Drew Dowdell

I should say that the only one of the 3 that I've ever even been inside is the Avalanche having owned one in the past. My big concern is the towing weight. I'm sure the HHR would suit 75% of my needs. I just have no concept of what a 4 x 8 trailer of firewood would weigh and if the HHR would be able to handle it. Of course, the downside of having a trailer is having to store it, register it, and possibly insure it. I use the bus to commute to work, so fuel efficiency isn't that great a concern to me. My BF and I put 250 miles on the CRV every 10 days and that with me driving only about 30% of the time. Even at the worst fuel efficiency on the Avalanche, I'd only be filling the tank once a month.

So, I'm still car shopping for myself... not that I have the money right now to buy anything... but I wanted to get your take on 3 ideas. The heaviest load I'd need to trailer is a trailer full of cord wood probably 4 x 8. I still own apartments and this vehicle would be used for that kind of work. Keep in mind that my BF's CRV has been doing remarkably well with the apartment work stuff. Only once in a while do I need to Zipcar a truck. 1. Chevy HHR, can trailer up to 1,000, can find them used with mileage in the 20k range for about $11k, able to buy as a FlexFuel (I have my reasons for wanting this) 2. Buick Rainier I6 AWD, can trailer up to 5,600, can find them used with mileage in the 30k range for about $15k, not FlexFuel but can be converted. 3. Chevy Avalanche, can trailer up to 7,000 but wouldn't really need a trailer in the first place having the bed, $17k gets a truck with 70k mile on it. Flex fuel.

I'm sure that in some cases it influenced an existing purchase decision. Someone who was shopping to trade their Explorer in for a new Explorer getting an Escape Hybrid instead for example.

You mean like the first 3 generations of Pruis and the first generation of Insight?

I dress up like Dr. House every year so I can beat people with my cane. If they whine about it, I just tell them they're not in the holiday spirit.

Camaro Wins Popular Mechanic's Best Vehicle Design Award After a painfully long eight-year hiatus, the Chevy Camaro returns packing V8 power and V6 efficiency wrapped around classic sheet metal pulled forward into the 21st century. The design certainly pays homage to the past, but the muscular lines of this Camaro are modern and fresh. Discussion: Camaro Wins Best Vehicle Design Award from Popular Mechanics

Walmart does lifetime balance and rotation also.

Unfortunately, I am also "on call" that weekend as well, so I have to carry a laptop.

I'm happy to meet up with you guys during the day, but I have to check with Albert for any evening activities on my b-day.

Read the other post on the front page. Chevy is enjoying higher transaction prices than Toyota... even on the Cobalt over Corolla. Chevy might be discounting the Cobalt, but it still selling at a higher price than Corolla.

The M3 driver was also professionally trained. I think we should put him in the CTS-V and see what he can do. Also, Bob was driving an automatic.

That has a lot more to do with monetary policy than protectionism specifically.

GM Extends the 60-Day Money Back Guarantee via New York Times General Motors is extending its "May the Best Car Win" campaign, a refund program aimed at luring customers into showrooms, reports The Associated Press. "May the Best Car Win," launched in early September, allows customers to return their G.M. vehicles for a full refund, including sales tax, between day 31 and day 60 of ownership. The program is limited vehicles in G.M.'s remaining brands: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick and GMC. It was originally slated to end Nov. 4 but now has been extended to Jan. 4, 2010. As of last week, only 15 people had returned their vehicles, Tom Henderson, a G.M. spokesman, told The Associated Press. "The way we see that is it's a pretty strong vote of confidence in our products," he said.

When I hear the word Accord. The first non-Honda thing I think of is "peace accord" like the Camp David Accords...... truces/agreements/compromises.

Name: Michael C. Hometown: Long Island, NY Our second Michael has trained at Skip Barber. At just 21 years old, Michael is the younger driver in the Challenge. He owns a BMW M3.

Carbiz is right on this one. GM made some blunders for sure, but even the good things they did were spun around as huge mistakes. When I read a review about a BMW 3-series, why don't they lead off with a mention of the tin can BMW 2002 or Isetta like nearly EVERY FREAKING CTS review leads off with a reference to the Cimmiron. It took Consumer Report 5 years after Toyota engines started sludging and Toyota automatic transmissions started missing gears before they stopped inflating Toyota's ratings with "prior model reliability". There was virtually zero coverage on the Tundra exploding camshafts, cracking tailgates, and rusting frames, yet a GM recall to tighten SUV seatbelt tensioners gets front page news. Even today, I'm having a fight with the guy from Kicking Tires who is claiming that Cadillac lost the CTS-V challenge even though 6 of the 7 top times were in CTS-Vs because one M3-manual transmission driver in his 20s beat Bob Lutz in his automatic CTS-V.

Damn. I'm getting into a fight with the guy from KickingTires. He's saying that Cadillac lost because Lutz didn't post a faster time than the M3 driver.

Cadillac Wins the CTS-V Challenge! Discussion: CTS-V Challenge at Monticello

CTS-V wins. And 6 of top 7 are CTS-Vs.

And that's productive... how? Falling sales will reduce revenue further and likely lead to the liquidation of the company.

Top lap time for the thrid round goes to Aaron L in the CTS-V at 02:48:902

Third lap for Bob Lutz is 02:56:732

First lap for Bob Lutz in the CTS-V is a hot 02:58:072. Beats Wes Siler's best by 10 seconds.

First Lap for Aron L. CTS-V 02:48:902.