trinacriabob

Fusion over Malibu...agreed Taurus over current Impala...without a doubt DTS over MKS...disagree there...the full-size Cadillac's styling is so clean, especially in the quarter views and, in a lighter metallic color like silver or ice blue, is a beautiful car

Ok, Moltie, we are now going to do a plane spotting thread monthly...just kidding! I know there are some airplane aficionados on here... (I, too, have flown on the 777 and was not impressed...actually, it's like an unloved stepchild, with many people resenting the fact that it has replaced the 747 for numerous carriers, such as Alitalia...I actually prefer the largest 767, the stretch 400 series, with individual monitors to a 777, because the 2-3-2 seating config. is very user-friendly)

True. The poll was too global in that regard. I put out the question because I am amazed at how far Ford has come along. Five or more years ago, the words Ford and Chrysler drew a blank stare from me...and that was about it. But then, you're right, when you get into a GM car, it still feels like the GM cars we've come to be loyal to over the years. I did a 600 mile road trip with my (2008) LaCrosse over Labor Day and felt fortunate to be driving a GM car.

bolts

Wow, they're not scheduled for passenger service into Columbus. Do any of the big freight companies operate out of there? (They will typically have some '47s for some critical cargo/freight routes). Yes, indeed, they are so damn photogenic!

goofy (well, some kids can be...)

messy

bloated

British...complicated...expensive. Not me at all.

pleated

Ok, I was thinking a lot about this over this Labor Day weekend. While driving out of town, I stopped at a Ford dealership along I-5 to get a brochure. Interestingly enough, a salesman who had been a mechanic in dealership service departments since 1995 approached me. I explained I was NOT from the area and I was curious to see a new Taurus up close and get a brochure on both the Taurus and the Fusion. He was very courteous and understood I was on vacation, so he did not push at all. In fact, we talked for quite a while about car mechanics - the transition from cast iron to aluminum, the 3800, the Ford Duratech, electronic throttle control, variable valve timing and the intake issues on the Series II 3800 GM V6. Ford has it all over GM in the mid-size segment right now. I would own a Taurus or a Fusion/Milan over a LaCrosse/Allure or Malibu at this point in time, if I was in the market. The Taurus is so damn distinctive...it doesn't copy ANYONE. (I will say, however, that I do not like the seating position in it since I don't like a console that is raised so high, especially since I'm about 5'10"...the car made me feel small once I got inside). The Fusion/Milan look great from every angle and make sense for so many people. I once rented a Milan and liked virtually everything about it. While coming back to town on Tuesday AM, a new slate metallic blue Taurus pulled up in front of baggage claim/passenger pick-up. Quite a few people were looking at it with interest. That's a good sign...the "new" Cutlass Supreme got the same "hmmmm" when they reskinned it and picked up the rectangular lamps and waterfall grille in 1976. Kudos to Ford. Gotta give credit where credit is due!

Oh, heck yeah, if the bill is small...$4 or $5, then I leave a buck, making it at least 20%.

wild trout

massage

Wikipedia (ok...she lived to be 92!)

Flagship big sedan named Invicta to replace the Park Avenue and larger than the current LaCrosse - unique spirited name, which could handle being "resurrected" after such a time gap - with the intense competition in the $35K to $40K range, it would have to be perfect and there is no margin for error Riviera (no apologies) - niche coupe - I don't believe for one minute that the market doesn't have room for a personal luxury car, at times when more and more people live alone and are living longer - if they could pull off a premium coupe in the $25K to $32K range that's a show-stopper and NOT UGLY like the CTS coupe or gangsta like the last-gen Monte Carlo, people will buy it LaCrosse (Allure in Canada) - an entry is, and always will be, needed in this crowded segment, though I don't like the new version of this car Regal - Epsilon II based and similar in size, and price point, to the Malibu, etc. I would not be heartbroken if the Regal name went away. While they've been great dependable cars since the day they were born, the name has a "frump" factor to it. The names Century, Skylark and Skyhawk are even worse in this regard. However, back to the line-up, currently Buick does not have a true entry-level price point vehicle Three platforms (or one version, stretched and shrunken, with suspension modifications), but many shared production components....the Invicta and Riviera could definitely be on the same platform...

omelette

Did I miss this? Is Allure now LaCrosse in Canada, thinking the Quebecois would get over it?

parched

I always enjoy seeing full-size GM cars in Europe, with their horizontally long license plates, but never have my camera handy. IIRC, the most memorable sighting was an 87 (to 89) Pontiac Bonneville sedan on the boulevard in front of the port in Trieste, Italy.

It was Tio Pepe on Commercial Drive. What a mistake. Nothing special, chips salty enough to send you to E.R., and overpriced. (On Commercial Drive, I should have stuck with LaRocca, which is always reliable, but I was trying to eat at the PCOV, Portuguese Club of Vancouver, for its down-to-earth authenticity, but they don't accept credit cards). The Greek restaurant I mentioned was actually in Bellingham WA. Their food is excellent, but priced ok for lunch and priced too high for dinner. The Greek restaurant I was trying to visit was Tsoulas (sp) Greek on Hastings, near Nanaimo or Victoria, IIRC, which is unremarkable from the outside, but their portions are tasty/good and their prices are reasonable. On Labor Day, it was closed. Kalamata, near Broadway and Cambie, is also very good, though more expensive, but was also closed this Labor Day.

Three words: OH MY GOD Beautiful. And there's a beautiful dashboard inside to match! P.S. as people here know, and make fun of me for (), I would very much like to own the stock, upscale version of this car, which is the Grand LeMans, but with a small-block V8 and not what's under this hood.

In today's economy, when restaurant receipts are down and there are fewer people in restaurants, those who work there should provide the same, if not a higher level of, customer service since tips are their livelihood...unless they're depressed. No excuse for what I've read above.

Yes, a whole bunch of cars spotted over the Labor Day weekend: - a new white G8 on I-5 south of Seattle and near the airport, as I was driving north to Vancouver...I was in an adjacent lane and the driver noticed I was giving the car the once-over, so he smiled in appreciation - a new red G8 at a dealership north of Seattle in a granolafied college town. I took pictures of it. A woman noticed I was taking photos of it and said it was nice. Already knowing how she would answer, I asked her what car she was looking into. She beamed, "Subaru WRX sedan." MWAHAHAHAHA. Life can be so predictable. BTW, with a sunrood, its MSRP was only $29,290. - a red 1967 or 1968 Pontiac Firebird with a 400 V8 parked at a meter on Broadway, east of Cambie, in Vancouver Canada. It was in perfect condition. - a new red Saturn Astra coupe at a crosswalk south of the Cambie Street Bridge in Vancouver Canada. As I was walking by, I gave the driver the thumbs up sign. He stuck his head out the window and said "Thank you very much!" - a new red Camaro on I-5 soutbound near Everett WA. The Camaro looks great in rear 3/4 view. Beautiful. They got this right. However, I feel that the roof rail didn't have to be as thick, and they could still keep its great profile. Also, I think the front lamps should have a squarish shape, complementing the rest of the oval/squarish features in the car. Of the pony cars out there, it is clearly the best. However, I would have been curious to see a "twin" Firebird, since I liked Pontiac more than Chevrolet. - oh yeah, at 6:28 pm, as my LaCrosse was leaving Vancouver, a British Airways 747-400 crossed over me on the Oak Street Bridge at the Vancouver city limit with Richmond, their airport suburb. Still, and always will be, the world's most beautiful aircraft. The LaCrosse ran like a champ, got gas mileage and I have some nice photos of it with Vancouver as a backdrop.

+1 Yes, that needed to be mentioned. The fact that they were BOTH drinking speaks volumes and brings their character issues under the microscope.