Drew Dowdell

too heavy.

No, the coolest Fiero is the one that still looks like ass, but someone dropped a twin turboed GM 3.4 DOHC in the back to eat Mustang GTs\ Supra\ any other rice with. I'm all about the sleepers.

not so much starting it as enabling it. No, starting it was when you started seeing those ads for "Borrow up to 125% of the value of your home!" and "Get a mortgage for $300,000! No proof of employment required!" and "Put no money down and pay only when it's comfortable for you!"

So... if the "e-flex" system can be installed in a Malibu... why can't it be sold in... uh.... a Malibu? Even if it meant 30 mile electric only range instead of 40 mile electric only, I'd prefer to buy a more conventional looking car.

Well... both really. Much of the "wealth" of the last 7 years was on paper only.

Either you need to expand your question better or I really need to go grab lunch because I can't wrap my mind around what you just asked. just in case, I'm going out to lunch...... brb

I wrote this in another forum where I'm a "filthy liberal". If you're worried about subsidizing Ethanol, why aren't you worried about subsidizing oil via the Iraq war?

Interesting tidbit. I was doing some calculations for a fight on another board I frequent. Remember those $600 checks you got back in May? They cost the government $168 billion dollars. That is enough to pay for wind generation installation for every household in the U.S........ 3 times. Imagine never having to actually pay for recharging your Volt.

I was partially raised in New Hope, so I know it well.

At $40,000 the Volt will be cost effective over a current Pruis at 175k miles At $30,000 the Volt will be cost effective over a current Pruis at 75k miles Every bit helps.

Not neccessarily. The auto makers just need standardized chains.

Oil opened down $2 at $118 RBOB Gasoline drifting around $2.98

Up until the announcement, Oldsmobile was putting out more Intrigues alone than Saab and Hummer are selling combined. Throw in the Aurora<More sales than Sky>, Bravada<More sales than Outlook>, Intrigue <more sales than Aura>, Alero <way more sales than Astra> and Silhouette<way more sales than Relay>, and you suddenly wonder why Saturn is here today and Oldsmobile isn't.

Saudi Arabia has not been able to maintain it's previous oil production levels. Russia has not been able to maintain it's previous oil production levels and has reduced it's shipments to Czhek republic by 50% Venezuela has not been able to maintain it's previous oil production levels. Mexico has not been able to maintain it's previous oil production level and will switch from net exporter to net importer by 2015 Indonesia and Malaysia have not been able to maintain their previous production level and have already switched from net exporter to net importer. The gas companies have been granted permits and full access to build a few new refineries already...... ever get the feeling they don't want to because they know something about where future oil production will be by the time the refinery is built?

There might be a recession in Europe but not nearly as bad as what will happen here. England and Ireland are in for a walloping, but Germany with their fiscally conservative habits <it's sort of culturally ingrained to not use credit cards>, will probably weather it relatively easily. The U.S. will suffer because of it's gasoline/automotive based infrastructure and high fuel costs. Europe can at least turn to the rails if automobile use becomes too expensive. Even AirFrance trying to combat high jet fuel costs by buying railroad companies in order to offer alternative <cheaper> service to their customers. In one of the biggest, most blatant shifts of wealth to the rich ever constructed, the federal government is now going to bail out private investors <rich people and hedge funds> with taxpayer dollars. Somehow we all seem to be ok with that. I feel like I'm getting out of here in the nick of time and to the safest <financially> place I can think of that has friendly faces.

pretty much at the end of every food isle, there is a little old lady handing out something.

Oil finished the day at 120.31, RBOB Gasoline at $3.0073

5 star crash rating v. 4 star crash rating noise level

Keep in mind that the Cobalt SS is the fasted FWD car on the Ring ever. It tied the GT-R, M3 E46, and beat cars like the S2000 and Audi S5. Not bad company to be keeping, just saying... Edit: The Cobalt SS is no longer the FWD champ of the ring. On June 23, 2008, this ugly critter beat the Cobalt SS's time by 6 seconds..... but it's French so it really doesn't count. They were probably running from a German car.

My original desire to go to Europe because it sounded like a fun and interesting thing to do is turning into a move of financial asylum.

How about a national requirement to meet Euro bin 5 by 2010 and then work with Europe to develop a unified standard and CARB can lump it if they don't like it. Simultaneously, national standards for gasoline and diesel formulation. My guess is there is no chance of that happening till after January 20, 2009.

When I'm not working on an apartment, this is my usual Sunday afternoon brunch. I make no bones about being a cheapwad. Scrooge lived luxuriously in my opinion.

You guys are worried about the death of the V8.... what about the death of the small town?

Euros, due to my medium term plans.

What I'm pointing out is that transportation fuel costs are wiping out the advantage of overseas manufacturing.