bobo

It’s that time of year again! Here’s the 5th anniversary edition of the list of the best and worst of all things C&G and GM over the past year. Before we all relive these moments, here’s a mention of some of the more significant events that occurred in the outside world: The war in Iraq sadly continued to plod on without any seeming kind of direction. In the U.S. elections, control of the Senate turned on the word “macaca” along with a return to the concept of checks and balances in government. The year ended with the passing of the 38th President and the execution of a ruthless dictator. On this board, the year began with the shocking passing of Chief. GM introduced their most important product, the GMT-900 full-size trucks. And the Camaro was finally announced in the summer. Now on to the highlights and lowlights: Cheers to GMan for the Best Thread on the 2008 Malibu. The initial post was unremarkable, a link to a spypic of the new Malibu on Winding Road. However, it started a lively discussion on a car in a market segment that GM once ruled but stopped being competitive. link Honorable mention: Northstar's thread on the Commodore coming to the US as a Pontiac link Jeers to the C&G Server for a year's worth of crashes. Internal Server Error was burned into monitors across the globe. However... Cheers to z28luvr01 for being the Moderator of Merit and fixing most of the server issues, and the forum update was a pleasant way to end the year. Honorable mention goes to Flybrian for his evenhandedness and willingness to subject himself to all the abuse necessary to keep the wheels on the cart and prevent the site from careening out of control. Cheers to GM for the Best Environmental Move by announcing the Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid, in contrast to the more show than go “Live Green Go Yellow” campaign. Now if only GM will follow-up the talk in a reasonable timeframe and take leadership in the hybrid market. link Jeers to Kirk Kerkorian for toying with GM and calling in Carlos Ghosn for possible merger talks. GM's stock price went up and down with the rumors, and Kirk found that no one wanted to play, and then he went away. Cheers to Bob Lutz and Anne Asensio for delivering on GM’s promise on better interiors. The interiors in the big trucks, the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia, and the SRX require no excuses. The interior in the upcoming Buick Enclave is nothing short of breathtaking. GM's emphasis on product is a hopeful sign. Jeers to Chevrolet for the Most Disappointing New Sheetmetal on the new Silverado. After subjecting the country to a squinty face for last five years, Chevy makes the country's second best-selling vehicle about as bulky-looking as it can be, though not quite as dowdy as the Honda Ridgeline. Thankfully, the Sierra came out looking reasonably well, despite a passing resemblance to the Ford Super Duty, and the GMT-900 SUV's are downright handsome, aside from the questionable headlights on the Yukon. It's fortunate that styling is not foremost on most pickup truck buyers' minds because these are world-class products, just waiting for a wider application of the six-speed automatics. Cheers to enzl, evok, and The O.C. for being the Voices of Reason. It's fun for everybody to be armchair CEO's, but it's good to hear the views of those who know what they are talking about. What they say may not always be what members want to hear, but they do have the credibility to back it up. Special mention goes to AH-HA, who gave the site priceless gems over the years but decided to unmask himself and walk away. His occasional visits are very much appreciated. Cheers to the Biggest GM Fan, GMTruckGuy74, who purchased (or leased) not one but two Saturns in their debut years: a Sky and an Aura. And an Outlook or Acadia is pending for next year. Cheers to Satty for the Most Significant Personal Development by becoming a father. link And cute little Alex has inherited the auto-oral foot fetish of his father. Honorable mention goes to lakefire for getting married and buying a new home. Worth mentioning is special member blackviper8891, who found and then lost love, but altogether seems like he's found his place in the world. Now if only he would find a job. Jeers to the C&G Curse that has taken its toll on many forum members, some of the more notable victims being Satty, RBB, GMTruckGuy74, Bimmer325, and the former admin. Flybrian started it all with his attempt to assemble a brand new Aurora, piece by piece. Cheers to NOS2006 for the Best Signature. In a sea of ginormous signatures, it’s nice to see a tidy one that also has some artistic merit. Cheers to wildmanjoe for Best Avatar. Who doesn't like dancing chicks? Cheers to Gizhost for Best Concept for his interpretation of the Buick Velite. Honorable Mention: Best Nameplate to Return, PlumCrazy's Firebird: Honorable Mention: Most Production-Ready, Ted's Brigadier: Jeers to the Worst Poster/Troll of the Year to someone who does happen to be a GM fan. We all appreciate GM fans, but sometimes exhibiting blind loyalty does little for the cause when what you spew makes no sense at all or is just unmitigated idiocy. As usual, the worst poster shall remain nameless. Cheers to Oldsmoboi and others who contributed financially towards the site. Also Cheers to the brilliant mind that came up with the idea for the Member’s Ride Calendar. Get one (or two) today to support the site. And finally, Cheers to all the members and mods who continue to make this site the best place on the web to hang out. Whether it’s news from within the industry from thegriffon or mightymouse, the light-hearted banter from CD/BP or ocnblu, old school reminiscing from Sixty8panther or balthazar, or the youthful perspectives from Northstar or empowah, everybody adds to the site, even to those contrarians but realists like siegen who are necessary to carry on a healthy debate. And before closing, it's important to recognize Walt for his profound wisdom in creating a site to allow all of us to be GM's biggest fans and toughest critics. Happy New Year everybody.

Yogi Bear

ticket

It appears the reflectors are on top. At first the taillights seemed wrong, but they're growing on me.

money

extension

accent

undertaker

Very stylish. Nicer than the typical cute-ute.

Pierce-Arrow Model B

corpse

Johnny Carson

I'm susceptible to nosebleeds when it's very dry. Once when I was a kid, I had to go to the hospital because the bleeding wouldn't stop. Just today at work, I had a nosebleed. It hasn't happened there for a long time, but it has been very dry lately, and the heaters seemed to be turned up too.

With all the hype, it's almost inevitable that most people would feel disappointed if the sky-high expectations were not met. That being said, this is a huge improvement for Chevrolet, but there isn't much of a "wow" factor here. It's world's better than the outgoing vehicle and more attractive than the Camry, but then again, what isn't. I agree with reg on the TL/Jetta vibe. The Accord will continue to be a moving target.

loader

Edsel Citation

dirty dancing

monkey business

Biturbo Convertible, Maserati

grinder monkey

insulation

pocket pal

Ford was a decent guy, the right person to become president after Nixon's fall. His wife, in the Betty Ford Clinic, probably had as much if not more, impact on society as he did.

The Big One

I-5 and I-580 between L.A. and the Bay Area. Highway 99 between I-5, south of Bakersfield, and Sacramento.