Intrepidation

Sounds like you need to see a few more of this commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHoZCBTYkcs

Holy crap. I've seen some photos of snow like this in Russia as well.

Wonder how the owner managed to kill a 3.5, and where the original 18"s went. $4,400 is a good deal on a Special though.

Haven't heard anything bad about them. I knew someone with a CRD and he loved it. Jeeps a tough vehicles. They can take a real beating and keep on going. Wranglers, even used, tend to be expensive. They hold their value well, which is why most lifted Jeeps around here are Cherokees and first gen Grand Cherokees.

What you want is actually this:

Smuckers Organic Creamy Peanut Butter with honey Smuckers Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter Reeses Smart Balance crunchy is pretty good too. Not peanut butter but I'll throw Nutella in there. That stuff is so good.

Ah the Axiom, a classic example of "your doing it wrong" Making a truck look more carlike but drives like a truck rather than a car look more trucklike but drives like a car. Always kinda liked the looks of them though. Probably the best looking thing Isuzu ever made.

Went to work at 11:30, took 20 minutes to get there, normally takes me 7 minutes. Sadly I am using my car, but if nothing else, its the best equipped with a full set of Alpines. Handled the unplowed roads no problem.

Last night I finished prepping the snowblower. Ran great, did a little of the snow, parked it for the night. This morning I get up, ready to be done in 15 minutes, go to start it, and the nylon cable snaps. That ruined my morning. On the bright side, the cowl comes off easily, so I took it off and had a shop fix it to the tune of $15. Now it's ready to go.

Yep, cloth.

I stand corrected, I believe it was actually an LS, but either way I feel the 2LT to be worth the upgrade. The interior feels much less downmarket, and the alloys on the later models are pretty decent. I really appreciated the slightly soft and nicely textured upper door panel inserts (the hard plastic is cheap and nasty to place your arm on), and I really enjoy center arm rests. Plus that one had cruise control, and I prefer power accessories. If you can haggle it down I'd say its worth it. I'll also add I liked how rear seat release was located in the trunk, so you could fold the seats down from the trunk. This one's interior actually look similar to the rental we just had.

I lived with an 2007 1LT for 2 months. Cheap interior, hard door panels, the cloth insert on the door panel armrest isn't nicely textured, and had no padding. Door panel plastic scratched easily and back seat legroom is pretty poor. 2LT we just had as a rental while the $h!ty Colorado was in the shop again, had a thin layer of padding on the upper door panel, and I liked the leather look shifter boot. That one had power doors, locks, a center armrest and more silver trim. That against the black interior looked much nicer than the pale interior the `07 had. It was much more pleasant and livable. It had an annoying rattle either behind the glove box or in the passenger door though. General things to note: HVAC controls feel and operate cheaply, but the black tie stereo has a quality feel to it. Center console arm rest is welcome, but needs to be folded up to get to the hand brake and easily buckle in. Seats are decent. Nothing mind blowing but not terrible uncomfortable. Drives like a bigger car, as in it feels stable and is pretty quiet, even at triple digit speed. Headlights are good. I like the two stalk setup. One for headlights and turn signals, one for the wipers. The biggest thing for me was the electric steering. It's completely devoid of any feedback. like using a video game steering wheel. You get used to it, and it works fine, but if you ever think about it, or go from driving a car with hydraulic steering, it feels weird. I like the car overall and wouldn't mind owning one. I don't have any real passion for it, but they're pretty good cars. I'd go for it.

Winter Storm Warning has been upgraded to Blizzard Warning. Pretty neato. Glad we fixed the roof yesterday. Just gotta finish prepping the snow blower after work and we'll be good to go.

14-20 in my area, winter storm warning. There's also blizzard warnings in much of Eastern Mass.

I miss the G8, congrats though!

Seen it, it's a little more interesting than Motorweek, but nowhere near as entertaining as Top Gear (which for those who seem unclear about this, Top Gear is an entertainment show that has cars).

So let's see the chasm of disparity between the prices, post them if you would, since you looked them all up and I can't be bothered. Somehow I doubt 10k separates the competitors.

This 24k, 30k for a compact car thing seems to be news to some people, but it isn't new. Go price out a Civic, and you can easily hit 30k. Somehow they manage to sell them though.

It's been done a few times. Once an XJ vs a Town car in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, once in the TG UK British Leyland challenge, and then emulated in this episode.

Maybe because I'm not looking at life via "the glass is half empty" philosophy, but I clearly remember them liking each of the cars they bought, Adam clearly stating how great that Cutlass was, though mentioning how (truthfully) by the end of its life it was a shadow of its former self. Tanner liked his Fiero very much, and Wood loved his Roadmaster. Frankly, my only complaint with this and other challenges is the need for a moral at the end of the story. It borderlines being corny and isn't necessary. However, they more than made up for it by showing those awesome Roadmaster concept sketches. Pretty sure the Roadmaster was made out to be an indestructible tank.

The worst may be over but there is still much to be done. While a two-door CUV/SUV would be interesting, I don't think it will happen anytime soon. Mini is highly profitable and has the backing of BMW while LR has the backing of Tata, so they have lots of money to spend on niche products. Plus, if the Cruze is anything to go buy, GM doesn't seem particularly daring right now.

Jeep Gladiator This is a complete no brainer. There's long been demand for another Jeep pickup. Chrysler has toyed with the idea many times. It's only natural to build it, especially with the Dakota either being phased out in favor of or moving to unibody. A compact, Wrangler based pickup that would appeal to those who want a small truck as well as Jeep enthusiasts, while doing the Jeep name proud, and being much more of a Jeep than the Compass or Patriot.

Companies don't want a big Silverado for use. Show me an auto parts store that uses full size delivery trucks. They either use single cab Colorados, Rangers, or Tacomas. They want something maneuverable. A big truck isn't, even with the short bed and regular cab. A Ute isn;t exactly small, but it sits lower and is easier to load parts into, get in and out, of and maneuver...bar's set pretty low there. I don't know about the other trucks, but Colorados have the turning radius of an aircraft carrier.

So does it have the 2.5 or the 4.0 inline 6? Cuz if it has the 4.0 it'll run forever.

Around where I live that thing would have a 3" lift, be riding on 32" tires, have a welded rear, and have a snorkel. She certianly won't have to worry about getting stuck in the snow. Looks very clean.