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If you mean they look like the product of a family tree with no branches, then I agree. -RBB

This is an old one, but it stuck in my mind... On a Buick Regal GNX: OK4AV6 -RBB

The greenhouse is different? Aside from the taillights, the rear is virtually identical (though to be fair, Honda did the split-rear-window thing first with the original CRX: True, the nose is better. But better design ≠ good design - It's more visually interesting than the Prius, but still meh. Very salient point. Unless your commute is >35 miles round-trip, there's little reason other than status to step up to a Volt over an Insight. -RBB

Of course it makes sense. Internal combustion engines are only about 20% efficient, yet you don't see anyone questioning its use. No it's not perfect, but it's better than what's available today. They have made a technological leap. The Volt is an electric vehicle that uses an ICE to extend the battery's range. The Prius is primarily motivated by the engine, and uses the electric motor for assistance in acceleration and for short-duration, low(ish) speed, low-stress cruising. The LiIon battery, imperfect though it is, has far greater capacity than the NiMH batteries in the current Prius. Agreed. Again, the battery is bigger (Prius Battery = 99 lbs, Volt Battery = 375 lbs) because it's expected to discharge more energy over a much longer period of time. A NiMH battery pack expected to power the same vehicle would be even heavier. They're expensive and in low supply because the demand was not there. Ramp up demand and you have impetus to create LiIon battery arrays in higher volumes. Higher volumes bring lower prices. It's good thing Toyota's never gotten any help from the Japanese government, then. They drove the market for a plug-in hybrid with LiIon batteries when other manufacturers sait it wouldn't be feasible. That's not taking a technological advantage? -RBB

What do you want to convey with the name? Is there something that uniquely identifies you, either personally or professionally, that could be incorporated into the name? Why do you stand out among your competitors? -RBB

HyperTech Graphics? -RBB

HorEyesOn Design - 'cause you want eyes on your site. You could make your logo a stylized, vectory (?) sunrise with an eye replacing the sun. -RBB

Eh, it's done more because draining the battery below 30% or leaving it 100% charged on a regular basis dramatically shortens the effective life of the battery. It's one of the limitations of the type of battery GM chose to use for this project, but it's still the best compromise of size and power delivery that battery technology allows currently. -RBB

Judge for yourself: They're similarly styled, yes, but it doesn't look like there's much parts sharing there. EDIT - is it just me, or does it look like they use the same air vents on the center stack flipped upside down? -RBB

A Buick Lacrosse.... plainclothes police car. Had someone pulled over on the brand new stretch of I-64 that opened a couple of weeks ago. -RBB

Well, they're making headway at least: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07186/799174-97.stm EDIT - and here's another article showing Caddy is a more 'aspirational' marque than Lexus: http://www.motorauthority.com/cadillac-top...ion-survey.html -RBB

Racist. It's no yellow. -RBB

Ah, didn't know that. But these were definitely Pontiac badges. Guess that's the best he/she could find... -RBB

Mitsubishi 3000 GT, lowered, black with black rims.... And Pontiac GTO badges. ?!? -RBB

Even if they sold the Next Aveo exactly like that - camo and mockup headlights included - it'd be a massive improvement over the looks of the current one. Looks good, but if this really is the NG-Aveo, let's hope they also work on reliability and fuel economy (not to mention driving dynamics)... -RBB

Chinese Buick's current lineup: Enclave - NA designed, same as US-spec Enclave Park Avenue - Australian designed, rebadged Holden Commodore Lacrosse - Chinese designed W-body. Considered by many to be far superior to the US-Spec Lacrosse. Not likely to come to the US. Regal - European designed, rebadged Opel Insignia Excelle - Korean designed, rebadged Daewoo Kalos. Buick NA *may* get a version on the vastly improved Delta II platform, but as far as I know nothing is approved. GL8 - Euro/NA designed, Chinese rebadged Minivan, similar to the defunct Buick Terraza. Will not make its way to the states. But yeah, Buick NA's gonna turn into Chinese-made crap. -RBB

$1.33/gal at the gas station just down the street from my home in St. Louis. Filled up this morning - had a hair over an 1/8 of a tank left - for less than $20. I was paying close to $50 for the same amount of gas three months ago... -RBB

-RBB

GM reveals the next-generation Opel Astra with a new innovation in passenger safety. In an industry-first move, the traditional side airbags have been replaced by an optional series of external funbags and pushin' cushions. GM expects the new option to be popular, especially with traditional male and non-traditional female buyers. -RBB

Gotta love Craigslist: http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/880805164.html -RBB

Current main ringtone - Supermassive Black Hole by Muse, though I'm looking for a new one Current Ringtone for the wife - She's Got a Way by Billy Joel Current ringtone for my mother - My Pancreas by Weird Al Yankovic, 'cause she's diabetic -RBB

Where you finding these? S-series' in STL area are mostly still going for north of $2k: http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ctd/865052613.html -RBB

I thought this was going to be something about tighty whiteys and ingesting too much alfalpha. -RBB

No offense taken at all. But it is a bit frustrating that I'm not getting my point across. I'm under no delusions that my car is something special. I'm not trying to baby the car or protect it from salty roads, dirt or rain - Hell, I park the thing on the street under a tree that apparently houses a 2-3 dozen birds whenever my vehicle is present. I have a cracked windshield that I've yet to replace. And because of a previous accident the rear bumper doesn't match the rest of the car. Honestly, I bought it because it was cheap for what I needed - not because it was rare or I like yellow so much. Still, I like it, and replacing it with a newer car would cost more than I'd like to spend at this point. I'm trying to figure out if splitting my driving between two older vehicles is more economically viable in the long run. I do need a mid-sized vehicle capable of carrying four people in comfort. I prefer the V6-powered variety. But the bulk of my driving (roughly 60 miles per day) is commuting by myself to work and back - I don't need four large seats or a V6 for that. So, all that said, if I get a cheap little commuter car, will driving that to work plus the MazdaFord when I need carry more people be less expensive in the long run than using the one car for both purposes and replacing it? Or would it be cheaper to save the money I'd spend in purchasing, insuring (I'd pay cash and go w/liability only), maintaining, the other older vehicle, just drive the Mazda until it dies and then fork out the extra cash to purchase/put a down payment on a newer car of similar size and purpose? I'm simply trying to figure out a way to avoid a car payment as long as possible. -RBB

I get right at 24-25 MPG. It's a V6/manual. I agree that I should be able to get 150-200K out of it. My thought was if I had a to-work-and-back beater, that it'd take maybe four years to get to 150K instead of 1½. I do need a car that can comfortably hold four adults, and the MazdaFord suits that purpose well, as well as being fun to drive. But I'm not interested in paying $20K+ for a replacement any time soon. The theory is getting a little runabout that's cheap to buy and somewhat cheaper to drive saves my bigger car wear and tear, and in theory might prove a money saver in the long run. I'm just trying to figure out if it makes economic sense or not. -RBB