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Want: Mercedes E-Class shooting brake concept

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You are all well aware that I have always felt that the compact car should also be a sporty & luxurious car. I voted this way with my own dollars, even (see image at right.) I’ve never really understood why Europeans get to have vehicles like the:

And we are stuck with the Yaris, the Fit, the Xb and other such econoboxes. I love that they exist, but they also serve only to make all small cars seem cheap or disposable. While they can be fun, they are definitely not something you WANT to drive.

So I’m glad Mercedes is seriously considering bringing their E-Class shooting brake concept into reality. I highly doubt that the teak accents, glass bar and champagne holder will make it to production, but the elegant body lines, oodles of toys and overall air of Mercedes quality should with no trouble.

Perhaps the public is coming around to my way of thinking? I sure do hope so. If for nothing else than to vindicate the casualties of lardy American misconceptions along the way like the BMW 318ti and the Mercedes C-Class Sportscoupé. May their brave little souls rest in peace.

I need this

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Cameron’s house from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is for sale. Remember? With the Ferrari that careens out of the garage and into a ravine? That one. This one.

Cameron's House

I want this house bad. It’s gorgeous and still entirely contemporary in its mid-century retrofuturistic style. The furniture is even passable, though with a decór overhaul and few upgrades – namely, some better windows as I’m betting 1953 was not the most eco-friendly of times – this would be one flash tree house. I’d spend most of my time in that garage, of course…

(Thanks, Uncrate.)

JUSTICE!

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The universe does indeed listen to the cries of the auto lover. Jamiroquai’s vandalized Ferrari Enzo has been avenged!

Full story on Jalopnik.

Sweet justice for anyone who parks at the very end of the parking lot and watches closely all children walking past their car. (What? I do that.)

Nevermind.

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We fucked it up again:  registration for PA was rejected, despite me being told that my tags were “in the mail and should be arriving any day now.”  25 minutes on the phone and two faxes later, I think things are, again, set but I’m not holding out any hope that the dealership has this registration thing right until the actual plates are on my car and the paper slip is in my glovebox.

What the hell?

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I couldn’t drive my car today, friends.  It was nothing disastrous, just truly annoying.  The registration had expired and my car dealer never bothered to check on the status of my plates. When I asked about them on Monday, he discovered there had been a problem – a problem that no one bothered to look into at all. On Wednesday, he promised he’d overnight me new a temporary registration.

On top of this debacle is the letter I received from VW on Friday stating that my Jetta was never turned in to them and that they’ll continue charging me until it is.

So, here we are today.  One day past the end of my registration and my car is now no longer legally drivable. I’m livid. I was livid, but I spent the entire afternoon talking to the dealer via email and phone and eventually got some actual progress.   The Jetta is returned.  The temp tags are on their way, overnight.  The registration is coming from the PA DMV and should be here (via a stop at home) soon.

But way to go, Winner Audi of Wilmington.  This is such an incredible hassle and I can’t quite understand how this level of fuckery was permissible.  Shouldn’t car dealers really be doing everything RIGHT in order to make customers as happy as possible even after they’ve bought a car?

In any case, thanks to Kate for loaning me Luda for the morning.  I hope she enjoyed the white, German driveway decoration on her day off.

About cars

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I could speak, easily, 4500 words about the 2010 BMW Z4 interior photo in the corner of last month’s Automobile magazine. But to who? Rigel is no longer as interested as he was as a baby and Clyde is napping.

I need an automotive design buff as a friend, universe!

Kill me now

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Can they at least die out with some dignity intact, please?

Read this review

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Dusty and Hoover (and anyone else I rattle on to about cars) will realize how excited the fact that Ford is FINALLY bringing it’s European line to the states has made me. And Jalopnik’s first review of the 2011 Ford Fiesta proves exactly why this is such a great idea: these are fantastic cars that people actually want to own. And they are already being made! It’s like we sat down, said “sales suck” and then did something logical. *phew*

In any case, I’m thrilled – I just wish we didn’t have to make the Fiesta a 2011 model. But whatever. If they can stay afloat for that long, I think Ford’s got some major sales in its future.

Like Top Gear on Acid

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(which is actually probably rather like regular Top Gear, but I digress)

Paranoia und Verschwörung in Bayern

All I can gather from this is that a Hungarian journalist had his camera confiscated while touring the BMW plant in Germany – after which, he totally lost it and decided to create a short story illustrated with crayon. It is magnificent.