The O.C.

Nah.....it was more like the sheer charisma of the Pontiac Trans-Am....! Even being gay, I've never been attracted to The Hoff..... I've always had a wierd passion about the 1982-gen Camaros and Trans-Ams.....even though they were underpowered. To this day, I'd love to find a low-mileage 1982 Trans-Am with those wierd body-color wheel covers, the carburated 5.0L, 140hp engine, and 4-speed manual trans. Wierd, huh? LOL Ironic isn't it....that the slowest Trans-Am (maybe ever?) built was the basis for a super-fast, 300mph AI computer car? LOL

I AGREE....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think Chris Pine is almost over-the-top handsome. We'll see about his acting ability....but he looks to be a great Kirk. Incidentally.....I saw "Leiutenant Castillo" from the "Yesterday's Enterprise" episode of TNG at a local restaurant/bar in Laguna Beach a few months ago......he was HOT....and BUILT....and looked just like he did on the episode. (He had some blonde bumblebee attached at his hip though....ugh...SUCH a waste!) And, another one I've swooned over is "Lt. Hawk" the conn officer from "First Contact." A buddy of mine used to be roommates with him in college in L.A. years ago. Buddy said he was a real man-whore....LOL. He's another hottie....can't believe he got assimilated!!!!!!!!!

LOL....love the car references......

Lots of people laugh at the dash-concealed cupholders in the new BMWs....but on second thought, I think BMW has gotten it right.....! Granted I have two manual-trans cars....but I HATE cupholders behind the shifter and in front of the armrest. I always have something in the cupholder (coffee? Propel? bottled water?) and I have to contort my hand/arm around the drink(s) to shift. UGH. Auto-trans cars are prolly not a big deal though.

Well, we wouldn't have to bitch about the trade deficit from Japan........if.....the Big 3 had the foresight to build the kind of cars that people wanted to buy in the first place. They didn't see it....and as a result of the crap quality and uncompetitive design and engineering that consumers in this market had to choose from over the last 30 years, we are facing the problem we are today. The Japanese were simply smart enough to see the trends emerging in this country....and they took advantage of it...! Yet our own companies couldn't see what was emerging and only NOW are we getting products from them that are anywhere as desirable or competitive with our Asian and European friends. And we still have a LONG way to go product-wise.... The GM-only fans on this site would argue that there are many people like them that would ONLY buy GM or domestic....and that any of those GM or domestic choices are as desirable or more desirable as their imported counterparts. However, sales and market-share trends in this country....still today even.....would tend to disagree with them. A car purchase is HARDLY a political decision......

Prolly.....but I could see potential HHR/PT types maybe looking at this "base" Journey due to it's value-proposition....and the fact it's alot roomier alternative...?? (However, HHRs have huge rebates on them now out here so that would mitigate it a bit.....don't know what Dodge is going to do on the Journey yet.)

I agree. It's definitely an improvement over the Caliber/Avenger interiors that we've had to suffer with over the last few years.....

Not only that.....but travel to Dallas, Houston, Birmingham, Nashville, and Atlanta and see how import-dominated those markets are becoming......

I thought it was AWFUL.....I almost turned it off. The original was cheesy....but somehow much more enjoyable to watch. The Mustang doesn't do it for me......and the new KITT doesn't seem to have near the personality that William Daniels (the voice of the old KITT) injected into the car. I thought the sidekick chick (even forgot her name) was an awful actor too....just seemed to overly fake to me. To me, Bionic Woman was a much more successful resurrection of an old TV action show.

Premium audio is a pretty inexpensive option on this car (and the 3-series.) And while I would still prefer leather, BMW's leatherette is so good, it's almost worth saving the money. And you can stay with leatherette....but still get the sport seats included in the sport package. All 1- and 3-series come with things like a sunroof, all power accessories, multi-adjustable seats (manual though) and stuff. BMW's basic option prices aren't really all that out-of-whack (witness the cost of floormats for an AURA) it's the basic price of the car that hits you. That and IF you choose to add pricey options such as active steering, active cruise, or navigation.

Well you have to look at reality......I worked for a BMW store for a time and so did my ex.....in 99% of the cases, the dealer throws in things like floor mats for free. That's pretty typical of BMW stores in this area. The $81 for floormats is more often gained by people going into the parts department and ordering a new set or something like that....

$21,875 in U.S.$ with the Popular Equipment Group and Exterior Appearance Package......that's alot of car for the money! It'll be a dog with the 2.4L but seems a great value..... $19,430 for a similarly-equipped HHR LS. The LS lacks alloy wheels but I think otherwise it's pretty similarly-equipped.

I doubt he was driving at all.......lol. About the company-car thing......when I was working at Buick, and the guys at Oldsmobile were still developing the Intrigue, Olds DID put their people in competitive cars as company cars....I'm not sure how long they did it for, but they put people in Camrys, Accords, etc. Too bad that program didn't continue.

I've always had a fondness for the D, even though overall it's not my favorite..... Mine would be the C....even though we didn't see that ship much. To me, it is almost as big and as powerful as the D, but has to me a real classic look to it....especially with the round secondary hull. The B would rank very high with me except I don't like the modifications they made to the original Excelsior to turn it into the Enterprise-B. The classic Excelsior-class shape to me is best. Taking style AND capability into consideration.....I'd rank them: C (and had the first female captain of the Enterprise!) E (just loved seeing it kick Borg butt in First Contact) B (give me the basic version though) D (just big and badass...and with a sexy bald captain) A (the refit....still a classic)

Dude....go read it again. They said in the article how they couldn't believe they were driving a GM 4-cyl sedan that was so refined and quiet. They gave it significant props for that.

Oh....you added accessories. I just stuck with factory options.

That youtube was cool......lol. What's ur favorite 1701...?

Hey....which one are you looking at? C&D DID test 4-cyl versions of the cars and the Malibu stacked up nicely....they even were VERY complimentary of the 2.4L Ecotec in this application.

This will never happen.....but I've always said that the management at top companies such as GM should be given competitive cars as company cars.....even permanently. The Rick should be given an S-Class, 745Li, Audi A8, Lexus LS, etc.....and he should be expected to drive it to and from work....and use in on the weekends. Perhaps lower-level managers should be given Accords, BMW 3-Series, and other sorts instead of Impalas, Malibus, or CTSs. Rotate these guys through different cars every 3 months or so....or 6 months or so. Nothing gives you a better understanding of your competition than LIVING with it.

???? I get $48,995 adding everything on the list......but that includes a ton of stuff I wouldn't include such as an auto, active steering, park distance control, etc...... My perfect 135i has an MSRP of $38,900: Jet Black ($0 non-metallic) Black leatherette/Gray Poplar Wood Trim 6-speed manual ($0) Sport Package Comfort Access System Heated Seats HD Radio Premium Audio System Other than not having leather, this is a pretty loaded car. Standard items included are things such as Xenons, 8-way seats (manual), power sunroof, auto wipers and headlights, 18-inch wheels/tires (on sport package.)

The thing with Wagoner is.....how can ANYONE at the top of a company like GM, who has spent his entire career there, ever fully understand the realities of the automotive industry? They haven't lived anything else! Look at Mullaly.....Ford is his first car gig. They guy owned and drove a Lexus LS430 before going to Ford. That gives him (one) wonderful insight into what the "others" are accomplishing in terms of product and design. Plus, Mullaly has lived in places like import-dominated Seattle...etc, etc.... How many BMWs has Rick owned? How many Hondas has he driven (extensively?) How many of anything foreign has he ever spent time in (outside of GM comparison drives?) How much time has he spent living in California, or Georgia, or Phoenix, or south Florida....other than visiting for a few days for business trips? Has he experienced the import domination in these markets? I was a GM "lifer" too for 11 years and I too never "got it" as to why BMWs, for example, were so sought after. Well, in the 9 years since my departure from GM, I've owned three....and, BMWs may not be for everyone, but I can tell you....I now "get it." And I never would have if I hadn't been exposed to a life outside of GM and Michigan.

Part of it is ego derived from the fact that Audi has, in recent years, dramatically improved its products. Another part of it stems from the sheer arrogance of the Germans. I've been with my friend to quite a few Audi functions and whenever the Germans are there, it's overwhelming how arrogant they are. They even think they are gonna take down BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the not-too-distant future. That German arrogance is not dissimilar from the head-in-the-sand outlook that many GM execs had for way too long......but in many ways, some of that arrogance is, sadly, deserved. Audi and the other German companies have been building outstanding products that have attracted legions of dedicated fans over the last 10 years or so...

This is one area where the Aveo impresses me. Chevy has managed to design a tiny little sedan that actually looks good...! Why can't Nissan (and Suzuki with it's similarly-ghastly SX4 sedan) do the same?

Also....alot of engineers don't necessarily have a solid foundation in the understanding of the market outside of pure engineering ideals..... What you need is a product guy that's not an engineer by trade.....but a business exec that's not a bean-counter. I've had too many run-ins with product team engineers that are too focused on stats, figures, and details without looking at the "big picture." When I was at Suzuki for a short time, and the Aerio SX was just introduced.....(any of you guys remember that car?)......the car, even in "sport" trim, was saddled with way-undersized 15-inch wheels and tires. We told the engineers here in America that we needed a plus-plus size wheel/tire option for the car.....say 17- or 18-inchs....to make the car look sportier, and offset the high body-style design of the vehicle....and to fill out the huge wheel wells. The engineers just kept shooting us down saying the 15-inch wheels and tires "met all the ride-and-handling specs that were laid down by Japan." Also, they argued we couldn't add the bigger wheels and tires due to "engineering specs that state we have to have a certain clearance in the wheel wells." What they ignored was what the mainstream consumer was interested in. They don't care about "ride-and-handling" or "wheel well clearance" specs. They care about a bling look on a small little sport wagon. So you know what ended up happening? Here in SoCal, at least, the Suzuki dealers themselves ended up taking Aerio SX wagons and putting their own aftermarket 18-inch wheel and tire packages on the car. Know what else happened? They sold like (relative) hotcakes........

....and introducing them withOUT airbags, and with a 3.1L, 120-hp, throttle-body-injected V6 (when other GM products were using the updated multi-port injected 3.1L with more power,etc.) and a 3-speed automatic transmission.