Robert Hall

Just looking at the pics, I think I prefer the older one's nose...I like the headlights and smaller grille of the original..this is too blunt and the grille too big (as is common on too many vehicles today).

That reminds me...I haven't taken a 'destination unknown' random drive in a long time...I always seem to be busy w/ life and have a specific destination in mind--the office, a restaurant, Starbucks, Target, etc. Haven't driven just for fun in ages..

Straight 6s have been BMW's forte for a long time....I wouldn't underestimate the M3. Nice to see a 6 back in the M3 again.

BMW has more cash than it knows what to do with, besides unlike Australians, German voters are pretty nationalistic when it comes to purchasing vehicles, they have a German first mindset, too bad Americans don't think that way ... Americans have a 'cheapest wins' mindset instead.

Well, the key aspect to 'feeling individual' with driving is you don't have to be dependent on someone else for a ride....free to go where you want to go, when you want to go, what route you want to take, etc. It's one of those freedom aspects to growing up as opposed to being a kid driven around by a parent. I couldn't imagine trying to catch a ride w/ someone, waiting in the disgusting heat on a bus, having to call a cab, etc.

No..it's practical. I work in an office 18 miles from home. Going by bus or light rail would double my commute time and have several other inconvenient aspects.

Isolation would be not having a cell phone. I couldn't imagine not having a phone, and especially not having a smart phone...

Yeah, looks like it has the squared off wheel arches like the Outlook (current Acacia has rounded ones).

Meh...what's up w/ the black plastic slots below the headlights? It's like the headlight bezels are too small for the opening..

Happy Birthday!

Opening bid of $500 w/ BIN of $1500 would have been more realistic.

#1 due to being the Cheap Redneck truck of those that seem to not want to demand a nice better truck. They are the Plastics of the Plastic industry. So you prefer the GM interior that gets ragged on over the ford or dodge that most critics put on top? (serious question.) i haven't had first hand experience with all of them so i don't know Nothing wrong w/ GM and Ram interiors...I had a '10 F150 as a rental a couple years ago, the dash was just a bunch of ugly plastic rectangles within rectangles. Cheap, nasty plastics...

Yes, I could see that happening...in a fantasy world. Not going to happen in the real world.

Interesting..do they ever venture into the suburbs or outside the metro area? You can only get so far by bus or other public transit. I can understand not having a license if you only stay in a confined area...I could understand not having a car but having a license if there are resources like ZipCar available when you need a car.

Don't know what they use now, but when I lived in the Florida Keys n the '80s the local sherriff's department had a fleet of propane powered Dodge Diplomats. IIRC, they used propane in case fuel supplies from the mainland were cut due to hurricanes..

Are you absolutely sure that no competition will exist because of the corrupt activities? May be not in US, but countries who do not have power or much vested interest in crude oil are already looking into that alternative. Aren't people in this country clamoring to end oil dependence? Armed forces have a huge initiative on the same. Once the revolution starts with a competitive product, government and corporations will not overtly support the activities of dominance then the oil industry will go into survival mode. Just like OPEC came together to unify and charge people more, what is preventing OPEC to come together and destroy an industry with higher costs in short term by slashing prices so that long term it maintains the status quo? That is the reality. When domination enters survival mode, all bets are off. Oil companies have vast financial and political resources... I just can't see them allowing something to grow that threatens their existence.

Other than some hardware changes as far as the engines and maybe other dirty bits, the F150 is a 9 yr old design that had one refresh a few years ago and has bland blocky styling and an ugly cheap, plasticky interior. It's nothing for Ford to crow about...(well, other than being #1 in sales for the last 40 years or so?)

Yes, gas was that cheap. In the past. Not likely it's going to get that cheap again in the future. What is not understood is when there is a competition to the livelihood (dominance) of gas manufacturers, will they keep the future price at current level knowing the future will be in trouble? What makes these manufacturers drop the price down in the future to the ones in past? <cynical-realist> Competition. But that isn't likely to happen, as corrupt oil companies (and the politicians they own) actively work to prevent competition. Not to mention instability in the Middle East is always a constant threat to oil prices. </cynical-realist>

Yes, gas was that cheap. In the past. Not likely it's going to get that cheap again in the future.

In the future, maybe it will be like the Matrix...resource units just plug in and provide energy to the computers... As far as driving less, I wouldn't mind at some point living in a nice gentrified neighborhood in a large city where I only need my cars on weekends and can enjoy driving and live and work in walking distance of lots of restaurants and bars, etc. When I lived downtown I enjoyed it, but I never worked downtown--found myself commuting to the burbs..that got old. I want more square footage in a house, though, so my next place will probably be in the burbs...

Reality, circa 2012. People are so dumbed down that in another decade or so, will there be anyone under 30 in the US that can even operate a manual transmission?

An early '70s Hornet wagon w/ a 360 or 401 painted red/white/blue w/ minilite wheels would rock...

True enough...I've always thought my WJ drives quite nicely on-road for a 4x4, much better than the '96 Explorer Sport my Mom had or the '99 Explorer Eddie Bauer my sister had back in '00 when I bought my GC, and infinitely better than my old Bronco II did.. I never cared for the WK generation w/ it's blocky shape and violently cheap interior trim. The WK2, on the other hand,

Given when they launched the Genesis coupe and sedan in the US, they probably thought the investment in a separate brand and dealer network was too risky.

I like the idea... just as I liked the idea that GM treat Pontiac as such. Wish Pontiac had done that..,leave the FWD generics to Chevy and had a small focused line of serious RWD models..