Briefing Book! Time to Say Good-bye to American Cars?

December 15, 2008

by LibertySugar 13

Cars: Need a trip down memory lane in some of the roomiest, gas guzzlingest, and fugliest cars you ever did see? Slideshow bids a fond goodbye to the American car. — 23/6
Biden: Will the Second Dog be friends with the yet-to-be-picked First Dog? Joe Biden's gets a German shepherd puppy to bring to Washington. — PetSugar
Colbert: Actually some punch behind the bump? Politicians who appear on Stephen Colbert's show get a fund-raising boost. — Good
McCain: Should McCain have opposed the bailout? Some say that had McCain opposed the bailout he would have positioned himself as the principled, populist champion standing up to the corrupt, moneyed elite. — Townhall

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13 Comments

bluesarahlou 4 years 22 weeks

:rotfl:I'm embarrassed to say I liked the PT Cruiser when it first came out. Thank god I came to my senses!

bluesarahlou 4 years 22 weeks

:rotfl: I'm embarrassed to say I liked the PT Cruiser when it first came out. Thank god I came to my senses!

yesteryear 4 years 22 weeks

BYE BYE PT CRUISER, you useless hunk of garbage!!

Shadowdamage 4 years 22 weeks

I said goodbye to American cars when Corvettes stopped looking cool, (my dad used to drag race, and as a girl we had several different ones..according to my dad they were "progressively more crappy".)Then the General Lee (which as a wierd, geeky girl I loved so much I drew pictures of it) and "Smokey and The Bandit" (more pictures of Peterbilts) became un-PC and mom said "no" to a black '68 Camaro I was drooling over in high school, and replaced it with the "don't worry honey, its had its recall" Ford Pinto I got instead with its black plastic seats and no air-conditioner. (in Texas.)That sucked, when the girl 2 years above me had the PRETTIEST GTO you ever saw...I still remember this car, it was a creamy camel two-tone paintjob, had an engine sound you would never forget.But that's just it...Meh. "American cars" to me, in their most evocative sense, are memories and myth. Reality to me is awash in oversized, underperforming non-entities that they've had a chance to improve upon. Though I will say in its heyday, American cars were...sublime...SUBLIME...European cars handle better, especially the ones built IN Europe, out of necessity - the layout is entirely different.When I first moved to the UK, I made fun of the cars here along the lines of "my god, these are dorky cars".Until I realized how different the roads, the cities, the cost of driving them and the narrowness of the lanes makes driving feel. Then finally I stopped seeing a car as an extension of my identity or my culture and just as it is, a damn car. When that happened...my perception of American cars changed for good.If I need to get a fix on "American Cars", I watch "Dazed and Confused" for the umpteenth time and drool over the cars, the soundtrack, and Randall "Pink" Floyd. (And Matthew McC's character too --- though its wrong, so very wrong.)I did like my Saturn though, and the process of buying one of those was utterly painless..and the car was a dependable one, and really cute for the price.Best car ever: 1988 Honda Prelude Si that I once owned for many years and sold with nearly 200K miles on it! That car was so awesome, a dependable, responsive, fast little bugger!(Ok, the Audi A6 I had more recently was nice, held its looks, and the gas mileage - PHWOAR..awesome! ....But...its sorta big and boat-ish by comparison.)American cars can be something else, if they choose to be. But if they stubbornly refuse, then like the dinosaur, evolution can..and will come.Ok, moment of reflection over.Personally I am not really "for" the bailout, I don't believe in rescuing arrogant CEO's and their arrogant products, but I do worry about the aftermath if we don't do it.

Shadowdamage 4 years 22 weeks

I said goodbye to American cars when Corvettes stopped looking cool, (my dad used to drag race, and as a girl we had several different ones..according to my dad they were "progressively more crappy".) Then the General Lee (which as a wierd, geeky girl I loved so much I drew pictures of it) and "Smokey and The Bandit" (more pictures of Peterbilts) became un-PC and mom said "no" to a black '68 Camaro I was drooling over in high school, and replaced it with the "don't worry honey, its had its recall" Ford Pinto I got instead with its black plastic seats and no air-conditioner. (in Texas.) That sucked, when the girl 2 years above me had the PRETTIEST GTO you ever saw...I still remember this car, it was a creamy camel two-tone paintjob, had an engine sound you would never forget. But that's just it...Meh. "American cars" to me, in their most evocative sense, are memories and myth. Reality to me is awash in oversized, underperforming non-entities that they've had a chance to improve upon. Though I will say in its heyday, American cars were...sublime...SUBLIME...European cars handle better, especially the ones built IN Europe, out of necessity - the layout is entirely different. When I first moved to the UK, I made fun of the cars here along the lines of "my god, these are dorky cars". Until I realized how different the roads, the cities, the cost of driving them and the narrowness of the lanes makes driving feel. Then finally I stopped seeing a car as an extension of my identity or my culture and just as it is, a damn car. When that happened...my perception of American cars changed for good. If I need to get a fix on "American Cars", I watch "Dazed and Confused" for the umpteenth time and drool over the cars, the soundtrack, and Randall "Pink" Floyd. (And Matthew McC's character too --- though its wrong, so very wrong.) I did like my Saturn though, and the process of buying one of those was utterly painless..and the car was a dependable one, and really cute for the price. Best car ever: 1988 Honda Prelude Si that I once owned for many years and sold with nearly 200K miles on it! That car was so awesome, a dependable, responsive, fast little bugger! (Ok, the Audi A6 I had more recently was nice, held its looks, and the gas mileage - PHWOAR..awesome! ....But...its sorta big and boat-ish by comparison.) American cars can be something else, if they choose to be. But if they stubbornly refuse, then like the dinosaur, evolution can..and will come. Ok, moment of reflection over. Personally I am not really "for" the bailout, I don't believe in rescuing arrogant CEO's and their arrogant products, but I do worry about the aftermath if we don't do it.

organicsugr 4 years 22 weeks

Of course J-Mac should have opposed the bailout, but I don't think it would have made him the "populist" champion.He should have opposed it because it's a highly expensive, socialist measure, and he was running as a budget-conscious conservative. Of course, since Barack voted for it, I'm sure that the loyal will try to figure out why a huge government subsidization of banks isn't socialism.

organicsugr 4 years 22 weeks

Of course J-Mac should have opposed the bailout, but I don't think it would have made him the "populist" champion. He should have opposed it because it's a highly expensive, socialist measure, and he was running as a budget-conscious conservative. Of course, since Barack voted for it, I'm sure that the loyal will try to figure out why a huge government subsidization of banks isn't socialism.

beavis667 4 years 22 weeks

Good choice in dogs there Mr. Biden. No matter what Obama gets, it won't be as cool as your G. Shep. I thought all along that if McCain had stood up against the bailout, he would have won, and more importantly, he would have been right.

beavis667 4 years 22 weeks

Good choice in dogs there Mr. Biden. No matter what Obama gets, it won't be as cool as your G. Shep.I thought all along that if McCain had stood up against the bailout, he would have won, and more importantly, he would have been right.