The Cruze diesel is a positively porcine 3,500 pounds, so that doesn't say much to me. To be fair, the ATS is about as heavy as my 9-3, which isn't awful. They're all about that much now to meet crash regs. Point is, the only ATS worth buying starts at $43K. Otherwise, it's an underwhelming slug that happens to have…

What 2.0T? The only ATS available for less than 43 big ones is the 2.5-liter. Not a terrible engine on its own, but pretty crummy in a heavy luxury sedan. No thanks.

We recently picked up a 2011 Saab 9-3 6-speed with 9K miles for $15K. ECU reflash brings it to 260 horses. Not the smoothest drivetrain, but it's rapid, safe, comfy and looks good. Still under GM warranty. Wanted a hatch or wagon but good luck finding one with a stick and the Germans don't want us to have them.

$34K to start with a base Malibu engine. Sounds great.

Now please bring back the Simca SRT.

Well, it depends on your definition of "former purpose". It was designed to be the ultimate driver's car, as per Murray. Will the ultimate driver's car be an inviting daily driver? Probably not, and it never really was. Very few F1s were ever driven regularly and the average owner will, sensibly, offer up a Merc or…

I actually think it's gotten better. Many of these cars were purchased and simply socked away. The F1 started out as an object of speculation. A zero-mile(!) F1 popped up for sale in Japan last year.

It's crazy. In Michigan I've seen several W210s that have rusted clear through the rockers, doors and decklid. It's the sort of rust you'd see on a Cherokee or Cavalier. The W220 interiors were terrible and made my Saab look pretty good by comparison.

Well, except getting anywhere close to the MSRP and MPG of the Transit Connect. It is a nice rig, though.

Agreed. The Explorer was on sale for several years before he moved to the U.S. from Ford Europe, and it was this first-gen model with the off-road oriented suspension that was particularly treacherous. What cost Nasser his job was not Firestone/Explorer. It was his overly aggressive executive evaluation program.

The axle lash was worse in the Sport because of the short wheelbase. It's funny because the Explorer was just aping what the Japanese had been selling for years. Narrow track vehicles like the Isuzu Trooper, Mitsu Montero, Suzuki Sidekick and Toyota 4Runner were also quite tippy, but excellent off-road. Both the…

That's true, only gearheads would have known the difference in those days. Whatever it was, it worked. Olds sold an absolute *ton* of cars in the late '70s.

I agree. As an EV, it's not impressive at all. But as a status symbol this should shine in the sales category. There's a lot of space in this price segment for a "green" option and the i8 will do well regardless of the badge, especially in countries that reward very low carbon emissions (all of Europe). Plus, the…

Maybe that's why Ferrari sent him a friend request.

Thanks for posting what I was thinking. *This* is COTD, not that.

That's really bizarre. The McKee CroSal Olds Can Am was driven by Paul Newman in '68... how about that for an ad campaign? Maybe they just wanted a red car? This appears to be the Type 33/4 that won the Targa Florio (in 1971 in 33/3 form).

Ah, of course, been awhile since I was in a pre-99 Saab. The funny thing about the 9-3 is that it wasn't necessary, at least with the 6-speed, since there is no reverse key lockout.

Hmmm, 9000s? I bought one of the last 9-3s ever made and was pleasantly surprised the ignition was console mounted...unfortunately the window/sunroof switches had migrated.

Sorry, bad choice of words... no VIN but definitely a chassis #: 2819GT. I'm certainly not surprised it was struck from the Ferrari registry for a number of reasons (the least of which being its engineering), but the company may be softening its stance. If you exclude it from this list, you'll have to exclude a number…

Bizzarini built this car from a 250 SWB with a unique VIN. Why would it lose its VIN? Was it removed? Certainly it can't wear the cavallino rampante but it's all Ferrari under the skin.