regfootball

actually- being raised Catholic, here's what i understood about it -no sex b4 marriage. -sex is for 'procreating' within the bounds of a sacramental marriage and strengthening your marraige (again, the biblical definition of marriage as between a man and a woman). once you're married, go ahead and have ALL THE SEX YOU WANT AT THE SEX BUFFET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! now THAT sounds GOOD! -birth control is a sin, its your rejection of God's gift of children. therefore, sex before marraige and using birth control is a VERY BAD THING! as the pet shop boys would say, 'It's a Sin". You are supposed to willingly accept as many children as God gives you. I'm not gonna touch the abortion debate. -and they also say homosexuality and masturbation are bad things although I find it strange since a lot of priests are homosexual and like young boys, some of them also. wow, how often have I sinned? well, anyways.......so really, you're supposed to be celibate til married and then only have sex with your spouse and no birth control. In theory, this takes care of the STD thing, because if we only have sex with one person, then nothing should spread. All our relationships would be healthy, since we would never be cheating. And, we wouldn't hurt others from sleeping around either before marraige sleeping with umpteen women, or during marraige by cheating. Logically, its pretty damn hard to argue with that, in all honesty. To make any excuses for something being acceptable outside of that is tough to do (by their definition). The real thing it shows is how weak we are as humans to not be able to stick to one person in our lives and also to not have sex out of wedlock. Our sexual desires give us great pleasure but they also are the source of much of our weakness and sin. Its a daily battle we all face. Everyone sins and has weakness, but it doesn't make it right. Changes in culture do not rewrite what is sin and what is not. Things like birth control don't re-write what is right and wrong, it just makes it easier for us as sinners to justify it as 'not wrong' in our minds so we can go ahead and do it with less guilt. Not like I have lived by that. I am weak. I shagged my wife rotten before we got married.

oh, that's the best sex you can get!!!!

those mach3's give a close shave, buddy!

i've always liked the design of the current monte. odd, and i hate nascar.

"109 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 105 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm"

don't insult my aztek

no azera please, its so faux.

i think the interior is a huge factor. again it comes down to price. i don't care how fast the SRT8 is, if your selling in the mid forties, you gotta not have the same plastic as a rubbermaid trash can. And some style and looks is part of the equation in this price segment too.

i was in my buddy's new pacifica today...now THAT vehicle has good plastics.

the pics of the interior in Toyota Trend magazine depict an interior with absolutely deplorable level of style and quality. easily the worst thing I've seen in a long long long time.

since the corolla is the big seller here and any Yaris they sell is gravy, its not worth it in their eyes to make LH and RH dashes. The Canadians who buy Yaris' and Echos' like you buy coffee at the donut shop don't care as long as its small and cheap. This is merely a case of toyota going cheap on their investment and saying, if you want the guages in front of you, we have a perfectly good base corolla to sell you.

funny how competition raises the bar to expect more.

GC's interior is pretty bad. The Cobalt's plastic and interior is much nicer.

you know, i guess if one is looking at 8-10 year old cars, then yes, repair costs is an issue. Cause if you are buying a used car that old you can pretty much bet you'll have to fix something on the car at some point during the time you own it. I always come at it from the newer side, so sometimes I forget that.

at the end of the 2004 model year, i personally saw a new CTSv with a dealer tag that was marked down at least 5 grand off sticker. Considering the SRT will sell at sticker or a bit of markup, the two essentially compete in the mid forties price range. In that case, its a no brainer....CTSv. Someone check how much lighter the GTO is than the SRT. The GTO likely has a better hp/lb. ratio. Its cheaper, has a far better interior and is less likely to be confused with Camryn manheim.

you ever consider a used Seville STS or Aurora with a northstar v8?

since I a 99 sho I am actually qualified to speak on this, unlike others. If you like the SHO, all you have to do is make sure any deficient Camsprockets are 'fixed', other than that its a very reliable car. 5% of owners had issues with cams and improper manufacturing tolerances and poor sprocket to cam design. I owned one for 75k miles and had no issues with anything. My brother in law had a 97 SHO he bought new and ran up to 160k before it needed some tranny work. he did that and gave the car to his nephew who is still driving it. My guess is its close to 180k miles now. It was a good touring car. The Yamaha V8 was an absolute kitten of a motor. Using the word tempermental is an outright lie. It roared when you wanted sporty, but when you needed to just cruise it would settle in and literally at times on trips you absolutley could not hear the motor running it was so smooth and quiet. At 90+ mph the engine ran as smooth as 30mph. I have yet to encounter an engine that it could not match in smoothness. It ran to redline no problem and could run there all day, and wasn't wheezing at 4000 rpm like a GM pushrod v6. IT WOULD run at 7000 rpm all day if you wanted it to, and it would not faze it. As far as ease of maintenance, Neither I nor my brother in law had to take any part of the motor apart for any reason (like MANIFOLD GASKETS) for example, so it cost nothing and it all fits orderly under the hood anyways. You should never have to expect to take apart a 'modern' engine to fix anything these days. Mine probably burned maybe 2-3 quarts of oil TOTAL for the entire time I owned the car, if even that. None of my Fords ever burned any oil to speak of, even my 89 SHO didn't take any oil. If you are in any way still taking interest in the SHO, PM me and I can send you some informational links on what to look for in used ones.

there are tons of articles on the inet about whether hybrids make personal financial sense. The side of that is, are their any social or ecology benefits, like less gas and dependence on foreign oil, or getting a warm fuzzy about 'saving the environment'. Look on Car and Drivers web sites for an old Brock yates article I think where he does his own sort of self wondering on the issue. He laid out (or someone did) in an editorial about how hybrids really don't and never will make sense. It was a great read. however, Toyotas puppeteering of the media and public opinion will make you think Hybrids are the same thing as Jesus coming back to earth.

raised Catholic. pretty much didn't go to church during college. after all, no one was going to MAKE ME GO EVERY sunday. anywho, I married a Lutheran and do that now. Its all tame in comparison. If I ever reach a point someday later in life where I am alone again or something, I may return to the Catholic Church, I don't know; if so, it would be 'cafeteria style'. Like a previous poster said, they are indeed 'liberal, tolerant and egalitarian'....just under a heavy and screwed up Management structure (like GM is). I am not crazy about how it is packaged, i.e. priests can't be married and need to be celibate, and a bunch of other things. I think there is too much emphasis on 'works' and 'sacraments and rituals' instead of faith. Lutheran strengths are emphasis on 'grace' instead of 'works' and its on believing and trusting and faith. Doing things not out of requirement, but out of love. Overall its just too mellow in some ways, however. We get all the flyers in the mail and hear from lots of folks about the non-denominational 'churches'. My feeling is they exist for cash flow and 'entertainment' and don't really concentrate on religion as much as they are a shroud for 'life coaching' and making people feel good. Still, I know they can relate real world experiences to spirituality in some cases better than some more established religions. I just don't think they have a centered focus as much on worshipping God as much as just personal power and 'this world' type stuff. I.E. let's not TELL people they are sinners.......we don't want to make them feel bad. Its a very 'suburbia' type phenomenon these days. Catholics in comparison, cut to the chase....i.e. "you've f-king sinned, get on your hands and knees and pray, b1tch....3 hail Marys, now". LOL. "and leave a fifty in the collection basket". I do think that those who turn away from or bash religion for things they disagree with or don't understand, I think they are short changing themselves. No relationship in life is perfect...including your realtionship with your God. You're being unreasonable to expect perfection, complete satisfaction, and complete logic or understanding in the process. The delivery method you seek for spiritual well being will indeed be marred with HUMAN imperfection. Don't use that as an excuse or cop out for giving up on religion altogether. And at the same time, don't use it as a crutch to not participate in worhsip with others. Example, because some priest molests a boy is not your ticket or excuse to not having a realtionship with God. Its your duty to figure out what that relationship needs to be and to cultivate it. And don't ignore all the things he's done as just being something that would happen on its own. God is behind pretty much everything that happens. Everyday is your test. I believe everything we have is due to what is given to us. We don't create it for ourselves....it is given to us. Thing is, I really have not read much of the Bible. I need to get to that someday. I know you can get it on Audiobook now.....(on Ipod too!). Someone said above about religions having universal truths. To some degree I agree. As far as the rules and standards of a religion, to me the function for those are primarily personal integrity and the honor and protection of others. This morning I walked into work and the first person I saw was our new hire chick dressed in the pink minskirt and black scoop neck top. Would I love to nail her? SURE. But my religion says, you must be faithful to your spouse. Well, that's not convenient. But here's why it exists.....or so I figure. If you cheat with someone else, you hurt your wife and kid and undermine the entire foundation of your family. All sorts of people get hurt. Imagine how unbearable it would be if everyone did as they pleased and hurt others at will all over the globe. So, its not to spoil your fun. Its to some degree a social order thing but has as much to do with respecting and honoring others. When certain groups say 'no drinking' its merely their interpretation that they think consumption of alcohol of any amount could lead to later abuse or whatever and the types of things that can degrade respect and honor to others and God. I think the no drinking thing is extreme myself, but this is how some folks need to survive. Another bit I would add is its not our job to judge others. That's done (at least in my religion) by God. I don't think religions are entirely trying to judge people with rules and punishments although it may come off that way. Therefore, we are not judging but will be judged...so you had better live in a way (whatever the rules may be) that will please whoever your God is. YOU WILL be held accountable. Lots of folks ask if God exists. I believe so and its hard for me to see when others don't think so. Every day when my girl smiles and I see how she is learning and growing is one reason I think so. Or, if the sun is out and its a nice beautiful day. Or, if you've ever needed help with a sick relative or a family situation and there has been people who could help you with that. Or, if you have a good job mentor at work who helps you succeed. Or, a nice loud concert with lots of people having a great time. Some on C/G might find a new Camaro to be a blessing from God. I just got a chuckle. I remember when my sister in law said I was going to hell for not getting married in the Catholic Church and also wouldn't allow my brother in law to be one of the Godparents for our kid, because 'Catholics couldn't be Godparents outside their own faith'. Its that kind of sh1t that I find annoying about how some folks cling to aspects of religion. Especially when they can't even keep their own kids out of deep trouble. I've had to work on projects with Scientologists before. Now that's a hosed up deal, IMHO. I think the 'born agains' are merely so fervent about their beliefs but can't temper them with tact and craftful evangelism. I think its excessive, but they must feel its the only way they can please God. I would ignore them as much as possible. And chances are they have a s many skeletons in the closet as anyone. But like I said, God judges, not us. One of my buddies too says 'wathc out for the people with fishes on their cars they are the ones who will screw you the most!!'

its ok, but not right for the US, obviously. A car this size, sure, but one so obviously 9-3 and so feminine. this is a chick cadillac. The CTS is a great bottom product for Caddy.

frickin thing has wider hips than Kathy Bates.

again, at least if the shifter was operable on the floor too, it would be more natural and usable. who keeps both hands at 10 and 2 all the time? I usually have one hand connected to a diet coke and the other hand barely gripping the wheel.

laugh if you will, but i can go WEEKS in the wintertime without seeing more than one Camaro a day or so around here. yeah, i Know, i meant summer only cars.......

They had a writeup of the Corvette with the new 6 speed automatic in the new April Motor Trend. Generally the comments were positive, except they did not like the shifter paddle setup. Myself, personally, I'd also like a shifter on the floor in addition to paddles to have a choice. There are times when either is preferable, IMHO. I wonder if I would take a six speed auto or a true manual. MMMMM Choices........ 0-60 in 4.6 seconds.

make sure you get one with the seats fixed first then........