bobo

GM is probably just trying to downplay expectations. I still expect them to be a huge hit. A lot of people are waiting to trade in their early GMT-800's for one. A mid-size SUV at 18 mpg instead of a full-size SUV at 16 mpg doesn't make a whole lot of difference.

The Cobalt looks great. I hope you have many fun miles in it. And the Firebird still looks great too.

Call it what it is--a Grand Am. The Tempest should be saved for a more interesting RWD vechicle.

For me obviously Olds. Not too many people have a soft spot for Saturn, but they do have potential with what's coming out.

I agree with your comment on the grille. A modernized version of this grille is exactly what I think should be on the next GTO instead of yet another tired rehash of the twin kidneys. And I also prefer the '67 and '68 look over the '69. If and when the F-body comes back, I wish they could bring back a Firebird version that's positioned just slightly upmarket to the Camaro. Firebirds always had more style than the Camaro, though the later versions were a bit overstyled.

Fair review. The CTS does look great with the body-color grille. Cadillac should give it to all CTSes. BMW remains the gold standard. The last 3-Series was one of the best cars around with very little room for improvement, so it's no surprise that the new one continues to set the bar. It's impressive that Lexus is presenting a formidible challenger, but I still don't like the looks of the car. 5.1 seconds for 0 to 60 could be intoxicating, I would imagine. When I took a brief drive of the Acura TL, it just said family sedan to me. The steering was too light, and the handling was ok, but not an exciting car.

Unless these smaller companies have a fiercely loyal base, it's hard for them to survive independently. Isuzu sells a lot of rebadges. It can't be costing much to keep it afloat, but you got to wonder why anybody would buy one unless they're taken by the longer warranty or can manage to get one for significantly less than a Chevy or GMC. As for Mitsubishi, I just don't see the hemorrhaging stopping anytime soon. How long will the parent company continue to bail them out before they give up?

The Koreans are banishing all their ugly cars. All of the vehicles in this thread look good, in particular the Kia minivan. As for the black plastic on the Kia Rio, sometimes I wonder whether automakers intentionally make their cheapest vehicle slightly ugly so as not to detract from their other more upmarket vehicles. If nothing else, it gives the potential for an all body-color mid-cycle update in a couple of years.

Oldsmobile became one of my favorite brands when the shovel-nosed '81 Cutlass Supreme was introduced. It was sad to see the lineup fade by the '90's, but the resurgence that began with the '95 Aurora rekindled my fondness for the brand, and that reached a zenith when the '01 Aurora came out. My misadventure with the Aurora I bought on eBay last year didn't sour me on the brand. I continue to find the final Oldsmobiles to be some of the most attractive vehicles around. And I still foolishly look at Auroras on eBay, with this one now catching my eye: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Oldsmobile-...sspagenameZWDVW I put in a bid earlier, but I think I'm going to try to resist now.

Mercedes: First technology run amuck. Now styling run amuck.

I like the funky look of the Yaris. I don't like what they did to the D-pillar of the RAV4.

Yeah, whether a car is good-looking has a lot to do with a vehicle's proportions. The G6 has short overhangs front and back, which is usually a good thing, but it looks too thick in the rear, which leaves it looking unbalanced. Unfortunately, the MAXX is cursed with poor detailing. It's a toss-up, but I give a slight nod to the MAXX with the truck front end.

The car has some nice details, but taken together, they make it look like a Korean knock-off of a Cadillac.

Congrats on the purchase. What is your opinion on the power of the vehicle?

8 10

I think the dark gray (sly) and beige interior looks the best on this car. The Saturn Sky looks a lot better in red than the Solstice for some reason.

'78-'81 Chevrolet Malibu Coupe?

GM used to be a part owner of Avis. I'm not aware of of GM still having ownership in any car rental companies. Avis still offers primarily GM vehicles, and GM has a pretty strong presence in Enterprise fleets as well.

Cutlass Aurora Eldorado Camaro Riviera

I won't stop at five: Buick Rainier Buick Terraza Chevy Monte Carlo Pontiac Grand Prix Pontiac Montana SV6 Saab 9-2X Saab 9-7X Saturn ION Saturn Relay

The grille looks less like a Daewoo, but it's about as generic as you can get. The mileage ratings seem very, very low.

They spent a lot of money trying to differentiate this thing from the Dakota, and dare I say I think it looks much better than that truck. Mitsubishi has been out of pickups so long that its owners base is gone, but if they price this right, I think it could do ok. I have not been impressed with non-HEMI Dodge truck engines.

I love the clean look of it. This is on my short list of next vehicles. I really hope it has the power midgate. I don't care for the taillight design or the big bowtie in back, but those are very minor quibbles.

How about Fiat? I agree with BV that only Alfa Romero is worth bringing over and having a chance. Who wants a Peugeot? They survived as long as they did because they had the diesels, but when the market soured on those, nobody wanted them anymore. When these brands were here, none of the upscale Japanese brands were here, and MB and BMW are much more approachable now.

NINETY_EIGHT_REGENCY contributed a lot to the forums, and I liked his more personal posts as well. He is missed. He can be found now on one of the Oldsmobile forums out there.