Intrepidation

What the idiots at Benz need to do is make sure Chrysler designs interiors with good materials, upgrade various powertains, and fix teh design team over at Chrysler (Dodge is still ok IMO), oh and ditch unnecessary/stupid models (Compass/Aspen)

Some other highlights from the review: Nice to see they upgraded the suspension from teh Sebring and made it fun to drive. So the powertrain is good...I don't get why everyone thinks it's uncompetitive...it's only lacking about 20 or so HP compared to the most powerful ones. No surprise...sadly 2008 Dodge Avenger R/T Base price: $23,500 Now that's a good deal....and where else can you get a color like this on a midsize sedan? Also the looks have grown back on me.

If I recall, that same turbo was in the Shadow. 2.2 Turbo right? When my dad's worked t was a pocket rocket. Very quick little car that handled well thanks to the suspension and fat tires. Of course the ride was horribly choppy. The turbo burned out a few years ago unfortuneately. Spirits were good cars, not the prettiest, but as Fly here has just inadvertantly demonstrated, there's a whole lot uglier machines out there. My main issue with them was the way the rear class was lamost vertical...t would have looked much better if it sloped I think. And yeah, the Caliber SRT-8 will make at 300 horsepower. If they can workhalf the magic with the suspension tuning Mistubishi can with t heir Evo (which is on the same platform), it should be a real killer.

What happened to this Budman person? I must have joined after he left.

They had a couple during the post-gaee show. Both were of teh Escalade and neither were very good. I miss the old "break through" ads. They were better IMO.

I'm glad they didn't shove the GMNA corporate stereo in there...something different is always nice and long overdue. The 3 door is hotness...the wheels are sexy too.

It looks like the kept the NAV system and the center stack the same...wonder why they didn't with the Vue then? The car is sexy.

Looks like just a refresh too me. Poor Saab.

The Chevy ads both sucked. I'm sorry but I thought they were horrible. The love Chevy one...most people couldn't sing...it was painful to listen to. The HHR one seems like a knockoff of the Charger SRT-8 promo but with guys instead of girls washing it and horrible (IMO) music. On the other hand, the robot one was cute, and the 2 Yukon Denali ads were good (especially the 2nd one) The Sierra ones were pretty good....although they did miss something....the transmissions. As for those Tundra ads, they're nothing if not impressive. "The truck that's changing everything" line is a little lame, but it didn't have the arrogance you see in a Camry commercial...they were cool and more impressive than the Sierra ones. Actually, they kind of remind me of the Ford Superduty ads a while back.

That's a much better V8 now. I officially like the Dakota again. The fixed it's biggest flaw, the nose. The interior looks better too...even if the materials haven't improved much...this is a truck, not a car...so it's forgivable. Also they toned the chrome down...thankfully. I hope these important updates help the truck sell better....this should have been what the redesigned Dakota was.

I just realized something. That damn camera's date is off. Oh well. It didn't snow friday so it's obvious we took them yesterday

How old school is that tractor? And finally....the piece de resistance! I dare anyone to find something better than what we did. We drove right into the dealership to snag photos of this. It's a 1928 Dodge Brothers. According to teh window, it runs ands drives (and I have seen it moved around). They want $5,500 for it. I think we should all pitch and make it the official car of Tight Whips! How often will you come across something like this...at a used car dealership?! -- It was a fun day overall. Jessica drove while I road shotgun as the camera man. She pointed out some cool stuff like the tractor, the HORNE sign, and the Porsche, and snagged some pics herself. She also did an good job at going slow enough for me to take (or retake) the photos, which sometimes involved double-backing. I gotta say that for an old digital camera these photos came out surprisingly well, and not blurry either. The Intrepid did a good job itself. Although now it's dirty as hell and needs gas Here's to the next scavenger hunt!

It's a BIG hood scoop In good shape too. In the same lot was a Porsche Carrera A badge many of us would like to grace the cars we owned. Jessica took those for pics, they're pretty sweet...she's the one who noticed the Porsche too! While leaving from that lot back to R110, I snagged a pic of this lovely truck This is the car that asshole mechanic told me that "it wasn't for me". f@#ker Anyway, it's a Volvo...dunno what kind though. Any guesses? El Camino! Dunno if it's an SS or not though. This is a real treasure...to bad these things are just rotting away. The Tow truck (I think a Dodge) must run though, I've seen it moved around...the guy tried to sell it once. Another picture of the vehicles. Next to the tow truck is the remnants of a Charger. DUnno what the other cars are. There was also another Charger that must have been put away for teh winter...same body style but in much better shape with new paint and stuff.

An old Dodge truck maybe? Check this cool wagon out. I took a photo of this because I think it may be a T-top...not sure though. I took this because it is the very first refreshed Durango I have seen on the road so far! $500 For this beauty (the tiny van). Any takers? BV? It's been there forever (surprise it has no takers) Sadly this is a crappy photo...tough to take going 40 mph. It's 3 of teh same cars...GM's but I'm not sure what kind. Windmills A sweet find, it's a Barracuda! This one has a hood scoop unlike mine.

Yep...that "peace" sign is made with electrical tape. Creative...there was a dog mailbox too. Top this stone bridge...it's over 100 years old. Recently knocked down and rebuilt...they have good veggies at this farm stand in Salem, NH. Anyone interested? I'm so bummed I couldn't get a better photo of this car. To much traffic to go slow. It's for sale and in excellent shape and it looks beautiful...anyone know what it is? This just looks cool...still under construction. Retired Caprice cop car that's still got the cop paint job...I snagged this at McDonald's just as the guy was leaving

I keep forgetting what model this is, but it's in good shape. More importantly, the owner drives this baby every day. How's this for a collapsed bridge? This thing has been there for years..they just built a new one next to it. It's down the street from Tom Manzi Dodge in Lawrence This clock tower and it's building were restored by and are now the corporate headquarters of New Balance. Near North Andover is this fuuny sight. It's a NASCAR (replica maybe) on top of some building...I forget what the building is. No idea what kinda car this is, but it looks neat and was next to the NASCAR building behind a fence. Anyone care to name it? A 50's style Diner...it's been there that long anyway...the food is pretty good too. Also in Lawrence, towards the Andover line. An old ass truck from the 50's I would guess....Chevy maybe? It has a plow on it for the winter...though I don't think it moves around much. The word says it all One of many cars in Lawrence with mismatched fenders...parked the wrong way too. ...yet I got pretty close to the door to take a picture Another common sight in Lawrence. The woman who lives in teh house on the left actually bought this...I wonder what they will do to it. How's that for a water tower? :AH-HA_wink:

It's ashame to see you go, but don't stop posting here. Yeah, some of your posts were a bit over the top (but also entertaining), but anyone not blind can see that you're just passionate about what you believe in.

When it came out it offered a strong powertrain, functional interior, and extremely innovative and useful bed. This holds true today. It's quality may not be all there, and its looks aren't by any means it's strong point, but deserves respect.

Any car from any brand can live a long life with high mileage if it's taken care of reasonably. Intrepid has 175k so far. Shadow has 210lk and still going (oh and daves87ers, it started up first try when it was 6 degrees out by the way...and it's 18 years old ).

Yes, the snow can be a pain, the ice is bitch (I hate it), and the slush is ugly and the salt eats your car and makes it look gross (the Intrepid has like an inch layer from the scavenger hunt...need to wash it tomorrow)....but there are some things about snow I just love. I covers up all the ugly things and makes everything look pure and white. from this morning. BV, the GA looks good as a fastback Also, I find that shoving yourself into the door gently loosens the ice. Then while pulling on the door handle use you other hand's finders and put them between the door frame and pull. That usually works.

I think it'll age well..it is a classic shape after all...that shape has aged well enough that now it's being reused! My favorite part of the review: Priceless

It takes great skill to make a Dodge Spirit look good. Congratulations. ...here's a cookie.

Too sleepy...will post tomorrow...goodnight *falls asleep at keyboard* hhyguj777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

Only one transmission away from a success If you ever had any doubt that it's better to be the younger sibling, check out the 2007 Jeep Patriot. The boxy 2007 Patriot compact SUV is the third vehicle the Chrysler Group has spun off its new small-car platform. First there was the Dodge Caliber — the odd-looking hunchback hatchback with a cheap interior and lackluster performance. Then there was the Jeep Compass — a vehicle so utterly wrong-headed that, in the future, a Ph.D. candidate in marketing will write a thesis about it. Fortunately the 2007 Jeep Patriot is the best of this otherwise dysfunctional family. Rendezvous syndrome Perhaps it's the Rendezvous syndrome at work here, but we like the Patriot's look. You'll recall that the Buick Rendezvous was the sibling of the Pontiac Aztec. So profound was the hideousness of the Aztec that the less ugly Rendezvous seemed almost acceptable. It is also possible that our gender has predetermined our relative affection for the Patriot. Jeep says that the Patriot is the small crossover for men and the Compass is the one for the ladies. In truth, the Patriot is the Jeep crossover for people with functioning eyeballs and the Compass is only for those bent on making an ironic statement. If the Patriot looks vaguely familiar, it's because this little ute is a sort of digitally remastered version of Jeep's old little ute, the Cherokee. The Patriot's flat body panels, relatively upright windshield and near-vertical rear glass make it a dead ringer for the 1984-2001 Cherokee. This is obviously no coincidence. With an increasing number of small crossovers looking more and more like little minivans, the Patriot's strictly-business look gives it some distinction among its raft of competitors. Dirty little boy If you've made it this far in the story, we'll assume you are not a hard-core Jeeper and that you might not even know what a "locker" is. If you are and do, then stop reading now. You'll only scoff at what the following sentence says anyway. The Patriot has class-leading off-road capability. Yes, this is like saying that the Mazda MX-5 Miata has class-leading towing capacity, but bear with us. With shorter front and rear overhangs than most competitors and more than an inch more ground clearance (with the optional Off-Road Package), the Patriot has reasonably good approach, departure and break-over angles. The Off-Road Package also includes skid plates, front and rear tow hooks, a full-size spare tire, a driver-side seat-height adjuster, a 1-inch-higher ride height, an engine oil cooler and a low-range transaxle. This equipment group augments the Patriot's optional on-demand, electronically controlled four-wheel-drive system with hill descent control (which modulates the brakes automatically to maintain low speed on steep declines). Maybe the Off-Road Package doesn't turn the Patriot into a rock-crawler, but it helps the little Jeepster easily traverse trails far nastier than most Patriot owners are likely to attempt. The commuter Ninety-nine-point-whatever percent of you will never take your vehicles off the pavement or even onto graded dirt roads. So you're more interested in the matchup between the Patriot and its roadworthy competition. The short answer is: better than the performance of the Caliber and Compass would indicate. Two engines are available in the Patriot, both inline-4s. The base engine is a DOHC 2.0-liter four that makes 158 horsepower. True, that's a big number from a 2.0-liter engine, but it doesn't measure up to the power output of most of the competition's base engines, much less a two-wheel-drive Patriot's 3,108 pounds. Further, the 2.0-liter is available only with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). This gearless unit seems to actually sap the power from this engine, and the combination doesn't improve fuel economy enough to be worth the trouble. Meanwhile, the 2.4-liter version of the same engine pumps out 172 hp, besting Toyota and Honda's fours by 6 hp. This is the same engine that powered a 4WD Compass in a recent full test to 60 mph in 10.2 seconds. Since Compass and Patriot are the same under the skin, we expect a 3,326-pound 4WD Patriot Limited to deliver about the same performance. In comparison, an all-wheel-drive Honda CR-V with a four-cylinder engine just breaks the 10-second barrier. As with the Compass and Caliber, a CVT is the only kind of automatic transmission that's available for the Patriot. Jeep says this version has been updated. But driving the Patriot with the CVT still feels very much like driving a car with a badly slipping clutch. Under full throttle, the engine revs up to a raucous 6,000 rpm and nothing much else happens, as if the vehicle speed never quite catches up with the engine speed. There's a slight improvement in fuel economy over a conventional automatic, but this particular CVT doesn't seem as happy in its work as the examples we've seen in Nissan sedans. Thankfully, a five-speed manual transmission is standard. The shift action isn't exactly sporty, though. You can't rush the synchros and a firm shove is required to slot it into gear, but at least the throttle response is direct and predictable. Patriot games Compared to the Compass, the Patriot has firmer suspension rates, and we like the ride even more. Lots of acoustic insulation help keep the Patriot remarkably quiet, but the suspension also responds to the road surface without any clumsy clunking and thunking. The suspension also lends the Patriot a feeling of dependable stability when you're going down the road. Of course, handling is a relative term for small-but-tall sport-utes. All of them understeer resolutely. Drive like your hair is not on fire and the Patriot is as good as it needs to be. It turns into a corner relatively leisurely, rolls a bit, takes a set and then does its job steadily through the rest of the corner. Thinking inside the box First, the good news: The interior design of the Patriot is handsome in a straightforward, upright sort of a way. By contrast, the inside of a RAV4 with all its bizarre curves and polyps is like hanging out inside H.R. Giger's head while he's having a nightmare. The other good news is that the construction of the interior is not as embarrassingly cheap as the interiors of the Caliber and Compass are. It is merely cheap. Around the edges of some of the interior pieces there remains some flash — the plastic fringe you often see on cheap plastic things. The interior pull for the tailgate also has two sharp-edged exposed bolts that are good for trimming meat off your fingers. According to Jeep's figures, the Patriot has as much or more rear-seat legroom than any of its main competitors. Our subjective experience, however, is that the rear seat feels tighter than that of competitors. Maybe it's because your feet are forced together beneath the narrow-set mounts for the front seats. Whatever, it doesn't feel very roomy back there. The Patriot's relatively slim profile and a high load floor contribute to give the Patriot a paltry 54.2 cubic feet of stuff-space with the rear seats folded. This is 18.8 cubic feet smaller than the cargo hold of the RAV4. You might consider that the volume of the trunk of the Cadillac DTS is 18.8 cubic feet. All Patriots come standard with side curtain airbags, antilock brakes, a stability control system and traction control. Cheap Jeep Jeep is trying to make headlines with the Patriot's absurdly low base MSRP of $14,985. This is between $1,000 and $6,000 lower than the base prices of its competitors. But this price gets you a stripped-down Patriot, more like a CJ-5 than a Grand Cherokee. It's equipped with vinyl-covered seats, roll-up windows, no air-conditioning, a manual transmission, two-wheel drive and steel wheels. Fortunately this bare-bones Patriot comes with the 172-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder, since the combination of the 2.0-liter engine and CVT is actually pricier. Most Patriots will probably go for more like $20,000, with a few option packages and all-wheel drive. A fully loaded 2007 Jeep Patriot won't make it much beyond the mid-$20K range. Now, if only a conventional automatic transmission were optional. http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...articleId=75633 They seem to like it quite a bit surprisingly, as do I. What I find most interesting is that they say the interior materials are better than the other two vehicles.

LOL!