RBB

No. The lady's agent hasn't returned any of my calls - I've been trying since Tuesday - and she's now out of the office until the 26th. I'm trying to find out something through my agent now... -RBB

John Lee -RBB

Consumer Reports -RBB

You want a Toyota tranny? I'd rather have one that also included gears 1-4. -RBB

That very well could be. Hopefully, I'll know for sure in the next few days.... -RBB

Kris Kross -RBB

Much improved. I do like it. If I were to pick one nit, I don't like that the IP shroud and center console are separate pieces - I much prefer a seamless look. That's hardly a deal breaker for me, though. Could it be that the IP will move up and down with with the tilt steering, a la the g35? If that's why the shroud is separate, then I'm all for it. -RBB

Esteban Yan Dude sweats more than any guy I've ever seen: -RBB

Tell 'em it's an Amati. -RBB

If someone had kicked in my door, I'd have to pay a deductible to repair the car, even though it's not my fault. Generally speaking, any claim that goes against my own policy should be subject to some kind of deductible. Hypothetically, say $5000 of her $50K limit is allocated to repairing my car after taking into consideration damages to the other three cars. Assuming the ins. co's estimate of $6700 in repairs is accurate, that leaves me $1700 short. My policy would cover the difference in that case as a no-fault claim, but I fully expected that I'd need to pay a deductible on that claim. If I don't it's a suprise to me. -RBB

-RBB

In German even: -RBB

Will do, blu. Thanks for the info. -RBB

So I got the insurance estimate based on a visual inspection by a claims agent. $6700, all told, with a list of replacement parts 3 pages long. Included: Repl rear floor pan Rpr RT Rear rail assy Rpr LT Rear rail assy Repl Floor c'member I assume that means they think the structure in the rear is compromised? It's at the dealer now for an official estimate. Fault was completely assigned to the lady in the Maxima - none of the rest of us are at fault at all. The Disco's been totaled, and her 50K limit for damages may not be enough to cover all four cars. My insurance (same co. as hers) says they will cover the difference on my policy, and I may not have to pay a deductible. -RBB

overact -RBB

So does this mean you're changing your moniker? -RBB

They're only 3D in the sense that the lines are raised. I'm talking 3D like the face of a coin, with contours and a sense of depth. -RBB

I was thinking about that - What if the logo were 3D, as if it were stamped or carved out - if the planet were actually a convex sphere, rather than just a line, and the ring appeared to wrap around the sphere. I'll play with it if I get a few minutes. If anyone else wants to photochop that, feel free. -RBB

To me, the Pontiac lineup could go all-RWD, or at least mostly RWD coupes and sedans, if you look at the Pontiac/Buick/GMC triumvirate as one brand. Many in the media and on this board have spoken of the possibility of eliminating either Buick or Pontiac. This consolidation in effect does that, but without the negatives associated with killing a storied nameplate or losing the heritage and brand loyalties that come with it. When looking at things this way, smaller sales numbers from Pontiac and Buick individually are not as bad, because you're rolling the numbers together with GMC to make one big super-brand - the way Toyota currently combines the Toyota and Scion sales in the states. Note that I'm talking a complete consolidation - not just Point-of-Sale. Pontiac, Buick, and GMC's vehicles would be channeled into a single R&D department and management infrastructure. Would Pontiac's sales suffer? Yes, in that they'd no longer be selling SUVs, non-performance oriented cars, and vans. But those types of vehicles would be covered by Buick and GMC. That'd be like complaining that Scion's sales are suffering because they don't sell luxury cars or SUVs - it's just one division of a larger brand. That's the kind of scenario in which I could envision Pontiac becoming an all-, or at least mostly-RWD. And frankly, I think that makes more sense and would lead to better sales overall than would eliminating either Buick or Pontiac, should things come to that point. -RBB

Yeah, tell me about it. Although he hit me hard enough, it probably still would have done quite a bit even if it had been a car. Yeah, very lucky indeed. I do worry that the bumper smooshed the mount for the rear anti-sway bar, though. That might make things more complex: The front bumper is fine - didn't even scratch the paint. Just need a new license plate bracket. Thanks all. -RBB

Some better pics from home: -RBB

OK, this is getting ridiculous. Coming home from work yesterday, traffic was slowing as is normal during rush hour. I was in the fast lane, having just slowed from 60+ miles per hour to about five. I didn't even see it coming behind me - a woman in a white 96 Maxima didn't notice that traffic had slowed, and plowed into the back of a Land Rover Discovery, who must have been right on my tail. He smashed into my car, and dazed, I rolled into the guy in front of me: This is the guy who hit me. Not too bad - he did break his washer fluid resovoir: This is what he did to me: And this is from me hitting the guy in front of me. The nose of my car is actually not that bad: blech. I'm fine - just a little stiff. The guy I hit was fine. they guy who hit me was fine, though I assume he'll be more sore than I am today. The lady in the Maxima was OK overall - she had cuts and bruises, but nothing too serious. She had a little girl in the car that couldn't have been more than three, whose face was cut up. She's probably going to have two black eyes this morning. Paramedics took them to the hospital, but I think they'll be OK. They were both aware and walking around after the accident. It's just a car - nobody was seriously hurt. Dammit, I like that car... -RBB

The Buggles -RBB

That invokes anger and doesn't brighten the mood at all. What about this? -RBB

As opposed to the Japanese model name? -RBB