trinacriabob

There are a lot of "messed up" people because they like both New York and California and, because they get into these moods, they tend to move back and forth. This would be people who have that sort of money. And some of these people have residences in both places. Say it all with a New York accent: When in New York: "the weather is awful" When in California: "there is no culture here," "you can't get good food at 1 a.m." They love to whine. - - - - - The second photo looks more like La Jolla (San Diego) even though I was thinking it could be near Palos Verdes or Laguna Beach, but I'm not sure.

Live (as opposed to recorded studio) performers and performances deserve a lot of credit. They have to get it right. I've been to Syracuse twice, I believe. It's right on the New York Throughway. I couldn't believe how hilly parts of it are, including most of the Syracuse Univ. campus itself. Interesting observations about the Equinox. It is now powered by a 1.5 T 4 cyl. However, it keeps a 6 speed automatic. That's good fuel usage. The dash is pretty much the same dash as that of the Malibu. I was talking to a neighbor I don't know that well. He has a '17 Equinox. He said his has a 2.4 L 4 cyl. and a 4 speed automatic transmission. I told him he's lucky to have such a combination that should be very dependable. I didn't know 2.4s were used by Chevy. That's what is in the Verano.

Another one of those songs that you remember exactly where you were when you heard it from the car's cassette player. Not really a fan of Kenny Loggins, but this songs broods more than his more poppy stuff. Some friends and I were coming back from a ski trip to the Lake Tahoe area, had descended from the Sierra Nevada, and were driving down I-5 back to SoCal through a Central Valley covered in clouds and this "darker" song fit the situation. Who'd have thought that, per Wikipedia, Kenny Loggins was native to Everett, WA?

This one, your first one shown, is probably the best one. That character line across the lower part of the doors makes a strong statement and helps break up the relative length of the Regal.

I did the donut thing TWICE on Friday. Just to be a goofball. I figured something like this national day calendar existed. I will have to download it and circle the events that interest me. I look at this in a different way. It's all about whether you "like" your salesperson or not. If you don't "like" them - and you usually know that fairly quickly - then it's hard for them to sell you anything you don't want, including some car you were investigating in a noncommittal, information gathering sort of way. It's easy to say NO. The few times I've bought - new (and keep them for a long time), they gave me a real good price right away, or I got a good price along with some rebate or card earnings applied, and I signed on the dotted line. I've got some great NO stories and, of course, most of them would have an adversarial quality. But I've got a NO story that stands out to me as funny. When I was looking at LaCrosse-Grand Prix-Monte Carlo, I went into a Pontiac dealership and was looking at some Grand Prixs. The salesman was really laid back and friendly. It turned out he was related to this family business and wasn't that motivated. He said something like along these lines, 'Open it up, check it out, I'll get the keys, and we'll take her for a spin. Just for the heck of it.' He was going, 'Yeah, drive on this freeway, step on the gas, check out this long ramp, drive down this road next to the river, blah, blah.' It's like he wanted to joyride and talk. I told him I had been in South Florida a month or so before, to which he responded, "Yeah, I was down in Lauderdale once ... had a great time chasing skirt." We drove back to the dealership, I thanked him, got his card, and drove off in my car laughing. In this case, I didn't want to give him the business because he was such a flake, in addition to deciding that I would not be buying that car of the three I was considering.

This sled (^) looks sort of Communist! As done this one, near the big Orthodox cathedral in the center of Sofia, Bulgaria.

SEdan SEville SExy ... well, sort of Not having sedans around is going to make us crave for them even more. And, at this juncture, on this 3rd of June, I'm craving that free donut.

I'm not on board here. I do not like Krisy Kreme donuts and their oil slick like glazing at all. I will readily stop by Dunkin and I'm okay with Tim Horton's donuts as well. I like the drier cake frosting of the latter two places. These Greek treats sound similar to but look different from loukoumades, which always seem to be available at Greek festivals. As much as I like Greek festivals, they can get pricey for their a la carte pricing. If I have room after the meat, potatoes/fries, and baklava, I might try these. And they are also good. This conversation is useful because it's reminding me not to miss out on National Donut Day!

That was it ... the 4.0 inline 6. I'm sure it would have easily busted past 200K, but you kept it for a good 17 years. Thanks for the info on when these engines were last slotted into these cars. I'm better with these sorts of facts when they apply to GM vehicles that I've been a big fan of!

Jeeps are interesting. Some of them are more attractive than others. They have had a wide variety of engines. I have only ridden in one Jeep and it was a Grand Cherokee (Limited or up-level version) that a boss had. It had the V8, probably 5.8 L if in the 2000s, and probably 360 if measured in c.i. (I'm guessing). On one occasion, I had to drive it somewhere and I actually enjoyed driving it. It rode very well. The funny thing is that they tend to make the "avoid" list some auto journalists put together and I don't know why. When was the last year that a Jeep was fitted with an all cast iron inline 6 or 4? From what I've heard, Jeeps with inline 6s were the vehicles to have ... for the long haul.

Very glad to see you back posting, Cort, and I hope you're doing well.

You can probably make multiple stops ... just like one does during a "Costco lunch."

Random but timely thought: TOMORROW is National Donut Day. Check the chains and the indies for their specials so you can scarf down a donut or two.

Spotted this past weekend in the same parking lot. The owner of this immaculate old Mopar convertible was friendly enough. Those wheels look similar to the long-lived Buick alloys. I forgot which model this was since they made some nameplates that didn't stick around long, even when Mopar was chugging along smoothly. (Remember the short-lived Mirada?) Now, the owner of this vehicle was a different story. He got sort of miffed with me that I thought it was a kit car. He said it's an original 1965. BFD. I wouldn't own one. It was just unusual, so I took some photos.

I did this. I used to pay the GM dealer about $ 40 to do this every few years. This time around, I paid less than $ 25 for this Bosch filter and $ 0 for labor by doing it myself.* It is accessed from the engine bay, even though it is indeed behind the glove box. You get to look straight into the blower motor as you do this! *proof that YouTube is your friend

It's an interesting place, in it's own way. Mostly, I like that one can put in some jaunts to Galveston, which seems to be coming along and, sadly, getting more gentrified and expensive. I can see that about driving there. And would probably agree with that, of the cities listed. This might weave in some politics, but I was miffed watching this. I was in H-town in Feb. of 2020 and it was evening rush hour time, so it was backed up on one of the feeder roads to I-45 south of the city. There was this dark haired bearded guy his 30s in a big white newer raised Ram truck stuck in this traffic. In front of him was this middle aged brunette lady in a VW Jetta. She was going the speed limit and then stopping as the traffic crawled, but he was riding her tail and getting aggressive toward her. There were no political stickers on her car, nor on his truck. I glanced over and he seemed really angry. I'm almost sure that it was because, the month before, the election didn't turn out the way he wanted and he had to channel that anger. Having just been down there again, it's amazing, and stereotypical, what I see on cars, trucks, and properties in white suburbia that's both not very klassy (yes, with a k) and seems to have good disposable income ... probably from working in the trades, working in energy, or working in a higher paying govt. job.

Let's see: "four of these are of the Found On Road yada yada variety while the other vehicle is not?"

Can't peg Bryan Adams' musical style ... it's like an interpolation of that of various other musical artists. I believe he's Canadian. This is one of his better songs.

Cool about the Fiero. "Iron Duke" action! I see this sort of racing about once a month. Except that I don't see a highway patrol car around when one needs to be on hand. I don't find this stuff fun(ny) at all. They dart in between cars with very little distance to spare and it could all end so tragically, especially for the people who drive in a law abiding manner. Texas has its own culture. Here are a few sightings from a few weeks ago: I can't imagine too many V6 Chargers in Texas! And this was no V6. I always get a chuckle out of the Texas edition of the Silverado. It's a both self regarding and a self fulfilling prophecy. - - - - - Speaking of freeway racing, I saw a bit of it in and around Houston in just a matter of days. And I didn't see anyone getting pulled over.

On a short road trip this holiday weekend and this song, albeit the original 3 to 4 minute version, is in my collection. This rendition is a bit long, but the visual effects are very cool. This song is timeless and great on the interstate. I love this song.

The Arteon has a "high" price point. They start in the low $40s. They needed to cover the middle ground between Jetta and Arteon, in the high $20s.

Let's not underestimate sedan trunks. One of my friend's brothers would borrow his parents' full-size Pontiac, stuff a few people in the trunk, and drive up to and through the box office booths at the drive-in. Just one person. In a big Pontiac. And, once this big Pontiac was parked, he opened the trunk and let his friends out. It's not too smart to begin with. But wouldn't it also look weird to nearby parked cars that the trunk of this big car pops open and teenagers start climbing out of it?

Too funny! I'm native to that place and I'm nothing like the stereotype ... and never was! Except for maybe the irreverence and sarcasm that people will let fly there. I feel more at home in your city of Montreal. If only it had a mild winter. I will say that what's likeable about L.A. is the setting and the weather ... and that's really about it. The "culture," the value system, and the edgy people are pretty messed up. I'd say more than half of the people I grew up with have left. Many stayed in the state, but went to far less crowded or rural areas of it, including the desert (where they cannot allow their pets to be outside alone on their properties). Others left the state altogether and went to America's second tier cities. Once you've adjusted to a "second tier" metro area (Denver, Portland, Twin Cities, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, etc.), you will have no desire to go back to L.A. Even visiting L.A. is stressful because you are constantly reminded that it has lost its livability.

I call this the "Santa Monica Blvd. song" and it seems to be the song most readily attributed to Sheryl Crow. At about :55, she mentions DATSUNS and Buicks, so this is a little dated! At least she doesn't want to eat Subarus, as per the lyrics from some other song of about that time.

There is really another big issue here. Most of us here have advanced critical thinking skills and a critical eye when it comes to automobiles. (It's almost to an OCD level, if not already there!) There's a fairly big difference with what can be done stylistically with 3 volumes than with 2 volumes. It's a little harder to adhere to corporate branding and make SUVs/CUVs that are easier to differentiate from each other. That said, automotive designers have quite a bit more stylistic leverage with sedans and coupes. One only needs to think about some of the sedans and coupes that C&Gers love so much.