regfootball

my grandpa was 45 when he married my grandma, 26. they had 6 kids (1 that passed). 19 years difference and they were like 2 peas in a pod.

i don't think its a problem, and personally, I think in a lot of cases, it shows increased tolerance on the part of both people. And probably a more open and youthful attitude on your part. the people i get along most with at work at all younger. i don't mesh with my age peers.

personally, if GM merges with Chrysler, I say they should change the name to CLUSTERF-_K MOTORS! what's your ideas?

well so the astra is 2500 bucks HIGHER this month. i just read on saturnfans.com, GM is raising prices on the 09 Astra about 1500 more across the board.

awesome fuel mileage!

had plenty of RWD cars in minnesota/northdakota blizzards. last one was a 95 tbird with blizzaks. at the same time i had that tbird i got my first FWD car. my SHO, and since them my strong preference for ease of winter driving (like most folks in this region) is FWD. That first SHO i had was an absolute animal in the snow. a car like the magnum or G8 i might remain open to the possibility again of RWD with snows and stability control, but having snows in the garage is extra expense and hassle, and it still isn't ideal, FWD is still better. My driveway has a pretty good slope too. there is plenty of icy days here. And my wife prob wouldn't go for it. nearly everyone i know here avoids RWD like the plague. if they do have a RWD car, its a summer toy, they'll garage it in winter. None of us can have extra cars for toys. Part of the reason the Chrysler cars drop in price so much late in the year here is they rot on the lots from november through april. My best RWD car i drove in winter was my 77 century coupe. It had a short wheel base and had a light front end / good weight balance. Otherwise, Vegas, chevettes, electras, 2 rwd in the ditch, pickups, I've had many RWD cars. The century was very drivable in winter but even still not as tenacious and stable and predictable as a typical fwd car. FWD with snow even is better. Now my TRex has AWD. I would love to get snows for that.

LMAO are we talking above the waistline or below the waistline? what's fer dinner? carpet!

insight should have no prob walking all over this. we'll be seein 0 percent on the prius!

yeah of all the cars i have ever test drove, the CTS is likely my fave (pre 08 even, on the same day as a BMW drive). that said, its RWD, which always gives me a bit of pause with the weather around here. I'm just not hip enough for a mini. Really, the Astra was the right blend of sport and everyday usability as far as compacts. It feels so nice, i was willing to overlook its creature comfort deficits and lack of power. the engine was revvable and flexible. happy to cruise at 80mph, even if its loud, its not coarse. jetta's nice, but has a choppiness to the ride i did not like. the astra hopped less. even if the jetta felt more hefty, i didn't like the 5 cylinder or the mpg it gets. Passat drives nice and has a great shifter, but i hate the interior. SX4 was a hoot, but more like a 4 door motorcycle than anything and the front quarter windows feel spooky. XL7, quite possibly the junkiest feeling vehicle i have driven in a long time (and it has the 3.6!!!) 9-3 really is a nice car. the 4 is better suited to the car than the 6. the 6 gets nose heavy and has more lag. the saab 2.0 motor is a real gem and the shifter is like butter. seat is comfy and the dash is very intimate. fusion, sucks. every mazda6 i have driven i have not liked either. all the epsilon cars are good drives. the 4 cylinder is a great motor. galant is a good car. its marred by a cheap interior, but its a lively drive, 4 or 6. magnum, love it. had one as a loaner once and another test drive confirmed i like the car a lot. RWD though. the actual deal breaker is the claustrophobic interior. plus the wheelbase feels long on the car. i only have driven the cobalt once i think, but i remember thinking it was solid....compared to the cavalier of course. the 08 focus is a very good commuter car. however, the new one on its way soon is a good thing. from what i remember of the mazda3 its a nice car, but again as with nearly all mazdas there is something about it i just don't take to. G8, the v8 is slick but i thought the ride was a a bit too stiff and the car felt large (it is, duh). the v6 powertrain was unrefined which was a real downer. the g8's cockpit is nice and personal, they did a good job with that. latest sebring, one of the most unexciting and crappy drives i have ever taken. Let me lump the Nitro in with that. both really bad. conversely, i liked the 4.0 pacifica and the 300 SRT8. (i did a chrysler ride and drive awhile back). Grand Cherokee SRT felt fat and i did not like the steering. whole thing felt cheap. dodge caliber was terrible. Impala SS, for 300hp and v8 you think it would be a little fun, but honestly with the cheap interior, flat seats, 4 speed auto, etc.....i did not like it at all. 09 Escape with v6 was a surprise, powertrain was very good and the handling very good also....blows away the RAV4. had a RAV4 as a rental once and i could not wait to get out of it. didn't like the new accord. felt like it was flimsy. i simply don't like hondas. the sonata rental i had a few months back was ok. the interior was barforama (pre 08) but it drove ok and was decently refined. not a car you'd lust after. my father in law's 08 grand prix feels unique. if you never drive anything else, the grand prix feels solid and sporty and all of that but its got a lot of negatives also. the w body really needs to die. i had driven an aura 4 cylinder the same day i drove the FIL's grand prix and i would drive the aura hands down every day before the 6 cyl grand prix. Jetta diesel TDI....yes, the new one......was 'ok' but the DSG weirded me out and as good as the motor is for a diesel, if you like cars at all, you'll want a gas motor. let me see, what else. i will say, that GM does make cars that to me stand out, but usually there is one deal breaker in there that seals its fate. for example on the g6, its the bad interior. the g8 v6, it was the unrefined powertrain. etc.

the G6 isn't a bad car. even with the 4 cylinder its a nice car, but i don't care much for the interior or the exterior look of the G6. but it drives well. I actually prefer the Aura to the G6.

nope, need the XR for the sport package. the one i was looking at was loaded, leather, twin panel roof. a base XR is as cheap as a lightly optioned XE, because the rebates WERE bigger on the XR than the XE. if i wait beyond 10 days i lose 2 grand in competitive lease bonus. 2 grand = many car payments. actually i lose also additional GM add on bonus dollars to my GM card on 10/31 also. but they take away the rebates on the car i wanted to buy---- dumb asses. BTW i am preapproved with FOrd because my lease is with them right now. GM more or less also, except with the last week or so.....who knows what they are doing now to avoid lending. If i felt like good leases would come back in a few months I would wait to lease an 09 Astra. But the way the auto business and credit is, i do not see leases coming back. And Saturn used to have tremendous leases. It was only this year now you can use GM card on saturn.

g8 = too expensive for me. i might consider it otherwise. believe me, there is NO WAY to get into a g8 cheaply. maybe i just bite on a cheap jetta or impreza lease and call it good.

my hope would be they keep the door open to keeping the dodge and chrysler brands alive, while really downsizing them. really, i would rather dodge and chrysler stay around then all the other furrin brands. but people in this country need to understand that their defacto attitude about japan inc. being better is coming home to roost now. and to think, 30 months ago it was all about chrysler's home run with the 300 and everyone else's mad rush to follow suit with rwd v8's. folks, that alone if anything tells you of the TECTONIC shift in the car market. another irony. dodge's new ram is likely the best full size truck on the market now. and its more or less stillborn now. there was an ominous article in the press a couple years ago about how there would be a major shakout in the market of car brands for sale or making cars worldwide. this may be the start of it. It makes sense to suggest we may be left with GM Ford Toyota Honda VW and BMW, Fiat, Renault and Daimler and a couple Koreans. this could be the start of a tidal wave. I really hope the Dodge and CHrylser brands survive in some way. I honestly don't see how this plan helps GM, but oh well. One article i read suggested that what this does is create an entity so large, that the govt under a new president will be forced to do something to help it survive. The failure of a merged GM/Chrysler would account for 35% of the manuf. in this country i thought i read. No politician who is smart would not find a way to support its survival.

test driving cars is a great hobby oh yeah, the SX4 is a hoot, by the way. Those are a great buy also.

oy, that dash is horrible.

more good points. If you recall Chris I mentioned the used SVT Focus I spotted with 11k on the odometer. except its a 3 door. My pause on that car is one, i don't think its got the best reliability rating, two, i am unsure if it has advance trac (I think it does) and i am fairly certain it doesn't have head side curtains. third, i actually have driven that car a few times and its noisy, and i didn't like the power delivery of it. The engine is coarse. I actually found one Focus I would rather have....an 05 or 06 Focus ST 4 door, has the 2.3 instead of that noisy 2.0, and would be less radical than the SVT. I have looked at the HHR SS but unless i can lease it cheap its too spendy. Regular HHR would be ok. A new Cobalt might be good enough, but the Astra is so sweet in comparison to the Cobalt. To anyone who hasn't driven the Astra, go do it, its a very endearing car. I am averse to pretty much anything Japanese except Mitsubishi. The Jetta surfaced because I can lease one cheap and its a great car. I've really gotten comfy with the notion of a zippy agile and economical car for awhile. Especially since small cars are so good now. But I won't overpay for a small car, because they do not keep their value. That's why I refuse to look at the Focus. Morons are paying 16-19k for a new Focus and i swear in two years it will be worth 8 grand. That's irresponsible, despite whether it gets decent mpg or not. Keep in mind i spent 2 weeks this year driving loaner 08 Focus and its an ok car. But even after that, i refuse to overpay for something that...........(insert your own comment here). To previous poster, I would have loved to release my second car. I won't buy the 500 out because the residual is about 4-5 grand more than auction value is on it. I was hoping there would have been a Flex lease to roll into. But the economic situation, good leasing schemes are gone from the domestic cars. I did get a lease quote on a Fusion that quite frankly sucked too and I hate the Fusion anyways. From what I can tell, Subaru and VW are the only companies with decent leasing right now. And subaru is kind of out because I don't wear flannel and watch Ellen.

everyone's analysis and questions are good on this thread. Bob, there is no rust on it. GM's paint holds up the best in the salt belt of any manufacturer and I feel confident that i probably won't have it for awhile. That said, I have seen and looked at used cars in the past in this region that were 4-5 years old and had it. Once you see the first rust spot, the value of the car tanks miserably. Good question. My sister had an 88 Beretta for like 12 years. It was a bit of a steaming pile, and she put lots of money in it, but I will say this. The sucker never got any rust on it. At least that i was aware.

because of cost, an astra, cavalier, HHR, G6, Aura, that's about it, if GM. Saab crept in as a possibility and an exception. Otherwise, if the purchase price of the vehicle I want exceeds say 15k on up, i prefer to buy another make or a used Ford 08+ taurus or something. Believe me, I've even pondered getting another Mitsubishi, but I really would prefer to stay domestic. Leasing a Jetta is one option far fetched. I had an offer to take them up on a new loaded Astra XR....21,500 MSRP for 13,800. I balked due to some information about my work status. Now, two weeks later they tell me the car is 2500 more. Makes no sense. But whatever. F-ck GM, f-ck Saturn. So yeah, some of GM's more basic vehicles. Once i reach a certain price threshold, it opens the door to everything non GM and i can conceivably wait a month or two or six. The Astra's payback was much better under the 4 dollar gas model. Gas alone would save 1000 bucks a year over the not too thirsty Aztek. Now its down to 2.59.........they just keep screwing with us.

loan. maybe a year worth of payments left. i could pay it off in cash right now if i wanted to.

Enough political BS Let's get light. Here's some advice i need. My 500 lease goes back in a week or so. To cover myself in the wake of a scarce credit scenario, I bought a used Taurus X a couple months ago. Now it seems like a good move. So, replacing my 500 is done, and I don't have to be forced into a bad deal now, when credit is tight and good deals are also few as well. The thing is now I am driving the 2004 Aztek. Wife has the new rig. The dilemma I face is its a nice daily driver. Quiet, spacious, 20 mpg, functional. Drives like a dump truck and its not fun per se, but its a good cruiser. Its in decent shape. More on that in a bit. It has 95,000 miles on it now. Its been trouble free. It had wheel bearing fixed under warranty and that's it. Tires and brakes at about 70k. Tires still look pretty good. Did radiator flush and tranny flush at 50k. Brakes have always felt weak on this vehicle and are underdesigned. I don't know if i can improve this. I owe about 3k money on it and think I can sell it for 6-7k on the open market now. Once it crosses 100k, the value drops and its hard for a buyer to get money on a vehicle over 100k. I've revisited the notion of the keeping it and driving it into the ground, what with it close to being paid off. At the same time, the struts need to be replaced as its riding tough. Aside from that it will likely need general maintenance to keep long term. Tune up and plugs, radiator and tranny flush....electrical and A/C check, fuel system change filter. Belts, hoses, etc. And dear God, it needs a stereo and speakers. the stock unit is dreadful. Aftermarket units now have USB and bluetooth to make in car tech easier. The body's in good shape. A couple dings, but it looks great otherwise. The car has heated seats installed and remote start so its a champ in winter. I'm torn on whether to dump money into the vehicle which is otherwise riding fine. If i invest in the maintenance and struts then I need to pay it off and drive it 2-3 years. My other recent scenario was that i had all but purchased a new Astra, and I would have sold the Aztek. The Astra is fun and woulld have been cheap to operate with better mpg and a friendly payment. GM pulled incentives on that car now, and I am screwed. I have a nice lease offer sitting out there on a demo 9-3 combi but its an automatic. GM is offering me an extra 2k on my competitive lease ending soon and that offer ends when i turn my lease in. There is also a G6 I can buy at a great price and that car is a good inexpensive ride as well. Ford has no good deals. So i need to decide in a week or so if I take advantage of any newer rides out there, or sink 2 grand into the tek and drive that for 2-3 years and 30-45k miles. The total incentives GM has for me right now is 4500 dollars extra (lease end incentive and GM card) Just want some points of view on this. I hate spending money on cars. But i hate spending money on maintenance and fixing them even more. Whatdya think?

i think plenty of Americans hate the prius. as for the magnum, rabbit, A3, all very good cars. I severely doubt anyone hates them. Jaguar is a good car. The Galant is even a very good fun car. Jeez. this is pure and simple, piss poor journalism.

death sentence for Jim! and lots of trips to India and Africa.

I might have to look into an Aveo5. I've developed a serious aversion to having a big second car payment now, and the Aveo is cheap. With the new improvements, my only reservation now is crash safety. Maybe Carbiz, you can chime in here.

that was clinton's mandate, BTW. Agenda. whatever.

ricer was right on points one and two. Very true. we'll swing way too far left. I see some serious damage being done by a lefty congress and president. think its bad now? so yes, we'll have repubs back in 2010. i would prefer we never see Hillary ever show up again. all that said, i just am not sure i can vote for mccain. old and creepy and not seemingly having direction. Palin is hot, and seems to have skill, but she needs more grooming. Maybe in 2012. The repubs need to develop some younger, more middle of the road talent, who don't scare the pants off of people. Funny bit, my lefty buddy sent me an email the other day....'Palin took off her blazer at a rally the other day!' OK, aside from me wanting to see that....slowly, to music, if that is the notable thing we say about her as a candidate, then its safe to say she needs more time. I forgot to ask him if she let her hair down, too. LMAO