And the 2008 Car of the year is...

[clerick]

Originally posted by Masherbrum
GM is in worse shape than Ford is, but GM hides it's financial BS better.

Ford's situation is improving, they have had some quarters recently where they have been in the black.  If GM continues to piss away their market share they will be worse off then Chrysler, and now that Daimler has dumped them they aren't looking all that good.

[clerick]

Originally posted by john9001
what exactly does "Hand-built " mean?

Bertone of Italy built them in small numbers, less then 7000 worldwide over 6 years and only 4000 or so made it here.  In 1988 when it was new it was a $45,000 car.  Hand-stitched leather, automatic climate control, ABS... Fantastic car.

[john9001]

Originally posted by clerick
 Hand-stitched leather, automatic climate control, ABS

is hand stiched leather better than machine stiched leather? You can get automatic climate control and ABS on most assembly line cars.

i still want to know what Hand-built means, did the body man hammer out the fenders with a hammer and dolly from a flat sheet? And why is that better than a stamped fender?

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by john9001
is hand stiched leather better than machine stiched leather? You can get automatic climate control and ABS on most assembly line cars.

i still want to know what Hand-built means, did the body man hammer out the fenders with a hammer and dolly from a flat sheet? And why is that better than a stamped fender?

[clerick]

Originally posted by Masherbrum

  I'm not falling for that.  The answer to the craftsman versus machine question is obvious to anyone but a grumpy old troll.

[1K3]

I think John meant hand-assembly, not hand-built.  I trust the accuracy of CAD/CAM than human eye when it comes to building things.

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by 1K3
I think John meant hand-assembly, not hand-built.  I trust the accuracy of CAD/CAM than human eye when it comes to building things.

john was trying to hijack the thread.   He failed.

[john9001]

what john was trying to find out was what people mean by "hand built" and exactly why is that a WOW factor as in "my car was hand built so it is better than yours and that's why it costs more".

never mind. back to your regular program.

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by john9001
what john was trying to find out was what people mean by "hand built" and exactly why is that a WOW factor as in "my car was hand built so it is better than yours and that's why it costs more".

never mind. back to your regular program.

I apologize, but I thought you were leading into something.

It's like clerick said john: "I have fun, practical and luxurious."   The 780 built by Bertone (Fiat, etc) is "luxurious".    He didn't seem to be bragging, but merely stated he had a wide range of auto's.

[clerick]

Originally posted by john9001
"my car was hand built so it is better than yours and that's why it costs more"

Never said nor implied that.

There are, no doubt, members of this BBS who have cars i would love to own and lust after.  Part of the reason for the post was to make the point that there is no one brand that is ultimately superior and that there is automotive pleasure to be had from numerous nameplates.  I tend to prefer the unique over the mundane.  Give me something to be passionate about, get me excited.  "Automobile" magazine is better than Playboy to me.  Most boring car i ever owned was a Ford Festiva, there was no passion in it so i created it with a little elbow grease and a Mazda transplant.  After that and, to this day, it is still one of my favorite cars i have ever owned.

[68Wooley]

Ford bemuse me. Generally speaking, its US line up sucks, whereas its European line up is pretty good. For example, new Mondeo in particular has been hailed as better than anything coming out of Germany, let down only by having a blue-oval badge rather than a propeller or three pointed star. How can it build cars generally lauded for their driving dynamics in Europe, and build such dross in the US?

Comparing the diesel VW Fox to the Prius is unfair - the Fox is not the same size as a Prius as stated - it is in fact, smaller than a Yaris. A couple of European manufacturers are getting similar mileage to the Fox out of cars that class. Of course, from a US standpoint, that's interesting but largely irrelevant as it'll be a long time until people consider buying anything that small. That said, I do believe diesels will become more and more prevalent in the US once people over here realize just how good modern diesel engines are (the perception of diesels in the US is largely the same as it was in the UK 10 years ago i.e. they are slow, noisy and smelly). If 50-state emission regulations can be met, expect to see a flood of diesels from European manufacturers.

Finally, here is the real Car of the Year, as awarded by Car magazine:

linky

Its kind of embarrassing, but I really like it...

[clerick]

I want this diesel.

[clerick]

Originally posted by 68Wooley
... How can it build cars generally lauded for their driving dynamics in Europe, and build such dross in the US?

They tried in the past and with one exception they all failed to appeal to the American sensibilities.  Merkur, Contour and the Focus were all direct imports from Europe.  With the exception of the Focus none of the others really caught on, despite being excellent cars.  The focus we have now is still the old generation Focus.  Europe has had he far better platform since '05 IIRC.  The only way to get one here is to buy a Mazda 3 or a Volvo 40 series car.

I agree that Ford has done a poor job of brining its best cars to the American market, but in fairness i would lay a lot of that blame on the American consumer.  Try taking the best selling American vehicle to Europe, and it doesn't sell well at all.

BTW, the best selling vehicle, not only in America, but the world.

[GtoRA2]

Originally posted by SIG220
Sorry, but the 2004 Motor Trend Car of the Year is still best car on the market today.   Nothing better has come out since.

You can read all about it here on the Motor Trend website:

http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/112_04_coy_win

And my car sure is far more affordable.  Especially since Toyota lowered the price of the car last January.  My car is very roomy and comfortable ( lots of room for passengers or cargo ),  handles and rides like a dream, and gives me 44 mpg in city driving, and 46 mpg on the highway.  

Here are some photos I have taken of it:







SIG 220

So this means your the chick in the post right?

[SIG220]

Originally posted by GtoRA2
So this means your the chick in the post right?

No, as I clearly stated in the post, I took the photos.  

Here is a photo of me with her, and her half-sister, at her home:




She is 14 inches shorter than I am.   But I am actually rather tall.

Her sister is a firefighter, and amazingly strong for a woman.

She is unfortunately a widow, as her husband died a horrific slow death from stomach cancer a few years ago.   She has boys in the 9th and 6th grades, so she has her hands really full raising them on her own.

She is my dearest relative, and we see each other about 3 times a year.  We unfortunately live almost 600 miles away from each other.

And here is a photo of my son taken a year ago at his 21st birthday party that we held at her house ( my son is in the middle of the photo ), with her two sons on each side of him.   And the two girls standing behind them are her two step-daughters from her late husband's 1st marriage.





Her husband was a much older man, and a Vietnam war veteran.   He served in the Air Force.  He met his first wife during the war, and brought her back home to America with him.


SIG 220