@Ash78: In silence, I stow my commenting fingers to await a new day.

@mytdawg: Nibbles does seem to be hungry lately.

Bonus points to mytdawg for Skynyrd in the 8-track.

This is an exercise in extrapolation, but a few weeks ago I had to rent a Nissan Versa for a couple of days. It was OK but quite underwhelming. I have to assume a Chevy Aveo is orders of magnitude worse, which is a frightening thought. So, Chevy Aveo.

It truly is ironic that something so wasteful is being done in the name of conserving resources and protecting the environment. But we live in a culture where anything is disposable just because we're tired of it and/or there's money for something newer/bigger/better. Non-car example: Giants Stadium, soon to be…

After every major snowstorm, we hear them down on the main road through our area, back and forth, flat out, because nobody's out driving in that mess, are they? Oh wait, most people own SUVs around here. Nobody's been killed yet, praying it stays that way.

Looks like they put the whole budget into the car-popping-out-of-tanker effect, then drove around town until they found a suitable gas station. Real life is going on as usual in the background. Is that a Dodge pickup in the next-to-last shot?

@WilliamG.: 400 and something cars into this series, and Murilee can still come up with this. I think Alameda is an automotive game preserve, secretly being stocked by Mr. Martin. This can't be happening naturally.

Can't...process. I love it. I hate it. It's where BMW needs to go. It's where unabated body cladding would have taken Pontiac. Need to go to bed, but it will haunt my dreams. Not sure if that's good or bad...

A little off the top makes all the difference.

During a time of desperation, I became the owner of a free Volvo 240something with 190k on the clock. Among other problems, the shift knob was missing. So I fashioned a knob out of foam and duct tape to stop the continuous impaling of my hand. Needless to say, I ended up springing for a genuine Volvo knob.

I still don't quite understand what I'm looking at. But it looks like somebody is trying too hard.

This works on some completely inexplicable level. Maybe it's taking the utilitarian lines of the Fairmont and running with them to the spartan extreme—with muscle to match. I would have no use for it personally, but for the right buyer, it's a steal.

@mr_dude: You'd be talking to yourself.

This could be fantastic timing for Mahindra to actually succeed. The economy being what it is, a simple, cheap, rugged work truck could steal a lot of sales from the bloated monsters that the domestics have become. Maybe they'll even borrow this crazy idea.

Still not sure what's happening with that tail, but I think in time it will be one of those things that gives it character. Overall: Just wow.

The roofline is almost but not quite there. A little more uprightness to the C-pillar, and this would say Saab to me.

It looks like the taillight has decided it wants no part of whatever this is, and it's trying to escape.

@Bartender, make mine a double.: Just what I was thinking. The Americanization of Toyota seems to be having some unfortunate consequences.

Anybody know what the reliability track record is on Suzukis? I'll probably be replacing my commuter next year, and an AWD, non-SUV hatch with truly respectable fuel economy would get my attention.