I think most cars are the most efficient at 55mph, considering gearing and aerodynamics. That's why many cars have a distinguished 55mph tick-mark on the speedo.

That new Corvette barely has any bodywork left...it's all vents.

Panhard has a pan-boner

This, I know. The car-market, both new and used, is used as sort of a barometer by consumers to gauge the country's economic status. When high-ticket items start failing to sell, the effect trickles down to other commodities and services, affecting consumer confidence. Since the real-estate market was pretty much…

I thought the X-Type failed because it was nothing more than a glitzed-up, AWD Taurus...

Pontiac earned no reputation points from the G5 and G6 (i.e., Pontiac Cobalts), but the real killer was global scale. Chevy, Buick, and Cadillac sell well all over the world; Pontiac, Hummer, and Saturn did not.

Nice price — not bank-breaking, some rarity factor, and classic BMW styling. It sits about right at $4500.

Lol maybe in your particular case, but the point was that there were some otherwise serviceable vehicles destroyed. Essentially the middle-class benefited at the expense of the lower-class.

I think that was implied by the "piping versus trucking" argument, but unfortunately wasn't specified.

If you check the comments, somebody mentioned that these cars were only submissions, and were not necessarily approved. Also, the report came from some other source, which may or may have not exaggerated a bit.

Cool story. Please, tell us more about your expensive things.

It might have benefited you, but the program was supposed to benefit the entire country. Your crushed Explorer could have been a low-income family's vehicle for as long as it lasted, but, instead, they had to pay an inflated price for a used car. It's not that far-fetched of a story, and this is why the program failed…

Yes they do!

I don't mind some engine cover above and below, because it helps keep things clean; however, it's a bit ridiculous when you can't see any of the engine, wiring, accessories, or anything else (visual inspections become a chore).

With so much emphasis on performance, it was a bane to tune. I remember reading...waaaay back...that a certain performance shop got frustrated in trying to tune the Renesis that they scrapped it altogether and installed a 13B or 20B turbo (forgive me, this was some years ago).

...and fires would come standard

They're pointless and they get in the way when you want to work on your car (which most of us Jalops do). They're made pretty much to pander to the washed masses, a) so they don't think they have some filthy engine in their car, and b) to partially keep people from working on their own stuff.

Unless they can de-engineer that RX-8 motor back into something with tuning potential, I vote for an RX-7 with the 2.3 DSI turbo.

I'm not a Toyota or Subaru fan, but what is essentially a brand-new E30/240SX/AE86/(insert other 2800-lb RWD coupe), I can't help but swoon over this.

For those hung-up about the price, then consider that the higher-trim Nissan 240SX rang in at about $24K when new. Factoring in the inflation and worthlessness of today's US dollar, I believe this is a very fair price.