Robert Hall

My sister's definitely felt more sensitive to crosswinds compared to my Grand Cherokee. Felt tall and narrow in comparison. I drove it from Phoenix to San Diego and back a couple times, wasn't a bad overall to drive. The lack of height adjustment on the seat was irritating (base model). The Mercedes-style power window switches on the console take some getting used to if you aren't familiar w/ MB details. One thing that took some getting used to for me relative to the GC is that the windshield is pretty vertical and the dash very shallow... very upright feeling. As far as the overall design, for a small Jeep I prefer the XJ Cherokee, but those haven't been sold since '00-01, so it would probably be hard to find one now w/o high miles and wear.

My sister had a 2wd '04 for a few years...it was pretty nice..drove smoothly, was reliable while she had it.

I'm wondering where they are sourcing their components from... the dash looks like a lot of production parts from somewhere. Seems like a very expensive and unlikely venture to get off the ground.

You have much in the way of fall colors there? Would think they would be nice there. I miss fall colors..don't really have them here in the desert.

Sounds like winter has arrived. They've had some early winter snow and cold back home in Colorado lately also.

Came out of Petsmart and found this most incredible Mini Cooper S convertible parked next to me, top down. Some special edition, 'Sidewalk'. Was an incredible silver/green/gray color with baseball glove color leather inside...like the one in this pic, but with more chrome inside and out. Truly had me lusting over a FWD subcompact..what a delicious interior. It was the 3rd gen '09 model, I think.

I'd like one in dark gray or matte black w/ black steelies, black trim and blackout windows..

Haven't heard about this one...will have to check it out. I'm ready for a new phone w/ Verizon now, tempted to get the Blackberry Tour, but also thinking about waiting until early '10 to see what else is available.

Probably used to do renditions.

October through April is really nice in Arizona. May though September, not so much.

Here in AZ the Alltel brand is now Verizon...my understanding is the name is being phased out, replaced w/ Verizon.

I saw the guy nearby with his Laguna out again..he'd had it stashed away for the summer, I think..first time I'd seen it since May...sharp maroon '74 w/ white factory side stripes and Rallys. Looks like he's upgraded to some 18 inch or so wheels, aluminum rims w/ gray spokes. Had his dark green '73 Camaro SS beside it in the driveway, cleaning on them.

I think Ford had a concept w/ a joystick in the mid '60s. Nothing can replace the steering wheel for it's simplicity and functionality, I think.

Great weather lately...cool in the low 60s at night, highs only in the mid '80s. Nice and breezy this morning, slightly chilly about 75 at 10 am..went out in jeans and a sweatshirt, drove w/ the windows down. I like this time of year.

Interesting..Verizon acquired Alltel, but maybe not all of Alltel's network? Overall, I've liked my LG chocolate slider. But the browsing is simplified..I can read my yahoo mail and gmail, news headlines, etc. but it's hard to search and surf to specific sites. I liked the Motorola G60s flip phones I had a few years ago, overall they worked well. But the aluminum case tended to get hot in my pocket. Not good. I'm leaning towards the Blackberry Tour for my next phone...have read about it, have to check it out in person...if I can browse the web, use Twitter, Facebook, eBay, Gmail, etc then I'd be happy.

Good news...good riddance for GM to be free of that turd.

I thought this thread was going to be about Toyotas or other generics.. I've always had good luck w/ Kenmore appliances. I have Kenmore stainless steel fridge, dishwasher, and range in Denver and Phoenix. So if you are just now washing dishes after 7 years, A) you either have a lot of dishes and let them pile up, B) ate out all the time (that gets spendy), or C) used paper/plastic plates..

I do that when I'm out of town...find if I don't do it, the sound quality of the calls are horrible. Oddly, I've only noticed that I have to do this w/ the LG phone, never had to do it w/ the Motorolas I had previously on Verizon.

Get some pretty good seafood and sushi here, what with it's close proximity to the West Coast, I assume. I generally avoid fast food, though I have a weakness for the occasional McDs or Jack in the Box. Have been sick all week w/ a nasty cold, not much appetite..been eating a lot of soup..

Probably not legal, though. No taillights. Also, seems like it would be illegal to drive around w/ the dirty bits exposed (gas tank and filler, axle, muffler, etc...)

I've had great service with Verizon..had them since '00. About the only dead spots I've found were on I-80 in Nevada, I-40 in NM, and some back country areas in Colorado. Been fine everywhere else I've used it--Ohio, S. Florida, Arizona, California, Hawaii, etc. I currently have an LG Chocolate slider w/ them. I've never been able to get a phone to work inside my Mom's house in Ohio, but that is due to the 150 yr old construction w/ foot thick sandstone outer walls and lathe inner walls, I think. Always have to go on the porch to call or check email or surf the web when out in there in the sticks. I want to upgrade to a Smartphone when I get a new phone (I'm eligible now for a new one), thinking about the Blackberry Tour. I like the form factor on BBs and the keyboard, don't think a touch screen would work well for me...I prefer a clicky qwerty. Interesting in seeing what new comes on Verizon in the next few months, esp. something with Android. I really want something compact enough to fit inside the front pocket of my khakis (no goofy belt holster for me) w/ a real keyboard, and a screen big enough to be useful for some surfing. I don't care about having music on it, since I have my iPod Classic for that.

Yeah. Looks like the regular Middle East Caprice grille and trim looks like the cop car concept.

I think that car and the company (Carbon) is vaporware and will never get off the ground. And even though it's a diesel, isn't it likely to be 2-3x the cost of a regular cop car?

Hmmm...in my cul-de-sac, 'my' garage and carport content is not bad--'84 Merc 500 SEL, '91 Merc 300CE, '00 Grand Cherokee. Interesting is the house w/ the white '94 Merc E320 convertible, yellow Merc SLK, and yellow '70s IH Scout II. The one at the end of the street w/ a late model BMW 5-series, Audi A4, and Chevy Avalanche isn't bad. Next block over, though, is the house w/ the maroon '08 CTS and white '62 Fleetwood Sixty Special...that is sweet. As is the house w/ the black Porsche Cayenne Turbo and black 997 911 Turbo. Worst? Maybe the house w/ his and hers gray Priuses, or the one w/ his and hers CRVs. Or the guy next door who's 2 car garage is full of stuff, and their '00 Tahoe and '00 Ram sit in the driveway. Or the house across the street w/ the late model Monte Carlo w/ #3 decals, the skater kid's new black Kia Soul w/ the rear window decal that says 'My other ride is your mother' and a Nissan Frontier (they don't keep up their front yard, just full of weeds).

Kinda looks like the grille from the mid east Lumina (SWB Zeta), IIRC the middle east Caprice has a fancier grille w/o a bowtie..