Robert Hall

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..

The Japanese can be quite creative with their home-market model names...for instance-- Autozam Scrum Stand Off Truck Isuzu Mysterious Utility Wizard Honda Life Dunk Honda That's Mitsubishi Chariot Grandio Super Exceed Daihatsu Charade Social Poze Yamaha Pantryboy Supreme Mitsubishi MUM 500 Shall We Join Us? and on and on and on... Instead, for NA Japan gives us alphanumerics and a lot of names that end in 'A'.

I agree.... all of those are irrelevant (except maybe the tax code) compared to the important, quality of life issues that affect all citizens, like the economy, national security, international relations, immigration policies, trade policies, etc.

How about when the maximum in most US cars went down to 85? And when it went back above? Those would be interesting also. As far as 100, how about the Buick Century? Didn't it get it's name be being able to hit 100? Sometime in the 30s, I think?>

True.. now in 2008, Pontiac has two badge-engineered Chevies, one platform-shared Toyota, one badge-engineered Holden, and 2 that share platforms w/ other GMs but have unique bodywork and interiors.

Personally, I'd like to have a passport from an EU member country (so I can move abroad for a while if McPain wins in Nov).

It would make a neat stealth car, with a Buick V6 built to GNX specs...

Yes, but Bush/Cheney don't believe in any of that..they think they are above international treaties.

Scottsdale (Goldwater Blvd is in Scottsdale)

Yes, I've used one for years.