Drew Dowdell

No worries! Welcome to the site. We've been around for over 12 years and some of the regulars here go back that far. They're all nice guys though, so don't let that intimidate you.

that Chrysler looks like two different cars spliced together.

heh, the name is Drew, not Unimatrix 01. Unimatrix 01 is just my nerd way of saying I'm the head Admin around here. It is a star trek reference. I use to be "C&G's Dear Leader" until Kim Jong IL kicked the bucket. ... but good idea on the Ranger. I'm truck shopping also, but have found the Ranger to small for what I need it to do.

Welcome, Are you joining us from somewhere in the EU?

well, they aren't sold out of all 500s, just the electric version.

You are simply wrong about wind power. GE would not be putting huge R&D numbers at it otherwise. There have been a number of recent developments in wind power that change the financial and generation landscape of wind entirely. Turbines that run on 1/3 the wind needed to run the currently deployed models, turbines that store energy for later use, interconnected turbines that prep themselves for changes in the wind well before it reaches them. The American mid-west is the Saudi Arabia of wind energy. With a properly upgraded grid and these modern upgraded turbines, it could be the dominant power source in the U.S. If that guy's Volt is a company car, the reason he is "concerned" about it is because he likely wouldn't be paying for fuel in a gasoline car, the company would be. The cost of electricity in the US could triple and it would still cost less per mile to fuel a Volt than it would to run a Cruze. While we're throwing around anecdotes, a friend of mine has a Volt and he now only buys gasoline every 4 months down from every week from an old Pathfinder, his electric bill has increased $30 a month. So, he went from spending $280 a month (assumption: 20 gallon tank at $3.50 a gallon) to $40 a month (monthly electric, plus 1/4 tank of gas). He picked up a lease when GM was running specials on the Volt so his lease payment plus running costs on a brand new Volt are less than just the fuel costs of a paid off Pathfinder. The price of electricity could increase by over 9 times in this case and it would still be less expensive to run the Volt. Put more simply: Concern troll is concerned. I can run the numbers again for a Cruze if you like, but I promise you the cost per mile to fuel a Volt is still far less than a Cruze Eco. (2 cents per mile for the Volt, 9 cents per mile for the Cruze Eco highway mpg)

Nice! We love seeing projects around here. Sorry yours was stolen. Any plans to try again?

who pays for it, when do you run out of money, it don't grow on trees, except for when you can print it yourself. We can agree there are no absolutes. I Just spoke to a guy who has a Volt for a company car. He is glad the company is supplementing his electric bill as It has raised his bill more than expected. He loves the car but voice a concern that if the removal of coal for generating power is removed how much will it increase the cost of electric power and the cost to operate any electric car. He feels if the cost of electric energy goes up it may hinder any move to electric cars if gas remains stable in price. I thought this interesting observation. that's the natural observation. at some point when they have you by the nuts and the need is confirmed, someone (the govt or the energy providers) are going to stick to you to your threshold of pain. Minneapolis city has had some ridiculous idea of trying to turn power into municipal only and takeover from excel energy. what we need is a system of more competition for energy so there is not 'one source to buy' from for all the energy. having the ability to say 'eff you your rates are too high' would be nice. If you lived off the grid and created all your own power on site with some sort of system, at some point they would figure out how to tax the equipment you have because someone was not getting their cut. We all pay for it. Doing the right thing just costs a little more initially but pays for itself in the long run. We've spent $3.7 trillion, and counting, on the wars in middle east... and that isn't even counting the first Gulf war. We could have, instead, spent half of that on Wind, half that on Solar, and had quintuple redundancy for our energy needs... we would be an exporter of electricity to Mexico and Canada and 57,614 fewer of our soldiers would be dead or wounded. That Volt guy is a concern troll. The Volt cost per mile is less than 1/3 that of a gasoline powered car and the statement "if gas prices remain stable" is absurd. Wind is dropping in $/mwh to the point where it is now less costly than building a new "scrubbed" coal fired plant. We are living on borrowed time for many/most of our current coal fired plants. They will need to be replaced relatively soon. One of the reasons electricity is so cheap is because we're continuing to burn coal in facilities that were paid off decades ago. Once those facilities need to be replaced, electricity isn't going to remain cheap for anyone because the replacements, no matter what the fuel, are expensive to build. So grab your ankles for coal or grab your ankles for wind. Either way, you're grabbing your ankles.

Can we all agree here that doing the cheapest thing is not always doing the smartest thing?

I picked up my car for $2300.

Yes please

it does.

The Equinox moving down in size could make room for the Trailblazer as well

and you didn't get pics?!

Apparently it was White Toronado day at the Targets today.... I wasn't invited, but I showed up anyway. And this Dodge Mirada is for sale near me.

But the GC is, and always has been, a far more capable off roader and tow vehicle than a TB, yet it is unibody rather than BOF.

Sorry, gotta call you on this. The Traverse has 5200lb tow rating while the Trailblazer was 5400. Not a significant enough difference for most people.

well..he could have gotten a Ford Flex that has 4,500 lb towing capacity. But the Grand Cherokee is Unibody as well, so it clearly isn't a platform type issue. You can get up to 7400lb towing capacity in the Cherokee if you order the Hemi, but a Dodge Ram 1500 5.7l short-bed, 4WD with 20" wheels is only rated for 5,000 lbs.

The problem isn't always tariffs. In the case of Japan, imported cars have to go through hefty inspections that domestically produced cars do not. In China, the companies have to be Chinese based even if they are in joint partnership with a foreign company.

I wonder if it will improve fuel economy further at all?

Another possibility is that cars that interest young people are too out of reach for them and the ones that are in reach are too blah for them to bother. If my choice was between a Spark or Versa Note or Yaris..... I'd rather walk.

Because Diesel

My objection was with, and remains, the layout of the interior and the look of the steering wheel.... but the exterior is what I love.

I'm indifferent to them building the plant or not, but if they don't build the plant, they should refund the customers their money.