[ShadowLvr400]

Does the Hyundai Sonata, at 3200-3400 lbs and 188 inches long, count as a LARGE car? If that's the case, wtf does my 4500 lbs, 225 inch car count as? 2 cars? A battleship? Its own nation?

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/SavingandDebt/P132552.asp?GT1=7162
They count the Ranger as a standard sized pickup too. No wonder these are some of the top fuel efficient cars in their classes, they're half the size of whta the class is supposed to be!!

 

[mccombie_5]

LOL its a yacht :cool2:

 

[90Brougham350]

How in God's name does a Ranger count for a full size pickup? Better watch out, they're gonna start calling Metros mid-sized before you know it.

Brian

 

[Jesda]

If the Ranger is full size, what the hell is a small pickup?

 

[Elvis]

First time that ever happened to me was 1986. I was renting a car in Chicago and they asked me if I wanted a large car or a mid-size.

A Taurus was considered "large" and a grand am was considered "mid-size". I was in L.A. in 1995 and rented a Cavalier which was considered "mid-sized" as well.

The Crown Vic was in a new class--"luxury".

 

[mccombie_5]

IS that so they get more money for cheaper cars?

A viccy isnt luxury, its full size, Taurusis mid, and anything smaller is compact or sub compact.

 

[Sandy]

Based upon the time frame of 70% of my life, all cars today are either compact or sub-compact, with the exception of the Crown Vic, Gr. Marquis, Bonneville, LeSabre, Impala which would all be mid-size. The De Ville & Town Car would be Full Size, and there are no luxury left.

 

[Elvis]

Based upon the time frame of 70% of my life, all cars today are either compact or sub-compact, with the exception of the Crown Vic, Gr. Marquis, Bonneville, LeSabre, Impala which would all be mid-size. The De Ville & Town Car would be Full Size, and there are no luxury left.

Amen.

 

[Sandy]

The last Luxury woulda been the 1976 Cadillac, 1979 Lincoln & 1978 Chrysler Imperial. Since then...........there has been No Luxury on the Grand Scale of things.

 

[mccombie_5]

Based upon the time frame of 70% of my life, all cars today are either compact or sub-compact, with the exception of the Crown Vic, Gr. Marquis, Bonneville, LeSabre, Impala which would all be mid-size. The De Ville & Town Car would be Full Size, and there are no luxury left.

Well i suppose over time, the cars become smaller and the classes have to adjust, for example, the VW Golf has moved up a class since it was first started.

The current VW Polo is now the size of the 70s Golf, the 70s Polo is now the size of a current Lupo

 

[Sandy]

It's a shame, Elvis, back when YOU ( ) were singing, we really had true Luxury cars, that didn't pretend to also be "Sporty" or (G_D forbid) SPORTS CARS ! Anyone today that thinks a 4 passenger, with cramped quarters in the rear, swathed in machine pleated leather, with plasticzised "wood" all over the place, measuring a mere 205 inches long, and a "peace" symbol on the hood, is a "Luxury Car" ~ simply because they spent $ 92,000 for it!. But, if you look around, you'll find that most of these hood-winked people were not even BORN when you were singing ! So, I mean like WTF, we really can't blame them. Madison Avenue and the movies usurped their brains, while affixing rose-colored glasses to their eyes, and the basis of my comparasions are now all in the junk yards, as they are at the very least, 16 years old OR more!
The only ones who didn't buy into the Peace Symbol were the limousine companies, the funeral directors, the hearse makers and the private livery companies, who have stood-fast with Lincoln & Cadillac. They could not be miffed by the Movies & Madison Avenue.
The sheep gladly went along for the ride.

 

[mccombie_5]

For me, the ultimate symbol of American luxury is a Cadillac Eldorado. 1972.

The symbol of British luxury was the Rolls Royce Corniche.

European luxury was defined by the Mercedes Benz 600 Pullman

 

[addison_ii]

Based upon the time frame of 70% of my life, all cars today are either compact or sub-compact, with the exception of the Crown Vic, Gr. Marquis, Bonneville, LeSabre, Impala which would all be mid-size. The De Ville & Town Car would be Full Size, and there are no luxury left.

I agree 100%. It's the same syndrome with gas prices. Raise them to $3.00 then drop them to $2.50 and we think it's a deal. Call the "big" cars luxury and raise prices, call the "small" cars full size and have the price lower than a "kuxury" size car and we think we've got a full size car at a low price. It's a Jedi mind trick.:yup:

 

[Sandy]

In the reality of it all, what means more to you, than your life? Using some extra gas, not getting the ultimate mileage, a couple hundred dollars more per year for car insurance, pale when compared to loss of life.

In 1974, I was in a big accident. I was doing nothing wrong. Some 16 year old, stole (of all things) a city sanatation truck, (better known as a Garbage Truck), and was running from the police. He turned down a side street, flying and at the end of the first block there was a STOP sign, which he chose to avoid. It that very moment, I was going across the street that had no STOP sign, but I was going like 25 MPH. I looked to my right, and I saw that I was gonna get clobbered (no worse feeling in the world) and I slmmed on the gas as I though I could get out of his way. No Way. He slammed into me on the side rear quarter panel, sending me into a 360 spin. The car did a 360, came out of it and because of the huge torque from introducing the gas pedal to the carpeting, she shot like a bullit our of the 360 and across the street & into a fire hydrant, immediately severing the hydrant at the entrance of it by the ground, causing a volcano-type erruption of water spray. Then the car went on & into a tree trunk.
The 5,250 pound 4-Door Hdt. Imperial LeBaron was totalled, and had to be removed on a "dolly" (Small trailer with wheels that they get the carcus up & on to.)
Me? I suffered a cut on the left elbow, that was attended to by First Aid Squad at the scene. They aren't making Garbage Trucks smaller, so I don't wanna downsize, either! Imagine if I was in a small or mid-size car?

 

[addison_ii]

In the reality of it all, what means more to you, than your life? Using some extra gas, not getting the ultimate mileage, a couple hundred dollars more per year for car insurance, pale when compared to loss of life.

In 1974, I was in a big accident. I was doing nothing wrong. Some 16 year old, stole (of all things) a city sanatation truck, (better known as a Garbage Truck), and was running from the police. He turned down a side street, flying and at the end of the first block there was a STOP sign, which he chose to avoid. It that very moment, I was going across the street that had no STOP sign, but I was going like 25 MPH. I looked to my right, and I saw that I was gonna get clobbered (no worse feeling in the world) and I slmmed on the gas as I though I could get out of his way. No Way. He slammed into me on the side rear quarter panel, sending me into a 360 spin. The car did a 360, came out of it and because of the huge torque from introducing the gas pedal to the carpeting, she shot like a bullit our of the 360 and across the street & into a fire hydrant, immediately severing the hydrant at the entrance of it by the ground, causing a volcano-type erruption of water spray. Then the car went on & into a tree trunk.
The 5,250 pound 4-Door Hdt. Imperial LeBaron was totalled, and had to be removed on a "dolly" (Small trailer with wheels that they get the carcus up & on to.)
Me? I suffered a cut on the left elbow, that was attended to by First Aid Squad at the scene. They aren't making Garbage Trucks smaller, so I don't wanna downsize, either! Imagine if I was in a small or mid-size car?

Not to make light of the situation but Sandy would have been a sandwich. Glad you like Imperials or we wouldn't have someone to give us all the production info on the Caddys. Or car trivia. Or tease his friends on the forum with his mint 60. I have always liked the bigger cars. I have a bad accident myself. In 1999, December 18th to be exact. A guy in a Silverado late 70-mid 80's hit me while trying to cut me off going 70. He hit me and my car spun and headed towards the cement median. We hit it at an undetermined speed but we survived.the Front end was smashed because we hit head-on. That was in a 90 Bonneville SSE. The car sat for 5 months. I put a battery in it and sold for $500 and the guy drove it away. While not a fullsize, it was built sturdy enough to save my cousin's and my own life.

 

[mccombie_5]

Woah, cool story Sandy :cool2: glad you were okay.

My wife had an accident a few years back. She drove a 1983 Mercedes Benz 300TD Wagon (two years old, belonged to her parents). Her traffic light changed, and she pulled out to turn left, as she did a quarry truck broke the red light and ran over the front of her car. There was literally nothing left in front of the A-Pillar. My pal was actually behind the truck because he had nearly done the same thing to him at the previous traffic light, and he floored it and followed the truck until the police took over.

HE was put in prison for 5 years, for driving over the legal alcohol limit, speeding, dangerous driving, driving without due care and attention.

Had she of been in anything smaller, she would be dead, along with my son who was in the front passenger seat.

 

[addison_ii]

Wow, that really shows that there is a practical need for big cars. Alot of people in big cars have survived accidents just because of the size of the vehicle. small cars are like empty soda(pop) cans, easy to crush.

 

[mccombie_5]

Wow, that really shows that there is a practical need for big cars. Alot of people in big cars have survived accidents just because of the size of the vehicle. small cars are like empty soda(pop) cans, easy to crush.

Yeah, those old Benzes werentthat huge, but it was a sizeable car and the truck crushed the engine totally, there were bits of it still stuck under the truck, they found the MB grille under the reaer wheels.

I belive the size of the car saved my wife and child. Especially considering the car i owned at the time, which they could easily have been in, rather than Claire's parents car.

A BMW 635i, not the most protective of cars.

This is the type of vehicle she was driving:
http://worldclassmotorcars.com/carImages/85300TDWAGBLKPAL.JPG

 

[addison_ii]

It looks kind of like my 1980 280se I had. Sedan not wagon though. Same wheels too.

 

[mccombie_5]

It looks kind of like my 1980 280se I had. Sedan not wagon though. Same wheels too.

Same car....just the wagon version.

Her mother's had the 3.0 Diesel engine