The O.C.

What; it's impossible? Doesn't dovetail neatly into the stereotype?? 211362[/snapback] Still don't have an answer to my question........????

Okay this pic was taken on a business trip to Boca Raton. We went on a "team building" activity and went deep-sea fishing. Everyone bet $20......and the one that caught the biggest fish won $250...! (Don't I look butch???) I won the money thanks to this poor lil' barracuda.....

The O.C. FINALLY gets this picture $h! DOWN....... This is the obligatory "cell phone pic in a mirror" shot....

What are they buying? Well, they are buying CTSs and Escalades (and maybe a few SRXs) but they are NOT buying STSs and DTSs......Caddy's "aspriational" models...

I agree......new Colorado needs a whole new (re...bigger) architecture and much better powertrains. Of course I bet we'll be stuck with this truck for another 3-4 years.

WOW....I'm a "CTS-v" Considering my two cars I own, that's a pretty damn good match!

Yeah it's a delicate conversation.....but I guess that's what The Lounge has always been good for.....conversations that might be a little on the dicey side.... What also got me to thinking about this......is that I was surprised some crappy areas in SoCal like Santa Ana and Anaheim were'nt included in the "most dangerous" lists.....then I realized that Santa Ana is like 85% hispanic and Anaheim has a very high hispanic population as well. Although both cities have pockets of very nice areas, the majority of them are run-down and down-trodden.....BUT crime hasn't shot up like you might think. Then a friend of mine, that is hispanic, told me that although the hispanics in these two cities might not have much money, and their proximity to the poverty level might be high, for the most part, the hispanic culture is VERY family-oriented....and very "let's take care of ourselves and our neighborhoods" thinking.......thus keeping the possibility of high crime, at least from a culture standpoint, alot less likely......

....and just how do we know that people under 30 purchased these cars....?

....neither was a Highlander, for example....yet that has a quality feel that is ten-times greater than Aztek (or Rendezvous.)

In a rwd, automatic SRX, you are not traction-limited. AWD really only helps with high-powered cars like WRXs, EVOs, Carerra4s, etc. Plus in an AWD, if you can't get a good enough brake-torque, you could end up bogging the engine off the line.....because of TOO much traction. In THAT case, sometimes, some very minor wheelspin can actually get you going FASTER

Check again....the C&D SRX was also RWD. And, 18-inch wheels and stuff all add weight.....C&D is usually very consistent with their times....so if the current car is a 6.9sec car (by their standards) you can usually take that to the bank. Which all makes me really wonder about the 7.2 they got for the SRX.....hmmmm

The Toyota-bashers need to get over themselves...... Everyone on here is butt-hurt because the new Silverado and Sierra have been blandly restyled and Toyota has come out with an aggressively-styled full-size pickup. For the record, I hate ALL pickups and you'll never see me purchase one....but that being said, I think the Toyota puts GM on the trailer from a design and execution standpoint with this vehicle. BUT THEN AGAIN, (before you ALL start in on me) IMHO.... Sales will most assuredly be another matter....but like the article says, the Tundra will be a success for Toyota.

The wagon's a fine product.....but it's still not as roomy as the X3. I'm not as sure as the numbers, but if you look at them side-by-side, the X3 is roomier inside the cabin for passengers and the cargo hold is much more utilitarian in it's arrangement for carrying bigger loads. AND.....btw.....the X3 out-handles the wagon! The wagon is only available in 325xi guise.....and in C&D's recent short take, pulled only 0.80g. This was a non-sport....but in the xi wagon, the sport package doesn't sharpen up the suspension and give you the larger tires of the sedan/non-x 3-series. With the current magnesium I6 and a stick, the X3 would probably better its old time of 7.4secs 0-60....and probably beat the 325xi wagons 7.0sec run.

.....then you guys would have bitched when the Cobalt and Focus with automatics didn't win because they lagged behind in acceleration and fuel economy compared to the other cars with their sticks.... etc, etc., etc I think mags SHOULD compare similarly-equipped cars. It's a bit more "apples to apples."

OK....interesting addendum to the article...... (NO ONE "Shoot the Messenger" here.....I don't myself have any issue with blacks....) In 13 of the 15 most-dangerous cities, the #1, percent-highest concentration of ethnicity is "african-american." The remaining 2, Compton and Youngstown, african-americans were the #2 percent-highest with Hispanics being #1 in Compton, and white-caucasians #1 in Youngstown. Here's the list........ City - population percentage african-american - ranking among ethnicities St. Louis - 51.2% african american - #1 largest ethnicity in the city Detroit - 81.6% - #1 Flint - 53.3% - #1 Compton - 40.3% - #2 Camden - 53.3% - #1 Birmingham - 73.5% - #1 Cleveland - 51.0% - #1 Oakland - 35.7% - #1 Youngstown - 43.8% - #2 Gary - 84.0% - #1 Richmond, CA. - 36.1% - #1 Baltimore - 64.3% - #1 Memphis - 61.4% - #1 Trenton - 52.1% - #1 Richmond, VA. - 57.2% - #1 This may be somewhat of a sensitive issue....so I certainly am not out to offend anyone....but I do think it makes for an interesting conversation topic. Could "white flight" like what was seen in Detroit 50 years ago be a contributor to this....and to the enhanced crime rates found in these 15 cities?

I saw this article this morning. It was an interesting read. Detroit and Flint as #2 and #3..... Even southern California made it.....yea...!!!! (Compton, #4.) Not really any city on this list surprises me......

3800 in the minivans/Aztek/Rendezvous? Well.....I thought I heard that it was a packaging concern. GM had that SAME problem with the GM-10 coupes when they were introduced. The 3.1L block was all that would fit in the new W-bodies. Now of course they eventually brought the 3800 into the W-body program but now without some serious money spent to redesign the front cradle/structure, etc. At Buick, we were especially butt-hurt that we had to introduce the new GM-10 Regal Coupe with a "non-Buick" 3.1L "underpowered" V6 instead of the 3800. Buick was one of the leading divisions to get the revisions approved so that the 3800 would fit. Back to the minivans...I THOUGHT they had a similar problem.....however, obviously now they have the 3.9L engine....and the Rendezvous Ultra had the (large) 3.6L DOHC motor....so I must have been wrong.... Your guess now is as good as mine....perhaps Evok knows....?

What's "naturally unsporting" about it....? Hmmm? Is it ride height? Center of gravity? Because that's just about the only difference you have between the 3-series architecture the X3 borrows from....and even that is not nearly as big a difference as what you get with most other "SUVs" Look at the suspension and chassis specifications......there's really nothing "naturally unsporting" about it.

AURA should be a competent car....but I SERIOUSLY don't see it "out-handling" a rwd-based AWD G35X..... Think power-to-the-ground, weight distribution, wheel/tire combos, even overall curb weight (I believe the AURA is actually heavier than a G35x)

Jerry Hirshberg is an overrated, egotistic asshole with nary a hint of design talent..... ....IMHO.... Nissans have never looked better since he left......

Value and utility WERE great. My problem has been that every Aztek (only a couple) or Rendezvous (quite a few as rentals) that I've driven have been somewhat dreadful to drive. Floaty, boaty suspension tuning, truly shaky structures, gruff and unrefined powertrain, and cheap interior materials and fit-and-finish. Granted GM doesn't build too many cars this dissatifying anymore....but I've NEVER thought Aztek and Rendezvous were anywhere NEAR competitive with their contemporaries in the marketplace. Eye-opening was two back-to-back trips to the Bay Area one week to the next. The first week was a Rendezvous rental. The second week was a Highlander rental. It was SHOCKING how way more competent and quality-feeling the Toyota was over the Buick....and they are in the same price range and market segment. I can't think of ONE advantage the Buick had over the Toyota.....and Buick is (supposedly) an "upscale" nameplate.

DAMN I need to "brag" too......I need to get some of my pics up on here. Congrats on the Sport.....looks good in lighter colors too..... I got a black one with black interior.....my only difference being a 6-speed MANUAL tranny. I LOVE the wood-topped shifter and it's a true joy to row through the gears with a wonderfully-intuitive clutch and a fingertip-light shifter. Everyone thinks my Sport is a v-Series.....I just have to be selective on my stoplight drag races.....LOL.....although recent victims include a previous-generation 528i and a new IS250. Truth being told (and many on here won't EVER believe I said this) the CTS 6-speed is an easier car to drive smoothly than even my manual 330Ci convertible BMW I used to have. It has a lighter, more positive shifter and a smoother clutch. That being said.....what kills it versus the BMW is the way the engine "hangs on" to revs when you run it up and dip the clutch in to shift. I've been told this is an "emissions" thing. In the BMW, hard runs through the gears WERE smoother because when you dipped the clutch, the revs dropped right down in an INSTANT. So....around town, the CTS is one smooth operator for a "luxury" stick-shift car. But pound it hard like you are road-racing, and the BMW shows it's true heritage.....

I truly find the Titan more attractive than the new GM pickups.....and the upcoming Tundra even more so. I do think that the GM'ers have the Titan beat in interior design and quality....but I happen to be a big fan of the new Tundra's interior..... Again....I simply find the new GM trucks superbly-executed....but incredibly-bland in exterior styling.....and not even that "tough" looking.

Plus the 9-5 could be construed as a "niche" choice in the marketplace. For example, in southern California where seemingly EVERYONE has a TL or ES, the 9-5 is less-common.....and somewhat more "special." I actually strongly considered one before getting the CTS Sport.....but in the end, the Cadillac just seemed like a much-higher quality product overall in terms of ride/handling/structure.

....but I can think of PLENTY of GM cars that it will run rings around......cars even such as the Impala "SS"......Pontiac G6 "GTP"......etc...