Intrepidation

I'd rather just use dash conditioner that prevents the vinyl from drying out.

One more reason not to move to AZ then!

WHo the hell buys a CUV/wagon thing and says "yup I want it to be completely useless, that's what makes me want it. It's like a people carrier only ugly and not very good at what it does." Both the X6 and this thing fall under that catagory.

I was referring to the 97-03. Those materials aren't better. They are scary cheap.

Yes but the Fiesta I liken closer to the Mini because it's not just designed to be a cheap, dumped A to B transport like basically everything else. It's certainly class up from the Accent, Reo, and the horrid Aveo, which are designed to be cheap transportation and nothing more.

People bu y the Mini because it's the only small car in America that isn't a basic penalty box. The Beetle never had much substance to back up its style, and that coupled with the fact that VW has let it rot on the market like a Cavalier is why no one buys them now. I'm not overestimating at all. there is plenty of desire for good small cars, and when gas inevitably goes back up (which it will, don't fool yourself thinking it won't) there will be even more demand. There are buyers who buy a vehicle based on needs, like a minivan or midsize car, and there are those based one wants. Not everyone has 5 kids and makes imaginary trips to Home Depot 3 times a week to get 7 acres of timber for that project that doesn't exist. The only way I would ever buy a new small car is if it was as good as a larger car just without all of the excess mass. In other words, they only thing I have to give up is size, not features, quality, comfort and style. The Fiesta (if it comes over here intact and not dumbed down for dumb Americans) and the Mini are the only game in town for that. Old folks who grew up in the days of land yachts (or those who live in the past) think small cars are only for basic transportation. However the younger generation (my generation) isn't nearly hung up on bigger = better for their driving needs.

Something from British Leyland.

Eww....dash covers look so cheap, tacky and nasty, IMHO. My dash has small crack along the crease where the texture of the vinyl changes. Common problem for Intrepids. It's not bad though. I'll live with it until I change out the dash. I'd rather do that than put one of those nasty covers on. Plus when the A/C gets revamped the dash will need to come out anyway.

Funny, I seem to recall the Mini continuing to sell well, despite beings mall and despite being more expensive than a base model midsize car. Why could that be? Style, substance, quality, and fun to drive. The Fiesta has all of those qualities and its cheaper than a Mini. There is a plenty big and untapped market for small cars that don't suck, particularly the coveted younger demographic. I would much rather spend money on a loaded, small car that isn't a penalty box than spend the same on a bigger car that''s a stripper or a fleet special, or a few grand less on a small car that's a pile of crap.

Kill it with fire! The guys at MT must be smoking some really good stuff, got a hold of the Honda Kool-Aid or gotten a big paycheck in the mail to think this is good looking.

It's estimated to be around $3 billion. For comparison, NH has a deficit of $190 million. They rejected higher taxes to close the gap in favor of looking for alternative ways.

The worst quality interior I've ever been in was a last gen Grand Prix. iI like teh styling but holy crap the interior was so cheap and nasty. Most uncomfortable seat awards got o our old `87 Shadow turbo and the PT Cruiser. Way too narrow and uncomfortably shaped. Oh and the back set of teh N-Body Malibu. No support at all. I was sore after 5 minutes being in it.

Well MA just raised the sales tax and there's all kinds of talk about raising the gas tax and other taxes....how abouut they stop the wasteful spending and get their act together before they try to shove more taxes down our throats?

Except if, you know, use your car mainly for work. Most of my mileage comes from going to and from work. they already take plenty out via income tax, they can go piss off if they want more.

I want one of those buttons!

Of all the CUVs only the Flex tickles my fancy.

There's no mass transit to where I work, and I don't think walking or bicycling for 39 miles each way is viable.

They want us to buy more fuel efficient cars that use less gas and they want us to save the planet by driving less. People have a hard enough time in this economy as it is. More taxes to fund bonuses for corrupt politicians won't help anyone but their bank accounts I believe we pay plenty of taxes, I didn't give the government permission to spend billions of taxpayer money on pointless wars and bailing out banks that helped get us in this mess in the first place. If we weren't sending billions to banks and funding pointless wars, and allowing companies to continue to outsource instead of encouraging them to stay here, while reining in other wasteful spending, maybe the economy would be a tiny bit better than it is currently and maybe we wouldn't owe China billions. As well, you must know the majority of that revenue will not go towards improving roads or public transit, it'll get wasted on something else

Anything to screw us out of a little more money!

State considers charging by the mile Isabel Mascarenas 4 days ago St. Petersburg, Florida - Motorists are fueling up less often these days. Some are buying fuel efficient cars, while others are simply driving less. That means every gallon that sits in a gas station's pump is money the state loses in taxes for road projects, an estimated $7 billion over the next five years. Instead of raising the gas tax, some state transportation officials are considering charging motorists based on the miles they drive. Keith Craig says it seems like a good idea, "The general idea seems to be fine for retirees who don't drive too much." This is how the program would work: a GPS type of system would be placed in each vehicle. When you go to fuel up, a device at the pump will calculate how many miles you've driven since the last trip to the gas station and charge you based on those miles. After giving it some more thought, Craig frowns on the vehicle miles travel tax, known as VMT. "It sounds like they have more control of me. Not sure I want that and not only that, they could keep track of me." "Be kind of weird, I think. They might as well put a chip in me to see where I go every day," says Rick Berry. He owns a tree service business and drives about 200 miles a day. "If it cost me money, I'd definitely pass it on to my customers," says Berry. Some motorists on a tight budget may not have a choice but to pay up. Sheena Fowler adds, "I work during the day. My fiance goes to school at night. Our car is used all day, it doubles our mileage. It would not be good for me." We tried several times to get a comment from the Department of Transportation in Tallahassee, but no one has responded. http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story...storyid=113575

Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. These are a few of pointless sites I never plan to waste any time of my life on.

The Fiesta is being marketed as a premium subcompact. Thankfully we'll finally get something besides the Mini to choose from. Not everyone wants a small car to be a penalty box. I will happily pay more than a current Focus for s top trim model. And not every car needs a V a million to be fun to drive. Not all of us fit into the stereotypical 900 pound American who must have BIGGER IS BETTER everything (even though I'm not a small guy). The Fit is the best subcompact besides the Mini you can buy right now in the states, and its better than most compacts.

GC's are nice. My boss has one and it's been good to her.

I love our GM, if/when mom decides she wants another car I want to take it.

Nice finds, still a little high. The idea is to see how good of a car I can find for the least amount ofmoney...like on of those Top Gear cheap car challenges. However, I would love one of these... http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/cto/1384846083.html