G_Man72

When I was starting out as a mechanic we would use a bubble level that attached to the front hub. We would zero the level, turn the wheel to one side, zero it again then turn the weheel to the other side. That would give you your caster angle. At least that's how I remember it, that was over 20 years ago now and I haven't been in the industry for over 5 years now.

When I was buying my Magnum, my wife asked "Are you sure you want to buy a hearse?"

And now that's what she calls it. "Are we taking the hearse today?" "For a hearse, it has a nice rdie"

Then I remind her that her Fit will fit in the back of my car, and that usually keeps her quiet for a while.

Yes. Though I expect the turbo will be the same one from the Verano.

I was hoping it'd be the updated ECOTECs... make a slightly bigger splash than saying, "The 2013 Malibu will be powered by the 182hp DI 2.4L". I rather see something like, "The 2013 Malibu is said to be powered by GM's new 2.5L DI Ecotec putting out 200hp, and updated turbocharged 2.0L found in the Regal and Verano, putting out 240hp/270lb-ft," or something like that.

That's what they are saying over at GMI. It will have the new 2.5 and the reworked 2.0T. I haven't heard what the HP numbers are, but I guess we'll find out on Monday.

Who needs SUVs. Good choice. How many miles does the puppy have?

It has 156,000km or 90,000 miles.

Yep. It was something like -30C here last week, then it warmed up to 0C a few days ago and now it's getting cold again. The joys of living in the Great White North.

I'm not sure why they didn't work.

Maybe attaching them will.

After living with 1 vehicle for a few months, my wife and I decided to get a second car. After test driving a few cars this weekend, this is what we ended up getting:

It's a 2005 Dodge Magnum RT!

We pick it up later today!!!

You have to love the classy neon yellow paper sign in the window!!!

That just screams luxury, doesn't it?

I listen every week. I look forward to downloading this tonight and listening to it tomorrow.

Keep up the good work.

New SVT Raptor driving down the street next to my house. I almost didn't notice it except for the grill.

I like the feature where you can sign in using your Facebook account. I tried logging in on my wife's laptop, but I couldn't remember my login. I used the Facebook feature and got it! Great!!!

I was driving past the local Pontiac/Buick/GMC dealership this past weekend and I noticed that there were very few vehicles on the lot. There were some Sierra's, but no Acadia's. There were a bunch of G3's and G5' and a couple of Vibe's. No Buicks at all. As I was driving through shaking my head, I noticed a black Terrain sitting in the shade close to the building. I thought I was seeing things. I stopped and got out and took a look. Very nice. There was no sticker showing options or details, but it did show the mileage ratings (24/34, from what I remember). The inside looks very nice and with the chrome wheels I thought it looked very sharp. I was going to ask if it was available for a test drive, but I had to be somewhere else.

If it's still there later this week, maybe I'll try again.

On the way to work this morning we were passed by a DTS with either the "Night Vision" set-up or it was just missing the emblem.

So here's a few pictures of what I saw the other night.

Dodge Viper SRT/10

BMW M3

1997 Acura NSX (I'm in the passenger seat)

Ford GT

Same Ford GT after a few hot laps (had steam coming out of engine, not good)

This was a cool event. My wife won a ride along through her school, so she gave it to me. There were a whole bunch of guys there with there cars running them the way they were intended, around a race track as fas as they could.

This is me gettting ready to go

This is the piece d'resistance. A 2010 Porsche GT3. This was the first night the owner had it out on the track. He passed us like we were standing still, and almost lapped us after about 5 laps.

There were also several 911's, some Caymens, there were 2 Ford GT's, one painted like the original GT40's, a Ferrari 360, a Miata, an RX-7. All around it was a very interesting night. I also learned that I will never be able to race cars as I got very ill after about 10 laps.

Doh!

Dumbass!

No soup for you!

I think those are all of them, but I could be wrong.

We were camping out in Banff this past weekend and saw at least 10 2010 Ford Fusions (all rentals) as well as 2-3 2010 Mustang Convertibles (also rentals).

The guy in the motor home was towing a Colorado similar to my Canyon so I chatted with him for a bit, and he knew nothing about the truck. He thought it had a six cylinder, and when we opened the hood to show him, we found that his K&N Cold Air Induction air filter had fallen off at some point. Also he had hit a deer with his motor home and cause what he figured was around $25-30,000 damage.

I always wondered about Canada's preference of Pontiac over Chevrolet, and I thought it would be enough to ensure their survival, but apparently not. I've visited only Toronto in Canada, and what struck me was the almost complete absence of big pickups and SUVs.

You should come out west. They're everywhere out here.

On Saturday I saw 3 Ferrari's (all 360 Convertible), a Maserati Quatroporte S, and Lamborghini Gallardo, as well as my second Camaro (Yellow).

Saw a gorgeous blue Lamborghini Gallardo. Had to drive slowly past it to get a good look. My wife still thinks I'm nuts.

Yesterday I saw a VW Phaeton. That was rare, never seen one before.

Oh, and a couple of Ferrari 360 convertibles. Yes 2 of them, different ones on different days. One red the other silver.

Saw my first new Camaro on the weekend. It was yellow and looked like it had louvers on each side of the hood. It was hard to see as I was turning left and he turning the opposite way.

My wife thinks I'm nuts for getting so excited about seeing one.

PS ~ has anyone noticed that when you spell check Camaro the first suggestion is Camry??

The Comfortread (stupid name by the way) looks like it will be better in the winter as it has a lot more siping than the others, plus wider gaps between the tread blocks on the outside for getting rid of the snow/slush. That being said, I've never liked Goodyear's. I remember replacing a lot of Aquatreads when they first came out because of separation after only a short time.

That being said, Michelin is a great tire, but are very expensive for what you get. I've found that Toyo's are just as good and cheaper too. Take a look at the 800 Ultra. When I was selling tires, it competed and won against the Michelin for ride, quality, traction, and price.

Just my thoughts.

I found out the other week that our beater 1991 Accord has retained accesory power. The windows can be rolled up after the car in turned off and the keys removed. I thought that was only a newer feature. Who knew?

Trying to reduce monthly payments and gas bill. My commute is 40km one way. I work in the Oil & Gas Industry which is taking a big hit at the moment, so my job is not that secure. In fact, I've been laid off once already, only to have them recall the notice.

Would love to keep it, but right now it doesn't make financial sense.

I have a 2004 Crew Cab and it has plenty of room. The bucket seats are quite comfortable for long drives. I've driven in it for 15 hours straight and had no issues. I have the I-5 and it is a little under powered and thirsty. I think the best mileage I ever got was 22-23 mpg.

As far as the off-roading goes, they are fun. They can go down trails that the full size trucks would scratch their pant on.

It also does ride much nicer when it's loaded

Overall, I really like my truck, and it sucks that I have to get rid of it.

I used to have an '85 GT V6 4 Speed manual. It was alright and would keep up with my buddies Z28. I had to do the clutch and that was a pain.

Does the hood open up and act as a trunk? Yes

What commonly fails on the Fieros? ?????

Is the Fiero a reliable vehicle? It was for me

Is the Fiero really known for anything (aside from blowing up)? ?????

How does a 5-speed V6 feel to drive? Slightly sporty at all? Although mine was a 4 speed manual it was kind of sporty.

How does the suspension hold up? Sporty? Lots of body roll? Held tight in the corners but seemed to wander.

How terrible is fuel economy (5M V6)? I got maybe 250km per tank, but it was a very small tank.

How do they drive in the snow and rain? I put 4 winter tires on and had no trouble getting around in the winter.

Anything else? Pain in the ass to work on the engine.

Hope that helps.