Croc

Yup. Indianapolis. It's only overt there, which is pretty ironic. I've had overly-attentive waiters in LA, and once a female friend clued me in that some dude "just totally checked you out" while we were talking outside, but I didn't notice it. I really think it's because, being in LA for so long and being more at home out here than Indy, I tend to stand out a bit more when I'm back in the midwest, due to my new accent, the more West Coast influence/evolution of my personal style, and probably just the more aloof/less "friendly" demeanor I know I've acquired...oh, and my nice sunglasses that didn't just come out of CVS for $2.99. Honestly, my freshman year of college, I remember thinking that everyone was gay in LA just because of how much better-put-together every single person is compared to the midwest. The vast majority of people are in decent shape, but even if they aren't, they dress appropriately and generally well. Now that I've been in LA, I wouldn't be surprised if some people back home "pinged" a false positive.

I really like what I see of the shape.

Oh yeah, I am/was pissed. But my bros really started running at the mouth when I discovered it, and I wish they'd taken my cue of keeping my voice low, reporting EVERYTHING to the DPS officer, and not making a big scene. The people I suspect I am sure know I'm onto them already, which is unfortunate. But I doubt they know the extent to which I'm onto them, which is cool by me.

"Simply switching from steak to salad"? Uh huh, thanks for the advertisement, PeTA!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! This is really helping me track this guy down. Unfortunately, I'm essentially doing it on my own as the police are not going to focus on this in LA--there really are more important things to do. Plus, I kinda like playing detective here.

Hi, Sixty8, no need to be snide. Seeing as it's an incomplete logo, I clearly said I wasn't 100% sure.

They will either switch franchises or go out of business. Saturn dealerships in the middle of nowhere could start selling SAABs if not other dealership is nearby. Or a niche brand like Pontiac.

Iron Duke

It's a Flickr photostream. Here's the non-slideshow version: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35434280@N07/

2001 Aurora 3.5 This print was from the roof of the car, so I'm guessing he was stepping up to it, and then down onto the rear decklid, so his whole foot wouldn't have come in contact with it anyway. Honestly, I just wanna identify that logo in the middle of the print (best shown in photos 4-6). I feel like if I have that, I could much more easily locate the shoe, and then start profiling accordingly.

Thanks! My preference is to avoid going through insurance altogether (don't want my premium raised). The aluminum hood was brand new after a collision Autumn 2007, but the roof and decklid already were dented from a hail storm and never repaired by the previous owner. But there was a new dent created by the vandal, and scratches/a dent on the rear decklid where a shoe print had been, but then wiped off. The dents are honestly pretty hard to notice--very slight. But this isn't the first act of vandalism against Theta Chi at USC (in fact, the night prior a rock was thrown through one of our windows, narrowly missing several people playing pool, and we pretty much know who did it). This is just MY car getting STEPPED ON. So I will do all I can to screw over the dude who did it. And hey, if I get a completely dent-free roof and decklid (and hood) out of the deal, my car would be in better condition than when I bought it, and it was pretty good! So yeah...The Croc is vindictive and out for blood (figuratively...more like money). Don't mess with The Croc. Plus the DPS officer told me to keep my ears open in case I hear anything because the people I/we suspect are starting to get more than a couple cases against them, and are in jeopardy of getting in trouble with the University.

So I was parked outside of my bros' Theta Chi house @ USC, and in the hour I was there, someone broke off pieces of the address on the front of the house, and afterward walked on my ALUMINUM hood, and my steel roof and rear decklid, causing scratches and dents. A report was filed with USC Dept. of Public Safety (DPS), and in surveying the damage, a shoe print was visible on the roof. I have pictures of it, and it would mean so f@#king much to me if you guys could help me in identifying what kind of show caused this. I have an idea of who may have done this, and this kind of information would be most helpful to DPS in their investigation as well. Here are the pictures, and from the logo seen in the center of the shoe print, it looks like a Quicksilver logo to me--but I'm not 100%. On the plus side, it's definitely a shoe tread, and not a flip flop, so that narrows things down a bit. I would greatly appreciate any and all help anyone can provide since I would love to have my Aurora fixed and the responsible party forced to PAY UP! Here's the link, since I couldn't figure out how to attach the photos directly to the document. Again, any and all help would be appreciated! http://www.flickr.com/photos/35434280@N07/show/

No I've seen this comparison, which is why I said "equivalent competition," and also specified the V6. The 3.5 has many driving advantages over the 4.0, especially when you consider weight balance. The extra weight of the V6 led to the use of a lighter-weight aluminum rear decklid, and a 1gal reduction in the fuel capacity of the fuel tank. As such, the 4.0 has a much more front-heavy design. The 3.5 is much more evenly balanced, and c. 2000 comparison tests often made mention that the 3.5 had better road manners. I also do not think the lineup you mentioned is very good competition for the Aurora, anyway. I would have liked to have seen an ES300, Aurora 3.5, and BMW 5 (which trim, I dunno because I'm not familiar with BMWs).

WOOHOO!!

I haven't been to enough places on my hit list yet, but of the ones I have been to, I still like LA the best. Major props to London, though. If only the weather were better...you just can't beat the people.

Yeah. It should since the thread had the $SOLVED$ tag on it, and several people mentioned success. I also found a Bonneville forum link from there for window regulator repairs that would cost a fraction of the stealership cost with a trusted mechanic/competent DIYer.

Los Angeles hands down. San Diego has slightly better weather, but with the problems in Tijuana, and the lack of such varied entertainment options and access to culture that LA has...plus LA's more "central" location, makes it a winner. I have a soft spot for Houston, but LA still blows it out of the water.

http://aurorah.proboards47.com/index.cgi?b...p;page=1#158413 Good luck!

Look, if it's a flyover state, it's in the midwest. End of story.

Why would anyone call this an MPV? It's a fastback. And it looks sexy as hell.

Hey Sixty8! By acting rudely, I'm going to have to be tacky and quote myself. Did you miss this part of my post? I know this will rock your world, but my 2001 Aurora outhandles and outperforms my family's RWD 1980 Sedan de Ville! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!

I love mine to death, man. This was supposed to be a "beater car" for me in LA my senior year at USC, and I was going to get a brand new car as a graduation present since I maintained my scholarship all four years...but I didn't want to get rid of it. And since my ideal pick would be a CTS coupe (depending on pricing, of course), plus the economy being where it was last May, my father and I agreed to defer the trade-in until I graduated from USC grad school in 2010...but barring some major required financial investment or serious reliability problems arising...I'm thinking of just paying my father the trade-in value at that time and storing it for whenever. It just drives so damn well! I've driven a CTS sedan in LA before, and while it also handled really well--as well as having more features, and of course my favorite GM badge on the hood--the RWD wasn't so much better that I was itching for an upgrade. Plus, Princess Aurora is turning 10 this November, and I'd feel just awful getting rid of her so soon afterward--barring said unforseen repairs or anything. I've always liked the Aurora design, but I have a marked preference for the athletic silhouette of the 2nd-gen, the increased performance, weight reductions, weight balance of the V6 model, fuel economy of the V6, and greater interior room despite reduced exterior proportions compared to the 1st-gen. The other nice aspect of the 2nd-gen I greatly appreciate is the Magnasteer system; it's customizable to three settings: Factory, Heavier, and Lighter. I had mine adjusted to the Heavier setting because I noticed a bit of float and on-center vagueness around 80+mph on the freeway (in LA, this is common), and now it's perfectly to my liking. If you ever have the opportunity to own one, I say go for it. Don't pay more than 8-9k for one, though--not even if it's in near-perfect condition. And make sure the service documentation is all available. Common issues are window regulators failing (never happened to me...due to nylon GM used and the abnormally large window panes in the Aurora/extra weight of glass compared to other GM models), electrical issues (hit or miss...I've never had electrical problems, but some cars have loose connections and seem to be infested with gremlins), a seized, clogged Secondary Air system (emmissions component...flawed design, newer blower motors do not have the same design flaw), and then the one expensive issue, the transmission solenoid sensor. Tranny labor is expensive. This one I had, and it wasn't too big of a deal. I took my time before I had it repaired, and while it wasn't cheap, the deferred maintenance didn't have any adverse impact on the transmission, and I will probably have many years out of the new sensor. Oh, and interior backlighting can go out--GM hadn't used LEDs yet, and the GM repair is a new instrument cluster/radio/climate control unit, but a small bulb you can get at radio shack and some minor soldering skills get the job done much better. With LED technology progressing as quickly as it is, I wouldn't be surprised if it would be possible to retrofit the interior lighting with tiny LEDs with built-in resistors in the next year/year and a half, tops.

I've thought of it, considered it for a few minutes, and ultimately decided that since I rarely pay for my Starbucks due to the amount of gift cards I receive, Duetto Dollars I accumulate monthly, and free/discounted drinks I receive monthly, that no, I'd not see any real significant savings. Factor in the convenience and social factors, and I still come out ahead by spending $2.65 nearly every day, getting loads of caffeine with a huge metabolic boost, and socializing with my friends and favorite female baristas. It's also just under a mile round-trip walking to Starbucks from my apartment, so I get some exercise out of it, too. Back in Indy, occasionally we have our own coffee brewing at home, but I still like to take a short walk and grab a cup at the Starbucks a few blocks away. It's also a great meeting place to see friends I haven't seen in months during vacations and breaks when we only have less than an hour to fit each other into our demanding and busy schedules. Oh, and did I mention the only thing I enjoy more than a Kamel Red cigarette is a Kamel Red cigarette with an iced, unsweetened coffee?

Would have loved to see how the much sportier-handling 2001-2002 V6 would have held up to equivalent competition.

Tell me of another place with as large a menu, equal ubiquity, consistent quality, consistently good customer service, and also honors my Starbucks Duetto Visa card, and then I'll maybe consider it.