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2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
What a waste of fine machinery. I loved that car...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Multiple times
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
That's awesome--I've always read the Pioneer Elite Kuro plasmas are the best. And they are not making them any more, is that right?
Michael Moore--his 1st movie was "roger & me", right? About (according to many) the worst GM CEO in history, roger smith, & how he was driving GM into the ground back in the '80's I think.......GM should have listened to Michael Moore.....
Plus, he's too fat to run over in your car......
Just don't try crossing the drive-thru lane at McDs..
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It's after lunch so I guess it's ok to post this:
Michael Moore Calls Obama a "Superhero" for Firing General Motors CEO (Straightline)
Check out GM News, New Models and Market Share or What if you were in charge of GM? for more.
Meanwhile it's a good thing this discussion exists or I wouldn't think anyone was buying anything, much less cars.
Who's the latest?
Back on topic, saw an '10 Mazda 3 i earlier today in a strange color...almost redish greenish looking. But the evolution looks good and I'd suspect that Mazda will sell a sh-tload of these once the economy bounces back...a nice looking ride!
The Sandman :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Ahh, nostalgia! But the past usually wasn't as good as we remember it.
It wouldn't cost us much out of pocket as we'd trade in her Civic and add two or three grand cash. Her Civic is nearly paid off, (about 3-4 tiny payments left). It's an 04 coupe she had since new with about 25k miles.
The Boxster is a 99, 75k miles, automatic, not an S model, ok mechanical condition, ok leather, byt has some/loose trim pieces inside. Drives nice, sounds nice, but my wife still loves her Civic too much to give it up.
Plus we're expecting our first baby this year, so the Porsche wouldn't be practical. It wold be fun, but we think the Porsche might turn out to be another Mercedes, refering to the bit problematic 01 C240 we had.
That's the last thing we need as we wanna buy a place finally, andpay down off of our debt.
Well, back to reality.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I drove by our Porsche dealer early this morning to see what they had in the way of incoming trades. They had two late '90s Boxsters sitting on the back lot sans engines. That always worries me.
I can get my mgr to pay that much for the wife's Civic as it truly is in like new shape.
But we're gonna decide against it due to the future baby/future house/future maintenance and repairs factors.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
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2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
j/k... I can't get my wife to drive a stick, either.... though, she did before I got an automatic in 2002...
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My wife pretty much drove only stick shifts (VW Beetle, Nissan Sentra, Ford Tempo, Ford Escort, VW New Beetle) up until we leased the Expedition in '98. She had a tough time adjusting to the fact that when you took your foot off the gas, you didn't get a lot of (well, any) engine braking.
Now, 11 years later, she's pretty much announced that she prefers an automatic, though I know she can hop into any stick shift car and get from point A to point B.
I'm going to the auto show here in Denver on Sunday ... I'll report back next week on what was cool (and un-cool, as the case may be).
Matt Taibbi has a great article in RS about the lunatics at the commercial banks, investment banks, AIG, mortgage brokers, etc. who created all the "toxic derivatives" that blew up their own companies, & the economy along with it. The auto execs were like choir boys compared to those guys.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/26793903/the_big_takeover
Somehow I don't think the "blue collar" factory workers at GM, Chrysler, Cat, etc. are gonna get giant bonuses when they're laid off or fired....
Here's my take on the difference:
The financial industry blew up because some folks got greedy, especially after the regulations were relaxed during the 90's. Credit default swaps and derivatives were the flavor of the month - nobody could really explain them, except to state that they were going to make money. And everybody, from large institutional investors to the grandma down the street, believed them.
The auto industry has been charting its course for much longer. It's not solely the fault of management, labor or the sales climate - but all are culpable to some degree.
The unions have some blame for thinking that they could have the same (or better) benefits in the 80's and 90's that they had in the 50's and 60's, then holding the companies hostage until they had their demands met.
The companies are responsible in that they agreed to those labor terms (it takes two to tango!), knowing that their market share was eroding in the face of Japanese and European influence in the US marketplace, and for not really making an effort to compete with the Japanese, specifically, in the manufacturing of smaller cars that the public wanted.
When $4 gas and the credit squeeze hit last year, it was a double whammy that the automakers couldn't deal with. The recent labor agreements would have allowed GM, Ford and Chrysler to cut their costs over the next few years, but only if the market continued to support 17M sales per year - AND that a fair percentage of those sales were large trucks and SUVs.
The market has contracted to < 10M sales per year, and the relative percentage of those truck and SUV sales have diminished faster than the market as a whole.
Still, I do agree with your point that many in the financial industry continue to be rewarded for their shoddy performance (unless you worked for Bear Stearns or Lehman Bros.), while those in the auto industry are gonna get the shaft.
What I don't understand is why the unions are still trying to play hardball -- if the choice is between the following:
1) reduced wage, agreed to with the companies
2) court appointed wage, dictated by the bankruptcy court
3) no wage, should the companies go chapter 7
Why would you even THINK that options 2 or 3 are palatable?
Rant over .. and, probably posted in the wrong forum, to boot.
If you have two kids, you don't need a tank to drive them to soccer. Guess it was my own fault.
And it sounds like AIG is still on the ropes even after their bailout.
I saw a blurb from Gallop that says that only 15% of people plan to buy or lease a car in the next 12 months. (December '08 poll).
Y'all go buy something - quick. :shades:
I could imagine the scene now: Rick Wagoner sitting in rocking chair on his front porch with a Duke t-shirt on and a blank stare as Michael Moore asks him, "What were you thinking?"
We know he has a ZR1, I wonder what else Wagoner drives?
I can only assume that, after 30 years at GM, Wagoner would have a nest egg independent of his pension. If not, he may be looking at a "drive it forever" car like a Camry or an old 300D.
The style of those cars is really timeless.
Mark156
Right. Another high-end product line that bit the dust due to the economy. Had Pioneer stayed in the plasma business they were going to start using Panasonic panels, so the 9g Kuros were going to be the last true Pioneer units anyway...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
1) A number of manufacturers passed on the show altogether - Nissan, Mitsubishi and Suzuki were the most prominent. While the program stated that the show this year used as much floor space as in the past - 400,000 square feet - it seemed smaller because they configured the floor in an L-shape.
2) Crowds seemed as large as past years - though I'll be interested to see what the final attendance numbers were.
3) What I saw (and stuck in my head):
a) Hyundai Genesis - a supreme effort by the Koreans. Not that I'm in the market for a large, RWD sedan, but others on these boards have driven / bought one, and I can certainly understand the appeal.
b) Kia Soul - way funky, and, IMO, out xB's the xB. Right size, quite roomy and almost infinitely configurable with factory options and dealer accessories. All for under $20K max. If only they offered an AWD version ...
c) Jetta Sportwagen - I really focused on the wagons and hatchbacks this year, and the Jetta wagon really appealed to me. Perhaps with the TDI ... at my local station this morning, RUG is 1.959/gal, Diesel is 1.999/gal.
d) Elantra Touring - I saw this last year, and frankly, I'm surprised that I haven't seen much press on this. Like the Soul, it seems to be the right size and has a fair amount of room behind the second row of seats.
e) Camaro - there were two at the show - one a red base model (stamped steel wheels?) and the other a silver SS. Both had men in their 40's and teenagers drooling over them. Compared to the '69 RS my cousin owned when he was 16, they were very large and overwrought; but, will probably compete well with the Mustang and Challenger.
f) The high end luxury marques were there, but they seemed fairly empty when compared to the domestic brands. Of course, the luxury brands were all tucked into the back of the hall.
4) I stopped by the SCCA booth and picked up some literature on their activities. I believe there are a few posters out there who have done some SOLO racing .. would love to get their insight into it. Can respond either publicly or privately.
And it's all: people don't want big American boats anymore, can't afford the gas, want more reliable toyotas, OPEC has us by the N**s, In 1979(!). It's like Groundhog Day now, 40 years later.
End of rant, I'll go on CL now to look for that perfect used Z4......don't need one, shouldn't buy it, only one car garage, but I could pay cash in the low $20's, so......???
I actually think it's a great car for the money.
Wife sat in the Nissan Cube which she saw pictures of earlier but was dissapointed with the plain plasticky interior.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Quite possibly the most fun you can have on a Saturday morning and still have your clothes on! The whole experience is just fun, and the mix of camaraderie and competitiveness is fantastic. Feel free to message me or email me.
SCCA's solo 2 did kind of serve as a gateway drug though and I advanced to doing club track days and time trial events. Its a good time.
My wife has been enjoying the Kia Soul comments. (She didn't like the xB but it seems bigger). Kia sold something like 1240 of them this past month.
I started out autocrossing but-like lilemgineerboy-I quickly graduated to HPDEs. I got hooked so bad that I'm now an instructor...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Speaking of the lowline Versa, I recently got behind one on the highway...man that thing looks like it has really narrow tires.
The Sandman :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I'm still jonesin for a Mazdaspeed 6 myself. I miss AWD.
Looks like I will be warming the CCBA bench for a long time, my house has decided it needs new windows.
Yes, the turbos do fail-and the jury is still out on the upgraded replacements- although I haven't heard of one of them failing. And the Louisville dealers are incompetent- sales, service... Why, I can't even buy parts from them. I called the Neil Huffman store and asked the parts guy about touch-up paint. His reply? "We don't carry none of that stuff." Reassuring, No? Then there's Oxmoor Mazda, which wanted to sell me OEM front pads for nearly $100 over MSRP.
Fortunately there are a couple of good online dealers and my selling dealer(Kings in Cincinnati) also has an excellent service department. The @200 mile round trip is a pain, however.
In any case, I think I'm going to keep it a while longer. I'm going to fit some lightweight Enkei Racing wheels, Dunlop Direzza Star Spec rubber, add Hawk HP+ front pads, and hit several HPDEs this summer. If it blows another strut or has other mechanical issues it is GONE. Three strikes and all like that...
Looks like I will be warming the CCBA bench for a long time, my house has decided it needs new windows.
BTDT. We went with Gilkey about 10 years ago, they installed 22 window in @6 hours. First-rate work and follow-up service as well.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Gave them a call--apparently, I live too far in the boonies for them!
Good article in the 3/18/09 WSJ about new tax credits for "energy-efficient and renewable-energy home improvements". Includes "up to $1,500 in tax credits for adding qualifying windows, doors, insulation, roofs, heating and cooling equipment, water heaters or wood and pellet stoves to your house in 2009 and 2010".
Hoping a new garage door of some sort might qualify, but I'm not holding my breath.....
Shopping for windows, I've found a lot of confusion and misinformation about what qualifies for the tax credit (not all "Energy Star" labelled doors/windows will qualify). A lot of the manufacturers are offering low cost/free upgrades to a more efficient window so that the buyer will get windows which qualify for the credit.
I'd really like clad-wood replacements, but my house isn't what you'd call custom or historic, so it's hard to justify the extra cost.
They only have silver/gray or white/ivory in my area. silver/black or gray/black is my first color choice but not sure if it's worth it to go out of market to get the black interior.
I would be adding the fog lights, rear spoiler, splash guards, body side molding ... and tinted windows of course.
Should I jump or wait for my perfect montego blue 2007 BMW 328 with black interior, sport package, and manual transmission to come through for less than $22k ....