Robert Hall

I've probably bought about 500 old models (58-80 vintage, 1:24/1:25th scale) from ebay in the last decade...I have about 1500 newer and older ones in my collection, mostly unbuilt..got to get around to building them eventually...but at the rate I build, it will take a while..

Maybe to the masses, but to me nothing about FWD implies luxury....FWD w/ transverse V6 is strictly mass market. All the good stuff is RWD (BMW, Mercedes, higher end Lexuses, etc). FWD w/ transverse V6 is lowest common denominator, mass market average.

Yes, everything on the front page is a month old or more. I don't know about other users, but I never go to the front page--I have the main forums page book marked and just do 'view new posts' when I visit the site and auto-subscribe to everything I post to..

That's why I'd rather GM let Buick do the entry-lux FWD, transverse V6 CUVs to compete with Acura and Lexus and focus Cadillac on competing with real luxury SUVs---the X5 and ML which are RWD/AWD w/ V8 options... Not all luxury SUV buyers are women...I like them, but I prefer legitimate luxury--RWD/AWD which BMW and M-B stick with..by making FWD generics, Cadillac is clearly stating they aren't big league.

'747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation' by Joe Sutter is an excellent book...Sutter was the project lead on the 747. I read this book last year when I was contracting at a Boeing subsidiary working on navigation charting software--fascinating stuff. I love jets, and really enjoyed working next door to an airport and watching planes take off and land everyday. Flying home to Phoenix tomorrow, reflecting on spending Xmas w/ my brother & Mom...not getting any younger--my Mom will be 78 January 28, my brother will be 60 next year. My sister is 50 and I'm 38...time flies..... I'm heading back home to Denver for a few days, going to spend New Years eve w/ some of my closest friends. Some simple pleasures I enjoy are quality time w/ family and friends, time w/ my dogs, just sitting with a fire going in the fireplace and some favorite music playing... Rob aka Moltar aka Cubical

Yes, it may do well in the entry-lux FWD/AWD CUV market against the MDX, MKX and RX, but it is the weak sauce compared to the real luxury SUVs--- X5, ML, and LR3. Real luxury with RWD/AWD w/ V8 trumps FWD/AWD V6 vanilla, IMHO. (FWD is fine for the mass market, but I can't take it seriously on a luxury vehicle).

I remember a couple winters back we had several big storms between Xmas and February in Denver..the city and some of the burbs ran out of mag chloride and started using salt. Their was a storm nearly every Thurs-Friday for about 6 weeks, and some smaller residential streets were never plowed. I was glad to have 4 wheel drive, never got stuck in the Jeep. Almost set a record, IIRC--something like 63 days w/ snow on the ground (very rare there, usually we get a storm, big snow, and it all melts off in a few days).

Buses are affected by icy roads also, though...there were two buses that couldn't stop on an icy hill and ended hanging over a freeway last week in Seattle..

I remember seeing a stock yellow one on the internet a few years ago...I assume someone reskinned a '61 2dr w/ '62 rear quarters, front clip, etc.

Translated from mm to US, it looks like the length is about 190 inches, wheelbase of 107 inches. 2.4 version is 3461lbs.

I've been IMing with a friend of mine who is in Tokyo for the holidays...his wife's brother lives there and works for the US government. Says it's hideously expensive and very crowded and busy all the time in the city.

Frazer (as in Kaiser-Frazer)

Yes, the low end/volume end of the premium market. They are aiming at RX, MDX, MKX. The higher end, serious luxury SUVs (X5, ML, GL, :LR3, Range Rover Sport, etc) are all still RWD/AWD with V8 available. Sadly, Cadillac isn't going to compete in that market. Even Infiniti is higher end with the FX. I thought FWD entry-lux was going to be Buick's domain and that Cadillac was going to try and compete in the big leagues, I guess not.

Those were in the Denver area...the Burbans here in Phoenix are almost all 2wd. A search in PHX turned up an '94 w/ 201k, 4x2 for $3500.

$250? Seriously, though, I checked the cars.com, and in my area a '94 4x4 Burban, rust free, 170k is listed at $4500. Other '93-96s are anywhere from $3500-4999, all with over 150k and rust free. there is a vast amount of used SUVs on the market in Colorado, and the Denver area has the highest % of SUVs registered of any metro area, IIRC.

I've always liked the 300, the Charger less so (just don't care for the styling). Both cars offer a nice alternative to the deadly dull V6 FWD appliances that the mainstream loves.

Does Audi even sell 2wd models in the US anymore? Everything seems to be AWD...

Well, Lincoln has always been their main competitor...aiming at the import players is a recent thing, with the CTS, etc.

I don't think they are aiming at BMW and MB with this product...they are aiming at the at the FWD/AWD, V6 Lexus RX and Acura MDX, which are big sellers at the low end of the luxury CUV/SUV market, and also the Lincoln MKX..it's only domestic competitor.

My favorite movie Firebird had to be the green '73 Formula that was in the John Wayne action flick 'Mc Q'...

Yeah, but didn't the sequels have later cars? Haven't seen them in a long time.

The 360s were a decent size, a bit bigger than I'd want and too truckish... the Grand Cherokee is still the best package for me.

Wierd...it was a thread on CBs.. and GM did the same thing..didn't they call theirs 'Collonade hardtops'? (Ford had theirs from '72-79, GM '73-77). They weren't a regular 4dr sedan because of the frameless door glass. I started a thread on this topic a few weeks ago (Subaru trivia)..

According to the caption, these two are '70 Sport Fury GTs w/ the 440 6 bbl option. Both need a bit of touch up.

1. Pontiac Firebird Trans Am (Smokey in the Bandit, Hooper) 2. John Voight, father of Angelina Jolie.