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They chose the wrong color for the HHR.  It should have been trinitite green, not fireball red.

A cheap advertisement for the Chevy with the Trinity Site as a misleading headline.

Yay Robin! Empowerment comes in small doses.

Seems some party pooper deleted all the fun and funny comments to this stupid article.  What a shame since left liberal weiners, conservative wrong-ringers and in-betweeners were all having a good laugh together (for once).

Here's to you party pooper:  pick a finger!

Relative to a minivan? :)

Hey Graham,they 4wheel pretty good.

try craigslist, Derek http://santafe.craigslist.org/

People are admittedly strange, Derek. I once brought a venison chili to a chili cook-off. While berating me for shooting Bambi, a chili judge filled her mouth with beef chili. Left me wondering whether she had ever read Animal Farm: some animals are more equal than others.

As I said earlier, why don't these ecological do-gooders vandalize the equivalent chassis built by GM, the Yukon and Tahoe. Appearance over reality?

p.s.  Bearskin rug? I'm shocked....just shocked....how could you?!?

I must say that I do have some small understanding of what Mr. Groves must be feeling although my own experience is on a much smaller scale.  I happen to own a genuine bearskin rug which I wish to sell, which is my right.    I have posted a sign on the Eldorado bulletin board several times and each time that I have, the sign has been scribbled on with obscenities and hate speech or simply torn up and destroyed.  I suppose the person or persons responsible think they are performing some valuable and noble public service in protecting bears or something but they are not, they are simply stupid, ignorant, simple minded, moronic vandals exactly like the idiots who damaged Mr. Groves truck.

I really don't understand why people think driving Hummers is any sort of status symbol or shows your manliness (or womanliness) or whatever they think it shows. It is designed after a vehicle used in war. And regardless if we feel that the war is justified, war is war. And people die in war. Our kids are dying in this war. And they are killing people in this war. And they are driving Hummers and getting blow to pieces in Hummers. Hummers are for use in war (granted, REAL Hummers, not the ones that people drive around.) I find them grotesque. Every time I see one, it reminds me of the death that war causes and all who are dying because of this war. Would it be acceptable for a person do dress up in camo and splatter fake blood on themselves and act like they were just in a war? And pretend that it was their blood or their buddies blood splattered all over them? Or to stick their arm in their shirt of their camo and pretend they lost it in Iraq? Or would it be "sexy" or "cool" to sit on a corner pretending to be a homeless Vietnam Vet (1/3 of the homeless are) with extreme PTSD because of what they saw and what they did. PTSD so bad that they cannot even begin to lead a normal live. And, of course, the cuts of the VA budget is no help... Why then, is ok to drive around a Hummer? How is that different? Is it?

On a lighter note, it seems that most of the comments on this forum think Hummers are obnoxious, but certainly don't agree with any sort of vandalism or property destruction. So in the spirit of passive protest, anyone up for a ROAD TRIP (carpooling, of course, in the most gas efficient cars as possible) to Albuquerque on Saturday to hold a sign or two at the Hummer dealership? We can share our view of what we feel about Hummers and at the same time exercise our first amendment right (we still have that, right?)

"tolerant, non-judgemental, and caring people.";

Derek, I am all that and if you don't like it what do you propose to do about it?

This story is amazingly bad.  Equating hate crimes against people and vandalism against personal property makes no sense at all.  Even as satire this article is a waste of time and column space.

About once a month, for a period of one year, somebody(s) would vandalize all the Hummers in the dealership lot in Orange County, CA, and it was a huge dealership (everybody out there has a Hummer).  They would mess those Hummers up real bad so that they could never be sold.  Not just flatten the tires.

I don't know if anybody or any group ever took responsibility for this vandalism, but if the person or persons are every caught, you can bet they will do some time in state prison (not federal), as they should. 

I would never condone this type of property damage, no matter how much I disagree with another's belief.  There are other ways of handling differences of this sort.

That being said, this "satire" article sure did bring on the funny from all you posters.

Fortunately they do they get prosecuted, but sometimes the Feds get it completely wrong. In this case arresting someone as an ecoterrorist for the crime of being living in a vegan commune, protesting the iraq war, and driving an electric car:

http://www.grist.org/news/daily/2005/11/16/5/index.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10019329/site/newsweek/

Graham, I have a buddy who actually did use his H2 for some serious off-roading. But he ended up selling it and moving to an FJ Cruiser. 

Uh ..... I think they do get prosecuted 

http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/05/04/dicum/

 

 

When the enviros shoot up other people' s houses, buildings, sheep, cattle or horses in the rural remote, not much becomes of it.

Huh???

Why anyone would buy a Hummer is an interesting question. Any psychologists here?

In my opinion, it's probably for the same reason that someone would buy a Navigator, Escalade, Lexus or Mercedes SUV: Pure image-consciousness.

After all, you can't actually use these vehicles off-road; any one of them would get stuck, fall apart, or get stuck and then fall apart.

Surely, if you just need lots of seats, then you would be better off with a minivan. Consider the image of the minivan driver with that of the SUV driver, and I think we have our answer.

Kahlil, wasn't that was made by Hummer to advertise the jealousy.  Look at the end credit.

That's hilarious!

Someone even made an FUH2 video.  Amazing what some folks will do for amusement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Fy9b2L7WY

I wholeheartedly agree with Morgan...the Toyota Tercels from the '80s are recognized as being highly reliable, "the little engine that could" kind of cars. Consumer Reports gave the '86 its hightest reliability rating. The Tercels have what amounts to a cult following. You see the 4WD wagon versions in particular everywhere in Santa Fe. We have an '86 2WD stick shift wagon with less than 150,000 miles on it that I wouldn't trade for anything. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it cross country....and have. Last winter we got through the worst muddy roads in it with chains strapped on the front wheels. Nothing stops it. In Mexico, the 4WD Tercel wagon is famous for getting people through the sand to the beaches and back. Morgan would be gratified to know that its annual greenhouse gas emissions is among the greenest which is remarkable for an old car (one of my concerns till I read the good news data at <>). Our '86 gets high gas mileage (33+or-) and the cost to drive 25 miles is $2.41; it uses 0.86 gal to go 25 miles ( (based on 150,000 annual miles and fuel price of $2.80/gal, same source). It starts right up every time. Wish Toyota still made these low tech gems. Despite their age, they look very contemporary with their asymmetric lines. They are cool cars. Thanks, Gordon, for recognizing the appeal of simple cars and celebrating appreciation for the '80s Toyota Tercels.

I expect to see the most unattractive women with "I am a Goddess" bumper stickers driving this one!  Just as bad is the Ken dolls driving the H3 Hummers that are just glorified Dodge Durango chasis!  Yes, I am jaded but at least I see the stupidity of both sexes.

All newspapers have auto reviews--even newspapers in major coastal cities.

Now, if Volkswagen can only get off of Consumer Report's list of unreliable makes, all will be well.

Wow! I sure hope the paper was paid well for the lengthy commercial! You could hardly call it news.

Dan Cordtz

Wow! Cargasm?? I can bearly get my car to turn on, much less have it turn me on. And I love that pic of the high heels out the window - that was a cute, enticing review. But, when is VW going to come up with a sassy, fun, 4 seater, convertible in a hybrid model?? 23 mpg city/ 32 mpg hwy is not too shabby, but it's really about time that all new models had a hybrid version.

PS..where she wrote "to keep the girls safe" ...I thought she as going to talk about something else...thought the car had a special feature for us well-endowed women ...lol!

Derek

Real trucks are Off Road 4x4 type ( say 1 ton for extra rock clearance, and single wheels ).   Stay with a gas engine,  the diesels make the front way heavy, so they get stuck easy. 

Off Road F 350 4x, 5.4 liter gas is a decent go anywhere truck

Also keep in mind the older carburetor engine models you mention make alot of sense.  I'm not going to detail, but there's a a technologic weapon called "neutralizing."  When that is used, everything that uses a computer chip of any kind to operate, does not function. Simply walk into an area, activate it and go about business. 

 

I'm sure it would be nice, Jim, and a friend at work just bought one and raves about it too. However, the reason I keep the old Exploder is that it doesn't make sense to put that much money into something I use so infrequently--depreciation alone would make the cost per mile very high.  Most of the time, my small WRX wagon is more than adequate and fits my...ahem...driving style in the mountains. And easily gets 30 mpg hwy.

I've also got a friend down the street with a Cummins turbodiesel Dodge truck that I borrow on occasion (such as the twice a year brush-cleaning of the property), and fill it up with dino juice if need be.  Hence my idea about a community truck.  Now that baby is a TRUCK!

(wish I knew you were selling the old Tacoma)

Khalil, I drove a little Toyota Tacoma for 8 years straight and it was a great little truck.  I am not the personality that needs a big truck - believe me.  Now that I have one though, it sure feels nice.  Nice and comfortable.  Parking is a pain though.  Anyway, I truly recommend the newly redesigned Toyota Tundra if you want a comfortable and high tech truck.  This thing has traction control, variable valve control, all kinds of things that take over 100 little computers to control.  I would be worried about 100 microprocessors if this were a Cadillac but not with a Toyota.  Toyota could teach the world a thing or two about Quality Control and Assurance.

These always break down to who has the biggest one, eh?

Steve V.D., you and your wife should move back to the United States.  Here you can affordably own a 5700 cc truck like mine.  Come back home and feel the power Steve!

As a matter of fact I do use it as a truck, Al.  I am in the construction materials testing business and I use it to go to job sites and I usually have equipment like a wheel barrow and nuclear density guage and other testing equipment in the back.  Yesterday I went to a job site that was on the other side of a steep ditch.  The truck drove through the ditch and up the steep bank like a champ.  On weekends, I can fit 6 people comfortably in the cab.  I took my nephew and his fiance, my two daughters and my wife up to the Kansas State Fair last weekend.  We were all very comfortable.  It is like a comfortable living room up front with a truck bed in the back.  I love it!

Jim...just curious...and simple question...do you use that truck for other than it's "greatness"?  I mean...you might, just wondering.

In the Japanese market, privately owned trucks are usually ultra light, pickups with flat bed and a 600 cc engine.  Farmers all run around in these vehicles.  These vehicles (called "Kei," or light cars) are limited to 80 kph (about 50 mph). 

There are several reasons why these mini trucks (and small cars, in general) are popular.  To start with, licenses, taxes, and mandatory inspections and insurance are scaled to engine size, and the differences are not trivial.  The annual license fees for a vehicle with over 2000 cc are about $300 higher than for vehicles under 2000cc and $500 higher than vehicles under 600cc.  In addition to the license plate fees, there are annual property taxes which amount to about 5% of the vehicles purchase price.  Every two years vehicles are subject to safety inspections which, coupled with mandatory insurance come to about $1000 for larger displacement vehicles and $100s less for smaller vehicles.  Finally, any car larger than 600cc requires that the owner provide proof of a permanent parking space.  A parking space anywhere near central Tokyo costs $1000s of dollars per year.  Where I live, in a small city away from everything, it still costs me $50 per month for a parking space at my own condo.

Japanese are free to buy whatever size cars they want.  Most wisely choose to drive smaller cars.  I recently switched from a 2500cc 4WD SUV to a 1300cc sedan.  I'm saving hundreds of dollars per year, not even counting the cost of gasoline.  Maybe that is part of the reason that Japanese generate so much less CO2 than Americans.

I bought one of those 2007 Tundras (4x4 crew cab with the 5.7 liter 381 hp engine).  What a great truck!  The truck goes fast and that has led me into a little hot water at the moment.  I have to go to court next week over it.  Oh, I drove to Missouri going 65-70 the whole way and I got 19.5 mpg.  Pretty good for a big truck!

The best "gas guzzler tax" is the one we pay at the pump. Let gas prices float to fit market forces, and if people want to drive a "transportable living room" around, let them pay the price. Just as those who own McMansions should have to pay market forces to heat and cool them.  Soon enough, with the Chinese competing to drive cars (and consume oil in the same world market)  no one will be able to afford a fuel-inefficient vehicle (or home, for that matter) except the rich (who always will), and the rest of us and our bad habits will have to chill out.

Like Eric, I own a battlecruiser, albeit mine is pretty old and has 150k miles on it. It gets used about once a month, and otherwise sits parked waiting for the next run to the county dump or Costco. A gas guzzler tax would not do much for my driving habits, since I don't use the dang thing much anyway.  S I don't tow anything that large, I find the current truck arms race to more and more horsepower to be stupid.

 One option that some communities have experimented with is a "community vehicle" concept. If the neighborhood owned one or two trucks that were communally managed, we would not need to buy more than were neccesary and people would drive the Sentra most of the time anyway.

America hasn't built a decent pickup in 35 or 40 years.  Now they make these plush, climate controlled, leather upholstered, transportable living rooms with a box in the back, (usually empty except for maybe the family dog).  You call that a truck?  LOL.

My Duramax gets better mileage than Al-Gores Limo and Jet.I use my truck more than two or three times a year too and I need it to tow my camper and other trailers that I own.I also drive a Nissan Sentra that gets over 40 mpg.Why should I have to pay a gas guzzler tax just because I own a truck that I need,and I don't own a business?Thats gotta be the most idiotic idea I've ever heard.If you want to help save energy,you could always turn off your computer.

The fact that so many people own large pickups they don't need more than two or three times a year is one of the reasons the 5% of the worlds population that are Americans use 25% of its resources. ENOUGH ALREADY. Time to put a gas guzzler tax on pickups not owned by licensed businesses. Would be simple to do biennially at the state level. Revenue earned from it should go to tax rebates and credits for hybrids and other vehicles that get at least 40mpg.

Yeah, I know, all you pickup lovers are going to jump on me today, but for once, could you think of the planet before you think of yourselves? Nah, that's not going to happen in the Land of the Greedy.

Makes me miss my old '69 Mustang...

He spent $1,100 for tires and rims but no picture? 

Cool truck.  Makes me miss my lowered  '63 short bed fleetside that I sold last year.  Now I've got a stinkin' Toyota.

As long as they don`t burn oil, stinking up the place, of which most do.

Are you kidding me?? So whats the point??? I know a guy w/an old car get back to me and you can do a story on him to......

Big Really Big Deuce

Duuuuuuuuuuuude!

Dear Tommy, I used to date Jessica's sister. I wonder where she is now?

I like how they show it on a nice, level, and flat dirt road...

Foolish, huh?  Well color me foolish.  I happen to love my CTS, and I don't think that I paid too much.  I didn't buy it new, so I didn't pay full price.  However, on a daily basis, I enjoy the luxury that I am able to enjoy for a bargain price.  If I had wanted the same type of car from another maker, I would easily pay 10,000 dollars more.  The family and I took a trip to California this past summer, and the Caddy performed beautifully and still got 35 MPG over the course of the week.  I had a 1980 Civic for a few years, and I loved it.  But I wouldn't compare that car to my Caddy.  Apples and oranges in my mind. 

wow...what you putting in your subaru?? My 1982 model doesn't get close to that. It gets great mpg but not 50.

50 miles per gallon?

Wow...I've never heard of them getting 50 mpg....

Shy  not something more practical?  Like a used Subaru that will get better gas mileage along with more money left over to enjoy the trip with?  My old 1980 Subaru DL hatchback gets 50 mpg at 60 mph and only cost $800!  That savings will go along way towards a good camcorder to record the trip.  You don't need something that will do 100 mph to enjoy a trip around New Mexico.  This sort of expense for a  Cadillac is just downright foolish!  It 's like building a huge ridge top house with searchlights. Ugh!!!