Robert Hall

Yeah, to me, it seems by and large the by the early '80s, the CPOB divisions had become largely interchangable, with only trim differences (grille, taillights, dash) to separate the equivalent models on a given platform across the brands (think Caprice/Bonneville/88/LeSabre, Monte Carlo/Grand Prix/Cutlass Supreme/Regal, Citation/Phoenix/Omega/Skylark, Celebrity/6000/Ciera/Century, Cavalier/2000/Firenza/Skyhawk, etc, etc)... It seemed the choice was in which grille/etc you liked, whose marketing reached you better, and which dealer you preferred... not really any substantive differentiation between brands (beyond the unique items like the Corvette, Riviera, etc). Today the CPSB brands are much more differentiated from each other..

I've put aftermarket CD player head units and upgraded the speakers in older cars that had AM/FM cassette units originally ('87 Mustang, '88 Bronco) but with newer vehicles, I go for the best available factory system and stick with it..I don't like the unintegrated look of aftermarket units, and I like the factory features like steering wheel controls, etc that I would lose if I put in an aftermarket unit. I'm not as picky about car audio as I am about home audio, I guess.

That's an apples to oranges comparison..the Camry and Accord are mainstream family sedans...the G8 is not in that niche..it's main competitor is the Charger.

Maybe because some versions of it have a shiny black ('piano black') finish?

In that photo, it looks like the volume is the knob at the top right (looks like a volume symbol on it). I'm talking about the big button in the center...a tuning knob?

They look fine to me, lots of functionality and features.. other mfgrs have also had a common head unit shared amongst many models..Chrysler did it also--everything from the Intrepid to the Viper used the unit that's in my Grand Cherokee... Though a premium brand like Cadillac should at least have bespoke knobs and trim on the head unit..

Assuming the convertible has lowerable rear quarter windows, then if the aftermarket offers a bolt on fiberglass hardtop (like is available for Mustangs), then the no-B pillar obsessives will have an option to get their hardtop and can shut up about it..

Pontiac needs a Vibe GXP to compete with it.

I like the Charger for the hardware and the performance, but I still can't warm up to the styling...the slab sides, stubby ends, and hunched greenhouse w/ small side windows just don't appeal to me..

A few years ago, I recall the local paper in my hometown in Ohio had an article about a local man with a gold '80s 560SEC with about 800k miles on it..(my mom clips car related articles from the local paper and mails them to me..gotta love it).

What is the big knob in the middle? volume? The most recent GM rentals I drove had older style radios..('05 Grand Prix, '04 Impala, '05 Monte Carlo).

The Volvo is a red P1800 coupe, IIRC..been featured in a few magazines..there was a '60s Mercedes diesel sedan with over a million IIRC, someone that commuted from Portland to Seattle or similar for 30 years.. I seem to recall reading about a former NYC Taxi (mid '60s Plymouth) with a million plus also..

I like the styling..very carlike, like a 5dr hatchback rather than a crossover (which are tallish, wagonish 5dr hatchbacks)..

I like the Steel Blue metallic..all these colors will look good on the Challenger...speaking of which, I haven't heard anything lately about it..is it still coming for MY '09?

Looks like someone has maintained it well..I'm used to seeing old Civics clapped out or done up Fast and the Furious style...

The prices seem quite reasonable..so a well equipped V8 GT should be around $35k or so..

Interesting...I didn't realize they had a 4spd auto that far back..I figured it would have been something in the late '80s.

How could they 'hate' something that isn't even out yet, let alone publically unveiled????

What year and model was the LAST GM NA product with a : 2spd automatic? 3spd manual? 3spd automatic? Column-shift manual? 4spd manual? 4spd automatic? FIRST with a: 4spd manual? 5spd manual? 4spd automatic?

I get them less often..what I get now are the wierd 'flow control' messages when I click view new posts every so often..

Maybe the base model will have a 4cyl, 4spd auto configuration.

Well, since the G8 is replacing the GP GXP, they are benchmarking it against it's predecessor...i.e. they are trying to improve relative to the past.... it's not like anyone is seriously going to consider a Pontiac a serious competitor against a German sports sedan--the benchmark really should be the Dodge Charger.

Interesting..that percentage is surprising, given the # of plants Toyota has in NA.

I've been using tiVos for about 6 years now, been very happy with it...easy to use interface, works great... I upgraded from a 13hr one to an 80 hr one (Series 2), which I keep filling up... ultimately, I'm going to want an HD one with a lot more capacity...I may try a homebrew setup at somepoint...a friend of mine has a mythTV setup with 5TB of storage.

That's cool...about the only interesting things I have in my cube at work is my red Swingline stapler and my Initech coffee mug.