The O.C.

Back to Civic.....the more I see it, the more I really like it. They've cropped up seemingly EVERYWHERE out here in SoCal..... I was driving next to a new coupe last night, and could see the dash lit up in front of the driver, and it looked really cool with the two-tier setup.....Honda's trying to mimic the cool nighttime interior lighting that VW has done so well as of late. I still prefer a traditional instrument-cluster setup.....but at least the Civic interior is quite unique and provides something different from other normal economy cars.

I think it looks pretty fresh.....very nice-looking HVAC/radio controls and the matte-finish fake wood trim brings a different look compared to the usual "glossy" stuff. I'll wait to see how the materials actually are.....but if it's like recent Kia/Hyundai offerings, interior materials will actually probably be pretty decent.

You're joking....... ......right......?

That statement just shows how little you know about the automotive market.....regardless of whether you work for a dealership or not.... Dealers and used-car managers LIVE AND DIE basing purchase decisions on "book" and where a particular model or vehicle falls relative to "book." I know...it's the business I'm IN....

Why do we have compact/midsize pickups and fullsize pickups? Because some people might want a Sport Trac-type vehicle that's quite a bit larger...and Ridgeline gives that to them.

You're fighting a losing battle.....

Solstice is awesome....BUT does it bring anything new and innovative to the (admittingly small) market segment it competes in? (re....against the new MX-5?) No... Also, Solstice is not perfect and falls behind the Mazda in certain areas.....interior quality, trunk space, overall engine flexibility.... So while Solstice will be a hit in the marketplace, for sure, I'm not sure it was strong enough, OVER the MX-5, to take the calipers home. AND....on the other hand.....MX-5 doesn't do anything really radical to improve it's standings in the segment....versus it's previous edition...and it's not THAT big of an improvement over ITS competition (Solstice.)

Listen....I'm not saying that the MT COTY is true gospel, but I will tell you this....I've worked for three manufacturers and in a couple of cases, was close to the PR department. "Kissing MT's ass" has far less to do with who they pick than you think. I've been on the winning side, and the losing side.....and I was with a company that ROYALLY kissed MT's ass....but you know what, it doesn't work....or it didn't in those cases. I'm sure the editors have certain biases like we all do.....but don't try to make it out to be all about ad dollars and ass-kissing.....

Boxster deserves it....I've driven it and it's a GREAT sports car. MX-5 also deserves it, as I've driven that too....and in interior quality and trunk space, it trounces Solstice. Solstice deserves accolades, but I'm not sure it deserves 10Best over MX-5. S2000 is a piece of crap. I had one for two days and it was a joke. Other than being fast from 6,200rpms up, it doesn't do anything else better than MX-5 or Solstice....and the ride is awful, and the structural integrity of the chassis is lacking. The interior is even tighter than MX-5 or Solstice, AND it's way more expensive. A3 is a nice car....but I don't undertand 10Best. It's way expensive compared to contemporary A4s, loaded Jettas, and even Passats.

:blink: Ooooooo......that's a scary and probably VERY correct statement......add in because Honda, nor Toyota, nor Nissan, etc., make a decent (read...heavy-duty enough) alternative.

I don't know where you live, but out here, the economy is BOOMING. Of course, we are not dominated by Big3 automotive manufacturing...... I don't see the U.S. doing anything else other than REMAINING an economic worldwide powerhouse. The Big3's economic outcome is not going to affect THAT. Too many business sectors in the U.S. are prospering.....compared to Big3 automobile manufacturing.

Well, I LIKE it....I think it's HOT. I don't think of it as retro....to me, "retro" means harking to the past. This doesn't just hark to the past, it looks almost exactly LIKE the past...but with modern engineering and build quality. What a GREAT concept!

No, it doesn't....but I believe the majority of unibody/car-based SUVs are....

Remember.....COTY isn't just about which car you'd rather own or drive.....it's a cumulation of product quality and excellence, relevence in the market and to its brand, and how each car compares to the others in its SEGMENT....not how they compare to each other in the COTY comparison test. Based upon these criteria, the new Civic probably had a GREAT shot at the title...

At first thought, I was really surprised....I thought it would be 3-series or Solstice..... BUT, you do HAVE to admit that the new Honda Civic is as relevent to Honda's overall business as the 3-series is to BMW's.....after the last generation, they NEEDED to make a big splash.... The Si Coupe is getting RAVE reviews.... Honda certainly did go out on a limb with the styling (which I actually like...sedan AND coupe)..... The interior fit-and-finish and quality of materials in the cars I've sat in is first-class and EASILY better than anything else in the segment (note I said fit-and-finish and materials, not neccessarily styling of the interior.) By all regards, it's a pivotal car for Honda and a HUGE improvment over the old Civic. Let's not bash Motor Trend until we've all had a chance to actually read their COTY review in the January issue....which should be here in early December.

There's no WAY that the Ridgeline could be a transaxual....most transaxuals know a little bit about GOOD fashion..... :P

IMHO, I think your arguments are ridiculous and smack of "Ridgeline/Honda-bashing, just because...." and have no basis in fact or logic. "Compromise over a typical 1/2 ton truck?" "Pathetic attempt at "rugged" look?" "Hideous interior?" "Retarded proportions?" Those are critical comments from you based solely on YOUR opinion.....which you are allowed to have. However, the tone of your post seems like you are trying to spew them as "factual" criticisms of the new Ridgeline. Many would disagree with you on the above points. "Pathetic V6?" Have you EVER driven the Honda 3.5L V6 in the Pilot, MDX, or Ridgeline? I bet you haven't....it's a sweet motor, quiet, refined, with good power and a torque curve that feels like it's been nicely boosted on the low-end (compared to the 3.0L car-version.) In the C&D comparo (June '05), Ridgeline shot from 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds....that compares (C&D, Feb '04) to Silverado (8.8), Ram Hemi (8.0), F150 (9.3), Tundra (8.8) and the Titan (7.6) was the only one to beat it. "Front-wheel biased AWD....Honda clueless as to what makes a truck a truck?" Funny......I remember lots of people saying that 15 years ago about unibody SUVs......gee, let's look at how many unibody SUVs are out there of all sizes (from tiny RAV4 to BMW X5) compared to the number of BOF SUVs? Doesn't seem like the front-wheel-drive based SUVs have been hurt in the marketplace because of frame or drivetrain configuration....people still have no problem considering them all "SUVs." As far as the beds rotting out and dying....don't make absurd claims about that kind of stuff unless you have engineering facts to support it. You are clueless if you don't think Honda looked into those sorts of issues before coming to market with this type of vehicle. No matter what ANY of you say about the Ridgeline, none of your rants can take away the fact that it is a unique entry into the segment and is selling (incentives or not) close to Honda's original targeted production capacity. AND....for the record? I DON'T like the looks of the Ridgeline at all.....and would never buy one. BUT, I don't let that cloud my interpretation of it's unique mission in life and its positioning in the segment.

In my opinion, the Escape's styling is getting a bit dated, but damn everytime I have one as a rental, I'm impressed with how fun-to-drive the Escape is.....tight suspension, good (non-electric I might add) steering, a strong DOHC V6, and an interior that still feels cheap in areas, but more solidly-built than Equinox.

Just thought about this......why isn't the HHR posts in the "Chevrolet CARS" section? There's not a single thing about the HHR that makes it a truck...especially when it's based on a Cobalt platform. I don't care what Chevy's calling it....it's a car (Not that it's a big deal....but I just think it's funny how mfgrs try to spin the car vs. truck debate to help their CAFE.....neither PT nor the Legacy Outback are trucks yet that's how Chrysler and Subaru presents them to CAFE.)

OCCarNut and I will be there on Thurs-Sun the second weekend (19th-22nd.) We're staying at the downtown Courtyard Marriott...... If someone in the Detroit area schedules a "get together" at the show, we'd love to show up....

Saturn also managed the technology of the EV1 after its development. I have a good friend that works for Saturn in California and he was a Western Region Technical Manager and his #1 responsibility was EV1 (back then.) They also supported Saturn dealerships in the maintenance and repair of the EV1.

If you guys want a different perspective on the southern California/Nashville debate, go to AutoExtremist.com and under the "The Mill" section there's a letter titled "Nissan Employees Misunderstood" from a gentleman that works in Product Planning for Nissan in Gardena. It's a good read and another perspective that ties in with my original posts on this thread.

Turbo, you hit it on the head. People tend to compare cities like New York and Chicago with L.A. and you really can't do that easily because they are SO different. The one downside may be that, yes, there is no defined "city center" like downtown Chicago and Manhattan. Yes, L.A. does have a "downtown" with tons of tall skyscrapers, which are mostly all modern and they actually present quite an attractive skyline, however, "downtown" L.A. is mostly a huge banking, finance, and pacific rim business center that rolls up the streets at night. Other than the wonderful Staples Center and the eclectic Fashion District, L.A. citylife extends far beyond the highrises of "downtown." Now....if you ARE willing to drive, you can be EASILY overwhelmed by all the areas of interest around the greater southern California/L.A./Orange County area. And THAT provides the REAL attraction to L.A. The flipside (good side) of that lack of a "city center?" Well, nightlife and culture can be found ALL over the southland.....with an intensity you don't even find that often in other big city suburbs in Chicago, Detroit, and N.Y. I live in O.C., about 45 minutes from downtown L.A. and an hour from Hollywood, but I don't HAVE to go up there for nightlife, bar scenes, or first-class dining. I can drive 10 minutes to Laguna Beach, 15 minutes to Newport Beach, or 30 minutes to Long Beach, etc., etc. OR, I can WALK up to the Aliso Viejo Towne Center and pick from a wide variety of restaurants and bars. Turbo's right.....the beaches, the sun, the cars, the mountains, the "culture", the laid-back style mixed with fast-paced living......there really IS more to L.A. than "L.A." I tend to like it that way.....oh well, different strokes for different folks.....

Exactly my point in ALL this. You are right. If I was JUST moving to southern California, there's no way I could afford the house I live in right now. But once you ARE here and settled, it's a WONDERFUL place to live....like living in paradise as far as I'm concerned. The only negatives are traffic and congestion. If you can deal with that, it's great. However, you have to live in the right place. If you are forced to live an hour inland because you can't afford the coastal areas, then you most likely won't be as happy.....way more traffic, smog, hotter temps, etc. When you come visit, make sure you don't spend too much time in the "touristy" areas like Disneyland and Hollywood. Get outside of those areas and spend some quality time in some of the beautiful and characterful beach cities like Laguna Beach, Manhattan Beach, etc.

You could rent your house out.....UNLESS you needed the equity out of the California house to put down on the Nashville house.... Course if you REALLY thought you'd come back, you'd rent out your CA house and just rent an apartment in TN for a couple of years. We bought in May....and in August, one with the same floorplan as ours sold for $30K more...and it didn't have a driveway (unlike ours) and didn't have anywhere near the upgrades ours has. There's no bubble that's gonna burst. At least not here close to the coast. In Aliso Viejo, there is one remaining housing development that's going to be built....and THEN, the city is 100% built-out. That remaining housing developement will start in the $1Ms too....so I don't think it will stiffle activity in our local market.