The Lounge

What are some cars of the last 25-30 years that nobody in their right mind wants, but were unique-special-a creative half assed attempt for their time? Or are way over rated by their fan base? Triumph TR-7 3rd gen Mazda RX-7 (first two gen's were cool but third gen cars are fragile on a good day) Sterling Anything built by the French Anything built by the Koreans Damn near anything built by Fiat All of the itinerations of the GTI Volkswagen between the first gen and current gen (first and current gen are decent cars, but what came in between is about like a cow patty sandwich) Porsche 924 Porsche 914 1980-81 Turbo Trans Am Firebird Delorean Chryler…

Just how much wealth have we exported by buying foreign cars since 1970?

On my way into Brookville each day, I pass this ever multiplying group of "Old Navy" Chevy pick-ups. It started with one. On to two. Then three... and four, five, six, seven, eight... There are now over a dozen of these things sitting there. More and more keep popping up. I have no idea why or how, either.

What would have been done differently since that time?

http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~kurisuto/rusty/rusty.html

I don't know about you, but this summer blasted by me like a ZR1. Post your interesting and unusual vehicle spots right here, and enjoy what we have left of summer!

What bodystyle, drivetrain, configuration, segment, or niche do you feel is unrepresented or under-represented in the US market?

WASHINGTON – An elderly gunman opened fire with a rifle inside the crowded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, gravely wounding a security guard before being shot. Authorities said they were investigating a white supremacist as the possible shooter. The assailant was in critical condition, said Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty. D.C. Police Chief Kathy Lanier said the gunman appeared to have acted alone. He was "engaged by security guards immediately after entering the door" with a rifle, she said. The museum normally has a heavy security presence with guards positioned both inside and outside. All visitors are required to pass through metal detectors at…

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) - A Canadian judge ruled Thursday that a man accused of beheading and cannibalizing a fellow Greyhound bus passenger is not criminally responsible due to mental illness. The decision means Chinese immigrant Vince Li will be treated in a mental institution instead of going to prison. The family of victim Tim McLean dismissed the trial as a "rubber stamp" that allows Li to get away with murder. "A crime was still committed here, a murder still occurred," said Carol deDelley, McLean's mother. "There was nobody else on that bus holding a knife, slicing up my child." The judge said Li should not be held criminally accountable for stabbing McLea…

Tesla Model S: $50,000 EV sedan seats seven, 300-mile range, 0-60 in 5.5s It's been a long and difficult road, but Tesla Motors has made it to unveiling No. 2. After a lot of hype and delivery of 250 Tesla Roadsters, the company's Model S was unveiled today in Hawthorne, California. Tesla was incredibly careful about not leaking a lot of information before today – designing the Model S at a high-security rocket facility helped with that, but we still got a peek a few hours ago – and now that it's here, we love what we see. As for new information on the Tesla For The Rest Of Us (sort of), follow the jump for all the details and check out the gallery of high res photos…

Coming out of my neighborhood this morning saw a sharp bright red w/ black vinyl top '69 Camaro Z/28. In the parking lot down at the beach I saw this silver w/ black top '71/72 Chevelle SS..

Post your time here. 5-speed Cobalt LS, 16.2

What is so exciting about The OC, Laguna Beach, Real World, etc? Why do these kids base their lives around them?

Something to think about!! Very interesting statistics Subject: A little gun history You read the contents of this message and decide for yourself the validity of the information! Thought you might appreciate this . In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. ------------------------------ In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. ------------------------------ Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a total …

I like Formula, but a friend of mine was saying how it has gotten boring, it isn't as good as the old days, there is no passing Mercedes always wins, etc. Which got me thinking how great would a racing league be where all cars had to have a 3800 V6? This way there is strategy in car selection and it would reward skilled driving. Some basic rules: 240 hp max (the GNX and Twin Turbo Trans Am would not be allowed) Stock wheels, but you could put on any tires you want Can remove excess weight like spare tire and jack, can't change the body or remove seats No engine modifications, but allowed to put new oil, filters, spark, plugs, etc to keep it maintained Races…

What are those features about a car that you just love? I'm not talking so much about "I love a car with a ton of horsepower" or "a car that gets a billion mpg", but the little things that just make you smile. The first one that comes to my mind is the gas cap door with a release inside the car. I also like map lights that are semi-shaded - the light does not have a direct path to your eyes, but more down at the seats, making them much nicer at night. So, what are your favorite features?

I imagine most here use Windows. I'm curious what percentage of Mac and Linux users we have here. Myself, I must use windows at work, but I dual boot into Ubuntu Linux when I'm at home. I just upgraded to Ubuntu - Intrepid over the weekend and it's great. Everything JustWorks� and speed is great on this older machine.

Yup, he just killed another one. It was a huge one this time, and he has a hole in his nose to show for it. It must have pissed him off when it bit him, because he just wouldn't stop chomping on it long after it was dead. I think he broke every bone in its body. Sure is interesting living with a couple of wolves.

Today as I sat behind yet another Toyota Highlander Limited 4X4 Automatic V6 at a stop light, it hit me...all of this badging announcing to the world what your car is equiped with really makes me mad! It is unsightly, usually misalligned, and truthfully, what purpose does it serve? Add to it the obligatory dealership logo tag, and it really starts cluttering up the back ends of cars. Am I the only person who hates this? Also, a worst offenders or oddest thing you have ever seen listed on the back of a car as an option list would be fun to read. I really hope that GM cuts down on the badging I have seen in early shots shown here of the G8 GT V8...all of which was p…

After riding the TEST TRACK ride at EPCOT a little over a week ago, the wife and I cruised around the showroom looking at what GM had on display. She liked the Ming Blue Buick Lucerne CXL V6 a lot and hated the maroon Chevy HHR 2LT. I really liked the Saturn AURA XR - but she likes the Lucerne more. So I ask for your opinion on this matter. Which do you think is the better buy/car??? Feel free to post your thoughts in a reply after voting. And TIA!!!

1992 Skylark Cowcatcher nose and all, 'tis a good deal.

So I'm on one of my aviation forums and I get to a discussion about GM vs. Toyota... someone provoked me about Toyota's superiority, so I posted this: He Replied I Replied Someone Else Replied To Which I Replied Ever run across ignorant people like that... I mean jeez... just cause it isn't on CNN, it isn't true! What would you say in my situation.

I wonder what people feel what GM lacks most, is it powertrain, fit/finish, comfort features or looks(inside and out). I feel personally that currently they are lacking in plain looks, they are well engineered but the looks of the new stuff is lame.. most still look cheap or give me the feeling that I am in something old!

What cars that havn't been made in years do you all the sudden see a lot of now. Normal cars only, no collectable type cars. I all of the sudden am seeing lots of Chevy Corsicas

Did a Holden, like, run over your dog? Did a Monaro sleep with your wife? Maybe a Commodore ate your last M&M? :AH-HA_wink:

Last Saturday for lunch I went and checked out a new sushi restaurant in town. I like my sushi spicy, so when I spotted a three-roll spicy combo on the menu, I knew what I wanted. Except... one of the rolls was octopus, and I am scared of octopus. Tuna and salmon are lovely though. I asked the lady if I could substitute an extra salmon roll for the octopus. She said, in a heavy accent, "no substitution". I reluctantly said "OK", and she went up to the bar and turned in my order. Two minutes later she came back to my table and said "sorry, we out of octopus, is OK two tuna roll?" WTF?

Anyone else have thoughts of changing up the automotive family? For a while, I've wanted to add the following vehicles to my car family: 1975 Caprice Classic convertible 1977 Caprice Classic sedan 1978 Caprice Classic coupe 1989 Caprice Classic 9C1 1987 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe But, now ... the only vehicle I want to add to my family is a 1989 Caprice Classic (sedan or 9C1), to be the "summer" daily driver to my "winter warrior" 1979 Caprice Classic sedan. Along with that, I've decided that, if the "right" '1989 CC (good shape, FI, cruise control, A/C, power, road trip worthy, etc.) comes along, I'll probably sell my 1972 MC. Why? Because my '72 MC is the only "…

Well, we ended November with a gray Citation X-11 notchback spot, surely a rare one. Who's gonna start off December by posting their latest sightings?

liquidating everything you have and just disappearing?

I'm all for patriotism, but man there's a bunch of losers every year that get off on blowing FWs at all hours of the NIGHT and day, I don't wanna hear it, do something productive with your time instead of seeing how close you can keep your face to it before at the last minute you jump away and avoid facial deformation. And yeah, the money you spent on fireworks might be better spent on an education. Go see the fireworks show, they are all over on July 4th at sundown.

Answer honestly.

For me: Love vintage Mustangs...but the last Mustangs I would really want to own left Ford in the summer of 1970 when they re-tooled for the '71 models. Really dislike fix body Mustangs anymore... Also dislike the Japanese "supercars" of the early 1990's...Supra, FD RX-7, 3000GT Mitsu, 300ZX, et al. But I do like the NSX. Almost anything Lincoln between thbe 60's suicide door cars and the current models. Like the Suicide door cars and the latest and greatest...but the Town Cars, 70's Lincolns...ughhh....yuck... So what do you dislike? Chris

So, with all of the talk of high gas prices, are YOU actually driving LESS? Apparently, I am (road trips, not included). Since November 2007, I've driven my cars a cumulative total of ~750 miles less than the previous twelve months (not including, of course, road trips, for which I currently rent). However, I do have about 2 more months to go since I last noted mileages for my MCs in November 2007.... BUT...if you break it down by car, only one of mine has been driven less. Since November 2007, the "count" looks like this... '87 MC LS (daily driver) ... driven 1700 miles LESS The rest ... have all been driven MORE miles than I drove them in all of 2007, with at…

So... I got the classic Trojan Horse virus. My anti-virus software caught it and quarantined it, but not before it did some work to my PC. It apparently replaced some important Windows files which caused it to become unstable. In other words, my entire desktop is gone. Icons, start menus, toolbar... all of it. I have to use the task manager to open anything. The exact message I get is "Files that are required for Windows to run properly have been replaced by unrecognized versions. To maintain system stability, Windows must restore the original versions of these files. Install your Windows XP Professional CD 2 now." The problem is, I never got a disk. It was bought at Best…

Sparked by the (hideous) Chevy Spark, there was an interesting chat session yesterday where a bunch of pics of unusual, little cars were tossed up. These are NOT my preference in vehicles, so in a way, I'm looking at these in order to find something I like design-wise. Bill Mitchell once said (...something derogatory about small cars, can't find the quote). Anyway, the Gub'mnt seems determined to get each & every one of us into one of these at some point, so maybe I can adapt to the idea if the design works for me (then again, I'd rather drive a '60 Fury). Gonna start off with one of Swordfish's favored models, the very very first saab from 1946, 92001: From this …

This weekend I went and did some shopping for some wheels and I finally got some. 1972 Piper 2+2 140D I'm still in the process for my license. I'm having the owner fly it down to a local airport and im going to have it cleaned inspected and fixed up at Selfridge and see if i can get some hook ups and store it there for free, but we will see. I was at the airport at the right time and i was looking at it and the owner walked up and said it was for sale. We talked and I said I would fill it up if he took me for a ride and we flew around for a couple of hours and the plane seems strong for a 140 and really easy to fly so I bought it for abo…

I've always been a fan of "sleepers"; you know, the kinds of cars that are very unassuming in appearance but can really kick @ss out on the streets. I've owned several of them over the years but I'll start with my most recent: This was a 1994 Dodge Spirit. I picked it up with 48K miles on it in 1998. It was powered by a the Mitsu 3.0L V6 backed up by a solid-shifting A670 3-speed auto tranny. For whatever reason, this car would flat-out HAUL. Low curb weight was one reason I'm sure (~2700 lbs.), but the V6 in this thing seemed especially hot. One of my favorite experiences with the Spirit was when I was coming home late one night. I was on a 4-lane highway with traffi…

As I was sitting in Mickey D's this evening being a bad boy eating my quarter pounder, I watched to see who would leave the restaurant and hop in a gray, base model Honda Fit in the parking lot. It was an 80-year-old lady, 95 pounds at most, with a huge hairdo, accompanied by her p.i.m.p., a dude who was at least 80 and walking pretty slowly. Has the "Fit is Go!" ad campaign fallen on (nearly) deaf ears? Is every "hip, young" Japanese car doomed to congregate at Friday Night Bingo at the VFW? I find this phenomenon pretty amusing.

With the introduction of the Car Of Tomorrow, Ford is staying with Fusion, Toyota is running Camry, Dodge switched to Avenger which is the smaller car that real-life competes with the others, why isn't Chevy going to Malibu instead of using Impala? Impala is just not the same class as the others. I know it is "large mid size" but come on... This would have worked if Dodge stayed with Charger, Ford moved to Taurus (which also doesn't work that well) and I don't know what Toyota would use, Avalon maybe? I know they are trying to stimulate sales of the Impala, and in a couple of years it will be more appropriate with rear drive coming back, but the new Malibu would ben…

Good op-ed piece this morning from the New York Times about this strange state...(bolded items are points I thought were particularly interesting). Desert Derangement Syndrome PHOENIX � Driving south from the high, age-worn plateau of northern Arizona, where the earth seems to have turned itself inside-out, I pulled over to take in the full sweep and wonder of this place during one of its better moments. The infinity of sky, the open gallery of sandstone masterpieces � it never fails to amaze. Arizona is full of ancient communities � the Hopi, the Papago, the Havasupai, the Navajo � and outsized geology, with the Painted Desert, the Superstition Mountains and the big …

sup3r woot!!!!1111oneoneoneeleveneleveneleven

April show-ers bring many followers (my attempt at being witty today using a Spring theme ) Post what have you seen so far this month!

After deciding what I really want, I watched the car I still wanted driving by.....so I decided... 1985-1987 Chevy Cavalier Z24 2dr/hatch/vert Go ahead. Laugh. I actually expect some to........ First, a little background. My first car was a 87 Cavy coupe in RS trim. I loved driving that car....even after being raised on v6s and v8s..... . Something about driving it with the windows down and the sunroof up made it great... Also where my username came from. I saw a beautiful 86 vert in red driving down the road.....and the flashbacks begin all over again. We could agrue all day about the crap from the 80s.....but I don't care. I still want my 70s GM ir…

I'm going to end up getting pushed into getting a car before I wanted to... and I have a wonderful dealer not too far from me that has very reliable cars. My family has worked with them for years, and my brother even was a salesman there for a while. I ideally wanted a new (as in 2007/08) LaCrosse, Lucerne or Malibu, sometime next September. I can't wait that long. Here are my options: 2002 Buick Century - 43,000 miles, Bronzemist/Neutral, cloth, doesn't even have a CD player, $8,995 2004 Buick Century - 22,400 miles, Gray/Gray, leather, alloy wheels, CD/Tape, $11,995 2003 Buick LeSabre - miles currently unlisted, Gray/Gray, cloth, CD player, $10,495 2004 Bu…

given a choice state side.

Keeping with the PG nature of the Lounge...here are the rules of the thread. Someone from your day to day life that you would like to get to watch get nekkid. Not so much as sleep with them...but you could be a "fly on the wall" in the morning when they take a shower. I'll go first...just got back from parent teacher confrences...the woman who teaches my younger son's science class. She just has this nice midwestern look to her and she's really a sweet person. Okay...who would you like to see get nekkid?

White Yaris hatchback sitting in someone's front yard with a "For Sale" sign on the windshield. Guess it wasn't such a good idear after all. :AH-HA_wink:

If you could turn back time...... what concepts were left on the shelf that should have been productionized. You nominate vehicles in two ways. <br> <br> <ul class="bbcol decimal"> <li>A concept that was close to production ready, but never made it into production</li> <li>A concept that was close to production ready, but the production version watered the concept down too much and lost all of the appeal the concept had.</li> <li>Any year, Any brand, as many nominations you want.</li> </ul> The nominees are:<br> <br> 1. Pontiac G8 ST<br> <img style="width: 325px; height: …

Gone, gone, gone! My face is as soft as a baby's bottom now. My wife says she feels like she is sleeping with a teenager. Hey works for me!