Why GM went bankrupt

[Crackpot]

Uh Jarl it's based off of the 360 program (mid-size SUV) the Colorado and Canyon were their own (but similar platform. (They were supposed to beat the 360 program to market but hit so many delays that the 360 was just a out ready to be refreshed by the time those two hit the market)

[Guinevere]

Does no one else see the humor in Dave buying a big red plastic penis . . . for his wife?

[Scooter]

Keyboard!

[Econoline]

[Joe Guy]

Does no one else see the humor in Dave buying a big red plastic penis . . . for his wife?

I'm sure that's why buying a Hummer for his wife can only be explained by Dave as "a reason he does not want to go into".

He doesn't need to explain. I'm sure it's rather obvious to most of us.

[oldr_n_wsr]

dgs49, didn't you have a PT Cruiser?

[dgs49]

(a) My fleet currently includes an '06 PT Cruiser Turbo/5-speed (my everyday driver), an '04 350Z roadster, and an '06 Kawasaki Vulcan 2000.

(b) My wife's car is a black '08 Suzuki Grand Vitara, which she wants to replace. For one reason or another, she is infatuated with the idea of getting a RED SUV (not burgundy, not purple, not any of the million flavors of almost-red). The only RED small SUV that is currently available is the Kia Sportage, and she refuses to consider a Korean nameplate. It was she, who, when visiting a Buick dealer to check out a new Encore (didn't make the cut), saw this lovely red H3, and SHE insisted on testing it, and it is SHE who asked me to do whatever research I could to see if it could be considered an other-than-insane purchase. My role in this whole process is to identify cars that meet her criteria, and to do the research to find the best prices and to identify any problems that show up in consumer reviews of the different vehicles, so we can be aware of them when we are checking them out. But it will be her car, and she will have the final say.

(c) When either my wife or I want to drive something that performs well, we have two such vehicles, and I have three. The vehicle we buy now will be an everyday driver for her, and something to take on vacations and longer trips.

(d) I had never considered a Hummer before and never given even a remote thought to buying one. My preference for the fleet would be to have a sportscar, a small, efficient pickup truck (of which there is none currently available), and a semi-luxurious sedan.

(e) It is a given that any SUV will handle badly, by comparison to any competent sedan or couple, so the question becomes, is the badly handling SUV under consideration tolerable. My assessment of the H3 was that it was more than tolerable. The seats were very supportive and comfortable, it was quiet as a tomb, it sits high off the ground, and it had enough power to go up some pretty nasty hills on the test drive with no problem whatsoever. One only needs to look underneath the vehicle to see that it is built - literally - like a tank. Thus, if you allow for the poor handling, it is by a considerable margin safer than anything else we looked at.

(f) We are picking up her new CR-V on Saturday. Assuming the dealer can find a "red" one.

[Guinevere]

My Jeep is a beautiful red, called "cherry red" -- it is definitely not burgundy, nor is it fire engine. I get compliments on the color all the time.

[Crackpot]

Bright red is a bad color

[dgs49]

The pictured Jeep is not "red." We drove one and it was OK. Turned off by the CVT, and apparently Chrysler was, as well. The replacement vehicle, the new Cherokee, does not carry forward with the CVT, but rather has a conventional automatic (8 speeds, I think).

Nothing wrong with that color, but it's not red.

[Guinevere]

I'm the Queen of red, and yes, that color is red. What you want, apparently, is "fire engine red."

The CVT is fine, smooth and fuel efficient.

[dgs49]

If it comforts you to think of that car as red, then by all means do so.

Picture any Ferrari in its proper, natural state.

The color in your mental picture is red.

Picture the three basic colors: yellow, blue, red. The red in that mental picture is "red." Same as the Ferrari.

Every other color in the rainbow is "not red." Fire engine red is fire engine red. it is not "red."

As for CVT's, the CVT has been the Holy Grail of transmission designers for decades. It is theoretically the ideal transmission, with infinitely-variable gear ratios that will accommodate absolutely any requirement, given the capabilities of the engine that it is attached to. Many car companies have introduced CVT's over the past few years, but only one stands out: Nissan. They have had the confidence to use them in cars with close to 300HP, while the others seem reluctant to do so. NOBODY is using one with a diesel, likely because diesels have a lot more torque than gas engines of comparable displacement.

I only note that the new Jeep compact SUV is equipped with a more-expensive conventional automatic transmission. Maybe they were buying their CVT's from another company and didn't want to continue that. But the fact that they are moving away from the CVT made us decide against a Jeep Compass (on which there is a significant Mfgr's incentive plan right now). It just seems like they lack confidence in that tranny.

[oldr_n_wsr]

I believe you pay extra for red cars. At least that was the case when I was going to buy my PT back in 2001. And brother was a car body man for a while and he has said that red pigment always costs the most. And for some reason red oxidizes faster.

[Joe Guy]

Picture the three basic colors: yellow, blue, red. The red in that mental picture is "red." Same as the Ferrari.

Every other color in the rainbow is "not red." Fire engine red is fire engine red. it is not "red."

A person who sees things only in black & white might believe that....

cherry red (Noun) : A deep bright red color, like that of a cherry.

Color:
a : a phenomenon of light (as red, brown, pink, or gray) or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects

b (1) : the aspect of the appearance of objects and light sources that may be described in terms of hue, lightness, and saturation for objects and hue, brightness, and saturation for light sources <the changing color of the sky>; also : a specific combination of hue, saturation, and lightness or brightness <comes in six colors>

(2) : a color other than and as contrasted with black, white, or gray

[Jarlaxle]

I believe you pay extra for red cars. At least that was the case when I was going to buy my PT back in 2001. And brother was a car body man for a while and he has said that red pigment always costs the most. And for some reason red oxidizes faster.

Red was extra-cost on many Chryslers for quite a while. IIRC, it was ~$300 when I bought my Magnum (which was blue). My Cherokee is, indeed, bright red.

[Sean]

Red cars are faster...

[Crackpot]

Don't forget the flames!

[dales]

Red cars are faster...

I had a red 1967 Alfa Romeo Spyder about 35 years ago.

Red is a bad luck color, some 80 year old twit ran a stop sign and totaled the poor car.

Haven't owned a red car since.

[Crackpot]

Red cars are faster...

I had a red 1967 Alfa Romeo Spyder about 35 years ago.

Red is a bad luck color, some 80 year old twit ran a stop sign and totaled the poor car.

Why did you do that?

[Econoline]

The only red car I've ever owned was a (1978) GMC Suburban.

Dave - if you were looking to buy used, why not just buy a good used SUV and have it painted whatever color your wife wants?