trinacriabob

A white 2006 or 2007 Monte Carlo in the next lane and behind me (per the rear view mirror). It really caught my eye because the rally wheels had gone into that "illusionary slower spin" mode. It looks great in white.

Mid-size coupe (and sport sedan) person all the way ... how long have I been posting here now? ... how time flies... Answer to thread: Minivans - of the GM variety - I like the Terraza and liked the Silhouette. I like them because one gets the ride of a car, decent gas mileage and a place to sleep or, with the seats taken out, an incredible amount of room to carry things. I am not crazy about the less than optimal reliability ratings and that these are intended to cart around soccer brats. Incidentally, today I saw a white Monte Carlo with the 2006-07 snout and I was experiencing some cognitive dissonance.

There is definitely a way to pull off upscale luxury touring sedan/coupe seating in cloth. And make it look New Millenium and not 80s. I am sure the seating design experts could work up something and make it durable, well-crafted, comfortable and not detrimental to the image. However, I don't see it happening, because of the expectation that all cars over $35,000 feature leather seating. At my price point, I get cloth anyway, but if I got a chunk of change, I wouldn't mind having one of the more subtly styled Cadillacs, and not have to put on the sheepskin covers during the summer. A DTS in ice blue metallic, with alloys, and a dark blue cloth interior wouldn't be bad. I hear they get about 25 mpg on the highway, which is pretty damn good.

I was also thinking about the furniture analogy and think that there a lot of people who choose cloth over leather, and who could realistically afford either. However, I think there are also a lot of people who think the "living room on wheels" (what my Dad called the higher-end BOP cars, and he meant that in a good way) concept went away in the 80s and should never come back.

Wow, when I started this thread, I thought I would be the lone wolf. Conditioned is the work I was looking for. I started the thread because seeing that DTS made me think of periodic sightings of late 1980s Coupes and Sedan De Villes, in perfect condition, that have the dark brown, dark blue or burgundy cloth interiors with the Cadillac crest in the upper cushion and the wide-ribbed horizontally banded velour in the lumbar area. It's well done. I also say this because my 84 Cutlass Supreme Brougham (loose cushion velour interior) coupe was far and away the most comfortable road-trip car of any car me or my family has ever owned. I could drive from Northern Cal to the PNW and take it all in stride 10 hours later. @ oldsmoboi - right, I remember noticing that on some mid-level BMWs while over there @ samadei - I remember that "shorts during the summer" problem in my Dad's Pontiac (vinyl seats) when I was a kid in L.A. - in the coastal basin, it might be a little uncomfortable....cross the pass into the San Fernando Valley and leave the car in the 100 degree sun for a couple of hours and I didn't want to even deal with the cool-down period (OUCH)...plus, I don't like the fine hairline cracks that eventually develop in the seats.

Today, a 1977 Mercury Cougar in tri-cream, with the padded landau roof, in MINT condition while I was parking at the post office. I nodded to the person who also got out of the car and he proceeded to tell me that he inherited it from his mom, that it had the 400 V8 and not the 351 V8, and that it ONLY had 73,000 miles! He said it's a hobby car and that it's not his daily driver. I had forgotten how long the hood is on FoMoCo personal luxury coupes of those years. Yikes.

Today I saw the most current version of the DTS driving alongside me on a major boulevard. I was thinking about how this car had "cleaned up nicely" and that there is nothing too overstyled about the Cadillac brand anymore (though I don't like the new heavy "eggcrate" CTS grille). At any rate, since it tends to be hot in inland Northern California, I remembered how Cadillac typically offered a cloth interior on the DeVille series. It was nicely detailed and very comfortable. Because of the heat, I will always own a car with a cloth interior. I was thinking that, on one model, possibly the DTS in Trim Level 1 form, a cloth interior should be offered in a couple of generic colors ... and that it could be a credit option. Now, I know that some of you may think this could be something that would make the import brands (and even Lincoln) double over laughing...and probably so. What's your opinion?

I was sort of thinking the same thing. That's funny.

Considering I have a (Catholic) high school diploma, I'm still Catholic.

Yesterday...unbelievable and very funny... ...a 1970-ish Dodge Dart coupe, in baby blue, with white upper paint (not even a vinyl top) in MINT condition...I was waiting to see who was driving the car and it was a 20-something (very)red-haired chick who worked as a checker or grocery clerk at the very Safeway I was going into for a deli sandwich.

Come to think of it, they've (2010)all been silver. I'm having a tough time digesting this new car.

I'm not knowledgeable in that area. However, along the lines of a trivia thread, what is the acronym to remember the Great Lakes? Answer: H.O.M.E.S. Huron Ontario Michigan Erie Superior Moving right along...

When I go on vacation over Memorial Day, I will remember to take a picture of a Bob's Big Boy

This is crazy BUT...a white Buick Terraza. A few things: (1) they are fairly rare, it seems, (2) if I had to buy this genre, it would be this (since the Silhouette is gone), and (3) I was looking at the grille...and the blacked-out treatment, contrasting the white paint, looked great. I wish they had used this treatment for the LaCrosse instead of the bright chrome featured in the grille.

Moltie, have you ever gone for their free breakfast? That coupon shows up every other month or so, with an asterisk saying "except Houston" or some other city. At any rate, I went once. The line was absurd, but I endured it. Then I figured out that the cost of gas to get there did not offset the "savings" in the free breakfast, but at least I experienced it. The only thing I've bought at IKEA were some cost-efficient fluorescent bulbs. I hate the sterility of the place and their merchandise.

Unbelievable. The 1981-1986 Grand Prix was beautiful, and got increasingly better through this span of years, ultimately adding the 4.3 TBI Vortec V6 (though the 4.3 Pontiac 265 c.i. V8 was a nice little engine as well). I always thought there was a big gap between the Cutlass and the Grand Prix, but in these years, the Grand Prix was catching up (but didn't completely catch up, IMHO). Of these models (1981-1987ish), my ranking would be: Cutlass, Grand Prix, Regal, Monte Carlo. But, back to the GP: the rear lights with the taper out where it met the bumper were great, the fender sculpting was not too much/not too skimpy, the grille was clean (w/ or w/o hood ornament), the dash was really interesting when the circles had actual gauges, and the interior finishes, especially in the Brougham or LJ, were plush and comfortable. I've driven one or two and, true to Pontiac form, it handled a little better than the others, with the Regal having the vaguest handling of the quartet during this period. I liked this car as well, though I wound up "inheriting" a 1984 Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe in the mid-90s. I will always miss this GM vehicle platform.

This will be a short work week, as I am taking Friday off to make it a 3-day Easter weekend and flying out of town. Friday will mean some good fish for lunch and dinner (maybe salmon and halibut) and Easter Sunday ought to bring a good brunch buffet. Today is Passover. I asked one of my co-workers if he was celebrating the Seder meal, but he told me he was not observant. I would like to get invited to one someday to experience it. Are you doing anything to celebrate this week's religious holidays? Resting? Traveling somewhere?

I like that commercial for the 1975! I only wish that the vinyl top was silver instead of black. The tri-silver on 70s GM cars, possibly with a red or white pinstripe, looked great. BTW, that was the L.A. Coliseum in the background. I grew up within 10 miles of that place.

I, too, will relentlessly defend the W-body. What great cars ... though some more than others. Obviously, I'm partial to the Buick versions of this platform, but others were also great. I, too, found the 2006-2007 MCs (in rental experiences) to drive nicely enough, have sufficient power, and get great gas mileage (I hit 33 mpg (!) in a 3.5 V6 between Portland and Tacoma). Still, I'm waiting to see what this next "tune up" holds for the Malibu. I accept that the W-body is gone, just like the rear-wheel drive GM mid-sizes were eventually phased out. They all had their place in the sun, and we await the next great GM platform.

Ninety-Eight, for you, I would have guessed an Oldsmobile...but is there one that made you drool more than the others?

This one is easy for me ... and it should be no surprise. The 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupe...preferably in Brougham (loose cushion seating) or Salon (tall reclining buckets) trim. I'm still confining myself to one car for my answer if I say that the 1975 version was also a very attractive car, but the 1976 was a leap forward with the absence of fender sculpting and rectangular headlamps. Wow. 1976 - one of the better poses for this car, and everyone fell in love (credit to Classic Oldsmobile.com) 1975 - my favorite color at top of photo, but it needed a white vinyl top; nice tan swivel-out buckets at bottom LH suited to the rust exterior (credit to Mclellan's automotive) Your turn...

If it sounds like a lawn mower or a sewing machine, then I don't really like it. Electric engines sound like golf or maintenance carts, so they might take some getting used to. I've heard that the quietness of an electric engine poses a danger in and of itself. I've grown accustomed to the sound of the Buick (and other GM)V6s over the years and I now like it. However, for me, the most beautiful engine note is that of a small block Olds V8 when it is newer...and the exhaust system is in perfect condition. Nothing sounds as confident and as balanced.

It hit 81 yesterday and was fairly nice. Today is kind of breezy and rain is expected. I walked over to a Subway for lunch and it was fairly cold already. Looking forward to summer and shorts weather...and Europe!

I plan on keeping my newer car for a long time...and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I am one of the few who does not like the new LaCrosse at all. I sat in one at a dealership in Chico about a month ago. Sure, the interior ergonomics are very advanced, but visibility is poor and it is too expensive. The Regal makes more sense, but it looks like an American Passat. If I had to buy in the near-term future, I would wait for the new Malibu and get the base, or LT, model with a 4-cylinder. (I onced rented an 09 Malibu 4 and it was great...I wrote a review). If it turned out I didn't like that car once released, I would buy a base Milan 4-cylinder. There aren't many cars out there that turn my crank right now. In fact, the more I see the current inventory, the happier I am with my decision to purchase the '08 LaCrosse.

I'm not buying in the near-term future but, after yesterday, I share your opinion that the GM 4-cylinders are probably better than their Ford counterparts. There's a huge difference in revving a Milan when sitting inside as opposed to revving a Malibu, which remains fairly quiet. However, I do agree with the post that the Fusion/Milan...right now...has the more pleasing shape/silhouette. That may change.