Flybrian

Yeah, I've noticed that even on last-gen LS400s. Godawful and inexcusable, IMO. Say what you will about the chintzy 2000 Monte Carlo or goofy Grand Am interiors, at least the colors matched.

What he said. I don't know why you guys are comparing this to the CTS so much. I don't see where such a comparison exists. Even comparing an ES to the CTS isn't really fair - yes, they're both entry/mid-lux cars, but the intentions are different. One is softer, more traditionally luxurious, the other more sporting and high-tech. Now, if you want to say the materials used in the CTS should be of a higher, caliber, okay, but you still cannot leigitimately draw comparisons between it and a Camry. And as Empowah said, very generic JDM sedan. And a question: when the hell is Toyota going to match the radio/HVAC backlighting with the instrument panel? Optitron guages are lovely, but not with that pea-green radio unit in every Toyota product.

The Pacer was supposed to be the 'small car with the big car feel' like virtually all cars ever were supposed to be. The Pacer was alot wider than the Gremlin it succeeded - about as wide as a fullsize car - and was designed with cab-forward in mind. Some say the Pacer was one of the big nails in AMC's coffin. It was supposed to be powered by a Wankel engine then under development by GM, but when the General dropped it, AMC was left to use a stock I6 which wasn't economical at all. Add that to it being all-new and therefore sharing no major componants with anything else AMC made made it expensive to make. I believe the Matador coupe was also rather expensive because it shared little with the sedans. Its funny that alot of AMC lived on until very recently. AMC Eagle all-wheel drive wagons were sold until '88 and the Eagle name itself was picked up by Chrysler. Their main factory in Wisconsin is now the Kenosha Engine Plant and the Bramalea Assembly Plants churning out LX-cars was completed shortly before the Chrysler takeover. That plant, interestingly, was supposed to build the '88+ Renault/Eagle Premier, whose platform was actually reengineered into the LH-cars (Concorde/New Yorker/300M/Intrepid).

See, this is why I should be a car salesman. I'd readily and honestly inform you of model availability both out of the lot's allocation and what could be special ordered from the factory without having to scan the same brochure you have access to. I'd also drive the living shit out of demo cars.

Those model posters that they have leftover after the change. I've gotten several, including a 2002 Montana! Woohoo!

...but not selling a whole lot: Collier Motors sits on Highway 117 in Pikeville, North Carolina. Its owned by Robert Collier, whose family sold American Motors cars and its predecessors at least back from the 1950s. AMC was bought out by Renault in 1982 and apparently Collier didn't want anything to do with being owned by a French car manufacturer, so he apparently disassociated from them and went on his own selling his inventory of AMCs. Needless to say, he didn't sell many, so fe in fact, what was left of his stock of AMCs and other (used?) cars sat...and sat...and sat...and rusted into place while the lot grew over with vegatation. These are relatively recent photos of the dealership circa 2002 or so, so you get an idea of what it is. Apparently, still there. Matadors, Pacers, Gremlins...waiting for buyers that will never come.

That center stack blows massive chunks. We'll be getting a better, more ergonomic and attractive one.

They've already made a car that's a form of birth control...

Its possible. Perhaps they softened up the suspension to give it a better ride and somehow that affected its handling.

I have a better idea...lets send people overseas to build roads and infrastructure for other countries whose citizens shoot at us. Sounds good to me.

Man, that didn't even look good then, like the taillamps were an afterthought. Those '80s Chevy wagons looked so cheap and trashy, too.

To most people's surprise and chagrin, the United States has generally stricter motor vehicle emissions standards than most of Europe and even Japan.

Less overhang than a Grand Prix. Just kidding.

In BV's case, a Grand Am is about 1,000,000x better than a Blazer since I'm sure he's referencing the inherently poorly-balanced mid-90s Blazers. My girlfriend's '88 "S-10 Sport" two-door Blazer feels a whole lot more stable than the '95 4-door my father had for a work truck. There's something wrong with that picture.

These investment analysts...how many of their members are made up of people who've worked in the auto industry? Serious question. Any? Or all they are fresh-out-of-B-school grads who formulate textbook theories?

*Whistles nonchalantly*

For real. Who cares about what you like/want/desire...FREE CAR!!! If someone offered me a FREE beat-ass-up Dodge Mirada or something like that, I certainly would've taken it. It would've probably made it to the store and back about three times, but take it I would.

And yet an ashtray and cigarette lighter is a $96 option on a modern Toyota. I realize inflation and all, but so what. Speaking of which, the electric lighting/starter 'package' would be about an $867 option on a $7100 autombile in today's money. Well worth the cost.

Thank you, Ven. Glad I'm not the only one visually annoyed by that.

"Wow, look at the '07 Grabowski Yukon!" Yeah, sometimes changing names is for the better...

Hahaha! He doesn't know about the three shells? Ahahaha!

I think Dan's gotten into the eggnog early again... Okay, oh, wait... Um...okay, I guess that's reasonab...oh, wait... Oh...okay...I guess that...wha...? But...but you just said... So...The C70 and Freelander are turkies because the cars themselves are being discontinued, but the line is not...but the Montero is also a turkey even though the car and line are being discontinued, but only in the United States...and the Monterey is a turkey even though Ford has announced that they won't be making them after the next year or so, so its been all but discontinued...yet the Phaeton is also a turkey in spite of the line being discontinued in the US... Can I buy some pot from you? 'Cause it sure sounds like you have plenty...

So...you're ired because this thread turned political, so you make it even more devisively political?

You know, if you buy enough Franklin Mint cars, you'll come to the realization you could've bought a real car instead.

When you think about it, these were very respectful homages to Native American figures, far more than some of the sports mascots today. I'm not against those mascots, but I'm just saying. Anyway, Cheyenne was used until the late 1990s as a trim level on Chevrolet fullsize pickups up 'till 1999 when the Silverado name simplified it all. And Pontiac StratoChief is probably the most American name of any car ever.