The Lounge

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.

I know, real exciting price range, right?!? Well, it came up in the Kia thread and it got me thinking what would I buy for 27k and 34k(because that's a very realistic price range for my next vehicle)? First I thought new then used.. Simple rules.. 4 total vehicles Two 27k vehicles New Used Two 34k vehicles New Used

I have a habit of backing my car into parking spaces. I'd say 85% of the time my car is backed into a space...about the only time it isn't is when I'm in a lot where it's busy or I'm in a hurry. My dad does it all the time and it's rubbed off on me. So, do you pull forward into a parking spot and then have to back out when you leave, or do you back in first so that when it's time to go, you're all set?

After watching that Drug Addled Amy Winehouse edge out Taylor Swift for best new Artist, which is, I believe, setting a bad example... I saw that Alan Jackson's smooth-flowing song, "A Woman's Love", got edged out by Keith Urban's "Stupid Boy" for best Male Country Performance- Anyone who's heard both songs would surely agree that Alan was robbed.... Did anyone else watch this year or happen to want to weigh in as well?

So unexpected and didn't know it was available here yet.....saw a Buick Lucerne V8 on the street in deep burgundy, in Calgary, Alberta. I have to admit, this car has the 'it' factor...it looks very good.....eons beyond the LeSabre in street presence...not even in the same galaxy. They may be on to something here.

It's cheaper than it could have been because it's a V6: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_...=1&cardist=1926 -RBB

Ventiports...

Check this out: http://gc.kls2.com From To Distance PHL (39°52'19"N 75°14'28"W) RSW (26°32'10"N 81°45'19"W) 993 mi RSW (26°32'10"N 81°45'19"W) PHL (39°52'19"N 75°14'28"W) 993 mi PHL (39°52'19"N 75°14'28"W) DFW (32°53'49"N 97°02'17"W) 1303 mi DFW (32°53'49"N 97°02'17"W) LAX (33°56'33"N 118°24'29"W) 1235 mi LAX (33°56'33"N 118°24'29"W) SYD (33°56'46"S 151°10'38"E) 7488 mi CNS (16°53'09"S 145°45'19"E) SYD (33°56'46"S 151°10'38"E) 1222 mi SYD (33°56'46"S 151°10'38"E) LAX (33°56'33"N 118°24'29"W) 7488 mi LAX (33°56'33"N 118°24'29"W) PHL (39°52'19"N 75°14'28"W) 2401 mi PHL (39°52'19"N 75°14'28"W) DTW (42°12'45"N 83°21'12"W) 453 mi DTW (42°12'45"N 83°21'1…

alright so im sure everyone remembers the 2004 monte carlo intimidator i loved regardless of the bad taste it left in most enthusiasts mouths... well she has since departed the world of road-going cars upon getting into a fight with a tree... basically what happened was i was driving along a winding road in pennsylvania where i work at a summer camp... it had rained recently and the roads were slick... i came up on one nasty corner that could almost qualify as a hairpin which has next to no bank and a hill in the middle... long story short the rear end slid out on me, i fishtailed for about 50 feet then ran into a tree... everyone in the car was fine and walked away a lit…

Am I the only one who looks at this and thinks, I would believe an Oldsmobile badge on this?

Yeah... I'm so gay. Hot pink and neon yellow for my black light. It's hard to see, but the yellow makes my entire room glow, while the pink... well, it's just awesome. It all compliments my dance light, multi color strobe light, all red traffic light, red string lights, and white christmas lights well. My room is dangerously electrifying, literally.

Okay, so I definitely love asparagus and broccoli. And most fish. You guys?

I really don't like this design much at all, but this pic makes it look pretty good: I think yellow is really growing on me because of my Cobalt.

Was in Autozone the other day (>"You want it, you need it, we can't find it, we don't have it"<) and their magazine rack (!) had a rag with cars on 30" rims. There was a gold late '70s Impala on the cover with these... wagon wheels and 6 big chromed trumpet horns under the front bumper in a cluster, probably providing a 'cow catcher' function to nudge pedestrians and..... cows out of the way. I actually had to pick up the rag to see if it was pics of real cars or well-detailed scale models. They were real alright. Couldn't find anything better than this on the net, but just so you all are on top of things: 20"s (and 22"s and 24"s) are so 3 seconds ago.

Lesbian spokeswomyn Rosie O'Donnell has accused Oprah & her friend Gayle as being "a little bit gay". Ok, Oprah is 52 and has never married, hmmm, maybe she has something there. Not that here is anything wrong with that. She outs Oprah & Gayle and then Clay. Has Rosie O become the official gay outer now? And, what does a person like Rosie O, drive? I'll bet it's not a GM vehicle. Prius?..most likely...although it is a little bit on the small side.

I found this on a news homepage. Check out this link and hit the "slide show" Link to MSN article on American towns It lists and talks about America's "prettiest" towns (subjective). In a way, they probably tried to appease everybody and scatter them all over the U.S. The ones that don't interest me: (a) tourist towns on the California coast that you can't afford anyway (Monterey, Cambria), (b) ski resorts (Aspen), ( c ) towns which...ahem...attract people I can't relate to (Sedona, Santa Fe) The ones that interest me: (a) I stumbled into Burlington VT once (needed to get over to the US "side" from Montreal to make cell phone calls and go to Kinko's), beauti…

I sent a present from GM's Wilmington Assembly plant to you today. You should have it in a few days. Enjoy!

I guess this was brought up before and sounds a bit unrealistic, but should we start a section to review cars and have test drive reports or something like that?

alright guys im on a very limited budget i have 5500 to spend on a car and cant really afford to put much in it after that. Ive been looking for a really long time and have it narrowed down to 2 cars. One is a 1991 z28 camaro with 98,000, red, red cloth interior, 5.7 litre engine and automatic tranny. Number two is a red 1990 300zx with 110,00 miles on the body and less then 10k on the new dealer installed engine with a 5spd manua,l new (tastefully done) sound system, and new exhuast headers and all. Both cars are immaculate for the age inside and out. I am a die hard manual guy and have sworn that i wouldnt buy anything but a manual but this camaro is tempting me. but on…

Because I'm likely to agree with him given today's news. I think GM has just lost its corporate mind.

For those of you who cannot bear the automotive thought of owning anything with any component designed more than 24 months ago, I bring you the 40" (you may wish to call it the 'double-dub'- frankly I have no idea if there's established slang for this already): Bear in mind that the 26" was a protoype in 2002.

Lessons of the Square Watermelon

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/31/...in1673093.shtml So isn't it about time for Superman to come out then?

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's best-selling newspaper has launched a competition to find the best cartoon about the Holocaust in retaliation for the publication in many European countries of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad. The Brussels-based Conference of European Rabbis (CER) denounced the idea and urged the Muslim world to do likewise. The daily paper Hamshahri said the contest was designed to test the boundaries of free speech -- the reason given by many European newspapers for publishing the cartoons of the Prophet. "A serious question for Muslims ... is this: 'does Western free speech allow working on issues like America and Israel's crimes or an incident like the…

Today it was 61 with lots of sunshine, a few fair weather clouds, and a light breeze. This qualifies as the perfect day for me. Warm enough to wear shorts but cool enough to not break a sweat when doing activities outside. It really is a breath of fresh air after this past week of gray and rain, and after last night's events. I took the opportunity to put my stereo back in the car, finish cleaning the front passenger seat, and cleaning the engine bay a bit. Crap battery be damned, I jumped my car and went for a 37 mile drive on the quiet winding back roads with the window open and the stereo on. My goodness, these seats are amazingly comfortable. I never appreciated a…

NHTSA: SUV Crash Test Scores Released With Good News for Ford Explorer Sport Trac Date posted: 03-18-2006 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Seven 2006 and 2007 model sport-utility vehicles, including the Ford Explorer, Explorer Sport Trac and Honda Pilot, have won five-star ratings for front and side crash protection from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The other winners include the Hyundai Tucson, Mercedes-Benz ML-Class, Nissan Murano and Subaru B9 Tribeca. One pickup truck, the four-door 2006 Toyota Tacoma, received top scores in two crash tests. None of the SUVs or pickups tested received five stars in rollover testing. However, three SUVs earned four stars:…

In modern car design, function follows form. Case in point: the modern-day decklid. For the greatest contrast, you might refer to a mid-60's car such as this 1966 Cadillac: Then take a look at this current generation STS: Now, I'm not saying we should go back to the humongous trunks of the 60s. But consider that my dad's friend owns a previous-generation Impala, with a huge trunk. He had purchased a lawnmower, and he wanted to load it into the trunk. He couldn't. Not because the trunk was too small, no. But the trunk opening was too small. And that's just upsetting. There have been numerous times where I have tried to load something into the Cobalt's huge-f…

Balthazar, I found your Shangra-La. Vintage Chevy, Ford, Mopar, AMC Parts Lot The listing title is a cataclysmic understatement.

Easy for me: (1) Australian Shepherd (which is the only kind I have ever owned) (2) Border Collie (which is what I would have had if I didn't have the Australian Shepherd) I am sure I can warm up to other breeds. It's just that those are my favorites. Which ones are high on your list?

It's on now....I was praying for lesbians and there were gay people on the first set. Some dude who I can't remember his name is getting knocked by the other guys on the bus because he's ugly. I love this show. Especially when gays/lesbians get on there. Usually the chicks all end up making out with each other on the bus towards the end. No offense is meant by my post...but it's a show I find entertaining.

Part one: What was the first car you ever drove? Part two: How old were you at the time?

I was disappointed (though not surprised) when I read a post by Josh Oliver on camaroz28.com which, referring to C&G, stated, "That website is garbage." Here is a direct link to the topic; scroll down to Josh's post, which is #22. I realize that there's been "bad blood" between Josh and C&G for a long time, but the reason I'm now pointing out his post is that I can't seem to view his own website, thegmsource.com. Is it still active? Lately, Josh has started several topics on camaroz28.com, so perhaps that has become his new outlet.

So I was parked outside of my bros' Theta Chi house @ USC, and in the hour I was there, someone broke off pieces of the address on the front of the house, and afterward walked on my ALUMINUM hood, and my steel roof and rear decklid, causing scratches and dents. A report was filed with USC Dept. of Public Safety (DPS), and in surveying the damage, a shoe print was visible on the roof. I have pictures of it, and it would mean so f@#king much to me if you guys could help me in identifying what kind of show caused this. I have an idea of who may have done this, and this kind of information would be most helpful to DPS in their investigation as well. Here are the picture…

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

Hope you have a great Birthday!

... with a new project. I decided that I couldn't stand bumping into stuff, tripping over things and sqeezing past things in the lower part of the barn. So, my helper and I have been re-organizing the layout of the barn all week. All of the landscape/construction/woodworking and other non-car items are all moving upstairs to the space vacated by the Hawk, Maserati and GTO. I can't wait to get this done so that the entire downstairs will be dedicated to my car projects. I'm trying to get the layout right so that I can build a "retractable" paint booth, make room for a lift, install better lighting and outlets, build an enclosure for the compressor, and have my heater…

I AM DUCKIN' FRUNK! COMPANY XMAS PARTY!!!! THOSE DAMN FREE SCREWDRIVERS!!!!!! AM I SPELLING RIGHT? YOU KNOW I WILL CHECK damn caps, sorry boys and girls------------------ bed now sleepy shut up!

This is another idea we've been considering. (Told you I was throwing ideas out tonight) She might want to keep her Cav, which would require a few bucks, but the car is in good shape, and would be very doable. She suggest another 4 door Cav (Guess she's hanging around me too much), so we can have 2 4dr family cars again. (since the wagon is gone) Nutty as the idea sounds, it's not that bad of an idea. Heck, I already have two-what's another one? They are cheap used (would be looking at 03-05), and by now, I really know my way around them. And I could have it paid off pretty quick. Could even get a "sporty" one.... Many could say...what about a Cobalt? Well…

Yes it's hidedous & tacky but it's right in your back yard and the seller may be willing to let it go cheap. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2000-PONTIA...1QQcmdZViewItem

Your avatar resembles a rectum. Are you trying to imply that you're an asshole?

All I'm going to say dude! :AH-HA_wink:

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118...8986501078.html Interesting article from the Wall Street Journal about the future collectibility of today's automobiles. Anything any of you agree/disagree with? Any cars the people in the article, in your opinion, failed to mention? Personally, I don't think much of anything from today will be collectible. Of course the exotics and supercars will always have their place in history, but the normal stuff will never have any value. The cars of the masses from the days of old have a value, but do you think anything built today could ever equal that? I don't see anybody bulding a retirement fund by sitting on a barn stuffed with …

...but this person has other ideas.... http://www.collegehumor.com/picture:1750997

CAUTION: What you are about to see was performed under controled conditions by seasoned professionals. Do not attempt this yourself as it may cause bodily injury or death. OUCH!!! Yes, that's me about 8 hours ago. I'll let you guys rip into me before I explain myself.

Please be thoughtful. I like them all...but the situation they present is about as unwieldy as the handling of a W-body. Let's get this sig tightened up, yea?

Happy Birthday Gentlemen. Hope you have a nice one. Dodgefan, I've decided to keep your birthday present for myself! :AH-HA_wink:

Check out this TV report on massive cities the Chinese government is building that have no inhabitants: The reason is of course that construction activity boosts the country's GDP figures, even though by any measure this is insane. Be skeptical of China's quoted growth--a lot is illusory.

4,711 miles... Just 287 miles...

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - Mexico said Tuesday that it would file lawsuits in U.S. courts if National Guard troops on the border become directly involved in detaining migrants. Mexican border officials also said they worried that sending troops to heavily trafficked regions would push illegal migrants into more perilous areas of the U.S.-Mexican border to avoid detection. Can you tell me how just how you can sue over that?

Awesome! Something like 117 episodes available for instant download.

Why couldn't this have become reality? Why did J-bodies have to be so mediocre? Why doesn't Pontiac have a replacement for this? Why can't Pontiac put that body on Delta? Why can't Pontiac have a compact to go agains't the Civic Si? Why couldn't it have been this? Why does reality have to suck so much? I hate reality... This Sunfire is the definition of my compact coupe dreams...

I'm glad I stumbled upon this site, you guys pretty much have all the latest General Motors news. I'll introduce myself. I'm 21, I just finished college and am now working as a temp at the GM parma stamping plant. The plant had to hire temps because about half of the workers took the buyout and they needed people to replace some of them. We don't make as much as the regular employees ($18.75 an hour plus cost of living, so a total of about 21 an hour) but get no benefits, but its still a damn good wage and its enough that I can afford to pay monthly for my own health insurance. I have quite a few gm workers in my family. My dad is a supervisor at the plant, my grand…

...major dental surgery. I am not a happy camper.

I'm doing my surfing around the 'net and cant help but laugh at the Honda Fit ad I'm being subject to on the front page of GMInsideNews. You've got to be kidding me, right?

I haven't been reading the posts here for the last few days because I have been car shopping. There are considerations in this purchase that are not necessarily automotive. So if you are in a hurry I will skip to the end and tell you that I got a 2007 HHR. If you had asked me last week if I were likely to get a new car, I would have responded no. My wife correctly pointed out that we are too old to need a new car. It is quite depressing to think that one might never get another car. It is even more depressing to think that the reason is you might not be alive to enjoy it. Some time last week she changed her mind. She is quite unhappy with her Pontiac. She though…

Yep thats right you can buy the very camera that snagged those engine compartment photos of the Solstice GXP, Chevy Suburban, Silverado, and over 65 other prototype cars. The camera is the Canon 1D Mark II. I bought this camera just over a year ago and it only has 16k activations on it. Mechanically everything is perfect and cosmetically there are just a few light scratches around the hot shoe. LCD screen is perfect. You'd never know this wasn't a brand new camera. Everything that came with it originally is included. I dont think I have the box anymore, but I'll keep looking for it. Only reason Im selling it is to upgrade. If you really want a photo, I&#39…

OK, I seriously haven't seen the sun in 2.5-3 weeks. I hate winters in Michigan. NO MORE GRAY!!

Did you ever touch something really gross in the dark? I just went downstairs to let my little doggie out. I didn't turn the back light on. I could see the fastener for her lead shining in the dark... so I reached for it... AND DID A FULL PALM TOUCH ON A BIG FAT SLUG! :o

Me: Going straight at 40+mph having just made a left to right lane change Her: Pulling out of a Home Depot parking lot The results: We're both fine (physically). Rather than go through her insurance company and have them nickel and dime me when I'm not at fault, I'm just going through mine and will let them bill hers. I have an appt. with a GEICO express shop tomorrow at 7AM, and they'll have a rental there.

My aunt & uncle recently have had problems with their brand new Prius. It seem that it quit on them several times while driving. While it's being looked at, the Toyota dealership gave them a new Camry LE as a loaner. Now I have something to admit... I don't think it's a bad looking car. In fact, I think the Camry is a great looking car. Don't get me wrong, I'd never think of buying one or driving one even if I were paid to, but if I were a complete jerk who didn't care about supporting domestics I would not be embarassed to be seen in it. So while you all are flaming me for my apparently dissident (dis)tastes in aesthetics, to make this topic slightly more …

Been meaning to do this since the foliage came back. get up or be up at sunrise and stake some photos while it was calm and quite. The lousey weather and lack of time made it impossible until I decided to pull an all nighter. My favorite two.

So I was coming home tonight and going 64 in a 55, and I come up on this van quite quickly, forcing me to slow to 38 at is was a 2-lane road and in a no passing zone. Meanwhile, a semi is coming up behind me, so I continuously tap my brakes so that I don't get rear-ended because I'm now going 17MPH UNDER the speed limit. So, I keep doing this, but the semi keeps barreling down on me. I mean, he didn't even seem to be slowing down. Luckily, I think he figured it out just in time and got stopped, but I wasn't positive that I wasn't going to have to merge into the oncoming lane as to not get rear-ended. I don't know who thinks 38 in a 55 is a safe speed, but if you're goi…

JANUARY thru SEPTEMBER 2005 NHTSA CAMPAIGN RECALLS ACURA………… 05 (+2) AUDI............. 04 (+2) BMW............. 05 (+5) BUICK…………. 05 (+0) CADILLAC….…. 10 (+0) CHEVY………… 75 (+15) CHRYSLER……. 02 (0) DODGE………… 03 (0) FERRARI………. 04 (0) FORD…………... 60 (+23) GMC……………. 62 (+15) HONDA.….……..15 (0) HUMMER………. 04 (0) HYUNDAI……..... 08 (+1) ISUZU…………... 08 (+5) INFINITI..........01 (+1) JAGUAR............ 01 (0) KIA……………....14 (+1) LAND ROVER…. 05 (+1) LINCOLN……….. 08 (+5) MASERATI……… 01 (0) MAZDA........... 03 (0) MERCEDES……. 10 (+2) MERCURY……… 01 (0) MITSUBUSHI…… 05 (0) NISSAN…………. 04 (0) PONTIAC…….…. 06 (0) ROUSH.............. 01 (0) SAAB………….……

Whoa, almost 4 days away from this place, how times flies when you're having fun, and when you're not. I was on vacation this week, and I needed it, I had been stressing at work and not sleeping well. I had wanted to do something other than sit home for the whole week, which would have been counterproductive to the very definition of the word "vacation", and camping is something I enjoy. The weather forecast wasn't promising, however, for the Poconos Mountains. Checking The Weather Channel site every day yielded a small window of tent-camping opportunity on Thursday/Friday, so I took the chance. And it was beautiful. Everybody I talked to up there said the entire w…

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_5941513?nclick_check=1 And... http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...itories%2FChina