Blake Noble

Well, yeah. It'll be Zeta, everyone knows that. I know I'm dreaming here, but I think it would be nice if a few styling elements below the SS Concept's beltline made it onto whatever comes out next year. My worst fear, which will undoubtedly be confirmed, is that it'll look like those Autoblog renderings that hit the web a few days ago. The Holden Caprice/Chevrolet Caprice has the appropriate roofline and glasshouse to keep those elements of the concept car intact while improving headroom (not that anyone should be pointing out how the SS Concept didn't have any headroom anyway).

C'mon. Don't tell me I'm the only one who thought of this thing.

G. Blake Noble Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com April 26th, 2012 Yesterday, we reported about OnStar possibly letting word slip about what name GM may apply to the upcoming Holden Commodore-based Chevrolet sports sedan. Apparently, however, OnStar also let the cat out of the bag on another upcoming model from Cadillac. According to this screen capture nabbed yesterday by tech blogger Christopher Price, for a short time OnStar’s 2014 compatibility guide listed the Cadillac ELR. The Cadillac ELR — whose name actually stands for “Electric Long Range” and not “Electric Luxury Roadster” — will more or less be a production version the Volt-based Converj luxury coupe concept shown at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Expect to see the Cadillac ELR introduced sometime next year. Aside from North America, Cadillac’s plug-in hybrid should also go on sale in China alongside the recently revealed Cadillac XTS. Source: christopherprice.net View full article

Guess I'll go down with my Firefox-based ship then. It's still forcing me into the mobile/iPhone theme by the way. EDIT 11:39PM: Downloaded Google Chrome to see if that changes anything. Nope. Nothing. It still pushes me into the mobile version. I don't expect things to change with Internet Exploder, so I won't bother there. Whatever secret you're on to, dfelt, go on and spill it.

As long as it ain't my tool shed, I don't care whatcha do, I tell ya what. ... no points for my outdated reference? Oh, okay.

For the above issue, I've tried closing Firefox, clearing the cache, and deleting my cookies and still nothing. I'm still forced into the mobile theme on my laptop.

Now I have an even bigger issue. For some damn reason, I can view the regular format/skin when I'm not signed in, but when I do I'm forced to use the Mobile version. Clicking on the full version button doesn't do anything.

I'm going to have to finish up bringing the Dakota back to a salable standard before summer. I can't afford to keep feeding it. Aside from the paint, I'll set about fixing minor exterior flaws, as well as the sagging headliner and some of the other interior faults. It's pretty much caught up on maintenance at this point. If I fail to get rid of it on Craigslist, I'll hand it off to Carmax.

G. Noble Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com April 21st, 2012 If you are one of the many disappointed American gearheads who missed out on the chance to at least drool on the Alfa Romeo 8C Competitizone when it silently roared onto US soil through Maserati dealers back in 2008, we have some good news for you: more Alfas could be headed our way. According to Automotive News, Fiat recently trademarked the “Alfa Romeo 4C” name here in the US for use on accessories, parts, and the car itself. The trademark was granted to Fiat on April 10th. The week prior, on April 4th, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said that the rear-drive, mid-engined sports coupe would go on sale in North America by the final quarter of 2013. Only 2,500 Alfa Romeo 4Cs are scheduled to be built annually, and sales will first kick off in Europe during the second half of next year. For the European market, the 4C will cost around the equivalent of $60,000 USD and it will be positioned as a halo vehicle for the brand. Although Alfa’s return has overall been a rather disappointing on-again-off-again affair over the last five years, Marchionne is serious about staying the course this time. Fiat is targeting Alfa Romeo to more than double its 150,000 unit sales figure from 2011 to 400,000 in 2014. Alfa selling a full line of vehicles here in America — for the first time in almost 20 years — is key to covering that huge amount of ground. In addition to returning to the US, Alfa is also planning to introduce six new models, ranging from crossovers to sedans, to give its sales figures a needed kick in the head. The 4C is the beginning of that plan, with the next likely introduction being the Giulia sedan. Keep your salivary glands, towels and buckets on standby and Gorilla Glue your fingers crossed. We may have been disappointed by Alfa’s return in the past, but it seems it might be seriously for real this time. Source: Automotive News (sub. req.) View full article

... But I believe I've lost the ability to edit my signature.

Use lubricant with the Claybar... at least water. And just like any abrasive, use it sparingly on sharp creases, which is where your paint is thinnest. Also, its only for getting rid of crud sitting on top of the paint, you can't expect to use it to smooth out scratches, unless its a scratch where the offending paint is floating above your clearcoat. Thanks guys. When I get a car with nice paint again, I'm going to give it a try.

Well, hopefully this webpage should provide some clarity provided it's credible, although it deals with Minnesota rather than New York. I don't see why that should radically change anything, though. In a nutshell, you can't buy it new and it must be used. You also have to contact the manufacturer prior to taking it to customs to make sure it complies with all Federal motor vehicle safety standards and get a letter stating so. You also have to contact the EPA and deal with them to make sure it isn't a huge smog bomb. The Orlando does use the Ecotec 1.8 and 2.4L engines which have been EPA approved in the past, so that could be in your favor.

I'd say we're going to see the average age of new car buyers continue to rise for the next few years. Here's your food for thought on the subject. There are 100 million Baby Boomers in the United States of Americaland and Canadaland combined. Starting back in 2006, every year, a group of around 5 million of them turn age 60. That means, somewhere in North America, about 10,000 Baby Boomers hit the big Six-Oh per day, which averages out to about 7 people per minute. This rate of aging won't end until around the end of the decade or very early the next. That huge group of pre-Senior Citizens are all retiring at about age 60 as well. And what do you do when you retire? You usually buy a new car of some sort.

My gut says no, but I am curious myself. Mexico, oddly enough, has a few cars I'd like to smuggle across the border someday.

Using a clay bar is something that I've actually never attempted to use on any car I've owned. That'll probably change with the next one. At the risk of sounding stupid(er?), do you have any tips on using one?

Actually, you do have a point. When I'm sitting in traffic in a more urban area, sometimes I'll sneak glances at who's inside of the cars around me. Okay, that might be a creepy habit, who knows, who cares. Anyway, I'd say about 6 out of every 10 four-door vehicles I see have only one person in them and that's the meat in the seat who's driving it (also usually blabbering on a cell phone, but anyway). I mean, my mother drives a sedan and she almost never has any other passengers in her car besides herself, with the exception of my father when they take trips out of town. She has four doors and very little use for two of them, honestly. Ditto that. I spent well over half of my childhood climbing in and out of the backseat of a Chevrolet Cavalier coupe. I used to be a scrawny toothpick of a kid, so it certainly wasn't any hassle for me. Agreed. I think people buy sedans by the pantload because it stems from them seeing a feature — four-doors, four-wheel drive, you know the drill — and think "Oh, it's nice to have that handy" not considering how much use they'll actually get out of it. Don't get me wrong, I understand buying something practical, honest I do. Some households need a sedan in the driveway. But there are a lot of instances where a practical sedan is really impractical because what it offers simply isn't needed. Anyway, I'll leave it at this; while I prefer a two-door coupe or three-door hatchback, I'm not irrational to a car with four-doors. I'd never throw a Jeep or some sort of wagon out of my driveway.

It's a shame, really. Suzuki actually had potential, but I guess when you're a company so small you're lucky to pay the bills to keep the lights on it doesn't matter. If they had somehow managed to let their sportbike and ATV range heavily influence their cars and SUVs, I think it could've yielded an interesting result. A Grand Vitara replacement renamed and restyled to reflect the attidude of the Suzuki KingQuad and Ozark would've been neat, ditto a trail-worthy crossover in the vein of the QuadSport racing ATVs.

Thanks so much for the info, Chris. I've updated the article accordingly.

Ah, I see it now. I don't know how I missed it. Here's the total shakedown: 2013 Dodge Dart: $15,995 base MSRP plus $795 destination = $16,790. 2012 Chevy Cruze: $16,800 base MSRP plus $795 destination = $17,595 2012 Ford Focus: $16,500 base MSRP plus $795 destination = $17,295 2012 Honda Civic: $15,755 base MSRP plus $790 destination = $16,545 2012 Toyota Corolla: $16,130 base MSRP plus $760 destination = $16,890 So, I guess it's actually the second cheapest car among those five. Source: cars.com

"Don't mind me," says the Jeep Comanche. "I know it's hard to believe I'm a unibody design." The Jeep Cherokee then chimed in, "Don't forget about me, dear brother. How could you? My unibody construction is hell-and-trail proven, too."

Here's a good question, though: does that $15,995 include destination charges? If not, then the new Dart will actually cost something more like $17,000.

Personally, that thought crossed my mind more than once while writing this article.

G. Noble Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com April 16th, 2012 At the 2012 New York Auto Show, Chevrolet stripped the wrapper off of its upcoming 2014 Impala to a pleasingly surprised automotive world. While the current Impala has been called one of the least appealing cars in America, we know the new model will certainly work hard to change those perceptions and try to restore the image of Chevrolet’s flagship model. Other than that, we also know all about the technical details of the ‘14 Impala, as well as its options list that includes a host of four and six-cylinder engines and creature comforts like adaptive cruise control. A lot of folks thought that would be the end of the “what-we-know” list, especially since we recently learned that Chevrolet isn’t going to offer all-wheel drive as an option. Some took that as an indication that there probably wouldn’t be a Ford Taurus SHO rival from Chevrolet in the form of a new Impala SS. Well, a spy photographer recently snapped a few photographs of an interesting Impala mule running around which could very well be proof another SS-badged Impala is in the works after all. From the spy shots, we can see that this particular camo-clad Impala has some tweaks made to its front grille and fascia, as well as its headlights and taillights. Suffice to say, those simple changes alone suggests that Chevy could be working on something beyond the 3.6L V6-equipped LTZ model. According to the spy photographer’s sources, if the car pictured is in fact the new Impala SS, it could debut with a new twin-turbo 3.0L V6 engine good for a huge 380 horsepower. We know that we reported that all-wheel drive wouldn’t be offered on the Impala, but with that sort of horsepower rumored to be on tap it certainly makes you wonder. If it's true a new Impala SS is coming down the pipeline along with the new Holden Commodore-based Chevy Sport Sedan, Chevrolet will certainly have a very exciting big sedan line-up in the near future. Sources: KGP Photography via Autoblog UPDATE 11:30PM 4/16/12: We've recently learned that the car in question is actually a mule testing the new Impala's adaptive cruise control. So, the answer is no, Chevrolet isn't preparing a new Impala SS. Don't despair, though. The rear-drive Chevy Sports Sedan should still be coming to fufill all of your Bowtie performance sedan needs. View full article