Oh, as a quick aside, I will say I’ve encountered a gun that was actually quiet to the level that I think *would* be dangerous, but completely devoid of any kind of suppression. My AR-15 converted with a .22 piston, using subsonic ammo. Much quieter than a nail gun, and sounds absolutely nothing like any kind of…

Most people don’t know what a gunshot sounds like in the first place, thanks to Hollywood, so I think that’s actually less of a concern than you think.

A friend of mine was shopping a few years ago, and was out of work for a while after selling a house he’d inherited so his interest rate situation was expected to be a little rough. However, he had a perfect credit history as well as a military service record.

No problem. :)

You could do worse than a Hyundai, these days. They got my money last year, and probably would again.

If you’re on the wider side, however, the CX-5 will do a great job of making you feel like a sardine.

I’d counter that it still matters quite a bit, when you’re dealing with traffic. The best way to survive an accident, after all, is not to get in one in the first place. A car that handles well enough to get you out of the way or stop you short of something happening in front of you is the best defense you can ask for.

Sort of. The problem is documentation and doing such things in a relatively safe and sane fashion. The car *supports* apps, but the options for actual apps that exist appear to be limited to... I think the only thing I’ve really seen of note is an app to corral/monitor a kid’s driving habits.

Every time I see that thing sticking up from the dash like some kind of painfully mutant erection, it bugs the hell out of me.

Sadly, I have to agree regarding actually having visibility being rather nice in a CUV. I really miss the days when monster-size pickups and SUVs were a minority on the roads, and it was safer to drive something lower and leaner. Though when I want to make those trucks as angry as I can get stuck behind them, that’s…

I think fully automatic guns in wider circulation would have a very strong risk of becoming a problem, unfortunately. I think the current situation with them is acceptable, however.

This was just about a year ago, so I’ll have to try and dredge up a bit of my memories of the experience, but sure.

Nope, no Subie for me.</subienazi?>

I’m down for that idea.

Actually, the NRA would *love* to make fully automatic weapons more widely available. This is why some of us that own guns can’t stand the fucking NRA, which today is an industry lobby and not a shooter’s lobby.

The problem with your argument is that “silencers” don’t actually *silence* guns. And you don’t use a silencer for self defense, or home defense, you use it for training and target practice. If I go to a range with a silencer, I’m still wearing ear protection but I’ll be able to wear ear protection that doesn’t block…

Here’s one way to look at it.

The whole time I had my 2013 LaCrosse, I could only think “I wish this were a wagon, I wish this were a wagon...” like it was some kind of mantra to get home from Oz. I’d keep seeing pictures of the various Opel wagon options and feel jealous as hell.

I would have swallowed a whole lot of my infotainment demands, were I in XC70 territory, even CPO. Good luck!

If you buy a car with financing and don’t get GAP insurance through your insurance company, you’re putting yourself in far, far more risk than I would ever be comfortable with, myself. My boyfriend had a 2002 Grand Prix in 2005, and it got totalled when some drunk idiot took the front end off of it. Fortunately, we…