Robert Hall

Thought about that.... I've been driving the 500SEL the last 2 weeks. 4800lbs, V8, 12mpg, 180k miles, 50 miles a day commute... Rob

It would be more fun with an air conditioned garage. In a carport in AZ in the summer, not. much. fun. I want to replace the driver's inside door panel eventually also, since the vinyl arm rest is cracked. Rob

2011....or maybe find a clean, low mileage loaded '04 Overland..those were so sweet inside. Rob

Just joking about the Aveo.... I'm not looking to trade the Jeep anytime soon.. probably keep it for winters and get a new car in the next year or two. Rob

Sharp looking car..looks great in that color..is that the same red as the CTS's color (or is the CTS red lighter?). I really like this generation Malibu, one of the best looking mainstream sedans out there.

Two weeks ago, I driving along in downtown Hell (Phoenix) on a pleasant, sunny 115 degree day when I hear a loud SNAP, and my seat lurches backward and to the right ('00 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 101k miles). Got home, studied the situation, realized the driver's seat track was sheared off right below the seat attachment point. All the power functions work fine. Did some research, found it this is a common problem with WJs. Found several write ups about this on jeepforum.com and other forums. Started fiddling with it, managed to unbolt the 4 bolts that held the track. After leaning the seat back, I realized the seat frame (which the track bolts to) is also cracked. The most difficult thing so far has been getting the power connector disconnected from the power seat motor. After unbolting This is the electrical connector that proved quite frustrating: Both shears are visible in this pic, to the right--crack in the silver seat frame and the black track below and to the left of it..(right above the red tag is the sheared black track piece) Seat out of the car Floor grubby...need to vacuum Considering I have nearly zero mechanical skill, this was quite the achievement for me... Time to find a new seat and frame...found some on ebay...need to see if some yards in the PHX area have them...lots of passenger side ones to be found online, but few driver's side ones. I also realized today is the 9yr anniversary of the day I bought it new. To be continued... Rob

I went out early before the temps got to 100 and looked closely, took pics. Finally figured it out---slide the red 'lock' tab to the left, then push down on a tab at the front of the connector, and they slide apart. Was able to lift the seat and frame out completely. Now to find a replacement dark gray leather driver's seat w/ track in good working condition.. Rob

I wonder how many of them have the driver's seat in good working condition? I finally got the broken seat and broken track out of mine this morning...now should I replace the seat or just bungee cord a lawn chair in place and run it down to the Chevy dealer tommorow to claim my $4500 towards a new Aveo??? Rob

About the seats, are they power? Disconnecting the power from the body (cable coming through the carpet) to the power seat motor is what has me stuck on the seat removal on my Jeep. I've inquired on a couple Jeep forums, haven't gotten a great answer yet...but I just can't figure out how to disconnect the power connector. Looks like I will have to replace both the seat track and the seat, the metal frame on the bottom of the seat is cracked also. Rob

Today--a suede black '65 Cadillac 4dr sedan w/ black steel wheels...interesting. And a really clean white '80 Cutlass coupe. Rob

Looking good...those 300 seats look great in there...I don't recall the before pics--did your car have a cloth interior? That looks like the same radio head unit my Jeep has, and the HVAC controls look very similar.

They have them here.. Phoenix is one of the top cities in the country for redlight running and accidents in intersections...broadside and turning accidents every day. The yellow lasts very short durations in Phoenix, longer in some of the suburbs I've noticed.

For some reason, even though it's FWD, I really like the design..it's unique inside and out...I usually like French car interiors also. Another piece of trivia--there were Renault Ramblers (the Rambler Classic) in France the '60s, 20 years before the notorious Alliance/Encore. Rob

Isn't that the era F150 that had the fire problem with the cruise control switch/brake master cylinder? The lawn chair comment gives me an idea of how to fix my Jeep seat... R

This site is hysterical...many had me LOLing.... free $h! as found on Craigslist...pages of dreadful junk with great descriptions. Item As Not Described

Seriously cool car. Rob

? I never said anything about the LaCrosse being too large. Someone else must have said that. It fills in the gap in the midsize line between the Malibu and LaCrosse. I'm not talking dimensions. Previously, GM had the Malibu->G6->Aura->LaCrosse. Now, those two middle models are gone. The new LaCrosse seems more full size, though, and can probably replace the Lucerne. The new LaCrosse should compete well against the Taurus and MKS. Rob

I have nothing against rental car companies..I try and only rent domestics when I travel. Fleet sales are a part of the market. Rob

It's a gap filler more than anything else...previously, they had the G6 and Aura to fill in between the Malibu and LaCrosse. They need something in the middle for Avis. Rob

I wonder if there will be a 'Super' version..for that matter, how about a 'Super' version of the '10 LaCrosse?

This was a 'Dos Equis' morning---saw two of the new '10 Equinoxes, one in a dark red and the other dark gray. They look good, very clean and modern design. Seen a few '10 Mazda3s in the last couple days also...smiley looking front end. Rob

I'm trying to remember if I've ridden in a Korean car. About the only experience I can remember was around 1995 in a Hyundai Scoupe rental, from Boston area to Newport, RI and back July 4th weekend..the car lurched...very rough driving. Rob

Interesting...well, Genericans are already used to Chinese products from their Wal-Marting. Americans: more likely to buy Chinese cars than Korean? Also saw this Tweet from Auto Pacific below: " A staggering 40% of Gen Y are open to an auto from China, compared to 16% overall. Grew up global; to them it simply isn’t far-fetched." I know I'm more likely to pick Chinese food over Korean, though probably would pick Thai or Indian over both... but not with cars. Rob

Good news. I'm optimistic for C&G's future. Rob

Wow...didn't realise something like that was ever built..thought the diesels were only in the HD pickups and HD Suburbans. Cool. No barn doors, though.. Rob