dante hicks

"near-luxury" is down market from luxury. Those who don't understand this probably didn't read the original post.

-- and enjoy the benefits fought for through collective bargaining and the work of the union.

Didn't the Focus have this title in the years that it was first introduced?

Not to get all socialist here or anything, but on my last two new cars (a 2008 -- when the poop was hitting the fan-- and a 2012) I got interest rates either better than Ford (in 2008) or within a 1/2 point in interest at a credit union. My experience is that they offer rates significantly better than banks (especially national ones).

There was a fastener missing in the bumper assembly of mine. It made an annoying squeak at high speeds and took the dealer forever to figure out where the noise was coming from. The diagnosis of the problem was complicated by the fact that the taillight assembly above it was loose (though, as it turns out, making no noise). It's all fixed, and a beautiful car, but some of these niggling qc issues are worrisome.

Traverse City - Petosky - Harbor Springs are all vacation/resort areas. The dealerships would have to close in the winter.

If SE Michigan wasn't the capital of the domestic auto industry, Lexus would need more dealerships.

It looks pretty slick and I like the fact that it isn't permanent, because I'm not sure how many people would choose to sync a tablet over their phone.

I've seen a couple of 2013 Flexes on the road (as well as at NAIAS). I thought the previous iteration was fine (not a beauty contest winner, but kinda quirky), but the new grille is just hideous. I certainly hope Ford has another people mover to offer (and I suppose that might have to be an Explorer) when we're looking to replace the Taurus X (which is no beauty contest winner in itself).

I know you're smarter than that.

If I wanted an automatic, but was scared of the DSG, I'd probably shop elsewhere. That said, I have no desire for an automatic. This is good news!

Subaru was pretty flat in 2008 and up 15% in 2009.

I realize I'm in the minority, but I don't want a tall wagon. I want a short one. If car companies only offered what people really needed, the CUV would never have been invented and we'd have a lot more full size vans.

It's all part of a market strategy. Did the Vadar commercial bring VW to the forefront in some people's minds? Probably. Did it cause people to buy a VW? My guess is that, as a part of a larger marketing strategy, it did. My guess is that the Chrysler ad did the exact same thing. It helped improve brand image which helps to drive sales.

Really? Are you honestly making the argument that because you drove the SUV for 6 months and never rolled it, the roll over issues must be the other drivers' fault? I've smoked a few cigarettes and don't have lung cancer. Obviously, cigarettes don't cause cancer. I drove once after drinking too much. I didn't kill anyone. Obviously, anyone who causes an accident while drunk must be a bad driver. The alcohol has nothing to do with it. My 6 year old lit a match the other day without setting the house on fire. All small children should play with matches -- any kid who gets hurt is an idiot. Need I go on?