One of the car mags last month did that test. Or maybe you just mean it would be fun to do it for yourself!
I like the Lexus in/out. Haven't sat in or driven one yet. Might not be a good idea, since my idea of what kind of car to have swings wildly month to month.
SO going from a tC to a GS300 wouldn't be surprising (well, maybe to my wife...)
Before the NY auto show mercedes puts on a private party in a gallery in chelsea near my office with cars on display for journalists who don't want to go to the show. Last year they had an SLR McClaren, the green CLS mockup from the show, the SLK 350, and a gullwing 300SL. Today I spotted them setting up with an original Maybach (the pre world war II kind), some 70s concept car in orange that looked like a delorean with gullwing doors, the new M class, and Coolest by far the CLK DTM. That is the 583 bhp, 100 examples only, not sold in the US, ultra hot CLK which makes you question the value of the SLR. Also while looking in the window a Maybach 62 rolled by... not a bad spotting at all
Continued... As I left work yesterday and passed the event mentioned above, they had an slk55 amg, sl 600, cl65 amg, e55 amg wagon, cls 500, and a clk 500 all lined up in front of the building. I was definitely not aware of an e55 wagon, looked unbeliveably sweet. The cl65 is a real rarity as well, we are all used to the look but you know the huge power is in there. The slk 55 actually has a few two many bodywork pieces, spoilers, decklips, intake ports etc... it almost doesn't look factory. I imagine all these cars will be on display at the show. The best part was having the new Aston db9 (silver) drive by a block later. What an automotive fantasy day!
Yes That is the car exactly. thanks for the I.D. Was that a concept only or did it see any development?... And you are right about journalists. I am not one (I just happened upon their auto event)but I envy the work from home writing opinions you already have about stuff lifestyle!
of the Aveo isn't the Pontiac Pursuit, is it? I know they're using that name on one of their cars, but it might be the Pontiac Cobalt that's called "Pursuit".
Firefly, maybe? That's what they used to call the Metro, IIRC.
It just came to me. Well, I have to confess, I went to the Canadian Pontiac website and found it...
For some reason, just like the old Astre/Vega, Sunbird/Monza, T1000/Chevette, Pursuit/Cobalt, etc, I usually end up liking the Pontiac version of these cheap cars better than the Chevy version!
Nissan showed an X-Trail cutaway at the NY Show, so maybe they're testing and gauging public interest.
They really missed out by not bringing it here. It could have been the first car-based mini-ute. The CR-V racks up some 120k sales per year, and back then the X-Trail had many competitve advantages (first to market, more power, etc).
That's the Pontiac Aveo. Somehow, there have always been lower model Pontiacs in Canada. Another oddball that comes to mind is the Corsica-based Tempest. And the Sunfire always seemed to do well, even in it's ghastly later facelift. Maybe for the US Pontiac is supposed to be a higher brand, instead of a sporty Chevy as it used to be.
Well, I can understand not having the Corsica based Tempest, since the Corsica was basically the same as a Grand Am in size, price, etc......but, I'm not quite sure why they don't sell some of those other "badge engineered" Chevys (or Daewoo in the Aveo's case) in the USA? I always thought of Pontiac as somewhat of a 'youth' brand, so why not have some entry level cars?
was always a bit funny because of the dealer network up there. Instead of having standalone Chevy, Pontiac, Buick, and Olds dealers like what used to be the norm in the US before GM started to decline, in Canada they paired Chevy up with Buick (or was it Olds?) Well, whichever one got paired up with Chevrolet, Pontiac got paired up with the other.
As a result, Pontiac became more of a clone of Chevy, rather than a step up. And in many ways it became like Plymouth, which could never get too upscale for fear of stealing the thunder from the Chryslers they shared the showroom floor with.
Most of the smaller Canadian Pontiacs were just clones of Chevies, with slightly different grilles meant to suggest a Pontiac. For example, a Pontiac Beaumont was a Chevy Chevelle with a Pontiac-ish looking grille. But it had a Chevy interior and sheetmetal, and not Tempest/LeMans sheetmetal/interior.
Where it got weird though was with the full-sized Pontiacs. They used Chevy engines and the shorter Chevy wheelbase, but then used Pontiac interiors and sheetmetal. So a 1969 Canadian Pontiac Parisienne actually looked like a 1969 US Pontiac Bonneville at a quick glance, but overall rode a wheelbase 6 inches shorter, and was about 10 inches shorter overall.
At some point though, they started importing the "real" Pontiacs like the Catalina and Bonneville to Canada, to sell alongside the home grown models. And by the time downsizing hit in 1977, it eliminated any differences in wheelbase between a Chevy and Pontiac anyway, so the cars became much more similar, although I think they were using Chevy 250's, 305's and 350's instead of Pontiac 301's, 350's, and 400's.
This is the same parking lot where I saw a Bentley coupe a month ago. (Older guy drove it right to a handicapped spot and went inside to buy groceries I guess) (EDIT: car had HCP tags, he wasn't being a jerk)
It's 2 miles away from where I saw a BMW 760.
There are staggering amounts of money in the Doylestown, PA area.
The funny thing about the Corisca-Tempest is that the Grand Am was sold in Canada too, alongside the cloned Corsica. Wacky marketing.
Mustangs really are becoming common...I see one every 2-3 days at the most. I might catch a 500 once a week. I rarely see a new exotic, but I expect to this weekend, in Vancouver, with the auto show in town.
They actually went through the effort to rename the Corsica/Beretta as the "L" body? It was the same underneath as the N-body. But GM did things like that. Back in the 80's, the only real difference between the FWD C- and H-body was that the C- had a more upright C-pillar and the back seat was further back, giving it more rear legroom, but a bit less trunk space. The Seville from 1980 onward was just a 4-door Eldorado/Toro/Riv, but it carried a different designation..."K", versus "E".
The N-body was actually derived from the J-body (Cavalier, et al), riding a slightly longer wheelbase (103.4" versus 101.2"), and being about 5-6" longer, overall. They were originally released only as 2-doors, which might seem odd, but GM's reasoning for that made sense, at least a few years earlier. Back when these cars were first being designed, everyone was afraid that $3.00 per gallon fuel was going to be the norm, and even the radically downsized late 70's era GM cars were still too big.
Believe it or not, these N-bodies were originally slated to replace the RWD Regal, Cutlass Supreme, Grand Prix, and Monte Carlo! In fact, if you notice, the 3 N-bodies that were released for '85 were named after high-spec versions of the GM RWD coupes. Somerset and Calais were originally sporty versions of the Regal and Cutlass Supreme. They didn't have bigger engines or more hp, but usually had bucket seats, floor shifts, t-tops, alloy/rallye wheels, etc. And the Grand Am was one of Pontiac's last attempts at a muscle car (the '73-75 moreso than the '78-80) Once fuel prices eased off and the gas was flowing again, GM held off on axing the RWD coupes, and instead tried to pit these things as something of a BMW fighter, an upscale compact. And with the X-body being pulled after 1984 (Omega/Phoenix) and '1985 (Citation/Skylark), that was going to leave GM without a compact 4-door, so 4-door N-bodies were released for '86.
The X-body was the basis of the FWD A-body (Celebrity/6000/Century/Cutlass Ciera), which lasted from '82-96, and probably would have gone on longer if more stringent side impact standards weren't looming in the near future.
a Crossfire roadster yet. Just checked the pics on Edmund's though, which features a butter yellow roadster, and yeah, it does look nice. I never really liked those bright, grating yellows that make the car either look like a toy or a school bus, but those pale, creamy yellows are nice.
When I saw it up ahead on the freeway, I thought it was a really pale yellow... A pastel, like a late '50s car, and I was thinking of how I would describe it...
But, when I got up close, I noticed it was "creamy", but not so "pale".. That is when I came up with "butter".
I see at least one roadster per week around here..
Yep - those cars were designed with the thought that gas would be $2, $3 a gallon - they were meant to replace the RWD Grand Prix, Cutlass, Regal...
Same as the Eldorado, Toronado, and Rivera that came out around the same timeframe (MY 86)...they were all built on the premise that gas prices would be sky high.
that GM couldn't have given the E/K body a reprieve, once they figured out that gas prices were going up. As it was, I think the '85 Riv, Toro, Eldo, and even Seville hit record, or near-record sales, as people realized this would be their last chance to get a big 'un. That should have been a hint to GM right there.
But then again, maybe not. IIRC, sales of the mammoth '76 Ninety Eight and Electra hit record, or near record sales, as people rushed to buy the last of the big ones. But when the small '77's hit the market, sales soared to even loftier heights.
Eventually, the E/K body would have to have been redesigned, but I'm sure they could have gotten at least a few more good years out of it. And once GM started getting a bit more serious with its engines, such as improving the 3.8 V-6, and ditching the Caddy 4.1 for the more reliable 4.5 and 4.9, performance of these cars would have improved.
Well, again, as we always say, GM is too slow to react... if they could move more quickly, yeah, they could have just scrapped or delayed the '86 E/K and kept on building the old ones for another 3,4 years... Just like they kept on building the old RWD "A" sedans (Pontiac Bonnevile, Buick Regal, etc..) they just renamed them "G" when the FWD "A" came out. It would have been cheaper and more profitable for them just to keep on building the '79-'85 E for a few more years...
I just saw a Ford Falcon XR8 Ute today in Hershey, Pa. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on my until it turned into a local gas station, and if it wasn't for the fact I was heading to work and didn't want to be late I would have stopped and asked where he got it from. It was a nice Cobalt Blue Color, and it was Right Hand Drive, so he must have either imported it or moved to the area from Australia.
You talking about a vehicle that would sell like hot cakes, those things are neat.
Looking back, I think the N-bodies, the absurdly downsized Eldo-Riv-Toro-Seville, and the W-bodies marked the beginning of GM's long decline. Meanwhile, Ford introduced the wildly successful Taurus and Sable, Honda introduced the upsized '86 Accord, and Toyota brought out the larger '87 Camry. The handwriting was on the wall....
I remember a tagline somewhere that said "Beginning of the N". Maybe "Beginning of the End" was more appropriate?
The N-bodies actually sold pretty well for awhile, but when they went to that funky new style in 1992, it pretty much ensured the death of the Achieva and Skylark, although the Grand Am seemed to benefit well from that restyle.
happened to pass by MB's NA headquarters (in Montvale, NJ) yesterday, and passed something new. Not sure what it was, but it was covered with the black padding they put on to hide the lines. Not sure if I ever saw one in person done up like that.
I don't use them much, but if I'm in the mood for one, I'll just go to a search engine and type in what I want to find. Then pick one out, paste in the source code for it, and with any luck it shows up.
Comments
Costlier, too, though.
-juice
I like the Lexus in/out. Haven't sat in or driven one yet. Might not be a good idea, since my idea of what kind of car to have swings wildly month to month.
SO going from a tC to a GS300 wouldn't be surprising (well, maybe to my wife...)
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
-juice
I'd like to see an AMG wagon. I have yet to see one.
That gullwing 70s car is a C111
And you are right about journalists. I am not one (I just happened upon their auto event)but I envy the work from home writing opinions you already have about stuff lifestyle!
If you were a journalist, I would demand photos LOL. A dream job, indeed. I need to know someone.
-juice
I didn't realize they actually were producing these yet. I thought it was a concept, but really wasn't paying much attention.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2 new Infiniti M's on the way to work this morning. Sharp looking car.
Firefly, maybe? That's what they used to call the Metro, IIRC.
For some reason, just like the old Astre/Vega, Sunbird/Monza, T1000/Chevette, Pursuit/Cobalt, etc, I usually end up liking the Pontiac version of these cheap cars better than the Chevy version!
They really missed out by not bringing it here. It could have been the first car-based mini-ute. The CR-V racks up some 120k sales per year, and back then the X-Trail had many competitve advantages (first to market, more power, etc).
-juice
That's the Pontiac Aveo. Somehow, there have always been lower model Pontiacs in Canada. Another oddball that comes to mind is the Corsica-based Tempest. And the Sunfire always seemed to do well, even in it's ghastly later facelift. Maybe for the US Pontiac is supposed to be a higher brand, instead of a sporty Chevy as it used to be.
As a result, Pontiac became more of a clone of Chevy, rather than a step up. And in many ways it became like Plymouth, which could never get too upscale for fear of stealing the thunder from the Chryslers they shared the showroom floor with.
Most of the smaller Canadian Pontiacs were just clones of Chevies, with slightly different grilles meant to suggest a Pontiac. For example, a Pontiac Beaumont was a Chevy Chevelle with a Pontiac-ish looking grille. But it had a Chevy interior and sheetmetal, and not Tempest/LeMans sheetmetal/interior.
Where it got weird though was with the full-sized Pontiacs. They used Chevy engines and the shorter Chevy wheelbase, but then used Pontiac interiors and sheetmetal. So a 1969 Canadian Pontiac Parisienne actually looked like a 1969 US Pontiac Bonneville at a quick glance, but overall rode a wheelbase 6 inches shorter, and was about 10 inches shorter overall.
At some point though, they started importing the "real" Pontiacs like the Catalina and Bonneville to Canada, to sell alongside the home grown models. And by the time downsizing hit in 1977, it eliminated any differences in wheelbase between a Chevy and Pontiac anyway, so the cars became much more similar, although I think they were using Chevy 250's, 305's and 350's instead of Pontiac 301's, 350's, and 400's.
-juice
This is the same parking lot where I saw a Bentley coupe a month ago. (Older guy drove it right to a handicapped spot and went inside to buy groceries I guess) (EDIT: car had HCP tags, he wasn't being a jerk)
It's 2 miles away from where I saw a BMW 760.
There are staggering amounts of money in the Doylestown, PA area.
The funny thing about the Corisca-Tempest is that the Grand Am was sold in Canada too, alongside the cloned Corsica. Wacky marketing.
Mustangs really are becoming common...I see one every 2-3 days at the most. I might catch a 500 once a week. I rarely see a new exotic, but I expect to this weekend, in Vancouver, with the auto show in town.
Doylestown is a really nice place as well as nearby communities like New Hope and Lahaska.
Saw a Mustard Yellow new Mustang at lunch yesterday.
-juice
The Corsica/Beretta were the L platform - first came out in 1987/88.
The N-body was actually derived from the J-body (Cavalier, et al), riding a slightly longer wheelbase (103.4" versus 101.2"), and being about 5-6" longer, overall. They were originally released only as 2-doors, which might seem odd, but GM's reasoning for that made sense, at least a few years earlier. Back when these cars were first being designed, everyone was afraid that $3.00 per gallon fuel was going to be the norm, and even the radically downsized late 70's era GM cars were still too big.
Believe it or not, these N-bodies were originally slated to replace the RWD Regal, Cutlass Supreme, Grand Prix, and Monte Carlo! In fact, if you notice, the 3 N-bodies that were released for '85 were named after high-spec versions of the GM RWD coupes. Somerset and Calais were originally sporty versions of the Regal and Cutlass Supreme. They didn't have bigger engines or more hp, but usually had bucket seats, floor shifts, t-tops, alloy/rallye wheels, etc. And the Grand Am was one of Pontiac's last attempts at a muscle car (the '73-75 moreso than the '78-80) Once fuel prices eased off and the gas was flowing again, GM held off on axing the RWD coupes, and instead tried to pit these things as something of a BMW fighter, an upscale compact. And with the X-body being pulled after 1984 (Omega/Phoenix) and '1985 (Citation/Skylark), that was going to leave GM without a compact 4-door, so 4-door N-bodies were released for '86.
The X-body was the basis of the FWD A-body (Celebrity/6000/Century/Cutlass Ciera), which lasted from '82-96, and probably would have gone on longer if more stringent side impact standards weren't looming in the near future.
But, it was Butter Yellow... Looked great...
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But, when I got up close, I noticed it was "creamy", but not so "pale".. That is when I came up with "butter".
I see at least one roadster per week around here..
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Same as the Eldorado, Toronado, and Rivera that came out around the same timeframe (MY 86)...they were all built on the premise that gas prices would be sky high.
But then again, maybe not. IIRC, sales of the mammoth '76 Ninety Eight and Electra hit record, or near record sales, as people rushed to buy the last of the big ones. But when the small '77's hit the market, sales soared to even loftier heights.
Eventually, the E/K body would have to have been redesigned, but I'm sure they could have gotten at least a few more good years out of it. And once GM started getting a bit more serious with its engines, such as improving the 3.8 V-6, and ditching the Caddy 4.1 for the more reliable 4.5 and 4.9, performance of these cars would have improved.
You talking about a vehicle that would sell like hot cakes, those things are neat.
Odie
which looks even more Corolla-like and uninspired than in photos.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
The N-bodies actually sold pretty well for awhile, but when they went to that funky new style in 1992, it pretty much ensured the death of the Achieva and Skylark, although the Grand Am seemed to benefit well from that restyle.
It was drving on the local roads near HQ.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I don't use them much, but if I'm in the mood for one, I'll just go to a search engine and type in what I want to find. Then pick one out, paste in the source code for it, and with any luck it shows up.
Why hide it now, it already debuted in NY.
Pics:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2128707759&idx=1
Might have been a B-class also. They delayed that one.
-juice
Definitely not an SUV/wagon or a B class.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
-juice
Any how, saw a Bentley Continential GT coupe on the the way to work today, niiii-ice!
Proceeded to see an STS. Looks better in person, I like 'em.
-juice