Intrepidation

So long as they don;t dumb down the Fiesta for us Americans, its going to be the class leader.

You're one step ahead I see! That 2 piece cover looks much nicer.

Pep Boys has 50% off all Bosch wipers until October 4th. According to their site the 22" and 24" are both $22 so they would be on sale for $11 each. http://pepboys.shoplocal.com/pepboys/defau...epBoys-090830RF I plan to pick me up a couple sets. I hear these things are awesome and last like 2 years.

Its a shame GM isn't proud of teh engine. I mean its not pretty to look at. It's all covered up in plastic overs. Don't get me wrong, I don;t hate covers, but on an engine like that I would rather see the engine, but without all of the wires and tuby bits hanging all over the place. Sort of like this:

That would be a much better choice

Yeah I really wouldn't go for a Blazer, especially if you plan to put your family in it.

Nothing wrong with going used and not having car payments. Just be prepared to give it TLC if need be.

Minivans aren;t exactly mini. That term has always bothered me. A better example would be MPVs like the Eagle summit. There used to be a few of them on teh market. Now there's just the Mazda5 and that hasn't exactly set the sales charts on fire. Go ask a a person who actually owns an SUV or a CUV why they chose it over a minivan or wagon. They'll all say the same thing. Minivans = uncool and they all like the commanding driving position you can't get in a wagon. Minivan owners will tell you they bought the minivan because it's more practical than even the giant wagons of yore. I've sat in those pathetic trunk seats in Country Squires, while they were neat they were hardly comfortable. I like wagons, but I know I and the rest of us who like them are in the minority. People didn't stop buying wagons because the companies wanted them to buy SUVs instead, they bought the SUVs because they liked them better. Remember how we go on and on about how Detroit built SUVs more than small cars because that's what people wanted at the time? That argument applies here too.

Those are quite cool, however I would love it if they could exactly replicate them.

Let's look at this in an intelligent manner. How many wagons were there in the 90s? Off the top of my head I can think of Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Chevy Caprice, Buick Roadmaster, Ford Taurus Taurus, Honda Accord wagon, Buick Century, Ford Escort, Mitsubishi Diamante, Saturn S-Series wagons... Tell me something: how many of those exist in wagon form now? What's that? None you say? What replaced them you say? CUVs? Why's that? Something about people preferring the higher driving position and not the stigma wagons have? Well how about that.

Those first two look very modern actually, like something you would see from late Pontiac or Scion ads.

Cool cars von, but higher than what I'm looking for. Z, the Ranger /S10 would be sweet. My gf is fond of S10s and she loved the Mazda truck her aunt had. I'd also love a Dakota. None of those have turned up yet, but plenty of time to look.

Are those badges on your car like the concept badge the G8 concept had? I loved that design.

Cool, thanks for posting. The first video gives a lot of info on what I've always found to be a fascinating car. I actually prefer the two un-aired commercials to the one that the public did see. I like the idea of GM's next all electric vehicle being called the EV2.

I agree, something old like that would be a project car or something...and not good on gas. Plus I have nothing against Accords.

And then there's this thing... http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/1382012601.html Floors look bad, doubt it would make a good winter beater/commuter.

I'm not picky really. All it has to do is run, drive, stop, and have heat...though I'd rather it not be an old Hyundai or Kia. Anything else goes. I don't mind little things or cosmetics because I can fix those. I'm looking to spend no more than $500 on it. That's really my only requirements. This Accord for example: http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/1382964314.html There was also a Spirit which seemed not too shabby, though its gone now.

I know, it amazes me how badly people can treat their cars. Of course then youc ome across bargains that have been very well cared for. Just a matter of looking.

I really want a wagon, truck or minivan for a beater...I miss the utility of our van.

Oh I wasn't really looking at it as a beater, I was just curious why the price was so low....and I got my answer. As far as LH cars go, yeah there's a lot of beat up ones but you can also find some treasures too. Friend of mine got a 2.7 SE as a beater so he could keep his ES off teh road. The owner thought the engine was bad and parked it for two years. Turned out that all it was was the harmonic balance pulley. That thing is in amazing shape...paint looks factory fresh without swirling or anything....all for $300. Then I saw for about $500 on Craigslist an R/T that overheated, had a messed up interior, and every body panel was damaged.

On my way home from Lowell today I passed by a small used car dealer on 110 and noticed out from was a grayish `99 LHS with a window sticker for $699. Naturally had to go back and check it out. Park in front of the office and an old salesman greets me. I ask if I can go look at the LHS and if the price was $699. he said yes. We went over to it and he started it up. First things I notice: it has an exhuast leak and more ominously, it makes a hissing/humming sound (what is that sound anyway?). He pops teh hood and I have a look. First thing I notice here is that it's dirty, and there's oil residue around the oil filler cap and the front of the plenum. Then I noticed that the a/c belt had come off and was just hanging there inside out. I let the guy know, who was surprised. He turned it off and pull teh broken belt out. Next I start checking fluids. This is where things go from bad to worse. Oil cap has antifreeze residue on the bottom of it and lining the inside. Check the dipstick, the oil is dirty and it has particles all over it. This engine is basically a ticking time bomb. The other fluids looked ok, but but because the engine was warm I couldn't check the antifreeze to see if oil was mixing or whatnot. Body appears to be in reasonable shape besides a weird dent on teh trunk lid, like someone tried to pry it open. The trunk itself had an alloy spare in it...but no lining at all. Passenger window did not work, the others did but the driver's motor didn't sound good. The central locks did not work from the driver's door nor did the trunk release. However, they did work via the fob. There was tape on the passenger door window switch. Otherwise the interior looked in reasonable shape. As I was going around again I noticed that black paint was coming off the side mirrors and that, weirdly, the grill that the wipers rest on (whatever its called) was gone. It also had 204,000 (hard apparently) miles. After looking it over I start talking to the salesman about it. He told me it drives, steers and shifts good, and didn't overheat. I told him that's good, and the electrical problems and exhuast leak aren't so bad, but there's antifreeze mixing with the oil and that there were particles in the oil, and that it was only a matter of time before it went. He had nothing to say after that. A shame really, but couldn't do an engine swap myself, and that would run about $2,000 before all of the other issues were taken care of. I want a beater, but $700 IMO is too much and that engine isn't long for this world.

Excellent work! You've taken an already great ar and stepped it up to the next level. I love the interior improvements, especially the GPS, and the GXP style fascias. Have you thought about GXP wheels? Modding is fun and addictive.