The Lounge

1) Age? 2) Gender? 3) Primary source of news? 4) Prop 85, Y/N? Abortion parent notification (pretend you're in CA, if you're not) 5) Prop 87, Y/N? Tax for alternative energy research 6) Prop 88, Y/N? $50/property tax for schools

So I saw in the Circuit City ad that there was a 46" Sharp Aquos 1080P LCD TV for $1200 off ($2499 down to $1299), and so me and my mom went out to see if anyone was already waiting at about 10PM last night, and there were 25 or so people in line, so we scratched that idea. Then today we went to Best Buy just to compare some and see which looked the best (more on that below), and we saw the same TV there, this time for $1399 ($100 more, but it didn't involve standing in line for 10 hours to get it). We compared all the TVs of that size, and decided it was one of the better, with only the Sonys being definitively better. After comparing all the TVs for quite some time, I…

Start your engines! I'd like to introduce the newest member of my Fleet: 1983 Volvo 240 auto with about 240K miles. Purchased last Sat. for $100. Title and all. It's a clean old beast from the last year of Emissions exemption and other than a few minor things it's a great car. You've probably already guessed by now this poor old dog is going to end up at the 2005 Halloween Howler Demolition Derby & Endurance Race. Boo-Yeah! :metal: I had taken a look at several cars out of the Want Advertiser. I love that magazine. Awsome classified ads. Kick ass prices. I had like 7 cars lined up and went to take a look at a few. In the end Both Grand…

I was planning on doing nothing tonight, then got kidnapped for a few hours. I only had half of a Crown and Coke.

Motor Trend has an article, complete with a photo timeline, on the history of the Ute. Check it out if you get a chance and are interested.

TANGENTS TO SET UP THE STORY --- YOU GUYS KNOW HOW I LIKE TO TELL STORIES TANGENT 1 1) The Focus has had a really rough summer, as have I (worst headf**k I've been through since 2001) Firstly, I was motoring around the house and busted a shifter linkage. Ironically it was in the same place that I was stranded in the middle of the road back in 2005 when the 45 mph 18 wheeler took me out and totalled the first Focus I had. So, I decided that I WOULD NOT be stuck in the road there again and damn near melted the clutch to get the car up a hill. (It was stuck in 3rd). As a result the Focus was down for about a month since I live in Charlotte most of the time and didn't ha…

So my familt and I went to mass today...I'm not really religious for various reasons, but my mom insisted so we went (this includes my girlfriend). Partway through the mass the priest asked everyone to raise their had and repeat what he said (I forget the words), but this is exactly what it looked like: My girlfriend said that honestly scared her...and when you thin about it it is kinda freaky...it's like a cult...a really big one. Ain't religion great? (not really, but it can be entertaining).

Yeah, it was brave-but I ended up with more than I bargined for.... I was coming out of the local Kroger with dinner a few days ago....And saw a purse snatching in progress from a 80 year old lady. I decided to help, and was able to run him down and tackle at the knees. I got the purse back, but failed to realize he had something else in his other hand: A wooden cane (with a metal top) While getting back up, he nailed me twice in the back, and then once more for good measure (I guess) once I fell to the ground). Lucky for me I fell on the purse, so once people noticed what happened, he just ran. And they haven't caught him (I guessing they never will, either) …

...to me it's the lack of a social network outside of C and G. With the Miata thing, the SCCA thing, and the VW thing, I have active local clubs that are fun to be involved with. Running an SCCA autocross, going to a 4th of july party, doing a 4th of July parade, running a Buckeye Miata Club autocross, going to two get togethers with the VW club... But nothing social locally with any GM people. Seems like you run into a few old guys at car shows, but VERY few real GM fans around here. So I guess this is my way of saying thanks for posting here to everyone that does, because there are a lot of GM cars I love and I love talking about them. What is your least fav. …

Friday evening after work, I stopped in at a new local diner to have supper. It had been a long time since lunch, and I was feeling pretty hungry. As I was waiting for my food, I caught myself staring at my server as she took care of her other tables. I realized my eyes were locked on her every move as the minutes ticked by, my table and my stomach empty. When she assured me "yours will be out soon!" with a little knowing smile, I became amused at myself and realized I probably had a half-crazed, desperate, "FEED ME!" look in my eyes, a look this waitress had probably felt dozens of times before.

@A Horse With No Name gave me a challenge. Here it is! For July 4 Celebrations!!! Rules: 1. Pick a brand. Just 1 brand. A pure red blooded AMERICAN brand. Be it Ford or Chevrolet. Or Dodge. 10 cars any era, any concepts, anything from that brand. 2. No corporate sister brands are allowed. 3. These are your garage queen, museum grade show cars and/or Sunday drivers and/or daily drivers. 4. Have fun!

The Truth About Cars TWAT Awards 10. Chevrolet Aveo “Chevy likes to tout the Aveo as the “lowest-priced [new] car in America” and in spite of their warning “content may vary,” it’s easy to see how they achieved that goal. From the hollow-sounding doors, bargain-basement plastics and skinny tires to the coarse-sounding engine that strains when faced with even the slightest incline, it exudes “cheap” from every ounce of its being. The Aveo also refutes the smart shopper’s mantra “you get what you pay for.” In the case of this captive Korean import, you pay little and get even less.“ 9. Lincoln Mark LT “Lincoln’s badge engineered Ford F-150 is an unholy degradation of t…

I know we have the "What Are You Listening To?" thread, but what I'd like to see is a thread dedicated to the music snobs here, a hopefully thousand page thread dedicated to in-depth discussions of the music we listen to (without being far beyond obsessed with that analysis; there is a reason why your standard Tool fan is the butt of every joke associated with metal). I have no clue how to start this thread off, really. So I suppose I'll mention what I've been listening to a lot lately: The Avett Brothers. So far, this is the only band with a banjo that I love the hell out of. Great vocals, supreme musicianship, and Emotionalism was quite experimental in terms of dynami…

http://supersaturday.iepromo.com/?cmp=super DANG. milfy reaches new levels. go GMC!

So, what do you think of it? IMO, it's rather tasteful. It's not over-excessive nor considerably rice. Looks good. I think I'm going to try this with my GA. The result will be different, mainly because of the black bars. I just need the know how, a new leftside, and some colored bulbs... Also, I thought this was an awesome photo... :D

I wrote this two days ago about dealing with the $h! I feel after going through a bad breakup....I've been writing for along time and thought you guys might want to read this, given Camino's lyric thread. Hope you guys like and please let me know what you think. Take My days so empty, yet I can never find Time to ease the pain plaguing my mind Endless thoughts of sadness Drifting further away from the world into madness Loneliness my only companion I’m falling, falling into the abyss The taste of your lips, I’ll always miss Consumed with hate, my misguided fate A lost soul, this gapping hole Ripped my heart from my chest Placed…

You must click

2007 IIHS Subcompact Crash Test Results Subcompact cars, an increasingly popular choice among drivers, fared poorly in new crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Not surprisingly, the small cars did especially poorly in crashes with large SUVs and trucks, according to results released today. But deaths in small cars also were higher in single-vehicle crashes, compared to larger vehicles. The only small vehicle to get good safety marks across the board was the subcompact Nissan Versa, which is slightly larger than competing mini or B-car vehicles, but is marketed alongside the others. Five of the seven cars tested by the insurance instit…

So my girlfriend and I have discussed a few times which is better better to do when slowing down/coasting and/or coming to a stop? Her aunt (who taught her) said it was better to downshift, although she usually put it in neutral. She taught me that way, so it's how I do it. A friend of mine puts it in neutral. So...which do you do? and which is better or worse or the car?

GO sharpay!!!!!!!!!!!

C&D has what I believe is the first test of a manual V6 Camaro up. It's a rather glowing review- http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-chevrolet-camaro-lt-rs-v-6-test-review. I decided this would be a great car to use for a new 'WWYBI' piece. Base price- $30,140 As-tested- $35,150 Range to spend- $27,125-38,665 As always, you have the price range allotted above to spend on a similar car that is new, and on sale now. Must use MSRP. Must spend at least $27,125. Cannot spend more than $38,665.

I am really setting my sights to the future, about 5-10 years, depending on where I end up getting offers after college in a few years. I'd really like to work somewhere in these three states. One place I'd love to work is NASA, and they have a location on the coast in VA. I've just got some questions to ask before I 100% commit myself to saying "Yeah, I want to find set my sites on finding a job and living there in a few years." Climate: So far I know that they all have a pretty darn good climate. However, how severe are the hurricanes that hit there? Do they get tornadoes and a lot of severe weather? Economy: What are their economies like? I can't imagine they'd…

This is really hard for me... A few months ago my Grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told her she had about six months to live. When I last spoke with her around the end of December she told me she was undergoing chemotherapy and that it was helping. Today I was up early and got a message from my father that she had taken a turn for the worse and was very sick, and probably doesn't have long to live. I'm not sure what to do or say...I want to call her but I don't know what to say. There hasn't been a death in my family (who I knew) since my Grandfather passed away when I was around 5, so I have no idea how to deal with it. I guess I'm looking for a…

c'mon, what's the greatest movie of all time!??

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…

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.

1995 Saturn SL2 Awww yeah...NAAAAAAAWS!!I will say, though, it seems this guy did some serious work to it. Now, here's wasted money... 1974...er, '94 Saturn SL Cory's Wet Dream Express 1996 Pontiac Grand Am GT

I've been cutting the tall grass in the fields around my place over the last few days, and the stinging insect population is excessive this year. Today I got stung int my right lower eyelid, painful to say the least.

I about craped bricks when we got our appraisal to redo our 2nd. We've owned our home for only 10 months, and it has gone up over 23%. Portland is one crazy place to live when it comes to housing.

Aww... watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkCQaN4Vugs this...

Monochromatic, a form of monochrome, is defined as: Though a form of the word 'chrome' is contained within the word, the word itself does not refer to removing chrome trim from an automobile or exchanging chromed trim pieces for those that are body-colored. That instance is referred to as exchanging chromed trim pieces for those that are body-colored. This is not monochromatic. In fact, it contains many colors. This may be considered to have a monochromatic paint scheme because the exterior paint is only one color, not multi-toned. Thank you.

Hi all. I'm truck shopping. Getting rid of the mini-van now that I need something to better meet the family needs. I've looked at all makes, questioned new owners, examined build-lists, optioned-together glorified "I wish" truck builds, came back to Earth, and started searching for deals. The 2012 clearouts for 0% financing held few to be desired, so I waited... until I saw an ad at the local dealership for an "End of the World Sale" - one day only. They're discounting everything on their lot, including 2013 units. Test drove a 2013 SLE with the 1SB package and a couple add-on options and liked it, but stopped cold when I saw an All Terrain with the Offroad package …

Brent Saba had just dropped a church group off at Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday morning and was heading north on Interstate 95 when it happened: His 15-passenger van ran out of gas. Saba, a 24-year-old church pastor, made it to the shoulder just past the Ben Franklin Bridge and waited more than 30 minutes for someone to stop and lend him a cell phone. Then he waited a while longer for AAA to arrive with fuel. With gas prices hovering at $4 a gallon, motorists like Saba are putting less fuel in their tanks — then coming up empty on the highway. Though national statistics on out-of-gas motorists don't exist, there's plenty of anecdotal evidence that dri…

I'm on one of the online dating sites, and I've actually met some nice girls from it. No relationships, but it's interesting. A few days ago, this girl bought me an online flower (which you have to pay for), and sent me a number of emails. She approached me, so naturally her interest level is quite high. I've talked to this girl a couple of times on the phone and she seems to like me. We're meeting tomorrow for dinner. Anyway, here's the problem. Just out of curiousity I asked her her height, and she said 5'10" I'm lucky to be 5'8" on a good day if I stand real straight. I told her I was 5'9" in shoes, and she said that she doesn't care. But I'm pretty …

Anyone else ever check to see if they had any registered sex offenders living around them? I did today and guess what? 3 doors down from me, a couple more within 3 miles of me. Yikes. Also, if you ever get really bored and look at all the listings you'll see a lot of creepy old guys and the occasional unnattractive woman. We live in a scary world.

Al Gore Wins 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Linkity By GERALD F. SEIB and JEFFREY BALL October 12, 2007 2:31 p.m. WASHINGTON -- Former Vice President Al Gore won a share of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work publicizing global warming, an honor that is sure to raise speculation anew about his presidential ambitions and makes it more difficult for other politicians to avoid the global-warming issue. The former vice president shares the prize with the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Nobel Prize committee announced in Norway. The prize caps a remarkable stretch for Mr. Gore's effort to raise the profile of the climate-change debate; …

I guess this is where I introduce myself? Hi, I'm Sam. :AH-HA_wink: I guess you wouldn't call me new, as I've been lurking for about a year. I like the atmosphere of this place. It is my 3rd most visited site too [after myspace , and carspyshots.net]. So yeah. I just wanted to make myself "official" in C&G Land. Edit: I forgot to mention my car. What a shwagon it is: Its a 1997 Mercury Sable Wagon. My first car. It feels good to have my own set of wheels. I am proud to say that I paid for it myself, which to me is a big acomplishment. Now I just need to figure out how to save enough money to pay for gas and insurance :AH-HA_wink:

The local Chevy-Cadillac-MB-Volvo dealership posted an ad in the paper for 2 people to detail cars. It says it's full time, so I'll have to investigate that (I would rather work 4 days a week and have 2 days off - something like Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sat) but I think it might be a pretty good job for the summer. I think I'd get to clean up the new vehicles and take them to the gas station to fuel them up, which might be fun. It's certainly better than a burger-flipping job, and I think I'm going to get really bored if I don't get a job for the summer, but I don't want to work full time either. What does everyone think about this as a possible summer job?

Have a good ones guys! Got any plans? Taking the gf and my best friend up to Hampton to launch of fireworks and then watch the beach's own show. Should be a blast!

I paid off the Grand Prix GXP yesterday, the Equinox has been paid off ... Just 40K left to pay off on my house behind the gate and then I'm debt free ... It feels so good ...

I went to Northern California to visit family for Christmas. Stopped by a consignment shop and snapped some pics to share. This one said "7ft bed, 454, $800" This Gran Torino sold while I was walking around. I *really* wanted this F-100!! I also liked this one. Note price tag below!

OK Vipes, dont say I never did anything for ya: http://www.howardroffman.com/tales_html/TA04.html http://www.howardroffman.com/other_html/OW02.html

In this thread, instead of 5 dream cars, tell us about 5 cars you had the chance to buy, could afford to buy at the time, and didn't. This should be actual cars that you really did look at, considered...and then were an idiot for not buying.

My dad is going to sell either the Sunfire or the Corsica. I get to choose which since the remaining one will become mine. I am having a tough time deciding. 1996 Corsica 2.2L 2200, automatic 77,191 mi. Pros: It's more or less well sorted out Lower mileage Nicer sounding radio (with tape player!) Better reliability reputation as far as I can tell Cons: Horn not working for some reason ABS no worky A/C is shot Possibly doesn't like to start in very cold temperatures It's boring to look at, boring to be in, and boring to drive Cramped rear seats 2000 Sunfire coupe 2.2L 2200, 5-speed manual 94,633 mi. Pros: I like the styling 20x mor…

I just joined a gym, literally 5 minutes ago, online. It's only like 3 miles from my house. I stopped by there this morning and took a tour, led by a perky young lady. The place seems very low key, and I'm hoping it will help me keep fit over the winter. My biggest fear is looking like a complete doofus. Will the treadmill throw me off the back? Will I strangle myself when I drop the 25 pound barbell on my neck? I've never done anything like this before. I'm hoping it will be a good move. Does anyone else here belong to a gym? Do you have any funny or odd experiences you can share?

Been a long time, so this one is overdue. And it's a fun one to jump back with. C&D just posted up their First Drive Review of the new 991.2 Turbo. Here is the link- http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-porsche-911-turbo-first-drive-review Since there was no as-tested price, we're going to use the range from just below base price on a Turbo, to just above base price on a Turbo S. That's a nice ~50K bracket. So, you have to spend at least $150,000, but no more than $200,000. The only requirement is that the car be some sort of high-end sport coupe/sport-GT/etc. Have fun.

Hope you enjoy it. And, remember us when you attend those meetings.

Just a little reminder why these hideous things sell. What's funny is as I walked towards my uncle's house I saw the car and said "aw man that thing's ugly...". I'm just glad I made no comments when I went in to the house. I could have offended her. But think about it. What other car company sells a vehicle with an interior that can be hosed down? GM had the Envoy XUV, for a good $20k more than the Element sells for. They also had the Aztek, which was a similar concept, both in form and in function. And pick-up trucks, well, in general it's not a good idea to keep a dog in the outer compartment of a moving vehicle.

Oh my. The folks who had the Yaris and xB moved out of the other half of the duplex and two chicks are moving in. My first clue was the other evening, I was mowing and they were on their deck. One ordinary, the other a bit of a stand-out with a do-rag and football jersey (but not overly butch). Then this evening, the one girl's dad was there doing some carpentry and he mentioned in passing that there will be two dogs, one belonging to his daughter, the other to "her girlfriend". WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT THIS??? :AH-HA_wink:

Don't aske me how I found this: Delta 88 on wrecker Man who needs TV when you have Google, the internet is way more entertaining than any reality show.

With the recent gas prices spiralling have been doing a non scientific experiment to find out how much driving habits can change the fuel economy. Reading those news about people getting 50 mpg in a regular four banger Accord makes you think how do people claim this surreal number. Is it true or it is a banal trick played by the import humpers. Websites like these Gas Savers make me try to validate this claim. So here goes my experiment. I will just give the data, you folks decide what to claim from it. The Precursors: 1. I keep a pretty close if not up to the decimal tab on my fuel economy numbers. For the previous miles, before the experiment, my three cars have aver…

Another of my favorite GM cars from the past:

This is interesting, I'm suprised nobody found it first! http://www.cheersandgears.com/public/style_emoticons//AH-HA_wink.gif http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/attack...4e_20051024.htm

I searched for "Fiero man" and all I got was these two: :o :lol:

There is a aggravating japanese cartoon with a big message saying: .!hacked pirate Catch me at [email protected]

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...

'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…

Well ho ho ho y'all, it's time to close out another year of car spotting. Post your cool sleigh sightings here!

http://www.levelfieldinstitute.org/

Remember this lovable scamp? Newsflash regarding Cheers and Gears We did fairly well in the poll. I'm impressed.

Here's my take on the top 10 most visually captivating cars of 2008: 1. Aston Martin Vantage 2. Audi R8 3. BMW M3 Coupe 4. Cadillac CTS-V 5. Cadillac XLR-V 6. Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 7. Saturn Sky 8. Ferrari F430 9. Lamborghini Murcielago 10. Lamborghini Gallardo

Hint #1 - Its well-respected in its circles Hint #2 - Its a 2008 model Hint #3 - Its not a domestic.

Does this whole bipartisan push for clunker laws bother anyone else here? I am by no means a conservative, but this just trikes me as a huge waste of government money when we have sooo many other good current uses for the money. Plus, think of all the cars that will be crushed... Plenty of B body big cars. Think of the Caprices that could be fixed up, or the third gen Camaros, or the post 72 El-Camino's, or the decent shape GM trucks that could find a life hauling around a farmer or a mason or something. Don't like this one bit. Thoughts? Chris

Austin: Revered, Exalted Waisanen: The Road + the common finnish surname suffiix -nen.(Väisänen, is the correct finnish spelling) First Name meaning found at http://babynames.com/ in the left side corner theres a place to type in your first name. Last Name at http://www.ancestry.com/search/SurnamePage...&fn=John&ln=Doe under the map theres a place to type in your last name.

First- 5 points Second- 3 points third- 1 point deadline: January 5, 2007 Saturn Outlook Ford Edge Hyundai Santa Fe Mazda CX-7 Acura MDX Audi Q7 Dodge Nitro Chevrolet Tahoe Jeep Compass Jeep Patriot Lincoln MKX GMC Acadia GMC Yukon Cadillac Escalade Toyota FJ Cruiser Chrysler Aspen Acura RDX NO MORE!!!!

...but members and their bikes too! I was biking home after an exam... This guy in a blue Corolla came from the back, heavily accelerating to overtake two bikes behind me, and missed me by an inch. But I was knocked into a curb and fell off my bike onto the sidewalk. And this was UW Ring Road, with a speed limit of 20km/h. He was more like going 50. Add 2 scratches + 2 blood injuries for me...

What vehicle do you think would be best for the value. I will be looking for a car very soon. I have a list. It will most likely be a GM because they are cheaper. 97-03 Malibu 95-99 Aurora 00-03 Cavalier/Sunfire 99-04 Grand Am 93-98 Bonneville 94-2000 Concorde/ LHS 87-92 Blazer/Jimmy 2 door 99-04 Alero any other suggestions? BTW, it should look good between our two beasts, LOL.

Today, we had to hand in current events for my globalization class, and I turned in the one about the Republicans growing weary of free trade. In my analysis of it, I talked about how free trade was beneficial to keeping a society from becoming stagnant, but how countries that place protectionist policies on their own markets should be countered with protectionist policies here that would promote fairer trade. I also mentioned GM in it and the large effect it had on the economy. So as my professor starting discussing my article with the rest of the class, he misspoke a few things that I said that made it sound like I was for imposing protectionism on everything which i…