Drew Dowdell

he's got a point though.... the F-150 and the F-350 aren't at all the same truck... not even the same running gear... but they all get lumped into one.

I can probably fit in 99% of the cars BV can fit in. I can drive them in a comfortable position for a reasonable amount of time like for a daily commute. However, they are not comfortable cars to me. I could fit comfortably in the Jetta and Cruze. Drove the Jetta to Toronto and the Cruze to Detroit. Yet despite fitting comfortably, they weren't comfortable to drive for those distances. I'd rather have a DTS, Lucerne, or MKS over those small cars any day. Since I use a bus to get to work and the rest of my driving is long distance, having the larger car for comfort is important to me. There is more to it than just "fit".

How many of those Camry sales are now rental fleet? Enterprise and National are loaded with them.

It's not just room, it's packaging and comfort. Larger cars ride better and are better for long distance driving (on average). No amount of quiet tuning will get a Verano to ride like a Lucerne. I have no illusions that I need a firm riding car for my driving needs... I'm not apexing corners here. I drive the speed limit or 5 over. I loved my CTS, but doing it over again, I would prefer a DTS (with modern interior) or XTS today.

DTS is just about right and I'm 5'10" 160lbs. There are numerous subjectives involved in judging a given car's suitability to a person; it's seldom back & white. No one 'needs' a car that can exceed even 100 MPH, yet scores buy cars capable of half that again. Preference. I was clearly talking about physical size. Are we talking about needs or comfort? I need a lot of car around me to feel comfortable.

Audi has been on a tear lately..I'd expect them to be in the top 4 in the US in the next few years... uh, not with those sales rates....

Base price of $31k for a Quattro is too high, yes.

What is strange is model size growth over the last 30 years. A Fiesa is about the size of an 87 Escort. A Focus today is larger than a Contour or Tempo A Fusion is the same size as a first generation Taurus. A Taurus is larger inside than a Crown Victoria The Accord today is larger than an '87 Lincoln Continental inside. Today's Civic is larger than the Accord was in the 80s. A CTS weighs more and has more interior room than my '81 Toronado.

That could probably be negotiated down into the price range, but is most likely too large and the miles are too high.

Well it is unlikely he'd do a wagon (I tried to get him to look at a dirt cheap new 9-3 Combi a while ago and he just won't do it), so the Legacy would have to be the sedan... not that there's anything wrong with that. I already have enough stomach problems as it is without a Juke sitting in our driveway. The Countryman is too much money. ^^^^^^

Sales: 2004: 36,897 2005: 52,487 2006: 40,095 2007: 30,256 2008: 6,912 2009: 113 It looks like a 300 estate with a Dodge grill, since it WAS sold as a 300C Estate in Europe with a 300C nose. I can't find production numbers, or when that production ended... I had heard it continued longer than Magnum production did... but I can't find nothing about it. I forgot that the Magnum beat the Charger to market by like a year. I would have preferred Dodge to use the Magnum name for the sedan... and Charger on a 2 door version of the Charger we got (note, not the Challenger). I still feel the Magnum was a sports wagon, and therefore a lousy station wagon. I could never cope with the low rear section. Not bad sales rate. Venza is only managing about 32k this year, Flex will do about 27k and both of those offer more utility. It was bad for Dodge because they thought they would be able to sell the Magnum as a direct replacement to the Intrepid and that just wasn't going to happen.

You got married?

Yes Please!

We're searching for a car due to reliability problems in our Honda and you're recommending an X-Type and a 9-3? Our CR-V has a metal antenna now... I don't think he'd care. I certainly don't. Well that is why I originally thought MKZ, because it has all the desired features, it is ranked near the top in JD Power quality and reliability, and the MKZ is one of the most fuel efficient AWD V6's out there. The MKZ meets all of the previously stated criteria and is available in any color for near $20,000. With all the people here that like the Regal GS at near $40k, and are clamoring for the Insignia OPC with the turbo V6, I thought the Saab would get more love. It has the Haldex AWD, the 2.8 turbo V6 from the SRX and Opel, better looks than the Buick, better interior than the Buick, half the price of the Buick. That Saab has what all the Regal and SRX lovers like at half the price. But at the same time, I wouldn't buy a Saab because it will break down all the time. There are Audi A4's for $20k. Personally not my sort of car, but my mom has an 07 with over 100k miles on it, no major repairs, in fact I don't think anything has broken on it. And the 2.0 will average 25 mpg even with our hills and traffic. I think the MKZ is an excellent suggestion. He already likes the Fusion, so upselling to the Lincoln wouldn't be hard. Completely disagree about the Saab interior, I like the Regal's much better, and so does he.

4-cylinder is still only available with a 4-speed auto... which is what he have now... I'd like to move up in the world at least a little bit. The V6 with AWD and heated seats tickles the upper end of the budget coming in at $25,6 before any incentives... so it makes the list. I like the looks of it, but it still has to pass the Albert test.

We're searching for a car due to reliability problems in our Honda and you're recommending an X-Type and a 9-3? Our CR-V has a metal antenna now... I don't think he'd care. I certainly don't.

He is a soccer dad without the kids. It doesn't have to be fancy or even be a stunning handler... pretty much anything would be an improvement in handling or power over the existing CR-V. We're looking more at low 20's... which is why visions of 2008 SRXes keep dancing in my head. They aren't so much a deal breaker as a deal sealer....

I couldn't swallow those ergonomics....and for the price, there are better choices.

I thought that was the tahoe suburban.

Liberty? Nitro? I'm thinking Edge is too big and too thirsty There could be an AWD Fusion. CPO 2008 SRX? (dreaming) He used to enjoy driving my CTS, so I'm sure the SRX would be fine size wise. edit: Rogue?Tiguan?

I'll post out our CR-V issues in another thread, but suffice it to say that we have very good reason to start looking elsewhere soon for a CR-V replacement. His requirements: 1. AWD/4WD - non-negotiable 2. Best fuel economy possible 3. Heated seats (can be cloth) 4. cannot be too large, the Equinox is about the biggest he would got 5. low price 6. body style doesn't matter My requirements: 1. Prefer an American brand but not stuck on that for the right car. Right now, I'm thinking we look at the new Compass and the Kazashi.

Well.... you'll have good traction if you ever flip it....

The Lucerne isn't bad for a mid-size. Maybe not if you're constantly hauling around linebackers, but the Jetta is far larger than what we need a vast majority of the time and perfect the rest of the time. Edit: Not sure how I doubled that one up.... For me, it's a matter of ride comfort that comes with the size. The Jetta had a good amount of room, but for ride comfort the Lucerne has it beat easily. It is simply easier to get a smooth ride with something that has a long wheel base everything else being equal. My issue with the Lucerne is with it's manuverability at low speeds. It gets called a boat because of it's Titanic like turning radius. Parking a Lucerne is difficult compared to other large cars... This is coming from a guy who's current daily driver is an '81 Toronado, prior was a '96 Roadmaster, and prior to that was an '04 Avalanche. All three of those are easier to park than a Lucerne simply because the turning radius was more appropriate for their size.

Fill it with sand.

Not at it's sales rate.... I assume they mean the NG of them...GMT-1000 or whatever... Well where are they built today. Expanding a plant isn't always great news if it means closing another.