trinacriabob

I'm trying not to think of Mazda 3s. The other thing is how many cars now no longer feature an inside fuel cap release. I prefer some type of security. I recall that the current Focus is this way. Just push. I also believe the current Cruze and Malibu are this way. Give me an inside release lever. I also like the fuel filler on the driver's side of the car.

Thank you! I had been wondering when the next gen would be released and what it would look like. Pretty good. They just need to make damn sure that the ones they deliver with automatic transmissions either have their dual clutch technology worked out or that they revert to a more conventional type of transmission that won't get them the evil eye from so many consumer write-ups seen on the web. I was more open to CVT but have sort of returned to liking step geared automatic transmissions. I don't like any of the hatches, so I was checking out the sedan. It has nice lines. The front looks familiar. The rear lamps are tiny, almost too much so. As for the side profile, it resembles something GM-ish, but I can't put my finger on what. They are really zeroing in on taking on the Cruze, I'm betting. The Cruze outclassed the Focus with its last refresh. I'd sure like to know what the interior and the dash layout and features look like. Again, I think the thin rear lamps are too small for the available surface area. I'm betting it's going to make for a much better driving experience than the current one. The 2.0 L continues.

In general, I cannot believe how many Aleros I see ... and in good condition. With their ceasing production in '04, this means they are all between 14 and 18 years old and still run well. I always thought they would be a "throw away" car. Evidently, that 2.4L has been dependable. I've only driven one once. From Spokane WA to Calgary and back, passing the Continental Divide en route. I liked it but I didn't love it. I believe I had a coupe. Alero coupes were actually sort of cool and nice looking.

That console is insane ... insanely wide. I'm wondering if we're coming back to black, tan, gray, blue, and maroon interior choices. One thing that was time stamped was the offering of pale, apple green interiors, usually in cloth. I remember this with GM. If the car was a dark metallic forest green, then the pale green vinyl top and pale green interior worked. It wouldn't have been my top choice, but it wasn't bad. As for new ways to operate automatic transmissions, I'd have to say I prefer the rotating dial on the console to buttons, switches, or toggles on the actual dash. The rotating dial is super easy to use but it can be overzealous and easy to pass up your destination ... say you're aiming for R and you find yourself in N.

O.k., I'm almost certain I knew of this trans. on someone's prized '64 Plymouth Barracuda that he was very attached to. These family friends had moved to California from the tri-state area (N.Y.C.). My mind drifted over to the then new and revolutionary Buick Riviera and how nicely the dash, console, and area between the rear seats was configured. People seem to respond to good design. They may not know how to articulate the specifics of what they like, but they know when something's a good thing. There are exceptions to this now and then.

I'm thinking push button automatic transmission ... on the dash, to the right of the main IP. I don't think those had any safety features or fail safes that would prevent some kid in the front seat from pushing the N, or worse yet the R, when the driver had D selected!

I hadn't heard about that. What I did hear is about some guy who wants to build a replica of it, albeit new, and have it be a major cruise ship. Since I don't like many of the retro rehashes in cars (Camaros, Challengers), I don't think I'd like the idea of a resuscitated Titanic (Titanic II, IIRC). Let the original one be where it is. It was a morbid enough situation. Speaking of this, the bizarre situation and the advances in what engineers can calculate is the righting of the Costa Concordia so that it could be moved. That said, I haven't looked up any news clips to see what has been happening with Schettino. But, as it is, I have trouble stomaching the loss of the longer bows so they can move the forecastle all the way up front ... and chop off the decks at the rear of the ship so they can load them up with cabins. It's all about the sharp pencil.

Practically every video or journalistic piece on the Doria focuses on the disaster. To date, this is the only one I am aware of that doesn't touch on that at all. (I believe this dated music came from Fellini's film "La Dolce Vita.") I know that the Italians were probably among the first to really taper the bows of their ocean liners, with other nations following suit in short order.

A friend of mine told me that the Andrea Doria is considered "the Mt. Everest of dives." When I first heard that, I thought, "What? It's at about 220 to 240 feet below the ocean's surface." Then, when you realize that most people who have this hobby or profession don't go to those depths, you realize how perilous it is. I have heard that the wreck has been falling apart at an accelerating pace. I think I saw some footage of one of those little James Bond type submarines hovering over it, and the ship's condition looked pretty bad. One doesn't even want to think about how that whole situation would have played out if the Ile de France had not turned back upon hearing the distress call, as if it wasn't already a horrendous situation. I don't know if fewer people are attempting to dive to check out the Andrea Doria given that it is now known that the wreck is in far worse condition.

Something tells me that it was. But then, it was super quiet inside, especially at highway cruise. I don't remember if the gas door said "gasoleo" (diesel) or not (I could hunt for more photos). I will add that the 6 speed transmission was silky smooth. Never have I driven anything that American (or Germanic) in Italy. It was small enough to scoot around their archaic roads and squeeze through old towns. I even had to stop for sheep that had decided to take ownership of a country road.

During a recent oil change, I was able to see the new Regal. There were quite a few of them on the lot. And there were a fair number of 2017s, too. I like the new front grille tying it to the flagship LaCrosse. It's old school and modern at the same time, so it's clever. It is flanked by 2017 Regals at the side and at the back. As for the short rear deck lid .... no ... not for me ...

Those are nifty prices. The 2017 Regals should be flying off the lots, even at around $20K. They are nice cars. I am wondering if there is some fine print that's not evident. I've actually driven one and not even known it. It was an Opel Insignia, and across the pond. The photos aren't great because they are just the walk around photos I tend to take at the beginning and end of a rental. They had run out of Smarts and small Fiats with automatics, so I got upgraded to this. Never have I been upgraded this far up the food chain when in Europe. The character line is the same as that of the small(er) Buick here. The dash is much the same and so is the nice but boilerplate GM steering wheel layout. This one is not very clear but you can see the center stack. Even though I like the center stack on the Verano a lot, I like this one (without the faux wood applique) better. This was a nice way to motor around the countryside of the boot country for 3 days at an econobox price.

This afternoon, I saw a white mid-70s Ford Granada sedan. It was in good condition, or maybe very good condition because it's a 40 year old car, but not excellent condition. It had hubcaps. It was going the other way on a divided road. With what where probably 14" wheels, it looked like a dog that some jerk had kicked in the rump and was running away from you as I got a look at its boxy and squatted rear affect from my driver's side mirror. And then I thought about the Mercury Monarch and the Lincoln Versailles ... essentially a pimped up Granada that FoMoCo quickly cooked up to compete with the successful Seville. And, I am almost certain that these cars started out with L6s ... 250 c.i., 200 c.i. ? Don't know.

What a hoot! That furniture and the picture hanging on the wall are fairly time stamped. Surely there was an oil lamp somewhere in the house, no? Were these photos all taken in the PacNW?

I remember that the venerable bicentennial Olds Cutlass Supreme, of which over 500,000 were sold, came on a 112" wheelbase if a coupe and a 116" wheelbase if a sedan or wagon. When Pontiac last ran both a Grand Prix sedan and coupe (in 2002, I believe), the wheelbases and lengths were unchanged for the 2 configurations. That said, Electras could be either an exercise in Buick as a boulevardier or in Buick as bling.

I think Buick made a concerted effort to rid themselves of that name and the associated slang. By the mid-70s, Electras had turned into mostly Limiteds, with the top of the line having the branding "Park Avenue" appended to it. Here's a "Park" of 1976 vintage: Buick Electra Park Avenue (interior) Amazing, on various levels.

Every once in a while, I go onto eBay or craigslist and look for these Caprices ... in base form and with the 4.3 liter V8. If you think they come by cheaply, they don't. Far from it. What you'll see is one that is in dire straits and on its last legs sitting in a corn field in a small town in southern Illinois where there are fewer teeth in the town than there are cubic inches in the engine, and they're asking $795 or less, and it has been sitting there for a long time, looking like the Andrea Doria accumulating plankton. Then, you'll see one in immaculate condition with 60,000 miles and they want anywhere from $5,500 to $7,000. Within the past 4 months, I was at a light next to one. I rolled down the window and so did the passenger. It was burgundy, had whitewalls, factory spoke wheels, and a burgundy leather interior. The husband beamed that it had less than 45,000 miles. I asked which engine it had. The wife, the passenger, looked at her husband and he said it had a V8. I knew that. The light changed, so I couldn't ask more questions nor ask if he'd sell it. I'm betting it had the 5.7 liter V8.

I think that sounds about right, given that my current car is about 198 inches long. However, what I learned in a basic college sociology course, IIRC, is that primarily one demographic group used that term. And, when I've heard it said, it has been said with gusto!

To me, Riv, Park, Stang, and Toro are just abbreviations. "Deuce and a quarter" is what I call one fine automotive nickname! Some of you may not know what it stands for nor its etymology.

Sorry to hear that news. I was not aware he was ill. It's weird how these situations can change. My mom did fine through her birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. She had blood work in mid-December that was normal (her creatinine was normal). She felt terrible in mid-January and the doctor said to take her to E.R. because something was up that she couldn't diagnose there. Her E.R. blood work was NOT normal. Her creatinine had gone up 9-fold. It was a trek from E.R. to ICU to med floor to hospice ... all in 3 weeks. You would have never known from her birthday party photos 3 months prior. It appeared she was going the Betty White route. And you know there has to be one jerk, a fat lifer lady from her parish, who had to opine that her not going onto dialysis was not the "right" thing to do. What ... for an extra month or two of misery?

After a while, past Super Bowls tend to run together. However, I will have to say that I enjoyed the big spread in the score that Seattle enjoyed throughout the game in one Super Bowl within the last 3 to 5 years. When it's a team's first time to win and it's a team you like, you don't mind the big spread. Also, looking at the list on winners on Wiki, I was really glad when New Orleans won it within 5 years of Hurricane Katrina. They needed that! And they earned it, too.

Ok. so I'll try this approach the next time and then might return to "drop pan, drain, change filter, and refill" as the car gets older. I think I'll try this. It's been an available service for a long time. Thanks.

I wanted to randomly add that I'm glad that the Philadelphia Eagles took the Super Bowl. New England has won it too often lately, with last year's game being absurd. I left the place I was chowing down that evening and watching the game ... and learned that New England had turned it around on Atlanta (it would have been their first win) at the very end as I was looking at my phone while going through the checkout stand. Philadelphia has gone a time or two over the years, but has never won. Now they have. I am not a huge fan of sitting around an entire sports season and spending three and a half hour clips of time to watch all the games. However, I manage to get somewhat interested toward the end. I tend to root for the underdog, unless it's a place and/or a team I very much dislike.

Seems like a hybrid job (flush and drain/fill). They sound like one of those stalwart shops. So, then, I guess you've had these flushes which also involved a machine and you've motored along some 20,000 or 30,000 miles after the fact without any hassles !? That's great.