Robert Hall

I think the Pontiac 6000 was A6000 it's first year. Wasn't the most recent Pontiac minivan called a Montana SV6 in '05 then SV6 only in '06? In the '80s, Buick had a 'Somerset Regal' that became Somerset after 1 year then Skylark after another year or two, I think.. Nissan called the Altima the Stanza Altima it's first year and the Armada was the Pathfinder Armada for it's first year....

I read in a Car & Driver article about the Mexican Beetle that not one part interchanged between the original models and this last model...they looked similar, but were quite different in the details.

I've been going to a local Jeep dealer here for 4 years, the dealer I bought mine from is 60 miles away, and after I moved, I certainly not going to go back to the original dealer..the fact that I didn't buy my Jeep at the local dealer has never come up as a question or an issue of any sort..

Hopefully the worthless f*ck will get fired.

With the '06 Lincoln Zephyr being a one-year only model (becoming MKZ for '07), I was trying to think of some other examples of models whose name lasted only 1 year... or for that matter, models that lasted only 1 year or whose design lasted only 1 year..pretty rare in modern times..

Didn't GM sell cars under invoice last year with all the 'Employee Pricing' stuff?

It's wierd..they just didn't come to mind for a while..kind of invisible cars, I guess...

Ah...Impala SS and Pontiac Grand Prix GXP...forgot about those..the V8 is like 303 hp?

Lucerne is 275 hp also.

Since it's FWD only, that eliminates Audi's high powered AWD models. All the Japanese FWDers are under 300, I'm pretty sure. I can't think of anything recent that's domestic with over 300hp and FWD.

I have no idea... before sometime in the early '70s, cars used gross hp ratings. Today, net, I think.

Probably the '66 Toronado..but that would be in gross hp, not net.. I'm not sure about current FWD models..

I have two of 'em...my Jeep has the glass type, and my BMW has a metal one...never any problems. They are great here in Colorado, as we get a lot of sunny days..

I remember as a kid when McDonald's happy meal Hot Wheels were regular Hot Wheels--metal bodies, metal chassis... I have some somewhere in my stash, along with some Burger Chef specials.. sometime in the '90s they went to stuff specially made for MCD's that were mostly plastic.

Hideous... I wonder what kind of mental illness people have that causes them to do nonsense like this to a car...

Hanging out with family, doing some grilling, a little golf, and getting in some pool time in the Valley of the Sun.

I couldn't see a reason not to get the ABS...I think safety features like side airbags, etc should be standard an not an option..

I read that article, something is fishy there...I don't think Boxsters don't depreciate that fast...

Winter traction is the answer I've heard most often as to why people want FWD, AWD or 4WD..nothing 'laughable' about that.. Back in the day, I drove RWD in the winter with snow tires all around...people today don't want to mess with snow tires, so that is why they like FWD or AWD with all-season tires.. Besides, haven't people always relied on the media for their facts about cars--whether it is from Car and Driver, Consumer Reports, the local newspaper, or more recently, blogs and forums like these? Most car buyers aren't mechanics... Anyway, I don't see the point in the constant slagging on the Accord..it's a perfectly reasonable car--good reputation, reliable, safe, well-built, great resale value, easy on the eyes inside and out, and pleasant to drive..not an enthusiasts car, but fine for the average car buyer. GM needs to build something that is truly competitive with it, and the Aura defintiely seems to be close, with room for improvement...

A friend of mine is looking for one of those now..he has a '98 with 150k miles, and wants another one with low(er) miles for a daily driver..

True enough..I like BMWs for the total performance 'ultimate driving machine' experience---great handling, feel, great sound, etc... but in a luxury car, I see silence, isolation, smooth ride being top priorities, whether it's a Lexus, Buick, Lincoln, Benz, etc...

I thought you said you drive a Lincoln..headers on a Lincoln???

It depends on how young Buick is after..there are plenty of buyers in the 30-40 age range (much younger than the typical 50-75 yr old Buick buyer) that they could attract with a well done coupe.. think 3-series and G35 intenders...

Have you driven a current Accord, '68? I certainly wouldn't compare on to a '90s GM POS like the Skylark... it's a much better car than the current Malibu, for example. The Accord with the V6 and 6-speed manual drives quite nicely, has a well-done interior, and makes an all-around good general purpose car.. I know you have an anti-fwd fixation (I'm not a big fan myself, but I understand it's what the majority of buyers prefer in a family car), but your blathering is pretty laughable sometimes...

I was talking about the upper doorline, which is part of the greenhouse (I think of 'greenhouse' as the pillars, roof, glass, door uppers, etc above the beltline). I suspect they will have different C-pillar shapes and rear door glass shapes, but be similar otherwise. the front end and rear end shapes look considerably different. I don't know if it will be as different as the Aura is from the G6, but certainly I would think they would spend the $$$ to make them distinct... then again, in the old days, GM usually always had the same greenhouses but different lower bodies on CPOB sedans on the same platform, with the Ws being an exception).