Hrmm, nice to hear it's refined, which is a big concern if you've ever ridden a gs500. The exhaust note SOUNDS like it's a 360 degree angle, but I'm not really going to pretend that I could be certain about that by sound alone... I kinda wish we got this overhere now.

Do you know the crank angle on this? It seems to make a pretty big difference in refinement on the bikes I've ridden, but I can't find much information on the Fiat engine (does it use a balance shaft? etc...).

Is there a good reason for the twinair beyond novelty?

Unpainted bumper covers, as used to be found on SUVs and early CUVs also work pretty well, but most people find them fairly objectionable to look at. They're fairly easy to replace, not very expensive, especially since they don't need paint.

It seems the European version weights in a touch under 2300 lbs (src: [www.evo.co.uk] - 1035 kg = 2282 lbs, depending on local gravitational constant, of course...). I really wonder if there was 200 lbs added to meet US safety / emissions standards or NVH expectations.

Nothing combines better than booze and cars. For your consideration, the 1977 Martini & Rossi Porsche 924. 86 hp anyone?

My preferred method is intently listening for the sound of something breaking... Some day I'll own a car with less than 100k miles.

Not sure how many people carry comprehensive on beaters.

Hrmm, forgot that cars don't necessarily have to come from Europe. In that case, I think I'd take the South African specific M88 powered 745i. Here's a race prepped version.

Hrmm, a bit of research shows that they DID make a 324td estate, though - so I'll take that. I prefer the E30 over the E28 anyway.

e28 524td wagon. if that engine was good enough for a motor-home, it's good enough for a sw

Yes, Europe is known for it's continued support of Israel... THAT'S why they issued sanctions against Iran.

You could always Nitro yourself.

Yes, but it has nothing to do with deficit spending and inflation. The issues limiting refinement and distribution capacity are much more relevant, although more relevant still would be the degree of media hype. Gas prices nationwide are still in a relatively normal range - from what I've read, it's just California…

Well, some concessions are always necessary. Reverse cowgirl works pretty well in the front of an Intrepid.

Um, without reading 90% of what you wrote, if inflation were to blame, wouldn't the price of oil in USD be higher? Since, you know, it's in dollars too?

Full size sedans are actually pretty decent, or wagons.

Let's see, last time I filled up was Jan 26th, paid 3.499 for 1.69 gallons, so $5.92 total to drive 125 miles.

On a BMW, that kind of weight would bug me. On a Mercedes, it seems ok. Most R107s were over 3500 lbs anyway - and that was back in the '80s! (when the 3 series weighed in well under 3000 lbs).

I don't think this study took into account anything regarding coal-fired plants in the US since it was a study produced by China about Chinese market vehicles and Chinese power plants.