Robert Hall

The FIRST EVER G3! (remember the original G6 ad campaign?)

Ya, lots of questionable facts... I've been watching with the volume down low, just enjoying the video of the cars.

Sometimes I wish things had worked out better w/ me and fiancee #2...we were so compatible as far as cars and money. She bought the cars she wanted with her money (Jeep Wrangler, BMW 328Ci, both manuals), I bought the cars I wanted w/ my money. We had stable careers w/ six figure incomes. Basically, our views were that her money was hers, mine was mine, and if ever bought a house, that would have been a common thing that would have been jointly funded (we owned our own condos). And like me, she loved dogs, travel, cars and had no interest in having kids. Alas, it was not to be. A BMW wagon, eh? A buddy of mine bought a clean used '07 5-series AWD wagon recently, he and his wife now have two AWD wagons (that and an '04 Volvo XC70), 2 dogs, no kids..

74F and sunny here today.. will be rollin' home in a few hours in a 2dr ht w/ the windows down and the sunroof open.

Strong resembalance...the 200C looks like a productized version of the Nassau concept. Similar arch to the roofline, similar greenhouse, similar hood, similar front fascia and grille.

Maybe his wife convinced him to get a CUV to haul their 2.5 brats around. Most married men I know are unable to choose a car for themselves, their wives keep them on a very short leash.

Yeah, I dislike Arizona for many reasons, but the weather here in January is incredible.

Well, remember, -40C = -40F. That's where the two lines cross.

Do you still have to wait for a light to go off before cranking w/ diesels today? I know w/ my '84 Escort diesel, I'd turn the key, wait 30 seconds until a light went out, then crank...something about glow plugs warming up, I think.

-43C sounds plausable for Canada...my friends from Regina have told me about horrific winter cold. I don't know how people live there. With windchill, doesn't it get down to -100 or -200C in some places in Ca in the winter?

I think if this were 3 years ago, there would be no problem selling GXPs w/o rebates...Dodge was selling Charger SRT8s pretty easily then. The economic meltdown has everyone cautious now, and many of us that can afford a $40k sports sedan are avoiding buying anything right now...everything is too uncertain right now to commit to a monthly payment. It's just not a prudent time for many to spend money on a new car.

Akron, Ohio or Cleveland in the winter is worse (I used to live in the Akron area).

Yeah... though I tend to associate some of them with gamer culture..of course, alot of people on the interwebs are gamers. I remember there was some specific slang on the internet back in '88, when I was in the text-based internet world of usenet newsgroups, gopher, archie, etc.

Ohio in the winter is pretty grim from my experience.

For teh loss...opposite of 'For teh win'. (I've learned all this slang working with 20-something gamer techies.. definitely not slang of my generation).

I remember several times that winter bundling up and walking from my apartment and walking to the campus rather than driving or trying to catch the bus.... I lived about 1 1/2 miles from the campus, and had an on-campus parking permit as I was a grad student at the time and a teaching assistant. Got a lot more more snow and cold in NE Ohio from '89-94 that I remember than when I was in SE Michigan from '94-97 (had ice storms there, but less snow in general, more gray).

Yah, I'm sure with dealer markups the G8 GXP will be well north of $50k.

My diesel Escort had an engine block heater..kept it plugged in in the winter. The coldest I remember starting a car was in '93 in NE Ohio...was -25F, cold and sunny. My '86 Mustang LX college car (2.3 4cyl, carby) started, ran roughly. But the power steering was frozen and couldn't shift. Took the bus instead that day.

I'm sure plenty of these 'diehards' want to buy a new G8 GXP for $25k. The 'rebates all the time' Wal-Mart 'low prices everyday' image GM has created sets up unreleastic expectations...

The 4x4s I've had have definitely been a bit heavier to steer with some kickback through the wheel and various strange noises when steering while braking at low speeds when in 4wd (lo or high). But if the power steering goes out completely, I could imagine these 5000-6000lb beasts would be pretty heavy to steer around.

I've seen two MKSes...a black one and a dark red one..they are quite striking in person, IMHO.

Who knows..the talking heads said it was a PowerGlide. If I see it on Saturday, I'll check the sign.

Watching the coverage on Speed, I just saw a '69 Camaro convertible w/ a 350 and Powerglide 2spd auto..the Powerglide was still available in '69? There's a '58 Impala on now, also with Powerglide.

Speaking G8s, I've only seen 4 since last May....2 in Denver--one bright red, one white, 2 in Phoenix--one bright red at the Caddy dealer on the dais, and one white that I've seen 3 times (in the same area, so I'm assuming it's one car and not 2 or 3).

Scouts are neat...but most every one I've seen has terminal rust. Though I've seen a few here in Phoenix that are in good shape. Other older SUVs I like are the old full size Cherokees and Wagoneers. And the XJ Cherokee and Grand Cherokees, of course.