Robert Hall

Yes, they are nice..here's mine (well, my sister's, since I'm renting her house in Phoenix currently):

That's a good one...I love that Chuck Norris website... I wonder if someone does a 'Chuck Norris feat of the day' mailing list..

I've been through Lockport..went to Niagra Falls about 10 years for a bachelor party.

I think I've figured it out. It makes perfect sense. Saturn is the 'European influenced' brand what with the Opel-based models, and now Pontiac is going to be the 'Pacific Rim influenced' brand, with the Australian G8, Japanese Vibe, and now the Korean G3 !

That's wierd. Well, this one won't be.

I have a friend that actually traded a GMC Jimmy on a Prius..I'll have to ask him if he's go back to GM with the Volt.

They seem strange, esp. WRT medicine... I have read a number of very good articles on the Christian Science Monitor website, though...on all sorts of topics.

Not Scientologists, but I have worked with a Jehovah's Witness...kind of a strange fellow..HR warned him not to be trying prosletyze in the office..what I know of JW is that they seem cultish. I was never bothered by them going door-to-door in Colorado (gated community), but they have come to my sister's door here in AZ, ignoring the prominent 'no solicitors' and ADT security signs out front..

Noooooooooo...that's science fiction.. Never known a Scientologist. They sound pretty nutty from what I've read, though.

I believe in mathematics, science and technology--rational thought--not mythology. Therefore, I've always assumed that I'm superior to the religious right.. The views of the far right religious extremists don't hold up to rational analysis, therefore they are unworthy of consideration. I didn't say that. I believe in the Constitution, it's very important to me. But, some amendments have been repealed before (prohibition)...the 2nd Amendment is much less important to me than others like the 1st Amendment..it's not 1776, the Constitution has evolved over time with Amendments...

I've tried to stick to every 3000 miles for my Jeep, a couple of times I went to 5000 though. I've followed my maintenance schedule closely, as far as getting the transmission fluid changed, transfer case, rear axle service, etc. Other than 2 sets of tires, 2 sets of brake rotors and pads, a set of shocks, 2 serpentine belts, a few bulbs, and a battery the only non-scheduled repairs I've had in 94k miles is to replace the thermostat twice (leaks) and have the transfer case and rear axle re-sealed. All the interior electricals (heated power seats, stereo, power windows, etc) and even the exhaust are original and have had no problems. The transmission is historically the bugaboo w/ GCs, but so far, no problems. I'd like to get 12 yrs/150k out of it.

I'm 38..I remember seeing the early '80s X-cars and J-cars as rusted out beaters by the late '80s..they didn't last in the Rust Belt...the GM's I liked in the '80s were the F-,G-,B-, and C-bodies... lots of F- and G- bodies (and some B-'s) in my high school...

I didn't say anything about all religions...I have plenty of friends that are religious..I was talking about the extremists--the fundie, evangelical folks like Palin--she's a Pentocostal. I've lived in the Bible Belt (Colorado Springs)..people like her are very dangerous and have no business being in power, IMHO. I'm a strict modernist and secular humanist, believe in science and technology and believe religious or spirtual beliefs are a personal choice and have no place in the government, the classroom, or in public life in the modern world. Irrational extremists like Palin believe the earth is 5000 years old and oppose science research (like stem cell research), want creationism in the classroom, etc. There is no place for someone like her at the top of government..she would try and impose her extremist views on Supreme Court nominees, etc.

I couldn't care less about the 2nd amendment.

Excellent article..as a well-educated atheist myself, I despise the idiotic mindset of religious extremist retards like Palin..

Believe what you want to believe.... anyway you look at it, the Cimmaron was a pathetic excuse for a Cadillac. The J-cars, X-cars, etc were mediocre crap best forgotten. It was the low point of modern GM history.

Because we have already had almost 8 years of failed right wing BS? I'm sick of the right wingers always getting their way. F*ck them!

I was a teenager in the '80s..I knew then that J cars and most FWD GMs were crap...I drove RWD then (5.0 Mustang), still prefer RWD today..

Though I am part Scottish (and Scots-Irish), I couldn't see myself in a kilt... I'm shaped like a slightly thinner Tony Soprano.

It would be delusional to compare a FWD J-car turd to any BMW. RWD gives BMW superiority, even a 4cyl '83 3-series..

The Sky and Solstice are platform mates, not badge engineered. But the Sky, Opel GT, and Daewoo whatever are. The CTS isn't Zeta (it's Sigma). Some Zetas are badge engineered across multiple markets--i.e. the Holden Commodore exists as a Pontiac G8, Chevy Lumina, etc but in different markets., likewise for the Holden Statesman--it's a Buick Park Avenue a China, a Chevy Caprice in the Middle East, and a Daewoo in SK. Nothing wrong with badge engineering across markets. It's bad when the badge engineering is within a single market, like the G3 and G5 in NA simultaneously with the Aveo and Cobalt. See the difference? So many posters seem to be incapable of understanding the difference between badge engineering and platform sharing. Badge engineering occurs when the car is given a different brand and/or name, with trivial styling differences (usually grille and taillights) and little or no interior differences. G3 and Aveo. Commodore and G8. Dodge Neon and Plymouth Neon (a particularlly extreme example). Sierra and Silverado (though the differentiation is more with this generation than previously). The U-vans. Torrent and Equinox. Nothing wrong with badge engineering across different markets. It's when it is within the same market that it becomes egregious. Platform sharing occurs when a number of models are built across brands (or within the same brand) with shared dirty bits underneath, and often the wheelbase and other hard point dimensions... Malibu, Aura, G6 and Vectra. LaCrosse, Grand Prix, and Impala. Sky and Solstice. The Lambdas. Equinox and Vue. ES and Camry. Usually no sheetmetal is shared, though windshields many be. In the past, GM shared entire greenhouses on some platform shared models (like the B-bodies of old), but in recent years (like with the W-bodies), each brand gets completely unique metal. Make sense??

I couldn't imagine blue collar union workers supporting a Republican. Isn't the Democratic party traditionally heavily supported by the unions, and the Republicans by businessmen (the suits)?

So? Who said they weren't badge-engineered? Nothing wrong with it when models are badge engineered across different markets. It's absurd, though, when they are badge engineered in the same market...i.e. a G3 in a Pontiac dealer cross the street from the Aveo at the Chevy dealer. Or are you too thick to see the difference?

Flagstaff is under 3 hrs, IIRC, as are Payson, Pinetop, places like that up north. San Diego is also a popular getaway in the summer... I should have driven up to the mountains this summer, but just didn't feel inspired. I'll definitely head up this fall and winter. I'll be back in Colorado for a few days in October, that should be good. My new gig is a 6-9 month contract, I'll see how my opinion is of AZ next spring..not sure if I want to do a second summer here. I couldn't imagine living here without a pool. I like swimming, and just enjoying hanging out in to cool off in the evenings after work.

My prediction is that within five to eight years, Pontiac will have gone the way of Olds. They will trim down the line to only 3 Chevy rebadges (G3,G5, next G6), make them 75% or more fleet, then pull the plug. Since Pontiac is part of BPG, it will have minimal effect on dealers... Sad, but unstoppable at this point if the suits at GMNA have already decided the end game for Pontiac.