Flybrian

I don't remember the last time I touched the forward cowl panel of my dashboard except when I applied some leather/vinyl protectant, so I could give give two shits if its low glass high grain anal retentive whatever. I put more emphasis over fuctionality, ergonomics, and durability. That's why everyone can make fun of the '00-'05 Bonneville's interior all they want...I'll be halfway up the block while you're still futzing with the a/c in your scattershot-buttoned VW with the sumptuously-textured rear child booster seat teathers.

It'll look a whole lot less humpier.

Maurader Blackwood Thunderbird Excursion Freestar/Monterrey Contour/Mystique To an extent, Lincoln LS and Jaguar X-Type That's a nice amount for only the past decade. And the Maurader was a bad joke. A 2003 model that couldn't beat a 1994 Impala SS.

I think less people have been inside Buicks...

Really, the same can be said for foreign features like power sunshades and lane-departure warning.

You owed the apology to the members of this board, whom you've insulted in the past but apparently now praise.

You have to admit, most of that 'worrying' is purely psychological as we've seen little evidence as to what those vehicles actually look like.

Yeah, but remember...that copy is circa 1997 when 175hp was pretty major and GM lead the way with 300hp V8s for $45,000 and 240hp V6s for $25,000.

Yeah, apparently the LeSabre, Park Ave, Century, and Regal were all RWD. You RWD nuts are all stupid. They were there all along and you just missed seeing them.

Toyota's commercial is about the rain-sensing windshield wipers, something Buick has had for, oh, nine years. But kudos to Avalon for catching up.

Yeah, that's totally a BV'd feature exclusive to your car. Most foglamps on cars today are pretty useless anyway, too low-intensity to do any good. Its totally a style thing, but I do want them because they fill the holes drilled in the lower fascia.

Hey, I pointed that out first! :P Anyway, Dan is Paul and Anita's son, which explains his predeliction for being a lousy auto 'journalist.' Its very unprofessional to dump on the cars in the fashion he did before any conclusions were officially drawn. It shows his lineage clear as day. I agree with your points, though, and they are valid. One thing I'll say against the Corolla is that the '03 feels very skittery even in normal driving, probably due to the taller structure compared to the previous gen.

Highbeams tend to just reflect back off the fog, so if you have your foglamps on in fog like a normal person, there's no reason for highbeams. As far as my car: I want HUD, a usuable nozzle for the air compressor, glass roof, Stabilitrak, Magnaride, and adjustable-height seatbelts, not for me, but my girlfriend. Also, memory function on the seatbacks. In lieu of a glass roof, an astroroof would do fine as well as the Autobahn package with its more generous final drive ratio and higher top-speed. Also, to not use 93 octane fuel. In terms of things I want and can actually get, chrome 16" Classic wheels or alloy '01 16" wheels, mirror compass readout, and a wood dash/IP kit.

No one was...

Put me in that camp, though with the changes I described above. The shifter here and in the Avalon look very unsubstantial and 'spindly' I suppose would be the word. I also don't like gated shifters as I believe the only 'gate' a shifter should have would be a full manual layout.

So...how many cars now have an 'excuse' to be FWD?

Narrow the stack on the LaCrosse, dress it up with some chrome, brushed aluminum, and a NAV and it looks just as nice.

Please explain how you conclude that the Rendezvous - a consistant solid-seller since its introduction - is redundant in the GM lineup.

I'm sorry, but this made me actually LOL.

That's not my logic. See below. I think the difference that separates the Chinese mentality from those victims of the European Holocaust is that there was at least in part some form of closure and acceptance on part of the German government's actions during WWII. There was never a Far East counterpart to the Nurenburg trials and very little to date in terms of admission of guilt. The Japanese government still takes a official stance somewhere in between coy acknowledgement that bad things did happen in China and Korea and total outright denial. German textbooks have sections dedicated to the Holocaust; Japanese textbooks do not and those Japanese publishers that do include descriptions of Imperial Japanese actions in Manchuria and the like either have those passages striken by the government or have an adaptation rate of less than 1% in Japanese schools. Its nothing against the cars themselves as consumer goods, rather the government that continues to ignore their past actions hoping the memory will fade away as survivors die. If cars and other imports from Japan can be seen as tools through which to affect change, I'm all for it. If the Chinese government one day decides to boycott Japanese imports until more meaningful acknowledgement is given, then I'm all for it. Again, its against old guard facets of the government, not the Japanese people, who by the way also have the right to know and learn from their nation's mistakes. As Americans, we learned about our brutality against the native people of this continent. Germans learned about their Holocaust. Why should the Japanese government be special and avoid atoning for their sins?

This one has the appearance of a DTS makeover - new front, new rear, same creamy middle. Even if its not the case, it gives it an odd, almost disjointed look. The front looks designed after Euro pedestrian safety standards, which doesn't help it at all. I am glad Toyota decided to chop the height a little as the last Camry was so woeful in the looks department it wasn't even funny. However, I do have to wonder what colorblind press agent decided to photograph a metallic vomit green colored version of the car. Makes it look very, very sickly. I can see this car possibly deserving the best-selling figure the '02-06 model never rightfully earned.

The common Chinese experience with Japan is so far and away different than anything we in the West can imagine that I would find it surprising for Chinese in general to not have qualms about buying a Japanese car. In fact, I would've expected an Aparthied-like boycott by the Chinese as a reasonable reaction to a major influx of Japanese goods at some point in the past, either on part of the government or the people at large.

Dude, I didn't want to spoil the surprise but...look what I did while you were on C&G... Happy birthday!

But let's not forget that this review was written by a citizen of the same nation that invested and helped build the Europa rockets, whose only purpose in its day was apparently having stages that wouldn't separate from each other, being thrown of guidance by an inferior intertial navigation setup, and utterly failing after eleven launch attempts. Who was the first British astronaut in space? Helen Sharman? Selected by applying through a radio advertisement? Launched, when, in 1991? On a Soviet Soyuz rocket? Yeah. Nice jab. Try sticking to cars next time, Mike 'phone' Booth.

Welcome, welcome Drew! I see we've already roasted you. :P Good to have another avid car enthusiast on board. One thing about us: if you like cars, you'll have fun here. Look forward to your postings! Enjoy!