ocnblu

+1 on the curse ending for good.

Yes, that Malibu is certainly goodlooking. I really like those rims.

So, tell us about the door chime: doo Doo DOO doo Doo DOO doo Doo DOO :AH-HA_wink: You know I do not have a bad thing to say about this one. VWs tend to get under your skin in a way other cars can't. I love how they feel to drive. Best of luck with this one, sir!

ew, no thanks. Anybody who sticks their hand up in a "talk to the hand" gesture is a little bit too... into the whole stereotypical box for me.

Thanks again, everybody.

I saw an ad on TV at the gym today for the new Corolla, touting "Toyota Quality and Value" and "35 mpg". I thought to myself where is the Cobalt XFE sedan ad, touting 36 mpg? Where is the ad for these tight times pointing out true ownership costs for the Cobalt, which are extremely low?

I first got into Pontiac when I was 9 years old and my grandfather bought a new, 1973 Catalina four door hardtop, in green with white vinyl top and green vinyl bench interior. It was a 400 2 bbl, power windows and locks, but no a/c. It had an AM radio. I fell in love with it's styling (not the epitome of Pontiac style, to be sure, but still romantic and dashing, to a measure, in comparison to other B-bodies of the time, with its slim front bumper and horizontally slotted taillights). It was a tough, good riding car. He gave it to me when I turned 16 in 1980. I remember blasting the song "Elvira" out of the tinny, single radio speaker in the dash and thinking it was the greatest thing in the world. The enduring traits I love about Pontiac are their romantic, sensuous styling (epitomized in the modern Solstice and to a slightly lesser extent, the G6), their performance image (even when they shared powertrains with any number of other GM divisions), just their distinctiveness, when the car that carries the arrowhead is done in deference to true Pontiac DNA. Rebadges I like less, but I do prefer the Torrent over the Equinox, for example. I prefer the sensuous, romantic, timeless look of the Solstice over the Sky, although the Sky is very handsome in a baby Corvette sort of way (just like the 1960's Opel GT). As we enter the abyss of CAFE and ever-increasing fuel prices, I am reminded of the high-tech for the time, OHC inline six cylinder engine used in certain Pontiacs in the 1960s. Tempest Sprint and Firebird Sprint (another reason why I chose "Sprint" when I voted for the name of the new G8 Ute) were economical, yet fun, and the ads for the early Tempests touting the fun character of the 4 cylinder Pontiac engine under the hood, remind me that a big-cube V8 is not a total necessity when applied to Pontiac Driving Excitement. For me, it is of paramount importance that Pontiac survive, with her own unique style intact. A fleet of rebadges simply will not do any justice to this brand with so much potential left to give.

Those chunks are delicious with fava beans and a nice chianti.

You can see it's a Colorado for SA duty. I'd love to see an embryonic Duramax in a Colorado, and if the Montana comes here, the LUV name could be cool.

ten-foot pole

That interior is a definite step up from the current model. The exterior is blobby, though, like the upcoming Insignia and the current Jetta/Rabbit. Spyshots I've seen of the next Golf show a return to nicer, sharper lines for the VW. Seems like GME is chasing VW in the style wars.

sunburn

This was the 500, I take it. Sorry to hear it, sir. Oh, I would be having a fit if golfball-sized hail attacked my Sierra. You say your deductible is high? This would fall under your comprehensive coverage. In cases like this, we would call in a Paintless Dent Repair guy to take care of the damage, depending on the extent of it. Sometimes it is cheaper to replace hoods and decklids (not always though, with blending of paint), but never roof panels. If you have PDR work done, beware one thing, sometimes they have to drill holes in the body (door jambs, etc.) to gain access for their rods, etc. (Some dents they can use glue, attach a tool, and pull the dent out.) The resultant plugs might be cause of concern when turning in your lease.

Congratulations to all of our graduates. It's going to be a heck of a summer for you guys, thinking about your futures. Hey Borger, can't you wait a little longer to have that worthless thing cut off? Go to DF's cookout! :AH-HA_wink:

Nice pics, Mr. Cruiser. I see the bumper guards are missing off the front of the white Roadmonster. Hey, you know there are companies out there that reproduce those bumper filler pieces like the ones on your brother's Regal? Some fiberglass, some in polyurethane. And...uh... your Fleetwood looks like it's sprouting a bit of a tent there at the front. Is that the real reason it's covered? :AH-HA_wink:

Sounds intriguing. This is PA, won't you need permits?

Ugh, couldn't sleep. I was down in my garage at stupid thirty (aka 1:30 am) looking at it. I wanted to make sure the oil change kid put my tires on right when he rotated them because they're directional. He did. According to Goodyear, the tires are the same height as the OE, so I should put my spare on the left rear (height is important with a posi rear end). There's a chunk of aluminum about 3 inches long broken off that wheel, letting the tire bulge out pretty bad. And I need to pull the bumper away just a hair so the left front tire clears it all the time. Dammit, I love that truck.

Thanks for swooping in, AH-HA. I guess the photos are doctored.

Thanks, loki. We were going less than 25 when I passed him. The transmission kicked down when I went to go around the guy and that was all she wrote.

Yes, I decided almost immediately not to involve my insurance company. I will buy the parts at a discount myself and ask my boss what we can do as far as labor is concerned. I don't want to cost my insurance company any more than necessary. The arbitration hearing for my first accident to settle liability is this week, so I'll know if my deductible will be returned to me soon. The officer investigating that one took my side, so I am hoping for a positive outcome from that. Good Lord, I hate this. Haha, Chris, nope. This guy is 29 years old.

empowah, thanks. Oh, my truck doesn't have Stabilitrak. mustang, my front end is pushed over enough I can't get the hood open. It will need a bumper and all associated parts for the left side, a grille (cracked bottom left corner from bumper contact), left side fender repair, the front end pulled back into spec, and a left rear wheel and tire. The left headlight is a bit loose, but until I get the hood open, I can't tell if it is broken. Jetta needs a door, that's all I saw wrong with it, maybe a little center post repair from the door caving in against it.

Thanks, Camino. Life just totally sucks when you're me, I guess. Borger, I don't get hysterical. I really am not a girly guy. And thanks but no thanks on the Asstra. Thanks, BP. If the 1-series were affordable for me, I'd certainly consider one.

Today I saw a last-gen Sunfire, and it instantly reminded me of this '09 G6 at the lower front bumper. Trapezoidal center lower grille, with outboard lower grilles housing the foglamps.

To me, it looks more like a CTS Maxx than a true wagon. Too hatchback-y and not wagon-y enough, imo. It's handsome though.

I wrecked my Sierra today in the rain. Not nearly as bad as last time, thankfully. I cannot believe it, I'm in shock still, I guess. After leaving the BPG dealership to get an oil change/tire rotation, I was traveling on a double-lane road, in the left lane there was a guy ahead of me going really slow, like he was on his cell phone. I went to pass him in the right lane, the truck suddenly fishtailed out of control, I fishtailed 3 or 4 times (raining heavily at the time) but I couldn't hold it, I tagged a stinkin' 90 Jetta in the passenger front door... driver's side front corner of my truck, same as before, then I spun completely around and crunched the curb with my left rear wheel. Kid in Jetta turned out to be an hysterical gay guy. As I was moving my truck past him on the road after the accident and into a KFC parking lot to wait for the police, he was yelling into his cell phone and he gave me "the hand" like "bitch please". Then he told the officer I hit him on purpose because he was going too slow. Does he really think I am going to mess up my nice truck by hitting his broke ass Jetta? Uh... no. Unbelievably horrendous day... sigh. I cannot believe the bad luck I am having with my beautiful truck. I am going to have to get rid of it, I guess.