A Horse With No Name

Looks like I think like you guys...were I to be in the market in this segment it would probably be a Bimmermobile. Chris

Once I get used to the styling I would probably add that to my list. But I really prefer the 99/00 SI. That car was HOT! Chris

My order: CooperS/Miata (tie) Mazdaspeed 3 Sky Solstice GTI TC SS/SC Cobalt Nothing else in this segment matters to me. Chris

....gotta say it...it's a car worth dieing for. Chris

One thing that no one is considering is that the cost of living is low in the midwest, freeways are much less crowded, you can actually get away from urban congestion, there are lots of good colleges here, We have halfway decent schools, a decent rail network, an existing base of suppliers and vendors, and the midwest does have some good teams (Colts anyone?). I would like the idea of Ford and GM staying in Michigan. This is a great place to life and offers a high quality of living to those who live here. Which is a nice benifit for those who work their asses of to build what we drive. Chris

Actually with the 3, 6, and Miata they will keep customers. The CRX-7 is sweet for an suv also. Chris

I actually like the Mazda 3 wagon though. It is a decent looking car that likes to turn. Chris

Actually I love it. Chris

...agree on the Camaro thing. Can't wait to see it come out. Chris

I've had a few experiences driving a stick like that, and I still prefer a stick. Actually if I never own another automatic I'll be happy. The point is that people like me often would like to buy American but end up buying foreign because we want to shift and this is one area both Ford and G.M. fall down on. Chris

The Mazda 3 is the class of the small car segment, followed by the Cobalt and perhaps the Civic and the Rabbit. What G.M. needs to do is market the Cobalt. I've yet to meet an unhappy Cobalt owner. We just need to get Cobalts into peoples hands. Chris

Ya'all might try www.wreckedexotics.com Go to the corvette portion and cry, they have 50's and 60's corvettes in there. Chris

...and that two tone blue 59 Pontiac is just awesome! Chris

...a guy here locally did a frame up nut and bolt resto on a black on black on black one about 10-12 years ago that was just about out of this world. He eventually sold it, but it was really cool in that even the exhaust, headliner, hoses, etc. was genuine pontiac N.O.S. stuff. That thing had one of the straitest black paint jobs I have ever seen on any car. Chris

That hasn't stopped about 2/3 of the vehicles that have gone into production over the last 50 years or so. Why should the Imp be the first? Chris

Even worse is the current generation Mitsubishi lineup. Chris

Yes, I have seen 40's COE trucks in yards, I am pretty sure they had one at J.C. Radiator where they crushed everything. 59 Buick-I will see when I go back. Most of the cars in that yard are picked bare, do you need a trim piece or something? Sheetmetal will be shot to hades and back, I guarantee. Shame to see Intrepids crushed, some days I still wish I had my Concorde. I would think just the Tub from that impla ragtop would be worth a grand or two, with everything picked out of it. It has been forever since I have seen an imkpala ragtop like that on the road. Chris

For whatever odd reason Salvage yards won't sell a whole car usually. I remember back when I was a teenager a local yard in Muncie Indiana where I grew up had three early Pontiac Grand Prix sitting side by side with those odd 8 lug wheels they used to have. One even had a trip-power on it. They would sell parts but not whole cars. Yes I know I am rambling... Chris

...and yeah the 86 SP 2+2 is cool. A local guy was selling one that was a prisitne 8,000 mile example a few years back but you could have raised the Titanic or bought a Hemi Cuda with what he was asking for it. Actually I think he was asking like 18,000, but that was still plenty for an 86 Pontiac. Chris

If your into really old stuff try the wrecking yard on State Rt 56 just outside of Mt. Sterling Ohio, it is huge and there are cars in there dating back to the 1920's. On one trip I found 3-57 Chevy's, a 57 caddy convertible, 2-55 Chevy's, 4 56 Chevy's a 67 Mustang Fastback, a 66 LeMans convertible that was a factory triple white car (how rare was that back in 66) a complete older MGB, a 39 Ford Sedan, 2-58 T-birds...the list goes on. There is a 57 Chevy 4 door hardtop sitting out front in restorable shape, but most of the cars inside have rusted to the point of collapse after sitting in the Ohio weather for 40 years, also have been stripped of interesting parts. J.C. Radiator on Williams avenue here had a few really rare and interesting cars, including TWO 56 Pontiac Safari's (the rare car with the Nomad roof, 2 door wagon) a red on Red 66 GTO, an aqua 65 GTO, several Galaxy's and T-birds from the 60's, a few early 50's ford trucks, and more 2nd-3rd gen Camaros and firebirds than you could shake a stick at. One of my favorite cars was the blue 71 Mach 1 fastback. Also Caddys, Cutlasses, and several interesting Buicks, etc. from the 50's. None worth restoring and such but interesting to look at. ...and then one day the J.C. Radiator yard changed hands or something and they crushed EVERYTHING over about 2-3 days. There were some interesting yards in Northwest Ohio in Amish country a few years back, but I doubt any of that stuff is still there. The rarest two cars I ever saw were a 63 Studebaker Avanti (not continuation) and an early 911 sitting side by side in a yard on Groveport Road here in Columbus. They would not sell either car or parts off of either car, and a few days later when I went back to take photographs both of them had been crushed. I, BTW, am not obsessed with cars or anything... Chris

Our 97 GMC Safari (same thing) had had both mirrors fall off. The idler arms will go on them, small stuff like power windows will go, but what other vehicle on the road had been marketed for 21 years virtually unchanged? 300k is not far from the mark, i have seen a bunch of them do that. My mechanic had one that went to about 350k w/o problems. The guy who does my body work has a customer who ordered one with everything back in 91 and is still driving it at about 240k now. Plus they tow really well...and when you have a teenage son with tall friends... Not a bad vehicle. Chris

Why is everyone here so absolutely anti-union? They aren't all bad. Chris

Unions aren't all bad, but the brother of a co-worker makes something like 60k a year swweping floors in a Ford Plant. Personally I like the idea of keeping the unions but scaling back wages and benifits to more reasonable levels. Someone needs to make sure that training standards are met, safety standards are met, and that workers have some form of representation. My next door neighbor in the 70's and early 80's was a labor negotiator for G.M. and there are indeed two sides to the issue. But the big three do need to re-negotiate their contracts. Otherwise, we'll all be driving Chinese cars and I'd wager that even Sixty8Panter would drive a Camry before he'd drive a Chinese car. No offense intended, of course. Chris

Awesome car, nice review, but it still isn't an Accord. Looking forward to the new Malibu coming out. Chris

Wayyy off topic but it would be nice if Ford Brought out a version of the SVT Focus and built it based on the European Focus like the Aura is based on a european car. But build it here in the states and not in Mexico, Dammit! Chris