The Lounge

So after sitting at the shop for over a week, they finally looked over the Intrepid. For those of you who don't know, it's been parked in the driveway since late November, when on our way home we could hear the timing chains contacting things they shouldn't because they were so loose. So it rested quietly for the winter, besides when I went out to start it, until I could get it fixed. I got a call around 2 telling me to come down to the shop. What they showed me was that the oil was milky...which meant that the headgasket had failed. How long ago it failed I'm not sure, but odds are it's been long enough to do damage. This, coupled with the fact that it needs timing cha…

GM or non GM, nice cars and nice photography. Let's post some interesting stuff. Local GTI above...

So Im flipping through the channels and I see that the CMT channel is now doing a show that is basically pimp my ride for semi trucks. "Trick my Truck." When will it end? http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/Trick_My_Truck/series.jhtml

Well, this makes my fourth consecutive year that I’ve been to the North American International Auto Show here in frigid Detroit, MI. Every year has been a lot of fun no matter when you go. The first three times I ended up going on the first Public Day as soon as the gates opened. This year, however, I was able to get tickets with some coworkers and got in on the first day of the Industry Preview. And let me tell you, depression is in the air. Fortunately, we walked in right by the Ford exhibit, which was about the same as most years, but spectacular by comparison to most other exhibits. If that doesn’t tell you something then there’s something wrong. The entire auto sho…

BAD: I will not be able to take my Oldsmobile Super-88 on that roadtrip to Tulsa, OK GOOD: I will probably be driving a 1959 Buick those 3200 miles instead. BAD: It's not a Hardtop, Electra or even an Invicta... GOOD: It is the rarest body style of all 1959 Buicks. Two Door Sedan. Only came in LeSabre. BAD: I don't own it YET. GOOD: There's a good chance I will by the end of February. BAD: it's refrigerator white GOOD: I think I'll paint it "arrest me yellow". I'm talking lemon yellow, clean, bright bold, loud yellow. '70 GSX yellow! more details to come soon....

Now that I'm home for the holidays, my neighbor came over yesterday with a basket full of fresh ripe tomatoes that she brought back from Florida on Friday. Those tomatoes smelled like they do when I pick them out of my garden in July. Yesterday I left my gated community and headed for the Little Italy section of Wilmington and went straight to M. Fierro & Sons to pick up some mozzarella cheese. (Open on Saturdays in December) Today I had a plate full of sliced tomatoes on a bed of sliced mozzarella cheese sprinkled with a nice balsamic vinegar, it was to die for. Link to M. Fierro & Sons to see their products, which are excellent and locally made below: http…

The title says it all.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupe/...pes_comparison/ It was a pretty fair comparison I think. Both are hella powerful, the GTO is a bit farter to 60 since it's lighter, but the Charger handles better, and is easier to get the power out. Goat is cheaper but the Charger has more standard equipment and performance mods. GTO has a nicer interior design, but the Charger is roomier, more practicle, and has things the Goat doesn't. Charger loooks badass...th GTO doesn't. "The Charger is the obvious choice--the best musclecar for the job. Not only does it look the part--no other V-8-powered American sedan appears as ominous--but it plays the part with an involving drivi…

she's smart, sexy, funny, a nympho, and plays video games here are some pictures from our weekend. enjoy fellas, and let me know what you think...

"I personally believe... that U.S. Americans are unable to do so... because... "Uh... some people out there in our nation don't have maps... "And... uh... I believe that our education, like such as in South Africa and... uh... the Iraq, everywhere, like, such as... "And I believe that they should... "Our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S... uh... "Or, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries... "So we will be able to build up our future... for our [children]."

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…

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…

Just curious. List your main nationality..if your a few countries nationality...liek most evryone. Im mainly Finnish, some danish and cornish (Cornwall, England).

Camlee 6A Zero to 100 mph: 14.5 sec Street start, 5–60 mph: 6.1 sec Braking, 70–0 mph: 170 ft 22/31 mpg G6 GT 6MT Zero to 100 mph: 16.2 sec Street start, 5–60 mph: 6.5 sec Braking, 70–0 mph: 167 ft 18/27 mpg Aura XR 6A Zero to 100 mph: 16.6 sec Street start, 5–60 mph: 6.3 sec Braking, 70–0 mph: 172 ft 20/28 mpg Cobalt SS Supercharged 5MT Zero to 100 mph: 15.3 sec Street start, 5–60 mph: 6.5 sec Braking, 70–0 mph: 169 ft 22/30 mpg Ion Redline 5MT Zero to 100 mph: 15.6 sec Street start, 5–60 mph: 6.3 sec Braking, 70–0 mph: 164 ft 22/30 mpg

all yah half to do is ask a question but answer the previous one, like this and so on and so forth. illl start Pepsi Or Coca Cola?

The Year Is: 1989 The year is 1989. You're a snow plow contractor and you've been noticing an uptick in the number of people with smaller lots and driveways that your full sized pickup doesn't fit in so well. You hate to turn down good business, but your current solution is lacking in traction. You decide to try a midsized or smaller SUV for these smaller jobs and see how it works out. Besides, you still have your full sized truck for big jobs so it's not like this one is going to be clearing any airport runways or anything. But then again, that is a lot of square footage... 1989 Toyota 4Runner 1989 Suzuki Sidekick 1989 Range Rover 1989 Nissan Pathfinder…

We should all have something to be thankful for this munt. Turkey and cranberry sauce are one thing (apologies to our Canadian friends), but spotting something unusual in the automotive landscape is truly something to be thankful for. Post away, and please pass the green bean casserole, will ya?

Most of you should know what this is all about. Just curious as to what the breakdown is at this point. http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...?showtopic=9817

Dave87rs suggested a sex thread to displace the politics thread...so here is the question. You are making a movie and you can have any hollywood star do a nude scene...who would you pic? Me-Amber Tamblyn, I think she is so sexy and brainy. Not really an actress but I'd like to see Danica Patrick get buck naked. Your thoughts? And to the mods, sorry if this is "not fit for cheers and gears" but Dave did have a good idea in terms of another thread to take everyones mind off of the election. Chris

4. Ford Edge 3. Toyota Highlander 2. Hyundai Santa Fe 1. Nissan Murano I'll try to weigh in more on this tomorrow. The article was WEAK. It flat out said at the end of the article that none of the four stood out and won the competition. But in the interest of needing to print a finishing order, they then ordered them they way they did, in my opinion on bias. They cited the Ford as being heavy and not having as much cargo space due to the fastback roofline. Its like they found one thing to bitch about about the Ford (weight) and played it up WAYYYY TO MUCH. Because the Ford, despite being heavy had some of the best acceleration times and the best handling t…

If you've been following caddycruiser's thread about his own car buying experiences, you've seen me mention that my wife has also been looking to get out of our Envoy lease (a month & a half early from the termination date, thanks to a GMAC Pull Ahead offer) for a much more economical car choice. Witht he 0% for 72 months deal (which we need to stay in the affordable range), she was motivated to do something by this weekend. Her choice? A 2008 Pontiac G6 V6 Sedan in White Diamond Tricoat and Taupe Leather interior. Here are some <crappy> shots of it at night, as we were leaving the dealership: The window sticker: It was manufactured this …

He's the one Who likes All our pretty songs And he Likes to sing along And he Likes to shoot his gun But he Don't know what it means Don't know what it means Don't know what it means And I say He's the one

Whole story Here

I went to vote at about 7:40 this AM. Had to wait about 20 minutes. There was an obvious lesbian couple in front of me (in the conservative suburbs, no less) but we have Prop 8 on our ballot in CA. Guess what? They were NICE to me, believe it or not, and we conversed a little bit, but mostly about the economy and because one of them worked for a homebuilder....and I was dressed in a very conservative coat and tie, so what's that offputting vibe I give off? They hand me my ballot and HALF of it was in Espanol. Thus, there were equal portions of English and Spanish. I'm sorry, but part of being a U.S. citizen implies that you speak the language to some rudimentary…

I don't know how it's doing anywhere else, but today we probably sold more cars than all of the other days I've worked there combined. It was nuts. We were constantly getting something for delivery, and they were working on more sales when 5PM rolled around too (which is when I leave).

Just this weekend: $200 sunglasses-Lost (replacement cost: undetermined, but looking online I'm thinking $300ish) $80 tube TV-destroyed (replacement cost: $900+ for a 26" LG LCD/DVD combo) $20 dvd player-destroyed, in a separate incident (replacement cost: see above) Cant wait to see what the rest of this week costs me.

I am beyond burned out. My patience is gone. It's time for something new. Today's news is just another grain of sand on a huge mound of dissatisfaction with so many things. I need a radical shift in everything.

The Year Is: 1964 The year is 1964. You've just finished paying off your fines at the court house because the State Patrol doesn't like your unconventional methods of transporting items. You still need to haul your stuff around and your station wagon isn't cutting it. You decide a pickup is the answer. The only question is, which one? Jeep Willys Jeep Gladiator Jeep FC 170 Jeep FC 150 International Harvester C-Series GMC C/K Ford F-Series Ford Econoline Dodge Power Wagon Dodge D/W Series Chevrolet El Camino Chevrolet Corvair Rampside Chevrolet C/K Series Studebaker Champ Ford Ranchero ************************************…

Honestly, I've never been. I tried shoving massive amounts of alcohol down myself, but I know when to stop. And for some strange reason I just refuse myself to drink more. I feel a bit light, but still perfectly conscious. How about your story?

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…

When you are out and about in your hot GM car or truck, what is your favorite drive thru?

Both cities have metro populations of 4.5 million, and both maps are at the same zoom level. How does this difference happen? Are there not apartment buildings in Detroit?? Detroit Toronto

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.....

Today 3 guys and me had to fly to Chicago. We are working political security so we do have some equipment to bring. The one guy is Lebanese so he has a middle east complexion. Us four are walking into the building we are all wearing an urban camo type outfit and 50 ID tags and Silver police type badge. We have hip holsters with pistols in them and clips on the other side and a Taser gun on our belts. We all had 2 gun cases and we set them down and start talking. Then out of know where 8 security guards come up and start questioning Camel (the Lebanese guy). They were relentless too, They totally ignored all 3 of us right next to him dressed exactly the same. We really sta…

Who here would like to get a GM car together for a run at LeMons? It's the race for $500 beaters that was in the link with the MR2 racing the Buick. Talking with people here that would like to possibly start a C and G team, let us know. Maybe we can actually get Oldsmoboi out from behind his computer and behind the wheel... This thread is for any comments or ideas, no matter how crazy or unrealistic. We are just in the talking stages/dreaming stages now, BUT...we can make this a reality if we want to. Thinking of perhaps running a J body Cavalier...but would be open to other choices. Although we may lose dave87rs as a forum member if the Cavalier is chosen …

Our usual comparos and dream garage threads typically center around sport sedans and super cars, but these heavy hitters are exciting in their own right. One has been around a while now and is a familiar face- the Bentley Continental GT. The other is a newcomer- the S63 AMG, in drop top form in this case. C&D got the two together for a shootout recently, and I thought this would make for a fun 'WYR' thread. Here's the link- C&D: Bentley Conti GTC vs MB S63 AMG Cab So, which you rather have- Bentley Conti GTC V8 or MB S63 AMG Cabriolet

BEIJING -- China suspended military exchanges with the United States and threatened sanctions against American defense companies Saturday, just hours after Washington announced $6.4 billion in planned arms sales to Taiwan. The development has further strained the complex relations between the two powers, which are increasingly linked by security and economic issues. China's Defense Ministry said the sales to self-governing Taiwan, which the mainland claims as its own, cause "severe harm" to overall U.S.-China cooperation, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. The Foreign Ministry threatened sanctions against U.S. companies involved in the arms sales. A spokeswoman…

Wednesday I was involved in a pretty serious MVA. I won't go into details but the Av is probably totalled judging by what my son says it looks like. I have not seen the damage because I was unconscious when the paramedics pulled me out of the truck. I just got out of the hospital today with cuts to my face, head, arm, and left leg, bruises, abrasions from the air bags, and broken ribs. My son is here taking care of me while I am recovering. I just figured I would let everyone know since that seems to be part of the culture around here.

Has anyone here ever tried it really? Keeping nothing beyond what is truly essential? The concept is tempting me.

CARS YOU MAY HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE, some from the 20’s and the 30’s … Auto Makers need to pull from the past for style design in the 21st century! 1921 Farman A6B Sport Torpedo 1922 Marmon 34BSpeedster 1929 DuPont Model Speedster 1930 Isotta-Fraschini 87A SS Torpedo Sport 1930 Ruxton Model C Raunch and Lang Roadster 1931 DuPont Model H Merrimac Sport Phaeton 1932 REO Royale Convertible Coupe 1933 Hispano Siuza J12 Deletren Freres Cabriolet 1936 Delahaye 135 Competition Court Figoni et Falaschi Coupe 1936 Delahaye 135 Figoni etFalaschi Torpedo Cabriolet 1937 Delahaye 135 Figoni etFalaschi Torpedo Cabriolet 1938 Horch 853A Erdmann &a…

There is always a PROBLEM here or there. "Office Space" LIVES! In my project area, there is ONLY one person I don't like. His problem is his meddlesome nature. First, he has to get involved in people's financial affairs (he can't manage his own). Then, he always does a "shaking of the finger" when a person gets time off during a crunch (when he's done the same thing). He always seems to be TOO interested in what others are doing, right down to making smart-ass comments about who is or isn't participating in what event at the forthcoming picnic. Except for a few people I like, I couldn't even REMOTELY tell you what others are into. Not only that, he's got the sam…

Well, since this thread has snuffed itself out (thanks again to me...) http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...6229&st=360 I thought we'd do a another CAR ASSOCIATION thread. But here's the thing. PHOTOS ONLY! I'll start us off... and you guys just post the next car that pops into your head. Deusenberg. I'm not even sure if this particular one ever existed outside of a drawing but damn it's cool.

This has got to be the worst natural disaster in history, forget the Tsunami's and where are these other countries? Where are the celebrities? This makes me sick. Watching this on TV, yet no country, nor any celebrity coming forward with a donation, or pledge to raise money. I'm about ready to start the C&G Donation working with the American Red Cross. It's the least I can do watching this terrible disaster on TV.

In a thread about the Honda Step-Bus concept Moltar wrote: This is a great jumping off point for my perspective on the past 120 (or so) years of the Automotive world. The Automobile was is its infancy when WWI started, it peeked once magnificently in the late 1930s and then stagnated a bit throughout the 1940s due to WWII. Many fantastic things were accomplished in the 1950s especially style wise and then in the 1960s the modern car was born & performance was given to the masses in gorgeous, candy wrapper like packages. Ever since then untill very recently the automobile has been in a downward spiral, getting worse and worse and worse. The 1970s saw …

I'm not even going to pretend the car is salvagable. I was going about 50ish in a 55 into a left curve, the car got away from me (not entirely sure how) and I went off the road, cartwheeled through an embankment, the car ended up on the passenger side in a field. I shut the car off and crawled out through the sunroof, then ran around looking for my phone. The woman who was in front of me turned around, when I saw her up on the road (a good 20 feet above my head) I could see her jaw had just dropped. She called 911, I found my phone in the grass and called work (I was on a delivery) my girlfriend and my insurance agent. A doctor happened to be driving by and she let m…

This: 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Turbo Coupe (New) LSD+Sunroof. Metallic Red Paint (Not the one shown in the picture) OR This: 2005 BMW 330i with performance package just as shown above. ZHP performance package. 6-speed manual transmission. Leather and memory seats, and upgraded stereo. Extended warranty up to 100,000 miles which includes the free oil change and other crap. Currently at 57,000 odd miles. Let us assume that the price difference, insurance costs, operating costs, etc are non existent.

I had never heard of this car, the 1986 Buick LeSabre Grand National: http://www.lesabret-type.com/LeSabreGN.html Exactly What is a LeSabre Grand National? Many do not even know that Buick Division of General Motors produced the Grand National on a platform other than on the Regal but there was a very unique Grand National built in late1985 – the 1986 LeSabre Grand National. 117 (or 112) copies were built to qualify the new, first year 1986 LeSabre FWD Coupe body for NASCAR competition. The main reason for building the 1986 LeSabre Grand National was to get the new body with modified rear quarter windows sanctioned for Winston Cup racing that year. The modified …

I ran into a friend of mine last night and he presented a business card showing that he worked for the local Nissan dealer. Obviously he doesn't know that I am such a domestic car enthusiast and supporter. My other friend I was hanging out with said "What the hell man? Why don't you sell american cars?" because he knew that I would probably shred the guy if he didn't inject a little comedy. The guy says, and I quote: "Actually, 70% of Nissans parts are manufactured in america and the point of final assmebly is also in america. So, pretty much the last time Nissan was a japanese car was 2000." My jaw dropped and the guy finished with "People are really concerned abo…

Does anyone have any good photos of the '66 Toronado to share?....especially rear quarter views? One of my favorite GM cars.

Today at lunch, I had to go past the local BPG dealership. I immediately noticed a nice looking '09 Vibe GT in Mystic Blue with sunroof. Mystic Blue is a sort of teal color, and with the handsome 18" GT rims, it was by far the best looking new Vibe I've seen yet. After work, I decided to stop in and take a test drive. "My" salesdude was there who sold me my truck. He stuck a dealer tag on the car and I drove it off the dealer's front lawn. The Vibe GT is pretty much a loaded vehicle, with a long list of standard stuff, including cloth seats with leather trim and a kickass Monsoon sound system. The 5-speed manual transmission and clutch work fine together. The 2.4…

What's your favorite motor sport? F1 for me. I like the completely unusual design cars have, I like the fact that they compete in teams, and man, do they sound awesome. I've tried getting into bike races as well but I don't seem to care for them very much for some reason.