About the cars being loaded with all this crazy stuff... I never asked for it, sure I like technology but I wish they had options to get a regular plain simple CAR...Kinda reminds me of the Dennis Leary Coffee Bit "Do you want to try a mocha latte frappachino coolatta with peppermint and soy skim milk? It's only $7.48" "NO I JUST WANT MY $1.15 CUP OF COFFEE FLAVORED COFFEE!"
AHHHHHHHHHHH!
RIP Lacey Cat 1992-2009
He, he, it doesn't have a generator,and you just showed your age! Those went out in the mid 60's.Originally Posted by Blue Light
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
You know, I thought about that after I typed it. "Generator -- alternator -- uhm---"
I didn't know, of course, that I was gonna get depantsed by some ageist young punk!
C'mere, sonny, I'll give ya a knuckle sammich.
Well, after careful deliberation, I feel I have found what everyone would like all domestic manufacturers to offer. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8avOiTUcD4Y
Every car coming out of Detroit needs one of these!
Ron
"What we need are more people who specialize in the impossible "- Theodore Roethke
Luv the doughnut.
TT
On SmartPhones:
"Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But That only permitted other men with machines to enslave them." Frank Herbert.
Tha's another thang that p*sses me off to no end......"packages". An' this phenomenon ain' limited to domestic -- them imports do it as well.
Hay-ell, if'n I wanna look at the moon I'll pull the vee-hickle offa the road, git out, spread a blanket on the grass, lay down an' by God look at it. I don' want no steenking "moon roof"......you gaze at the moon while drivin' an' yer likely to end up as some Kenworth's hood ornament!
Ditto wif the leather -- never developed the taste for it. I like to eat bovine by-products......jus' ain' all that fond of settin' on 'em. Leather reminds me of Freddie Mercury hollerin' to some backstage roadie "Bring me another boy -- I've broken this one!"
How 'bout "standard eight-passenger seating"? Lemme give y'all a clue......you got that many kids, you don' need no friggin' minivan. YOU NEED THERAPY! "Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet......? 'Nuff said.
Gnome saing?
Ahhh yes! The PACKAGES!
"Wait a minute. Why's my payment $250 higher than orginally quoted?"
"You wanted the same car that we worked up but... you wanted it in BLACK. The black only comes in trim package 3 which also includes wide oval tires, rally wheels, 410 posi-trac rearend, turbo 350 automatic transmission, transmission cooler, Boze Surround Sound, sun roof, fog lamps, undercarriage rust-proofing, electric seats, windows, heated mirrors, heated seats, special tint and trim package and $100 worth of free groceries."
And let's don't forget to mention the "special financing". ;)
".. and now, Mr. Grant, since the selling price jumped from $16,700 to over $33,000, it put you into a car you can't afford but we've worked out special financing for you, 5 years at a higher interest rate (because you're now a higher risk buyer) so, if you'll initial right here where it says the total of payments to be $69,700 and then sign right here, we'll get you right in it."
We sat right here in this room
and went over this.
- Yah, but that TruCoat...
- I said I didn't want any TruCoat.
Yah, but I'm saying, that TruCoat, you
don't get it, you get oxidation problems...
You're sitting there talking in circles
like we didn't go over this already.
- Yeah, but this TruCoat...
- We had a deal for $ .
Darned if you didn't tell me you'd get me
this car without the sealant for $ .
- All right, I'm not saying I didn't.
- You called me and said you had it.
"Ready to make delivery" you says.
And here you are and you're
wasting my time and my wife's time.
And I'm paying $
for this vehicle here.
All right.
I'll talk to my boss.
See, they install that TruCoat
at the factory. There's nothing we can do.
But I'll talk to my boss.
[Lundergard leaves the closing room. Goes to breakroom]
Customer to wife:
These guys here. These guys.
It's always the same. It's always more.
Lundergard in breakroom to other cars salesman:
- You going to the Gophers on Sunday?
- Oh, you betcha.
You wouldn't have an extra ticket?
You kiddin'?
Well.
[Lundergard goes back to closing room]
He's never done this before, but seein' as
it's special circumstances an' all,
he says I can knock $ off that TruCoat.
One hundred?
You lied to me, Mr Lundegaard.
You're a bald-faced liar.
Bucky, please.
A... fucking liar.
Bucky, please.
Where's my goddamn chequebook?
Let's get this over with.
Ah, Wilko. One of a dozen great scenes from Fargo.
Actually .... isn't every scene from that movie a classic?
Oh, I just think I'm gonna barf... Well, that passed. Now I'm hungry again.
I went out looking to buy American this time. I didn't find one small AWD vehicle with approximately 30 MPG and some capacity for storage for around $20,000 except for Honda and Subaru. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places?
"We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness." Mark Twain
Ford Escape?
I just looked, ~24 MPG max.
I wish I had the answer. All I can say is I'm in love with the 2009 Honda Accord Coupe V6 and may very well end up with one in a few weeks. I've been driving versions of the Accord Coupe for almost a decade now and they have won my loyalty. Cars are no muss, no fuss. look great.
The new V6 is their best yet. I love the cylinder management system that allows it to go from as few as 3 cylinders in city driving to the full 6 when you open it up on the highway. Test drove one and yum.
I don't see anything on the American car line that compares. They are all clunky designs with tons of plastic and spoiler dressing that just looks a bit cheesy.
+1 on the Honda, NOP.
We got an '05 Pilot......comfy as hay-ell, hauls all our sh*t, gits 24½ MPG, an' runs like a raped ape when the situation demands. Same 3.5L powerplant as the Acura TL.
When this one wears out in ten or fifteen years, we'll buy another one.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
One big problem with American cars, is that it's painfully obvious that the price of the car includes way too much overhead that has nothing to with making that car or the materials it's made of. That also means that whatever is in the car is done even cheaper try to reign in the inevitable high price.
It's a bad model with zero "value".
phantom, my neighbor has the new pilot and it's a real looker. i leased my current honda, and the lease is up. so i'm just thinking of turning her in for the upgrade. decent payments, only 270 a month. though, it will be hard to get the deal with the v6 coupe.
The Pilots usta be built in Toronto but Honda recently constructed a new assembly plant for them in Lincoln, Alabama. So Americans are, in fact, building this vee-hickle (if'n that's important to anyone).
I think the Accords are still comin' from Marysville, Ohio.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
The quailty is outstanding on the U.S. built Hondas. I don't see why that's not possible from American companies outta Detroit. It's not like the U.S. cars are crap. They just aint as good as some of the Japanese and Euro makers.
Two words for ya......
"Legacy costs"
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Legacy costs, union overpriced personnel, and bloated organizations.
Waiting on the new Camaro? You gotta read Dan Neil's roadtest. He's hands-down the funniest car writer alive.
Dan Neil
April 17, 2009
Despite some published reports, the 2010 Camaro SS is not really what you'd call a sports car, unless you tend to shave with a chain saw or sign your name with a piece of burning timber or make scrambled eggs by dropping a piano on a chicken. The consonant quality of this car, from the moment you turn the key to the moment you gratefully leave it in the chiropractor's parking lot, is a wanton and cheerful disregard for finesse and delicacy.
This is exactly right.
To read the rest:
http://www.latimes.com/classified/au...6173168.column
I have to admit I haven't been following this thread, but I do know what Chrysler needs to do immediately:
Give me a Hemi Orange Challenger SRT8.
And no, I don't care that it gets 14/22 mpg. No sir.
LMFAO!
I git the blue one!
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Garbage. The Honda CRV is American made, and three times the vehicle the Ford is.
CT.
Actually saw a Camaro recently. It looked a trifle cartoony. That grill looked like something from a model car.
Last summer, though, I got loan of a Challenger SRT8 for a few days and *everywhere* I went, in rich towns and poor towns, I was getting the hearty thumbs-up from passersby. Every time I parked it, a crowd would gather and guys would want to talk about.
The tank seemed to empty pretty fast, though. It had nothing to do with my driving, I'm sure.
This might sound crazy, but if I were getting a fun car, I'd probably choose the Mustang convertible. It drives pretty well now.
Good enough for cruising, anyway.
I've had 2 Mustangs and wouldn't mind a third if and when I tire of my Crossfire. The Challenger looks pretty Kick-Ass, though. I'd definitely try one on for size before buying anything. The Camaro just doesn't do anything for me IMOHO...
"We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness." Mark Twain
The Challenger felt heavy. Although it was all tied down nice and neat with that Mercedes-developed chassis, it still felt heavy as an old '70s Plymouth Grand Fury.
Here's a curious thing. At first it felt slow as a pig. I thought, WTF. Then I refilled it and naturally put in high-test gas. Well, that woke it right up and suddenly I felt all that power, and THEN the car felt like the impressive Hemi it was supposed to be.
So you're not going to fudge on the gas grade in a Challenger.
It's been a couple years since I drove a Mustang, but I don't recall it feeling too massive at all.
(My secret desire in a vehicle is the Dodge Magnum wagon with Hemi. But Chrysler discontinued it a while ago.)
Hey Detroit born and raised here. And have done technical consulting at all of the big 3 over the years.
Here's my take on things, Detroit needs to take a good long hard look at Harley and Fender. And remember what it is that makes American products timeless and classic.
Detroit trying to be more like foreign auto makers is a fools game. Like Fender trying to be like Ibenez or Harley trying to be like Suzuki, just foolish. American auto makers already have life long fans and customers (world wide) that want to buy a Honda Accord about as much as a Harley customer wants to buy a Honda Ninja ;-)
They just need to make their own cars and stop admiring the so called competition....
Last edited by Smokin&Pickin; 04-20-2009 at 04:42 PM.
still driving a 13 year old firebird..
the LT1 is a fine thing so is 20 - 23 mpg
do I look like I know what I'm doing?
Welcome aboard, Smokin&Pickin,
Ford did a great job with that recent Thunderbird, which looked very much like the 50s version, but had all the sweet stuff of a modern car (like safety, and lack of a carburetor, and a stereo). I thought it looked great, and I think it's a real head-turner.
But did they sell many of them?
Anyway, I'd love to get a re-issue of my old 1972 Buick Riviera! Not so much the 1981 Buick Skylark though.
Anyway, I see you're from my neck of the woods. Do have a cousin named Spittin&PickinHisNose? 'Cause I've met that dude down at the bus station.
That T-bird was nice and didn't sell so great judging from how few I see on the street. Still, there is something to be said for the romance associated with those designs.
I wonder what would happen if Ford reissued replica 64 Mustangs like Fender did 62 Strats? I don't mean modern versions, I mean true reissues with engines for today's emissions and some modern interior goodies.
I guess all the tooling and know-how is gone, but it would be a car I'd take a serious look at. Especially a ragtop.
v6 accord coupe is a good choice.
awesome car, even more awesome with some potenzas or similar z+ rated tires.
Mitch Mitchell talking about Jimi and strats in general.
If the walrus is Paul then who is Carmen Sandiego?
Don't temp me redb. The dealer is trying hard to get me to sign the lease for a grey v6 with tan leather interior. Dang I loved test driving that thing.
Wasn't the revived TBird a little costly? Like 40 large or more?
While we all go on pining for one of our ol' Detroit dream cars, I suspect the first order of business is the sensible "just right" car.
The original Ford Taurus was one of those cars. They sold millions.
GM *finally* put some styling moves on Chevy Malibu and it's selling well -- but damn, it took a long time to make a Chevy that looked good from stem to stern.
Chrysler abandoned its bigger front-wheel drive sedans (they needed space to make more SUVs,I guess) and while the Chrysler 300 was a shot in the arm, its appeal was limited, I think. Meanwhile, a billion Accords, Camrys and Altimas have found new homes.
By the way, the new Accord is huge. I'd like to see one parked next to a '60s Pontiac Bonneville or something. I guess the Civic inherits the mantle of the "just right" car for Honda. (And the Fit replaces the Civic as the cheap entry car. Pretty clever.)
honestly you should consider a 370z before you sign the lease. Its a different beast, but the pricing is similar, and the power levels are comparable.
Just give it a shot if you havent already. Even if youve decided on the accord, go test drive the 370z and if the accord is the car for you itll be even more obvious.
Personally, Id probably go with the accord v6 coupe myself, for the insurance and because the 370z is new and you never know in the first year, regardless it is an awesome, awesome car. But if you get a lease, are you going to have limits to the kind of tires you put on the car?
Mitch Mitchell talking about Jimi and strats in general.
If the walrus is Paul then who is Carmen Sandiego?
Don't forget FORD. They hit a homerun with the Retro '69 Mustang body style. Chevrolet takes one of the finest muscle cars ever and brings it back as a Dodge Neon with glitz!
Where's our Retro 427 SS Yenko Camaro?
i think the days of retro car designs have slowed to next to nadda, it was a passing fad. too bad.
on a major side note, when I first went to this thread i was thinking it was about the Folk... as in the Folk gang nation. I was wondering why anyone wanted to revive gang activity.
"The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet."
"there's NOTHING WRONG with a live penguin, but...I expected a hamburger!"
With a lease on the Honda, I'd be able to replace the tires, but not the rims. The V6 comes with 18s. So all I'd need is the huggers, if I wanted to go that way.
You put the OEM wheels in the garage and run whatever wheels you want. Swap 'em back when you return the car.
If I get the 2009 Accord Coupe, I actually like the original wheels. The tires will only be changed after I wear them a bit. I don't need to go to the race track any time soon, and she handles just fine with the stockers.
Nice car. It's between that and keeping my '03 Accord Coupe.
oh in that case my suggestion to you changes; keep your current one and save up and get something REALLY nice like a 550i the new e class.
Mitch Mitchell talking about Jimi and strats in general.
If the walrus is Paul then who is Carmen Sandiego?
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