mustang84

I think the board layout of C&G is great. GMI has way too many boards and way too many rules on where to post stuff.

They're pretty comparable, but I picked the Edge...it's a much more substantial design than the Vue. The Vue's sheet metal is kinda busy and the fender vent is gimmicky. Plus she could get Sync.

Bland sides, ugly nose, ugly interior. Honda needs to hire some new designers...the stuff they have been putting out lately is not pretty. Why are the wheels so small? That, and the nose really make it look dowdy.

I'm from Iowa, and I think there are a couple other members here from Iowa as well. One time there was a C&G member map, and the pins were pretty representative of the US population as a whole. Lots of people in the Northeast, California, and the Great Lakes states, and more sparsely but evenly spread around the rest of the country.

Taken recently at an auction...frame cracked on site.

http://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/200...d-lug-nut-rust/

This?

I saw this picture and couldn't stop laughing for five minutes. Poor dog, I'm sure that's probably hot.

Sorry to hear that Capriceman...you had a beautiful car that was kept in good shape. The thought of some thugs mauling it with tacky wheels and paint makes me cringe. I hope they catch the bastards.

Now all we need is a McDonald's and Starbucks next door and Mars will become one of US. *muahahahaha*

Happy belated b-day too!

I know! Some people take this profession way too seriously. I like this comment:

Here's some more "Angel City" proposal for LA The "Green Bird," London Maharishi Learning Center, Sao Paolo...cancelled

Yonkers, NY

Some pie-in-the-sky concept for a "Eye-In-The-Sky" lookout tower for Oakland, CA. This is the work of a real architect, not just some kid messing around with markers and Photoshop. I can picture the property values of the surrounding neighborhood sinking and the urban blight setting in if this gets built.

Mustang is slipping because it's three years old and the economic pinch is making fun cars like the Mustang not practical purchases at the moment. 10K is still excellent for a niche car like this. Don't forget that a new Mustang will be out in 2009, too...I think it will still hold its own even with some new competition.

Focus up to 21K, Fusion consistent at 15K, Edge up to 13K, Escape at 18K...most of the hurt was the F-series, E-series, Expedition, Crown Vic, and Mustang. Sable and Taurus up slightly.

Currently we have four Chevrolets (my '94 Lumina, sister's '97 Monte Carlo, dad's '68 and '78 Corvettes), a Buick (dad's '99 LeSabre), and a Ford (mom's '04 Explorer). Past brands we have owned include Oldsmobile (3), Mercury (2), Dodge (2), Lincoln (1), and Volkswagen (2).

Pretty much any GM car prior to 1990 I miss seeing. I used to see tons of H and C-bodies at a kid...one of my aunts had an Olds 88 and another had a Buick LeSabre at the time. Same with the J-bodies, even though they weren't the greatest cars at the time I miss seeing them on the roads. Most have long rusted out. And of course the G-bodies, F-bodies, full-size yachts, etc.

So that's why Toyota is raking in so much profit the last few years...must be nice to have things paid for by your own government!

While you guys were driving Monte Carlos and spraying your hair, I was bald and making a mess in my Huggies. Post your pics as a little sprat. Summer '88...can anyone guess the year of that Corvette I'm sitting on (the paint job is a hint)?

Simple answer: small cars are not profitable so investment in them is limited, and gas prices aren't high enough yet to stimulate demand for more fuel-efficient small cars. A large percentage of Europeans drive diesel cars that get much better gas mileage than gasoline ones. EPA emission regulations for diesel engines and bad past perception of diesel cars are reasons why Americans tend to shun them. Add in that diesel is now up to $4 a gallon and I doubt we will see much demand for them in the short term. Unlike Europeans, Americans generally won't pay a lot for a small car. Small cars are equated with cheap. If the price is too much, it will be a sales dud. The European Focus would do horribly over here even though it is an excellent car. I still think it's hideous and a bad take on the Model A. It's always interesting to see the difference in cultural tastes between Europeans and Americans when it comes to cars, because I generally find European cars extremely bland unless it is a BMW, MB, Alfa, exotic luxury auto, or certain mainstream models like the Ford Focus. I consider our Fusion to be fairly attractive and distinctive on the road, while something like the European Fusion just strikes me as dull and devoid of excitement. I'm sure Europeans find our vintage land barges from the 50s to the 70s to be grotesque, even though we see them as classics. With that said, Japanese automobile design in general has almost no appeal to me. What they find quirky or cool, I find detestable.

When I lived in Rome, I could walk across the historic center of the city within 40 minutes, and it was very pedestrian-friendly. In Ames, it would take you 40 minutes to walk from campus to the grocery store along busy streets with little or no sidewalks. America's society is largely centered on the automobile because this country encompasses so much territory and government policies such as the Federal Housing Act of 1934 and Interstate Highway Act of 1956 have basically dictated how cities have developed for the last 60 years. Americans also tend to have larger families, larger homes, and more material possessions, and this is a result of abudant land and resources. American cities are not set up for mass transit or pedestrian travel. Everyone outside of North America loves to criticize us for this, but that's the way things are. Unlike many European countries and Japan, our population continues to grow and many people choose to have one or more kids. Families and all the stuff we haul have led to larger cars, SUVs, crossovers, etc. I have to drive 45 miles one-way to work twice a week while I'm at college, and I would love to be able to ride a train down but that simply isn't an option. Changing mobility within the US is something that won't happen overnight. You can't just force Americans into smaller cars because they won't do it; small cars generally can't get the job done if you have a family or travel a lot. Over the long term, emphasis needs to be placed on better mass transit and urban planning. It totally depends on the person and the occasion. Sure, a business person needing to be in Seattle by 2 the next day will take a plane, but the whole family vacation thing is still a large part of our society. We don't have cheap airfare like you find on RyanAir; you take a plane usually only if it's very far away or you are planning to stay in your destination city. Amtrak is very limited and almost nobody uses it. Nobody takes a Greyhound bus because once you get to your destination, you will have to rent a car anyway. National parks are usually far from metropolitan areas so you would need a car to reach them.

The 1940s Suburban was a Chevrolet, therefore it made some sense that the retro HHR was based off it. Toyota wasn't even a company when the Ford Model A was in production, so why the fascination with making a "hot rod" when the definition of a hot rod has long since changed. Just because they thought the old 1920s hot rod look was cool doesn't mean translates into a substantial design in the 21st century. This car ignores basic aerodynamics at a time when gas prices are beyond 1981 levels. When 95% of the public reaction is negative, you have a dud. If Toyota produces this car, they have clearly lost their marbles.

1982. Cougar. Fairmont. Cimarron. Chevette. :AH-HA_wink: No really, 1969. 1967 is really close, as is 1959.