Thats still in effect. Around the Detroit area you can actually tell if a car belongs to an exec by the starting letter of the plate, and the combination of letters and numbers (I only know this for GM, but I'm sure it holds true for the other companies as well)

This is pretty standard at any automotive company really, even for tractor trailers. They'll also scan in the vehicles to compare size so they can get better interior sizes (trunk, leg room, head room, etc)

Fuck this code. It plagued my Grand Prix no matter what I did. Being from NY it HAD to be off to pass inspection. I'd have to drive with gas above a 1/4 tank, and do just about an even mix of higher and lower than 55mph and I could get it to turn off and into 'ready' state long enough to get a sticker and not have to…

To your first point about bloating of models, I never really understood it. The next gen car is always bigger and (not necessarily) better. Which causes a smaller car to be built in its place. (First thing that comes to mind is civic -> fit) Do they do this so the buyer has more cars to choose from from a single…

At 23 years old this is still a poster on my wall in my bedroom and I got it out of a Motor Trend in 7th grade. I think Cadillac and Lincoln both need some sort of "big world class ultra luxobarge" to get people excited about the brands. Cadillac is doing a good job (I would drive an ATS or CTS) but Lincoln is still…

Ahh the good ol days with rubber floors and 3 rows of bench seats.

A guy here in the detroit area that is on the local forum was given one by VW-NA to drive around for a bit. Never saw it in person unfortunately. Saw tons of photos tho..

Same issue with the Escape a few years ago. You could get a base with a manual, or a hybrid. The manual got better mpg than the hybrid did if memory serves. Even the tahoe/yukon hybrids only get 1 or 2 mpg better. Whats the point? To me its just proof that most hybrids are built so that a company can say "look we…

Yup, especially cuz the dudes face is like squished into the helmet. Looks just like fat mac.

I was kinda thinking the driver resembled Mac.

IF i was in the market for one, and could afford to mix and match the stuff, I was thinking thats exactly what I would do. Mix and match everything untill I got what I wanted. You probably wouldnt have any trouble selling what you took off either.

Agreed. This car will age much better than any current Lexus. Even if you look at old VW's and Audis, they seem to have aged well because of the simplicity.

Theres no such thing as bad parenting. The government should have told me not to buy my son that game or keep the gun around the house. //sarcasm

I really have to wonder if this will hurt their rep at all. Whenever I talk to non 'car people' all I hear about is Toyota and Honda and how amazing their cars are. I really don't think the majority of people buying this car will know that its an aging platform full of aging technology.

Agreed, Pontaic G6 Concept is a great example. I think they actually built the production one first, then made the concept.

My parents have always been the same way, and passed the same thought onto me. I drive a 2002 Jetta and have had no major problems. I'm 23, so pretty much everyone I know drives a new car. The kicker to me is that I have an 11 year old car with all the options where most of the people that go out and buy a new car are…

I think the thing I dont like about the new logo is it has a loss of 'presence' now. Even if you look at the old badge with out a wreath, they still had the crown thing on top, and detail within the crest. I will say it does go with the art and science design theme, but I dont think it goes with a company that wants…

Never gave this any thought, but I think you're right. I think about Rolls or Bentley, you need a big stately name. Plus, give it more than a 3 letter name, and it even stands out from the rest of the line up as a flagship vehicle.

I was always a fan of the Stagea

On your ass? Shit Id tattoo someones logo in a number of more noticeable place than that if it meant a design job.