trinacriabob

And you passed up on a promontory with palm trees replete with priests and penguins and a panorama over the Pacific? Say that 3x real fast.

Never have done drugs. (I'm a geek, what can I say.) My alcohol consumption is pretty weak, too. I would have to say it's sleep. I work a lot of hours and I tend to be tired...so I sleep. When I was in college, I used to sleep a lot (maybe a depressive symptom of some sort, who knows).

It should be a Bonneville derivative...a little bit smaller. Certainly not as garish in the dashboard department. It should not be as low slung as a GP (look at all the reviews that criticize the usable space issue) nor as thick as a Charger or Chrysler 300 - where's that barf icon when you need it? Just a larger sport sedan with timeless fluid lines that distinguishes itself from the GP and shows that the Bonneville has grown up. If you want a name, that's another story. Have fun at the Auto Show! Wish I could make it.

I don't think your "approach" is going to win you much cooperation. :P

I read some of the above lists. First, I don't consider normal maintenance (oil changes, tune ups) and replacement of items that have a predictable wear pattern (tires, batteries, serpentine belt) as something you should list because you have to, or should, do that anyway. That being said: Buick Regal 1992 coupe with 3800 V6 - now has over 220,000 miles Aside from the above stuff, the following repairs were needed: 0 to 100,000 a- exhaust donut between manifold and tailpipe 100,000 to 150,000 a- water pump b- alternator c- radio tuning bar 150,000 to 200,000 a- passenger side front hub wheel assembly replaced due to bearing noise b- thermostat bypass assembly leak c- turn-signal stalk had to be held manually to blink 200,000 and upward a- M.A.F. sensor b- drain plug at bottom of radiator failed NOT BAD. This has been a great car and it will soon be 14 years old.

I'm an L.A. native. The list is endless. Celebrities do not impress me whatsoever. My dad always used to say that they have "to wipe" like the rest of us.

Let's leave the "crush on whomever" and Harry stuff out of this and have some people post more pictures.

I just gave the posti 2 above this one a better look. I think that the front lamps also look goofy with that pulled-back teardrop shape. If the grille was sloped inward (a la Lucerne), the overhang so many complain about would not be as pronounced. (I do think it that the overhang has something to do with crumple zone and the like).

Agreed. Zoomtm, you are earmarked for the 2006 Cheers and Jeers edition! This is pretty weird.

Perception is indeed a big issue. You live on the (North) West Coast. How many upwardly mobile Eastsiders excitedly run down to a GM dealership to pick out a new car (unless, maybe, it's an SUV)? Yes, GM is making strides, but these strides are not perceived to be in lockstep with those of foreign automakers. It will take a lot for certain demographic groups to accept that having a GM car, or truck, (or another domestic car) is acceptable. Look at the JD Power list. Japanese brands are at the top and eventually Buick shows up. Now, I don't want a Japanese car so I would opt for the Buick. However, most people wouldn't follow suit. Again, in my first post, I note the Consumer Reports rating system. I'd like to think those are accurate. If they are, then too many expensive brands in recent years still have bugs that haven't been worked out. One relatively recent business concept is "benchmarking." GM, as well as the other domestic manufacturers, ought to do that more fervently, particularly in the QC department. Sometimes the convictions of the people on C&G fall on deaf ears. Most of us are GM loyalists and will stick by The General. However, others, for whatever reason, are more apt to be swayed into foreign brands...like virtually ALL of my friends. They claim that "GM doesn't get it," most of them cite being burned in a domestic purchase and now rave about the dependability and excellent service obtained from their foreign vehicle. The perception issue may be at the forefront of all this. But I think it is rooted in the horrendously negative experiences with the actual cars that some buyers had during the 80's and possibly even into the 90's.

I had to be somewhat cheap when I was in grad school. I think that spilled over into my post school life. I would say conservative. Look for coupons and good sales. Not into toys (electronic type stuff) very much. The reason I am hanging on to my car isn't so much the money, but an upcoming transition that I don't want a new car in the midst of. Where I do spend money is on travel. But that's once a year and then the filler short-haul trips in between.

No way. You ran over somebody with a moped. :P

I love GM and their cars or I wouldn't be here. As well as they have treated me and my parents, I doubt I am going elsewhere. Needless to say, all of the bad press has left me in a funk, feeling a little perplexed...and analytical. So, one has to think of what may be going south at GM. I voted for QC but think it is both this and cost control. I read Consumer Reports. I look at how Toyota steals the show with an uninterrupted parade of "red dots" for the various systems in their cars over the years (Buyer's Guide, et al.). I then look at Cadillac and will see either a partial or a full black dot for some components...and in recent years, no less. That is what pisses people off. It's simply not acceptable...especially for the kind of money one shells out for a premium brand. GM isn't doing the math. If you have a car that is fantastic 10 years from when you bought it, you will buy another...and another. So, in 30 years, you will have bought 3 cars from GM. Now, if GM sells a car that, due to planned obsolence and mechanical mishaps, causes the buyer to dispose of it in 5 to 7 years, then, over 30 years, you will have sold them 1 car. It's not hard to figure out. I, myself, have landed on mostly "red dot" vehicles, like some mainline Buicks, so I am exempt from this. Other cars make for a poor showing. The other is cost control. GM is kind of a big elephant. It's not svelte in its maneuvers. It needs to avoid too much duplication and reel in costs (thank God Roger Smith is no longer around...that could be scary). They can work on this. In fact, this is probably an easier thing to turn around then the number 1 item I refer to in the preceding paragraph. It would be interesting to hear what others interpret to be GM's shortcomings that have led to its current situation.

Again, since I started the thread, the only reason I love the 3800 is that it powers the most reliable car I have ever had...now at over 220,000 on the original (complete) powertrain. The Regal's only issues have been some minor electrical items going south, a couple of cooling system issues and one suspension/front end issue. This car has done better than a Cutlass Supreme with an Olds Rocket 350 V8 I had in college and I thought THAT was supposed to be the best engine ever. (It was smoother though and had that characteristic Rocket V8 whoosh...I can hear it now). Now, as for me, I will make my next purchase opting for the 3800 V6. I seriously want GM to have success with newer OHV and HF engines, it's just that, in marketing parlance, I'm a "late adopter."

Coming into the office this AM, I thought about this. Now, today I am moving my office (a swap with a neighbor) to get away from this chick who talks way too much...to others, to me...and needs lots of attention. I need to get my work done. Other than this and a couple of others, everybody is amazingly pretty cool. There are few cliques to speak of. There are about 35 people in the office. I think it comes down from the partners in the firm...they are very casual and even do rotating kitchen duties. Some people here are insanely funny. At the last firm I worked, in 2003, the partners were absolute jerks...they thought they were better than middle management and the staff employees, didn't roll up their sleeves and only looked for the negative (who and what wasn't keeping them in the chips) ... and they got fired in a shake-up. C'est la vie. At any rate, I feel pretty lucky to work with a cool bunch of people. As long as I am left to work fairly independently and I can periodically be my obnoxious self, I am pretty happy. What's your work situation like?

This thread should be dedicated to Intrigued. The dude probably refers to alcohol more than anybody on the site! (That's ok, I make a good counterpoint...I probably have consumed the least amount of alcohol than anybody on this site given that I come from a religious background where you CAN drink ). Intrigued, we want a report on your consumption for our entertainment. As for the pecker problem, that would come more from a cold ocean (no, not YOU Ocn) than from drinking, though the play on words just occurred to me.

That's ALL it takes to get to NYC from where you are? Man, I have to remember that the states are much more compact over on that side. Or, is it just the way you drive? Glad you had fun!

Fly ...that's a riot...same thing around my Mom's area...there's this big fancy retirement home and at least 1/4 of the cars are B-U-I-C-K s. Seniors are a growing demographic. It is a marketing segment that CANNOT be overlooked. Long live blue-hairs, Buick and the stalwart 3800 V6. Now...now...were not going to go down the 3800 path on this thread, capisce?

This one is a real winner. Just kidding. No. The place I live is built on a slab and is newer. Now, when I had a townhome outside of Seattle, it was built over a crawl space. For some reason, I had to go down there and found some mousetraps that the previous owner had left behind. There were some remnants of a decomposing rodent in one. But I never saw any when I lived in it for over 3 years. How the hell does one come up with a poll question like this? :blink:

Ocn, I am really sorry to hear about your dog. I had been wondering about that. In November, while in So. America, I came across two black (mostly Lab) pups that were abandoned in an empty lot being readied for a new house within a fairly nice enclave of homes. I stopped my car at the curb and went to check on two tiny creatures I saw moving around within this lot. I sat on the ground and they immediately were all over me, yelping, pawing and licking me. They were no more than 2 to 3 months old. I eventually flagged down an Argentine chick in a Mercedes SUV (like Croc's, I guess) and talked her into taking them home with her. She lived around the block and said she had not seen them when she was taking a walk through there in the morning. I gave her my e-mail to let me know how they were and I never heard from her. Today, I talked to my best friend from college who now lives in San Diego...big, big dog fan. I told him how my mind was spinning at the time as to how to bring them back into the states (with check ups, air arrangements, the fact that I had another 6 days of vacation in another city - B.A., quarantines) and opted not to. He said he probably would have brought them back. At any rate, 2005 was NOT great for me: 1) taking classes at night, so feeling a little stretched 2) our office dynamics have changed. we used to be in a low-rise, residentially styled and informal building but are now in a true office building. we added this one chick, previously an intern but now a full fledged employee after graduating from college, to our group who is a high maintenance brat who criticizes everything and everybody and has really spoiled the more laid-back, "water off a duck's back" environment that prevailed before. she is in the office across from me and I am moving my office space tomorrow when I get in. 3) 2003 was the year of turmoil over getting my mom to do an estate plan and 2005 was the year of turmoil in disposing of an asset held in common between me and another family member, but I got through it. I don't want to do any family admin. things this upcoming year. Yeah, I'd say 2005 was generally shitty for most Americans: 1) war 2) Katrina, Rita, Wilma 3) GM and the ripple effects among others. Here's to hoping and praying for a better 2006 for all! Cheers.

That's effin' great. So when he does forget to bold a post will be indicative of senility setting in, right?

Damn right. It's excellent. I've looked at it carefully a few times. The detail is commendable and it really captures the attention.

I want to hear better stories than mine. New Year's Eve - worked the whole day while others split early. Went on a mission to clean up my whole place and put everything in order for the new year and got a damn good start - paperwork, backing up computer, etc. Went out and chatted with neighbors at around that time. New Year's Day - was an idiot... went to Tahoe. Thought I'd have the place to myself... 65,000 people had partied there the night before and were still hanging around. 20 minutes in line at Starbucks, etc. I got over the pass over there without chains. Started raining at about 5 pm and, at 6,000 to 7,000 feet, it was snowing but with negligible accumulation. I followed the swath other cars/trucks had made - fortunately, there wasn't chain control. I'll go up another weekend when it's quieter and there's no iffy weather in the forecast. New Year's day off (Jan 2) almost complete with my clean up mission. Let's hear it.

Wait...where'd you go?

And that's what I've been saying for months. A sportier tapered front fascia/grille, like the last gen Regal LS and GS (and NOT like the last Century for God's sake) ought to be modified a bit, updated and grafted onto the LaCrosse/Allure.