haypops

The 17 states listed, represent 38% of the United States population using the number of House of Representative members as a guide.

The Journey seems mediocre at best (even without the interior mistake). The car show season is upon us (Detroit, Chicago, New York) and Chrysler always puts its best foot forward at these events. Be patient.

I have had my car for about 7 months now and have used the radio for about 10 minutes. I checked out the cruise control to make sure it works and haven't touched it since. I guess that qualifies me as cheersandgears curmudgeon. Happy Christmas all.

Maybe, maybe not. GM either sold or came to some sort of working agreement with International to cede their motor home business to IH under the workhorse brand. IH uses GM engines and transmissions. In the process GM went from an also ran to supplying the drivelines for a superior-to-Ford product. Perhaps IH will grow the medium business also.

Although I don't dislike Toyota and Hyundai as much as most here do, I don't see the point to a Toyota that isn't decidedly more reliable or a Hyundai that isn't a true price leader.

Los Angeles is Chevy's largest market. Los Angeles is GMC's largest market. Toyota's most profitable sales district isn't California, but rather the southeast (Alabama, Florida, etc.) Your delaership sells 3 HHRs a month, mine sells 3 in an afternoon.

The change over from the 5 speed to the four speed occurred at the same time that the Cobalt was introduced with the 4 speed. That said, there were numerous complaints with the five speed unit. Engine revs would flair up at unpredictable times during shifts. Everyone who commented at the time at the Saturn forums said th four speed outperformed the 5 speed transmission. Better execution?

has there been any talk about that?

A small foot print 7-passenger wagon that predated the ones described above was the Saab 95 Like the others mentioned previously, I don't think it was a sales hit. I always had a liking for these, especially since the engines sounded like a chain saw. :AH-HA_wink: Two other vehicle to consider in the small 7 passenger vehicle market are the Ford Edge and all short wheel base minivans. The success of the former(5 passenger only) and the lack of the latter show that Americans expect luggage space with their 7 passenger capacity or else forget it.

Tone of Audio/phots version is a LITTLE more positive

Enzyl: I understand that you are more worldly-wise than I, but still your comments on the HHR seem off key. I have had mine for almost 6 months now and enjoy it more each day. The utility is great and the interior cheapness you describe fits me just fine (I suspect you are one of those who can't get used to the window switches not being on the door). The fuel mileage is great (30 easily on the freeway, 25 in town). The air conditioner is amazing. The acceleration is sparkling for a vehicle in this class. I've been driving for 50 years and this car pleases me more than any other has. GM has changed its daily rental strategy with the HHR. They are loading them up rather than renting out the stripos. I think it has had some positive effect on sales. As I mentioned above you have many more auto experiences than I to lord over me. However, my son in-law is a professional driver and he too shares my pleasure with this car. When I bought mine, three sold simultaneously and I bought from a smallish dealer. That would seem to be your concern, not the customers! I do question that the range in price is any greater than other Chevies or even Honda. Could you give me further instruction in this area? The HHR is a smallish car with a bit of utility, it's not a painting or a sculpture. Its originality or lack of same has absolutely nothing to do with its intrinsic value. Perhaps you have gotten one too many Robo calls from Rudy or Mitt and it has soured your normally sweet disposition.

A cobalt wagon! Really I thought it was a Buick.

Daily rental sales were 20%+ not 30, or doesn't that distinction matter to this discussion?

Ethanol E85 fuel loses cost-benefit test to diesel click here for full article <LI id=sprite1 style="BORDER-TOP: #ccc 1px solid"> Digg <LI id=sprite2> del.icio.us <LI id=sprite3> Newsvine <LI id=sprite4> Reddit <LI id=sprite5> Facebook What's this? By James R. Healey, USA TODAYAnything's better than ethanol blend E85, even ordinary gasoline, a new cost-benefit analysis of alternative fuels by researcher John Graham at the Pardee Rand Graduate School finds.Diesels scored highest, surprising even the researchers. "We were kind of expecting that hybrids would outperform diesels when we went into the study. It's close, but the advanced diesel" provides better performance and fuel economy for the price, he says.Compared to gasoline, a driver could spend as much as $1,600 more on fuel over a vehicle's life burning E85, a mix of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, Graham calculates, while a diesel could save as much as $2,300. Diesels are just creeping back into the USA as automakers introduce clean-burning models that meet new pollution rules. The study, which Graham plans to discuss today at a National Academy of Sciences roundtable in Washington, undercuts E85 at a time Detroit automakers are lobbying Congress for ethanol-supportive legislation and fuel-economy credits for building E85-compatible vehicles. General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor, (F) both pro-ethanol, are among companies that support the Rand school. "They aren't crazy about the results," Graham says. The study also comes just as ethanol organizations are ramping up promotion of so-called intermediate blends of ethanol fuel, such as E20 — 20% ethanol and 80% gasoline — that they say could safely be used in conventional vehicles. Automakers currently limit regular vehicles to E10 blends, saying heavier concentrations of ethanol could damage fuel systems. "Do we jump from E10 to E85? That's not a logical leap. That's why we're looking at these intermediate blends," says Brian Jennings, executive vice president at the American Coalition for Ethanol. Graham's team calculated the individual and societal costs and benefits of conventional gasoline vehicles, gasoline-electric hybrids, high-tech diesels and flex-fuel vehicles burning E85 full time. Conclusion: Unless gasoline prices, averaging $3.10 a gallon now, rise above $4 and average $3.50 or more the next few years, or ethanol prices drop a lot, diesel's the best overall solution; E85's the worst. Ethanol has less than 70% of the energy of gasoline, so more ethanol in the blend means fewer miles per gallon. Adjusted for lower energy content, E85 averaged about $3.25, AAA reported Thursday. Drawbacks outweigh the high marks ethanol gets for adding almost nothing to the cost of a vehicle modified to burn E85 and for energy independence, Graham's team concluded. Ethanol is made from grain, mainly corn. Graham, dean at school in Santa Monica, Calif., earlier worked at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and founded the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis. Rand is a non-profit corporation that researches public policy issues.

One of those "meet the new Malibu" articles detailed quieting of the induction noise of the 2.4 via intake modifications. No details as to application to other cars using this engine.

Where did the speedwagon pat of the REO speedwagon name come from? answer, photo, and link to other neat trucks here

Thanks for your efforts. I suppose a California car would save me shipping and the rust problem too. An air cooled VW would be a good bet for parts availability and cost but they really are too big.

That is my price range

Honda 600Z is good too. are they hard to find?

All are good choice, although some are pretty hard to find and expensive. I think iI should add the Morris Minor.

When my kids were small, I built a really nice playhouse for them. About the same time I bought a Fiat 600 has a project car (see generic example below) My wife thought the car would look cute parked next to the playhouse. Now that my daughter has a daughter of her own, she would like to replicate the experience for her. I am looking for suggestions for diminutive sized cars to park next to the playhouse. What would you suggest. So far the leading contenders are a Nash Metropolitan or a bug-eyed sprite.

Let's not forget that this segment of cars is one of the most conservative. I haven't seen one in the flesh yet, but certainly the pictures are quite exciting for THIS segment.

They just announced that the PT cruiser is dead after announcing that it wsn't dead (only the convertabile was dead) after announcing that the wagon was dead. On the other hand they are going through a lot of turmoil after being a a German owned shadow of its former self and now being a privately held company.

There's two more! check out Dodge and Jeep versions too

the on again off agin pt cruiser is off again