trinacriabob

Will someone give us some stats as to the intended design parameters of this new Zeta Impala? How big, how heavy, 4 door/2 door? What's expected here? The twin of the G8?

I like your current sig, Pantho.My response to thread: Lechter

Gee, it's Washington state, so why am I not surprised! I lived on the eastside of Seattle for a little over 3 years -- In Bellevue and Kirkland. Beautiful communities to be sure. However, the transplants hung out with the transplants and the natives hung out with the natives. I take it back: I had one "native Seattle" friend but he was Greek and had this fascination with going over to Greece to rummage around the same way I have the same fascination with Italy. And, it wasn't much of a friendship, because when I left to come south to my native California, the friendship ended and other friends I've had in other places remain friends despite the distance. I guess those are the real friends. Other than that, that's the way it was up there IMO. And, prior to that, I lived in the Portland OR area....and guess what, it was the same way. As pretty as it was, I don't think I would return to the Northwest (even though my parents chose to make that their home)....once bitten, twice shy.

Chargerino:Are you "well known" in the town there...maybe as being just a little bit assertive for your age? LOL. You know I'm just kidding you, right? It doesn't sound like you miss Las Vegas very much at all!

What's the deal with the Impala being so hot? I don't get it. And, if the sales figs are correct (and I know they are), 25,000 Impy units a month makes for 300,000 on an annualized basis. So, then, why is this model doing so well while all the other W-body sales figures are in the toilet? And, I thought about this, too. The introduction could be to properly align the model line-ups among the brands. Right now, it seems very fragmented. The G8 will come and then the others will "dribble in" in a haphazard manner that doesn't give credence to the program. And, please, let's leave Chrysler out of this. I think that those cars (300 and Charger) pulled in a "niche market" of early adopters (to use that term) the same way that the PT Cruiser did but do not have staying power. A more "middle of the road" car like the Impala is probably experiencing that staying power I allude to.

Distances out there, by our West Coast standards, are kind of a joke. You know, you have some TexASS in your background.Also, wouldn't the 70 mile drive be worth it?

I hear you and I agree. Platform revamping is an absolute necessity and freshness is needed. I am only speaking for myself, with my needs being totally utilitarian and conservative - I want others to try things first. In marketing parlance, I am a "late adopter." I hope that the RWD cars come on line but, most importantly, that they turn out to be proven products with a bunch of red dots in Consumer Reports so the General doesn't have egg on his face. I, too, look for the long-term viability of the brand. However, I'll be one of the few that is ok with putting one last W-body in my driveway. Then, depending on what's out there, I could do RWD, hybrid, other alternative...whatever...

I am not bent out of shape the way some are...I'd like to see an evenly distributed FWD and RWD product line. Neither is necessarily bad. My current W body has been a great car because (1) they ran the platform for a long time, and (2) GM quality control got better...my current 1990s car is better than was the 84 Cutlass Supreme and that car was better than the 76 Cutlass Supreme...both of which my parents bought and handed-down to me.I personally foresee placing a W-body order sometime late this year or early next year, so I am interested in the timing. I think the others are more serious car aficionados and it is their interest in GM, overall, that propels their disappointment and/or jubilation.

Does that mean they stop taking orders for GP in November or they stop building in November? I mean, there's a 2008 ordering guide out there. How short of a formal model year will that be?

ocnblu lives pretty close to you as well... :AH-HA_wink:

You didn't tell me what a "liebschin" is.I think I have dual citizenship and ought to look into getting a EU passport as well.

What the hell is a "liebschin"? You going over on Deutsche-Lufthansa? I hate that airline. They are the only one of the European carriers that fights with me about my carry-on "roll-aboard" bulging about 1 inch over the pre-determined size. Then you wonder where stereotypes come from. Ser grundlich, ja? I'd take Alitalia anyday. Yeah, it'll be late but at least it's theatrically Italian and you're in "the Motherland" the minute you walk down the jet-way!

WMJ, WMJ.... What if a Southeast Asian gynecologist was named Dr. Poon? Wouldn't that be a hoot?

Yo, P-C-S, is that your brother in your Av...or is it you? :AH-HA_wink: What, do your folks have kids scattered everywhere...how many?

You forgot to bold-up, small chevy!My response to thread: smell

I H-A-T-E Santa Monica. Period. The only thing I like about it is the ocean breeze, which is available elsewhere. I was born there and grew up 3 or 4 miles east of there. It used to be a nice but regular kind of place. Now it's so trendy. Parts of it are downright bleak and the only parts that are nice are north of Wilshire. Anything around Pico going through it are nothing short of gross. Plus, now it's got that Cameron Diaz/Charlie Sheen/Robert Downey Jr. patina. Bleh.There are so many other areas in the Southland I would rather live that don't have that hype.

I would hate to travel for business...especially INTERNATIONAL. I rarely ever have traveled for business...more for conferences or meetings, but not to do work. I'm a creature of habit and get more done when I'm in a routine and in familiar surroundings. Traveling for pleasure/leisure? I'm all for it. Worst hotel ever: Just this last October, I was en route from Montreal to Syracuse NY. I left Montreal about 5 hours later than expected and I saw an exit marked with a Rodeway Inn. So I stayed there. As I drove my rented Allure (LaCrosse) into the lot, I knew I didn't like the place. It was creepy, but it was very late. The sheets and bedding were so musty that I smelled musty for a day or two. I took about 4 showers a day for the next 2 days. I can't believe I paid $ 53.99 for this crap in the middle of nowhere, whereas I stayed at the Travelodge at SFO to see the Queen Mary 2 arrive and had a fantastic night's sleep for $ 39.99. When I got my e-mail to rate the hotel stay at the Rodeway in upstate NY, I blasted them. Unbelievable. Best hotel ever: A toss between the Westin Calgary and the Doubletree LAX. Neither hotel is special in a historic or landmark sort of way, but the beds were so comfortable (Heavenly Bed and some other marketing name at the Doubletree) that I turned in early and got up late at both places. The other thing was the price: about $ 89 CDN at the Westin and $ 79 at the Doubletree. For the nature of the hotels, the price-quality relationship was fantastic.

Yeah, right -- Mormons don't like Catholics, in case you didn't know. :AH-HA_wink:

Do you have any ascots in your armoire? :AH-HA_wink:

You're not kidding...I read that, benign as the Ozarks are supposed to be, that part of the country has a bunch of meth labs tucked away in wooded nooks and crannies and that rangers/wardens unexpectedly run into trouble when they stumble upon them while actually looking for altogether different things (hunters, poachers, whatever)......inspiring reading while sitting there in the dentist's waiting lounge...

It's amazing to see where this thread has gone...

No, Reg, it's because I know you've worked in enough office settings to have "been around the corner" so I knew you would agree with me. It isn't about being politically correct or being optimistic, we preach "reality." LOL. Delta, this "hit the fan" when you cited part of the reason for the diversion that you are in a relationship but not "getting any." Some people on this forum will be on that "like flies on $h!," pardon my crassness.

pot sticker

toad

Grrrrrrr.....I tell everybody "Draw the line at Sunrise Boulevard which runs for at least 10 miles in a N-S direction and clips I-80 to the north and US 50 to the south." Anything west of there is hideous, including most of the city, because it's flat and bleak. To the east of Sunrise Blvd., the terrain starts to undulate and, in about 15 miles, there are some interesting hills and ravines in the foothill communities. In fact, real estate in Folsom, Fair Oaks, Roseville, Rocklin, El Dorado Hills, and Auburn is generally of newer stock and more expensive.