Robert Hall

My favorite summer drinks- Mojitos and Coronas.....not listed.

I got my Droid a month ago and have been using it a lot..still use my laptop at home to surf, but everywhere else I'm on the phone. I've been playing around with Android programming, going to try and write an app or two this summer.

VVT of a sorts, sounds like.

From Allpar: Power ratings for the Jeep Grand Cherokee will be at least 280 horsepower (209 kW) [a later release showed 290 hp] and 260 lb.-ft. of torque (353 N•m) @ 4,800 rpm

Still in Missouri, or did you move out of state?

Moving?

I think the diesels lasted through '82 in the US, the T1000 came out here around '83...I wonder if Canada had a diesel version. Surprised GM didn't give Olds and Cadillac versions of the T-car (Buick got theirs in 'Opel' form)

If I limit it to late model (last decade), here is what I would go with: Chrysler: 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T (weekend fun) Ford: 2011 Ford Mustang GT convertible (weekend fun, sunny weather) GM: 2010 Cadillac CTS (commuter car) too many choices if I include older cars. If I expand it to what I would fill a large garage/barn with, I'd add these: Chrysler: '06-07 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, '11 Grand Cherokee Overland Ford: '03-10 Crown Vic PI, '03-04 Mercury Marauder, '03-08 Lincoln Town Car, '08 Mustang 'Bullitt', '06 Ford GT GM: '09 Pontiac G8 GXP, '10 Camaro SS, '11 Caddy CTS-v coupe All would make good daily drivers and some definitely weekend fun vehicles. plus some oldies.

Also India...huge country. Ireland, Thailand, New Zealand, and a country in S. America that I can't remember. The British Virgin Isles and Bermuda may also. Hong Kong did/does, but China does not.

Was the T1000 ever offered w/ the diesel? Back when my folks were into RVing, my Dad bought cars to use as tow cars..hook on the back of the motorhome so we would have something to drive when we got to the campsite. The family Lincolns were too big and heavy for this purpose, so my Dad started buying small cars. First was a '76 Vega coupe. He replaced that w/ an '81 Chevette Scooter, 2dr w/ manual. He said that was the worst car he ever owned. He traded that on an '84 Ford Escort diesel, 5dr 5spd, which I learned to drive in and drove to school for a while...the only FWD car he owned in 60+ years of driving and the only one I've ever driven regularly.

I drove sticks as daily drivers for 14 years in all sorts of traffic. Have had an automatic for the daily driver for the last 10 years. But I still drive a stick 2-3 times a year, so I can still walk the walk...plan to get a new car w/ manual soon.

Happy Birthday!

Wow...2hrs or 100 miles is my limit between stops...food, gas, or bathroom. I take some road food along w/ me--Goldfish, jerky, Red Bull, bottled water, Starbucks double shot cans, trail mix, but I like to stop and whenever possible check out local restaurants for breakfast/lunch/dinner.

Hard to argue against the Toyota model, though. Look at their US sales #s, profits, and market share over the last decade(recent recall issues not withstanding). Not that I'm in favor of Toyota, but it's hard to argue w/ their success. Clearly, Ford has their sights on them w/ the goal of beating them in the NA market. And Ford is doing plenty of model proliferation on platforms--Edge, MKX, Fusion, MKZ on the same platform, and Flex, Explorer, Taurus, MKs, MKT on the same platform...the NG Focus is supposed to have many variations worldwide. The two wildcards of interest to me remain their last RWD models--the Mustang and the Aussie Falcon. With the end of the Panther, are RWD sedans done for in NA from Ford?

The manual column shift thread made me think of this... I know a number of people my age (almost 40) and younger that have never driven a vehicle w/ a manual. I learned to drive w/ them, and drove Ford products w/ manuals most of the time for 14 years before getting my first automatic at age 30.

I really think they are trying to emulate the successful Toyota model--their wide mainstream US range goes from the tiny entry-level Yaris and Corolla to the upscale Avalon, with full size and compact trucks, minivan, etc in the mix. Lincoln is in the Lexus role, but at the lower price ranges. Will it work for Ford?

Interesting...no ventiports on the Regal.

Homer Laughlin

True..I was thinking the G6 and Aura as equivalent to the Malibu--FWD midsize sedans w/ 4 and V6 versions..the coupe and convertible seemed to be barely on the radar. Forgot the forgettable Vibe.

I liked both, but definitely preferred the R/S split bumper style w/ the offset plate (I have a thing for offset plates), huge grille, and round turn signals. I esp. liked the look of the Baldwin-Motion Camaro w/ the L88 hood and side pipes..totally badass..though the Z-28 was an impressive looking car as well. (this is the car AMT patterned their 1/25th scale kit off of)

I haven't taken a road trip in a couple of years..I have 5 long weekend trips planned between now and Labor Day, but all will be 1-2hr flights (plus a 4hr flight), what with how cheap Southwest and US Air are on Phoenix to Denver and Phoenix to Cali cities are...

Well, that is just the way it is...I'm not sure if the automakers are completely to blame or if the market is to blame...'mainstream' or entry brands have moved upscale, premium brands have moved downscale, crowding out the increasingly redundant middle. Buyers want premium content in their mainstream models..the market for stripper basic models isn't there anymore..thus, the mainstream brands have broad ranges of trim within their models, overlapping where the middle brands previously were. With loaded models like the Taurus Limited available (and pushing into MKs pricing), what's the point in a Sable? Likewise at GM, with the Regal coming, what's the point of Pontiac and Saturn between it and the Malibu? No room. In recent years, other than the Solstice, G8 and Sky, what did Pontiac (or Saturn) offer that Chevy and Buick didn't? Nothing. What did Mercury offer that Ford didn't have? Nothing.

Hopefully whatever the C-segment Lincoln turns out to be, it will have totally unique metal and trim and not just a Focus w/ Lincoln grille and taillights. The line about an Ecoboost engine is the Navigator is interesting...Ford hasn't done a RWD/AWD Ecoboost model yet. I'm assuming the Navigator (and Expedition) will remain BOF, RWD/AWD SUVs--Ford and Lincoln already have plenty of FWD/AWD CUVs.

They always seemed interchangeable to me...same drivetrains across both brands, often the same interior designs, just interior trim differences and subtle exterior differences...Road Runner vs Super Bee, GTX vs Coronet R/T (& Charger R/T), 'Cuda vs Dart GTS , 'Cuda vs Challenger R/T, Duster vs Demon..(with the '60s A- and E- bodies being the most differentiated). There were some pretty incredible cars from Dodge and Plymouth from the mid '60s to early '70s. Not to be nostalgic, but sometimes I wouldn't mind being 20 years older (like my brother is) so I could have experienced the cars (and music) of that era when it was new...

No edit..I wrote 'Dodge covers the lower end where Plymouth used to be plus the middle ground'. Pretty clear.