Robert Hall

I'd compare the C, IS, 3-series, CTS, and G35/37, but I'd probably go with the CTS or the 3 w/ a manual... those are my favorites. I love the midsize and larger Mercs, but the small ones don't really appeal to me.

Some lease, some buy. I know people that bought 3 series and later bought 5s. And the 3 is an excellent car any way you look at it.

I wouldn't say they are diluting..the sub-40k entry level models are how they acquire their first customers, who then often move up to the more pricey models over time as their budget allows...

moo

I was at Pearl Harbor the day after the 65th anniversary 2 years ago.. I saw a dozen or so veterans that were survivors of the day there, and a few former Japanese soldiers..a rather solemn event. Seeing the oil bubbling through the water from Arizona is sobering. Quite an interesting juxtaposition to the parking lot at the visitor's center full of Japanese cars..

The '61 Continental would get my vote...very clean, understated for it's time. It was a move away from the finny, over-trimmed '50s luxury cars. For GM of that era, I love the '63-65 Riviera and the early GPs and Starfires.

Yes...the black & gold. Thread answer--also F1: Tyrell (remember the P34 6-wheeled race car)?

Texas Flood- Stevie Ray Vaughan

They must be very scarce...I can't recall the last time I saw one, or the Fox Granada..

Those are pretty scarce... the Mercury version was the Cougar. Both were built only in'81-82, replaced by the similiar Fox-bodied LTD/Marquis in '83. The Cougar was available as a 2dr and 4dr (and a wagon in '82), and different from the also Fox-based Cougar XR-7, which was similar to the Thunderbird of the same years. Ford got a lot of use out of the Fox platform..

The World is Turned Upside Down--Billy Bragg and Stuff is Messed Up- Offspring. Two songs that are spot on thematically for these troubled times

Yesterday--- Saw a 'BMW 050i' ---some lunatic took a new Scion xB, replaced the Scion badges w/ BMW roundels and made a '050i' badge from other BMW badges. Madness. Saw a red/orange '68 Olds 442 2dr sedan w/ black front fender stripes. Had a patina of age, paint fade, bent front bumper, missing grille...looked solid and restorable overall. Saw a clean lt gray '75-78 Ford LTD 4dr sedan. Saw two '75-77 Pontiac Venturas ( a white 2dr, a blue 4dr) in someone's driveway, with a bronze 2 dr Nova of the same vintage. Saw a sharp dark red '89 or so Camaro IROCZ w/ 18 inch or so 5-spoke wheels w/ aluminum rims and gray spokes..very subtle and clean. I love to see 3rd gen F-bodies in good shape.

Americans

Dude...I'm pretty darn white, but I also have Eminem AND Enya on my iPod. And Johnny Cash and NWA. And U2 and M83. Moby and Nine Inch Nails. Enigma and Miles Davis. Tori Amos and Duffy. Led Zeppelin and Massive Attack. etc

That's pretty funny...I saw this on CNN a few weeks ago. Lots of those I specifically do like-- New Balance (love their shoes, worn them for over 20 years), Apple products, hummus, living by water, coffee, Barack Obama, Netflix, traveling, #33, sushi, asian fusion food, The Onion, The Wire, dogs (terriers under 25 lbs), The Onion, San Francisco... not so sure about the Prius, though.

I just can't see it working, even in 10 years. Pontiac the brand doesn't have the cachet or image to command the big bucks. I can't think of a car brand that has always been a mainstream brand that has successfully gone premium.

I'd love to see Pontiac get out of the 'me-too' thing with Chevy...a lot of that comes from the dealers, trying to compete w/ Chevy, no doubt (rebadges like the G3, G5, Torrent)..

Yeah..not too many characters (at least visibly) in the auto biz these days.. too bad Lutz isn't 20 years younger...

Me too.... I like Grabber Green and Calypso Coral also.... the '70 Boss 302 & 429, Mach1, Torino Cobra and GT are some of my favorite Fords of that era..

clotted (clotted cream, the cream of the crop of cream)

Interesting that the polymer panels never found wide adoption outside of GM.

I like the amber rear turn signals..don't see them often anymore on American cars...they were semi-common in the '80s and somewhat in the '90s. My '86 Mustang had them.

Meh...you do realize some of us do buy performance cars and SUVs (and luxury cars). Not everyone wants or buys economy cars...GM has to build a broad range of models, to support a variety of consumers.

Wind blows loose shopping carts across mall/Target/etc parking lots. Sloppy parkers park too close in parking lots or parking garages. Stones/gravel/etc get kicked up on roads by large trucks, etc. Wind whips up grit, etc that chips the front of the hood, windshield, etc. After 8 years, I have plenty of small nicks and scratches on my Jeep from the world...

It's not just California, though....sprawl is a nationwide phenomenon..exurbs have been a trend in the US for years. 'Edge City' is a great book that analyses the phenomenon.