trinacriabob

I think the steering wheel is a Buick steering wheel. The emblem is round, while Olds in that day would be rectangular and "portrait" shaped. True, the colors of the pieces have been cobbled. It's the seats. This is a Buick Regal with the Limited trim. Those seats are from an Olds Cutlass Supreme with the Brougham trim. In a Buick, the pillowed seat cushions would go all the way up. In the Olds, the pillowed seat cushions would go up most of the way and then have that horizontal bump out near the shoulders ... just like what you see here.

Can you spot the anomaly or oddity in this photo of the interior of an early '80s Buick Regal Limited coupe?

I'd like to imagine that sort of utopia, but we know not everyone is like that. What sometimes happens is that narrow parking spaces have been grandfathered forward in time, without asking owners to re-stripe. If you wound up with several old school Park Avenues next to each other, it would be hard to open your door to the first hinge point to get out. I wonder how many people have torn high end suits or dresses in trying to get out of their cars and be considerate to other car owners. The problem is how the parking lots may be laid out. The only place I can think of that has the buffer zones already striped in between adjacent parking spaces is Costco.

Yes, it was this Airbump that I saw being exhibited in a shopping mall and I remember the name "Cactus." You wouldn't have nearly as many dings and dents, but could a person walk up to that car as their daily driver without cringing? Thankfully, it has been minimized. I think that a 2 inch wide strip, with two strata would work just fine - the edges of it in the body color and the insets in black rubber - just a thought. It would have to be modeled to see how good, neutral, or bad it might look. I'm sorry that body side mouldings are largely gone.

I think that a lot of it had to do with a huge divergence between foreign (they were going more spartan) and American (they kept plumping up the velour seats), a recession at the beginning of the decade, a few engines that didn't know how to shut off 2 or 4 cylinders (but were supposed to seamlessly do that), rapidly making even more diesel variants, and the introduction of computerized emission controls at the very same time (released in 1979 on some GM products, officially becoming CCC on their 1981 products) with teething issues. Some of the land yachts made for good eye candy, but unless they had a tried and true engine under the hood (Olds 5.0 L 307 V8 and the like), they were not worth owning.

While these could be "spotting" photos organized by the months, I thought I'd put these few here to show what a Citroen C3 looks like with the Airbump. The first time I saw the Airbump, I didn't really like it. Citroen did their best at making it functional and aesthetic. It definitely works overtime compared to thin protective side mouldings! It's not a requirement since some C3s don't have it. With its tires and wheels, this is most likely an up-level model. This was not my rental car. My rental car was black. Side view Front 3/4 view Rear 3/4 view Fun little car.

Behind the 8 ball on photos - here they are: Citroen C3 Descriptions beneath photos A side view of the Citroen C3 "super-mini" in the Sicilian countryside A top view of the C3 seen from a patio or balcony up higher at the hotel. Note that the roof has a similar indent to the areas on the door that would be filled in by their trademark Airbump. This is how the dashboard registers with a person upon entering the car. Note that this up-model had the red trim on its black interior with cloth seats This is what the driver looks at, so all the information is handy. I believe it had a digital speed readout (not sure), which I've come to prefer to an analog speedometer gauge. This is the infotainment center. At least it's not placed up high and sticking out. The climate controls, IIRC, were easy to operate. The gearshift is nicely finished in addition to working well. I believe the cup holders should be behind the shifter, not in front of it. A lip on the cubby could be useful to keep a phone from sliding forward and falling out. This is how the remainder of the C3 dashboard plays out. Notice how far out the top of the cowl protrudes to the functional face of the dash. I found that a little strange for a small car. If there's a functional or safety reason behind that, them I'm on board. End of photos - - - - -

I rented 2 different vehicles lasting 3 days each back to back. I’ve already reviewed the VW Golf. The second rental car was a Citroen C3. This was because each of the rentals took place in a different overseas location. I had seen the new Citroen vocabulary on display in the atrium area of an indoor shopping center overseas years ago. I didn’t know what to think of it - both the brand and the styling were unknowns to me. The one weird feature in the ones on display was the “Airbump.” Basically, the Airbump is the proprietary name, adopted overseas in English, for the large moulded rubber insert along the side doors. It’s supposed to function like protective side mouldings. However, it’s much larger than those, to the point that it fills in an entire recessed sculpted area in the car’s doors. For this second rental, I went to my Citroen C3 out in the rental lot and it did not have the Airbump. I got to see what the car looks like without one and I prefer it without the Airbump. However, in a congested European location, the C3 owner will probably get some dings and dents as a consequence of not having it. In terms of appearance, the C3 can grow on you fairly quickly. I definitely liked it more than VW Golf I had right before it. Its envelope is more rounded without looking jelly bean like. It seems to be a little taller, too. The narrow LED headlamps at the top of the grille look interesting, as in “not bad.” In looking at the previous model (2015 and before), the current C3 is a welcomed improvement. Mostly, I liked the C3’s interior. However, I liked the interior layout of the preceding rented vehicle – the VW Golf – better, for its more conventional volumes and very sensible layout. In the C3, there is the central dual bezel driver instrument pod, with the speedo, the tach, and gauges for fuel and temperature. However, the infotainment center is a little busier and sits a little below the single horizontal panel that spans the entire upper length of the dashboard, right below the air conditioning vents. The infotainment center is anchored at the bottom but slightly disengaged at the top, just like it is in our American Chevy Malibu. As for the horizontal cowl, it protrudes quite a bit and creates a noticeable enough “shelf” between the windshield and the front face of the dashboard. It felt weird to have this in a small car. Lastly, the higher line models of the C3 have color bands inserted in the interior. In my rental car, the accents were red. In others, they might be "gold," or copper. Lower line models don’t have these accents. The C3’s engine was a gasoline 1.2 liter “Pure Tech” 110 hp unit. I assumed it was a 4 cylinder. Reading the current reviews indicates it might have been a turbocharged 3 cylinder. Unlike in a car the likes of the Toyota Aygo, it does not feel grainy like you might be piloting a stripped down econobox. It sounded and behaved like most smaller 4 cylinders. The gearbox was a 6 speed automated DSG. This little engine responded to demands on the throttle fairly well for most conditions. And, to go with that, the 6 speed automatically shifted near perfectly. For me, 6 automatic gears is plenty. It’s when one gets to larger engines that 8 or more automatic gears might make more sense to lower RPMs and conserve fuel. There are various tiers of C3s and the Europeans give the tiers frivolous names instead of letters, like RS, LT, or SXT. The automatic gearbox is not available in the lower grade tiers but is available in the higher grade tiers. The hallmark of this car was the handling and the suspension. Apparently, Citroen is known for that. The C3 had great road feel and took corners and curves in stride. It felt very steady on the open road as well as on rural roads and road bumps were absorbed like they would be in a slightly larger car. Part of this feeling of control could be the marginally higher seating position, the great feel of the stitched steering wheel, and sitting in comfortable seats. And, despite the thicker rear pillar, visibility was good all the way around. The C3’s fuel efficiency was respectable. It wasn’t as thirsty as the VW Golf yet not as economical as the Toyota Aygo. Since the rentals were back to back, I’d say that I liked the 4 cylinder engine, dashboard, and reliability ratings of the VW Golf more. However, I l preferred the ride, handling, exterior styling, interior comfort, and 6 speed automated DSG gearbox of the Citroen C3. I guess you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. In closing, I enjoyed my time behind the wheel of the C3. They seem to be very popular across the pond, based on spending about 20 minutes in a Citroen showroom one evening. The C3 was a very easy car to live with, bordering on being fun to drive.

@Robert Hall I'm sorry about the loss of your dog. I know what that's like. Even though I've only had one, and for 12 years, I remember that last drive to the vet with my dog in my arms. Since they are so smart, and my dad and my brother were also in the car and surprisingly quiet, which was never the case, I think the dog understood. You will always reminisce about the good times with and funny things about your pets.

I was distracted by some current comments. What I meant to post is my scratching my head as to what they are going to do with buffets. Granted, there are tacky buffets ... but who doesn't like a quality buffet at a great hotel or hotel/casino with a grand view of some natural wonder, skyline, or beautiful scenery? I'm thinking they'll be more like cafeterias in the interim - where the food is dished out for you so you won't have to touch tongs and other things people touch with their hands. I immediately knew what this was - Good Friday 1964, Anchorage, Alaska. There was a National Geographic that featured it on the cover and as its main article. I'm surprised there are some buildings standing. Experiencing a 9+ earthquake on the Richter scale is one helluva "no, thanks."

I agree. I could see a V6 in an Avalon, given how long they are and the big price point difference from a Camry, but not in a Camry. The 4 cylinder does a decent job pulling it around. If Toyota could get a normally aspirated 4 cylinder to break past 200 horses would be good.

This is a time to gain collateral with people / customers / future customers. You may have heard people a generation or two up when you were a teenager saying, 'I support (Company A,B and/or C) because they were good to me, my family, and/or whomever when (insert name of crisis) was going on. It makes for loyal customers. It's sad that it takes something like this for them to really reach out, and not all businesses are doing so, but it creates a bond when an entity seems to have your back.

@frogger That front fascia / front end of that newest Golf you posted further up is nice. Even that color isn't too bad on that particular car.

Happy (Greek) Easter! Most years it's a week or two off, with it only overlapping the RC Easter on occasional years. How do you say Happy Easter in Greek using the Latin alphabet phonetically?

The question is whether they can be all things to all people in the luxury car segment, and still pull in the younger segment that has helped the brand so much. They can probably do it through varying the themes of different models within a particular model, just how the Charger goes from a base sedan with a V6 up to some souped up renditions with V8s putting out ungodly amounts of horsepower - like 707 HP. The last LaCrosse was not looking to pull in the younger market. It was happy to keep the middle-aged and senior market. It, too, had a low rider seat and high console that was not amicable to people of even medium height nor people who could still drive but had physical limitations. Cadillac needs to take the pencil out and make some minor adjustments, get better market focus feedback, and have some of its designers be slapped upside the head.

@Robert Hall I think that any car that's worth its salt would offer a minimum of three interior colors - black, tan, and gray - and the contrasting pieces would not be black, but a darker shade of tan or gray if that's what the main seating color. Any other colors are "gravy" and usually dictated by price point. I think it's sad that the Malibu, for example, which now has to cover a lot of bases only offers black in LS, LT, and RS trims. Ditto on your opinion about wood accents inside. @regfootball It's a mix of good and not so good. I like the big arcs on the interior dash but not the infotainment screen. It cancels out the sweeping arcs behind it on the cowl. The console does not look as high as that of the outgoing LaCrosse. Maybe the power seat can take a person closer up to the console height. First and foremost, I do not like how the rear passenger window mouldings taper off into the C-pillar. And, so close to that is a funky rear light assembly, further cluttered by a built in spoiler. They look more Hyundai-grade. It would be a "no go" for me. The car looks better up front. Why can't automakers design car envelopes that look balanced? You mean it snows where you live? J/K.

@frogger I believe you're right that, in terms of price point, the Golf sits above the Polo in the VW line-up. Looks wise, this new model has cleaner and more rounded lines at its edges. It looks nicer than the one I had. Those alloy wheels are interesting.

^ Opinions are like a-holes and everyone has one. I happen to dislike intrusive C-pillars. I like to be able to see out of a car or other vehicle, especially when I'm in a place where I'm not familiar with the turf. Or even in a big city where you have less time and space to make quick maneuvers. This should have been under an old car spotting thread. However, here's the new VW Golf seen during these same 3 days. Roughly the same size car. Easier on the eyes. More glass. Even looks good in that metallic rust color. VW (new) Polo VW (new) Polo Or, if you want to talk larger VW products, the Passat has clean, classic, minimalist lines that have stood the test of time.

Photo gallery of VW Golf Front 3/4 view - looks better from this vantage point; nice alloy wheels Rear 3/4 view - not as nice with that thick rear sail panel Comfortable with its leg room, nice instrument panel and dials, substantial leather wrapped steering wheel with convenient controls, and appealing center stack/vents/console Generously sized infotainment screen with back-up camera and nicely finished automatic (DSG) shifter; sturdy looking fabric seats Area for the passenger, larger glove box, and inset fixed window by rear view mirrors (don't know the term for that feature) like you'd see on a Buick Verano and a few other American cars How does a person put it into R in "manual" mode after being asked to do so in the message center? It's a DSG! You can concentrate on driving and not worry about shifting gears where you're not a local. The air conditioning was on. For those on C&G who enjoy language lessons: by deduction, I think "apagado" means turned off. Marginal photo showing nicely shaped and finished fabric seats, generous rear seat room, and a thick rear pillar to contend with. - - - - - End of photos

I never gave much thought to VW products until, when renting a full size at a local Budget years ago, I was given a Passat. I liked it more than I thought I would. I liked the user-friendliness of the dash and the controls. And I liked the flatness with which it cornered and rode. This "flatness" was more noticeable than in similarly sized Camrys and Altimas often found in the same tier of rental cars. The second and only other VW product I have driven was a VW Golf with an automatic. This was across the pond and the rental lasted 3 days. I immediately liked and disliked a few things about the Golf. I liked the dashboard and console set up, as well as the general comfort of the seating. The build quality of the interior was good, essentially comparable to that experienced in the Passat years before, albeit in a package that was smaller and with less content. I immediately disliked the thick rear quarter panel which gave the car a chunky or boxy look. The front angled view of this car is more favorable than the angled rear view. The layout of the dashboard and controls was intuitive, and well suited to someone used to American cars, such that getting underway was quick and easy. The 4 cylinder, presumably the 1.5 L, made more than 100 horses and was adequate for this size of car. The transmission was a DSG, which I've come to learn means "direct shift gearbox." DSG is what they've been calling most automatic gearboxes in Europe within the last handful of years. The weird thing about the Golf's DSG was its odd number of gears - 7 of them. As cars pick up more automatic gears, it's harder to identify the shift points. I sometimes could tell if I gave it more throttle and was keeping an eye on the tachometer. Incidentally, the gauges are nicely arranged, as is everything else for both the driver and front seat passenger. The Golf's ride was flat and composed and it was more compliant in highway driving than it was on hilly roads with tight hairpins. There were certainly a lot of these. Perhaps an up-level model with a more taut suspension could have handled them better. This car fared better on city streets and on the highways. Again comparing it to a larger VW sedan, its handling and ride would be like that of a smaller and less noise-dampened Passat. It would be more like a Corolla's manners in ride, handling, and noise suppression compare to those of the bigger and heavier Camry. However, for most things, it inspires a fair amount of confidence. And that includes passing that isn't overly demanding. Parking was also fairly easy and, even though the rear quarter panel looks like it might be challenging to see out of, it turned out to be doable, possibly because the back lite is fairly vertical. The fuel economy was very good, though not exactly great, when one thinks what kind of mileage heavier, older Chevrolets with 3.1 L and 3.4 L V6s could return under near perfect open road driving conditions. Handling was predictable and noise suppression was above average, possibly in the upper end of the economy car segment. The feel of occupying the front part of the cabin was probably this car's forte. Rear seat passengers also had adequate room while the trunk behind the hatch type door was somewhat limited. In three days of driving this VW Golf 5 door hatchback (at a very reasonable cost), I had one event that was perplexing and I thought I'd be in a bind. I pulled over to look at a panoramic vista and parked it on a slight downslope. When I got back in the car and tried to put it in reverse, it was giving me an unusual message in another language that the reverse needed to be applied manually. I could figure this out in context but I couldn't figure out how to do that with what was supposed to be an automatic! I was wondering if I'd have to summon some locals to help me decode the problem or possibly help me push the car back before moving it into a forward gear. I took a deep breath, pulled out the parking brake again, and tried again several minutes later. I was finally able to use the automatic reverse setting and be on my way. I made sure never to park on a slope and try to start it and then put it in reverse in the remaining day I had left with this car. The only thing I could think of is that there was something conflicting with a possible "hill hold" feature I didn't know about. Overall, the Golf is a compendium of good and average traits, which makes it above average. Currently, VW has released the New Polo, and it's about the same size but more streamlined, with an extra window in the rear door which effectively slims down the rear pillar and makes it look more attractive. From driving the Golf and seeing the photos of the New Polo, their best feature seems to be their nicely put together cabins that are comfortable to occupy for extended periods of time and put them quite a ways above some econoboxes being marketed across the pond. For some, or many, the VW Golf could be the answer to their automotive needs in this market niche.

They're annoying, cute, stupid, and a few other adjectives.

Yeah, weird with its one windshield wiper, pop out rear seat windows, etc. Between how cheap it was and how many kilometers it had on it, they were not too vigilant when I brought it back. If it's a nicer and newer economy sedan, with good options and low miles, it is scrutinized when returned way more so than they would in the U.S.

Any deer meandering through your neighborhood? Those coupes were rare, even when they were newly released. Not many were sold, IIRC. Trying to figure out which "fraternal twin" looked better - the Buick LeSabre 2-door coupe or the Olds 88 Royale 2-door coupe ... maybe the Olds.

It'll happen for you. It will either be (1) wow, (2) that was okay, or (3) you won't like it. Most people are in the first 2 groups. A small group, such as my parents, would have been in the last group. I'm definitely in the first group - wow.

Olympic Airways (Greek carrier no longer flying to North America) A340-300 - nice livery Aerolineas Argentinas A340-300 - Argentina has had some great liveries for their fleet