The Lounge

In the comments section below an article about DaimlerChrysler paying a $40 million CAFE fine, there was this comment that was pretty interesting. http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/31/nhtsa-r...ler-takes-cake/ Wasn't there a modified CAFE passed that allowed trucks more leniency than cars (down to 25 mpg)? If so, and Chevy really is at about 27 mpg for its car fleet, that's a lot better than I was thinking. Trucks have a way to go, however. It's also interesting to note how big of a difference the Prius makes on Toyota's lineup; I think CAFE can be done, but no doubt GM needs more hybrid / electric vehicles on the road. I don't see why size needs to be sacrific…

i have heard of a B4C and would actually like to have one some day and i remember the race ready 3rd gen but is there sucha thing as a 1SC camaro? heres the link, its pretty sharp, but it just looks like another no frills hard top to me. looksy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMQMgwouKlU Enjoy, Chris

Here are a set of cool pics from our last autocross. Audi is the car I was talking about in the other threads... Last picture of the Catherham-boy standing next to the car is my son Joel, I am standing behind the car and Scott, the cars owner is standing on the drivers side. The kid in the passenger seat of the Mustang is also Joel...we have renamed him Pooch the ride mooch! ...and everytime I see that Milano go through the corners, I think of Paulino (Italian member of C and G, Italian car, go figure) But check out the link if you want, my friend Eric took the pics. Chris http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=302397

Went to the local pick and pull with my son, Joel and his friend to get a few minor parts for friend's Nissan. In the yard... Porsche 944, clean, in the re-builder section, fairly minor left side damage...but hurt just enough I wouldn't want it. CRX, rebuild able, but in the parts section. 1959 Chevy 4 door post, rusty rocker panels but all there and fairly straight, faded original paint (red) they wanted $1400 for the whole car... Red Cavi Z24 ragtop, parked with the top down, kind O sad... A Miata...first time I've seen a Miata in pick and pull... a 66 GMC 1 ton 2WD long bed, looked like it had been carefully restored a long time ago and then started a long slow …

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/212/ Check it out...! Chris

http://laughingsquid.com/the-crashed-ferrari-coffee-table/

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...A:IT&ih=008 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...A:IT&ih=016 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...A:IT&ih=001 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...A:IT&ih=015 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...A:IT&ih=019

Toyotas. Yes I said it. Something interesting about Toyotas. It's a database of all the paint codes used throughout a model's lifespan. Yeah, it's a nerdy obsession. I wish I could find a website like this for other manufactures. A complaint: Why are all the cars looking riced? Just make 'em look normal. In any case, here's the link: Toyota Reference

What a lovely day in the village of Ramsaytown it is, today. Snow storm. Electical short. Limited heat. No water. No car. That's what I'm experiencing at my house right now. Starting last night around midnight, we recieved a snow storm. It was enough for Brookville to cancel school today. There's about 6" of new snow over the few inches we already had. My mom's Blazer had trouble making it out the driveway this morning. It's very cold as well. Earlier last night, a wire shorted out somewhere in our house. The entire second story as well as the ceiling lights on the first story and a few other things are now out. It has happened before, but it was …

Nissan Mid-4 Anyone see a 240SX in it? And it's mid-engine.

Alternative Tobacco + garden variety salsa Sun Chips + "Pulp Fiction" = great time! And... that "Say It" song from Nelly Fertato is good. Sooo deep in this state of mind.

I traveled to Oshawa, Ontario yesterday with Polish Kris. We cruised around the W body facilities and GM Canada Headquarters. The place is massive. There are overflow lots filled with Impalas and Monte Carlos as far as the eye can see. The trains pull up, and the cars are loaded for shipping. At one corner, we saw GM employees drive a virtual parade of Impala SS' fresh from the factory, straight to the shipping yard. They floored them pretty good too. :lol: We spotted some interesting stuff. There appears to be a running change to the Pontiac Solstice. The split foglights are gone, replaced by turn signal units as seen on the Grand Prix GXP. No big deal as they a…

Found some of these with random google searches... My grandma had a Lumina sedan exactly like that one before she got her Cobalt. But just think... this is the car I almost got. I mean... could you imagine me driving that thing?!?!? Floaty ride, bench seat, auto tranny, column shifter, red interior, sedan, 3.1L V6, hubcaps.... Ugh. I'm glad I said no and got my GAGT instead. Plus, that thing was in poor condition, even though it only had 30k or so miles. The paint was oxidized, faded, and peeling... it was missing two hubcaps, and it was always in the shop for mechincal problems. It sounded like $h!, too... God, that thing can make a person love an unl…

Check out the Citizens Band option in the '78 Ford LTD II.

http://www.petitiononline.com/STOPCB/petition.html Apparently he's more unwelcomed than most of us think... 12k+ signatures at the time of this posting.

i was looking through the camaro listings on ebay when i came across this... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2010-2SS-pkg-w-RS-Automatic-PLEASE-SAVE-ME-HELLLLP_W0QQitemZ300408859958QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item45f1c36d36 Help me!! I am a brand new 2010 Chevy Camaro. Not just a regular Camaro, a 2SS with the 6.2 liter V8 in Inferno Orange. I was just built in February and shipped to this little Chevrolet dealership in the middle of freakin nowhere!! If a vehicle can't tow a bass boat or have a place for a gun rack put in it, these hayseeds can't sell it. I'm doomed to spend the rest of this winter outside, in the snow, parked next to a Cobalt!! I'm the…

Came across this: http://www.off-road.com/toyota/buick_v6_swap.html Interesting how a 3800 can be mated to a Toyota truck.

Post #6 and #7 in this thread: http://chirpthird.com/vb/showthread.php?t=...age=1&pp=10

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/5853717571.html I'm a single 23 yo trying to get rid of the car. It needs just a little work to run but doesn't run now. It's an 86 Chevette. If you can haul it or fix it to drive away it's yours. I will offer a blowjob to get it off my property. Please serious inquiries only. ~ Kelly K Actual wording of advertisement.

Found this on the Denver Post website..had a big snowstorm back home on Friday...in the foreground is an SRX, but in the background? Looks like something from the '50s.

* Ever been reminded of an older song when hearing a new song? Below are 2 "twin spins", where the newer song not only reminded me of the older song, but the newer song seems to be the first part, with the older song answering it..... This first one, I played on my radio show a couple of times. Will You Be there?, Heart, 1990s: I Will Be There, Dan Seals, 1980s: This second pair is a more-recent discovery. Someone Like You, Adele, 2011: You Still Move Me, Dan Seals, 1980s: Cort | 37.m.IL.pigValve.pacemaker | 5 Monte Carlos + 1 Caprice Classic | *** RE-OPENED 3rd GEN MC (1978,1979,1980) FORUM > http://thirdgenmontes.proboards.com/index.cgi *** …

http://racingready.com/2008/11/20/one-off-...lt-autocrosser/ See what you think... Chris

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5...&q=loose+change Guys, watch this, I found it interesting...

The weirdest thing... While I was at work today, a reporter from wall street journal called me to ask about the Tahoe sales and how I felt the other GMT900 were going to sell. weirdest thing... Well... The things she asked... How were sales going Was traffic up with the launch of the Tahoe? Were people asking about the tahoe? What is the general perception of the Tahoe? Looking at the traffic the Tahoe has broght are you looking forward to the upcoming vehicles like the Suburban? Would you say sales are up even over January?

Interiors are one of the bigger determinants of perception. Someone gets in an interior that impresses them and they think they are in a car made to higher standards, or a more expensive car. In GM's case, the interiors are REALLY far behind the competition. It's a glaring ommission that really adds to the perception that there cars are inferior. That being said, the purpose of this thread is not to harp, but to introduce ideas for GM. What are the interior designs you really like from around the world? What interior themes do you feel are appropriate for each of GM's brands. In a perfect world, GM will have interiors that represent what each brand stands for, and the…

Went to bed at 3:49am, set Alarm Clock for 7:40am, I startled myself awake (nightmare) and litteraly as soon as I stood up out of bed and starred at the alarm clock it turned from 7:39 to 7:40 and the alarm went off. Less than 2 seconds after my having woken up. What's more creepy than the fact that my alarm clock is Atomic Clock accurate is the fact that this heppens quite often. Bizzare & frankly, a bit perplexing. Anyone else have this happen on occasion?

Global Internet Shutdown ..We deeply regret that a back-up of the internet does not exist at this time. We had always meant to get around to making one.

http://imcdb.org/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This is where I found the picture of the '88 Olds Firenza I posted in the other topic. Just what I need, another website to become addicted to!!! I learned about this website today; forgive me if this is "common knowledge" or has been posted here already.

EDIT: Now it appears GM says they are coming to the EXPO, but the U of I's site that lists the companies coming doesn't have GM... maybe they just don't know what table they're putting GM at yet. This is a long ways away, but I might be able to get an internship for the summer... there are a lot of companies coming to the engineering job EXPO at U of I, but the only two automotive companies interested in freshman mechanical engineers (what I'm in) are Ford and Rolls-Royce. I think Rolls would be rather boring, so Ford would be my only chocie if I want an internship in the car business (of course there are like 93 companies interested in ME freshmen, so I could get somet…

http://autoextremist.com/page2.shtml One of the best paragraphs.

So... I've been interviewing for a teaching position starting next year since when I graduated, budgets failed and there were no permanent Italian positions available on the Island. I was fortunate and got several interviews relatively quickly, and one district has been working fast (not common for schools on Long Island), and the procedure has been quick. I have my 5th interview tomorrow (yes, on Long Island, this is normal), with this one district. You have to first interview with a committee, then do a demo lesson, then interview with the chairperson of the department, then an assistant principal, then interview with a principal, then with the superintendent, an…

ive been rather quiet lately here on C&G, mainly because they ramped up surf watch at work so there are only 3 sites we can hit up on downtime. none of which i am entertained by in the least bit. this past weekend however 3 friends and i went on a 2 day backpacking excursion through the grand canyon of the east, Linville Gorge. started out friday around 10 from the trail head and worked our way day via conely cove trail and met up with the linville gorge trail from there. it was a great interesting hike to say the least. temps friday were nuts, barely topped 45, was to drop to the high 20's low 30's that night with winds of 25-35 and 45 mph gusts (luckily we were in t…

It's a heck of a good day to be born... You guys have a good one!

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.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1979-El-Cam...1QQcmdZViewItem

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday!!

...I'm not saying that you drive like an idiot, but everyone else in this state does. On the way down here yesterday I learned that most Iowans answer to a little ice on the interstate is to slam on thier brakes. Hopefully the ones who hit the ditch as a result learned a leason, but I doubt it. In downtown Des Moines last night, I was almost hit by three different vehicles. I'm going to give Des Moines the benefit of the doubt there since it was probably the alcohol is everyone's system down there that was doing the driving, but it didn't help to sway me to the side of the Iowans. Hope this doesn't affend anyone, Iowa is a nice state, just something I noticed. W…

Its coming, and I want one badly, I just cant get anyone from AT&T to tell me if I'll have to renew my contract to get one for $599. I really don't want to renew, but I also don't want to see what they go for when they hit eBay.

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I just picked up a black 2GB Nano and dear god this thing is small. It makes my iPod Mini look huge. I haven't had a chance to really play with it yet, waiting for it to charge.

Link Yes, those are iPODs in a vending machine. Why? I'm seriously asking, why? Doesn't everyone on earth have an iPOD anyways? And is there a computer nearby with which you can download music and put it on the uncharged, fresh out of the box iPOD? Another story, they sell digi-cameras in vending machines too.

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran accused the United States on Wednesday of "intolerable" meddling in its internal affairs, alleging for the first time that Washington has fueled a bitter postelection dispute. Opposition supporters marched in Tehran's streets for a third straight day to protest the outcome of the balloting. The Iranian government summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents U.S. interests in Iran, to complain about American interference, state-run Press TV reported. The English-language channel quoted the government as calling Western interference "intolerable." President Barack Obama has reacted cautiously to developments in Iran, saying he shared the world's "…

A lot of you have probably already seen it...but damn it's funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odEPgDdP6p8

So i dont know whom else i can talk about this with, so i figure, this is the lounge and anything goes... and since im not affiliated with any political or military boards... this one might give an interesting perspective... so i'm sure most people have heard a little of the frustrations with Iran, and Isreal... and that Isreal wants to bomb Iran Nuclear facilities, and the US and G8 want to stop Iran's Uranium enrichment program... today Iran fired off 9 TBM's(tactical ballistic missles) some long range, some short range, one that was new, that had the capacity of holding a 1 ton warhead. not sure if that was a long or short range missle... I'm sure i'll know in a f…

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…

I'd like to think I speak "standard broadcast English" (no accent, clean pronunciation) so certain expressions bug me: Low end: Irregardless - actually, it's now an accepted word, though it shouldn't be Mid-range: He or she (singular) is "good people" - that is asinine Drum roll: Across pronounced "acrost." Where the f*** is there a "t" at the end? I never heard this in So Cal but I have heard it in Nor Cal and the Pac NW. I am wondering if it is an importation from the Donner Party days when people from the interior were migrating out West and it was handed down through the generations. Any expressions or word construction that bug you?

Im stuck at 297 and I keep posting, but it is still tells me that im at 297!!

I've been following this a lot more recently and many medical professionals are voicing serious concerns that this flu epidemic isn't something we should take lightly. Some are estimating that as many as 300 million people could die and the flu could spread across the entire globe in a matter of weeks due to air travel. Here's a post I found on another message board: Here's a map of where the current flu outbreaks are. It's now starting to spread into Eastern Europe and I just read a report of an infected flamingo found in Kuwait, the first case of the virus in the Arabian Peninsula. I truly hope this ends up like SARS where we got all worried but it was …

... that GM may have cut too much, too fast? 4 Brands More than a third of dealers 10s of thousands of employees I'm thinking that the overall impact will be much larger than anticipated by anyone.

Thank god... now I can tell you all how my day (as well as the past few days) went without anyone second guessing what I say. I mean... seriously. I could say something bluntly obvious and you guys wouldn't believe it on that day. First off, I got to ride out to my Grandparents today, on my 300EX. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold either. It was wet, though. Damn rain, the previous night... Anyways, had fun. Got to pull some major Gs with it with sliding the tail around tight dirt road turns. Just the usual... Once there, I got to ride in his new Yamaha Rhino 660 again. It's pretty nice except for that auto. It's a tricky little thing and really causes the 660 to suck …

Or is she just a soccer mom with a camera? Der Bö®gÉr would like to know what she looks like. She has captured my imagination.

I don't live in Canada (obviously) and haven't visited there before. I'm aware of the obvious differences in currency, standards of measurement, government and all of that but I was wondering if Canadians were terribly different from Americans intellectually-speaking. You know, personality-wise and the like.

Motley Fool Is Ford Just Junk? Thursday August 24, 3:51 pm ET By Rich Smith Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Last year, one of the major headlines in the automaking world was that No. 2 U.S. seller Ford (NYSE: F - News) had its credit rating cut to "junk." This July, the firm lost its second-place slot in U.S. auto sales to Toyota (NYSE: TM - News). Earlier this month, with car buyers apparently agreeing that its cars are as junky as its credit, Ford again took the headlines when it announced dramatic production cuts. ADVERTISEMENT And today, the company detailed another plan designed to clear out unsold inventory and boost market share in one fell swoop --…

everyone here likes to spew about how Jap companies are " dishonest " and " Liars " but wouldnt GM & other domestics have it the same way if they could? in the end, everyones just trying to make the fat $$$, circumstances not withstanding

I attended the Philadelphia Main Street in Motion ride and drive event last July (2011). However, I am not able to locate any information on this event continuing in 2012. Does anyone know if GM is still putting on this show in cities across America?

Wed Aug 8, 1:13 AM ET WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand couple is looking to call their newborn son Superman -- but only because their chosen name of 4Real has been rejected by the government registry. ADVERTISEMENT Pat and Sheena Wheaton say they will get around the decision by the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages by officially naming their son Superman but referring to him as 4Real, the New Zealand Herald newspaper has reported. The Wheatons decided on the name after seeing the baby for the first time in an ultrasound scan and realising their baby was "for real". They decided 4Real was the best way to write it, but the name was rejected because the regi…

...does it feel like it's about an hour later than it really is?

Or do I not have the worst luck ever? Seriously... just last week, I simply rode my 300EX into town for something to do. I ran out of gas and got picked up by the cops. All the while throughout the past 6 months, I've been without a car. I haven't been able to get another car or sell my GA. I haven't been about to sell my 'in excellent condition' 300EX. Now, I can't even get a loan, but it doesn't matter since the car I wanted has been sold. Needless to say, I absolutely cannot get a job without a car. That's reality. So... when trying to fix my GA, me and my dad can't. Don't know what's wrong with it nor what to do to it. Because of all this, I've been wanting to put m…

Actually, I know it is because I've done it before. But I always did it for some specific other venture that I had in mind. This time I'm considering it just on the idea's own merits. Not sure I can do that.

A conversation with a fellow Monte Carlo enthusiast prompted this query. Ruffling feathers is NOT the intent ... just kinda curious if others have noticed this, too.... We were talking about how some events are well attended ... and others aren't. It seems that the well-attended ones are those that offer some type of trophy/award/reward for participation; the ones not-so-much-attended are the gatherings/drives/spur-of-the-moment plans that are "just for fun", with no awards/plaques/etc. Yet, many times, we hear/read people note that the gatherings really ARE about the people, the friendships, etc. ... the awards are secondary. Sssooo, if this IS the case, why is it s…

In checking another forum, a poster is bemoaning the fact that many new GM products are being, and will continue to be, engineered in places other than America for the U.S. market. Which brings back to memory a recent Lutz statement, who, in so many words said that we wouldn't even recognize GM in 10 years - that, in time, they will once again become the powerhouse that they once were. This begs the question: With GM promoting products that start off as designs for other markets, in other words, as GM cars become fully globalized, thereby ignoring the specific needs of the U.S. consumer, and the U.S. worker, is GM's resurrection worth the price of it's resurrection?…

Hmm....debating on what I want to do here. I have an 03 Cavalier with a month or two before it is paid off. I'm up in the air about what I want to do here...Whether I should keep it fully covered, or drop it to basic coverage.... On one hand, it is only about 4.5 years old, and in good shape. On the other hand, Cavaliers in general are not worth much (they were giving them away those last few years there..) I can take the money saved for a new car, or if by chance it does get totalled, we could just buy a new one.... What would you do? Normally I wouldn't think about this (car isn't that old yet), but when I see Cavs in good shape going for 5995, that kinda …

That I can't stop laughing at this video? I'm speechless regarding the old man's shirt. Disclaimer: don't watch near the end if you don't like the sight of blood.

1961 Pontiac Tempest Well, winter beater/daily driver. It's such a departure from the land barges I'm into, but I've been looking to get into something old for a daily driver and the little four-banger might be a fun alternative to having a modern gas sipper. Seems cheap for what it is if the description is accurate, too. Any thoughts?

. . .To like these taillamps? Link I wish they had red lenses instead of clear ones.

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=500030

So, now that I am a "product specialist" for Jeep, I get people asking me lost of stuff about Jeeps and it's a lot of fun. I really realize how much stuff there is to remember about all the different models. But today, I had a lady come up to me and ask me where the Oldsmobile display was at. I was kinda taken aback and I wanted to tell here that it didn't exist anymore, but I just pointed her in the direction of the GM display.

Me and 2 "brothers" (really just friends but we call each other family) where in a public place talking about going to see the memorial wall soon. Since Who doesnt know some one on there? and some asshole turned and told us straight to our faces that its a waste of time and we should go see somthing else more entertaining. Im still speachless. Yes, I have been there more than once and its not exciting but Its one of the only things that gets me teary eyed seeing the names of people you knew. It is something every one should see. Just to pay respect to our fallin heros.

Asia - Aura (2001) 2007 Saturn Aura Asia - Astra (1985) (Opel) Saturn Astra Coincidence? Is the Saturn Alpha or Aria next?

Chevy just announced a new COPO Camaro. Love that idea.

Happy Birthday to Polish Kris! Have a good one, sir.

I'm loving this bike!