Also, German media observe that the accident happened in the vicinity of a military training ground.

I am not exactly cross-shopping. I am comparing the quality of two innovative small hatchbacks from the 70s. That one of them has disappeared due to abysmal build quality is not something that would influence my decision for a modern car from either brand. I was merely responding to you when you posted:

Does the word “Alfasud” ring a bell? Ever wondered why you still see Mk I VW Golfs, but not a single Alfasud? Not since, like, 1980?

Here in Austria it is pretty hard to get a sticker on something that is not roadworthy. The reason being that the law has some serious penalties in store not just for the owner of the vehicle but also for the mechanic/workshop who gave him the sticker.

“With over 16 million Hiluxes (Hiluxi?)“

I can remember the controls being reversed in a Nissan I drove in Australia. But I think they were normal in a Hilux. Strange, as they were both Japanese. Not quite sure, though, it was a long time ago.

They also (at least as far as I know) have stricter inspection laws for vehicles. Both points seem more intuitive to me than the “driving culture” argument.

I take it that by “smaller populations” you mean “less densely populated”. This may or may not be true: The EU has both a larger population and a higher population density than the US. Norway’s population density is less than half that of the US. The Netherlands are about 12 times as densely populated. Both have far…

According to wikipedia, most countries in Western and Central Europe have lower fatalities per mile as well as per inhabitant. This includes Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, the UK and Finland, among others. The Scandinavians seem to be especially careful: E.g. Norway has about a…

Yes, it is very possible. In the Tyrol, there are cow-related incidents each summer, when misunderstandings arise between tourists hiking in the mountains and cows grazing there.

Probably tourists. Lots of national parks and monuments in Utah.

The straight beltline of the 300C is what distinguishes it, at least for my eye.

Really? Funny how perceptions differ. I never saw the Bentley in there.

So, this basically had one stick for each gear? And it was automatic to save people the hassle of having to work the clutch?

Don't leave the car in gear to park it, unless it's winter and you don't want to use the handbrake because it will probably freeze up overnight, which gears are not wont to do.

The steering wheel gives me a headache. But a like what they did with the inside door panels.

Chrysler really needs to exploit the full potential of the 300 instead of just making one body style. As reader 900Turbo points out, the 300 could easily be a coupe, convertible, long wheelbase limo, or most excitingly, a wagon.

Nah. This is four, even five times the going price of an M coupé with the factory engine. Over 50,000 euros for a used V8 engine seems rather steep.