The Lounge

Oy, the Holidays are over, and I just realized I'll have no more holidays off until Memorial Day, end of May. Such is the lot in life of a dealership employee.

Yup so I got home just a while ago and checked my mailbox. Inside was a nice sized envelope from Chevrolet. "Cool!" I thought as I hurried into the house to open it. Sure enough, it is a foldout on the new Silverado. But... it only has pictures of the crewcab (well, there's one x-ray pic of an extended cab, but...) It strikes me as kind of cheesy. It feels like GM is cramming the super-expensive crewcab down our throats. What about those of us who would rather have a regular cab, or even extended? I am put off by this. I am trying to be patient, but dammit, I thought the other bodystyles would be out in November... and still no prices at Chevy.com, except for cr…

In honor of upcoming Veterans Day and to honor our Veterans and all Service Men and Women lets do a different Dream Garage. Part 2 Rules: 1) Only TRACKED military vehicles 2) Your 5 favorite in total 3) Any Nation

My dad decided to buy another motorcycle. A classic 1975 Honda XL175 with an extremely low 340 miles. It runs pretty well for having sit in someone's basement for decades. It's rusty in spots, but overall it's in decent condition. All original and as I mentioned, has only 340 miles. Has a small fuel leak and the clutch sticks sometimes, but that's basically all that's wrong with it. He heard about it from a coworker who didn't want it anymore.. He couldn't resist it. This, after he told me he couldn't afford to help out with the distributor I need. I have no idea what he paid for it, exactly, but I'm quite positive that it was more than $400.

So after wanting a good digital camera for the last three years, I (we) finally got one for Christmas. Jessica and I got it as a gift from my brother and my mother. It's a Canon SX10 IS. Funny thing is it's the same one BV recently got, and even funnier is that it he bought his from the same place this came from: newegg. I love taking pictures, so this is quite awesome. For now I'm just playing with the settings and taking test photos, but what a difference compared to the Kodak. So naturally I've taken one or two.

okay, well before i yell endlessly at my wife, for being... stupid... how do others couples and married folks in here handle this sort of situation. recently married, 2 days away from first anaverisary. I came into the realtionship with 30k on credit card dept. she came in with about 10k. so obviously im the one who doenst have much room to talk, but due to my situation, i have leared a valueable lesson about money. but, before i left for kuwait, we had discussed our plans to both be dept free, by the end of 2008. and we both had the income and or the means, if spending was under control. well, spending has become out of control, at least for her, although her c…

Are they really just dumb or having fun? Like people, living life... Maybe a combination there of. http://www.clipjunkie.com/Ducks-on-an-Icy-River-vid2672.html

Hey guys. Haven't been on in a while...life is busy. Sold the Saturn 2 days ago. The guy is coming with the cash on Saturday and picking up the car for $3100. Then in the afternoon I am going To Garden Ciity Chrysler Dodge and Jeep to get my new 08 Dodge Avenger SXT with sport appearence package! WOOHOO! I've already found the right car and thank bejesus for "a new day at chrsyler" because I now get the mygig entertainment system for FREE.

Okay... for the few of those to even notice my lack of existance here over the weekend... I went camping at Deer Meadows in Cooks Forest. Got to try out my new tent and sleeping bag. It was the first time in a few years since camping there. Nothing has really changed except where and how I camped. And how much it cost. My aunt and uncle have a permanent camp site up there, so it was nice. The price, too. Only $3 a night to visit. I only paid for two nights, though. I'm a sneaky lil' bastard. Haha... Anyways, yeah... My eyes are total sluts. Hot and cute guys were eeeeevvveerywhere. They loved it... having candy to look at in every direction and all times. My, my, my...…

First, this is a small town rural area, so this stuff is not just another day. Thursday after school, a 12 year old boy was killed when a 22 calibor gun his 13 year old brother had, discharged. No one knows the details. this stuff horrifies me. I just cant imagine what the older boys head condition could possibly be in. This was up the county road another 3 miles from where our town road meets it. My daughter is in school with their 17 year old son. A divorced family of four boys I guess, moved up here recently, living with their father. The family has left town, cant blame them. The news people were like flies on $h! Friday. If I was the Father and had…

http://news.windingroad.com/etc/spy-vs-spy...s-media-center/

"My" new Smart Passion: $14,620. White/black with tan interior, premium sound system, foglamps, power steering, clock and tachometer. Can "comical" also be "smart"? I saw my second Smart locally on the street yesterday, yellow with black frame, driven by an uber-nerdy guy with glasses. What's going on here? Is it hip to be square?

DMT Imagine a world where nothing you know now would exsist. An alternate reality if you will. This is what most people decribe DMT as. It has been dubbed the "businessman drug" because the intense effects only last around 30min. The effects are sudden and without warning, where our reality disappears and you see things that have never exsisted. Could you handle this? Would you try it? Who else thinks this is extremely freaky, but cool at the same time? website with more info Hyperspace

It's brand new. Guesses?

I have traveled to many many cities in America and I am just curious to see what everybody thinks is the greatest city in America. Here are the rules: 1) You must pick a city outside of the state you live in if you have traveled out of the state you live in. 2) If you wish, you may also pick a city inside of the state you live in if you really think it is worthy as well. 3) Optional - Pit the two choices against each other for fun. So here are my picks: 1) Phoenix -- It's dry, hot, new, fresh, and has hot women. 2) Los Angeles -- Because even if there are many cities around it, LA is all encompassing. Entertainment, Beaches, Theme Parks, and lots of differen…

Don't Copy That Floppy! I think this is the only time Oregon Trail has ever been in a rap song.

I always have wondered there are folks out there just buying a car because they like/need the car but others have a very different way of looking at it. I am one of those who have a very different way of looking at it. I will start off I drive GM because of the dealership I have that I actually like to deal with. I drive GM because I believe in supporting American compaines. I drive GM becuase I have always had for the most part good luck with there products. I drive GM because they offer a wide variety of products always haveing something that I like and fits my needs and budget. I have driven other cars but always keep coming back to GM because of what they offer, and t…

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/10/10..._50_years/1.htm Some good choices, some very stupid choices.

Yanktheez!

My Jack-O-Lantern for 2008. I carved it last week, that way it should survive until Halloween. I even made a special tool by grinding down a baby-screw driver and filing it down into a saw. This year I gave Sofia an orange Sharpie marker and had her sketch out her own design on a pumpkin, after which I carved it with her pointing out the lines and giving me "artistic direction" the whole time. Kids are so much fun. Some days she makes me want to pull my hair out but overall she's a great little girl. Also, we went apple picking two weeks ago, including a hayride, petting zoo and all that fun stuff.

Well y'all, its two weeks to go till I'm a dad. Right now the wife is in the hospital being monitored due to her blood pressure being higher than "normal" They're also looking at her urine to make sure she's not leaching protien (which means probably toximia (sp?), if they find an excessive amount, they're going to induce, if not, she'll come home tomorrow and we'll have to wait for the next thing to happen. Right now I'm just at home about to catch some Z's with hopes of going to work tomorrow and having her come home tomorrow night. I'll try to keep everyone on here informed, and if any of you are religious, the prayers wouldn't hurt. But for right now, that's abou…

I'm bored, I'm hungry, and I want to go to town to get some Bold party flavor Chex mix. :D

i brought home another nova! a deal i couldnt refuse... My friend was planning on building this as a strip car, but bought a more complete car... so i scooped this up.. i originally wanted hust the rear end housing, but for the i bought the car for less... Well so far, ive found a multitude of parts im stripping off for my nova, including the rear suspension (8.5 rear to replace my 8.2), really beefy subframe connectors, quarter window regulators, some headliner trim and possibly the steering box... everything else is being posted on craigslist/Nova forums... and im giddy as a mother f@#ker to start ripping this thing apart... so, i got a whole bunch of parts, my mom…

There's really only one thing which can be said to accurately depict my reaction to this movie: With that out of the way, I really enjoyed this movie, and going by the audience applause and cheering at the end, so did a lot of other people. It's far better than the second movie and better than the first. There's a much better defined a plot, nods to the series, the main characters have actual depth now and there's some pretty emotional moments. The Deceptions can be genuinely scarey at times and the action scenes are incredible. It's not Hamlet, but totally worth seeing if you're a Transformers fan.

Over here in California, doing laundry and preparing for work slightly after midnight, the forum index indicates it's ZL-1's birthday. Aqui em California, fazendo lavandaria e preparando pelo trabalho depois de meianoite, o index do forum indica que e o aniversario do ZL-1. For those of you who get irked by the foreign language stuff, I'm entitled a "waiver" to (attempt) to wish one of our long-time members a happy birthday in Portugal in Portuguese. Have a great birthday, Pedro!

Chargerino was a constant on the site and I hardly see him around anymore. He gave us "Word Association" - a great thread that might collapse under its own weight. So, are his parents giving him crap, is he burned out on the forum or is he mad at Croc for their sparring and/or NOS for the haunted house? Any takes on this one?

In a factory downtown

I-696 E, May 20 10:40 am.

Hey guys. Not only did I attend the Fall AACA show in Hershey on Saturday, I also attended a small car show in Windsor, NJ on Sunday. I took some pictures and have them in a Photobucket album: Link Of particular interest, there were two cars I took pictures of that are for sale: the 1955 Oldsmobile 88 (Red & White two-tone) and the Black & Silver 1978 Riviera Anniversary model. If anyone is interested, I did get phone #'s. The Olds really is nice (window sign stated $19,500); the Buick was equally as nice, is low milage and kept in a garage (I believe the owner is asking just under $9,000). Let me know if you want the phone #'s.

Even if you're not Irish, everyone is just a little Irish today! Don't drink to much green beer and bring those cars home in one piece!

Just finished watching it... talk about a good movie. Was impressed. Full of action and emotion. Loved it. Thoughts?

Ok, of this I am certain: there are Denny's from Boston to Barstow. That being said, they are doing the "no coupon - no strings attached" Free Grand Slam breakfast today, from 6am to 2pm. I'm walking over there with 2 co-workers for lunch to get a late breakfast (LOL). Anyone else partake? While not Bob's Big Boy, their food is at least edible.

to tell you when to change the oil? i regularly changed mine at 3500, then 5000, then i decided to let the oil life meter tell me... its been almost 7000 miles and it hasnt chimed in yet. i used synthetic so i supposed that has something to do with it.

I'm going to Lake Havasu this weekend, with the gf and her family... ... you are probably thinking "so what," and wondering why I would bother mentioning it... Well, they just bought a boat... the fastest boat I will probably ever ride in... It has a twin whipple charged 542 (I think that's the correct displacement), making 1300 hp! This thing is estimated to go 120 mph on the water! I just hope I don't piss my pants. I have never seen two superchargers, side by side, on one intake manifold... it's sweet!

Went to the New England Air Museum today, they had some amazing stuff. If you guys want I'll post some photos. There were a few prewar cars in the museum too.

Instead of racing this on the tail of the dragon...they race it on the nose of the dragon?

Describe a car (The Chevrolet) you think can be number one in term of sales, and that would be profitable of course (and maybe exciting as well). How big (dimensions), how roomy (trunk, volume,legroom) should it be? Which bodystyles? Which accessories , colors... And how many cars would you sell per year? How would you name it/ or what are the names you would use if there is a name for each trim level?

Wow, it's been a rough week. Got worse when I got home though. While I was gone, someone decided to steal the Catalytic converter off of my Cavalier. Somehow, I get the feeling that they are not done yet. And 320 or so to replace. I've noticed that the locals are quickly sapping up my love for cars....

So my dad sent me an email that I loved but found it hard to swallow that someone would sell off a sealed barn full of auto's for pennies and not look to see what was in it first. Yet here is an amazing barn find. http://www.intuh.net/barnfinds/ Here is the research done to get a better grab on the story, but I have to say I would love some of these old cars. http://www.sportscarmarket.com/columns-blogs/news/2709-portuguese-barn-find-fact-or-fiction What is your Favorite? This sealed Barn has 180 cars in it.

Maybe I'm one of the only ones, but I enjoy cruises that include _driving_ ... not just sitting & walking around looking at parked cars. The Sunday I returned from my road trip to the Eastern states (August 21), I attended the Elgin National Road Race Show, which included a "lap" that followed the old Elgin National Road Race. With that in mind...& knowing that high gas prices will be a factor, is anyone interested in doing a "weekend cruise" of sorts...? We'd drive a scenic route. One is in Illinois [I can plan routes for WI & IN/MI if anyone is interested]...people can meet up with us anywhere along the way... * IL RT 20 …

[source: Wall Street Journal] Climate Bill Passes Key Procedural Hurdle in House Democrats Still May Not Have Votes for Final Passage By IAN TALLEY and SIOBHAN HUGHES WASHINGTON -- A landmark climate bill narrowly passed a key procedural hurdle in the House Friday, a sign that leadership may just barely have enough votes for final passage later in the day. Republicans said the bill included the largest tax increase in American history. It passed by a vote of 217-205. To ensure final passage, the bill needs 218 votes. Passage of the controversial bill will hand Democrats and President Barack Obama a major vic…

Happy Birthday to XP715!

I know life "gets in the way" ... I'm not sure I could even make the entire trek ... but if I and a few others set up plans for a leisurely cruising tour of RT 66 from Chicagoland to California, are you interested in participating for all or part of the festivities? This would take place in the September/October 2009 timeframe. I know that is the fall with school and other activities back in session, but this timeframe is ideal in terms of "cooler" temps...we wouldn't be dealing with sweltering heat in the southern states.... And, we wouldn't be at the "peak" of the summer driving/vacation season.... We'd start in Chicagoland, with a Saturday gathering in the Elgin …

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

WASHINGTON - Chrysler LLC said Friday it would recall nearly 300,000 sport utility vehicles to address potential braking problems while driving uphill. In a separate move, Honda Motor Co. said it was recalling more than 180,000 Civics from the 2006-2007 model year to fix a wheel-bearing seal that could leak and lead to a wheel falling off the car. Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20777346/

Well yesterday at work we ran out of jobs to process so they had to send me and a bunch of other people home, and I had today off. My boss told me to call him this afternoon to see if there was work for Wednesday. I called and left a message. He just called me back and told me that unfortunately, our customers have no more jobs to send us.Normally there's work up until the 2nd or 3rd week of December but for whatever reason we've already gone though all of the work for the season. So I got laid off. He said I'm eligible for unemployment, and that he would send information about it with my check. He also said that I did good work and offered to put me on the call back l…

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970-El-Cam...1QQcmdZViewItem

Hey guys (and our ladies, too!), I am writing to inform you of an event we have at Kettering University every spring term. This event is our annual Relay for Life walk. For those unfamiliar with Relay for Life, it is a twenty-four hour cancer walk that is done all across the United States throughout the year to raise awareness and charitable donations to benefit cancer patients. All funds raised go to the American Cancer Society to help try to find a cure, and every dollar counts when it involves such a terrible disease. Please visit the Relay for Life organization site for more information: http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/ So, at Kettering, we try to do exactly wha…

The neighbors must go into seizures on a nightly basis: http://members.cox.net/transam57/lights.wmv

Some quick shots in the barn last night. Have to get some good outdoor shots for the calendar later.

http://www.derekscottsautopark.com/lesabre.html :lol:

So yesterday we went to get the T&C out of the tow yard where it was being kept. Assuming it was drivable the plan was for me to drive it home with my girlfriend and mom following behind me. We get to yard, pay the bill and my girlfriend and I go to the van. It's way at the corner of the yard against a fence and about 6 inches away from some smashed up Elantra. I get in and start it up, then slowly back it out. I hear dragging and she points out the exhaust is on the ground...oh goodie. I move the van to an open space and notice that the force of the impact knocked it off of the hangers...no big deal. I get under the van and look around under it while I'm putting the …

Seeing how the Wal-Mart thread has turned out to be a Wal-Mart vs. Target thread and now has added the Warehouse shooping clubs to the mix (Costco), I thought it might be a good idea to get everyone's opinion on the three major warehouse clubs. I have two memberships - one for school-use (Sam's) and one for both personal and school-uses (BJ's). I've gone into a Costco only twice; not sure if I want to add a third membership (school pays for the Sam's and business-BJ's memberships). For those with Costco memberships, why should I get a membership? I added an "OTHER" category, just in case there's a club that's not located on the East Coast that I'm not aware of.

This morning, as I was walking back to the office after taking two totaled cars across the street to our holding yard, I noticed a sweet little car pull up in front of the showroom. A little old man and lady got out and headed for the front door. The car? A 1978 Malibu Classic coupe, gray and silver two tone. I was amazed, but kept on walking. It just didn't register with me that this car was about to be traded in, I mean, who would bother? I admired it from afar and continued with my day. Then, late this afternoon, I happened to be on the other side of our building from where our office is, and there sits the car, no license plate. I am immediately excited and st…

This past Wednesday I opened my mailbox to find a package from my best friend & fellow car enthusiast Jonathan Duffy. This made my day before I even opened the package because Duffy never dissapoints in the gifts department. Last time I got a package from Duffy it was a Haynes Repair Manual for my 1984 Datsun Maxima. He managed to track down a copy in some bookstore in the middle of Arizona. Just south of Cactusville and west of Sand Hill. :P Well this time for a Christmas present he managed to find me a near-mint copy of the classic magazine Motor Age from December 17th 1914. So that makes it exactly 91 years old as of today. The print quality & photos…

I'm curious about the '67 Chevy pickup in this picture: It appears to be a Bill Mitchell special project. It has many design/styling features that were not on the production model. Does anyone have any information about it, or additional pictures? Thanks!

http://jancooprn.smugmug.com/Cars/RiverRun-2010/12358111_3BFWF#883033246_8ssAE Not sure if anyone is interested, but went on a 335 mile sports car trip with my son Joel...towards the end of the third page yous see a photo of our car, with my son driving...

Hey Guys, I am new to this forum and throught I would try to contribute. If anyone is looking for reapir manuals, owner manuals or service manuals for virtually any type of car, there is a FREE ebook at the address below. I asked him could I download and share it, but he said he prefers to have people come to the website. The site itself isn't the best, Sometimes there are annoying ads and surveys. The ebook is only a couple of pages, but it gives a list of places online where you can find almost any service and repair manuals, even for very old models and trucks. I would highly recommend to download it and keep it on your computer. Website - http://ebook-files.info…

Try out this game, the object is to dodge the cubes very addiciting after a while to me anyways, here is the link, http://www.addictinggames.com/cubefield.html if the arrow doesnt show up when your playing it, you need tyo download macrmomedia shockwave player or soemthin that or java plugin or both my high score is 499, 560 wahts yours? btw it evantually gets harder and chnages format

Kwame has finally resigned: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

I'm getting this game for sure when it comes out... Just because of this B)

You know... there are days I think my car doesn't like me and is trying to kill me. We had a bad snowstorm last night and the roads were crap... By the afternoon commute I was driving down the expressway @ 80KPH and all of the ice had melted. There was lots of spray and I set the wipers to "Mist". wouldn't you know it- in the middle of a busy expressway, the wipers go up and freeze in the full upright position ! I try all the wiper settings and all I get are angry motor noises from the wiper motor. Meanwhile my windshield is getting dirtier and dirtier because of the spray. Since there's nowhere for me to really pull over and turn the car off, I have to drive home …

Such as : Using "no-reserve" auctions to sell off the fleet A change of occupation Re-location Having just one vehicle for a while Selling off my garage full of tools and equiptment Other radical notions are crossing my mind as well.

I have long wondered on C&G we share alot of our GM car buying pleasures or lack there-of in some case. We also share are like or dis-like with what products they are coming out with and what they could be doing better. My question is ultimately anyone can get on this forum and read this stuff are GM exces reading our posts? Listening to our comments? Or advice? I just always wondered that I understand were "just" customers but GM would be wise to listen to most of the folks around here some more... So anyone have a clue? A mod or regular poster?

Ya know, in your honor, I think I'll wear a bowtie to work today. Happy 24th!

I went to see Friday the 13th a few days ago. It was pretty impressive. But I think I liked Jason better as a Zombie because he was more 'supernatural' and didn't need to be human to kill people. You can definitely tell the Texas Chainsaw influence in this movie (The same guy did the Texas Chainsaw remake) Saw The Spirit a while back... Some hot chicks and cool elements, but don't waste your time. The 'mythical' and 'beat cop' elements of this story don't quite mix IMO. maybe they were better in the novel (which I've never read) Now I know why Frank Miller retired after the RoboCop movies (because apparently he can't make a decent movie. First 300, and now this... S…

Hey guys: It's been a while and my mind is elsewhere, as I gear up for a new job, a relocation and a lot of unknowns...so my stomach has been kind of knotty. Don't want to say much about the details as I will encounter the obligatory probationary period, but I will post once things settle down. The site was great for me and I was posting a lot as I sat in the library at school at night through last May when I finished a Master's and/or when I sat at work at night at a job and firm I no longer liked, despite being paid fairly well, largely because it didn't hold much in terms of a future. So you guys pulled me through. I've made some good friends here. I've met 3 m…

Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) will push the limits again with the world reveals of two more vehicles that thrill – the 2007 Eclipse Spyder and the Concept-CT MIEV – at the upcoming 2006 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January. The company is building its strongest product portfolio in history, launching six new vehicles in less than three years, including the all-new 2006 Eclipse, Raider mid-size pickup truck, and now the ’07 Eclipse Spyder. “The Eclipse Spyder and the breakthrough Concept-CT continue the excitement of the brand and demonstrate new design directions and potential future technologies,” said MMNA President and CEO Rich Gillig…

Well, we're off to eastern Ohio tommorow for Thanksgiving w/ my mom & brother...looks like the weather is going to be nasty (snow/rain and in the '30s through Sunday)..flying from Denver to Pittsburgh. (we did Thanksgiving at my sister's in Phoenix last year).

This is mostly for the folks who grew up in the Baltimore-Philadelphia suburban zones in the '60s-'80s. Well, burned into the dark recesses of my childhood are trips to Ginos and Burger King, not McDonalds. Well, in the early '80s, Ginos were converted to Roy Rogers (which were left to dry up) and a major eating institution passed into the history. Well, apparently, no more. The popularity of places like Five Guys and Red Robin have demonstrated that there is a market for upscale burger restaurants, and many of the original Ginos people are putting together a new Ginos chain. Apparently, the first location was opened in King of Prussia, PA in late 2010, to quite a…

Well... I can't figure out what bulb is behind that plastic and I can't figure how the hell I get to it to replace the damn thing. Looks to me like I have to remove the front bumper and maybe even the quarter panels. Help is appreciated because I really don't want to do all that... :D

Here's my behind the wheel analysis of the Ford Fusion Hybrid. What do you think? Can I use this as an audition tape for replacing one of the guys on Top Gear? http://automotivetraveler.com/jump/2662

Yup, picked up another one a couple weeks back. '86 V-6 4-sp manual. The motor and tranny had been all rebuilt, but it had a miss in the motor. I went back a week later, took my chances and brought it home. Ended up just being bad wires. It runs good at speed but doesn't idle good right now, the guy put a new timing chain on and I'm fairly sure it's off a tooth. So I may have to dig into that. Other than that I ended up putting on new shocks/struts, new brake pads, new caliper and rebuilt the other 3, turned all rotors, painted the ground effects silver, new tires with matching wheels and detailed it up a bit. Got $1500 into it with all the new parts. Bought it as a dail…

Bob Smith Automotive Group, aka "The GM Giant", in Easton, MD, has closed recently after GMAC filed a 14 million dollar judgment against the dealership for non-payment of loans. 100 employees out of work, the lot empty. Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, GMC and Cadillac were sold there, and Oldsmobile before they were killed. The dealer principal believes his debt can be paid with the inventory taken from his lot, and the dealership is for sale. This is quite a blow to Easton's economy, a small town on Maryland's Eastern Shore. They were one of GM's largest volume dealers, and won "GMAC's Dealership of the Year" in 2001. I worked there for 10 years, 1993-2003. Things a…