When you said "high line" in the context of a Maserati article, I was thinking Maser/Ferrari/Lambo not Merc/Volvo/VW mass market cars but, at the risk of coming off as a douche, an income of "almost 6 figures" isn't particularly high.

Back when these were still being sold new and I was thinking about a lightly used one, I asked a wealthy friend about them. "They're stacked up like cordwood at the dealer, waiting on clutches and God knows what else. Don't do it."

How many rich "high line" techs to you know? What they appear to gain in expensive, high labor fixes, they more than give back in mega expensive diagnostic tools, extremely long lead times for parts (cars taking up space or worse, a lift), finicky problems that take longer to diagnose than they can reasonably charge,…

I loved it - as did all my car nerd friends to their surprise - but I returned it at end of lease because it was just too small for me. I got sick of threading my bikes into the hatch, moving the seat to accommodate passengers, etc. I learned that electric makes an awesome way to travel day-to-day though. Silent,…

I was actually going to mention that I've observed that the more expensive the brand, the more professional the behavior in my limited experience. That said, the local Chevy dealer was completely straight with me when I leased a Volt a few years ago. I went in expecting someone to four square me. :)

Tom - In your experience, are the kinds of things highlighted here on the decline?

Apparently, it's spectacular (non-blown-up) even as far north as NJ.

So I was at a well respected automotive restoration facility ("we'll build it with a sheet of aluminum and an English wheel") where my friend - or rather his insurance company - was learning the unique economics of a "light front hit" on his 430 when I saw one of these V10 unicorns on a rack. "Oh yea, that LFA is…

With a cage.

Doesn't Doug's car have a stock exhaust? If stock generated the above response, you are not allowed in my 360 w/o a diaper.

Well done. I didn't realize for a long time that you could get dealer discounts on top of the Euro Delivery discount.

The Sport was a great choice for the exercise because they all seem to come the same way.

If the major service isn't in the ad, it needs one. It's actually doable for the dedicated, experienced home mechanic if you're willing to take a hit on resale. Engine & subframe come out the bottom so it's involved.

I DISAGREE, EVERYONE KNOWS THE PROPER METHOD IS TO SNORT OFF THE BOOBS OF THE HOOKER IN YOUR LAP WHILE IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT

I don't see ever buying one but the very existence of this car makes me happy.

Sigh...well the "trusted" journalist got it wrong. This video of Pam Fletcher, Chief Engineer Powertrain explains that the dual motor EV operation can happen as low as 30mph in certain conditions. Above 65/70 it's MOSTLY 2 motor but reverts to 1 motor when you want to accelerate strongly. I trust that trumps the…

You've posted that MT link several times. The 2nd comment to that article points out several errors in it, saving me the trouble.

You have your analogy precisely backwards. I was expecting New York strip - an inefficient, basic serial hybrid like the i3 REx - and received Filet Mignon - a powertrain that can be either serial or parallel depending on the more efficient path. The architecture also let them eek out some extra highway miles by…

BMW hired Frank Weber, the original Volt Lead Engineer, in April 2010. I'm confused by your statement. If I told you Mr. Weber is German and originally from Opel, does that make the Volt (and the i8, by association) more impressive? Good engineering is good engineering IMHO, no matter where it comes from, and there…

In summary, you're upset that they did the smarter thing. Serial operation is just not as efficient as parallel, which is why they developed it the way they did. They made the right choice and they did it YEARS before the car debuted. It's an integral part of the design. It's a shame you're so butthurt about…