Drew Dowdell

uh.... no

I've seen so many of these, I think it deserves it's own thread. I'll start off with the one I coined. Toyota - Moving Forward.....in 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

Toyota already has great percived quality. GM is trying to regain that perception. GM got to be number one with breath taking design and amazing performance, a position they are trying to regain. Toyota is going to be number one by throwing in a free ice-maker with each refrigerator they sell.

Toyota recalled more cars in 2006 than they sold in North America in 2006.

Then 'splain the Aztec, Envoy XUV, Malibu Maxx, Impala with flip and fold, or Ion Quad Coupe, Lucy! Some of the most versatile vehicles in their class and they're 6-feet under or headed there soon.

The only appropriate computer for the discerning automotive enthusiast. Acer Ferrari 3400. Upgraded to 1.2 gig ram 100 gig 7200rpm drive Athlon 64 3400 running Windows Vista with a dual boot to XP just in case.

Buying their way into the #1 spot. Hope it bites them in the ass.

Mark Twain once said "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained with stupidity". Trouble is, neither Honda nor Toyota are stupid.

Honey, I shrunk the M-Class!

I felt pretty much the same way. Best part is that it sounds exactly like my dad's 1996 F-150 I6 when you start it up.....

300C was a one hit wonder. Lincoln LS was a one hit wonder. Cadillac Escalade v.2 started Cadillac's turn around, SRX V1.5, CTS v1 and v2, and XLR have continued it. The previous gen Jetta, Bug, and Passat were great turn around products, unfortunately, they've lost their momentum. Enclave is likely to be Buick's turn around product Cobalt and HHR started Chevy's turn in the car market. Malibu will be excellent follow through. Pretty much Saturn's whole damn lineup minus the Ion. Chrysler's minivan has saved them more times than it should have, but it was only a turn around product the first time.

NPR, one of the lovers of all imports, had someone on this morning who was not very kind to Toyota at all. He stressed the fact that Toyota recalled more cars last year than all of the cars they sold in the U.S. in 2006 and that GM's quality has now exceeded Toyota's.

They shoulda kept that old Japanese guy.

I concur! Though, I don't know how much "cost" there is. I don't understand why it's taking them so long. All the drive train work is done. You can go buy a powertrain mule today at your local Chevy or Pontiac dealer.

touch screen with no buttons I can feel so I can dial while driving without taking my eyes off the road? no thanks

Volvo meets Alpha in the front G35 in the back

and 4,000 ricers just creamed their pants. For the record: CTS-V 400hp@6000rpm & 395 ft/lbs torque at 4400rpm..... on the outgoing model. Why aren't we hearing how Lexus is just now "catching up"? The saddest part?

I need to see one in black

Pop up screen in the dash

Would you believe that I'm unimpressed?

OK.... so what's the Merc look like?

Take a penny. Stick the penny in the tread so that Abe Lincoln is going in head first. If you can still see the top of Abe's head by the time the penny stops, you need new tires. Tread should be about even depth across the surface of the tires. If there is a variation, you either have an inflation/deflation issue, alignment issue, or some other suspension issue. Any issues <except those caused by air pressure> should be taken care of before, or at the same time as the tire change out.

I'm still disappointed by it. To me it's proof that nice interiors and DOHC engines don't really matter. It's the Kool-Aid that matters. The Intrigue with the 3.5 is still superior to the Lacrosse in my mind. The Aurora v2.0 is a little ahead of the Lucerne. If both of those Olds were still being produced today, I would *still* buy them over their Buick counterparts even if they hadn't really been updated. There are at least 3 gay guys I know all under 30, who are babying their Aleros as long as they can. One has even taken to looking for a low mileage used one for cheap to keep as a spare. Two Aurora owners under 30.... same thing. None of them have any idea what they'll buy next if they can't find a decent used Olds. GM pulled out a bit too early. The death of olds made me switch to Cadillac. I like Cadillac and I'm sure GM likes the switch. Cadillac doesn't hold my attention like olds did. I haven't even seen the NG CTS yet, but I'm already second guessing my decision to buy one. Prior to the Olds death, there was no doubt in my mind where I'd be shopping for a car. Now, I've seriously considered the NG Malibu, G6 Convertible, Aura, 9-3 Sport Combi, and NG CTS as serious contenders to replace my current CTS in a year. While it's great for GM that I'm willing to stick with GM.... isn't it sad that I can't get what I really want?! <2008 Cutlass Convertible FWIW>

as long as you can burn BIODiesel without voiding the warranty :sign0200:

in the 3 days or so after 9/11 when no planes were allowed to fly, scientists recorded a noticeable drop in atmospheric CO2. I'm not smart enough either way to know if global warming is human caused. What I am smart enough to know is, there is no reason at all to try and use as much energy as possible. I try not to be wasteful. 90% of my house uses compact florescent bulbs, my apartments all use compact florescent bulbs, I recycle the debris that I create when rehabing a house. If/When I have to replace heating/kitchen appliances, I choose the most efficient models I can afford. Yes I do drive an Avalanche..... rarely. I own one, but it mostly sits at the house unless I'm doing construction work. I'm down to about 500 miles a month on the CTS. I take the bus when/where I can. I'd like to replace all 3 of our current vehicles with E85 burning models. We now have two E85 stations in town. It's not difficult to be "green", you just have to care.