@skablaw: I wish there was some way to filter out posts not made by Lieberman. He is the best writer on this site, hands down.

@JC:

I couldn't agree more. A friend took me for a ride in one and I left with the same impression: it feels and looks cheap. Not on the outside, or at first glance, but once you spend some time in it, it's all Pontiac. The engine in this car is absolutely fantastic - a testament to 40 years of refining and tweaking the same thing over and over again. The interior and fit and finish, on the other hand, is absolute garbage. This car is nowhere even close to being in the same league as the 550i or M5. Which is an absolute shame, because I really wanted to love this car. At $25k this car will sell like hot cakes. At $40k it is doomed. Pontiac has the brand equity of a FWD Chinese plastic trashcan. I don't care how much they spend on advertising. Axe the entire brand and bring these over as a Holden.

My friend and I went new car window shopping yesterday just for kicks. We stopped by BMW, Audi, and Acura. This car is definitely polarizing. It looks like a Ninja that I don't know, maybe had a family and hand to settle down. But all joking aside, this is a very nice looking car that will probably be very reliable. After seeing a lot full of Audis and Bimmers anywhere from $40k-$100k, it was refreshing seeing a good-sized car (ever ridden in the back of a 3 series?) with lots of bells and whistles on the lot for $35k.

That's a lot of car for $35k, sure you can load it up and get into RL territory. It will sell. It was sitting next to a new WRX Sti (neighboring dealership) with a sticker price of $40k.

All I could think was "wow, good luck with that." And before the Comment King with the Legacy GT chimes in, yes, they are great cars and we don't want to hear about yours anymore. My 62 year old mother drives one just like yours per my recommendation.

Sorry to hijack the comments, but I'm looking to build (convert really) two electric cars for my parents based on cheap, lightweight Japanese cars. I'm thinking maybe the EG 4 door Honda Civic for mom, and either an EG or EK hatchback or coupe, or an S13 240sx, mainly due to years of parts and experience with these. This is completely to make a statement, and will probably only be used for around town driving, although I would like to make removable mounts for adding small Honda gas inverters (quiet, clean electricity+road trip ability).

The gutting the engine and unused accessories are no problem, but if anyone could point me in the direction of Electric motors suitable for this, mounting that to a transmission and battery packs/charging controllers, monitors, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm looking at keeping these projects under $10k/each, but most importantly to do my part to stick it to the OPECs of the world, and hopefully inspire others to do the same.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

"but he also got the opportunity to ride shotgun" to help his friend pick up the pieces of the crankshaft.

And where would we be without the pioneers of World War 1 era racing? Seriously friend, I'm not trying to nit pick, deny Southern California's rich automotive history, or steal Detroit's pioneering foresight, but from what I see the only sanctioned racing putting enough "butts in the seats" to have any sort of grand scale economic impact is NASCAR. 150,000 people in Las Vegas last weekend! That's twisted. I'm not saying I love NASCAR (I don't), but you have to appreciate the fact that every form of racing that takes place on American soil pales in comparison in attendance. I enjoy ALMS, love what the SCCA guys are doing, and tingle every time I hear an F1 engine or NHRA dragster, but whether we like it or not the country we live in loves its beer, NASCAR, and NFL football. And NASCAR was born on the back roads of the Carolinas. So to please you and cover all technicalities, we would be nowhere without the early hot-rodders in California, Henry Ford, or maybe the horses that lead to cars being developed in the first place.

There's a lot of talented individuals here in the Carolinas. American motor sports were born and headquartered here for a reason. Almost every God fearing southern man, love him or hate him, knows his way around air tools and a shop. And more of us than you think aren't scared of electronics and technology.

Seriously, is Autoblog owned by GM now? Lose the Ads pretending to be posts or I'm out of here.

Amen Tyk. Apple, Inc. (love 'em or hate 'em) is the ultimate hype machine. Notice how they come out with something that looks cool, sell it immediately, then redesign it in 18 months and start the buzz all over again? GM reminds me of one of those great summer movies that they advertise, you want to see, and then you realize you can't because they're not going to let you see it until it comes out in 4 months. Truthfully, the next time those movies cross my mind is when I stumble across them in the video store a year later. People's attention spans are short. And this new Camaro that no one can buy is already getting a little long in the tooth.

I have watched the show religiously. It is fantastic and one of the most ballsy shows on TV. I promise, if you watch it, and watch them all, you will see that special TV magic that makes it all worth it. It just clicks, and I can't quantify it. TV and acting and depth like this have put HBO on the map. This show was launched in the shadow of a Monster (that very easily could have been cut itself after its first season.) The Sopranos easily could have turned out like the bad Billy Crystal movie. But it didn't. It worked. It worked with a great cast, great writers, and the right people trusting their judgment and giving it a chance. I've been an HBO fan (and subscriber) for over 20 years. When I devote time to watch television I trust HBO with that experience better than any other network on TV. And it's off-kilter, gutsy, art like John from Cincinnati, Taxi Cab confessions, Entourage, and Chevy Chase movies (for no other reason than they're funny as hell) that keeps that check coming in from me. My point being: Don't let "bloggers" destroy the house that Rodney Dangerfield and Eddie Murphy built for you. Stick to your guns and keep this show on the air.