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SAN DIEGO 鈥� At auto shows such as a recent one in San Diego, so much says 鈥渘ew and shiny鈥� it鈥檚 easy to miss what鈥檚 old and disappearing. Such as manual transmissions.

I鈥檝e learned to live with certain idiosyncrasies on my 2004 Chevy Malibu.

Nissan gets its Kicks The Sleuth applauds the automaker for its entry into the small-and-tall-wagon market.

The 2018 Fiat 124 Spider pays homage to the original 124 Spider, introduced 50 years ago and revived for 2017, with classic Italian styling and performance.

Buick鈥檚 history is loaded with big vehicles, from the Electra 225 of the 1960s, to the Roadmaster Estate wagon that ended production after 1996. Today, it鈥檚 the Enclave luxury utility wagon that earns tops-in-size honours in Buick鈥檚 lineup.

The 2018 Hyundai Sonata is a testament to the fast-paced environment car manufacturers operate within 鈥� and the lengths some will go to keep their offerings fresh and appealing to consumers. Auto manufacturers update their vehicles periodically.

You can鈥檛 always get what you want. Instead, you settle for something else. You may want to live in an oceanfront villa or mountain cabin; your bank balance assigns you to residing in a townhouse, one of 340 identical units.

First impressions count for a lot, especially in the automobile business. Designs that fall flat will fail to attract buyers and the dollars go elsewhere.

If the shape of the 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia doesn鈥檛 get your heart pumping just looking at it, nothing will. But when you get behind the wheel, you won鈥檛 feel your beating heart because the performance will take your breath away.

No automotive name in modern times is cited more often as an example of failure than Edsel. In earlier times, perhaps the 1934-1937 Chrysler/DeSoto Airflow models came closest.