Robert Hall

Not sure about the category of the Q7..I tend to think of the Touareg, Q7, and Cayenne as SUVs...they are more rugged and capable than most CUVs. Of the luxury premium SUVs, I like the Range Rover Sport, 2nd gen Merc ML, and 1st and 2nd gen BMW X5. They are more than I'd want to pay new, but make interesting CPO options I'd consider.

Do they have a budget deficit for this year? Is that why they raised the sales tax? AZ has a $2.93 billion deficit this year, supposedly 24.2% of operating budget. And it's impossible to raise taxes here.

Same here..I drive about 300 miles a week, of which 250 is work (50/day). I don't know what the gas tax in AZ is, but it's probably one of the lowest in the country since it's a red state.

I'd take a Grand Cherokee over any CUV... though of them, the only ones I kind of like are the Acacia and Enclave.

The cost of outfitting cars w/ GPS alone and cost of managing that seems like it would outweigh any benefit. A better usage tax is a consumption tax--i.e. a gas tax. The more you use, the more you pay..that seems more fair. I think some countries, specifically the UK, are looking at a use tax like Florida's idea.

Following Herr Borger now..

Different audiences, different purpose, I feel. There is some overlap in people I follow on Twitter and people I friend on Facebook. But the distinction is the group and the nature of the content--Facebook for me is people I know in the real world--people I know from high school, college, grad school, work, family, etc, and Twitter are some of the same (coworkers) plus people in my professional field (software) that I follow for their links, plus news feeds from CNN, BBC, local tv stations, motorsport news from various F1 websites, politicians, updates from Ford, GM and Chrysler, news and headlines from car magazines, Autoblog, tech journalists, tech news headlines, etc. For me, Facebook is for interacting with people I know (posting pictures, etc), while Twitter is a real time headline news/topic of interest feed. I use Twitter similiarly to how I use Google Reader with RSS feeds.

tweet

Nice cool fall weather today, though. Only 97 high. Supposed to get down to a chilly 69 degrees tonight. Wish I were in Colorado today--44 in Denver, with a chance of snow in Boulder and the foothills tonight!

Speaking of buses and tying it back to GM, Matchbox now has a diecast 'short bus' w/ a current style GMC Savana cab.

Some of the first automotive things I bought after moving to AZ was a fitted carpeted dash cover, steering wheel cover, and sheepskin seat covers and a better windshield sun shade. So far my dash hasn't cracked. I need to find/make an armrest cover, though, since it gets really hot on the 115 degree July days. Though I hope I'm done with those.

I recall round headlights and maybe a split windshield also. I've seen this style or similar in the LA area when I've been out there on vacations over the last decade..I noticed them because they seemed to be in use and looked so old timey.

Duct tape or electrical tape always adds a classy touch. On the cracked drivers door arm rest on my GC, I've used black electrical tape for the time being until I replace the door panel.

Not the divert the thread, but I've seen buses like that in parts of So Cal in recent years..I wonder--are they a late model bus w/ retro styling or are they as old as they look--the styling looks like it's from the '40s or 50s.

I missed the local Oktoberfests last year...will have to go to one this year. Went to the Denver Oktoberfest 6 years in a row, I esp. enjoyed the currywurst from a local German restaurant..

From my experience, yes....between '01-03 they decontented the various trim levels quite a bit. The '01 got a new and more reliable (I think) transmission, though.. I'd stick w/ the 4.0L 6 over the V8 for the slightly better mileage.

Crown Vics would make decent cheap beaters, I think.... back in the '80s, my brother went 5 winters on 2 '73 Ford LTDs, one was $50 and the other was $300...both ran great, one had 250k miles...Ohio rust eventually killed it (he ran over the radiator after it fell off and the rear axle w/ both wheels attached fell off...) I've been half tempted to pick up a CVPI myself as a commuter car..

That's the trend these days, what with the economy..would be a dramatic way to take one's self and family out...though I would think a cop would have just used a gun.

My favorites are the toilet paper and the hand reaching out of the toilet one..

Steering feel in both of those cars was great... and that generation of Golf ('99-05?) has one of the best small car interiors ever, IMHO...love the gauges and the layout. Rob

Don't laugh, but my only extended small car experience is with an '84 Ford Escort diesel that my folks owned for over 15 years and I drove off and on for a few years in HS and college. Had 52 hp, but got 55 MPG. But the steering feel was incredible....For a low power FWD car (and I was young at the time), I thought it drove great on the windy, twisty Ohio backroads, and the 5spd manual was reasonably smooth... The best small cars I've driven in the US were a buddy's Focus SVT and another's '05 VW GTI, and in Europe, it was a Merc A-class diesel in Italy...was a fun little car, wacky interior design and materials.

If people's handwriting in general is getting worse, I what this bodes for handwritinng analysis in the future. Another possible future will be like one in 'Idiocracy'...everyone lazy watching TV and eating fast food...

Never had a stuck accelerator, but I've had a broken accelerator..would only work if pushed all the way down. My first instinct in an automatic would be to try to shift to neutral, park or reverse with the brakes to the floor..with a manual, shift to neutral. Sad story.

With GCs, I'd avoid the first gen models ('93-98)--they have known transmission and electrical problems. Of the 2nd gen models ('99-04), the '99s had higher than average transmission and brake issues. I've been quite fond of my '00, it's never stranded me in 9 years and 103k miles, I've stuck to the factory maintenance schedule..it's had a few issues w/ engine, transmission, transfer case and rear axle seal leaks, and eats rotors every 30k, but the only big issue so far has been the driver's seat frame breakage issue. Still drives quietly and rattle free. The smaller XJ Cherokee has had a good reputation overall, I believe. They are quite rugged. Rob

Good point. Being able to type is just as if not more important in today's world. Being able to communicate effectively via email and typed documents is essential in any sort of business today. Hand-written documents and communications, like print media, are an artifact of world gone by, of the past.