trinacriabob

I'll do this minor update with pros and cons, since it's just an update and it's easier. I had a white 2019 Malibu sedan that I drove for about a week from Michigan's U.P. to the Twin Cities. I've probably had a handful of this generation of Malibu as rentals. Pros: - familiar and popular - the 1.5 liter engine is up to the task, but that's probably because of the assist from the turbocharger - roomy interior and trunk - sensible dash layout and cluster arrangements that are easy to learn - respectable fuel mileage, especially on the highway - fairly comfortable seating - nimble and connected handling ... seems to be at its best on winding, rural 2 lane roads at 35 mph to 45 mph - the auto-stop/start can now be deactivated from the dash - the rear fascia, with its lip, and the taillamps are attractive, especially with the more recent redesign Cons: - the CVT isn't too too bad, but it's not as much fun to drive as when it had a geared automatic transmission - for a somewhat large car by today's standards, the price is a little high for 1.5 liters, or about 90 cubic inches - I'd rather not have a turbocharger - down-market fabric and interior bits on LS and LT base versions; color choices, especially for interiors, are very limited - no leather steering wheel on the one-up LT version ... to get it, you have to get leather seats and a whole bunch of other stuff ... similarly, it would be nice to order up a power driver's seat by itself and not be forced to get one of the additional packages - no remote release fuel filler door - every rented Malibu I've had with over 25,000 or 30,000 miles has had a drone of sorts from the rear, and it leads me to wonder if it's a hub bearing or a tire ... or if they're just not driven and maintained with a lot of care - not as quiet on interstates as a heavier GM midsize of yesteryear, especially where the paving hasn't been updated in a while - the styling is quirky in parts - the roofline of the cabin looks too elongated and the window/roofline at the rear pillar looks odd, the front grilles of this model have always been tall and segmented in an awkward way - the base price of simpler models doesn't offer compelling value This car is a real mix of pros and cons. This generation, with this turbocharged engine and transmission, has only been around for half a decade, so we won't know with more precision about its longevity and reliability. I don't know what Chevrolet is going to do with this car. I wish they'd keep it and improve it. I know what I'd like to see, since I prefer sedans and coupes. Even if the geared automatic transmission doesn't come back, could you at least throw in a normally aspirated engine with a larger displacement? Toyota's Camry has a bigger 4 with a geared automatic, and it gets commendable highway gas mileage. Some of the vantage points of this car are somewhat attractive and some aren't. Could the greenhouse be "jelly beaned up" a little to get rid of the elongated look and kinks in the window profiles? Can you throw in a leather steering wheel and maybe even a power seat into the basic LT? Photos: Exterior side view - see my comments about the rear 1/3 of this vantage point Front 3/4 view: the lattice effect on the grille helps some over the earlier ones, but they could redesign it Rear 3/4 view: attractive enough treatment of the rear Dashboard and instrument cluster: pleasant to look at, easy to learn, and I like the digital setting for the speedometer (not yet set to do that) Center stack: mostly engaged as opposed to upright, so it looks decent. Both the infotainment system and the climate control panels are easy to operate - - - - - End of review and photos

From glancing at auto ads, the best thing is probably to stay out of the auto market - if you don't have to be in it - until the dust settles somewhat. There is some crazy sh!+ I'm seeing.

The counts are going to be inaccurate because of the different sources and they way they count. This isn't like ballots, with a controlled population/sample size. But I do believe that the unvaccinated are more likely to be hospitalized ... and to be in ICU. With all the changing viral forms, breakthrough infections are going to be more of a problem. Just from glancing at my homepage, it looks like obnoxious Jimmy Fallon and Whoopi have contracted it, and they're vaccinated. The thing that bugs me is medical people who do not want to get the vaccine. I know one person like that ... a nurse who says, "I don't trust it." A lot of medical people have training and education, but, sometimes, it's "STEM lite" and doesn't go as far as where some people's education goes. They may have not taken classes in bacteriology and virology nor in statistics, yet they are still so damn sure of themselves. Then there are the people who don't have good education (or any), yet they have an even more forceful "telling" conversational style when it comes to health matters, politics, and financial matters, as opposed to stating that these are opinions or how they feel about things. Most people have done a lot of housecleaning with their friends and relatives during the last 2 to 5 years. It's something that sometimes needs to be done.

I'm not sure if it cracks me up, per se, but assume you've got some people vehemently objecting to vaccination, their job is on the line because of the employer or state they live in, and they sheepishly "cave in" to getting vaccinated. And, then, nothing adverse happens to them as a result of it. Which then brings up the question: "WTF was all that grandstanding about?"

The sales tax stings when you purchase a new car. Other than that, not bad. Plus, IIRC, there is no sales tax on food at the grocery store. Sometimes, just not filing a state income tax return is a nice thing. Weird how Washington and Oregon are next to each other, but so different as to how taxes affect you. Oregon doesn't have a sales tax, but their income tax rates are brutal because the marginal tax rates get very high at low levels of income. Overall, as a whole, Washington is far more cosmopolitan and worldly than Oregon. Portland is an overrated and overpriced river town. Every single secondary market in the West has been "exposed," so real estate prices are high: Denver, Sacramento, Phoenix, not to mention the PNW. I've lived in the South and I liked it for the short time I lived there. Atlanta's difficult summer weather lasts about 2.5 months. The rest of the year is great. Some places in the South have 4 months of high heat. I was discussing thermal comfort with a teacher in a continuing ed. class and she said that people do abhor high heat, but that extreme cold will finish you off faster than high heat. That's true. On some levels, California is not as prohibitive to live or retire in. That's depending on where in it you live and if you've managed the house or condo purchase. The other things that might be expensive are car insurance and fuel. Groceries, utilities, and income taxes are decent. Their income tax scales are very gradual and the brackets are very fair. The issue with California is how it's now overpopulated, too scruffy and not updated, and even sort of "ghetto," for lack of a better word. California to the PNW can be culture shock. SoCal is, or was, socially free wheeling and sort of obnoxious. NorCal is a little less so, because of the more P.C. Bay Area. By comparison, the PNW is uptight. I was once told, "You should move back to California. We're liberal here." I got more comments like that directed my way and it was hard to take. (When I lived in Atlanta, even being a Yankee, I felt welcomed.) California is certainly not conservative. It has a more balanced mix than does WA or OR, though. - - - - - If Montreal's winter were more like a Boston or N.Y. winter, I would have probably attempted to live there at some point in the past. I love that place and have felt very at home there. Not so much in Toronto. The big deterrent was that, to get any sort of license or board certification, you have to take the exams in French. Mastering a language on a conversational level is one thing. Mastering a language on a commercial level, including writing in it, is an entirely different ball game - much more difficult.

It's sort of a coveted thing to live in the hilly parts of Los Angeles and its suburbs. However, these guys always make the news, since they live in and roam those hillside canyons ... and get a little too close, sometimes. Maybe it's safer, and cheaper (not at all, really), to live in "the flats." - - - - - @balthazar Where's the Los Angeles area on your list?

Maybe you watched the movie called "Lake Placid." It's kind of hokey, with a dumb premise and not that much suspense. There are great whites in the Med. They track the attacks and the percentage of which are fatal. Most of them were, in fact, in Italy and Greece, both with a lot of coastline. Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt had a shark problem a couple of years ago, which the locals supposedly underreported, and which angered a lot of people, to keep their critical tourist business levels normal. - - - - - Coincidentally, I was at the supermarket today. Within the last few weeks, I had a cup of Greek yogurt with the flavor of Toasted Marshmallow. I didn't know if I'd like it or not. It was beyond delicious. Today, I couldn't find that particular flavor. Some servers in bar/pub joints handle this situation differently. I recently had a very good pizza and ordered a soft drink, like I usually do. I wasn't charged for the soft drink when she put the tab on my table. It's probably because they sell so much liquor. They know that, if a person notices that omission, it will go right into their tip, unless the person is a total cheapskate. It went into her tip.

That's it! And the title was so obvious. Ok. Efharisto! It's on my to do list. Even though it might be swimmable, I wouldn't do it. I've got my reasons. I've been liking lakes and swimming pools more and more over time.

I want to go back. I've only been once ... to Athens and also to 3 of the islands. The next time it will be more of Athens, Corfu (Kerkyra), and possibly Zakynthos. I love their food (seasoned and tasty without being spicy) and their pastries. - - - - - Ok, I need some help identifying a movie. I saw bits and pieces of it. I want to get it and watch it without interruption. It's an action-heist-thriller type movie. Parts of it took place in Venice. I saw the part in which they are after a big crate of something with valuables stashed in a palazzo (mansion) on or near the Grand Canal. Someone set up explosives to only affect the concrete slabs where this crate of valuables was held up above. When it went off, rectangular parts of the floor dropped and the crate went onto a boat in the "boat garage" on the canals and they sped off, after which I'm sure there was a chase scene. It was a popular and successful movie. I don't even remember which stars are in it.

Damn, this stuff (^) is spreading like (O/o)micron.

This man from Brazil obviously does not know his political geography too well. I don't know if I'd call him fat, but he's definitely dumb and happy. I had neither the money nor the time to buy a complicated ship model when I was an early teen. However, I did build some less expensive models of 747s I had bought.

I know Saint-Leonard, way out Jean-Talon toward La Cordaire and beyond! I go out that way to get pastries when I'm in your great city and area. Saint-Leonard is definitely Italian while Petite Italie proper no longer is ... far from it. I'm guessing borough means that it has its own neighborhood identity, but is still within the city of Montreal proper. This barber finished up and he had combed the top straight back. I told him that I have wear it slightly messed up, with no part, and that that looked too Guido, which kind of took him aback, but he said okay and fixed it. Exactly ... the hot shaving cream and blade for sideburns and the neck clean up. I definitely never got that at Great Clips.

I think I found a barber / hair stylist I can stick with. I liked the local Great Clips ... and their periodic coupons. This chick who did a great job was working on her B.S. in Business Logistics remotely from a decent enough state school and, when she graduated, she moved on to get a job in her field. Then, this guy with ink everywhere and who I didn't think I'd gel with, also did a good job and, for me being "the establishment," relatively speaking, he was much more relaxed and well traveled than I thought he might be and I got along with him just fine. I called to find out if he was cutting hair about a month later and was told that he was no longer working there. Fast forward - I stumbled onto a barber shop about 30 minutes away (because I had to do some things in this area) that got good reviews and that's a family business ... crustier but funny Italian guys. They cut my hair for about the same $ as Great Clips (before the coupons) and they did a great job. I think I just have to drive the distance since I don't seem them flaking out like they do at the chain haircutting places.

When I was in Italy, I had the opportunity to get a Renault Zoe (electric) for 199 Euro a week. For over there, that's a good price. And, it goes without saying they're automatic. Then I looked into how I would feed this Renault Zoe. I kept reading here and there. It turns out that the infrastructure on "the boot" for electric cars is considered poor, and, in Sicily, it was deemed to be downright dismal. It would have been inconvenient and it didn't pencil. So, I kept looking and looking for an ICE econobox with an automatic until I found a deal I could live with (not quite "an offer I couldn't refuse"). And I got upgraded to something nice, given the cheapo category I had rented. That's yet another review I need to write.

A hard pass on the vinyl top on this big Cadillac. But lots of love for the uninterrupted linear cowl look over the dash, which reminded me of my last car and the ravine dash I liked so much. (This happens to a sedan, while I had a coupe.) But I had bucket seats and a console that was ergonomically sensible for me. No wonder I'm always looking at old cars to have as a "second" car, which you won't be finding both in excellent shape and for a reasonable price.

I think it's a selective perception issue on my part. The cars I tend to notice are usually not customized very much. So it would be vehicles I don't look at to begin with, so that's probably why I don't see it ... when it's actually there.

I saw this. God, how things have changed since I was a teenager. And I can't say I like it. There was both art and passion that went into cars. Everything now is about its generic utilitarian value. Not for it's political aspects, but to cite an example ... it seems like the only way to individualize your wheels is to put a on college license plate frame, a pro sports team license plate frame, or, worse yet, bumper stickers the likes of "I'm Ready for Hillary" or "Make America Great Again." - - - - - And I can't fail to mention that Urban Meyer is morphing into a bigger and bigger turd.

To this I say: Oh, crap, it's not the music thread. Regardless, the '90s did have some decent music. And this is one of those songs I knew exactly where I was when I first heard it.

'76 Century Special - triangle window - true-to-form plain Jane - base V6 - strange wider than usual whitewalls '76 Century with the formal roofline - has some options, while some are not present - this car was being sold in FL for about $ 11 K. In the video, notice the plug for an engine block heater (1:10) and no air conditioning inside (2:00) (this is a northern car)! Also, check out the under the hood simplicity (1:00) and the not so great engine rumble as it's fired up and revved (3:40). The V6 front fender badging is removed. The rear treatment as it's driven off says "pocket Eldorado." Yesteryear's cars were very distinctive, while most SUVs and CUVs look alike. And, if you have time (a lot of time), you can listen to the dude from SW Florida who is quite the talker ... At the very least, check out the way it's decked out when he opens the door. That is one crazy interior.

Hope you're doing better and happy new year. Of these, I really only like the Grand Am. I believe they may have started out with the Pontiac 400, hopefully hooked up to a THM 400. As for the one pictured, there are some weird things going on. I only liked this car in white, to highlight the Endura front end. It does not need a vinyl top. Also, the wheels on this one should give way to Pontiac rally wheels. Since, like the Malibu/Laguna, the Grand Am is a fastback (backlite) colonnade, it should have copied the less pinched rear approach used by Chevrolet. I've always had trouble with this overstyled aspect of these Pontiacs, not to mention the side sculpting that accentuated the overstyling. The dashboard wins the sweepstakes by a landslide. I have always liked the design of that dashboard and it only worked with buckets ... not a bench, nor a 60-40. Thanks for posting the photo of the Laguna. With a sloped front end, it was attractive. Of course, it had to be decked out correctly inside, unless all the good stuff came standard. I've always had issues with the triangle rear side window colonnades. The smaller opera window was one of the big sells of this type of car. However, I got a kick out of how many variants were made of the triangle window colonnades. I know that Buick even went old school with theirs, putting out the Century "Special." It can be a hoot to see one with its loss leader 231 c.i. V6, no A/C, and none of the gizmos ... the Buick nameplate on a mid-size car at an almost bargain basement price. If only the 231 been "even firing" in those cars, their drivability would have been much improved ... and the slanted '76-'77 grille made the Century coupes look even nicer.

On a minor side note, I always like to see people in their upper 90s make it to 100. Unless they were some serious criminal or tyrant, that is. Bob Hope and George Burns made it to 100. I just checked and Kirk Douglas made it to 103. Amazing. Everyone was cheering them on. Prince Phillip of England left us at 99. Just yesterday, the same happened with Betty White, just 18 short days of becoming a centenarian. For as depraved as Hollywood can be, she remained a class act. Rest in peace.

It's fine. I like this gen of MC in purist form and, as for the wrap-around rear backlite, I think it only works on Corvettes and Camaros/Firebirds. This, too, is sort of a colonnade, given that the quadruplets all had opera windows into the late '80s. The price is absurd. I like the one photo with the open door showing the burgundy bucket seats and a console. For me, just put a 4.3 TBI V6 up front. Why am I not surprised about them having no use for you?!? It's funny to even think of Vegas. And Astres. And cylinder sleeves that I don't think were "lined," hence the short engine lifespans. I don't think that people gave much thought to vegan food when Vegas were around! Perhaps it was around the time of Suzanne Vega and "Tom's Diner" that people got into that groove. People were starting to go "special snowflake" right about that time. - - - - - Happy New Year, C&G folks.

Again, who'd have thunk? That is hilarious. Google does think in weird ways, sometimes. What, no takes on that beautiful Malibu Classic?!?

Who'd have thunk that hanging onto a colonnade, and keeping it close to original condition, would have been a "good investment" 45 years later? 1977 Chevrolet Malibu Classics for Sale - Classics on Autotrader It's in TN. Vinyl swivel buckets and crank windows. Gauge cluster instead of a strip speedo ... hooray. Looks nice, though.