I’m fine with this plan.

This is literally the first generation in which I would take the Camry over an Accord. The turbocharged engines are a dealbreaker. I won’t even consider the Accord anymore. As a current Mazda owner, I’ll pass on the 6, too.

Don’t make fun of the poor kid. Bad enough to be saddled with that name and the kind of parents who seem to think it’s a good idea. No need for the rest of us to make it any worse. 

I just visited family back in Texas last month, and while I was there I got to use the ‘02 Z71 Suburban my dad picked up cheap as an extra car and occasional boat hauler. It’s in pretty decent shape, but it has Flowmasters and dual exhaust, so it is seen and heard. It pretty much fit the bill for what I want. I fell…

I assume that’s what most people would think. Personally, I found them engaging and fun with the “for what they are” disclaimer firmly attached. They weren’t MGBs, though. 

Good point. I suspect emissions have a lot to do with it too. Much easier to know what the engine is going to spew out when a computer controls the shifts. But the manufacturers still think saying, “it’s faster, it’s faster!” makes a more compelling case. 

For what it’s worth, I’m way more broken up about not being able to get a manual in a new 4-cylinder Camry than I am about the idea of an M4 someday not having one. 

It’s just a numbers game at this point.

Fair enough. Adequate to me actually means pretty damn good. Just because I’m cheap doesn’t mean I don’t have high standards. 

If anything, it’s too stylish for me.

That is a damn nice interior, but I’d still rather have a Tahoe solely because I’d rather have a normally aspirated V8 than a boosted 6 cylinder. Too bad they couldn’t shoehorn a 5.0 in this thing. 

Ah. Well, like I said, I’m pretty out of touch these days. 

Sigh. What I want is pretty much the opposite of the car I already have (and still love, but...).

LOL. I’m pretty out of touch by now. That’s what passes for Goth these days? We would’ve called that “emo” 15 years ago. Christian Death, now that’s what old farts like me think of as Goth. 

That picture looks like he was wiping his ass and got some on his hand. 

Yeah, totally. I mean, I do remember the days when brand-new (domestic) cars couldn’t even be expected to start every day or run properly when they did. But that was inexcusable. They don’t get points today for building brand-new cars that start and run for the first couple of years. Every manufacturer should be able…

Yeah, I understand for some those are selling points, but for me, if I’m buying something like this, I want the 3rd row. My uses would be more hauling people or my Boogie full-stack than off-roading.

Meh, I don’t really have the energy to care that much about the semantics anymore. It’s like trying to precisely define the different genres of metal. If it’s a tall box with a high floor, I’ll probably call it an SUV. If it has a low floor, I’ll call it a van. 

Funny, I was just pricing Pilots online yesterday. (It turns out I can get a Pilot with everything I want for almost $4k less than a comparable Highlander...)

I just want to cropdust the hell out of that room.