Everything posted by bobo
-
Diesel, beefier engine are in works for H3
I just wish it didn't take so long for better engines for this vehicle or the Colorado/Canyon.
-
New Buick Tagline
I'm a little skeptical about this new tagline. First of all, Buick does not convey precision. Quality is its strength. The new tagline may work for the Lucerne, but the Terraza and Rendezvous? This new tagline reminds me of Cadillac's "The Power of &: The Fusion of Design and Technology", and what a wonder that was. It all depends on the execution. The "Spirit of American Style" had more potential. "Dream Up" would have worked better if the LaCrosse was a more desirable vehicle.
-
First Look at Dealership-Spec Solstice....
I did the Autoshow in Motion thing yesterday in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Solstice was the hot ride. The car's a blast. Rides on rails. The interior quality is decent, especially for the price point.
-
Who is guilty of
I've driven 21 years and owned 8 vehicles, 2 of which were used. I think a new vehicle every 3 years is reasonable.
-
Scion TC recalled
This is hardly worth getting excited over. A piece of material will be laminated onto the glass deflector.
-
Absolute Brilliance
But the wording is poor. "ENTRANCE ONLY, DO NOT ENTER" is a mixed message. It would better to say "DO NOT ENTER, WRONG WAY" OR "NO EXIT, WRONG WAY".
-
2007 Aveo - 3rd quarter '06
Comparison: Aveo: 24/34 Kia Rio: 29/38 Scion xA: 31/38 Vibe: 29/34 Cobalt: 24/32 Camry: 24/34 IS250: 24/32
-
Could this hint at the next LS?
I agree with the sentiment of Lexus and many other automakers adopting that clean, slab-sided look that Chris Bangle originated on the BMW 7-Series. Even the STS suffers from it. As for this new Lexus concept, it is handsome, but slab-sided. It does look like a bigger IS in many respects, but the rear is somewhat Saab 9-3-like.
-
GM seeks to shave $1bn from design costs
A truly global GM is around the corner. It's taken the domestic automakers 25 years to transition to workable global platforms. Trucks will still be engineered in the U.S. because where else in the world do people buy such humongous vehicles? Sounds like there will be huge white-collar job cuts in GM. Maybe eventually there will only be a couple of styling studios in the U.S., with major R&D work occurring in Europe, India, and Korea.
-
GT-R Proto @ Tokyo
They could have made the styling a little more cohesive, but there's no mistaking for what this is. As in-your-face as a Japanese car can get. I'm sure the performance will be nothing short of awesome.
-
LaCrosse Super
Interesting news. Seems very doable. As for all these trim names, they all sound so pretentious. Bring back T-Type and Limited, and then really make it limited.
-
'07 Camry Spy Pics
The current Camry has many areas in which to improve, and I don't doubt that the car will be better than the outgoing one in every way. There was perhaps too much cost-cutting in the last two Camries, and the driving experience was thoroughly uninspriring. Toyota did not make the new Camry horrendously ugly, and the interior seems normal. Therefore it's practically guaranteed that this will continue to be the number one selling car. The current Camry, by being an entirely unremarkable vehicle, has given plenty of opportunities for the competitors to produce something better in meeting buyers' needs. Yet who actually succeeded? Probably only Honda with the Accord, but Honda badly botched the styling. In L.A., Camries are typically sold at around invoice, so they have been pretty good values, and it's a low-risk buy.
-
Interesting Pontiac Findings
I've never seen this El Camino given the Grand Am treatment before. I wonder if it's a concept or just some guy's weekend project.
-
Ferrari GG50
A Ferrari with a Cobalt coupe butt? The Scaglietti is perhaps one of my least favorite Ferraris. This may be a slight improvement, but it's too cartoony.
-
Natalie Holloway Pt 2
Hugely overplayed story. There's got to be some cable news execs embarassed about this. Then again, there's probably no shame.
-
Is this the original 3rd Gen Cavalier Concept?
That's laugh out loud bad. I can't imagine that being real.
-
Car names that should die/stay dead
Chevy LUV. Vega too. Dodge St. Regis. Chrysler Cordoba. Maxima is a real word, being the plural of maximum. I prefer all of Nissan's current names compared to the old alphanumerics (B210, 310 GX, etc). But 510 may be worth bringing back.
-
Next GMT-360s
The new 360's are supposed to be out about a year from now. I'm guessing you guys have seen some bootleg pics.
-
Life is a perpetual car payment
I HATE having a car payment. For the Silverado, I financed it for 3 years, but then I paid it off after I think 3 months. Cars are money pits. They depreciate about 20% after you drive it off the lot, not to mention the ongoing insurance payments and registration fees, and then paying about 5% interest on the balance is adding insult to injury. The thought of having a payment for a new C6 or IS350 keeps me from getting another vehicle right now, and I don't feel like depleting my savings. Maybe next year.
-
Choppin' Competiton 8 Voting!
3 4
-
Honda FCX Concept
It's cab forward, but not with the huge Chrysler overhangs. They can do this when there isn't an engine up front and fuel cells between the wheels.
-
Minimum Wage
The U.S. has a federal minimum wage of $5.15, but state or local governments can increase it. The California minimum wage is currently $6.75, but in San Francisco it's $8.50 because that slightly liberal city decided that it wanted something closer to a living wage.
-
Minimum Wage
$6.75 in California. Arnold just vetoed a bill to increase it by a dollar over the next two years.
-
Auto Insurance
21st Century. About $800/year for each of the vehicles. They've been great.
-
Not happy
Discarding the names of some of the highest quality vehicles in the market was not a good move in my opinion. In a way, Buick is trying to walk away from its immediate past (old fogey image) and try to present a slightly more upscale, fresher image. Lutz hinting that Buick would become an American Lexus only set up people for disappointment because if they expected a meticulously crafted, high quality interior in a LaCrosse, they didn't find it. Then again, the street price is a lot less.