The Lounge

Toyota Motor Corporation announced today the Japanese launch of the Auris*¹, a strategic compact passenger vehicle for both Japan and Europe. In Japan, the Auris is available through “Netz” dealers nationwide, replacing the Allex and Corolla RunX. The new Toyota Auris will be revealed in Europe at the Bologna Motor Show on December 5 and will go on sale in the UK from February 2007 and across Europe in spring 2007. Auris will join Yaris and Avensis as a new core model designed and built in Europe … more Originally considered only for Canada, it may now be offered in the US as well, although Toyota Motor Sales has not yet confirmed either market. Note the Japanese-mar…

Aww...24 years in the slammer....poor fella. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206....4u4&refer=home

Alas, another spectacular road trip has ended [2003 I went out east; 2004 I went west through MO, KS, CO, WY, UT, NM, OK, TX, AR; 2005 I went east through TN, AL, GA, SC, NC, VA, PA, NJ, MD, WV, OH, MI, IN]. But, I had a blast, met a few more people for the first time, and visited some old friends. [it is amazing to me the number of people I have met over the last few years during my road trips. Someday, I’ll update that list … including all that I’ve learned … and post it .] Sadly, I missed some people along the way this time that I had hoped to meet…. Since this trip is different than my previous trips (1 week instead of 2 weeks … and PICTURES which I’ll post at a …

It's snowing out. Who wants to kidnapp me and take me someplace warm... and without snow? I don't take up much space and I'm not afraid of small places. Just give me enough room to be able to lay down fully... something comfy to lay on (I bet it'll be more comfy than my own bed, so just anything)... and some privacy. Okay? Who's up for it? I'm serious.

Ven is! Happy 30th Birthday, Ven!

My mom is way over due for a newish car. She loves her current car (a 1994 Isuzu Rodeo) to death, but the thing is starting to fall apart. To the point where it would make more finantial sense to buy a newer car. So we went dealer hopping today. She really didn't say she liked anything in particular. Just walked around and was like "hmm" every so once an a while. She isn't picky about brands (mostly because she is clueless when it comes to cars), although my dad is another story. He has a strong distaste for Korean cars, and American cars. I try to tell him that they we're DiamlerChryslers that we owned (1993 Voyager and 2001 Dakota) but he doesn't listen. Wh…

Yum, I made a pumpkin pie this afternoon. It's goooood. Do you like pie too?

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.

Got these 2 mags in the mail at the same time recently. Maybe we all arent that different? We all just want a guy with ripped abs? Kinda funny I got them at the same time...same cover, different audience.

I beg of Chevrolet to be daring and build the SIlverado 427 Concept in balck. I beg of Chevrolet to do this. It would be like the 454 Silverado agian. This would be a great SS replacement. The 427 would bring in buyers as well.

Final 500 Collection To see them all together like that with no mileage. Awesome.

I don't know where to start... Tonight, I heard my mom is getting harrassed in work because of me. I'm beyond pissed right now. What they're doing is not right and it makes me furious. I honestly feel like marching in there and confronting the assholes that are doing this. I'm just getting so sick and f@#king tired of the homophobia here in Brookville... I really am. I absolutely hate it.

longstory short. ME rabid METS fan. Have season tickets. At game 7 of NLCS last night. Craziest game of postseason baseball IVe ever seen. I am crushed. End of story.

Every once in a while, fleeting mentions of golf and golfing come up on the site. Yes, I see how it would nice be to walk scenic manicured courses as you go out to a golf outing. But that's where it stops. I've never really had an opinion of golf (other than indifference), but that's changing. Sorry if I seem blunt, but the whole experience and the accoutrements that go with it seem so "packaged." I wonder if people REALLY like it, or if it's something they do to be "one of the boys." I mean, it offers little in the way of exercise value. The reason I bring this up is that about 5 months ago, I got a new boss. In the last week or so, it crystallized that he is …

2006 Murano S AWD. 17,500 miles. shift_DEAD Cranks, but won't kick over. I could really care less how or why, I just know its Enterprise's problem and I learned a bit more about that (in)famous Japanese reliability. More this weekend when I post a review. In other news, I drove my dad's "Below Average Reliability" Bonneville past 117,000 miles today. Never failed to turn over.

Guess I'm glad I'm not a salesman at this place any more. Well and the fact that I hate Toyota, I felt like such a sell out working there. Seriously! http://www.lewisvilleleader.com/articles/2...news/news66.txt

I saw this parked in a comfort suites hotel parking lot a month or so ago, it was awesome..

Found this on autoblog while at work today.pretty sweet. http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/18/buck-ro...truck-is-ready/ The company that built this is located in my hometown of Madison, AL. In fact, my H.S. chemistry teacher is married to the president of the company.

Your odometer is still at 7900? I thought you had an '05? If so, are you like the guy with the Porsche from Ferris Beuller, it stays parked and you rub it with a diaper? Maybe I'm just used to commuting, and having friends that live far away. Me and my friends all put on lots of miles. I've had the Cobalt 14 months now, and I'm going to turn 52,000 km later today.

Please note, not all models from each brand are on the following sites. However, a good number of them are. Enjoy these, guys. Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GMC Holden Hummer Oldsmobile Opel Pontiac Saab Saturn Vauxhall

My dad just handed me this magazine...I almost fell out of my chair laughing at what's on the front cover. -15" LCD TV w/DVD player -20" chrome rims -leather seats -all power Any takers? It's a steal for only $29,999. Did I mention it's an '04?

You know, I found a little more respect for the last generation Toronado today. I was browsing the Heritage section of Oldsmobile's site today, and I looked through the 1980s photos. There was a photo of a basket handle shifter, a part that was sometimes seen on hi-po Chevelles and Camaros back in the late Sixties and Seventies. When I go to a classic car show, I always get a kick out of that particular interior piece. I thought it was initially part of a concept car's interior. Then I saw that a part of the side-out pop-up read "1986 Toronado." Also, the last-generation Toronado dash had such an array of interesting features. But, I'll let the photos try to speak that p…

Would-be carjacker thwarted by manual gears

Alcantara for More People Chrysler, Cadillac and Mercury will start offering suede-like Alcantara leather in certain sports edition models next year. Alcantara is best known for its use in performance cars like the BMW M3 because it holds drivers in their seats better than standard leather. It’s easy for us to guess that Chrysler’s SRT models and Cadillac’s V series will see Alcantara, but we’re mystified at which Mercury interior will get such treatment. Perhaps it will be one of its SUVs, like the Mountaineer. That seems like a bit of a waste to us. Read "Big Three Going With Luxury Alcantara Fabric in 2007" @ Kicking Tires

I hate this condition but I run into it a lot, juggling a full time job and taking 2 tough classes at night. Usually, one of the two parts of my life slides a little bit and then I play catch up. I can pull a "marathon" and get it done, usually with decent results. The problem is that I almost always get sick right after making a big deadline or the end of the semester as all of the pressure lifts all at once.

Gives new meaning to the moniker "Hot Rod Lincoln"

I went to look at cars today and I checked out the S10. Turns out it has a 350 V8, Edelbrock parts, 1997 Sonoma rims, updated gauges and it is a 93. It is $2800 and has fair bit of rust. it look to bit going to start rusting around the rear wheel well as I have seen that on many older S10s. The $2800 is pretty much paying for the engine and tranny and rims. The car needs new paint and is a little bit rusty on the rockers and frame. WOuld this be a good deal or would I negotiate lower. It needs paint pretty badly as it is actually purple. I like that it has the 350 though because I really wanted to put one in an S10. What do think and can the rust be fixed? I really like i…

Sorry to say that I will not be visiting the site for about a week. Tomorrow night we're flying to Orlando for a 5-day vacation to DisneyWorld. Pray that the rain predicted for the East Coast doesn't ruin my 1 year-old's first trip to Disney I'll be thinking of the site while I'm gone - wondering what I'm missing. But on the flip side I will be going on the GM Test Track ride as much as possible ( )and will probably spend quite a bit of money in its gift shop before I leave. Can't wait to see what GM has on display there (I'm praying the new 2007 Sierra is there). Take care folks and see you in about a week!

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.

Well guys. I got bored this weekend and created a couple of pieces of artwork; all digital of course. I have a contemporary style and prefer clean lines. But first I had to create my signature to apply to all my pieces. The only real difference in the artwork is the colors. My Art Signature: http://lakefiredesigns.com/images/ericsignature.pdf My Digital Paintings: http://lakefiredesigns.com/images/stripes1...06_version2.pdf http://lakefiredesigns.com/images/stripes10-15-06.pdf Let me know what your thoughts are.

Is coming to Kettering University tomorrow for some type of speech/presentation and he's bringing some cars with him too. Nobody knows which cars yet, but I'm going to guess the Z06 will be one. Who knows. Should be cool though and I'll let you know what happens. Brett, you going?

Happy Birthday YJ!!! You have the same birthday as my sis so it should be easy to remember. Here is a nice B-body wagon for you to look at since you like the Impalas.

Just watch and especially listen... 1995 Olds Cutlass Ciera Ad

Remember this thread? Something's wrong with my car, and I'm told it may be related to my accident. I went on a trip this weekend to visit family. My driveway's on about a 10-15º incline, and when I sat down, my seat broke - the seat and and the seat back tilted backwards about 30º - as if it were hinged only at the back. When I got to my in-laws, I got a good look, and what happened is this: There's a metal bar that's used to raise and lower the front of the seat via a screw-type mechanism that rotates the bar like an axle. An arm attached to the bar raises and lowers the seat as the bar twists. the female part of this screw-lift equasion had snapped clean off of …

One of my pups just had an encounter with a skunk, and boy, does he stink! Any ideas about how to get him de-skunked?

Or more accurately clikable thumbnails. How do I make them ? Im dumb........know nothing. I see Camino always uses them. I wanted to post up some auto show pictures I have for starters but dont want to do full size photos for space purposes. I have 35 mm that I will have to scan and send to photobucket first. Then what ?

I'd like to ask you guys if you know of a way we can can get a straight deal from a dealership for our next visit. Is there a way we can get what we want from the start of the deal? Is there any kind of research we can do? If you have a tip, post it here. Thanks guys.

Happy birthday to WMJ, my perverted friend (just kidding) up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes...sheez, you gotta find SOME way to keep warm. Too bad your name is not Nick or you would be "Nick the Greek, the tittie freak." ENJOY!!!

Here are some Pics of the truck and trailer that I am driving around. This truck is a DCX fleet vehicle. It has the 6 speed stick in it and its a 4X4 Laramie trim. It has some added goodies like an air suspension in the back and a 100 gallon fuel tank. The Jeeps I will have Pics of tomorrow hopefully.... you are not going to believe what we are doing with one of them!!!

Just returned from a few days at Universal Studios Orlando (stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel) and we spent three nights at the annual Halloween Horror Nights. My wife and I are big horror fans and of Halloween. Here's some choice pics from the trip: When you first walk in, there is the "Horror Comes Home" street that walks you to "The Arrival" stage. Along this street is a bunch of strange characters: Here's me and an evil woman on stilts: My wife with this creepy stilt guy: This guy creeped me out the most, especially in the dark: And yes, that is a plastic chest-plate: Then there is a little show called "The Arrival" where the Devil takes the ashes of HHN …

Don't touch that! Stay away from there! Leave the dog alone! You hafta go potty? Again? :AH-HA_wink:

I'm not sure, maybe I'm just mentally ill or something. In the past two days, I've been going around, pissing people off and doing some really obnoxious things. First I threw the recycling bins at the front porch where my housemates enter, seeing the bins sitting around after I took them after the garbage day. Then at work, I seemed to have made the already not so pleasant relation with my co-worker co-ops worse. Today one of my coworkers made a stupid comment on how the Camry was a sports car, I literally yelled at him. He was like astonished. Then I started making some stupid comments about my other co-worker, somehow to just for the heck of getting her irritated. Th…

I'm running Windows XP, and use Apple Itunes as my default media player. Unfortunately, when importing music, I chose the MPEG-4 format as my default setting...The thing is, the MPEG-4 format isn't compatible with any other media player...Anyone have any ideas on how to covert my music files, currently in the MPEG-4 format, to industry standard WAV, or MP3, format?

After a great day at work today, I was on my way home, heading west in the center lane of IL RT 58 in Schaumburg (traveling about 20 miles per hour … luckily), when a car streaked across the roadway from the right lane to the left lane in front of me … no warnings, no signals, nothing. I was too shocked at what the driver did to react (i.e. honk horn). However, the driver of the car to my left blared his horn. The driver of the offending car apparently thought I had honked my horn and dived back into the center lane in front of me, sped up slightly, and then slammed on his brakes. I saw the rear end of the car shoot upwards and I quickly hit my brakes, skidding to alm…

They say flexibility is good. And, you know, they’re right. Sometimes, changing plans and “going with the flow” can be just as rewarding (if not more so) as carrying out the plans you’ve made…. At least, that’s what I’m counting on right now…. Since the COBRA issue (through my former employer) had not been resolved and the rental company, despite having the reservations for a couple weeks, ended up having only a Chevrolet Suburban (among a couple other cars I wasn’t interested in driving for just over a week) for me, I changed the dates of my road trip. Not too big of a deal … and, it may turn out better than I expected. Course, since our internet went down Tuesday …

We'll my "youngster" is graduating this year. She has been the kryptonite in my pocket. Through her I got the chance to relive my adventurous youth from time to time. Now its time for us to put together a colage of photos and a message. Well, Im not going to write all the usual "were proud of you, you can do anything you put your mind too, you are the rythmn of our hearts".....ect..ect..ect..ect.. No! not me, I have to give something more, something from within, something with thought and deep internal meaning within the family. I have writtin' some great stuff in the past, for songs, but I seemed so hard pressed to come up with anything for this, my daughter and it rea…

My parents really want our old car back so they heard about the whole history report thing so they want to track down the vehicle. They really want it back for a vehicle for me and we believe it is one from the good batch. It is our beloved 1989 Chrysler Dynasty LE. I want to see possibly where it went and track it down if possible. We got rid of it in 2002 with just over 120k on it I believe. It had no body rust even and ran great. It had a V6 and blue cloth interior with bench seat. It was dark blue on the outside. This car has great sentimental value and we realize now we should've kept it. I am just afraid to find it salvaged or something. I would really appreciate it…

As of today's snowsqualls we have snow. It isnt too much but it all came down in 20 mins. We have about 2 cms or more. Toronto isnt supposed to get snow but Orangeville is an hour and a bit north of the city. Here are some pics of my street and backyard. BTW the patterns in the backyard pics is the screen door. Snow would've come in if it was opened. It was squalling at the time but it doesnt really show up on camera.

Here are some pics from my trip to Montreal last week. Auto design studios at Universitie de Montreal

I ask because I saw yet another one today - white, with chrome wheels - just cruising down to the beach. I pass it and just observe it as I do and I could shake the feeling I had that this was likely the single ugliest automobile I have ever seen on the road. Seriously. The rear is too tapered and contorted. The car is too tall and way too narrow for being so tall. And the headlamps are so small they look just plain stupid. I would say this looks like one of those cheesy Zimmer kitcars but some Zimmers look damn nice. Is something wrong with me? Shouldn't I be appreciating this rolling hunk of what's left of stout British pride? I like pretty much every other Roll…

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/11/plane.crash/index.html how in the hell? reminds us that real human beings have to battle these fires in conditions few would dare set foot near. my heart(i think i still have one) stopped for almost a whole minute before it settled in this might really only be an accident. somehow, im still waiting for the other foot to drop.

Happy birthday, folks! Oldsguy was just giving NOS some college pointers Now, business WSU...does that mean Washington State Univ. in Pullman WA? Enjoy.

I don't often start topics, let alone two in one day, but this one deserves mention because it involves... A Vehicle Alcohol Stupidity and... Death... http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...National/Music/ I've heard of Ghost Riding, but never actually knew what it was, until I saw this deal on the news. There's a butt-load of videos on YouTube that show stupid assholes getting out of their cars and dancing on beside the vehicle, or on the vehicle's hood or roof...

So - I was biking a rather tough trail and decided to try this rocky downhill. The first rock took me off guard, and off the seat. Rather amusing things resulted. I was laughing even, despite the pain. The pain was just temporary and I'm OK. I made this awesome (heh) Paint diagram to share it with all of you.

Greenpeace Commercial This is what Greenpeace would like the world to be if it had its way... I thought they were about saving the environment and happiness... not being a bunch of d*cks...

Ten Dimensions

Oh yeah! My boyfriend and I are expecting our first and we just found out yesterday that it's a boy! Daddy ran track in college and was all state in wrestling and football back in high school so we're expecting the next Michael Vick

I have a habit of backing my car into parking spaces. I'd say 85% of the time my car is backed into a space...about the only time it isn't is when I'm in a lot where it's busy or I'm in a hurry. My dad does it all the time and it's rubbed off on me. So, do you pull forward into a parking spot and then have to back out when you leave, or do you back in first so that when it's time to go, you're all set?

The following was taken from a banner at a website. It clearly shows that the Cobain-Suicide humor has either reached a twisted zenith or an all-time high. Possibly both.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991-Aston-...1QQcmdZViewItem Looks pretty cool to me, I am not up on older foriegn cars but this I could easily roll. Anyone else getting that Buick vibe from it?

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.

Pay attention to your studies, young man; however, I'm sure some of us would like to know how your college experience is treating you thus far. So chime in when you can, "college boy." That's UNIVERSITY to the Canadians on the board... Yeah, yeah, I know you know. Sidebar: I worked with a jerk who said that I would like working with a particular person at a client company because "he's college, like you" (meaning me, in this case). The guy who said it was a moron.

Germans to Join Together with Bluetec Here's where strength in numbers comes to the fore. Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have joined forces and will begin equipping all their U.S.-slated diesel offerings with the Bluetec system. In doing so, they will set a standard for diesel offerings in the States, have a common, marketable brand and will have massive purchasing power over Bosch who creates most of the components necessary. Audi and VW have already signed on to the deal, with BMW's CEO, Norbert Reithofer and our favorite mustached-marketer, Dr. Z of DaimlerChrysler, expected to work the details out this week. A formal announcement of the automaker's intent…

Ramp Chevrolet in Port Jefferson, NY had its biggest (and probably last) car show of the year today. Corvettes and Camaros of all ages were the main attraction, with the show being sponsored by Long Island-based Camaro and Corvette owner's clubs. The perfect weather and the fact that Ramp is about 5 miles from my house made this an opportunity for a nice midday bike trip. I tie the bike to a telephone pole and walk into the north end of the lot, where all the Camaros are. Right where I park the bike is a gorgeous sunset orange Z28 - for sale no less: I then head on over to the north lot, where most of the Camaros are. First stop: the first gens.

I think it's a platypus, that funny little living fossil:

- Finding out that the bodyshop that was supposed to paint your truck has gone out of business. -Having to have said truck towed home on short notice before the shop's landlord has it removed. -Seeing all the damage done to the truck from sitting outside so long. -Finding out that some of your new parts are missing along with all of the hardware to re-assemble the truck. - Not being able to get the shop owner on the phone. I don't need this crap right now!

Well, this was a total waste of neurons.

Probably nothing to fuss about... http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_...ersandgears.com Or does it just means they are more resourceful on the element "trolls"?

I have Windows XP. If the mouse doesn't move for a while, my computer goes to "notepad", mspaint", "calculator" and other places, by itself, then it clicks back to the screen I was viewing. What do I go into to stop that nonsense? Is that some sort of "demo" I can get rid of? Also, I have some movies on VHS that I don't want to throw away. Is there a machine that will record my VHS tapes onto DVD directly? I don't want to buy the machine, I just want to maybe rent it or take them somewhere and have them converted. Thanks for any help.

I know I'm going to get bashed for this, but I am GM to the core except for one thing.... XM sucks and Sirius is the best. Anybody else here listen to Howard Stern or Bubba the Love Sponge? I hear now that you can get a new "brain" for your car to switch the radio from XM to Sirius.

I got back from Montreal Tuesday afternoon after our flight was cancelled Monday evening due to hail in Chicago. It was a good time over there...I did a lot of walking and sightseeing. Anyway, here are some interesting observations I had while I was over there. Everybody dresses up all the time. Doesn't matter if it's Monday morning, Saturday night, or Sunday afternoon...they're always dressed to go out on the town. I have never seen a place where strip clubs are right next to shoe stores and family eateries. Rue St-Catherine and Boulevard St-Laurient had little strip clubs and sex shops nestleld in among all the "family-friendly" businesses. People don't have m…

Calling all talented people: I need a new signature for another forum I joined today. It's the Tucker Club of America and I'd like this picture used in the signature: http://www.tuckerclub.org/car_gallery/1006_2.jpg Anyone interested in submitting a design? Many, many, many thanks in advance!