Robert Hall

19F this morning…and sunny. Brrrr. Way colder than I remember mid Nov the last 5 years. Just a light dusting of snow so far, nothing like points further north east up Lake Erie...

Probably too much complexity. Not just M-B, though. Most vehicles today have insane amounts of electronics, wiring, etc...too many complex parts crammed into tight spaces. Complexity for the sake of complexity. Disposable appliances not designed to repair.

Agreed. I’ve always preferred hatchbacks over sedans when models offered both body styles.

I had a couple Fusions as rentals in 16/17 and thought they were quite nice, compared favorably to the other rentals I had then (2 generations of Malibu, Impala, Passat and Altima). Good looking car..too bad the US never got the 5dr hatchback or the estate like Europe did w/ the Mondeo twin.

Gross... I couldn't imagine doing that to a house...but then again, I've never cared what the mainstream prefers.

I'm sick of gray interiors. They just look cheap and generic...pretty much all the automakers are guilty of crappy gray plastic interiors... black interiors are like caves... They need color choices.....and wood trim in 'premium' models. (there is some weird obsession with making everything gray these days..look at all the houses getting painted gray inside and out, gray painted over bricks, wood, gray kitchens, floors....'remodel gray'....barf. )

Exterior looks sharp, interior seems kind of plain. Needs color...too much gray inside.. One styling detail I wonder about..those 'blades' above the taillights on each side of the hatch probably should have been windows.. probably very dark in the back w/ the thick pillars and the 'blades'..

I liked Colorado quite a bit...the diversity of the Denver metro area, the wide variety of tech job opportunities, the vistas of the mountains. Definitely dryer than the PNW. Lots of Subarus, but also lots of Jeeps. Moving to Arizona was a family thing really, ultimately not a place I wanted to go. I could see myself moving back to Colorado maybe when I retire in 15 years or so.. a small town in the mountains like Salida, Buena Vista or Pagosa Springs could be a great place to live and explore. I do like hiking and the outdoors, not to the extremes that others do (I'm not into tent camping), but I do love getting out in nature...I enjoy exploring the many parks in NE Ohio and its' North Coast.

'latitudes and attitudes'... Though I lived in the Florida Keys for 6 school years growing up, and 11 years in Colorado and 9 years in Arizona, NE Ohio has always felt like 'home' to me...been way happier the last 5 1/2 years I've lived back here than I did in Arizona.

One thing I do like about working from home full time is I can be selective about when I go out, so I can avoid going out much in the bad weather. I’ve always preferred more northern climates, only a few places that are snow-free that I generally like and they have many negatives. I could see spending Jan and Feb someplace beachy eventually though.

I truly hate scraping ice off of my windshield or brushing snow off of a car...which is why I'm looking for a place w/ more garage space (so nothing has to sit outside next winter).

Reality is complex. Some places get very little snow. Some get a lot. Some tend to get wet snow. Some get dry snow. Some have a lot of sun. Some have a lot of rain. There are many microclimates. I've lived in enough different places across the US to know what I like and what I don't like.

'no-lift shift'...is that like rev-matching? Not familiar w/ it.

I'm pretty sure Erie and Buffalo get more inches of snow per year than Denver or Seattle. The Lake Effect at the NE end of Lake Erie is pretty powerful. Snowfall totals here in Cleveland can vary wildly because of the Lake Effect... Speaking of the C8, I realize I'm now in the target demographic..middle aged, good income, chunky and balding w/ gray hair, got my white New Balance shoes, golf clubs, Hawaiian shirts. But I'm not going to wear jean shorts (part of the Corvette stereotype).

Given that the C8 is 1/3 to 1/4 the price of the F8, the C8 is a more realistic purchase for me.

I had fun w/ RWD coupes in my teens and twenties...for the 1st half of the 90s I drove my '86 Mustang LX notchback and my '87 Mustang GT (both in my tiny avatar pic)...fun, RWD, manual. After the '86 was totaled in '94, I got my first SUV (Bronco II 4x4 w/ a manual). Then in '98 my last manual coupe ('96 M3). Wasn't until I was 30 that I got into Grand Cherokees for my primary vehicle. Looking forward to driving my '87 GT next year (getting refreshed this winter along w/ the '69 Mustang and '67 Cougar). Maybe I can dig out my '90s CDs and mix tapes and remember when I had hair...;)

I remember back in 1990 briefly driving a new Miata...my late brother was then a salesman at a small VW/Mazda dealer, they had gotten a red Miata. I took it on a test drive, was fun on a winding Ohio backroad but I felt too big (at 20 I was 6'0" and about 180lbs) for it..felt very cramped inside compared to my familiar Fox Mustangs. My sister had a '90 300ZX turbo, I drove it a couple times when visiting her in Boston, she had it only a year or so before trading on a more practical Saab 900. Was pretty nice IIRC. I miss sporty 2dr hatchbacks and trunked coupes...30 years ago there were so many choices, most w/ manuals available.

I'd be looking for a 1990 Nissan 300ZX which was available in the fall of '89 IIRC. Always liked these cars.

And a lot of these assclowns intentionally break their toys for the clicks.. and Happy Birthday, @Drew Dowdell!

Love those 80s Town Cars (grew up with them) and the RWD GM C-bodies of the early 80s.

Took a drive down south past Tappan Lake and over to Steubenville for some of my favorite childhood food, then back home. Beautiful 70 degree weather, though most of the trees down there have lost their leaves. Saw these two vintage Corvettes at a rest area at the lake..chatted briefly w/ the owners.. a '60 and '66. On the way home last night got passed by a dark red Lamborghini Huracan followed closely by a dark blue Ferrari 488 Itala.

Nice fall day...love this weather... went out for a couple hikes yesterday in one of the local metro parks and the national park. Mulched some leaves in my yard. Went to my favorite custard stand on the last day open for the year. Going out out again today...weather is too nice to stay at home and watch tv...got to hit the backroads and ramble...

Had the Jeep in at the dealer for oil change, tire rotation, front and rear axle fluid replacement, transfer case oil change a couple weeks ago. Today, got a set of Westin Oval 4" side steps installed. Running great at 69k miles.

Since most 1/2 trucks sold now are 4drs with very short beds (basically used as big sedans by normals), this would make sense...

Yes, pricy toys, nothing for real truck use.