Robert Hall

I think a lot of consumers have the mindset that GM is like Wal Mart---'Low Prices Every Day!'...

The Envoy seems like a poor second choice to the Enclave, what with the Enclave being new and modern and the Envoy being old and dated (not to mention the truck platform).

$42.5 sounds reasonable to me for a well equipped Enclave... that's the price range of a loaded Grand Cherokee Overland.. It's below what a comparable MDX or RX would be. Buick is aiming for the big leagues now, so expect big league pricing for premium vehicles...

I'd avoid cheap beaters..they just break and leave you stranded.

Go for it if you can afford it and love it..but remember, BMW maintenance costs can be pretty steep (esp. brakes).

This afternoon on the way home (rainy, stuck in 5-lane bumper to bumper traffic) I was listening to U2's 'Achtung Baby'....still my favorite album after 16 years...

I thought this was a thread about the Challenger..what's with all the FWD sedan BS?

The B-pillar is a non-issue for me.. with A/C, I rarely drive w/ the windows down anyway. And it would have been heavier if they had built it as a hardtop...

Subies are neat, a buddy has a WRX Sti..it's fast, handles well, but is so painfully ugly inside and out...

5 years would be fine. The original only lasted 5 years..

I had heard about the backlog... quite different than it was a few years ago... IIRC, I got my renewal in about 4 weeks, maybe less in the spring of '04...

The BBC World Today news podcast.

The insurance biz is an interesting animal... I worked for almost 5 years in a software company that built policy and claims management systems, primarily for state worker's compensation funds (which are primarily monopolies) and a little bit in the auto insurance space. It's a strange, complex business domain with mucho regulations and rules...

It's a good way of thinking of it...Saturn has moved up into Olds territory. I could definitely see the Aura with an Intrigue badge. It's too bad they didn't keep the last Aurora and rebadge it as a Saturn Aurora..the name Aurora would fit well with Astra and Aura, maybe it can be used for a Zeta-based Saturn.

Nope, I haven't received his premiums...he's probably unaware of it also. Maybe I should change my first name to one of my middle names...my first name+last name is just too common.

I've had my PS2 for over 6 years now, still works ok (I don't use it much). If I got another console, I'd probably get a Wii.

Very slick..I like the fastback roofline.

Pretty cool presentation... and so far, Boeing seems to be a pretty good company to work at (I've been working the last 4 weeks on a contract at a Boeing subsidiary).

Over the weekend, I logged into my State Farm account to pay my homeowners insurance...I saw the listing of my policies--my home owners insurance, 4 car policies..then I realized one of the car policies was for a 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe...which I don't own. Clicked on the details, and it's a policy for a guy in another town 50 miles away with the same first and last name, different middle initial. What a screwup. Called up my agent this morning, they were unaware of it but said they'd fix it.. I spent almost the last 5 years building insurance claims and policy software, so I'm amazed at how something like this could happen (if State Farm's data model is anything like what I worked with, people should not be linked to policies by name but by a unique identifier).

True enough, but regardless of generation, once you go Toyota or Honda, you don't go back (at least that's my real world observation of serial T/H owners).

Interesting...now what I'm waiting for are public toilets with individual sound-deadened fully enclosed stalls...nothing more irriating than trying to download in a noisy environment.

Interesting mix of the ancient and modern...I've been to Stonehenge, the Roman Colloseum, the Acropolis, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty (and to the top of the World Trade Center and Empire State Building). I definitely want to visit the other sites eventually, esp. Sydney Opera House, Petra, the Alhambra. Speaking of soccer stadiums, here's my local one, went there for the 4th--- known as 'The Big Dick'. Dick's Sporting Goods Park

Whatever...I like the new Challenger design, it's a modern yet retro interpretation of my favorite design from my birth year (1970)...like the current Mustang and upcoming Camaro, it's satisfyingly retromodern, IMHO.

I'm lucky, I guess...never broken a bone, though I've had some major sprains (ankles) and nasty bruises (elbows, knees). I've never been naturally balanced or agile (I can't skate, can barely ski and snowboard, am decent on a bicycle, am dangerous on cobblestone or brick streets) and am not exactly light on my feet (6'0", 225lbs).

I'd like to drive a Euro Focus RS (ST?). They are supposed to be a blast...