The Lounge

Was a cold, sunny morning in Cleveland...saw a new VW Beetle Dune in a delicious mustard color. Also a blue w/ white stripes current Mustang Shelby GT350 covered in slush and road spray, bombing along.. saw a white '91-ish Grand Prix GTP the other night, lots of rust...

...potholes. Yes, potholes ... those unsightly, menacing, treacherous holes in the roadway that absolutely love to feast on tires and suspension systems. I don't know about YOUR area, but in Chicagoland ... potholes seem to have overtaken the area roadways. On one road I frequent to and from work, one 3-4 mile stretch has been claimed by AT LEAST ONE MAJOR pothole every few FEET. And, each time one is repaired ... another one is proud to take its place. Heh ... as frustrating (and dangerous) as they are, it has become somewhat commonplace humorous to watch drivers find new ways to "outsmart" the potholes. In all my years of driving (admittedly, not that many, rel…

So I was arguing with some idiot who has no comprehension of marketing products to different markets (background: I'm a psych/marketing major) and whilst explaining to him that the Camaro can appeal to more diverse young people, I typed in the fact I am a liberal gay 21 year old who lives 5,000 miles from Detroit. Did you know that the word gay is automatically blurred on GM Inside News Forums for being inappropriate!? Along with every other bad four letter word I can think of, that of all things is placed on the list of words that can't be seen... Did I miss something or am I justified in being a little peeved???

I saw this on the news yesterday and today my brother emailed me this link of Mr. Randy Pausch reprising his Last Lecture on Oprah: http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ithct48cqw I had an uncle who passed away because of pancreatic cancer a few years ago. In my mind, Brave, Inspiring, Strong, and any other positive adjective that might come to mind is perfect to describe this gentleman. This video is a true tribute to Life, to enjoying and living every second of our Life as fully as we can.

Channel 74 on Dish Network is entirely devoted to one person and one person alone: Barrack Obama. And it's nothing but prepaid ad after ad after ad after ad endorsing his campaign, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, until the election is over (or until the end of his first term maybe?). Now I want to be perfectly clear that I am not for either candidate in the 2008 election and I have my reasons. (However, I am still voting, nothing will defer me from it.) But I do think that perhaps it is only just and fair that if you're going to let one political party and it's candidate for president have their own channel airing nothing but annoying, cliched propaganda in a never endi…

This idea has come up in the past, and it's a good one that has credibility to it... With this being said, I'd like to ask the following: What would C&G members think of holding an additional competition, known as the C&G Design Competition, which would feature and allow submissions from all artists of all backgrounds, computer-aided or with pen and paper?

Yep, today is the 51st anniversary of Jim "Buickman" Dollinger's mother dropping a big BM for all of us to enjoy. Be sure to head to his website to Drop him a line wishing him a happy birthday, or to make a deal on a 2003 Corvette or Buy a house in lovely Flint, MI or to view his award winning presentation to GM shareholders.

LA Autoshow will be farewelling the year 2009 which possibly christened itself as the bloodbath for the Automobile History. With the end of dreariness comes a hope for new models and better cars for all of us - with the dream that 2010 will not be as bad and that automanufacturers . What cars do you think GM will debut or would you like GM to debut at the LA Autoshow 2009? Do you think GM has something up its restructured sleeves which will give some us enthusiasm and excitement for us or just reinforce sentiments in some of us that GM is competing for appliance king badge with Toyota? GM will be a stronger force in this year's Autoshow circuit with a display of bette…

Detroit News - Delphi to make Ruthless Makeover! Very interesting, but I think this is something we will see more and more in the US auto sector as companies find ways to shed their Legacy of Debt obligations. <_<

Then why don't you spend a little more on a proper trailer so when you tow your ugly beige Accord around it doesn't SWING INTO THE LANE NEXT TO YOU!! Yeah. Because the weather is so mild here this time of year, we're getting more and more idiots in these big RVs down here clogging the left lanes and taking up eight spaces at the mall. I wish I had a rocket launcher.

are there any good sites like cheers and gears for other companies? a quality site, comparable to this one. and i miss car-truck.com. anyone know what happened to that guy?

Happy Birthday Balthazar. He mentioned earlier this week that today is his Birthday. All the best buddy. I hope that classic Cab-over Ford and Bubbletop Invicta are completed and giving you many safe miles and ear-to-ear smiles.

They asked the chairman how many people have applied from other plants to transfer/work at his when a job opening becomes available such as somebody that takes the buy-out. The answer they got was shocking. Just three people have said they would move to his plant to keep their job. My take? GM is going to be royally screwed by the # of employees taking the buy out and it will catch them off guard in a big way. Watch for them to hire off the streets in the 4th quarter.

A real Pontiac 400 under the hood...

Ok, how about, starting in 2007, Cheers and Gears has a 'Chopper of the Year' and 'Artist of the Year'. In other words, nominate and vote for who you guys think should be recognized from their chopping or drawing skills. The winers could be posted on the home page and recieve a special page in which they'd be remembered until the following year when we could do it again. How does nomination and voting work? Anybody who wishes to nominate would put reply to the official thread with their name (one person per category!) If you wish to nominate 2 people ( 1 for each category), then before their name, put the category you would want them to be nominated in. EXAMPLE: …

* A new year is HERE! What are you anticipating? I'm expecting these milestones... ...throughout the year = nephew time ...01/06/2012 = 9th anniversary of my 3rd open heart surgery, the same day I return to work following my 4th OHS ...March = 25th anniversary of my 2nd OHS ...June = 20 years since my HS graduation ...July = 148K miles on my '72 MC ...September = My 9th "major" & well-documented road trip, my 12th "major" road trip overall ...September = My last birthday of my 30s ...November = 35th anniversary of my original OHS ...November = over 160K miles on my 1979 Caprice Classic ...November = 195K miles on my '81 MC SC ...November = 175K miles on …

I had to work in a booth and do some crowd control, but I was able to take a few pics. Oh, and I have a freakin sunburn from being out there both days. Anyone here get to go??

After 10 years w/ two vintage Mercedes, my sister decided this week that she'd had enough of the money pits and decided to she wanted something newer and more reliable for the 50 mile per day commute (been working locally for a while instead of out of town). Working cold air conditioning was a top priority w/ today being the first 100 degree day of the season. So this is now in the driveway..I ran the car fax, it came up clean. It's a very clean, one owner '00 DTS, 96k miles. I drove it for about an hour tonight around town and on the freeway, it drives great..very smooth and quiet. I guess I will have to take back all the mean things I've said about FWD Caddies. C…

Probably NWS Ain't that the truth though?

A letter to the engineer who thought to use pop rivets to secure window regulators instead of bolts. Dear engineer, If I ever meet you, I will put a rivet through your balls. Sincerely, Anyone who has ever had to drill those f@#kers out.

Congrats on your 100th birthday, Capriceman, what's behind the longevity?

All right guys, I think its time that I get it out. I've wanted a motorcycle since I was about 14, but haven't every been able to procure one. Well, with me and the family moving about 50 miles from my current job site, and the price of gas climbing has finally brought my wife around. She's agreed to let me buy a bike. I've talked to a couple of people who own bikes and they all love theirs, which means I'll probably enjoy the hell out of mine since our personalities are all alike. But here's what I was thinking about buying. something between 1987 and 2007, 650cc-1100, cruiser-type bike, brand isn't preferential (sp?), and most importantly looking to spend no more …

Is that a valve tap I hear?

TACOMA, Wash. - A Thai immigrant convicted of incest led investigators to the body of a 12-year-old girl who had been missing since the Fourth of July, and is expected to be charged in her death, authorities said Friday. Police are also trying to determine whether Terapon Adhahn, 42, is connected to other missing child cases that date back to 1986. Zina Linnik, abducted during a neighborhood fireworks display, died from "homicidal violence," said Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum and the Pierce County medical examiner's office. Her body was found in a rural wooded area after information from Adhahn's lawyer led police and FBI agents there, authorities said. Adh…

I don't care what you say, this is f-ing awesome.

I found this Park Avenue Ultra on ebay. Clicky. This is the first I've seen of one outfitted like this. According the ad... "This Buick was a level 3 engineer's car at Buick. The custom additions are all from Buick. That includes 2 way auto sunroof, Custom fiberglass skirts all the way around the car, Two tone leather seats, two tone interior, custom rear sport seats with lumber support. Full console with Buick emblem embedded in it. Buick emblem on hood is embedded in hood." I'm quite curious about it. Something like this rarely gets past me, but this one did until now. Does anyone know anything about it?

If so: Please answer 3 questions! This query is due to several comments within the last few weeks or so that those of us in Chicagoland (and nearby states) really "ought to get together" ... key words, "ought to". So many times this ends up being well-intentioned "talk". Yes, some gatherings have been successful, but it seems the bulk of 'em either never get off the ground or end up with people disappointed at the lack of ACTUAL attendance/interest.... And, yes, I KNOW "life happens" and that driving distance is a factor for some.... BUT ... after a successful gathering of 2 groups [heart-related, of which I'm a member of both] for a late lunch today (Saturday, M…

I am looking at getting myself some cheap wheels for spring/summer. Maximum price of $3000 CAD I would really like an Achieva (1994 or 1995 is my preference). I found an ad on Saturday for a 1994 Achieva S sedan with 160,000 Kilometers for $2200. Called, and a lady told me she had bought a Corolla, and wants to get rid of the Olds pronto. I asked over the phone if its a V6 or 4, but she said she didnt know, she would have to look in the manual (haha women driver). I came to look at it on Sunday, and was mildly dissapointed. It is a rock bottom base model. It has the 2.3 OHV I4, 3 speed auto, 14inch wheelcovers, and crank windows. The best part was, it is …

Just saw it a little while ago near my house in Houston. I must say this would probably be a very interesting car to drive for a day. Especially at a track. I'd still get a Z06 over this though. (BTW - that's the hood, windshield and right side wiper on the old Jimmy)

This will be the first time in my life, I'll celebrate the upcoming Holidays without my father. My father died yesterday morning, and a piece of me died with him. It's funny, when I was a small child my father's word was law in our house, and I feared him. As a teen, I defied him, as a young adult in my 20's, I understood him and respected him, and as I entered my 30's, my father became my friend. As the eldest child of three boys, I feel lucky in the fact that I had the most time with my father. Time I would not trade for all the money in the world. My father and I had a simple and loving relationship, you see he suffered a devastating stroke last year which left h…

Discuss all the reason why we may watch sports. Or why we may not watch sports...

Note: No, this does not mean that we should stop investigating alternative energy and sustainable design, but it's about time these guys were exposed for the frauds that they are. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/m.....;/16/do1610.xml

I find it relaxing, here's an example ...

Beautiful weather this weekend...went out to see more covered bridges, visit a couple of my favorite beaches up in Ashtabula County (far NE Ohio). Saw this sharp Challenger Scat Pack at one of the bridges..great rumbly sound...

* Hope your 2026 is good so far. On New Year's Day, longtime friend - fellow automotive enthusiast Phil K died. He and his wife, Sandy, owned the garage where my family of cars were stored for years. I posted a tribute, with a collage, here: https://www.oldcarsstronghearts.com/2026/01/08/heart-matters-85/ OFFICIAL INVITE Several people enjoyed the 11.08.2025 "Fall Fun Chitown Meet'n'Greet"! Will you join us for 2026 events? 04.18 "Spring Spirit Chitown Meet'n'Greet" 05.09-10.24 Saturday Cruise Nights 07.25 "MisSummer Chitown Gathering" 11.07 "Fall Fun Chitown Meet'n'Greet" Steak'nShake started February 1934 along famed Route 66, celeb…

It has happened to me now and then. This morning at the Wawa, some clown left his brand new 911 Turbo idling in the parking lot...

Who has taken it, and how did it affect you? I'm not big on taking stuff like this, and have no experience with this drug.

...that when you try to figure out what you're looking at, you get a rather shocking and detailed instant horror flick. If you don't know what I'm talking about, take a look at his avatar. If you still don't know what I'm talking about, just watch it a little longer. http://pong.server2vh.com/~cheers/forums/i...owtopic=143&hl= It's so horrific, it made me laugh. :lol:

I'm at this place near my grandma and grandpas that looks like a dealership lot with a house out front. Weird, but I'm checking out a bunch of these Camaros. Then I see a Solstice GXP in bluestone I think it is? Well the owner of the car walks up to me and says, "Hey, jump in my car. If I beat you to your house, you can keep my car along with yours. If you win, the Camaro's mine and you can keep the Solstice." So, I go for it.. A car that's about 550 lbs lighter and has at least 40 more hp and tq? Hell yeah. So I see him take a different route to my house (how does he know where I live?) and I jump through the redlight and go speeding down to a 4 lane road where I turn …

i'd say it goes to Stang in politics... hahah!

i know its a ford but my buddy just bought this ford falcon recently for his daily driver im soooo proud of him even if hes heterosexually married, a little flambouyant, and with 3 kids lol most confused man i know 1962 6 cylinder

Have a good one dude! You're officially a man.

I think previous topics about old C&G have been about old old C&G. This site has a kind of interactive snapshot of new old C&G (the one that died around this time last year). Some of the topics work; some don't. Relive the memories: http://web.archive.org/web/20050331054009/...rsandgears.com/

I thought this would create a good conversation. What cool/interesting/or special cars do your neighbours own. The one's that make you watch in awe as they drive by your house. For me, my new neighbour just moved in across the street. He drives a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle SS in gold and the people beside him drive a 1970 GTO. It just sits in their garage under a pile of toys, etc.

This might be fun and see how well you know your car. What color is it, and by that I mean what's the factory name for it? Mine is Steel Blue Metallic, manufacturer paint code PBQ.

Emo kids

Linkypoo

If you could afford any car, but lived in Michigan and had to drive it year round, and could have only one car... What would it be?

So my grandpa had an old model when I was a kid that I always liked, but I never knew what I was, only that it was a very old car, Pre-WWII. Well, lately, I've inherited it so to speak (he's been gone since '99 or so). I've been trying to find out what it was but I never had anything to go on, and I know precious little about prewar automobiles. It's a very old car certainly, I would guess around 1915, seeing as that was the year he was born. It's missing it's radiator cap, so if it had a car mascot, there's no way I could have known; but there is an emblem on the radiator housing/grille that has a red R inside a rectangle. Because of this, we thought it could have been …

Alternative Tobacco + garden variety salsa Sun Chips + "Pulp Fiction" = great time! And... that "Say It" song from Nelly Fertato is good. Sooo deep in this state of mind.

OMG OMG OMG... I saw Sanjaya this afternoon in a blue Rav4! Oh, I almost died, it was the greatest honor EVARRR just to catch a glimpse! He tho thekthy! Has anyone else seen Sanjaya? Post your sightings here!

So I've turned in a few applications and resumes at plenty of local businesses the last few days of May and I'm expecting at least one interview. Of course, with a job comes money, and I plan on shoveling that money into another car. Sure, I've got the S-10 ... but I have this urge to buy a nice car (since I do already have a truck, all trucks, with the rare exception of a cheap Syclone, are out ... SUVs still make the cut, however) that I can drive out of town without feeling embarrassed about the S-10s worn out paint, miles of dings and dents, practically non-existing exhaust system ... among other things I still haven't sorted out for some reason. I plan on it ... but …

Happy B-day, sir! (...wanted to make sure you could read this at your age, no offense!)

While looking around GMs FastLane web site, I came across this awesome story covering GMs military concepts that have been created to meet the needs of our armed forces. Some of them I could see being wanted by the public such at GMs Silverado Duramax Diesel Hybrid system where the Diesel motor can also serve as a 30kW generator. This could so be useful during storms when the power goes out to your home. Check out the cool pictures and info here.

Remind me never to live in Virginia...'ol TJ (Thomas Jefferson) is probably shaking his head right now. And their speed limit on interstate highways is only 55! Talk about torture! http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/18/1818.asp

So earlier tonight my girlfriend pointed out that the cat was staring at the overhead light. There was this strange looking fly thing on it...it was long and skinny and had wings. Didn't look like anything I'd seen (or killed) before. So, I did what any logical person (who enjoys fire) would do: I used my little Bernz-O-Matic lighter (which works like a torch) and put the flame to it. It fell off and landed on my tool box on the floor. Not satisfied, I torched it a couple more times to ensure it was proper dead. It was cool because every time I did it the thing would singe and light up. But I ended up stopping because it smelt really bad! Then I vacuumed it up. I'm not …

'Living sculpture' meant to raise awareness about global warming' BETTMERALP, Switzerland - Hundreds of naked people formed a “living sculpture” on Switzerland’s Aletsch glacier Saturday, hoping to raise awareness about climate change. The photo shoot by Spencer Tunick, the New York artist famous for his pictures of nude gatherings in public settings worldwide, was designed to draw attention to the effects of global warming on Switzerland’s shrinking glaciers. “The melting of the glaciers is an indisputable sign of global climate change,” said the environmental group Greenpeace, which co-organized the event. It said most Swiss glaciers will disappear by 2080 if glob…

I grabbed some 2008 model brochures recently on a run around a few dealers. Here's what I picked up: Buick Enclave Buick LaCross Buick Lucerne (the super is conspicuously absent in this brochure) Cadillac DTS (new midnight blue leather interior option for 08, good to see colors coming back inside) GMC Acadia GMC Canyon (V-8 not available on regular cab, but you can get a 2wd Xtended cab sport with V8) 2008 Envoy Saturn Vue Has anyone else pickup any 08 brochures? What did you get?

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So you open the newspaper in the morning and you see that there's been a horrible plane crash. At first this saddens you, then you see the list of names for who was involved. A sick satisfaction fills you as you read the list. So, who's on that list for you? Call me a sick bastard but I know you've thought about something like this. My planeful: Mike Harris (former Ontario leader who ruined our school system) Ann Coulter Mariah Carey Kim Il Jong Osama Let's keep this civil please.

Yep, getting close to that time... At the moment I am working on rebuilding/ updating my two chevys (Cavalier and Cobalt), as the goal here is to run them until it's time to send them to the yard..Both still run quite well, so until the rust gets real bad (figure the cavalier has maybe 1-2 years left)-drive them we shall..... That being said- with a 14,13, and 11 year old car, I'd like to have a new one in the fleet. Something I can use to help update my house, help my scout camp, and do other stuff. Also miss having a trucket like my ols s-10..... So based on mine (and the wife's) ideas-here are the choices... Chevy Equinox- Easy choice …

If you were going to fundamentally change your life and how you live it, what would you do to make that happen? And what would you change your life to? Even better, would you allow someone else to force you to change your life?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1973-Chevro...1QQcmdZViewItem

If anyone is interested... http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=295314 Some cool old pics here of model T fords and so forth, from a recent trip with the local Miata club. The silver car on the far left in the first pic is my car, go on down and lots of cool pics of old Fords in this thread. Oh, and BTW, if you look at the really hairy guy standing next to the blue and white 55 T-bird, with the little girl behind him...that's me with my daughter Christina in tow. Enjoy Chris

I drove here from Houston in the new Vue. Took two 12 hour days to get here but it was worth seeing some fall foliage. I'm heading back through Kentucky and then down through Atlanta over the next 2 days (to visit more family). Lots of GM's up in this area, kind of interesting to see. The Vue is running great - but I can only get the heater to work if I turn it all the way to 85 - cold air otherwise. Very weird. Anywho...I knocked off 2 more elusive states on the way (Missouri and Indiana) - I have 9 more to go and I've been to all 50. Nothing like Neil Young during an autumn Missouri sunset on I-55 heading into Illinois.

Ok, you are in a supermarket or at Costco or in a large office building. You are walking around a corner or going down the aisle and you almost run into / come face-to-face with a person who has a disease which has disfigured them, have been severely burned or subjected to some other tragedy that has markedly altered their appearance. Because of the fact that you were taken off guard and you were hurrying about, you would have ordinarily tried to be very composed, but I think that what happens is that you may make eye contact and then look away a little TOO quickly. You wind up feeling real bad. But you also know that others, in similar circumstances, may have reac…

2008 was a year of few cheers. There was an abundance of misery to go around. The continuing mortgage meltdown led to the credit crunch and the sinking of the stock market. Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns went bye-bye. Madoff’s $50 billion mother of all Ponzi schemes further shook investors’ confidence. Jobs disappeared. Politics was big this year as Obama’s hope and change resonated with the country, and Sarah Palin’s “you betcha” shtick grew old. The price of a gallon of gas exceeded $4 and resulted in people’s wallets being cleaned out and the sales of SUVs decimated. And then the price of gas plummetted to $1.50 due to the sinking economy. In the land of che…

Kicking this month off with a commercial spotting at the gym. Why GM is missing the beat with marketing. Awesome Toyota commercial, they do not have an EV out yet, they admit it as they say EVs today are a great commuter auto. Then they do this: Wanna go places? Check out the biggest lineup of Hybrid auto's. They review all of them and end with their tag "Let's go places" Well done Toyota.

I think a short discussion in Random Thoughts requires a separate thread. Now the questions is: how much an auto enthusiast should spend on a vehicle? Now I am not talking in hard numbers but in percentage of ones income. The financial wisdom (on all these fancy financial advice websites) states that a vehicle loan payment should not be more than 10% of ones take home income, and total auto expenses (payment, insurance, gas, etc) should not be more than 20% of the take home income. This is a common financial advice for general public. The question is, as an auto enthusiasts should we spend more on vehicles since for us it is more than just an appliance …