Robert Hall

True, fattest nation on earth...and the Prius is cheap--$20k or so. It's a no more than the usual mainstream family sedan (Camry).

I don't keep track of fuel mileage, but I know roughly the odo mileage---'00 Grand Cherokee, ~67k miles, '96 BMW M3, ~55k miles, '87 Mustang GT ~64k miles.

I've seen lots of GCs on my trips to Europe..in London, Paris, Rome, Milan...mostly silver and dark blue. It's nice to see my daily driver in a non-familiar context. What's funny is that they look fairly compact in the States but on narrow streets of London or a twisty Italian road, they look huge! (Tahoes look even bigger..I saw a few in Italy and France). It's also interesting the difference in vehicle placement and perception in different markets..the GC is kind of a luxury niche product like a Land Rover in Europe while they are totally mainstream here. I've seen a few Cherokees and Wranglers also, but generally more GCs in Europe.

Yeah, she's aged well...she was great at the Live 8 show, I thought. I'll take Madonna anyday over today's lightweight youth popsters (Britney Spears, etc..). (Then again, I was a teenager of the '80s, so I have a fondness for '80s music and musicians)...

I hate most of GM's '80s and '90s interiors, but at least they usually had more colors than gray and tan. Pontiac interiors, esp. seemed overdone with hundreds of tiny buttons.. :) My favorite '90s GM interiors were the Cadillacs, esp. the Eldorado and Seville...also the Aurora and the last Riviera... I like the C6 interior, but the '80s C4 blocky dash with digital crap was hideous, IMHO...

Yeah...I was having an internal debate with myself about a large luxury sedan or sports coupe when I bought the M3.....(I had a Mustang GT and a Bronco daily driver then). I had been thinking about it for a year and was engaged then...then broke up and treated myself to a BMW.. :) When I bought the Jeep, I was thinking large FWD luxury sedan, AWD sports sedan (A4), or SUV (my Bronco was dying) for a daily driver...I ended up going with a loaded Grand Cherokee, so I could get some luxury with the SUV capability and practicality for a daily driver..

Well, different strokes for different folks, as they say... when I was 28, I bought a then-2yr old BMW M3... but I had come very close to buying an Aurora or a 2yr old Caddy STS at the time, believe it or not...thought seriously about an STS again when I was 30 but bought a Grand Cherokee instead.

I saw an Envoy XUV tonight....maybe only the second one I've seen outside of a new car show.

A few years ago, Navigators were the popular SUV with pro footballers (soccer players) and rappers in the UK... I've read that the Escalade is replaced the Navigator as the bling-bling wagon of choice... I saw two Escalades and 5 Navigators (2 were stretch limos) the last time I was in London...and a 1/2 dozen or so Tahoes in Italy.

I'm all for full access to healthcare...why should someone be denied healthcare because they can't afford it? It's a basic human right, IMHO..

Yes, along with dozens of baby cows for their leather. And some endangered species..

The blue convertible is an Astra (or Tigra?)..not sure what the red car is..a Brazilian Vectra, maybe (note the wide plates). Maybe the silver car is a Chinese Buick or Holden.

Back in '02, I saw 2 Commodores and a Monaro (all RHD with Michigan Mfgr plates) up close in a Borders bookstore parking lot in the Denver area.. all were dark gray with Holden badging..it was pretty cool..probably testing prototypes for the GTO then.

Remember the LaCrosse show car from a few years ago? Now that was a hell of a Buick...loved that design...

Both...not old enough and most are throwaway... there are certainly some that are worthwhile, but IMHO most mainstream cars from the mid-70s through today are just transportation appliances..

Well, the Silverado and Sierra will surely have bench seats and column shifters in their base versions... I don't know about the Tahoe or Yukon, though...I've never seen one from the current or previous generation with a bench seat...

I think actually would have preferred a column shifter in my Grand Cherokee..it's available only with the console-mounted shifter (beside the transfer case shifter). The two shifters take up a lot of space on the console that could have been used for more storage, etc..

Seeing photos of the old Hs reminds me how I miss the full-size 2dr coupe bodystyle... I think a Coupe de Ville version of the new DTS would be great, as would have 2dr versions of the late G-bodies....(imagine a 2dr Bonneville GXP and a 2dr Park Avenue Ultra)..

I remember when MTV had music videos and I remember when there was no MTV. I remember when most all cars had carburators and AM radios and vinyl interiors were still common. I remember watching new episodes of 'Starsky & Hutch' and 'The Rockford Files' on TV. I remember piling up big piles of leaves in the fall and racing through them on my go-cart. I remember have a bicycle with 1 speed, then later a 10-speed. I remember going to the grocery, the drug store, the post office, the gas station, etc and people actually knew my name and my mom's name!

For license plates, it's 25 years in Colorado.. I'm sure it varies by state. As far as perception, I usually think of 'classics' as specifically the '30s Duesenbergs, Cadillac V16s, Auburns, Cords, Lincolns, etc...luxury cars with coachbuilt bodies, etc.. I prefer the term 'vintage' for post-WWII up through the early '70s... '80s cars are just plain 'old cars', nothing I would consider classic or vintage..

The grille looks almost Mazda-ish...

I think the CTS dash and IP design is good, it's just the material is wierd looking and textured, IMHO. Definitely of better quality, though, than the current Chrysler interiors... I like the design of the new Mustang interior but some of the plastics are pretty cheap... ok on a sub-$20k V6 coupe, but less so on a $35k GT convertible, IMHO....

I like the interior design, though a flat-bottom steering wheel is ugly on anything, IMHO.. I like the exterior overall, but I see some Bangle in the side creasing...almost reminds me of an Audi-ized Z4 coupe..

I wonder what the origin of 'shooting brake' is...one of those great quirky British English words. I've usually only seen it applied to sporty 2dr British wagons before..

Psychologists do say that..also that men buy giant monster trucks (Ford Super Dutys, Dodge Ram Duallies, etc) to make for a certain inadequacy below the belt... :) I drive Mustangs and BMWs because I enjoy the way they drive, likewise, I drive a Jeep for its practicality, off-road ability, and comfort...