The Lounge

NEW YORK (AP) - "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino reveals in her memoirs that she is functionally illiterate and had to fake her way through some scripted portions the televised talent show, which she won in 2004. "You're illiterate to just about everything. You don't want to misspell," Fantasia told ABC's "20/20.""So that, for me, kept me in a box and I didn't, wouldn't come out." The 21-year-old R&B singer says she's signed record deals and contracts that she didn't read and couldn't understand. But the hardest part, she said, is not being able to read to Zion, her 4-year-old daughter. …

Yep, it's that time. I've been busy the last few days, getting the cars ready for the winter. Yesterday, I changed the ATF in the wife's car. Drives like new! Also did the oil change, and rotated her tires. Besides a good cleaning inside and out, her car is ready for winter. This week, it's the Cobalt's turn. I'm debating about changing the ATF too. Busy, busy.......sounds like it is going to be another rough winter. So, what are you guys doing?

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/la-time...ear-i/#comments NBC is inching closer to finalizing the cast for the American version of the hit BBC series Top Gear, but it looks more and more like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld and Tim Allen won't be part of the program. Reportedly to be called just "Gear", the show is anticipated to include four presenters instead of the BBC's three – although one could be assuming the role of The Stig as the show's test driver. Adam Carolla announced on his radio show that he'd be taking part in the program. Formula D driftmaster Tanner Faust is also tipped to be on the show (possibly in the aforementioned test driver role). However Dan Neil,…

Here's the deal... I name a car and you guys can only say positive things about it, no matter how lame of a car it may be. Posting a negative comment or restating a positive one will result in switching to another, most likely crappier, car. I'll start off with the good ol' Geo Metro...

Ok, for a while, it will be my 92 Regal coupe. I'm now within 1,000 miles of 250k. But, if I had to use the LaCrosse as the daily driver and wanted to get a back-up putt-around car, and no longer had the Regal, I'd consider the following (if I could find low mileage ones): - 98 or 99 Intrigue, base, only with 3800 V6 and not the 3.5 - (just saw this) on my way to work in the AM, I pass up a non-GM dealership that has an early 2000s Grand Prix GT coupe in the metallic gold with the tan interior. I really like those. - lastly, I thought about how nice the early 2000s Bonneville LE with some stock alloy wheels, NO spoiler, and the plump cloth bucket seats might be …

Hmm....this is interesting. My wife wants to keep her Cavalier. (people want to keep cavaliers? ) The current plan was to upgrade her car, aka the "family" car, to a nice used Liberty or Nox, and delegate her 03 to my beater 4dr, thus allowing me to have fun with the next new car. (cruze, focui, Aveo, Mazda 3, etc...) Two reasons for her logic: 1. A real vacation. Italy, Europe, someplace far and cool.... 2. To see if we decide to expand the family. There's a good chance of that, so she might want to wait until we need it to save a few bucks..... I have a slight issue with this, but not much. I guess the fact that the car is almost 7 years old might be why. T…

Didn't we all go "bleh" last time we tried to seperate the other guys up? :unsure:

NAFTA The latest rounds of the renegotiation talks have started, and they have an emphasis on U.S. demanding new content rules. Just to summarize, the U.S. wants more domestic content, which means NAFTA region countries, and 50% mandatory U.S. content, just to name a few of the changes. This hopefully isn't too political of an issue, it's more to do with how you feel about the rules should be for automakers and their suppliers doing business in America, Canada and Mexico. I think the U.S. demands - on paper, atleast are fair. U.S. is the largest market for autos in NAFTA region. I want to hear more of just how you feel about this issue. Feel free to so…

Far too often these are hard only for narrowing down all the amazing choices on offer. Not this one. Oh, no. Today friends, you are going to be limited only base models. And I mean base. Bottom of the barrel. No options, no exceptions. Rules- 1- These are your only vehicles. 2- You are allowed a maximum of 5 choices. 3- Production vehicles only. 4- Car can come from any market. 5- You are allowed to pick ONE vehicle that isn't NEW. Leaving the full list open to older cars will cause too much confusion and likelihood of rule-bending. 6- You can also choose to MODIFY ONE of your choices. 7- You may only choose TWO high-end spor…

G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com Turbocharging, Stop Gap Step to Variable Supercharging? I have come across multiple stories lately about Variable Supercharging. Torotrak has the rather dry scripted but exciting video about Variable Supercharging that delivers big engine feel all the time with none of the traditional Turbo lag or the high pressure, premium fuel requirement of traditional Superchargers. The video does cover how this variable Supercharging compares to turbo's and regular Superchargers. With the push for fuel economy and downsizing of engines by taxation on the size of an engine, we have all seen our a…

Grand Prix Racing Returns to Detroit Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix to be held in June 2012 2011-10-12 - DETROIT – Chevrolet today announced a multi-year agreement with the Penske Corporation and INDYCAR to bring professional motorsports to the Motor City for the first time in four years. The first Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will be held June 1-3, 2012 at the picturesque 2.1-mile Raceway at Belle Isle Park road course. “Chevrolet has a long, storied history in Indy car racing,” said Mark Reuss, president, GM North America. “This year we celebrated the shared centennial of Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500. We're excited to see that his…

My father's Bonneville is getting up in miles (98k and change) and my car is as well, but mine is almost a decade old while his is a little over five. The reason for the near 20,000mi/yr average for his car is that his job requires that he drive anywhere between 40 and 100 miles a day five days a week, sometimes even a bit more. So far, the Bonneville has proved itself an exemplary car with only a broken oil pressure sensor as the only non-accident related problem since the factory warranty expired. We have a 100,000-miles extended warranty through Geico with a rather high deductable to cover most major issues, but obviously that's coming close to the end. So, …

The mystery deepens...

First trip out this month today, had to go to the vet to pick up some prescription refills. Traffic very light, beautiful sunny day. Did see a clean black w/ black top mid '90s Cadillac Brougham in the vet parking lot.

BMW Z4-don't like it as much as the Z3, but it is growing on me. Chrysler 300-picking my daughter up from her high school, I saw one black on blavk with 22" wheels and a tint, tastefully done...looked kind of badass...I could rock that in an alternative universe...and yeah it had a Hemi. Charger-I know a lot of people here don't like them, and the rear roof line makes the back seat hard to use...but done up in the Chryco heritage colors, with a Hemi and an after market exhaust....hmmm Genesis coupe-Selling well around here, as we said before should give the Japanese a run for the $ The new Sonata-Neighbore traded his Porsche Cayene (the Porsche SUV, or whatever it's …

I have been really busy lately and decided to stop by toady, I'm shocked by how many new faces and articles are on here, makes me fell like a first timer. Most of you probably could care less about me but, a week ago I'm on a job sight figuring out a quote and such for some electronic switch boxes to control a underground "devices,"then a blackish A8 comes by im thinking damn...., must be the foreman or whatever." then he gets out and says Is there a Craig here? i go yes, I'm here for the quote, Is there anything i can help you with? He turns grabs me by the shoulder (I'm not a big fan of sudden movements like that i almost kicked his ass for that) drags me behind his…

It's summer and one's mind turns to wood. Here's a '48 Oldsmobile Woody wagon:

Find the man among the beans (EDIT: look for a head). Can you find the man within 3 seconds? According to medical experiments: If you can find the Man's Head within 3 seconds, your right brain is more developed than normal people. If you can find the Man's Head within 1 minute, your right brain is developed normally. If you can find the Man's Head within 1-3 mintues, your right brain is slow in reacting, you should eat more meat protein. If you can find the Man's Head in 3 minutes or more, your right brain is a disaster... extremely slow in reacting, the brain is losing it's ability to perform normally. ______________________________…

1969 Chevrolet Impala - A Car In August (Published in "Motor Trend", November 1968) (Top) An infinite prairie of grass accentuates Impala changes for 1969, including flared wheel wells and ventless side glass. Although Impala sports entirely new sheetmetal, subtle body changes are not immediately apparent. (Above) 1969 trunk space is adequate and similar in size to 1968. Spare is still far forward and difficult to reach for women. (Right) Equipment fills floor and bucket seat. Chevy bucket seats are contoured to fit the back firmly and are extremely comfortable; there is little sliding or swaying in even the tightest corners. If you want to test a 1969 Chevro…

Man 1959 was such a cool year... not just for cars but for trucks too. :)

I jumped off the high dive at the hotel pool and hit my arm on the diving board on the way down! Doctor looking at my break. So I am home in Delaware with a rod and pin in my arm now. I'm looking at the bright side though, i get to spend time with all my car buddies.

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.

Front / Side / Headrest Saab 9-3: Good / Good / Good Volvo C70: Good / Good / Good Mitsu Eclipse: Good / Good / Marginal VW Eos: Good / Good / Marginal Chrysler Sebring: Good / Good / Poor Camry Solara: Good / Acceptable / Poor Ford Mustang: Acceptable / Good / Poor BMW 3-series: Good / Marginal / Poor Audi A4: Good / Marginal / Poor Pontiac G6: Acceptable / Marginal / Marginal News Release • May 31, 2007 Status Report, Vol. 42, No. 6 — Special issue: crashworthiness of convertibles 1st time Institute tests convertibles: Saab & Volvo models are top performers; 3 are marginal in side impact test ARLINGTON, VA — The Saab 9-3 and Volvo C70 earn the Insuranc…

Before and after. Before: By CaminoLS6 After:

America's Oldest Road Race. The Historic "12 Hours of Sebring". Don't know what is more Famous though,... The Race,... The Cars,.. Or The Party. But if you like Fast Cars,... Hard Partying,... and Hot Race Chicks, then you Must make the trip to Florida in Mid March. "!2 Hours of Race,... 3 Days of Party!" Anybody going?

He was found in a New York apartment naked and surrounded by pills. It is believed that it is Mary Kate Olson's apartment. Honestly, he was a part of my childhood. Most people my age agree that '10 Things I Hate About You' was one of those movies that "marked" our generation (like 16 Candles or 'The Breakfast club'). He truly was a great character actor. I never would have assumed I would feel like this, but I am really really crushed.

My '09 Cobalt needs something more to make it mine. My modest dream list includes: tinted windows Eibach lowering springs Goodyear Assurance Triple Treds, 205/55R16 Koenig Traction rims What's your dream list of mods for your own vehicle? Post them here.

He proposed at midnight on New Year's Eve on bended knee in front of all of our friends. I'm so happy!!!

Chevy made a bit of a statement today at a Dodge presser this AM: http://jalopnik.com/cars/news/whos-tweakin...odge-194361.php

I'm taking a week off in late May for my birthday and I'm trying to figure out where to go.....any suggestions? I want somewhere tropical.....warm......that kinda stuff. A gay-popular place would be cool as well.... Carribean? Key West? Do any of you have any suggestions regarding either of those places or places I could go.....?

Alright... Each year, Brookville host's the week long Laurel Festival on Main Street. It officially starts tomorrow, monday morning. Well, most of the things planned all week are quite boring, but it ends with a nice car show on Sunday. Well, being that it's really the only thing worth coming to Brookville for, other than the Labor Day homecoming in nearby Knox Dale, I thought I'd see if anybody wanted to meet there. I mean, might as well come to Brookville to see me sooner or later. And plus it's a car show that closes down Main St... Who can go wrong with that? You could even enter it if you wanted. So... anyone up for it. If not... well.. I thought I'd atleast ask, y…

I just saw an episode of this detective show, The Rockford Files, starring James Garner and was blown away by how good it was, all the '70s cars and the great looking gold Firebird Esprit he drove. It was fun seeing fun poked at the SolCal sensiblities of the time. The series ran from 1974 - 1980. I am definitely going to get this DVD collection. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5pYtG_jo3o...related&search= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_dqaWcLucQ

I caught myself doing this more and more lately, actually being somewhat aggressive in my attempts to keep the foreign car drivers at the curb as I go past. I have even slowed down when there would have been plenty of room behind me for the guy waiting on the side to merge into traffic, but decided his Prius or Tundra could wait for the next guy to go by. Yeah, I am a child, I know. (by the way, if it is a matter of safety for the person on the side of the road, I always let them in, even I am not that uncool - even if the car they are driving is!) On the contrary, if there is a hot Domestic that might have the room to get in if I speed up, I do to allow them in. Ju…

Well, for the most part at least. Today was the last real day of high school for me. I still have to finish up some Calculus (Final Exam, take home test, and 3 HWs - the teacher always piles stuff on at the end) but other than that I'm home free. I'm not going tomorrow as I have until Thursday to finish up the Calc. Who else is out of school or close?

Okay, so in one of OC's emotional essays he mentioned a SoCal meet-up, and this has been talked about for almost 4 years. Are we gonna do this or WHAT? When? Where (OC mentioned Irvine)? C'mon let's get it done!!

...what new vehicle introduction has impressed you?

Linkypoo More worthless crap to read at the link.

For the first time in what seems like forever, I'm going to be able to do something on Halloween. We're planning on going to the pub crawl, and I need to think of a kickass costume. My initial though was a giant tampon, but that would lead to logistical problems. I've also though about putting on a dress and makeup and just being a drag queen for a night. I cant think of anything good. Maybe I can be the white Mr. T

In 1997 I was only 40 do that math on that one. Had a seven year old son and four year old daughter. Owned a 1990 Pontiac Grand Prix with less than 60,000 miles on the clock and a 1987 Olds Delta 88 Sedan with barely 90K on her. This was before my addition to the house and car buying spree 2001-2008 life was simpler and cheaper. Another interesting fact was I dug out an old National Geo something I don't get anymore and found over 10 different GM ads in it. And two of them caught my eye each for BOF SUV's. One a Yukon the other a Tahoe. I have enjoyed this little trip down memory lane and feel free to share where you were in '97 and what you drove... While enjoying these …

Given the constant rise in gas prices, can you imagine a world in the not-too-distant future where cars are despised, abandoned, destroyed? That was my nightmare the other night. Due to some personal issues, I've been having trouble sleeping as of late and this nightmare certainly didn't help matters. In the nightmare, gas prices were nearing the $10/gallon mark, and people with cars averaging less than 25 mpg were terrorized and threatened, while their offending vehicle(s) were beaten up and set ablaze before their very eyes. That included me ... I was forced to watch all 5 of my MCs "burned at the stake". Oddly, the radio on in the background was not playing music…

So Frisky did displacement and horsepower threads. As much as it is fun to put a dream car garage worth millions, few if any of the members here can afford any of these cars. So lets do a series of budget restricted garages that most of us could actually afford. Rules: 1. Production cars only. 2. These are you only vehicles. 3. Maximum of 5 choices. 4. Any era and market is allowed. 5. At least ONE NEW car/truck. 6. Maximum price is $20k. (MSRP for the new one, for the used one should be a reasonable used price with reasonable mileage and condition - no cars without engine, or Ferrari with 300k miles for $5K )

Happy Birthday, dude!

1) Go to Miami. 2) Buy a car for a grand. 3) Raise hell 'round the South. A rollicking good time. You've got to watch it. Easily hyperlinked for your viewing pleasure... Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 4.5 (the guy screwed up a bit) Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7

So the other day I had to stop for gas on the way home from DC. Trying to mind my pennies, I stopped at a 7-Eleven gas station and put about $20 in the tank of the Bonneville. Fast-forward to Friday, and as I'm driving to DC that morning/afternoon, my SES light comes on. Code: P0404, which is an EGR malfunction. So I'm like "aw crap" since I still have a pending SES light in my wife's Maxima that I need to get taken care of before we move in June. I'm looking up the code on the Internet to see what's required to fix the issue. Then I get a bright idea... how about I get gas from a real station? I fill up at a BP on the way home, and voilà, no more SES light on Sa…

So You Wanna See Speed Channel's Top Gear Competitor? By black-knight (Self-Appointed Tries to be Somewhat Regular News Contributor) for Cheers and Gears.com 23rd December, 2010 No, obviously Tanner Foust isn't jumping ship from the History Channel to publish a book or go to another show and we have no earthly clue where the, uh, Billy Ray Cyrus impersonator pictured alongside Foust and Adam Carolla (who winds up fitting into this whole picture) has wound up at, but you do remember reading the news lately that Speed Channel is planning a show that will take the wind out of Top Gear America's sails, yeah? Well apparently the precursor, or pilot if you will, to th…

So I went to Lowell Used Auto today, initially planning to buy an antenna for the Prizm, But as we all know, you never just get one thing at the junkyard I wandered around the main lot for a while...it's where everything besides GM cars are put (as well as new arrivals). I saw 4 Intrepids there, which made me sad. 2 were wrecked, one of them had no engine, and the other actually looked ok...but I couldn't get at it...probably a dead 2.7L. There was a row of 3 previous gen Caravans. Now, I like looking around and seeing if any of the vehicles will still turn over or light up. Sure enough, the last one I looked at (which had been repainted red from its original blue start…

They must have been cold, think it was winter, no leaves on the trees ...

...IM name? We've had threads about how we came up with our screen name on the message board(s), but what about your Instant Messenger ID, whether it is AIM, YahooIM, etc. (especially if it is different than your screen name here)? *pauses* Of course, only share if you want people to contact you via IM.... AND: Anyone else, like me, have people on your IM buddy list(s) that, sadly, you've no idea who they are anymore? I don't open my IMs as much as I used to. Years ago (or so it seems), I spent most of the evening IMing with people. Now, along with other things, my evening hours are spent reading and posting to groups/boards. So, when I do open up my IMs, I…

Why has some cars decided to stay with sunroofs that open outwards whereas some make them retract inside the car?

It will going without saying that Josh and a few others will predictably HATE this stuff. This era reminds me of everybody having a Cutlass Supreme coupe, bad clothes, Greg Brady hair and a much easier-going and more affordable LA. At work, I will put on the headphones and draft away to Donna Summer's greatest hits and similar stuff - MacArthur Park is her far and away her finest work, IMO. It's great to drive to as well and...no...I've NEVER set foot on a dance floor to this stuff. I know there's a lot of people who hate it. So be it.

http://maine.craigslist.org/car/679606893.html This ad is for a car he "found in the woods," meaning it doesn't belong to him. He also does not even say that these woods are on property that he may own. And he wants to charge you to look at it. Then what? If you decide you like it he'll sell you the car he doesn't own and therefore has zero legal right to sell? (all this aside from the fact that the car looks like it was hit by a locomotive and then sat in the ocean for 40 years) And people from Maine wonder why the rest of the country thinks they're all mentally retarded inbreds and make fun of them!

Although they look like they might be some sort of "marital aid", these are actually sterling silver salt and pepper shakers that came down through my dad's side of the family. I did a little research and discovered that they were made between 1920 and 1930 in NYC by P.H. Locklin & Sons. The puzzling thing is the monogram - it appears to be a "G". I can't find anyone on that side of the family with a "G" name. The pics aren't so great, but does anyone see some other letter in the monogram?

Hoping both of you have a great day today!!

Or know someone who does? I need to help a customer of mine sell one. Ice blue, 15k miles,chrome wheels,uplevel stereo,comfort & convenience package Original sticker over 47k Ideas on current value wanted too. The car is an estate car and my customer is the executor.

Basically... I'm just looking for an excuse to show off my lovely "Wall of Pontiac"... So.. uh... you can post pics to show your enthusiam for automobiles too... I guess... Yeeeah...... :unsure: :lol: :D Anyways, my room is so small that I had to take many pics, and in some cases, crop two together, to show it all. Also, don't mock my Xmas decorations... I can't help it that I have the spirit of Xmas... :P The "Wall of Pontiac" The "rest"... The "Xmas decor"... The "Favorite Expression"... BTW, sorry for the extremely poor quality of the pictures. My camera sucks and it lets me know that. Also, please ignore the fact that my r…

Attention parents: It's not your kids that are making you go gray. Your hair is simply building up too much hydrogen peroxide. Bottle-blondes may be a fan, but hydrogen peroxide, which is produced naturally in the human body, interferes with melanin, the pigment that colors our hair and skin. The body also produces the enzyme catalase, which breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. Or at least it does for a while. As we age, catalase production tails off, leaving nothing to transform the hydrogen peroxide into chemicals the body can release. So, as hydrogen peroxide builds up, we go gray, concluded researchers at the University of Bradford in the United …

Hey all, My GF needs a car and can't afford one, so, since we are extremley serious with wedding bells in the future, I decided to be a good BF and get her one. Now I'm not going off half cocked and buying her a car that will be in her name in case things don't work out (It will be in my name and I'll add her to my insurance) but I'm find of excited by the prospect of getting an SUV to backup my Mustand for the winter time. So I laid down the law and told her we could have 20-25k budget for anything domestic. So this is what the options are Saturn Vue- 2010 Equinox Jeep Cheroke. Normally these would would either be stripper models for the price range or…

Could you please send out a prayer to help my grandfather up to God's home? I would really appreciate it. He's one of the greatest, wisest men I've ever met, and he's everything a grandpa should be. He worked a really hard life since the time he was 16 on the railroad tracks, then the military, then multiple other jobs (including Packard and Chrysler, where he retired after about 25 years). About 8 years ago he had a heart attack and since then has been fairly weak, and just in the last two years he's been having many more heart problems. These last few months he's been incredibly fragile (but still mentally functional), and this last week he's been hallucinating and ju…

Seeing so many people are doing it on the G6 forums, I'm tempted to do that as well. Like the ones on the Roush concept. But problem is... does that make me a rice-boy??

Cheersandgears.com is worth $31,992 according to http://www.dnscoop.com/ or for you gear heads, a CTS with the option audio system and split folding rear seats

I was bored and figured I'd post some random pics. The above is what you would call a bulge. Random couple of G6 pics. Random black and white pics. Random moth. Random diecast truck.

It's amazing the variety of aftermarket wheels these days. Amazing how it affects the look of a car or truck. What are some of your favorites? Surprisingly I'm liking the black ones with silver or red rim. I also like the spidery type as well. I'm seeing this type more and more lately. They look great on big trucks.

Its that time of year again. Winter is only a few months away and with it will come snow, ice, and worst of all, salt. With all the work that' been done t the Intrepid I really want it to sit the winter out again this year. However I also want to keep the Prizm out of the stuff as much as possible, because I don't want it to rust away. I'm just casually looking around for now, nothing serious. It's always fun to look. If I do get something 'm planning to do it around November. I'm looking for dirt cheap really. Something I won't feel bad about. I'd really like a wagon or a minivan...I miss that utility, but anything that is mechanically sound where it counts will do. …