Robert Hall

If Caddy gets into the hybrid game, I could see them doing something with the SRX, a mild hybrid like the RX400h.

Hmmm...a Frigidaire room air conditioner? Ice-cream cabinet? Chilled toilet? milk cooler? Drinking fountain?

I have neighbors that have 2 Priuses, both dark gray. Across the street from them is a couple with 2 CR-Vs, one dk blue, one maroon.

The Nissan Cube...the name describes my work reality. But my personality? Hmmm... need a name that implies complexity, ambiguity, unknowability. Can't think of any. On second thought, maybe Isuzu's Mysterious Utility Wizard would fit me.

Riviera...very laid back. Conjures up images of relaxing in the sunshine by the Med, drinking Pina Coladas.

Yes, the technology and claimed efficiency is what is cool about the car, not really the styling.

So is there like an express line at the DMV you use? They must know you on a first name basis--you are through there what, every two weeks? (personally, I hate going to the DMV...I think I've been 4 times in the last 10 years, and it's always 2 hrs end to end).

I can't see myself in a CUV or a truck-based SUV...if I get another SUV down the road, I want a real one..either another Grand Cherokee, a Wrangler, or a Defender (too bad you can't get new ones here). Maybe a used Range Rover Sport.

WSJ article... Unpopular Models Slow Down GM Depressing numbers---less than 2k G8s and Astras last month. And 55k Silverados? I thought the truck segment was dead. 30k Impalas? That's a lot of rental cars..

Really? I though you were the wild-eyed, crazed, foaming at the mouth, madman running and screaming randomly down the street...

Not that different in the non-union corporate cubicle world. On my development team at my last gig, I was the only one that drove an American car. The manager/director had a Prius and a Matrix, two developers had Priuses, 1 developer had a G35, another an Accord, one had a new Camry w/ custom wheels, and one had a Civic. Add in the architecture team, and there was a BMW 3-series, a previous gen Camry and a Corolla. Out of a company of 50, I only knew 5 other people besides myself that drove domestic--the director of professional services had a Grand Cherokee similar to mine, the CFO has a Corvette convertible (C5) and a 1st gen CTS, the founder/CTO has a Tahoe, and the CEO has a 1st gen Vue. Oddly, one of the business analysts has a '96 Caprice ex-cop car and a new Infiniti M45. Another guy, the director of user experience (chief UI designer) had a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon when I started, but he traded it on an FJ Cruiser.

Brat

And there are some...my beloved Colorado is becoming purple...hard core blue in Boulder, hard core red in Colorado Springs, a mix in other places across the state..

So true... it's a very polarized nation. Red states vs blue states.....red counties within blue states and vice versa. Rationality, science and progress vs. conservatism, tradition and irrationality.. etc, etc..

The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades!

+1. Definitely better looking than the Prius..has some neat details, like the window trim, rear blackout, taillights, front lighting details..

I haven't done much here in AZ---it's been hot this summer and the surrounding desert is just plain ugly, IMHO...will have to go up in the mountains, though, when the temps go down. But I have a strong sense of wanderlust and love to explore, to search for truth and meaning, or at least a great stretch of road.. When I lived in Ohio, Michigan, and Colorado I did extensive exploration on the weekends.... I bought the big superdetailed state maps with all the detail on each county. When I lived in NE Ohio, I explored extensively from Lake Erie south to the Ohio River and across the river in the WV panhandle and Western PA. Some incredible twisty driving roads in that region. When I lived in SE Michigan, I explored quite a bit down to the Ohio line and north up around the thumb.... In Colorado, I explored the foothills and the mountains, both on paved roads and on jeep trails... went all over the state from the Front Range to the Western Slope (nothing on the Eastern plains that interesting, IMHO). Sometimes I'd rack up 1000 miles in a 3 day weekend. I'm looking forward to fall and winter and when PHX gets under 100 average temp again. Most likely, in 2009, I will either be back full time in Colorado or in a new venue, with new roads to explore, new truths to seek out..

From Jalopnik. LV HUMMER dealer closes

When I was a teenager, my Dad for unknown reasons bought a 5 yr old '79 Dodge Power Wagon 4x4 short bed pickup. It had totally numb steering with a lot of slop..you could go down the road moving the wheel back and forth and it would stay in a straight line. I learned to drive in that truck, and developed my phobia of left turns from it... it would frequently stall when accelerating on left turns.. I never did figure out why he didn't buy an F150, since he always bought Ford/Lincoln/Mercury cars otherwise. Fast forward to the year 2000, I bought a Grand Cherokee and have been quite happy with it.

Yeah, it's like they are doing a photo layout for GQ: Detroit. The car is purposely hidden in the background.

Mauritania

It's an MUW! When a CUV or SUV can't handle it, you need an MUW!

Also saw an early '80s Chevy Monte Carlo convertible lowrider in traffic today... purple with red and yellow graphics on the sides.

Hess & Eisenhardt did some also, I've read. Interesting that the Ciera was done and later the GM10 Cutlass Supreme was made into an official GM convertible. I don't think I've ever seen pics of any other A-bodies made into convertibles.

Speaking of defunct chain store brands, my name is actually that of a defunct chain store..