The Lounge

Well I like the following sports and the following teams that play them ... Rugby (played it since college) - The team I follow Internationally is the Argentina National rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas. European Football (Soccer in the US) - I follow the German National team in the World Cup. American Football - My team is the Baltimore Ravens.

So, We were contacted by a TV producer from England. They produce a travel show that apparently is very big in England....it's on prime-time. Well, they are in Las Vegas filming an episode on the Las Vegas "lifestyle." They asked us for a Cadillac.....because, you know, Cadillac being a quintessential American car (from a bling-bling standpoint).....and Las Vegas being a quintessential American city (also from a bling-bling standpoint.) They were going to spend 30 minutes filming the Cadillac in and around Las Vegas, etc. SO....after weeks of talking with these folks, I showed up at the first location.....the "World Famous Little White Chapel" north of the Stri…

...what would your nightmare job be? And would you do it well anyway?

An old MOPAR for DODGEFAN from my junkyard trips... Chris

By CaminoLS6

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Today was a beautiful day so I decided to take the LS out for a drive and stopped around at the local lots. I saw my first new Taurus, a couple '10 Mustangs, and the new Equinox. What really surprised me was the lot traffic. The Ford-Hyundai-BMW dealership was packed with people; there were at least 6 driving around in cars and another 4 or 5 walking the lot. Most people seemed to be checking out the Ford side, although there were a couple over in the Hyundai area. Then I went to the Lincoln-Mercury dealership and nobody was there. Drove down the street to the Chevrolet dealership and only a couple people...same with the Nissan one next door. Then I drove north to…

This is an actual Pacer Police car:

I hate weddings. No real reason, I just do. I got an invitation for an old friends wedding next month. I really dont want to go, because I really dislike weddings. Have I mentioned that? I tried using the no babysitter excuse(a lie, btw), she said that I could bring my son. I'll think of some way to weasel my way out of going. All this got me thinking about mine, which is tentatively scheduled for sometime between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2020. I've already asked if I can have someone stand in for me during the ceremony so I can play video games or something. That got a no.

Now that I have a decent car, I've been more attentive to the process of cleaning and waxing. What are some of your favorite brands of wax and protective products that you use? Does anybody do clay bar on their paint? I have heard Turtle Wax Ice is a pretty good cleaning solution that comes close to clay bar as far as shine and removal of contaminants but does it in 1/4 of the time. Since I live in a winter climate, I'm looking for something I can apply this fall that will help protect the paint before the snow starts flying. My paint is in very good condition overall, but the paint of the front bumper is starting to show its age a little.

Ever consider moving to Europe? I didn't know this until, well just now actually, but you can buy this in the UK:

Another longtime member. I was checking your profile and noticed that you have in your possession an LT1-powered Sonoma! Cool, can you tell us more about it? Have a great one, sir.

My area has a few flashing cameras that take pictures of red light infractions. A few times, these things were apparently going off at random and erroneously, and I've even been in the intersection a time or two, and have not received a ticket in the mail. What a nuisance that must be. Tonight, I'm coming home from doing some shopping and I'm at a left turn pocket at the intersection but STOPPED. I see this thing flashing every now and then, thinking it was the setting sun in my face. Heck no...it was a photo-controlled intersection. I was wondering what was setting it off, because everyone seemed to be heeding the signals. What triggers these things? Can being…

Story Link By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer NASCAR said Jeremy Mayfield once again tested positive for methamphetamine and asked the federal judge who lifted the driver's drug suspension to reinstate the ban. The positive result from a July 6 random test was included in a U.S. District Court filing Wednesday that included an affidavit from Mayfield's stepmother, who claimed she personally witnessed the driver using methamphetamine at least 30 times over seven years. Mayfield once again denied ever using the illegal drug. "I don't trust anything NASCAR does, anything (program administrator) Dr. David Black does, never have, never will," Mayfield told The Ass…

Finally, heading back north again for a little more "stuff" under/in the G8--the new Pedders struts & shocks that were late last time I was up in May and that will finally compliment the drop springs in 'ole G8. Finally. May get it re-aligned correctly, tires checked, etc. while I'm up too. This means a 3+ hour early Saturday morning hike to Bethlehem and as with the last 2 times I've been up back in May, I must say I REALLY like it up there. Good thing I'm dead serious about a career change ASAP and possibly moving back north, just not sure how far north into PA...I'd really like if it just didn't have the winter. That said, while I'm up this time, for any sem…

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/1267028609.html

Here we go- wife & I have agreed it's time to go replacin' ... esp based on the fact I am looking at $4500 for my '94 F-150 (provided we use a dealer who participates, right?) - whose trade-in value according to KBB is $513. That's a travesty, IMO. The F-150 (as sad as it would make me to condemn it to crushing- my only new purchase) would go as the trade toward replacing her '03 GP SE. That's been a VG car and she still likes it, but the mileage is getting where I'd rather she was in something newer, and 1-2 more years withOUT the CARS cash is doing no one any favors here. She's not necc against some sort of smaller crossover/ SUV, but as a rule, they get worse…

Woman finds 'stolen' Audi in neighbor's garage 6 hours ago BERLIN — An Audi sedan written off by an elderly German woman as stolen two years ago has resurfaced — in her neighbor's garage beneath a thick layer of dust. Police said Thursday the 82-year-old from the northern city of Hildesheim took the car in for repairs two years ago and had the mechanics drive it back to her house and park it in her garage. She got the keys and papers from her mailbox, but when she went to get the car it was nowhere to be found. So she reported it stolen. Fast forward to Wednesday when her neighbor went to clean up his unused garage so it could be rented. He found the car under "a …

Have you seen a red Camaro? A white Mini Cooper Works? How about a blue '59 Star Chief? Tell us about it here!

OK, I didn't know this, but here's a tip - if you're renting a car, decline CDW (collision damage waver) insurance. Instead, look at your credit card's terms and conditions. It's very likely that rental insurance is included in that. For an eight-day one-way rental in Spain, my price went from €460 to €280. I assumed my normal auto insurance wouldn't cover me outside the US, but thankfully I happened to glance at the benefits pamphlet of my newly issued card, which normally I would have thrown away. Now it's $50/day; you can't even get that price in the US (as an 18-20 year old). Reserved a CWMR (C-segment, wagon, manual, air conditioning) diesel from Sixt, and presum…

Happy Birthday, everybody!

I have not been around as much as I would like as of late, I have been busy. Working on landscaping the house with my son. We decided to do-it-ourselfs and got two new cars instead. We will end up saving a ton of money and a few hardware and landscaping centers have been very helpful to us. Anyways the project is wrapping up slowly. I have a few car things to take care off the 2001 was in a fender bender and needs a new front right head light and assembly along with some paint. I think I will go junkyard'n for it and go the spray paint route, (its not real bad). Also the Torrent has to go in to fix my rear wiper motor which died. For some reason... Never was right from t…

Well, after tooling about for a little over a year in the Buick, I see my GMAC coupons are telling me that I have 8 payments left..... So, considering that I have seen some rumblings about lease pull aheads, and assuming they will still be in effect in the next few months.... What ever shall I purchase this time?? My wish list before looking at the $$ deals, is a Camaro or pick up a G8 before they are gone. I wish the orange was still available on the G8. So, orange Camaro, with orange interior trim and black SS stripes, aqua blue Camaro with white SS stripes, stryker blue G8 or either car in the Sport Red tricoat. Thoughts? Other suggestions?

I don't hate the G6, I actually like it as a convertible. Some pics as an apology, sorry if I ticked you off.

New to C&G? Been around a while but have kept quiet until now? Post here to introduce yourself to our community!

[source: Wall Street Journal] EU Penalizes China Steel Bloc's Switch to Pre-Emptive Import Tariffs Signals Growing Protectionism By JOHN W. MILLER BRUSSELS -- European Union trade officials approved pre-emptive penalties on imports of steel pipe from China, a precedent-setting move that suggests the trading bloc is growing more protectionist in the face of the economic downturn. Tuesday's vote by trade officials from the EU's 27 member states is significant, say trade experts, because they accepted an argument from steel producers -- including the world's largest by volume, ArcelorMittal -- that punitive tariffs are needed …

...at my high school reunion tonight at The Jetty in Stevensville, MD, but I chickened out because an old friend kept saying how much she REALLY wanted to see me after 27 years. She's a widow, she married a guy right out of school. We kind of had a "thing" back then, but I "gave" her to the other guy. I took the easy way out. Was it right?

I don't know if you guys have seen this episode yet, but the feature is their journey from Las Vegas to the Bonneville Salt Flats in a Corvette ZR1, Cadillac CTS-V, and Dodge Challenger SRT-8. I think its one of the their very best episodes. Our success though was not the biggest surprise on this trip. We came here wondering if America had finally made a car that might actually work in the civilized world. The answer is no, they haven't. As you can see from our smiles, they've made three.

A lost pleasure is the Drive-In movie. Are there any in your area? Do you go? Cars, dates and movies, what a great combination.

Take care and have a good one. Oh, and that CTS-V coupe is in the mail.

Okay, a quick questions for my gurus.... To keep an eye on my computer, I'm running a few things. I've got AVG 8.5 (newest one) and Advanced system care ( since I've only have 160GB on the LT) Problem is, within the last week, when my ASC gets to security settings, it says I have hijacked settings, but it can't tell me witch ones might be malware, or just my settings. I don't plan on deleting anything yet, as I would like to not crash my computer... Any suggestions?

Today, I saw a silver Tracker 4 door LT V6 in silver with altezzas and a ridiculous fart can exhaust. They belong on clapped-out old Civics. What is the most ridiculous application of the Fart Can you've seen lately?

By CaminoLS6

Story Link By JIM IOVINO Updated 12:54 PM EDT, Thu, Jul 23, 2009 Erik Bonstrom considers himself a safe driver. So imagine his surprise when he was stopped along Route 50 Tuesday evening in Prince George's County, Md., -- for going too slow. "Coming back on Route 50, the speed limit is 55 and I was pulled over by a Maryland State trooper," Bonstrom said. "When I asked him why, he said I was going too slow and issued me an $80 ticket for going 58 in a 65." Bonstrom said he tried to reason with the trooper as passing cars whizzed by. "To me, you are punishing a safe driver and there are many cars that were passing me, and I guess it was just easier to pull me …

I would have loved to take part in GM's 4th of July "0% for 72 Hours" sale event, but I was dealing with a more important issue (my dad's health). I honestly thought that the % for 72 months offer would have been extended after July 4 (like last year), but it wasn't. The current deal of 0% for 60 months is good and all, but I could benefit from the extra 12 month offer. Does anyone know how well GM sales are right now? I could patiently wait another 9-10 days until August rolls around if it means added incentives are given to teh buying public. Your input is appreciated.

B-BODIES FOREVER!

Right now I own six Chevrolets: one daily driver, one parts car, and four project cars. I think I'll be needing a change once I get through this batch of projects. And no, I'm not thinking of jumping into the Jag project.

Presented without comment. t shirt site

We've just found the world's smallest Ferrari key. What's it ignite? How about one of the world's most excruciatingly detailed 1/8-scale miniature hand-built Ferrari F40s? Check out the mega-gallery of master craftsmanship below. A highly trained model enthusiast member of the Model Brouwers.nl forum has managed to make us feel like smaller, weaker men than we actually are by carefully assembling this 515 piece Pocher 1/8 scale miniature Ferrari F40. Not content with realism that the Pocher kit provides, he cranked the dial to eleven by including a 1500 piece photo-etched Autograph transkit into the mix. http://jalopnik.com/5320344/worlds-smalles...errari/gallery/ …

Execution is too good for this bitch: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2...g_kitten_i.html

Linkypoo Hopefully the first step in a large high-speed rail network in the U.S.

Too bad that #1 it's sold and #2 I couldn't afford it, but check this one out... http://www.classicdreamcars.com/51PontiacSedanDelivery.html Chris

I would like to first say that it is not GM's fault that Buicks' sales are down. How do yoou exepect to sell 2 cars and a suv. In the meantime Chevy has 8 cars. Not only that but Buick has niche vehicle yet chevy has the camaro and the corvette. This reminds of Cinderella chevy goes out to the ball and has fun while buick is left to whiter away. Buick can be a great car company again if the stupid bean counters would stop this insane give everything to chevy and then rebadge buick. Buick need its distinct styling not just a new grill and trail lights and some changes to the interior. My last comment on this is for the people who are running GM should be removed and …

Here's something the gamers on here might find interesting: $17500 for very rare game cartridge Think $60 video games are too expensive? You won't hear any argument from us, but you might from JJ Hendricks, a collector who just paid a clinically insane $17,500 for an obscure NES game from 1990. The game in question is an ultra-rare, gold-colored version of Nintendo World Championships, a cartridge specially produced for use in a Nintendo-sponsored gaming contest. According to Wikipedia only 26 were created, and Hendricks calls it the "Holy Grail" of video game collectors. The game itself has a time limit of just 6 minutes and 21 seconds and consists of three short…

I bet you'd like to know the story behind this poll. I may post it in a bit. I'd go with the bear attack.

I haven't been able to find it on YouTube, but tonight I noticed an ad for the Nissan Altima that opened up with acutal quotes from Motor Trend and Car and Driver reviews of the Toyota Camry. Both quotes directed insult to the Camry, with the Car and Driver quote saying the Camry was "dull as dishwater." You know who should be making an ad just like that for their mainstream sedan, right? Bravo to Nissan for doing what a certain car company never had the balls to do.

we just lost one of the few remainin WWI vets. 113 yrs old. Goodbye to a hero: World's oldest man WWI veteran Henry Allingham dies aged 113 a generation from a conflict is about to leave us guys. pretty soon we are going to be looking at the last of the WW2 vets. The things that have gone past this man's eyes would be an amazing tale. i think i may track his book down.

I am currently in the process of gathering members both here and at C&G's rival site to rally against GM in light of their recent PR charade about transitioning the G8 to the Caprice. So many GM enthusiasts have begged and pleaded for Zeta's application in North America to be expanded beyond the new Chevrolet Camaro and yet GM continuously ignores us or, at best, makes promises it actually has no intention of delivering on. There was no way the "New GM' could have moved fast enough to actually determine if there was a business case for a new Chevrolet Caprice or Impala based on the Holden Commodore. GM sold so many enthusiasts and former enthusiasts an outright li…

Don't have any pics...but here are the details. It's a 98 or 99 Z24 Convertible, Black with a tan top and tan interior. Yes I know it's ten years newer than what you want but... Female owned, owned by the wife of a police officer I know. (our company offices are across from the police station, and I talk to this guy once in awhile before work. Autotrajic, 52,000 original miles...don't think it's even ever been drivin in the rain. Weekend good weather fun toy only, one owner. Haven't seen the car...but I've seen the other car they are selling a 97 Mustang GT convertible and the Mustang is flawless. I've seen national award winning Mustangs and the Mustang the guy…

so life has taken a surprise turn, and i'm no longer in the car business (aren't you surprised that it's impossible to make a living in the car business anymore!?!? LOL) how is everyone on here? i've wondered from time to time how everyone is doing...

I saw this in my Facebook stream, from Clarkson: I could make a cheap car if I built it in a factory made from wattle and mud, paid the workers in rice and motivated them into a 20-hour day with whips and flame throwers. I don't know if this is in reference to the Tata Nano or not, but thought it was hilarious

These made the rounds at work today...working in the software development group of a major bank, we found it amusing.. NBC Article CNN Article

Hey there everyone... not sure if any of you noticed my disappearance the last 5/6 days or not, but life has been really crazy lately. Let's start with the good news - I've been recalled back to work. Last Monday afternoon I received a letter from the boss of the HR dept stating one of my co-workers decided to retire effective September 1, 2009 and I was being offered the first right of refusal for her job (which I quickly called to accept). So it looks like my unemployment will be short (June 24-August 30) and I'll be going back for year #8 at the high school I've been teaching at (and hopefully with this new position be around for a lot longer). Now for the bad ne…

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/11/...lUpperPromoArea A small-town Chevrolet dealership is told to close, and the town it calls home will probably go with it. Another piece of America's past is gone forever. I bet everyone in town has at least one of this dealership's cars in their driveways.

So what is everyone else doing this month to enjoy your car hobby? For me-Buckeye Miata Club and the local Harley Owners Group (HOG)(who would ever think Harley's and Miatas together) are getting together tomorrow for the groundbreaking at the Flying Horse Farms, a Hole in the Wall Gang Camp like Victory Junction we've both worked to raise funds for. Last weekend we joined up for a Harley-Miata ride up there for a picnic. Every day I've drivin to work with the top down, 45 minutes + one way. Got caught in rain twice...took a clouburst before I put the top up. Went to a couple of Junkyards that have old cars, I have pics if I can figure out how to post them. Foun…

...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. …

This is the OFFICIAL thread of the 2009 2nd Annual MidSummer Chitown Gathering ... with finalized details! If you need to contact me about this event at any time, my __Cell Ph#__ is noted in my signature below. **** DATE & TIME **** Mark your calendar...NOW! SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2009 ... 11a-9p If interested, Sycamore IL car show, RT 64: Sunday, JULY 26, 2009 ... 9a-3p RAIN OR SHINE **** SATURDAY GATHERING LOCATION **** STEAK'n'SHAKE 290 S RANDALL RD ELGIN IL 60123 http://www.mapquest.com/maps/290+S+Randall...Elgin+IL+60123/ This is... ...N of I-88, IL RT 64 ...S of IL RT 20 (~a block), I-90, IL RT 72 ...E of I-39, IL RT 47 ...W of IL …

Was working on something (don't worry gm4life, it was domestic and not imported) with a friend and was putting one last wire tie on to finish up. My foot slipped on an oily spot on the concrete and when I fell forward my left hand got jammed between the rotating fanblade (metal) and the fan shrowd. It was a quick second before I could get it free. A very good doctor put eveything back together...but OUCH! Thankfully, amazingly, no broken bones or badly damaged tendons, but lots and lots of stitches. It's amazing how much you can bleed from your hands if you cut a few arteries. Thanks much to my friends for getting me to the Emergency Room right away, and thanks t…

It was fun: drove a new Camaro, walked many miles, now I'm tired.

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.

Pick a few new cars that just make you say...what on earth were they thinking? Here are my pics. VW Routan-who thought VW buyers would want a rebadged Chryco minivan? Apparently VW has an 18 month + supply of them. Nissan Cube-not even going there BMW X6-Cpying the Aztec? Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix-bigger, uglier, heavier, less fun to drive than the previous model and less fuel efficient also. The Routan is by far the worst, imho. Chris

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/77-El-Camin...A1%7C240%3A1318

As much as I do not like watching reality shows, this got caught my eye because he grew up in the same town as my girl. Great humility and spirit. I hope he wins.

WARNING: This will take hours to read and it will blow your mind! http://www.impalas.net/forums/showthread.php?t=686

A man killed Wednesday while apparently involved in a street race in Hercules was a San Francisco sheriff's deputy, a sheriff's department spokeswoman said. Christopher Walker, 23, of Antioch, had worked at the department for two years, most recently providing security at San Francisco General Hospital, according to spokeswoman Eileen Hirst. Before that, he worked at the San Francisco County Jail. According to Hercules police, Walker was racing a red Chevrolet Camaro against another car when he crashed into a light pole on Palm Avenue, between Sycamore Avenue and the state Highway 4 on-ramp, at about 2:30 p.m. The other car, which left the scene of the crash, was d…

My LS comes with a readout for the instant fuel economy average, so I've been keeping track to see how I'm doing on fuel consumption. On two cross-state trips with the AC running and an average speed of about 78 MPH, I have gotten 26.2 and 27.5 mpg (higher mileage coming back because I live at a lower elevation than my hometown). In the city, I'm consistently getting between 18 and 20 mpg depending on how often I goose it from a stop. But if I go to fueleconomy.gov, it says my car should be getting 15/22 under the 2008 revisions and 17/24 under the old. It makes me wonder how accurate the revised EPA fuel economy standards are. Even if I drive like a bat out of hell…

What is a good affordable scanner with an Auto Document Feeder that can scan about 50 pages a go, and has a decent image quality and an excellent software? Films and other stuff scanning capability will be a plus, but more than anything I want to scan my magazines and get rid of the paper crap. I found this one: HP Flatbed ADF Scanner What do you guys think?

With everything going on right now-what song moves you? "Not my time"- 3 Doors Down The song pretty much sums up how I feel right now.....Drowning in my home state.... Fits "Hell no I won't go" pretty well...... Dare I say "better in time" by that Lewis gal is not too bad either.....

So...this was a big Saturday for me. I had a choice of 1. SCCA autocross 2. Dublin/Arthritis auto show, where the Miata club was showing our cars 3. Goodguys in Columbus...6000+ pre 73 American cars. But I decided to do something else. The Liberty Belle, a restored, flying B-17 was going to be at Bolton field here in Grove City (Columbus suburb where I live). I contacted the good folks with the Liberty Belle foundation and for a mere $430 they had a few seats left. Life was good. Went out to the airport at 9:30 this ayem and went through the plane with my two younger daughters, Christina and Joanna. Amazing plane, and very original with radio's, etc. Firs…

Just curious what qualifies for that. Is it not clean if you were in an accident 4 years ago and faulted for it? Does it vary state by state?

My Saturn dealership has been contacting me a lot over the last two months, wanting me to "trade-out" of my AURA for a new Saturn of my choosing. While I like the VUE, the OUTLOOK would be the Saturn vehicle I'd go with. Please vote and let me know what I should do. Feel free to post your thoughts after voting too. (Note: this is in no way a sure-fire purchase for me, I'm just curious as to what people think about buying a new Saturn vehicle)

Hello to Everybody-long time no see! I am still gainfully employed by one the most interesting car companies in the world... Just thought I would check in here and let you all know to watch the 20/20 special tonite on ABC. They have done a lot of filming at the Design Studios at the Warren Tech Center and the previews show quite the eyefull! Filming inside Studio X, future Corvette hints, and some other goodies....Watch it. or DVR it...It will be goood watching either way. Don't miss out.

Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31847611#31847611

OK class, the word of the day is: DISTURBING. Who can put it in a sentence? :)