The Lounge

I just started a summer job this week doing office work for a law firm. It's literally a 9-to-5 job. It has it's ups and downs but the days go by pretty quickly. I don't have the capability or time to access C&G while at work, so I'll start trying to catch up on the news better when I get home.

Okay, so I'm new (and quickly becoming addicted) to buying stuff on eBay. The latest auction I've become interested in is a BuyItNow () auction with the option of Best Offer (). I plan on making an offer, rather than resorting to paying the BuyItNow price. On the Submit Best Offer page, it says “Make this offer your Best Offer. You can only make 1 offer on this item.”. My question is, if my offer is declined...that's it? I can't counter-offer with a higher amount? If that's the case, anyone have any advice on how low the seller might be willing to go? I mean, why make the Best Offer option available if you aren't willing to sell at a lower price? TIA -Bim…

My God... ABCNews

This weekend, two vinyl-philes (my buddy and I) will pack themselves into a Nissan Juke and hit seven great record stores in three states in about 12 hours! Not only that, but they'll spend quality time in each store and, most likely, pick up a few records along the way! Check in with Automotive Traveler's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AutomotiveTraveler) and follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/samfiorani) for constant updates! Perhaps we'll even see you along the road. The snow's on the way, but the Nissan Juke and its all-wheel drive are ready. We'll be hitting the Record Connection when they open their doors in the morning. After that, we'll be heading over to AKA…

Greenpeace Commercial This is what Greenpeace would like the world to be if it had its way... I thought they were about saving the environment and happiness... not being a bunch of d*cks...

So the deal is I finally want to make a website for...uhmmm.....whatever this is that I'm doing as a career lately. Only every front door design I've come up with....well....sucks. So here is what you'd be designing. Basically all I need is a front door for "Chris Doane Automotive." I dont have a logo or anything yet. I'd also need some kind of buttons (or some design element) linking off the front door to pages for "Prototype Spy Photography," "Automotive Product Photography" and "Future Product Information." As for tech specs...I assume anyone doing this will have Photoshop. Please keep all the design elements in seperate layers so I can adjust them afterwards if I wa…

I would've given this kid an A for creativity.

Frankly, I' like some cheaper insurance, please. What I'm thinking: 1- Keeping my insurance as is for now ( I have AAA). My agent told me that cheaper rates are on the way. I know AAA is on the higher end, but one thing that has impressed me about them is that I have had great service, which is hard to find. I also believe you shouldn't always run to the cheapest rate all the time, because I have seen friend burned by doing just that.. 2-Taking a risk and trying something new (I pan to shop around anyways). I would like to find a company that I could stick around with for a while.....I'd rather pay a few extra bucks a month than pay out the butt for/after an accid…

Hey everyone, Just a quick question for you: If you had to think of the best name to describe people who like to modify and customize their cars and trucks what would it be? Tuners? Modders? Restylers? Or something else? I know this sounds like a joke (and I'm actually waiting to see the creativity of some of our forum members) but I have been giving this a lot of thought. Tuners make me immediately think of imports only, restylers make me think immediately of professionals and modders bring to mind something else entirely. SO, what do you call people who like to play with their cars?

Found this on Yahoo about 9 models that blow you away with small engines. First and foremost is this from the story: Qoute "Sedan or coupe, the compact Caddy is among the industry’s best-kept secrets, more fun to drive than even a BMW 3-Series. That lively, engaging personality is best experienced with the 2.0-liter turbo four, rather than the pricier and more pedestrian 3.6-liter V-6, or the outright anemic 2.5-liter four sans turbocharger." Over all a great read and even SMK's lowly Mercedes Benze gets a spot. https://www.yahoo.com/autos/nine-models-that-prove-small-engines-can-beat-big-116392112457.html

I heard an interview on TV yesterday with oil tycoon Boone Pickens, and he said that global oil production is currently peaking at 85 million barrels per day, and that demand is still not quenched by this supply. Because of this, the price of oil will continue to increase. I think that some more supply might be squeezed out in the next decade, but regardless, I may be one of the few that hopes the price of oil continues to increase. I can afford to pay $6 per gallon of gas, that may seem selfish, but I feel like that is the best thing for this country. The best motivation for development of alternative fuels is financial motivation, people will only take electric-onl…

After about a month of serious "I want an Enclave", the car talk from my mother died down. Then at Thanksgiving, I picked up an '07 Malibu 1LT 4-cyl and had it for a month while my Cadillac was being repaired post-accident...and the new frumpy mobile spurred a whole new family conversation. Why? First trip I made in it, after being very impressed by the general build quality, refinement, and performance, I got an easy 37.0mpg highway doing 70-80. Owning an LT1 Fleetwood, that essentially dumbfounded me, and I praised the car and its gas sipping (but very zippy) 2.2L everyday I had it. I could definitely see how it wasn't greatly reviewed (the '04-07 is built well an…

What does the Mexican Pimp say to his 'ladies' when they start complaining? Take it E-C, HO! I laugh a little every time I look at an Echo now. Take your normal pimping wares, add sombrero and substitute Echo for Cadillac.

Aside from sitting on C&G what are your hobbies? I have 2 main hobbies... Winter Hobby, snowmobiling. Used to do more ice drag racing but backed away from that to put some cash toward hobby #2 ('68 Camaro PT build). Here was my Pro-Stock 1000 that I built a couple years back. 1000cc 3 cyl 255hp. Ran 1/8 mile (660 feet) on ice in 5.5 at 122 mph. Not the fastest but respectable at the time. Trail sled '07 Polaris 700. Adding some NOS to it for this coming season. The kit is currently on the bench. 140 hp stock, 150 with pipe and mild upgrades. NOS will be an added 30-40hp shot. video Hobby #2... '68 Camaro Pro-Touring project. Stil…

Hope you had a good one!

Plymouth in it's heyday had huge sales, often in the top three in America. It was sad to see this brand disappear. It was created as an economy division. The name Plymouth is often thought to derive from the landing of the Pilgrims, but what finalized the deal for the name was the very popular, at the time, 'Plymouth Bindertwine'...which most people were aware of. Plymouth went onto great success. Here are some of my favorite Plymouths.

We all like talking about food. It's too hard to construct a mutliple-choice poll for this, so I'm just listing the food I like. 1) Italian food - some of it is better than an orgasm 2) Greek food - a lot of Middle Eastern food is equally good - there are some awesome Greek combo platters caution: there is some bad Greek food out there and, if it's lamb, it has to be fresh and not gamy 3) American food - reliable The food I can't stand is of the variety that will make you "keel over" from the smell when you walk into the place that serves it - Ethiopian, Indian and Thai Your favorite food(s)? (What foods don't you like?)

Yup, a curse. Let me explain. I have never thought much of luxury cars - they just aren't my thing. And, now that performance has become so closely associated with luxury, non-luxury performance cars are nearly extinct. Ticks me off.

I'd like to kick this person square in the testicles... but I suspect he lacks any, even though his driver's license says "M" under sex. http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/1306078512.html

Alright, it's self-explanatory. Share your preferences.

Commuting to work this morning, I thought this was a joke. But it's true. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the "workhorse" of the bridges in the Bay Area, is closed. This one connects to the city to the East Bay where millions of people live in Oakland, Berkeley, and many other towns. (The postcard bridge, the Golden Gate, connects the city to more remote, way more expensive and less populous areas). Unlike almost exactly 20 years ago (Oct 17, 1989) when the Loma Prieta Quake popped a section out of the roadway, this time, there was no natural disaster. A connecting rod on the "East Span," which they are actually replacing with an entirely new bridge as we spe…

Polish newspaper claims 'Pedobear' is 2010 Vancouver Olympic mascot A Polish newspaper mistakenly identified "Pedobear", a notorious internet meme, as one of the mascots of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The Gazeta Olsztynska published an image showing the bear alongside genuine Olympic mascots Quatchi, Sumi, Miga and Mukmuk to illustrate a feature about the Games. It appears that the newspaper lifted the picture from Google Images, unaware that it had been created as a prank by Michael Barrick, a Canadian artist and graphic designer. Pedobear, who is on the far right of the picture, was originally devised by members of the anarchic 4chan message board as …

Source: Left Lane News Sounds pretty damn sweet if you ask me. I'm really excited to see if they really are using an LS9 and see what the specs and stats are on this car...

Catch my restaurant; Cabo Fish Taco, on Diners, Dives & Drive Ins tonight at 10 on the Food Network! I might be in some of the shots.

New technology banishes window fogging. http://www.channel4.com/4car/news/news-sto...p?news_id=12922

Voice your opinions in here. I'd have to say I'm the winnar!

http://dieselpowermag.com/features/ford/0511dp_f650/

OK class, the word of the day is: DISTURBING. Who can put it in a sentence? :)

All this hoopla about the Camaro got me thinking - it's not that I don't like the Camaro, I just don't like muscle cars in general when it comes to my purchasing decisions. If I had to tow a trailer or boat, sure, a V8 makes sense. But, would you buy a V8 just for the speed and torque?

Hmm, best one has to be the Bud ad with the streaking sheep. The insurance ad where they killed the fly with the defibrillator takes 2nd.

Since I took pics of pics of my family's wrecked vehicles... took some of non-wrecked ones, too. Again, our 00 Grand Am SE wrecked: Our 89 Regal and 96 Grand Am SE sitting beside each other: Our old 83 Plymouth Turismo and 8? Cutlass: My cousin's 91 Firebird: BTW, please excuse me as a baby... Those are the only pics I have of these vehicles. Also excuse the poor quality. I don't have a scanner as you know... So I have to take pictures of pictures with my digicam and as you also know, my digicam sucks.

On the lot: What's hot, what's not! Solstice sells in 14 days while Crossfire sits for 302 Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News In Miami, the wait for a Mini Cooper can be weeks. At East Coast Toyota in Wood Ridge, N.J., tiny Scion cars are sold even before they are unloaded from the carrier. “There’s a six-week waiting list for the Scion tC,” said John Dee, sales manager at the Toyota store, one of the largest in the Northeast. And in many U.S. showrooms, the Pontiac Solstice, Chevrolet HHR, BMW 6 series and Ford Fusion run in short supply. But for every hot seller, there’s a lonely car in the back of the lot that has been waiting a long time to find an owner. How q…

But man... Girlfriend Poster

Well, since the crash I knew I was going to need to get a new car, its inevitable. Since the crash I've been driving around in a less than perfect 1992 Honda Accord LX 2-door 5-speed. I figured that as long as I had it I wouldn't need to make a rash decision on a new car and I'd be able to save some money up, put some money towards baby-related stuff and get my finances in order before deciding on how much and what I want. Well, last night the Accord lost second gear (it just grinds when I try to put it in second, makes driving interesting) and I dont have high hopes for the rest of the car. So I figured that I would take suggestions/comments from the peanut gallery b…

I don't know how it's doing anywhere else, but today we probably sold more cars than all of the other days I've worked there combined. It was nuts. We were constantly getting something for delivery, and they were working on more sales when 5PM rolled around too (which is when I leave).

Lately the Geo Prizm has been very slow to accelerate, and all mashing the gas does is cause the engine to make a lotta noise So here we were, last Monday, and my girlfriend and I were driving home from paying a bill. We're about a mile from home, and at a stop light. All of a sudden we both smell something burning, when the light turns green she tries to go but the car hardly moves. I tell her to pull into the nearest parking lot, and we do going like 5 mph. We pull in, I pop the hood, and there's some smoke coming from the tranny. I figure the clutch went. So in hundred+ heat we walk about halfway home until her aunt comes by and pics us up, and the car is towed to a …

So, my television coughed-up its last about a month ago. I'm considering canceling my FIOS TV service instead of replacing the TV. Sure, there is some stuff I'll miss, but I don't think I'll miss it very much. Why not save a little cash?

This has to be one of the coolest auto ads I have ever seen.

My, you're getting so big! Happy 6th Birthday!

Hmm......this is interesting... My friends ( who would love to set the wagon on fire on roll ot down a hill ) seem to be car hunting for me, though I'm not too sure why....for a new beater. So far, they have found a few... 95 civic 4dr, 105k, auto, almost 90% highway, about 1100 bucks... 96 Dodge Neon 4dr, 86k, 900 bucks..... 95 Plymouth Neon (we had one on these! ) 4dr, 92k, needs a starter, 700 bucks o/b/o.. Worth looking at any of these? I'm not exactly in any rush to rid myself of the ol' wagon (though it is going to need a bit of work soon) Though I'm afraid a door might rust off......

...if they had, I would have kept my eyes closed more. I have YET to see a Dodge Dart on the road, but I got accosted by this a few minutes ago:

Flybrian's Random Car Showcase Presents... The 1998-99 Cadillac Fleetwood Limited Through boredom and...well, just boredom, I bring you the second in likely many little 'diaries' of a completely random car. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1998 Cadillac Fleetwood Limited Lima, Ohio is not home to many things. Some oil was drilled there. Hugh Downs of 20/20 fame worked there. Ford's 3.5l Duratec is made there as was Phyllis Diller. But it is home to one of America's - if not the world's - most experienced and respected coachworks: Superior Coaches. Ten years after its formation in 1915, Superior began to modify existing auto chassis to accomodated customized hearse and ambul…

$22.95 rented Monte Carlo? Check. $39.95 Travelodge at San Francisco's airport motel strip? (Not a mistake, either). Check. Super Bowl that day? Meh. It can be taped and I don't care about Chicago or Indianapolis. Wouldn't have missed this for the world. It was worth the schlep down to SF and back to see this. This is truly the grand dame of the sea. 1. People waiting on the ocean side of the Golden Gate 2. You could catch her outline in the distance prior to this but, at last, she comes into view. Look at all the boats and helicopters circling her. 3. Made a run to the bay side of the Golden Gate to watch her pass underneath. She's big. 4. Wow! Abo…

Need to locate them to match a car..... anyone have any clue as to the whereabouts/Producer of the tire?

Jimmie Johnson won the rain delayed Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway earlier today. Chevrolet - in particular Hendrick Motorsports - has dominated the season winning 9 of the 10 races with HMS claiming 7 of those. In the final running order Chevrolet grabbed the first four spots and six of the top ten. 1. 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 2. 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Kellogg's / CARQUEST 3. 11 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet FedEx Express 4. 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 5. 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 6. 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 7. 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Reese's 8. 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet The Home Depot 9. 07 …

good thing we locked the door. we thought she'd nap longer. crap, now i gotta wait for days on end again.

I just wanted to wish everyone an early Happy New Year! I'm off to Omaha so I won't have any C&G access until tomorrow. Best wishes to all and safe travels!

Anyone here heard of those designer dogs? You know, where they take a full blooded standard poodle and mix it with a lab or a golden retriever, or take a pug and mix it with a poodle. Did you also know they charge in upwards of $1000 for one of these dogs? That is crazy! They are mutts. While mutts are great dogs and I love them all, breeding dogs is not about money, it is about improving the breeds and freeing the breed from diseases such as canine hip displasia and eye diseases. These designer dog breeders are ripping people off by providing low quality dogs. These are not quality dogs from a health standpoint, and while they will be great dogs during their y…

Have a good day, sir!

Have a good one and don't drink too much!

lease is up early fall. I'm thinking about what i want to replace the 500 with. either a people mover, basic sedan, or a sporty vehicle. It would be nice to have an AWD vehicle. Ford has an advantage for me for a few reasons. Dealer is excellent - one price, 2 miles away and its convenient for service and shuttles, even if the car is super reliable. I like Sync. My last 3 fords have been completely reliable and dependable. that said, i am not closing the door on something else. Price and mpg will likely matter and chances are good I will lease again. There is a chance I may just buy a used car too. in fact, the economy the way it is, gas prices, we could …

I can HARDLY wait......!!!!!!! And it opens on my birthday!!!!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzvAJg7gThU

remember playing oregon trail in school. when you got to the big rivers you could get a guide, ask advice, caulk your wagon and float or if you were brave enough, forge that bad boy. taking the forging to the extreme... cant we not get these here? onward.... Haoooooooo!

I've got plenty of ideas on this front, but I want to hear yours. How would you leverage, manage, adapt, modify, collect, or otherwise tweak GM's brand structures into a more workable state? Don't give me lists of cars to add, or switch, or eliminate for each brand, instead describe the approach you would take and the framework of that approach.

Unhappy America If America can learn from its problems, instead of blaming others, it will come back stronger http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaySt...ory_ID=11791539 NATIONS, like people, occasionally get the blues; and right now the United States, normally the world’s most self-confident place, is glum. Eight out of ten Americans think their country is heading in the wrong direction. The hapless George Bush is partly to blame for this: his approval ratings are now sub-Nixonian. But many are concerned not so much about a failed president as about a flailing nation. One source of angst is the sorry state of American capitalism. The "Washington consensus" told th…

...to total up the miles driven in 2008 and put the older Monte Carlos away for the winter ... this time, including the '87 MC LS, if I can find a satisfactory "winter" (and possibly "road trip") car.... Sunday, November 23 ... I drove the older 4 MCs for the first time in over a month, due in part to not-so-nice weather on the weekends and other plans. I filled each gas tank and added StaBil to each one, so they are ready for winter storage, when that time actually arrives. I almost had 'em all out on Thanksgiving Day, but a certain 2-week-old nephew made it hard to leave the house that Thursday.... So, instead, Friday, November 28 (another sunny, relatively warm d…

Take care and enjoy yourself.

Border security isn't the problem Washington Post The notion that the first thing to do is "secure the border" between the United States and Mexico -- and only then worry about comprehensive immigration reform -- falls somewhere between hopeful fantasy and cynical cop-out. It's a good sound bite but would be a ridiculous policy. Fact-based analysis is increasingly out of fashion, however, and so the border-first hallucination has become popular among politicians and pundits reacting to Arizona's new "breathing while Latino" law. The measure, which has sparked angry protests nationwide, orders police to act on "reasonable suspicion" in identifying, arresting and jailin…

Go drink some beer then I'll lean up against my MAXX and you can spank me. We'll see if my knee can take the abuse, and see if I can feel anything through all these drugs.

TAIPEI, December 4, 2005 - Yi Tien Electronics today announced a breakthrough news delivery system for the restroom. At a press conference, Yi Tien Electronics unveiled the rsstroom reader™, an rss reader for the restroom which prints directly to toilet tissue through RapidResolution® inkjet technology. Complete with wireless connectivity, the rsstroom reader™ will print out up to the minute articles from rss 2.0 and atom newsfeeds. Configurable via web browser*, the rsstroom reader™ can be set up to output an unlimited number of feeds in either sequential, alternating, or random mode. Included with the rsstroom reader™ deluxe package is the biometric seat which allows fo…

What Car is a Definite Home(r) Run? Monday, 11th October, 2010 by "black-knight" I'm sure that if you're an average American you've probably watched Fox's long-running animated sitcom "The Simpsons" at one point in your lifetime. I'm also sure that if you're an average American who likes cars that's watched that aforementioned TV show, you know about The Homer, the car protagonist Homer Simpson designed himself for his half-brother's (Herb Powell) domestic automobile manufacturer, Powell Motors. Okay, well, if you didn't before now, now you do and you can see that hunk of fictional American metal in the header above. Now, there's an old saying that goes, "Life i…

I decided query Internet Movie Database to see how many celebrities out there hail from my hometown of Bridgeport. The only ones I'm familiar with are Richard Belzer (must be why I'm a big Law and Order: SVU fan), John Ratzenberger and Brian Dennehy. Full Bridgeport list (73): http://www.imdb.com/BornWhere?Bridgeport,%...necticut,%20USA Search for your hometown here: http://imdb.com/BornWhere?[Insert city],%20[Insert State],%20[Insert Country]

Well since I've just about squeezed blood out of a rock wiht the 4 door hardtop thread I figured it was time to finally get around to a 2 door hardtop Thread. If you don't like the thread, great... move on. But if you do post some of your favorites. It's always nice to share personal favorites. I'm going to kick this thread off wihtthe crazy oddballs. Japanese Hardtops, mostly from the late 1960s to the mid 1970s. Some of these you might not have ever seen others you may not ever even known existed. Once we get these kooky Jalopies out of the way we can move on to the 70s domestic land yachts, 60s mucle cars & 50s finned wonders. All with pillarless hardtop greenh…

For two simple reasons: This & This.

Five months ago this time, all we saw was Katrina aftermath footage. It was pretty grim. Most sickening was the dead guy in his lawn chair near the Superdome as well as the things that reportedly took place inside the Superdome. Now, we don't see much about it. In about a month, Mardi Gras will be around. People ask the question as to whether they should rebuild. I say "absolutely." I've been to some places but I have never been to N.O. because every time I was driving through on 10 back to LA, I had too much stuff in the car and did not want to invite "curiosity." New Orleans is an important city. At the mouth of the Mississippi, its harbor handles more cargo tha…

This has to be one of the best shows on TV ever. Hilarious as usual: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5...duration%3Along (To BV and others on dialup....well....if you start it loading and go to bed it might be done by morning?)

So right now im looking at replacements for the Mercury. I prefer and early 90's sedan with a V8 and RWD and it needs to be domestic. Any ideas?

I was walking down the street with a friend of mine in Toronto and this woman approached us and gave us some free passes for an advanced screening of "World Trade Center". I wasn't too keen on seeing this movie, as I was kind of worried that it would be more flag-waving sappy drivel like "Pearl Harbor" (the movie). Since my friend wanted to go, and we didn't have anything better to do, I let her convince me. I missed the very beginning (probably about 5 minutes), so I didn't get to see how they treated the actual event. However, this movie was not what I expected. This was much more a personal story about three people and how them and their families were affected that …

I'm selling a car and a guy that called me is interested in a trade for a Caddy STS... I think it was a 97. I wasn't really planning a trade but I do like the STS and that would save me the hassle of going car hunting... What should I look for? I haven't seen it yet and I don't even know the miles so I don't have my hopes up for actually trading, but it does interest me. Like I said I love the STS... what problems are common in them? Where should I look to see if the guy actually took care of it or not?

Chinese Police Get In Hot Water With Mercedes ML Police Car William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com July 10, 2011 In the your not fooling anyone file, a police department in Fangchenggang (part of Guangxi Province)bought a new Mercedes Benz ML350 SUV to be used a police car. The police department spent about 900,000 yuan ($139,000 USD)to get it into their fleet. To fool the citizens of Fangchenggang, the department decided to rebadge the ML350 into a Honda CR-V which only costs about 200,000 yuan ($30,000 or so). The plan was foolproof or so they thought. The citizens of Fengchenggang were not impressed with the rebadge job and ridiculed the …

I thought this was hilarious. I am indeed a Mopar guy, probably more than a GM guy but I have switched back and forth many times. I have a passion for both companies very much. This was on a 409 in a 59 Bel Air, correct me if I am wrong with the year. The 409 is probably one of my favourite engines other than the HEMI or 572. This was from the GM Heritage Center where a couple of employees' cars were shown. Here are the pics.

Actually two of them...both factory five... Nick's GF awaiting a ride in the GTO I got a chance to drive this Vee Dub...lots of fun... Me in the Miata before my son messed it up a bit... The GTO in action...