Robert Hall

Happy Birthday!

Sounds like a rough 'hood.

Those are cool...I esp. like the use of color. I'd like to see a dollar coin rather than a bill, though. The current bills are so dated and dull looking. Though I do avoid carrying cash or coins, prefer to go paperless as much as possible.

Apples and oranges as far comparing to the Equinox--the Equinox is much larger, almost Grand Cherokee sized. I suppose the Patriot nominally competes with the CR-V, Rav-4, Tuscon, and Sportage. GM doesn't have anything that small in NA..

I voted for 13-15. Too bad there isn't a 16+ category, I want 21 speeds, all driver selectable

I saw a black previous gen Merc E-class with an unusual personalization--had the personalized license plate 'GAZ' and on the decklid chrome M-B style letters spelling 'GAZ' in place of a E350 or other series badge. Strange. Also saw a bright red '10 Challenger R/T Classic (like that color) and a clean '75-76 Cadillac Eldo convertible in yellow w/ a tan interior, top down (getting to be convertible top down weather here).

Good luck! Back in the '80s, my brother worked in auto parts for almost 10 years..eventually manager of a Nationwide Auto Parts store. Has a lot of interesting stories of the people you run into in that line of work..

I like that color. I like how many of the late '60s-early '70s Corvette colors directly or indirectly name-checked racetracks..Elkhart being a reference to Elkhart Lake/Road America, and Monza Red, Monaco Orange, Goodwood Green, LeMans Blue, Can-Am white...

Interesting...something kinda like this? (Elkhart Green '72): or this?

GM should trump them with a 10 speed.

Hmmmm...you in Europe this week? I saw a matte black Chrysler SRT8 Estate a couple weeks ago here in AZ w/ NJ plates...

I've heard a couple other people rave about Modern Family...I'll have to check it out...about the only sitcom I've watched regularly in recent years is 'Big Bang Theory'. I'm looking forward to '$h! My Dad Says' because, well, it has William Shatner...who makes any show 100% better (like he did w/ Boston Legal).

This weekend I've seen a few interesting cars... an '11 Ford Edge in dark blue, huge new grille.. For oldies--a gorgeous minty silver blue '66 Cadillac Coupe de Ville ht, a minty silver blue w/ white top '73 Monte Carlo w/ rally wheels, and a white w/ white top '72 Lincoln Mk IV in clean shape.

Which may be new territory for Chevy, but VW has been doing that for years with the Jetta (a small, well equipped car that's not cheap and nasty)...and oddly, they have now moved downmarket.

I've thought about trying one of these approaches on my Jeep....but I may just hit eBay for new headlight housings...

2012 Focus is supposed to have at least 2 bodystyles in NA--4 dr sedan and 5dr hatch.

Summer of '84, Port Washington, Ohio. Starting learning to drive around the family farm. Mostly backing in and out of the garages and barn, driving up and down the driveway to get the mail, newspaper, etc., and driving on our dirt well roads. It helped that the driveway is about 7/8 of a mile long and the well roads are over a mile, twisting and turning over the hills (150 acres of land). Had a variety of my parents' cars to practice in-- '84 Lincoln Town Car '84 Ford Escort diesel (learned manual shift with it's 5spd manual) '83 Ford Thunderbird '79 Dodge Power Wagon 4x4 pickup (scary numb steering, but great on the dirt well roads) '69 Ford Mustang Sportsroof '67 and '68 Mercury Cougars (most difficult--manual steering, 3spd manual transmission, manual drum brakes) '61 John Deere tractor.. (great for off roading.. I'd driven the tractor and the various Snapper riding mowers previously, as well as riding my Sears go-kart from age 7 until about 12, and steering in my father's lap when I was 7-8.. Didn't really do much practice during the school year when we are at our Florida house, but plenty in the summers..got my learner's permit the following summer.

Reality: bankruptcy. recession. Those events have slowed product development cycles.

bt's album 'These Hopeful Machines'

The air suspension must have been a weak point on those cars also...I see many of them riding low. There's someone on the westside of Phoenix that has a 1/2 dozen of 'em in his front yard, right off a major street... As for the Concorde, that car sounds like a great buy if everything checks out and the mileage is legit.

Today went to the emissions testing place after work (Jeep passed!), went home through some unfamiliar streets...saw a white 4dr early '60s Mercedes-Benz fintail sedan and a bright purple (!) Alfa Romeo 164 ( the last Alfa model sold in the US in the '90s)...

Toyota. Moving forward. (?)

Fuel economy will likely be the prime criteria in the next decade...power will be less of a concern as vehicles become lighter to meet the new CAFE standards.

Yeah, what's the point otherwise? For example, I'm sure someone in the aftermarket could build a RWD V8 powered Cobalt, but it's still just as irrelevant, since the subject of the thread is GM production engines...

A couple bizzaro sightings today-- A pristine, mint condition--unrestored, I think '82 Cadillac Cimmaron (or was that Cimmaron, by Cadillac? ) A gold Chevy Classic (Malibu from 2 generations back) with a giant aluminum Fast & The Furious wing (as high as the roof) and the Classic badge shortened to read 'CLASS'. Stock wheels, etc. I wonder if the driver realizes that the car makes him look like a complete dork.