Cory Wolfe

Cynical, much?

1994- It was my first dreadful year of Kindergarten.

I needed my own thread. I was in Detroit again this weekend and saw even more cars than the last time. Pictures of some to follow, noted with (*). Alfa Romeo 8C * Aston Martin Lagonda * Aston Martin Rapide * (!) Aston Martin Virage BMW M1 Buick Regal Cadillac CTS coupe concept * (!) Cadillac CTS-V coupe * (also watched a start up and take off by a GM engineer) Chevy Corvette ZR1 Chevy Corvette Callaway C16 Supercharged Chevy Corvette Callaway B2k Twin Turbo Chevy Corvette Specter GTR Chevy Corvette LMS Racer. DeTomaso Pantera GTS Ferrari California (start up) Ferrari 458 Italia (!) Ferrari F430 Scuderia Ferrari 360 Modena Ferrari 575 Superamerica Ford Fiesta Jaguar XJ Jaguar E-Type (several) Lotus Evora * (sat in) Lotus Exige Lotus Esprit GT Lotus Europa Lotus Elan Maserati Merak Mini Cooper * (several, drove one of the last ones made in Europe) Morgan Aero Max * (1 of only 11 in the U.S. supposedly) Noble M400 * Porsche Panamera Porsche Boxster Spyder Porsche 356 Pontiac Solstice Mallet Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85 LTD. Edition. * Oh, and I also got intimate with a new GTI.

So I've heard. I've also heard the GOTY edition is very glitchy, though some people say that's due to the autosave feature, which can be turned off. I've heard good things about NFS Shift. Seems to be the closest to GT5 in simulation racing (though, still not much of a comparison). I've thought about it, though I'm not high on arcade racing. With my PS2, playing, say, Tokyo Extreme Racer and then playing GT4 directly afterwords, the latter is always the more rewarding experience. Nothing beats simulation racing. So far, Grid is definitely on the arcade side of things, but I'm trying. It seems like a good game if you get used to odd driving dynamics.

Eminem's Recovery album.

Clicky.

Just received my second game in the mail. I'm going to try out Grid. NFS: Shift is on order, as well, and should arrive within another day or two. I'm finding that Fallout 3 is very addicting. I've never really been into RPG's, but it's proven to be a great game, very enjoyable. My only regret is going for the original, rather than the upgraded Game of the Year edition with extra lanscapes, including a Pittsburgh based one. I still may go for that one and return the other. We'll see. I also made sure to get an HDMI cable. It makes a huge difference over the RCA cable included, or the composite cable I had for my PS2. 1080i gorgeousness. It really lets the graphics shine. My next purchase is going to be a cooling stand for it. I noticed the maximum operating temp is 97 or so and my non-a/c room has been getting dangerously close to that. It's hit 90 everyday so far. I don't want to take any chances with it.

Clicky Sounds hellish.

I bought a PS3. I've had the urge to lately, but wanted to wait until GT5 was finally released. Yesterday, I decided to act upon this urge and purchased one along with the game 'Fallout 3'. I'm hitting up Ebay for more games as I type. I probably should have splurged for the 250 GB model, but I figured I would never really use the extra disc space anyways and went with the cheaper 120 GB model. With my slow internet connection, I can't see myself downloading a bunch of extras. We have a well rounded household line-up now. PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, and even an old Sega Genesis. If I still had my Sega Dreamcast, it'd be even better. I'm looking forward to some fun gaming, and perhaps some comparisons between my brother's 360 and my PS3 for $h!s and giggles. Now, back to the Ebay tab, I go!

Supra, right after midnight.

I'll run a mile or two, though usually I take more walks more than I do runs. One time, after not running for a while, I suddenly ran 3 miles and my calves were dead for a good 2 weeks. More or less, you're body needs time to adjust. The best thing, I've found, is to start light and gradually increase... and keep at it. Not to mention, stay nourished and hydrated. Something high in protein half an hour before your run is a good bet.

Last year's show here.

I just realized I never uploaded last year's show... I should do that. I generally try to avoid repeat pics, thus, not every car was shot this year. You may have noticed a hot pink/magenta Cobra next to that hot rod; it is one that I took a pile of pictures of last year.

Full gallery here. Some pics:

One of my coil springs snapped on the way there.... otherwise, just needed an inner tie rod and it'll be good to go.

I was just looking at this general price range... Quite a few different choices for me, mostly 2004 or 2005 models. VW R32 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT B-spec Mazdaspeed6 Mazda Rx8 Pontiac GTO BMW 3er Etc...

I have an appointment to get the Golf inspected on Saturday. The Cobalt is in my mom's name. I assume that would help if I was under any rental car age restrictions.

I've wanted to try this someday, as well. A friend of mine used to do it regularly with an old Civic he specifically purchased for these events.

The police trooper was already sitting there with lights flashing for the construction. It literally happened right beside him. First, we all pulled over on the left side since we were in the left lane to survey the damage. He immediately had us move to the right side of the road and collected everyone's information starting with his. We're going through our insurance first. Once we get the report, they'll seek the guy-at-fault's insurance, and if need be, hire lawyers. I'm just lucky I have a dozen vehicles to choose between and am unemployed.

Trade in vs retail, Canada vs US, 177k vs ~67k (41k miles).

He was actually a PA resident, as well. Same with the guy I was pushed into, coincidentally. We didn't get any of the insurance info... The cop took everything, gave a slip to send in for a police report and sent us on our way. Clean retail for NADA is $8200. KBB is at $8600.

I'm looking forward to a response from Ocnblu. The fact that it still seems to drive fine has me thinking positively, but after I noticed the ripples in the body-sides, I'm not entirely sure. Here's to hoping.

Let me just say. F-U-C-K. Since that is out of the way, here's the story. Myself, Dallas, and my brother Zack decided to hit up NYC for a day. We left around 3 am to be there early and give us as much time possible. Pa was a breeze. NJ was until halfway through. After that it was traffic, traffic, and more traffic. Lots of bumper to bumper with random bursts of moving. Mostly stationary with a bit of 2 mph for a good hour. Things started to speed up again right before I-280 started. A little lane changing to get through traffic quicker and then we merged onto 280. Not long after that we came to another halt. Sped up again... and then suddenly the cars in front of me stop. I stop and.... *bam-bam* I get hit from behind and pushed into the car in front of me. The guy who hit me is in a Mk4 Jetta and his is very clearly totaled. The couple in front of me is in a Lancer Sportback and didn't suffer much visible damage. Myself... So far, the rear end doesnt look as bad as it is. Unless you look closely, its just damage to the bumper cover. Open the no-longer-able-to-be-closed trunk and you see that the space for the spare tire and battery is all crinkled and pushed in. On the each side of the rear body there's very slight ripples in the sheet metal just ahead of the wheel wells. Up front, same story to a lesser degree. Front bumper cover is most visible, underneath, atleast the bumper support is bent. I can't really see much beyond that. Inside... we had orange soda and it went everywhere. No one was hurt, though.

Turns out, this was just a teaser of events to come.

Last week, we had the Cobalt in the shop to repair the dent and scratch left by the rock-flinging lawnmower. On Thursday, we got the car back. The good news, no more dent: The bad news, my inspection ran out. And then... hours later, my dad was out in the Sunfire and senile old man backed into him on Main Street.