trinacriabob

My family lived in a couple of different homes within walking distance of some of those places shown along that freeway route. I believe I see 5 lanes. Now there are 6 or 7. My dad used to complain that there was so much traffic on the 405 at off peak hours ... but it was flowing. Now, with 6 or 7 lanes, it can be gridlocked at random times throughout the day. The 405 is literally the biggest "Memory Lane" in my life. I think I probably drove on it every day from the time I got my license up to my mid-20s when I was in town / at home.

So you lived in the SW part of the city for a little while? I'm wondering if that area is going through any kind of renaissance or is poised to because everything is so expensive. I knew a lady who lived in a condo in Bitter Lake and looking onto Bitter Lake and was impressed that some parts in the NW part of the city are nice. They weren't that popular, as in cool, when I lived there, but they were definitely nice. Regardless, I think the East Side, from Bellevue up to Woodinville, are the nicest parts of that metro area. Mercer Island, a true (surfer's) "footprint," is very nice but has a weird feel.

While I very much miss my first 2 cars - both rear wheel drive Cutlass Supreme coupes (and the head of thick dark brown curly hair I had at that time) - front wheel drive does a better job of getting you home .... even if you have to go slow!

Here's a YouTube of the QM2 navigating some big North Atlantic swells during the winter with ease. The background voices seem to be those of UK and US types. There is probably alcohol involved. They are not too wigged out by the heavy seas outside.

Say a person is interested in regular passenger cars, including sports cars, and NOT crossovers, SUVs, and trucks, what might be on the exhibit floors at the various auto shows this year? I don't think much. What else can you think of besides the mid-engine Corvette?

@dfelt It is, but I wanted to know if a particular cardholder's kitty's performance affected whether they extended "top offs" to them and what the P&L picture for an account looks like along the way that makes it feasible over the "holding period?"

This financial product helped me buy my current car. I loved the "top off," which meant"rounding up." It gave me an extra $700+ when I bought the last car. They recently ran another "top off." QUESTION(S): How is this financial product managed? I know the bookkeeping for each cardholder's account is separate, but are they managed separately like a trust ... or are they pooled? I know they couldn't manage an individual cardholder's account, as in spending time doing that, but maybe they might manage them in tiers (accounts with similar amount in benefits, economic cycles, spending habits, goings-on and trends at GM, etc.) From what I recall, the usual take on credit card purchases is about 3%. If someone doesn't take credit cards, they are either operating on slim margins ... or "never mind." The GM product gives 5% on the first $5,000 spent in an anniversary year cycle, and then goes down to 2%. Someone has to pay for that, especially the front loaded higher earnings. That means that, if you put over $5,000 on it, you get $250 a year in the kitty. You can put all your auto-pays on the card, for one. Given the way financial markets have fared in the last 3 years, their providing and keeping benefits for cardholders seemed entirely feasible. If anyone knows how Capital One might run the GM loyalty credit card program, it would be great if you chimed in.

I am not too interested in Oceania, so Holden never registered all that much. I respect them for putting out the Pontiac G6 and the Chevy SS. If the timing was right and I had the coin, I would have liked one of those cars. I'm sure the Australians are sad to see it close. Agreed. I miss Pontiac the most of the bygone GM divisions. I miss Oldsmobile but always saw some duplication between it and Buick, though they were trying hard to disengage them with the Intrigue and especially the Aurora.

Some cats are okay. If you have a cat that was socialized by being handled and played with by kids, it tends to like people more as it grows. I hate the ones that run away and hide under the bed. We once had a good cat when I was a kid. I much prefer dogs. I don't like those dogs you refer to all that much because they're too big. I like the medium sized "working/herding dogs:" border collies, Australian Shepherds, etc. They are among the smartest breeds. The way they run a study like this is that they have to quantify strata of qualitative factors. Then they do observations. And then they would run the numbers. That's what it sounds like based on statistics courses I took a long time ago. I'm not surprised a dog loves its owner at least 5X as much.

Citroen suspensions seem to be their hallmark. I rented a C3 last summer and couldn't believe how responsive, smooth, and compliant the ride and handling were. It felt like a much larger car. No wonder they're popular over there.

I think they do better with their econoboxes. I think the base Accent is a good little car with a lot of bang for the buck. (I'm repeating myself ... I know.) I am starting to see the 2020 Sonatas on the streets. I can't say I like them. Spy shots and early press release photos showed a nicer grille and a nicer, more rounded silhouette and greenhouse. However, the rear quarter view and the rear treatment of the new Sonata do not look good in real life. I can't pinpoint what may have inspired their rear end styling, but it's derivative. Pass.

Random bit of info, since I like to read articles about pets and owners ... A study determined that, on average, a DOG loves its owner 5 X more so than a CAT. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

I thought I'd pass this along. I learned something and here's the correction. Someone told me SEAT was somehow linked to FIAT. Maybe it once was. However, it is seemingly a part of the VW family of products. One can see this across the bottom of the SEAT web pages. That might explain why the reliability ratings for SEAT are closer to those of VW and far better than those of FIAT. I was recently looking at the website for the SEAT Ibiza sedan. It has a good deal of overlap with the VW Polo sedan. The other thing is that the available automatic gearbox is an odd 7 speed DSG, which is what is offered in the VW Golf and Polo. This really stood out. It's probably the same unit.

This is funny. I think the very southern part of IL has some hills and forests in it, being closer to Arkansas and all. The town of Galena always makes some lists for being a cool place ... hippie dippy shops and restaurants, if that interests someone. I wonder if you're thinking central Illinois ... Champaign, Bloomington-Normal, Danville, Decatur, Springfield, Peoria ... just no. Champaign, IL is one place I am still trying to expunge from my head decades later. And, of course, you can't forget East Saint Louis. I've actually set foot in it since Saint Louis's Metrolink trains cross the bridge into it and you can walk down this massive steel staircase and then a few hundred yards to either a casino or to look back at the Gateway Arch. It feels "somewhat" secure, given that it's not far from this hotel-casino. However, something still doesn't feel just right about it.

Granted, this may not be excitement but I remember what a step forward these were (sort of). After driving in Europe, driving in NYC is a joke but it used to be sort of scary. I was once given a large wallowing sedan as an upgrade and driving it in NYC, where parkways are narrower and ramps are shorter, was unnerving, coming from the West. Then, I was given a base model of one of these as a rental. It was white. Possibly wheel covers. Probably a gray interior. Probably a 2.5 liter 4 Iron Duke. With its small size and rack and pinion steering, I was driving it around Manhattan, the Bronx, northern New Jersey, etc. with some confidence. These were sort of "cute" when they were released on this chassis. They sure were popular. I don't know how well they held up. After 15 years into this gen of Grand Am, I really didn't see any around.

Was "across the pond" on one of those "is that a mistake?" priced tickets because it's low season. However, the weather in the navel of the Mediterranean was in the 60s (F). This music to accompany one of the more famous Fellini movies was probably released in the '60s as well. "La Dolce Vita" Pasta, palm trees, gelato, melodramatic people ...

I saw the movie "Knives Out." It got great reviews. It's in a known genre (whodunit) but it's in a class of its own ... very quirky and different. It deserved the good reviews. If anyone saw the suspense thriller "Body Heat" with Kathleen Turner and William Hurt, you learn how that web all came together in the last 10 or so minutes. With this one, it became somewhat apparent about 65% to 75% of the way into the film. What the additional running time did is iron out the details for more "clarity." Recommended.

I could see that logic. If a person awaits the next model release, the 300 sadly won't be in the fold. They've also dropped any kind of promotion for the car. I wonder if it would fare well with both a refresh and good marketing. They were certainly well liked in their first 3 or 4 years and last 3 or 4 years on the market. I see a lot of 300s around. Some of them are piloted by gang banger types but the newer ones are driven by people who look like they can drive whatever they want and/or spend more money.

I agree. There's a lot of bang for the buck there and, with other American car makers peeling back their passenger cars, that might justify that market niche for them. The article applied to both the Challenger and the Charger. I'll just take a Charger base model with the most economical gasoline powerplant or, if up and running ... and proven, I'll take it with electrification. I have had nothing but positive experiences with the Chargers I've rented. And this is coming from someone who has disliked Chrysler for as long as I can remember.

I saw this article today while checking for spy photos and whatnot about the next Charger / Challenger ... https://www.motor1.com/news/376641/new-dodge-charger-challenger-hint/ - strange odometer reading in photo of 2023, thought to cryptically suggest a further delay in the release - electrification possible/probably - retro styling will still be used for both cars while offering a lot of new and current (for the time of release) features - Challenger has outsold both Mustang and Camaro and the Camaro is slated to go away (?) ... didn't know that ... so delay makes sense I wonder if Dodge can get by a little longer with platforms that are as long in the tooth as the ones they have now, though you can't really knock these platforms.

I wonder which GM trans this is. The label is on the other side. I saw it at a rural repair shop where an acquaintance knows the owner. You wouldn't believe the random sh!t in that place.

I'm going to put up some retro photos, which I have had in disarray. Here's a last-gen ('06 or '07) Monte Carlo I frequently see at a store parking lot. While in fantastic condition, I'm not a fan of red. It's an LT model. I see 1 exhaust pipe, meaning a 3.5 V6. I only bring this up because this engine was EPA rated at something ridiculously high, like 32 mpg, on the open road. However, it wasn't that ridiculous after all. I've rented numerous and they got 32, 33, and even 34 mpg under ideal conditions, which is amazing for a car this heavy and for having 211 HP. I don't know how they pulled that off, and with only 4 speeds in the automatic transmission. You get up to 37 or 38 mpg these days for downsizing all the way to 1.8 liters and 4 cylinders! The only thing wrong with this car, if you can see it, is the two retro blocks of black racing paint on the hood. Nope. Less is more.

You've got a good eye. I vaguely remember the different treatments of the rear. That may be an original color, then. Chevy used Volt and Bolt, so why not? They sell and/or sold, though I don't recall how well. I like it; however, Buick will have to study it carefully with image testing, stats, and that sort of research, which goes without saying. The automobile world can't afford another N - O - - V - A type gaffe.

Retro sighting - getting some disorganization organized ... "Deuce and a quarter," baby! Could be a '77, a '78, or maybe slightly later - don't know if this is an original paint color - incredible condition all the way around. Power most likely supplied by Olds via a 350 V8 or a 403 V8 (I'd take the 350). Just think how good this car would look with normal tires, normal whitewalls, and stock Buick alloys. It would make me want to drive this car daily. Like they say, "those were the days."

I'm agreeing with you. It's a sad sign of the times. Some thin skinned people are looking to pick a fight over a hair and most of these brittle social justice warriors would wimp out in real life if you gave it right back at them. Come to think of it, so do/did I. The front is strong, that flank at the rear pillar-less windows is cool, and the rear lights are minimalist but not wimpy. Did this car's roof line do its own thing or was it shared with any other GMs - Caprice, Catalina, etc.? Wouldn't Delmont be the more austere model as compared to the Delta 88, sort of like how there was a Cadillac Calais a notch below a Coupe de Ville the following decade? This car needs the rally type wheels, and not hubcaps, for it to all work.