Robert Hall

Apparently, Baloon Boy's Dad was working on a new reality show that would be about him as a mad scientist and his UFO 'studies' and his family, so this event was likely a publicity hoax for the new show. What a bunch of nutters.

I saw a dark gray G8 GT on the freeway today on the way to work...in kind of questionable taste, since blingy aftermarket chrome wheels and speed holes had been added.

I have a friend that always rests his hand on the automatic shifter while driving so he can pretend that he's shifting while driving...

I've never seen the value in push button start...maybe some buyers lack sufficient wrist strength to twist a key? Are people really that lazy today? I'm capable of reaching in my pocket and pushing the unlock button on the fob to unlock the car as I approach it, as well as pulling out the key and fob, inserting it into the 'ignitiion' and twisting said ignition to start the car. As well as twisting said ignition the opposite direction to shut off the car. And then push to lock button on the fob to lock the car as I walk away... What's so difficult about that workflow? I just don't get it...

Push button start seems so lame..what's wrong w/ a normal ignition key approach?

I think a big part of the height difference today are the taller tires....17-20 inch tires are a lot taller than the 14-16 inch tires of old. Like w/ the Challenger--it had tiny 14 or 15 inch wheels in 1970, 20 inch today. Of course, the body is more slab sided and thicker as well.

Nancy Grace has to have one of the most horrific voices on TV, not to mention caustic personalities. I can't believe someone is actually married to her.

Saw a beautiful '73 Chevy Caprice Classic Custom Coupe (5C!) today, twice... bright red w/ white top, red interior, white walls w/ stock hubcaps, rear fender skirts.

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Looks like someone missed out on their C4C opportunity.

I know V8s are hard on gas, but how about a '90s Caprice? I have noticed a number of Caprices and Crown Vics on the circuit....

Yeah, almost 25 years since the last one...('85?) Maybe an A-body from the late '80s early '90s...Century, Cutlass...

This is going to sound crazy--but how about a Chevette? Cheap, RWD, 4cyl. Probably pretty reliable...hard to find one in drivable condition, though.

A cheap, sporty GM--how about a Baretta or Grand Am? Avoid a Quad 4.. IIRC, a group from Car & Driver raced an Aurora a couple years ago in LeMons..

Ya, it's a bit of a noodleschnitzel..German Opel w/ a Chinese Buick front end.

Exactly...I figure if I spend $1500 a year or so on maintainance and repairs, that's not bad. 1 year for the equivalent of 3 months of payments. In '08 I spent about $1500 total (had a windshield to replace, transaxle to reseal, etc) and in '07 about $1000 (of which $750 were the tires). Have to put the numbers into my spreadsheet later and compare against the last 5 years of charts..

Yeah, such are the perils of commuting 50 miles a day in a 9yr old vehicle w/ over 100k miles. Stuff breaks. I've kept to the factory maintenance schedule. Still, my non-gas, etc and insurance expenses for the year so far (this, the seat, a differential speed sensor, a battery) are still only about $1200, less than 3 months of payments on a new car...not bad, I figure.

The Jeep is in the shop today... $850 for a new radiator, thermostat, upper and lower hoses, something called a bellows on the front axle, etc. I'd been filling up the coolant tank every evening the last week and half, had been leaking.

I wonder how many/what models still exist. Must be pretty scarce.

So much for rational, intelligent discussion. Why do think 'it's nothing we've done'? Where is your proof? What about the pollution of the environment and atmosphere from the last 200 years of industrial pollution, and the last 100 years of vehicle pollution? I'm not saying human activity is 100% the source of climate change, but pumping poisons into the atmosphere (not to mention dumping into rivers, lakes, oceans, the ground, etc) certainly has a negative effect on the environment....

Could be...both fobs seemed to work ok the first 5-6 years, but the last few years one of them I was always replacing the battery and it doesn't seem to work for very long after replacing it. It fits together tightly. I just use that as my back up key, the one I give to the shop guy when I drop it off for maintenance.

I've got a wierd issue w/ one of my Jeep fobs. I replace the battery in the fob, it works a couple days then quits. The other fob works fine.

Akk...the first race is here. Maybe I could enter my sister's 500SEL. With all it's weight, I could shove anyone out of my way...

I'd love to see GM offer manuals across the board in as many vehicles as possible. However, given that Americans overwhelmingly prefer automatics, I doubt if they can make the business case to support the cost of tooling up for vehicles that will never be more than 2-5 percent of sales of a given model (non-performance models).

Yeah..my sister's flight out of Sacramento was delayed because DIA was shut down temporarily. What a fubar.