The O.C.

Your statements are banter and make no sense at all........can you back up your claim about the West Coast being "long notorious" for "hating anything labeled U.S.A.? Gee.....I live on the West Coast and drive TWO american cars.....!

Speaking of that.....don't you HATE people that WRITE CHECKS in the line at the supermarket? AAARRRRGGGHHHH! And it's usually women.

Unless you get the exit row. I'm elite status on American....so I almost always get an exit row because I can pick it online when I make my flight reservations. On the other airlines, I get to the airport at LEAST 2 hours early and many times I can get an exit row because I'm checking in so damn early and they hold many exit row seats for airport check-in.

I'm flying that tomorrow......LAX to Atlanta on Delta for a business trip. The return flight, however, is a 767-300 series.

Hate it. Oh, it's "okay" but I for one STILL think they ought to go back to "Premium American Motorcars." That says SO much about Buick for me and I think it's been the best tagline they ever had....

LMFAO, ROTFL...... :lol: You just keep thinking that..... That's the exact same close-minded thinking that way too many GM people have utilized to justify their lackluster product decisions over way too many decades.

Well, the same could be said in the midsize sedan segment.....or the compact car segment (where GM IS using multi-valve/multi-cam solutions....)

Hey he's got a point..... As much as I LOVE the LS2 in my C6, it's true that it doesn't zing to the redline like the DOHC/Multi-Valve V8s in our X5 and S500..... It feels pretty much dead and buried by 5,000rpms. I love the LS2 for many other reasons.....awesome power, sound, feel, decent mpg....but even I can admit that it still runs out of breath (relatively-speaking of course) as you climb higher into the rev range. The European V8s zing right to the redline smoothly and quickly....and there IS a certain exciting feel about them when they do this.

The Accord, as-tested, was just UNDER $30K (USD)....with leather and all other options (but I don't think it had NAV.) I consider that a decent value.

But XLR is an afterthought in the marketplace compared to SL.....so I don't see the V-series changing that. Don't forget about the 6-series convertible at around $85K....and the M6 (coupe) coming in at around the same price as the XLR-v. This car is WAY overpriced in standard form. $100K for an XLR-v simply won't do. Cadillac hasn't built it's brand equity up enough yet to compete in this price-range with a product such as the XLR.

But that's where everyone on here is wrong. It is not a "minor" engineering cost. I was actively involved in this debate when I was at Buick. It is VERY expensive to engineer two separate shifter configurations on a car. When I was in product planning for Park Avenue/Ultra, (this last/current generation) we fought SO hard for an option in the Ultra of a true bucket seat option with a floor-mounted shifter mated to a nice console that swept up and blended in with the straight-across dashboard. We really thought with that option, we could maybe pull SOME Lexus-types back to Buick, etc. The best that they would do, was give us the cheesy "afterthought" console with five passenger configuration that was simply a storage console with a writing pad and they left the shifter on the column. The bean-counters' response was simply a matter of cost. It was too expensive to engineer the floor shifter for that car (still too expensive EVEN THOUGH the Aurora and Rivera on the same platform offered floor shifters.)

Oh.....oh.....that's too tempting to pass up.......talking about using your fingers on the "shifter" as opposed to wrapping your hands around it..... But maybe that's a comment that belongs in The Lounge......

All I was saying....is that we may never have one single import truck that sells over 900K units....but let's speculate (for fun) on what the market will look like in 20-30 years.... You'll have Toyota, Nissan, and (gasp) probably even Honda in the market. It's also a known fact that Kia and Hyundai are investigating the full-size pickup market. What will happen when/if they get involved to? Finally, with even mfr's like DCX looking at "luxury" pickups off their Benz ML platform, in 20-30 years, the fullsize pickup truck market could be alot different than it is now.... What about BMW? No one thought BMW would EVER build an SUV. And the X5 has been a HUGE success for them and succesfully represents everything a BMW should be in an SUV.

<whew> OK...I'm sorry....

Of all the Impalas I've seen here, where I was close enough to check, ALL of them minus 2 (one LTZ and one SS) have been rental cars (with the barcode in the driver's side rear window.)

First of all, the majority of "fleet" sales go to the rental companies. GM doesn't make money on fleet sales....believe me, I know. It's a way to keep the factories pumping. Dealers don't make any money on fleet sales, either. You might argue about positive exposure for GM with their rental fleets....but I wonder if the cost of doing fleet business outweighs any positive exposure GM would get from consumers renting their cars...? Read my post again regarding FWD versus RWD. I'm not talking about snow traction "facts." I was offering MY opinion based upon MY experiences driving both FWD and RWD in snow climates when I lived there (Detroit and Philadelphia.)

But those "fuddy-duddy Buick buyers" are choosing Buick and GM less and less these days. Out here, Avalon, Camry, and even Accord are increasingly popular with the old-fart set.....

Crap....I forgot about the HUD....(LOVE it now that I have it in my C6) and the auto up/down windows are big too......add those two to my list. Even my $62K C6 convertible only has auto down on the driver's side....ugh. Also, the overall dash design is nice....but bland and conservative (compared to cars like the Avalon, new Camry, and some Lexus designs.) Materials leave alot to be desired still IMHO. I'm a proponent for gated-shifters....I like them. Maybe I don't know WHY I like them, but I just do.

The interior I liked at first but the more time I spend inside of it, the materials and soft, sofa-like buckets really are starting to disappoint me. In many ways, it's not even competitive with many midsize sedans out there (Camry, Fusion, Accord, even LaCrosse in some ways) hence my "$26,000" comment. Features lacking? Other than lacking a 5-6 speed automatic, and a HF V6.....and RWD.....(which are BIG negatives I might add.....) 1) Power tilt-and-telescope (as you mention.) 2) Xenon headlamps 3) Articulating/tilting front headrests 4) Actual rear headrests (as opposed to molded-in headrests) 5) Power rear sunshade and/or side-window sunshades 6) Navigation system (reported to be coming....but it's not here yet.) Some of them are big to me (T&T, xenons, nav) others are small details (headrests, sunshade, etc.) but these are features becoming commonplace in the $30K-$40K pricerange....at least as options. I still like the styling, and think it's a decent car...and you get good room for the money. I just think that compared to the competition, it's lacking too much to actively entice import buyers to once again consider a $30K-$40K Buick.

Well, I'm a BIG plane fan....so I love any chance to fly. I've flown SO much over my life, I could never list all the trips here.....(I travel a bit for work...) Some notables..... LAX - Heathrow (nonstop) - Wonderful flight on an American Airlines 777, 10.5 hours in flight going, 11.5 hours returning....exit row seats both times. LAX - Frankfurt (via Atlanta) - I've learned to fly nonstop on long-haul flights. This trip seemed MUCH longer than London due to the 3-hour layover in Atlanta. Plus, I "only" got to fly on Delta 767 planes.....a significant reduction in comfort and amenities versus the AA 777 flight to Heathrow. LAX - Anchorage (via Seattle) - There is one non-stop Alaska Airlines flight from LAX to Anchorage and it's a surprisingly long 6-hour flight. My schedule only allowed the stopover in Seattle, though. LAX - Honolulu - Wonderful experience on Hawaiian Airlines....and a DC-10 (this was a few years ago before they replaced their DC-10s with 767 aircraft. LAX - Maui - Worst flight experience I've ever had....on a United 767. We were delayed in LAX for 6 (!) hours and I couldn't even go home and come back because they told us we had to "stay by the gate." United also issued us meal "vouchers" to use at any restaurant in the terminal. Problem is, no one would accept the vouchers because "United doesn't pay their bills."

My turn! My turn! My turn! (...to chime in....) I love L.A., I love Chicago, and I love New York.......but for entirely different reasons. L.A. (or southern California in general) is my favorite place I've lived. Having not lived there, but spent LOTS of time in Chicago (when living in Detoilet) and LOTS of time in New York visiting.....I would rather live in southern California than Chicago or N.Y. or anywhere else I've lived. My other half loves The O.C. but trashes L.A. all the time while singing the merry praises of NYC, where he lived. However, he's never spent ANY time up in L.A. although I've tried many times to get us to go up there and do stuff. What I tell him, I would tell others is that just because L.A. isn't centralized like NYC and Chicago, doesn't mean that L.A. isn't just as dynamic and powerful of a city. It IS very much so. Yes, we have lots of skyscrapers downtown, but L.A.'s vibrant nightlife and social scene is not centered there like it is in the "city" in Chicago or New York. Yes, it can be more difficult when everything is not centralized, but you know, I like the variety that adds to my life here. I don't HAVE to go to L.A. for culture, arts, entertainment, or fine dining. I CAN....but I don't have to. As far as culture, the arts, entertainment, and YES fine dining, read any (supposedly) unbiased news and travel source and you'll see that L.A. compares VERY favorably with Chicago and even New York City (!) and even tops them in some areas. History, we may not have.....we are too new out here. BUT we have an incredible arts scene, some of the best dining ANYWHERE in the country with a huge collection of award-winning chefs, and you cannot forget the awesome architecture out here.......our "lack" of history allows some GREAT 50's, 60's, 70's architecture that you just don't get anywhere else. People? I've had more friends living here than anywhere else in the country and in GENERAL I find people here WAY more friendly than the east coast crowd....and WAY more accepting than the midwest our southern crowd. Yes we have egomaniacs here too....and we have people that are so overly full of themselves....but you have that in ANY city. You just have to refuse to wear a chip on your shoulder and if you run into those people, enjoy it for the "entertainment" factor if nothing else!

Well THAT'S funny.....I was at the Detroit show also and was told you canNOT access the trunk with the top down.....because you cannot lift the stowed roof and glass... Sounds like GM's "models" need to get their stories straight before working at an auto show....

I don't find ANYTHING on G6 "fundamentally" better than any of the imports it's being compared to here. I think the article was SPOT ON and it seemed that they gave credit to the G6 where credit is due. I like the G6.....but for about the same money, I'd take the GLI or Mazdaspeed6 over the GTP easily overall. I'd be tempted by the TSX due to the treatment I'd assuredly get at the dealership (compared to the typical Pontiac dealer here.) The Accord 6-speed is a tougher choice because it's the only one I haven't driven. However, if it drove as good as it sounds, I'd probably choose it too over the GTP even though I like the GTP's styling alot more.

The actual trunk hinge is not the problem. With the top stowed, when you open the trunk lid, you cannot access the luggage compartment. You have to put the top up....then re-open the trunk lid, and get your stuff out/etc.

I think the important point in debating the successes/failures of Toyota (and specifically in regards to this new Tundra) is that the Big Three used to OWN the midsize sedan segment. No one came close. Look at where we are now. So you simply cannot take this Tundra lightly. IT may not outsell F-150 and Silverado, but what will it's future successor do, say in about 20 years?