But I think our definition of "large car" may be different. I consider Broncos to be enormous.

I used to, but the other cars got bigger. It's kind of scary how wee Explorers look now. Still, leggy 6'8" people need something to drive, I suppose. Were it not for them, I'd ban everything larger than a late-model Accord.

No one, however, needs a Hummer for city traffic.

I emain unconvinced that anyone needs a Hummer for anything civilian, period, except maybe as dick compensation.

Betsy, I love you dearly, and I know you love your Scion, but it still blocks out the sun when I'm behind one, and I swear at them as much as a I swear at any SUV with a tall ceiling.

I'm OK with the Accord size - I think it's actually bigger than Ripper by a bit, and the same basic size as the Camry.

Be warned, though - any attempt to remove my brother's late sixties Rolls Royce from his possession will likely result in body parts, and he's not a violent human being, either.

any attempt to remove my brother's late sixties Rolls Royce from his possession will likely result in body parts

I think most pre-oil crisis cars get a certain amount of grandfathering. I'd love an early 60s T-bird and they are not small cars.

My definition of large car changed when I realized how very few station wagons are out there and that, consequently, I needed to size up the smaller SUVs alongside of them.

Damn, erika... Just damn.

I feel like hell and am crawling into a bubble bath and then bed. I suspect the year will end no matter, and I will prefer to start 2005 without being sick.

Happy New Year's!

Of course, the upholstery never really recovered from the great bean salad disaster of '85.

Tell me about it. Following the Great Claret Disaster of '04, I expect my burgundy Scion to have a color-coordinated smell from here forward.

Burrell, I've always had an odd soft spot for the Subaru Forester. They get superb mileage, they hold things and people, and they're very nicely proportioned.

Nic used to drive a Toyota mid-serventies longframe Land Cruiser. Thing is, he also carried a full PA system around in it. People who seriously need to haul stuff for their gigs, I totally grok the SUV thing.

I loved my last car. A Chevy Cavalier station wagon, 1990 vintage. Not sexy, but she moved all my stuff about twenty times over ten years and three states, and she never let me down. She had over 200,000 miles on her when I was finally convinced to sell her, and I never had anything more major done than replacing the alternator once. Dang. I want that car back.

I'm not sure where small trucks fit on the giant car spectrum. My Nissan Frontier gets pretty good mileage, and I like being able to haul things. Plus, they are cheap. I've driven this same basic truck for 17 years--11 years for the first one and six for this one.

Wm Shatner is on Comedy Central singing.

The audience is getting into the cheese