trinacriabob

True to point #1. Could you imagine what a stellar city Los Angeles would be if the CBD skyscrapers were at the water's edge (say Long Beach or San Pedro) and the city fanned out from there, which semi-circular beltways radiating outward. I love that the architecture is irreverent. The Brown Derby is a brown derby. The Beverly Hills Hotel is pink. And the Cinerama Dome, with its hexagonal "snowflake" skin. What a cool place to go to the movies. Except for some impossibly big-headed BPs, most people are pretty laid-back and accepting. Everyone is from somewhere else. I am a native and never felt like I belonged and some transplant didn't. Heck, my parents were from another country, let alone another state. The accepting atmosphere and the good weather lets people be themselves -- so many of my friends, and even their parents (whether from NYC or Cuba or Germany) with their accents and attitudes were hysterically funny. I've never found that outside of California. And, I'm sorry, the counterpoint would be Seattle, where the locals cast a disapproving glance at us "Californicators" for which I have a list of such experiences as long as my arm.

I generally don't like both materials together. (I know, I'm a jerk). But I have seen it. In fact, I've seen it in the Midwest and in the East. In Indiana, one actually sees more "all limestone" and more "all brick." Done right, those could look killer. Either way, I'm sure you'll get yourself a nice house.

NOS, damn, it's STILL your birthday? How badly do you want to milk this event?

How about Australian English? Yikes. (Sorry, James B, from those of us across the water with a "twang")

I'm not an expert and I've heard all the debates. Once you got past the warranty Mr. Goodwrench regimen, I switched to Castrol GTX 10W-30 (kept the viscosity the same) and have NEVER changed. That means, if I go to an oil change place that doesn't carry Castrol, I bring in my oil and get a credit of a few bucks. I also change it every 2,500 miles...cheap insurance. I would err on the side of caution and pick a brand/viscosity and stick with it. Also, the 7,500 mile interval seen in the owner's manual is CRAP....it's because they want you to buy a new car sooner than later. Again, do it often....cheap insurance.

Having been on car lots on the other side of the border a few times since the car's release, I have seen some W-bodies branded Allure. I don't think it's a bad name. LaCrosse is a sport, yet so many posters have deemed this car to have a "feminine quality." I like to think of it as sexless, but I don't think it's as sporty as the name implies...even in CXS form. I think the name Allure is somewhat similar to the name Intrigue. And I believe that the LaCrosse/Allure fills the void (sadly) left behind by the very tasteful Olds Intrigue. I give my nod to the name Allure for both sides of the border, though it's a little late for that at this stage in the game. Your thoughts?

What else have you felt, Reg? :AH-HA_wink:

Lucerne item: give it a rest...me and some others will take dependability over panache...for those not wired the same way, they have the exotic engines LaCrosse item: right...there should not be hubcaps AT ALL and "mousefur" is a good description for the cloth which is really mediocre.

It's a nice sled. I've seen it at the dealerships and sat in it at the auto show. It's too big for me, but I applaud it as a big leap forward for Buick. It successfully walks the line between being a traditional large sedan and something that aspires to the appeal of an internationally flavored high line vehicle. It is a car that someone a number of years less than the traditional Buick buyer would be content to be seen in. I have yet to see one in motion. I only wish that, in a freshening, the LaCrosse could borrow some frontal styling cues from the Lucerne as they are needed. Go Lucerne (...even though that's a dairy brand at Safeway)! Rack up those numbers for Buick Motor Division.

It's a great love for the topic and my intense interest in the language / people / cultures of those places. I'm a little limited in that regard: those places are the closest to my roots and obnoxiously forward Mediterranean personal style, so I want to "dig in." In some ways, I would have much rather been a college professor of 1 or more of these languages than do what I do on a daily basis.

German is a kick, though I have no desire to learn it. It's so entertainingly guttural. I could listen to Dr. Ruth for hours -- just for her accent. First thing I learned in German (sitting in a coffee shop in Champaign IL with an Austrian grad student and I pointed across the street - how do you describe that person in German?) Response: "Ine gros schwarze frau" Later learned: "Der Italianer sind lustig und verruckt"

I counted Portuguese and French as .5 each. Eu falo quatro e meia idiomas, mais o menos je parle plus o moins quatre langues e demi Still, I couldn't get on effortlessly in France or Portugal the way I do in Italy or Spain/So. America. Cool idea for a thread.

In order of fluency: English Italian (always spoken at home) Spanish (been to Spanish speaking countries and have enough Spanish speaking friends to have pushed up to fluency level) Portuguese (conversant; had no problems last summer in Portugal as a result) French (conversant; 3 yrs in high school with A's, not enough chance to practice, overtaken in desire and ability by Portuguese, also decided I don't like the French now that I've been there, but I do like the Quebecois) Comments: 1 - no desire to learn other languages besides these - the above is NOT a big feat as they are all on the same root and have common words 2 - I'll bet Nick speaks Spanish very well

Try the 3900 on for size. I had it for 1 day in a 2006 Impala rental. Not very refined (downright crude), not that economical and not enough of a track record. There's that guy who comes on the site every now and then, very smart (FS87LT, or something like that) who thinks 3800 will be around a little longer. Why make all this fuss over 195 or 200 or 211 hp? You rarely need it. If I see that 3800 is going away soon, I will purchase either this car or LaX at end of M.Y.

NOS...it's still YOUR day in the Pacific Time Zone. Hope it was a good one!

Yeah, but in which year?

We should be asked to use the word in a sentence. Therefore: Seattlites have monochromatic personalities.

Get another one.

Clever.

Just tossing this out. What's in a dog's make up that allows them to trust a human almost instantly...even from when they are pups? I, mean, we could really be mean to them or even cause them harm (though that would only be the sickest of people), yet they come right to you. Do you ever wonder about that?

Man, I'm in the minority. No way. After getting to 28 to 30 mpg in a V6 powered vehicle nearing 200 horses, it sure feels better on my wallet and in my head than the Rocket 350 V8 in my first car which never hit 20 mpg. Not to say I didn't like the "sound" of that engine way more than that of my trusty Buick V6. I'm not passing judgment. I just think that if we all shaved off a little bit, we'd reduce the usurption of the finite supply of fossil fuel. I'm sounding like a granola and I am the furthest thing from that.

Yo, LA, you said you would post a pic after the auto show? I've seen pix of all the other So. Cal. people except you....someone brazen enough to take on the name of a city of 3.8 million people. What's the deal?

How much were they asking? Divide by 1.18 to get to American moolah. I don't know if I trust the 3.4 DOHC V6 of that era. A friend had it in a 1992 Grand Prix coupe and it was not particularly reliable. Fast...yes.

BV, it should be: "La G6? No, no ES bonita." No SE means "I don't know." How did my thread degenerate to sex? So I will translate: Ocn, ocn, ocn...I have a very nice ass. The G6? No, it's not very nice. Oh...go f*c* yourself. You wouldn't understand. You both live in PA and haven't yet made each other's acquaintance? What's the deal?

Adam and Dr. Drew are funny. They eff around too much in between calls. I like hearing them interact with the callers and get frustrated when there isn't as much of that as I would like. They are pretty good at what they do. When someone comes in with a problem, they are able to "dial it" in fairly quickly...that's an amazing art.