*I* have an idea about badge engineering French cars for the US market:

I have owned a Triumph TR-8, an MG Midget, a 911 Carrera, a 944S2, and a VW Golf R. I truly enjoyed the Crossfire, it rotated exactly around my hips and the uncharged V-6 just loved to rev. Fine seats, good brakes, huge contact patches. The Commonwealth of Virginia and I had a few discussions about all of that, which…

I understood at the time that MB hated both of them because they perceived the two as diluting the brand. The Crossfire especially was a pretty close competitor to the SLK - even most of the interior was identical, though much better styled - but something like $10K cheaper. I’m glad the Pacifica survived, my sister…

In this case, the answer is GTI.

I was unaware that I put thousands of Americans out of work because I bought a car that had already been built by two companies that had already merged, but I sure do feel badly about that now.

I dailied a Chrysler Crossfire for 11 years and I’m the only person on this side of the Atlantic who appreciated the “Merger of equals.” It was an MB SLK320 in a stiffer and much more intriguing Chrysler body, and even though neither Chrysler or Mercedes dealers wanted anything to do with it, I loved it.

Yeah, but what I’m getting at is that with a dedicated player I can rip to FLAC/ALAC, keep them all in one place with a ton of storage, then use that player with really good earphones OR in the car OR plugged into my stereo by wire. And my phone is free to do phone things. Though I suppose not that many people have…

Lol, the $219 ones make me entirely happy!

I agree, but the Walkman makes me happy in two different ways, which might appeal to someone who says he appreciates higher quality files. You’re right, the quality really only applies to use out of the car and with great headphones - I use Etymotic ER4 IEMs at about $300. So I bought the Walkman for that use. But it…

Really, driving a good car while listing to great music is among the happiest things I do in life. Actually, gonna go do it right now.

You MIGHT be the type of 25 year old who would appreciate a dedicated “Hi-Res” music player, like a Sony Walkman. I tend to buy music on CD, rip them to high quality FLACs, then put them on my Walkman at bigger file sizes. They get DAYS of battery life and are capable of much better quality than my car can really…

I have one play list just for driving at night with the top down, which tends to feature Tift Merritt and other women singer-songwriters. Those are some of my most joyful moments, even more so if it’s raining and the drops are skipping back over the windscreen, leaving me in my own perfect bubble.

The “platform” is not the body styling.

Capitalize “Marines” or GTFO.

Most Marine Corps history, not especially including the last twenty years, has centered on it’s amphibious capability. Navy ships are VERY cautious about having gasoline aboard because fire. So the Hayes KLR was more about operating from the sea rather than for scavenging diesel ashore. Using the same fuel as the…

He hasn’t: the use of the word “Democrat” instead of “Democratic” has long been fodder for reality-free news sources and the gas bags they lionize.

Oh, bravo.

That’s the Fox News messaging about the Democrat[ic] (your language choice reveals you) messaging, not anything to do with reality. You are being conned to an enormous degree.

Raphael, do you really not understand the difference between the interests of Capital and Labor and that “the auto industry” is Capital?

[Agrees in 16 valve THREE litre 944 S2.]