The Lounge

We have all seen the Tundras, and now the FJ, sitting on the lots - even as rebates begin to hit the "IT'S FREE!!!" status. I have come up with a few possible special editions that may help Toyota move some of the inventory and get the sales back on track. Just a few of my early ideas, and I would love to hear yours! For the FJ Cruiser: The San Andreas Fault Edition - You never know where it will crack next! To help hide the unsightly cracks, I suggest a stripe kit that has the look of ripped asphalt at the belt line. The Zebra/safari edition: Again - those stripes will really keep the unsightly cracks out of the public eye. The Tundra: The Honey Bee Edition: Th…

I found a red, 1985 Camaro setting not to far from home yesterday. It's been slightly modified with a front fascia from a early '90s Camaro, which needs paint, and a hood from an IROC-Z, which needs the hinges fixed. Other than the two hiccups I pointed out (I'm not making much mention of the upholstery, which is only torn in one or two places, which I don't much care about, and the missing headliner, which you don't notice because of the t-tops), the car is very solid, is rust and ding free, and, except for the bumper, has great paint with plenty of sheen. Now, on the door handles I noticed a few interesting anomalies that read "Turbo." Now, correct me if I'm wrong, bu…

He's trading up from a 2002 SL2 with 34,5xx miles worth about $6,000 trade-in on KBB. I know Saturn is advertising a... Some questions since I've never physically purchased a Saturn nor dealt with leases myself: 1) Would a large up front amount positively affect the montly lease payments, i.e. $5,000 vs $2669? 2) Think a Saturn retailer has some wiggle room for a demonstrator XR (I know they have one) or a more well-equipped XE ($22-23k) to work it down to ~$200/mo? Any other lease/Saturn-specific advice would similarly rock. I really sold him on liking the car, so this is just the next step. Thanks!

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Savin...arPayments.aspx

Just checking to see if you got my PM tonight as the last one I sent you seems to have gotten lost in transit.

Just a few from the past few days: (and a few leftover from August) - - - - 1968 Corvette Stingray 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS (daytona yellow/tuxedo black) 1951 Ford 2 door sedan the official demo of TWCC (1971 Cadillac SDV) with a white diamond 2007 Escalade I sold.

How much do you think we could get out of the Sunfire? To refresh your memories, it's a dark blue 2002 GT with the Twincam and a 5spd. It includes a sunroof, power locks, and the 400 watt Monsoon sound system. It has just over 100k miles at the moment, up from 84k when we bought it. As you may have heard me bitch about, it's reliability is a fluke, as with most J-bodies I've personally experienced. Between the ignition system, catalytic converter, backfiring, slight smoking, chugging oil, random noises, and it literally falling apart in places, it's a complete POS. Other than a few random blemishes, it looks excellent however, and most of the problems it has, can't be …

Through my travels in Seattle in Aug, I came across one interesting Avenger at a salad bar in Tukwila... This guy is THE MAN! (I'm a little afraid of him b/c of his affiliations though)

Ok, so they were pretty cool when they purchased these... But now they're trading these: For THESE: They look awesome in person, even the clear LED lights.

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4024974 it's time we get a national standard for emissions etc. and fine and withhold federal highway money from states that enact their own standards.it's bad enough we are legislating diesels out of our country because of them, but now we care creating a whole legion of cars you can't buy or drive all across the usa. that is wrong and it costs everyone far too much money. we need to make a law saying cars can be sold and driven in all 50 states, to protect resale values and owner investments. this is bull$h!. no special emmissions laws for anyone. or, slap a 5,000 clean air tax per car on any c…

I was running errands and also popped into a Chevy dealership. They were refreshingly nice. I asked about 08s and there weren't too many on the lots. I then asked how much the extended warranty would be. Now, keeping in mind that the powertrain warranty is 5/100, the extended warranty for everything else to go 6/90 with a $100 deduct nudges $1,500 for a basic Impala 3.5 and $1,400 if you do the $200 deduct. Yikes...I was expecting $1,000 to $1,100. I bought the extended warranty for my Regal when there was basic 3/36. It was the 6/72 and it cost me about $ 700. What's the deal? I mean, the powertrain is now up to 5/100. Why so much for the balance? Is this…

I know there are alot of parents on the site, but this question is for those who don't have children as well. What would you buy your son or daughter for their first car?

A couple of months ago I bought a new set of trimmers, a real upgrade over my last set. Well the book said I could give myself a haircut with them, so I got a brilliant idea. Except... I had the guard set too short. Too late! Now I feel like Britney Spears on a bad mental-health day.

Well, it's time to roll up the sleeves, scout out the few places I've identified I would live and go look for a job (since I finished this night time degree just before the summer). Monday, I leave for Atlanta and Florida via plane. If I get the vibe and it's a go, I was thinking of taking my car down first (since that's the diciest) and then move myself down and job hunt (can't do that from Portland). Ok, so, what about the car...my Regal 3800 coupe some of you like to rag on? At 238,000 miles, I'm thinking of bringing her, or actually, having her cart my ass down to Atlanta. New stuff (within the last year to 6 months): all brakes, all tires, all struts, spark plug…

Anyone have any great photographs of GM cars? Here's one from me. My friend Sam took a pic of his 62 Caddy and sent it to me. I think this is the best pic he's ever taken. I hope yall enjoy it

The title says it all.

I didn't realize GM made so many orange cars and since my girlfriend hates orange cars, I made this for her... Didn't this color actually devalue the car it was on?

What one product has the potential to turn the perception tide back in the favor of the domestics? Just one now.

Here are a few of mine -clear tails, especially the ones that use a ton of chrome inside as a styling feature. - overlong headlights that go halfway to the A pillar (or more than halfway) - All the "blingy" chrome in headlight housings - Front fender cutlines on the A pillar - large spoilers - stickers - "eyebrow" turn signals (above the headlights) - "Bangle Butt" on anything - Rear mini-doors on a coupe - the godawful slabs of chrome on the bumper corners of the Silverado HDs - center mount exhaust

Michigan loses 34-32 to APPALACHAIN ST>!!!!!!!! SAWEET!!!!!!!!!!

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Well, I went and got screwed out of $9 last night to see the new Zombie flick. I give it a 3 out of 10... It's not true to the original concept, the acting sucks and the story is BOR-ING. It's basically "The Devil's Rejects" with different characters and a more boring concept. Don't get me wrong; I LOVE Rob Zombie and I'm a HUGE fan of House of 1000 Corpses (Hence my avatar) but it seems that he's starting to lose it (Especially on the movie side)

In the last 3 weeks, many of my friends/acquaintances have bought new cars. The friend who had been driving an '87 Corolla (his wife's but she made him drive it) bought a new Elantra (which is now his wife's, he gets the Cherokee). My boss recently bought a new Mustang coupe, which made me jealous. Another friend replaced her 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse with a 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse, totally an exciting move there. A co-worker recently bought a Focus, most impressive thing about that is he paid sticker. All of this has led me to catch new car fever (still want an Edge, though a red Mustang convertible has my eye), I need to find a cure that doesn't involve buying a n…

Is there a site or something where I can get color charts or something to past cars?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/raci...a.ap/index.html disappointing to see somebody with that kind of tenure & talent leaving GM

What do you guys have planned this weekend? Myself, as usual, am going to the Knox Dale Homecoming, so I won't online. Don't celebrate too much.

Since i bought my car, its had a horrid exhaust on it... factory manifolds, crimp bent 2 inch exhaust, crappy flowmasters, and it leaked everywhere possible... so when the rubber exhaust hangers snapped the other day, i had enough.... and the impulse buying began... Today i received my delivery of go fast goodies... nothing radical, but a world ahead of my current setup. Consists of: Jeg's Ceramic Coated Headers 2.5 inch Mandrel Bent exhuast kit Flowtech Warlock Mufflers If all goes right, it will all get installed on saturday.... cant wait to see how different it will sound! This will be a huge improvement in flow, meaning better performance, maybe a litt…

I really like this guy's work, and he does more than just cars....check out his site. Lost America

:rotflmao:

Well today I got to thinking... I'm going to buy some steelies and winter/all season tires for the Cobalt come winter time. I'll guess that'll easily be $800-1200, right? Hmmm... This is the new thought: What if I were to store the Cobalt during the coldest months of Michigan? What if, instead of buying steelies and all that, I keep the Cobalt in the garage and buy myself a cheap fixer upper? Beyond that, what if I find a good running vehicle (domestic SUV or truck preferably) for under $1000 (I'm thinking closer to $500-800), fix it, and re-sell it when I'm done for possibly more than what I bought it for? How will I do that? Read on... I know how to restore paint t…

Somebody help me with an argument.... How many total vehicles were producted in 2006 from GM.... from Toyota? How many total vehicles were recalled in 2006 from GM.... from Toyota?

It seems like you can't see your own doctor anymore. The last 2 doctors I've had both used their physician's assistants extensively. What a pain in the ass. Both of the doctors had not-so-great P.A.s - at the first doctor about 4 years ago, I had to battle to get the antibiotics I needed for a laceration that had gone south because she was too busy concentrating on blood pressure (which reads normal when not at the doctor). The second doctor had a P.A. who screwed up some prescriptions. You have to SPECIFICALLY make an appointment to see your MD because nowadays they use their P.A.s for more routine stuff. Just took my Mom to the doctor she has had for at least …

Just an idea, not sure how practical it is. Those of you more technical than me may let me know about details and what you think. Basically I was thinking about the mechanics of a hybrid and how it stores braking energy for later use. This idea does not have to necessarily be connected to a gasoline-run system. Think about a bicycle with a small electric motor integrated either into the bottom bracket (where the cranks attach) or into the rear wheel hub. A battery could be mounted on a rear rack, over the rear tire. The brakes could operate this in reverse to generate power (as in a hybrid car). You could then have some kind of throttle for a little electric boost to …

Gallery: http://auto.lenta.ru/photo/2007/08/29/siber/06.htm Another article: http://jalopnik.com/cars/moscow-auto-show/...show-294709.php

76,076 miles today. Tricked ya!

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…

I grabbed some 2008 model brochures recently on a run around a few dealers. Here's what I picked up: Buick Enclave Buick LaCross Buick Lucerne (the super is conspicuously absent in this brochure) Cadillac DTS (new midnight blue leather interior option for 08, good to see colors coming back inside) GMC Acadia GMC Canyon (V-8 not available on regular cab, but you can get a 2wd Xtended cab sport with V8) 2008 Envoy Saturn Vue Has anyone else pickup any 08 brochures? What did you get?

Corsa OPC Sets Circuit Record on Nürburgring Nordschleife Manuel Reuter sets new supermini record of 8m47.99 minutes Third record for Opel OPC model after Astra and Zafira Rüsselsheim. The Nürburgring Nordschleife, nicknamed the “Green Hell”, met its match today in the shape of a standard production Corsa OPC. After 20.8 challenging kilometers, the stopwatch showed 8m47.99 seconds – a new record for a supermini. Manuel Reuter set the officially confirmed circuit record during level four of Opel’s popular motorsport initiative called “OPC Race Camp”. The former Opel works driver and current head of the innovative racing driver talent search showed the candidates just w…

show concept: Ed Bayglie (sp?) goes to people's houses and informs people how to be more "green" or just cut down on power usage. i've seen 2 episodes... the new one with bill nye and the one with Tiegs. i think anything is better with bill nye, he and Ed have a rivalry it seems, i found it hilarious. supply and demand... same supply, decrease the demand, decrease price. the economics of being greener is in cosumers' pocket book's interest, for a lot of things, not everything though.

Okay, by now you've seen that I'm going to sell the SKY soon and it's apparent that I am also trying to get rid of the AURA too. Not that there's anything wrong with either car (how I'd love to kkeep them both), but the wife informed me recently that we are living way beyond our means. After making as many changes as possible to help save where we could, it still boils down that the SKY needs to be sold to pay off other debt, and triming our remaining car payments down would really help too. She said for the Envoy to go, but I told her that the lease has 11 months remaining and I really like the Envoy. So that leads to the AURA having to go, which I'm working on with …

I'm kind of sick of word association, we've beaten that horse to death. Let's do some B&W photography. (or artwork) I'l start off with three:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20464264/

A special rice cake for you. Just kidding! Hope its a good one!

Well, I would like a reliable GM car, mainly because used imports are overated with price and are not cheap to repair. I was thinking Alero or Grand Am about 2000-02 and I know from many the Alero is a pretty good car, but I always liked the Grand Am SE a bit more, is the Grand Am any good, and if not what would you guys suggest as a good GM car, or any car really in 2000 - 02. Price is a factor. No Ford or Chrysler cars... sorry to fans of them haha.

OPC Race Camp makes racing dream come true The fourth level of the OPC Race Camp that starts today on the Nordschleife is the perfect stage for presenting the Astra OPC “Nürburgring Edition”. Opel breaks new ground with the OPC Race Camp – a professional talent casting that helps ordinary drivers discover and develop their motor racing skills. 500 candidates were chosen from the almost 18,500 applicants in the first round, which took place in April. Since then, further selection has taken place and today, 20 racing talents go into the fourth round hoping to capture one of the coveted eight positions in the race team that will participate in the legendary 24-hour race on …

http://rochesterhomepage.net/content/fulltext/?cid=12373 Woo-hoo!!!!! Its about freaking time!!!!! I don't care at all about politics, but I was just so, SO sick of seeing this on the news, and how this guy stonewalled EVERYBODY!!!!

Hello, I am looking for an Aura or a Fusion/Milan for my sister. She has narrowed her car search down to those three choices and I was wondering if anyone here worked for a dealer that had any in Michigan.

Holy crap! http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1795584

Hulk's son, passenger are injured The wrestler's son, 17, is driving when the car crashes into a tree. By ELENA LESLEY, Times Staff Writer Published August 27, 2007 CLEARWATER - Professional wrestling star Hulk Hogan's son and another young man were seriously injured in a car crash Sunday evening in Clearwater. Driver Nick Bollea, 17, also known as Nick Hogan, and a passenger had to be extracted from the crumpled Toyota Celica Supra. Officials said both were taken by air to Bayfront Medical Center, where the passenger was reported in critical condition. Family members gathered at the hospital late Sunday, but reporters were kept at a distance. Nick Bollea's inj…

Pay close attention & you will probably also spot a beautiful but angry late-1950s nailhead powered 2-door hardtop in white. :wink: http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=34f9608e...=&GT1=10252

Which is your favorite?

There's a movie I saw years ago that I just remembered again after recently having bought Demolition Man, but I have no idea what the name of it is. I'm pretty sure it came out in the 90s sometime, and it's in the vein of Demolition Man where a guy gets sent into the future to track somebody down. I think the movie takes place in a future New York (I remember one fight scene takes place in a futuristic highrise building that dwarfs the Empire State Building). The protagonist in the movie used to be a racing driver before he is sent into the future, and he meets up with his girlfriend from the past. It's not Demolition Man and I'm pretty sure it's not Fifth Element...d…

This is a link to an old thread that dealt with this topic. The link will put you midway into the thread. Pay careful attention to The Fbodfather's posts. You may learn a thing or two. http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...mp;#entry277210

Last night I went out with our boy in his 2007 acura tl (little over 5500 miles). While in the car I was struck by how many things just don’t fit right, how it squeaks over bumps, and how it has issues. 1. When accelerating it makes a grinding sound. Something he is taking it in for. 2. The right rear quarter panel on the outside does not lineup with the bumper. Bad enough that he is going to make the dealer fix it. He has seen multiple other tls with the same problem so he is not sure they can line it up. 3. The dash is lumpy on the passenger’s side. 4. The upper part of center console is wavy where it meets the dash. It looks like it’s been left out in the su…

I was bored and figured I'd post some random pics. The above is what you would call a bulge. Random couple of G6 pics. Random black and white pics. Random moth. Random diecast truck.

So, I'm back home from another Saturday night on the town and it was pretty much like every other Saturday night for the last, oh, how many years? I've never been the type of person to go out with the intention of meeting anyone. That is just setting yourself up for for disappointment. I'm always open to the possibility, but I'm not the type to jump into anything on a whim. I have multiple 'bar' friends that I see regularly and talk to but, and I hope I'm not sounding like a complete jerk here, they aren't people that I want to do anything with on a social basis outside of the bar, much less anyone that I'd be interested in developing a relationship with. There just …

And then make boats.

Ventiports...

That I'll be able to order a new El Camino SS fairly soon. But, I'm thinking that I'll probably hold-off until the second production year. With all of the drivetrain advances happening so fast lately, I have a feeling that an engine upgrade will happen in the second or third year. Opinions? Other ideas/concerns? Another factor is that I'd like to be able to pay cash for it and I'll need some time to make that happen.

Well, looks like I'm the first person on C&G 3.0 to breech the 10,000 post mark, so horray me. What makes it interesting to me is that several members are hot on my tail with posts in the 7, 8, and 9,000s. Also, keep in mind these number are somewhat skewed by the fact that this version of C&G has only been up for part of our near-6-year history - let's hope we don't have to start over again! Another thing that stands out to me are our relatively 'small' membership numbers, close to 4,000 now. Again, those numbers are skewed because of database crashes, but it seems like if you register for an account here, you intend to post. And chances are that if you post, yo…

This guy comes into our dealership today to look at the Silverado 2500 that we have in the 2nd floor showroom, he's ben in before. His daily driver is a 2006 Aveo-5, stick and he's always bragging about getting about 37mpg real world... the thing is he always leaves it idiling for long periods of time while he looks at trucks, get a brochure from the showroom or whatever. Today he was in the showroom for a good 18-20 minutes while his little Aveo was left, door ajar... running with the AC full blast & the radiator fan kicking in and out constantly. Kind of funny if you ask me. Like the chian smoking Prius driver that I always see blowing nasty …

I would prefer that GM only have one truck brand, either Chevy or GMC, I don't care which. Both trucks are made at the same assembly plants and on the same assembly lines for the most part, no matter what model we are talking about. So the only thing that is really different is the badges. Let's get rid of badge engineering once and for all, shall we Mr. Lutz?

I spent 6 days in Las Vegas (106 to 108) every day. You walk out the door and it's like an oven. One day, walking around the strip with a friend, it started to rain from a thunderstorm. It was great. Followed by 2 days in Rancho Mirage (Palm Springs)...same thing. I will say that the mountains shooting out of the desert floor is quite dramatic but that weather just knocks you out. Now, I went to grad school somewhere reasonably cold. I remember that as being painful and that driving in snow was kind of scary. However, most really hot places have a great other 9 months and you can stay in A/C for the remainder. Which could you handle better...living somewher…

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?f=00&a...433540/&fg=

You must click

General Motors’ Pontiac Solstice and Saturn’s Sky both posted massive numbers out of the sales gates, but at least one of the two sports cars’ fortunes are flagging. According to the New York Times, sales of the curvaceous Solstice have dropped 19 percent versus last year through the end of July, and GM suddenly has a glut of Pontiac-branded roadsters on its hands—nearly five months of inventory. Conversely, its under-the-skin twin, the Saturn Sky, continues to sell well, with a one-month inventory and an actual wait time for delivery. So what’s going on here? Author Nick Bunkley seems to feel it’s a product of Saturn’s rising star in GM’s portfolio, and Pontiac’s statu…

WOW! http://news.windingroad.com/etc/video-smug...he-philippines/

My Cav avoided tree limbs, hail, and some pretty nasty weather. Good part. After coming back from an errand (only gone about an hour), I find two cars parked drunkly next to my car (I couldn't get into it to even move it) And you know what that means. I have a marks on both doors.....and on the rear panel.... I won't be able to tell how bad until morning... Part I noticed most- they made a nice cut into the rub strip on the driver's side...it's small (only about 4 inches big), but you can really see it. On the strip-will touch up paint work? or something to make it look better? Damn I'm pissed..... I tried to find the owners of these cars, but no one …

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 …

Crossovers, one of the most lucrative and busting new segments ever. Automakers are rushing to fill their lineups with all sorts of them. Size, price, etc. They are starting to establish their own design type. They are replacing fuel sucking BOF SUV's. The big wave is just starting, yet, I am now tired of them all. Is this a fad? Or will most vehicles sold in the future be crossovers? How do you feel? I'm already kinda sick of them.

Was watching one of my favorite new shows (basically Miami Vice for 2007) and they had the new CTS as one of the character's new cars...looked sweet on TV!!!

On the way to work on Thursday morning, 8/23/07, I spotted a couple interesting IL license plates: MINI HUM ... on a Honda Element, which had an "H3" graphic on the rear end (and) BMW AT 40 ... on a Pontiac Grand Am GT Didn't see either one on the way home, though I wasn't paying much attention due to the torrential downpours ... followed by the extensive flooding around town and the house ... and somewhat in our basement.... Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker WRMNshowcase.lego.HO.model.MCs.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort "All of the chaos makes perfect sense" ... Joe Diffie ... 'Third Rock From The Sun'

What's your take on it? I became progressively more angry as I watched it. Pissed at the government, pissed at the oil companies, and pissed at GM.

I signed up for an environmental class that dealt with environmental planning and stuff along those lines. I originally took it because it actually sounded kind of interesting and I was genuinely interested in the subject, but I dropped it like a yesterday's news, mostly because I realized I was taking too many credits (18) along with having an independent project and going to work about 15 hours a week. Just too much stuff to juggle. There were some real strong opinions in that class...polar opposite too. On one hand, you had the conservative ag/forestry/civil engineering kids and on the other you had the liberal political science/environmental studies/design kids. …

I'm sure this will apply to many here. http://themagsreport.blogspot.com/2007/08/...ard-poster.html

Dear all. My better half LOVES Saab - and she is trying to find a suitable SUV to replace her aging (180k miles) Expedition. We recently found out that there is up to $7,000 rebate on the 9-7x, which puts the car SMACK in the middle of Explorer and Equinox price range. It also allows her to have the best of both worlds - an SUV that can tow and is a real BOF SUV and a Saab (she is a Texan - do not question her on her love for BOF ) We have been looking around and all the models available are the 4.2l I6 models ... but that engine is fine as far as reliability and such goes - I had the impression that it is a bulletproof and smooth engine ... anyone wants to weigh on…

Money is not a great thing... having said that, the wife has brought to my attention that financially we're not in a "good place". Having bought the SKY last year and it's limited use has always been a sore spot with the wife (the home equity loan payment plus full insurance coverage don't help). She feels that by selling the car to pay off other debts would be the best thing financially, although she does say that she doesn't want the car to go. So anyway, if I had to sell the SKY, is anyone here interested in buying it? I'm trying to weigh out my options, like going back to my selling Saturn dealer and seeing what they'd offer to buy it, put an ad in AutoShopper o…

By Jonathan Adams and Max Hirsch Newsweek International Aug. 20-27, 2007 issue - China's recent rise has brought with it a new conventional wisdom: that everyone must learn Mandarin. But no one's told South Korea yet. Though Chinese is increasingly popular here, the nation seems to be suffering a profound case of English fever. South Korea now boasts at least 10 "English villages"—mock Western communities complete with post offices, pharmacies and the like where kids can practice their language skills. An entire English-only town is due to open on Cheju Island in 2010. And one Internet-based company here even offers English courses for fetuses in the womb. Next door, m…

http://health.msn.com/centers/mensexualhea...2&GT1=10311

Took the Venture on a road trip down to Washington State and would you believe it, after 50K Km, everything is going awry. In six days, the ABS, T/C have failed, the Tranny has started slipping and hesitating, and the starter is acting wonky... on top of that we lost three of those plastic wheel nut covers because, as it turns out, the lug nuts weren't tightened properly at the last tire rotation, last week. Making an appt at the dealer this week now that I'm back in Canukistan, but I don't know how extensive this repair is gonna be. We're getting to the point over here where we have had almost enough with the service dept. at the dealer where we buy our cars... it's …

In recent years my wife and I have had GREAT luck with the GM dealers (besides the Saturn dealer). Don't get me wrong, they've made mistakes but they always make amends for their error. Most importantly they ALWAYS make sure to provide professional customer service. If I wasn't such a GM fan I would have headed down to the toyota dealer to trade in my Buick by now. Not because the car isn't great, which it is. But because of POOR customer service. The story is long. For those that have time (also very rough as I wrote quickly with little regard to grammar and such) . . . My experience with the Buick/Cadillac/GMC/Pontiac Dealer in McMinnville, OR – Larsen Motor…

I felt like I HAD to share this, what with our recent conversations on C&G about bad drivers, bad driving skills, crashed Inifiniti QX56 and all the talk of Toyota drivers who should really NOT be car owners so much as bus pass owners... This was posted on Buick-59.com by a getleman in the UK who has a 1959 Buick Invicta nicknamed "Ruth".

Baseball is in the last quarter of the season and it is shaping up to be a very close race to the post season with 18 teams being within seven games of their division lead. I'm a rabid Mets fan and am hoping to see my team make the playoffs for the second year in a row. Here are my pridictions for the end of the regular season AL Divsions- East - Boston Central - Detroit West - Angels Wild card - Seattle NL Divisions- East - Mets Central - Milwaukee West - Diamond Backs Wild Card - Phillies That's what I think the post season will look like but a lot can happen in these last 5 weeks of the season.

I am an honest man. I lied to my father. As some of you know, I like to go camping at a particular campground in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. It's a gay/lesbian campground, and further, it is clothing optional. I go two or three times a season. Without being too specific, over the last four years I've been going I've been telling my parents (seperately, they're divorced) that I've been going "camping upstate"... which sufficed... until my dad mentioned one day that he delivers tires (he retired from Armstrong floor company after 41 years and now drives a pickup truck, delivering tires for a local merchant) to a customer in the same town. I spoke up and said…

Mexican, Italian, and Chinese may as well be American...they don't count. Need to try Cuban... Haven't had Ethiopian in a minute..... But dammit, I feel like I can eat Indian food three times a week, two days in a row, and never get sick of it. Got so bad that one month, I decided I had to avoid the Indian spots. I can get with most all Indian cooking, from spinach curry (sag) to tandoori chicken drumsticks (best dark meat there is, second only to tandoori thighs) to gulab jamun. I mean, really, I just did the Indian buffet over the weekend, and I'm looking to see if I feel like paying $11 to go this week. Any of you guys like this?

This morning my father passed away rather suddenly. He was 64. Last Friday he had a massive heart attack. His heart stopped beating for 21 minutes before the paramedics revived him. Unfortunately, his brain activity was minimal. We pulled the ventilator on Sunday, and he died early this morning. As tragic as this is, its a realization that I should have told him I loved him more. I never got to thank him for instilling in me my love for cars, the outdoors, and life. I also realize that I am now the eldest in the family and the next to go. I realize that grandfatherhood is coming sooner than I would like. I have always felt young, but I realize that its only a …

article How many vaginas can one man destroy? Cripes.

The Chevrolet/Cadillac dealer I work at is right up the street from a Wendy's. (you know, as in Dave Thomas) Money being very tight right now instead of taking my giant tank to a local joint for lunch I just walk over to the Wendy's & have lunch there, you know dollar menu and all. The other day I'm waiting to get my $4 worth of fast food when a middle aged couple (early 50s) approach the cashier. I notice that the guy is holding a brochure for a 2007 Tundra in his hand, along with some pricing info. written down on a crude worksheet. Usually I mind my own business.... well, sometimes... but I was feeling ballsy that day and so I look over at …