mustang84

In the comments section below an article about DaimlerChrysler paying a $40 million CAFE fine, there was this comment that was pretty interesting. http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/31/nhtsa-r...ler-takes-cake/ Wasn't there a modified CAFE passed that allowed trucks more leniency than cars (down to 25 mpg)? If so, and Chevy really is at about 27 mpg for its car fleet, that's a lot better than I was thinking. Trucks have a way to go, however. It's also interesting to note how big of a difference the Prius makes on Toyota's lineup; I think CAFE can be done, but no doubt GM needs more hybrid / electric vehicles on the road. I don't see why size needs to be sacrificed if we have hybrid technology that could hopefully be placed in cars like a Zeta Impala. Technology should be the driver, not another late 70s downsizing / decontenting spell.

I just wanted to wish everyone an early Happy New Year! I'm off to Omaha so I won't have any C&G access until tomorrow. Best wishes to all and safe travels!

My little four year old cousin saw the Swivel N' Go commercial on TV and after that he couldn't stop talking about how he wanted a Dodge Caravan for Christmas. Instead, he got a Lego Pirate Fold N' Go playset.

I hope the US market isn't getting that nerdy third mirror. I know it's a Japanese thing, but it doesn't look right. The grille is terrible; like the Impreza, it looks like an afterthought.

"You might be a redneck if..."

Glad to hear you're OK Sixty8. It's too bad the Datsun suffered at the hands of dime-a-dozen 3-series. It's sad to see rare old cars bite the dust because of somebody's negligence. Hopefully your pain dulls and you find a new car soon!

Merry Christmas to all! This is the first chance I've had to get on here in a couple days because the forum kept booting me out when I tried to open a sub-forum or thread. I spent my Christmas Eve here at my house with about 20 members of my family. My mom made the traditional lasagna dinner we've had Christmas Eve for the last 15-20 years or so. My dad drives a truck for the US Mail and they don't stop for anything, so he is on the road right now. He won't be home until tomorrow evening, which is when we'll open gifts. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And even though Christmas will be over after tomorrow, we get a whole second Christmas starting in the middle of January!

Keep up the good work Toyota. Every day you make GM look a little better as you continue to cheapen out your product. I've heard the same things said about the '07+ Camry interior from owners, and the '06 SE I rode in wasn't anything to write home about. It's like Toyota isn't even trying anymore.

I feel the exact same way about these types of people. Cowardly is the perfect description...they can't handle life so they do harm to others, usually the ones that are most innocent and least likely to be able to defend themselves, whether it's a senior citizen or a helpless dog. They act like they're tough guys with a gun, but they are nothing but weak little cowards. The mall shooting hit close to home for me because one of my mom's co-workers was in the store 10 minutes before it happened and left only because she couldn't find the funeral dress she was looking for. I can't imagine what would have happened to her if she had stayed. Even though I'm against violence in general, an eye for an eye is the way I feel some of these sickos should be treated...they deserve nothing less.

I'm a dog lover, so this is one of my favorites posted so far!

The sad thing is that these types of stories are becoming more common with each passing day. Thirteen year olds beating homeless old guys to death with metal pipes, little kids bringing guns into Kindergarten, psycho 19-year olds shooting up malls during the Christmas rush, people stepping over a dying beating victim in the doorway of convenience store, stealing his groceries, and taking pictures of him with their cell phones...society is so messed up these days that it's truly sickening.

Great pics Bob...the one of the peddler is all too familiar for me! Keep in touch and good luck with your job!

Not bad, but that front end is CR-V bad. What's with that weird gap?

Bump...Cadillac's now within about 50 points of Lexus Current standings: Acura TL - 465 pts (+25) Lexus LS - 307 pts (+5) Cadillac CTS - 250 pts (+30)

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10846_7-6812103-1.html Vote for the Cadillac CTS...it's in third place right now and needs a boost. First place is the Acura TL with 440 votes, second is the Lexus LS600h with 302 votes, and third is the CTS with 220 votes.

I'm somewhat optimistic that we will embrace new technology that will allow cars to not change much while getting better MPGs. We have made some pretty big leaps in the last few years. Look at the Tahoe Hybrid now getting 21 mpg in the city or the Volt being able to go 40 miles without using any gas. As long as they keep improving on that technology, I can see it being possible. As for heavy duty trucks, I think and hope that concessions will be made for them, but sports cars, large cars, and regular trucks and SUVs hopefully will be able to meet these changes with turbodiesels, hybrids, fuel cells, etc. The downside I can see is that cost of a new vehicle will skyrocket in the first few years these technologies are on the market.

You know, I've never really stopped and read the GM Source before, but this is some of the most unprofessional automotive "reporting" I have read in a while. No wonder GMS gets like 5 hits a month.

Did anyone save the post? I missed it and apparently it's gone now.

Faulty part prompts Toyota to recall 15,600 Tundras Ryan Beene - Automotive News December 14, 2007 - 12:35 pm ET Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. is recalling 15,600 2007 Toyota Tundra pickups because a transmission part could break. Toyota says the rear propeller shaft on four-wheel-drive Tundras could separate at a joint. No accidents or injuries have been reported resulting from the faulty shaft. “The front joint on the rear driveshaft may have been improperly heat treated by our supplier,” a Toyota spokesman said. “In the worst case, the shaft may separate at the joint.” Toyota discovered the flaw after a customer complained of abnormal noises coming from the shaft. Owners of the recalled trucks will receive a notification in the mail starting late this month, Toyota said in a statement today. http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl.....;/71214007/1197

Here's the ad

Hopefully Toyota pissing all over Oldsmobile's grave will come back to haunt them. The ghost of Ransom E. Olds is stirring and boy is he pissed... Speaking of more boneheaded advertising, I saw a Hyundai ad in my Motor Trend where it said something like 1,247 Sonatas were crushed because they weren't up to Hyundai quality standards and showed mass car carnage with Sonatas piled up as hunks of metal cubes. In an era where everybody is suddenly environmentally conscious, who's bright idea was it to show brand new cars going to waste by being turned into cubes of scrap?

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=222643

Wasn't that the year Grand Forks had that pretty devastating flood / fire combination?

I know! I was starting to kill time at GMI! Good to be back home.

That reminds me...a month ago a friend of mine had a couple girls visit here from UNL in Lincoln and one of them was kind of a ditz. Anyway, we were walking by this pond on our campus where ducks and swans swim around and somehow we convinced her that the swans were robots with "good" and "evil" switches (because sometimes they chase you and try to bite if you get too close, hence the "evil" switch) and we also convinced her that when their head was underwater, it was just them recharging their batteries. She fell for the whole thing and wasn't a blonde either!