Flybrian

There's you summation.

At this point, it would simply be irritating.

The throttle-style shifter is bar-none the coolest shiftgate ever, manual or automatic. Gated shifters are cheap and nonsensical by comparison.

I stand by my apparent lone nutjob belief that the 2002-06 Camry is the signle worst car recently made in terms of disappointment.

Whatever happened to cars, America? This thing is still uglier than a 3er wagon; nothing is going to help that. And the interior blows.

That's an embarrassing-looking car, pure and simple.

So, you are talking about a FWD, midsize...

Stop looking at me, M6.

^^ My original post applied to insiders or those who aren't 'official' insiders that choose to share information, hence "share information." My point is that someone who takes the time, effort, and sometimes risk of sharing intimate details about a product that they feel is accurate should have their post respected, as long as its presented in an informative and not misleading fashion. Question the content all you want, but don't criticize the poster just because of their background, etc. Josh is no longer part of this site and has his own now, a fact he himself explained an inordinately large amount of times.

You could likely get a comperable Chrysler-branded LH in better condition with lower mileage than the Intrepid.

The only excellent Mazda of recent times was the 929.

Well, then that makes this extra sad for Toyota.

Thank god it doesn't have the 510's looks. What a welfarey pile.

I (and many others) wouldn't consider the Sonata 'large.'

I actually do my best when there's an impending deadline.

Calling it the Sting Ray is acceptable in my book, though I don't believe Chevy needs yet another car. Jesus. Screw Chevy once in a while.

Fixed.

How 'bout next time simply saying, "Can anyone find me a good laptop for under $500?" For all the smartassness, I hope you see that we're only trying to help educate you so you don't end up like a million others who get the Sunday Special that falls out of the coupon section in your weekend paper and later end up regretting it. I still stand by my recommendation of an upgrade-friendly desktop for someone in your situation that is likely not going to be upgrading entire systems every two years with the latest and greatest. Getting a good tower and filling it with affordable yet adequate componants is a great way to get started and a single upgrade - be it graphics card, media player, processor, etc. - is almost always under $150 at a time as opposed to whatever an entirely new system costs. Plus, it allows you to pick up random excellent deals - like my girlfriend who bought a 300gb Maxtor hard drive for $30 after rebates - and spread the upgrading cost out over time. Again, an educated consumer is wiser in all aspects. If you still want a laptop, well, there's clearly a better choice for you money. But consider everything first. You'll end up alot happier with any purchase you make that way.

Automakers need to learn that sometimes 'innovations' just aren't. I don't think a Camry needs electronic throttle control because if Mercedes can't do it perfectly for a $60-90k car, then why should I have any confidence that Toyota can even get by with it in a $20k car.

The conceptualization of VIC dates back to at least the mid-80s in concepts like the Buick Questor. I'm not saying the Japanese copied GM; I'm just recognizing the fact that GM was first to the market with a usable visual and tactile interface in a car and spread it out among several models that weren't just expensive flagships, a fact that many tend to ignore, especially with statements like "Detroit is catching up to Japanese technological innovation" or "BMW deserves kudos for being the first to bring HUD to the masses [by making it an add-cost option in the overpriced trim of the 5-Series]."

Free Compact Computer Desk Then my suggestion is get that laptop you want, but pledge not to bitch one iota about it on these forums if its slower than you thought/wanted it to be and unupgradable.

You were likening it to iDrive, which makes less sense than saying it builds upon the groundwork laid by GM's VICs. As far as advancement, I'd debate you with the fact that very, very late-model Toronados had VICs with optional inertial navigation systems. Also, by your own quotations, the only 'advancement' is NTSC TV reception, something no regular passenger US car ever really had.

Do you need a laptop or do you want a laptop? If you're intending to buy a laptop to use in the future for college or whatnot, what you're looking at is a waste of money. You're not going to find much good for that price. Period. I'd recommend getting an affordable desktop now and saving for what you want in the future. Or build your own. Its really not that hard, you save money, and you get exactly what you want.

Fixed

Aren't they selling these on eBay?