regfootball

4 cyl I assume? Did you stand on it and do a 0-60? The Fusion is solid in all areas. It's outglitzed by some other competitors, but they improved it so much for 2010, it's hard not to take a look.

i wish it were smaller, its offensively huge.

yeah its mushy and unnatural but not near as bad as the aztek. but it doesn't feel loose like a toyota. thing is, the car is quiet and cruises nice so to have razor sharp steering is not in its personality, SS excluded. the SS steered nicely. even with the 16" wheels it still feels undertired. the rather inexpensive bump control is more of a bother than the econocar steering. I'm ok with it though, the steering will bother me but its a commuter and better than lots of other econocars. this is the point where i say the steering on the Astra XR i really wanted well and the shifting and ride too was on a whole nother level which is odd considering they supposed to have the same gene pool. but i'm not gonna overpay for a 3 year car i prob will have a hard time getting warranty service on if any is left. the cobalt does cruise nicely which should make out ok for an occasional family trip. you can honestly take the family in this car i think. our 99 prism was ok for 2 on the road, but really was breathless above 65 and had scary brakes at freeway speed. The cobalt brakes may not be like the super ones on the astra, but any brakes are better than the base brake setup on the aztek. is the cobalt engine flex fuel? the HHR is, but there is no flex fuel badge on mine. maybe i should pump some E85 in there and find out. lol

lol. ! care to comment on whether synthetic or part synthetic would be a good idea for the engine? how bout transaxle fluid....run the stock or will it shift better if its changed out? the ford dealer where i typically get my oil changed most of the time i think puts semi synthetic at least in my ford.

lmao! the dead dinosaurs called. they saw my pics and want the products of their remains back. "I have a corvette steering wheel"

best pics here's the big LOL...the neighbors across from me also have a Victory Red Cobalt LT with the same alum wheels. Theirs has a spoiler and gray interior though (and an automatic).

do i need to get the splash guards? the transmission was the breaking point. i really wanted to put new struts in it too because it was riding so crappy.

my new SLUMRIDE more pics later I need to know how to turn it into a GXP.....

in your scenario df it makes sense for you since you've done a lot of work on it already. i had been nursing my transmission for almost a year. it was close to undrivable a few times recently. repair was imminent. had quite a few estimates from the 2500-4500 dollar range, add that to all the other stuff i would want to do. it just didn't work. spend money i don't want to spend right now vs. get money for it from someone while they think its worth it. if i would have dumped all the money into it i would have had to commit to it for 3-4 years to break even vs. this. i was going to spend money no matter what. it just became a question on what it was going to go for.

again dodgefan, generally i know you have a difference of opinion on this. but i walk from this with cash to spend on other things and a car under warranty. the other option was to spend a lot of money on something worth nothing. it really depends on your outlook. i'm not butt tight i guess. in the past i have found through experience that keeping a car past its prime costs just as much or more, and generally involves lots of extra headache. not to mention more peace of mind when your family is driving around in it, and not having to worry about them getting stranded or something. in this case right now i get some nice gas savings out of the deal too. the first rust spot that showed up on the aztek and it basically would have been worth zero. the body is still good and therefore it is still worth something. around here where they dump roadsalt all over, your vehicle is worth nothing once they spot some rust on it.

then i'd have one of these.....

hey maybe i need to get a G5 clip and taillights for it. then i'd have some EXCITEMENT! there was a couple holdover 09 SS that i could have gotten into but it still would have been about 6 grand more. 6 grand more for a turbo, not in a position to foot that bill right now.

you missed the part where i said i had never really put a dime into it. i am cutting bait now to merely avoid having to do a bunch of general repair stuff that one would and should typically do by that point....ie. struts, brakes again, tune up, a/c, fuel system, belts and hoses, battery, and so on.....in addition to avoiding the transmission expense. never had to fix any emissions, electrical, sensors, trim, never was out of alignment, no suspension or steering parts to fix. No timing belts. I more than got my value out of the car. no breakdowns. Its just time to hand it down.

for now. not the regal or lacrosse or taurus i wanted, but its cheap miles. it will be fun having a small car again for awhile.

thanks blu, it bummed me out a little to know you traded yours before I was able to join the club. But i do look forward to flogging it. That little ecotec is a frisky thing. Like you, if i get a couple of good years or so out of it, will be exactly what I am asking of it. Can't wait to get a flash drive for the USB and prob get some cheap speakers from crutchfield to put in it.

I know a lot of the really fair skinned Scandinavian bunch that really even hate lots of the German, Poles, Czechs etc. That pervasive 'everything is better in norway, sweden, etc' thing is the most bigoted bunch I am usually aware of.

it's because people with all the lovely ideas like that which by the way are nice as far as intent, they feel they are above reproach in terms of all the economic and balance sheet issues related to it. the people that think they are on the leading edge of promoting advancing and changing culture always choose to ignore the underlying money issues so they reduce it to a hatred pissing match. they want to make it a complete emotional argument because they know their position cannot exist financially. and they simply are too pig headed and selfish to settle for anything less than getting what they want. you know, because they are better than everyone else. one aside comment. in the ag areas where i grew up, the migrants were the ones who lived in $h!ty old trailer houses and worked the field work that the privileged white teenagers would never work if their next meal or case of really cheap bad beer depended on it. They put in long full days and they sweat their asses off for next to nothing to come home and live in an unsafe tin shack. Of course, they also took their pay and welfare and food money and send it south of the border to their rellies in Mexico. And added lots of crime to the area. But they did do work lots of the too good for you white folks thought they were too good for.

no chance of that being possible with the person in charge. not that he himself may not see it as valuable. it's the party he is tied to and the votes it is tied to.

gonna pick up the new (and i do mean new) car either late tonight or Friday noon. they gotta bring it back from IOWAY. I love my Aztek, gonna miss it, but it was time. 113,600 or so. Decided not to expend a few thousand on all the things it needed or should have in the next 12 months to ensure it would be worth keeping another 2-3 years. Didn't want to chance the tranny up and giving out since its been temperamental and foreshadowing its demise. And it turns out got a decent amount on trade for it as well. We rode it hard and put it away wet. When i subtracted what I am getting from it for what I paid, it was 12,900 dollars spent for 113,600 +/- miles. I don't think that Honda Pilot has me beat in that area. I put tires on it at 70,000. The ones on there now still look good for another 30-40,000. Aside from that the only repairs the car has seen is just the front wheel bearings under warranty. I did brakes at about 70k although it seemed like they need them again soon. No tuneup, no battery, just a couple radiator and tranny flushes. Right now economically we're not in a position to get anything elaborate. So we chose to go for economical and basic. It's our second vehicle, meant to help keep our vehicle costs down and hopefully have some fun. Shopped a lot of used cars. Shopped several new ones too. Decided I didn't want to chase all over the midwest to find that used car exactly the way I wanted (and still spend too much...used car prices are through the roof). Looked at some nice new stuff that is simply too pricey or didn't want to commit to the lease right now no matter how good the deal was. We had to sacrifice some utility since the Aztek was the utility king. Had no luck finding that used Astra I really wanted equipped the way I want and the price that made sense. Too bad. Needed to move on. I wanted to pull the trigger on a 2011 Hyundai Sonata lease and got cold feet. I sort of fell in love with the car. Having had some family members help us out a bit in the last year, and not totally certain how our careers are working out here though the next twelve months we felt politically it was not a good idea to commit to a lease right now, nor, drive such a nice new car. Despite all of us knowing the Sonata is just another midsize you can get cheap....it exudes the illusion of a much more expensive car----to other people. One you might have a hard time explaining to some folks who you know. The ability to get 'that car' or a Taurus, Regal, or LaCrosse will be there in the future. There is no shortage of cool stuff to pick from. I am tired of Ford. I love my FOrds, the last 5-6 Fords all fantastic cars. But right now I just didn't want one. The intelligent yuppie a-holes are jumping on the bandwagon now, so I am ok getting off that bunch for awhile. And really, most of Ford's lesser priced vehicles are getting stale. They just refreshed the Fusion but it already feels old. Fiesta is not quite here yet and is underpowered anyways. A bit pricey too. So I figured why not and decided to stick in the GM fold. Well, Pontiac and Saturn are gone. Turn to Chevy. It came down to the HHR which I love.....and the Cobalt. Which everyone knows is a solid little car. I decided to just go cheap as possible. I figured with the glut of used HHR's on the market I could always get one of those later. I wanted something new, and as it turned out much cheaper for me. Either tomorrow night or early Friday going to pick up the new Victory Red (same color as the Aztek) Chevy Cobalt LT sedan. MyLink package (USB/bluetooth/leather wheel and shifter/ABS), alum wheels, power windows, mirrors, locks, cruise. 5 speed! As a pontiac owner I got that 1k Susan rebate, and there is a total of 4k other factory rebate on the balt right now if you use GMAC who gave us a great rate. I used the big GM card balance I had saved up as well. No Traverse or Regal or LaCrosse now I guess. I can't wait to check the gas mileage. If we pick it up friday, it will be on my son's first birthday! What a nice present! I'll get pics of it up when we pick it up. Looking forward to beating the snot out of it like the rental it is.

no wonder our country is going to hell in a handbasket. someone get the lad a pocket p*ssy to let out some of that pent up stress.....

blu, I love that truck. Congrats! very nice looking ride!

9/11 (at work) challenger (in the school library on TV) Hinckley assass. those seem to come to mind the most right now. what i specifically recall was after 9/11, everyone hunkered down in their homes like a bunker for days sort of. all the news was about 9/11 and all you could see on TV or the internet was about 9/11. if we didn't have the internet at that time, lots of folks would have felt disconnected, and any country that was attacking us could seriously overtake our population without any of us knowing much about it if they had knocked out TV as well. a very disconcerting situation with mass uncertainty could surely occur when the country is disrupted like that.

So design wise I think they both look fresh and well done. The Tucson's front is a bit questionable, but clearly they have the goods to gain sales from the styling. The interiors follow suit to the exterior. Both have interesting and fresh looking interiors, and neither is a cookie cutter to the other. They each make a living off of some current popular design cliches' but are in fact pretty well done for the most part with some minor reservations. The main impression sitting inside the Sonata is the repetition of the exterior themes, lots of fluidic lines and shapes....these envelop you. Back in the 90's, 'cockpit' interiors or 'wraparound' interiors were the rage and this feels just like a new interpretation of that feeling. Currently popular is the large vertical center stack effect, which mixes into the wraparound shapes. The interior ambience in this car is very cocooning, and the low roofline really adds to the unique and futuristic ambience inside this car. Sit in the Sonata and sit in a Fusion......the Fusion will seem OLD. I had no issues with the interior 'design'. I was more or less pleased with the design and execution of everything. My only complaint and one I will Echo on the Tucson....cheap plastic. Which also happens to be disguised very well. It's not old style GM cheap of course, but if you are caught looking at it, you will say 'hmm, too bad they couldn't have made this dashtop out of a little nicer plastic'. I had no issues with any ergonomics, switches, lighting, ambience, or controls, other than a seat back that dug in a bit. There may have been an adjustment for that which I never found. DOn't confuse it though. The seats overall were GREAT and probably top in class if not close. The shape, the firmness, the fabric.....love the seats. Its hard to know if they would have felt good after three hours though. The interior of the Tucson is more rugged. But many similar comments apply. As does the note that the plastic really could be improved, although you don't dwell on it because the design and assembly quality is good. The Sonata's interior is cavernous. None for want in terms of head height, leg room, shoulder room, anything. Luxury here is space and it feels intimate while being spacious at the same time. My old 500 was huge inside but did not have the intimate feel this has. The rear seat perhaps has a teeny bit less leg room than it appears, but in its class, it still has more than most. Trunk is huge....however, the trimming and fit and finish in the trunk IMO needs improvement. At least you can access that space (um, LaCrosse, we are talking about you). This is at or near the top of cars in this segment, the trunk is. The Tucson's interior is huge also. Step in is a tish high but not obtrusive. All dimensions are well satisfied and the seats are great in that too. The cargo area could stand to be bigger. AND, trimmed out a LOT more nicely. The fuzzy stuff and plastic in the cargo area needs to be improved a lot. Perhaps if they did a sliding second row like the Equinox they could get a deeper cargo well. Width wise, and we all know how important width is, i think the tucson probably will have a more useful cargo hold than the Equinox. Rear seat legroom is excellent. COmfort is abundant all around. I was enthusiastic of both these interiors in spite of a lot of the plastics quality. The designs are interesting. The controls and layout and space given, no compromises. No glaring flaws. Futuristic, almost even, at least in the case of the Sonata. I can't sit in this and the Tucson and have any rational reason for why someone would buy an Accord or CR-v. ---dyin here. gonna need to finish this tomorrow----- just for now I like them both a lot.

Every time I test a car and review it I tend to frame my thoughts around how well the car performs to what you can buy it for. Sometimes your expectations are too high, and sometimes, too low. Sometimes you are underwhelmed and sometimes you are impressed. Sometimes you are taken aback with a certain excellence or value in something. There were a lot of instances driving these all new Hyundais where i really had to mentally step back and say, "wow, they really did a great job here". And there is the occasional instances where you are thinking, "but if they had just sweated the detail here just a bit more.....". I think what is rather interesting as well is how many of my thoughts here applied to when I tested a Kia SOrento recently. The Korean bunch has really got their nose to the grindstone, improving their work and their products. They are not at all second class. They simply bear down and tackle the next project. What is seemingly even more impressive is that its a whole effort that is including the marketing and design and product planners. There is no way all the improvement each cycle could happen unless the whole team was contributing. Let's take design for example. Both the Tucson and Sonata are arguably among the best looking now in their classes inside and out. Myself I am a bit weary of the soft look that the Sonata has, and i realize they are trying to add creases and such. The basic proportion and 'four door coupe' style is pretty good. The front is a bit busy and the grille a little obtuse and all. The side swoosh / falling character line is a bit hokey and has been so done, but it adds a signature to an otherwise egglike body side. The resolution in the rear is a little cleaner. The one detail I hate about the Sonata is the extension of the chrome from the headlight all the way back. Cars have too much chrome as it is, just adding this chrome below the hood is trying to hard IMO. But what really makes this car so nice to look at is the proportioning and the rakish look. The only sedan that may have a more fluid and graceful look (in this class) is the rock star sedan, the Volkswagen CC. Not at all like the crisply creased CTS, the Sonata is all about soft 'fluidic surfaces' and gentle flow. So although this new wave aero is sort of old, it really does look good here with the 4 door coupe roofline. The Tucson on the other hand, sort of expands on a lot of the current crossover design cliche's, closely mimicking elements of popular crossovers like the Nissan Rogue and Honda CR-v. I think the Tucson looks a bit more aggressive and stout, myself though. In comparison....ok, who are we kidding, on its own the Honda CR-v is ugly. THe Tucson looks athletic, somewhat fluidic, aggressive, tough, and sleek all at the same time. The Tucson physically looks bigger than others in its segment. It has a shape that will appeal to a large body of crossover fans.

I got a chance to test drive the Hyundai Sonata AND Tucson a couple days ago. This evening another Sonata test drive. Long story made short to ignore, I am actually am shopping for something of a vehicle so usually when I drive stuff for entertainment but these two vehicles were actually on my 'i would consider this'. Generally i sometimes don't finish these reviews so I will try to be quicker about this. Everyone is aware that Hyundai is growing more and more as a player in the market and each new release is making big / waves in the segment it is in. My last frame of reference for driving a Hyundai was a rental Sonata a couple years ago and while I felt it decently pleasant it really in no way made me want to own it. Wow can things change.