money - especially if fewer people have any money left? And, yes, there has been some innovation coming from the electronics and computer industry on this side of the Ocean, but then I read that a new university city just opened up in India and how they will be pumping out more programmers and engineers than America has ever seen. Color me foolish to worry that we are selling out future up the river and (if I may, as a friendly neighbor) suggest that America is a tad bit over confident in its ability to continue the rugged, cowboy persona much longer. Politicians are too damned scared (or lazy) to stand up for what is right, and the public too damned selfish to sacrifice ANYTHING. God forbid if we give up any CHOICE.

Uh, oh...I feel a debate about global warming coming on.............

My mother got a Eureka vacuum for a wedding present in 1960. I used to push my sister around on it when we were kids and throw it down the stairs in sporadic, typical 9 year old tantrums. Ironically, I inherited this vacuum in 1984. Other than replacing the power cord a couple years after I got it, I used this vacuum until 1991. I replaced it with a $500 Kenmore, which needed a new hose after 4 or 5 years and completely died by 2003. That Kenmore was replaced with two new ones since. In fact, the latest (and last!) Kenmore is already chewing its own retractable power cord and it is only 14 months old! Obsolesence? What obsolesence? Did I mention the Eureka had to vacuum a house for 5 people, yet the Kenmores have only needed to suffer me and my (ahem) various live-in partners? How about the ancient GE washer/dryer that we inherited in 1971 when we got a house; the dryer lasted until the early '80s - again a family of 5. I have had 3 Kenmore washers in the past 10 years; the dryer (so far) has lasted 10 years, although the timer is acting up these days. Appliances are incredibly cheaper now than even 5 years ago! I am currently shopping for an a/c unit and they have them for $100, with digital timers and everything. My Carrier that I bought 4 years ago was $400 - on sale. What about $75 microwaves? As a consumer, I am thrilled at the price drop, but my conscience is asking me - how is this even possible? How can a/c units drop to a quarter of their price in only a few years? Is it possible to buy any of these appliances that are actually built here any more? Frankly, it worries me a little..................

This entire debate reminds me of one of my favorite Monty Pyton skits where a bunch of old timers sit around and brag about how bad their child hoods were....does it matter if Toyota is at 70% or 50%? Ultimately, Toyota will do what is best for Toyota (as would be expected), but isn't it obvious by now that they won't be happy until Ford and GM are completely gone? This has gone way beyond normal good natured rivalry, in my mind. Once GM and Ford are gone, then Japan Inc will be pretty much free to do what it wants. Just look at the ruins of the television/electronics business in North America to see the future. Japan Inc is relentless (they do have the full support of their government, after all) and will not stop at half measures. They have already won the PR war (that much is also obvious), but I wonder what it will take to finally wake up the sleeping Masses. Perhaps Toyota could buy shares in GM to prop it up. Wouldn't that be nice?

I do like you math, Enzl. 12,000 Canadian parts jobs have been lost in the past 3 years, according to the National Post a couple days ago. Ford and GM laid off 2,400 workers while Toyota opens a new plant in Woodstock that will....get ready for this, HIRE 900. IS THAT SIMPLE ENOUGH MATH FOR YOU? Ontario is just damned lucky enough to have a few of the GM vehicles that are doing well in terms of sales. What choice would GM have, really? Washington is not getting the message that Japan Inc is hiding behind subsidized health care in Japan and, yes, Canada. They are hiding behind an artifically low yen, interest free business loans in Japan (paid for by the hapless consumers in Japan and their creaky banking system) and the benefits of having watched all of Detroit's stumbles and burdens of the past and being able to avoid them. Oh, all the while not having any serious competition in their own home market. If GM can open factories in Australia or Korea or Indian and ship the vehicles here, and Washington is stupid enough to allow that, too, then more power to GM! Haven't you heard of the old adage: If you can't beat'em, join 'em? America's open markets are pricing itself right out of existence! Given China's rate of growth, in less than 10 years China will be the world's largest economy. Give over the auto market to Japan now, so China can take it in 15 years. Either way, until there is some semblance of a true fair market, and until import humpers everywhere stop being so f@#kING SELFISH, the bloodletting is going to continue until every single one of us is out of a job. This is about survival. Sure, GM should have seen this coming 20 years ago when the first Japanese transplant factories started opening - they should have seen that Detroit was bound to lose its influence in Washington, but who among us would have believed 30 years ago, or even 20 years ago that Japan Inc was going to be a serious threat to Detroit? Could GM or Ford have stood up to the UAW in the '80s and said NO to their gold-plated pension plans or health care? Kudos should be given to Detroit for recognizing the truck market in the early '90s and seizing on that, but they weren't planning for the next Big Thing - whatever that will be. America is losing its pre-eminence on all fronts. Detroit knows that. By all indications, China and India will be the biggest auto markets in the coming years. Perhaps GM will soldier on as an American owned company that operates almost solely in China, wouldn't that be just desserts?

...was a diehard Mopar fan in years gone by. My first car was a '67 Dodge Polara that I bought for $50 and a pair of stereo speakers from a friend of mine in 1979. It had after market Sears a/c that still worked! My father was a Mopar freak, having owned a '66 300 and '69 300 (after he rolled the '66!). My fondest memories were of playing in and on a '57 Plymouth when I was about 6 years old. I miss the old hardtops. One of the things people may not know about those old hardtops is that there was very little wind noise on the highway with the windows down because there was no B pilar and no shoulder belts to flap in your ear. Try that with most modern cars! NO wonder everyone needs a/c these days! And those who crow that hardtops were not safe are mis-informed. My dad rolled his '66 down an embankment and it rolled 3 times on it side, blowing out all the windows, but the roof was not that badly deformed - and he walked away from the incident!