caddycruiser

Though it didn't "seem" bad given that you could see pavement down the center of the streets, etc. that never tells the full story. First time out today, finally, and I was saved by a Ford twice. Caught a ride in a co-worker's borrowed '06 F-150 super crew 4WD and between the 12"+ mound at the entrances to my development and the deep, sharp ruts and thick ice all over the main roads & elsewhere, a 15-20 minute trip turned into an hour and 10 minutes to work, going 15-20mph and that truck was getting beat up. Took it in stride, but still. I'd have left G8 pieces strewn all over had I even attempted it, bent wheels and so forth. Coming home got a ride in a '10 Escape XLT AWD and things had cleared away massively by the end of the 35deg day but still big rough lumps and ruts in various places that had the poor thing chattering. Again, woof, TG for the 4WD & AWD Fords that saved my day. Riding in that truck today made me appreciate--since I haven't been around one at all since our '04 Suburban--how great such a beast can be, even just commuting. Well, okay, not the greatest, but comfortable as could be and able to handle whatever...something I can't say for my beast of a 4-door sport saloon, but that's expected. Was rainy at the end of the day & 35, started sleeting around 6pm and who knows now...I'm not even looking until morning. Surprise me.

Where's about? This is southern Delaware beach land...you think you'd escape it here...nopes... YES...my father said "hey, look at it...it looks like it got lower with all the snow around it..."

Yep, and it shall hit here along the way...Delaware Emergency Services, etc. yesterday said "FYI...storm watch for Baltimore/DC...just be alert" then today put up a project snow totals map for Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday. Yay! Hey, at least I could use this as fodder for even more off the price of a Solstice...especially a white one a dealer will never be able to find in a snow bank

Here's the thing. I love the G8. The problem is it's not cheap, per month or otherwise, it's not exactly efficient, and it has its own fair share of idiosyncrasies that keep it needing a little extra care and/or annoying me. That said, well, other than suspension, nothing has ever really needed fixed. I just want to keep on modding it... I don't know. Just having one of those moments. As anything, it's like my Fleetwood. I'd love to have it with 3 other things, but can't. It drives me as batty as it makes me smile. So, you know. The retired friend who had a matching G8 GT that I was going to assume the lease of transferred it to his son in law, basically to go down to 1 shared Lexus with his wife, and in 3 days went out & bought himself a new '10 Jeep Wrangler "makes me feel young, it's fun". He works for a Ford dealer, still, and many times has told me "2 year lease...do it" and was assisting with some Ford ideas. Then when I said "Outback" he told me I'd get bored and to look at an STI...all year round, AWD, but 300+ horsepower. Heh. I still want a Solstice. And I need something for a DD, I don't know. I'm a lot of I don't knows. Then again, the car emails between Roger & I alone are even more like that. Just wait till we end up at the same GM dealer together, perhaps, in days to come...hah

At work, in Rehoboth, sent by the co-worker. Yeah, sure, G8 will just soar right through this...that never gets plowed... Someone borrowed a truck for tomorrow & offered me a ride...given what I've heard of the intersections & this mess of a parking lot above...might not be a bad idea for Mr. Snow Plow, aka G8. Link to the rest: http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c101/caddycruiser/Snow%2009-10/February%207%202010/?start=all

Zeta's. They don't like this. At all. The Camaro also took on a funky shape...it got frozen like that... Dug them out. Helicopter zooming low. I didn't know who it was, but 36'ish hours without juice...I was flailing..."pick me up!" Down the street. Last night, when I started to lose it a little...just seemed darker than the night before...

Sunday, getting all uni-bomber, ready to shovel. Path to the shed. The cars. First up, the HILARIOUS shape change of the Legacy. It seriously took on the symmetrical and boxier shape of a 90's Camry wagon out back...heh.

What it would be like to be trapped in a G8 GT during a blizzard. I almost was. Just charging my phone...again. I think...I see...a Cadillac...

Throughout a snow storm, we clear the cars off regularly just so we don't have to dig 3ft off...hence why they don't look THAT covered. Just enough. This was Saturday. Then it started to really come, after a rain interruption.

Home today, with lights & heat (pretty amazing after days without it), doing my work for work via email. Basically like any other day but in sweatpants, dogs bothering me & a real kitchen. Nothing melted whatsoever, the driveway is still pretty thick, but street scraped to 1 lane pavement & apparently (only have reports from my father) the roads out to the main road are similar...1 windy lane of sorts. Got an email today "I want to see everyone IN HERE tomorrow at normal time" from the Expedition driving boss who on Friday said "can't you just click it in 4wd?" to everyone, literally not understanding why that isn't possible in the variety of a Grand Prix, my G8, a Mazda 6 and so on. But that's life. Yesterday I was warned "no way" and that I'd never make it to the main road without inflicting serious damage. Today the report back from the Subie driver was "you probably can"...and it's going to be snowing, then raining, then sleeting, and snowing more probably up to another 6" Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday. Cha ching! Yay. I Tweeted this to Borger after we finally got the driveway dug out, mostly: "No like, Zeta really no like." I'll upload more later. Crazy stuff. This was my favorite from today, sent by a co-worker in Rehoboth along the road at one of the Tanger outlets on Rt. 1.

I knew I'd get a rise out of that one. It's nice to be back on the 'net fully Work day ahead, albeit from home.

Now that my electricity is back, it's all coming into "view". 1) Sell the G8...and everything with it...err, the G8 and then the expensive mods separately, yeah. 2) Buy a Solstice on the cheap, accessorized up, so I still have a last Pontiac that's a blast. GXP so I have some 5 second juice. 3) Lease a new '10 Outback 3.6R wagon. Cool looks, I can get places, 3.6L power, AWD, pretty good MPG's, etc., etc. Now, tell me how crazy I am. But seriously, this is what I'm thinking today. I love the G8 like my arm, but just having "those days" more and more and it isn't really all snow related. Just things I've come to think about over the past year or so. Craziness, I tell you, but...

In our realm of cars...I have to say this... The absolute, positively, BEST $1,000 any of us have ever spent was for the '96 Subaru Legacy L 2.2L wagon with 190k or so miles now. Simply incredible. Not a single problem or repair yet, other than the dent repair & trim sprucing up, and yesterday amidst all the hard, deep snow that had our other cars spinning when dug out, it just...chirp, chirp, chirp...rollin'. Not a slip. Just goes. Maybe I should get an Outback...I do like the new '10s...even though the regular Legacy's are hideous... That and a Solstice. Yeah.

After storm #2, SO much worse than the first... ...we have electricity again after over 2 days without! Party time! Amazing! The only mobile car we have is the '96 Subaru Legacy. Seriously. Even no shoveling, chirp, chirp, chirp vroom that thing goes without barely a slip through & over it all. BEST $1,000 ever spent, EVER, period. Otherwise, took a drive out in the Subie yesterday to "see" what it was like, almost tore Subie apart & was warned "no way" to even thinking of trying a G8 ("the snow plow" as I call it with the front end) or even the old '93 Fleetwood we also depend on when not using other cars. Grr. Pictures to come. I have internet! And a computer! Amazing!

Heehee, surely you jest

http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/f11/year-model-options-lsd-stabilitrak-56652/ Yep, changed over the years, but for '09 ABS, Stabilitrak and the G80 LSD were all standard. Day 2 without power, had visions of a little Solstice on Blizzaks, romping around the snow piles. Then I eventually go...but why the expensive G8 too? Doesn't matter, doing something regardless. Well, other than going stir crazy right now, connected only by phone.

Me too. Bermuda Blue, loaded but still with cloth, Z71, etc...sign me up. After today? Yeah, you bet so...sitting in the dark, trusty iPhone my only link to the world... Heh, too bad you couldn't look at that Solstice coupe for me today, ey? Hah. At least my dealer with the white roadster joked "at least no one else will be shopping for our last Solstice in this kind of weather!" after I said I couldn't make it up, second time in a row. Solstice, LSD, automatic...no weight...but still has to be kinda sorta maybe snow worthy in a pinch...;-)

No electricity, snow up & over the cars, even the Subaru trapped. I'm buying a Hummer via phone on Monday. Solstice on a trailor behind it.

Exactly. So far, the only pill I could imagine working is to own a big car dealer...heh...take what you feel like, day to day So a stack of something falls off a shelf in my bedroom this morning. I knew it was magazines, but when I go to pick them up, look which one was on top... A sign? Heh...at least a good re-read.

I wish there was rehab for our disease Roger...heh A co-worker just got a new '10 Escape over the weekend, and having ridden in it everyday since Monday several times, I can even more now see the appeal of current small/mid-size crossover 'utes with space and very efficient powertrains. I like the "crotchedy old but updated" '09+ Escape so much, especially even with the 2.5L/6-speed, it makes me really wonder how really how great a new Equinox/Torrent winning accolades is. And I got a killer quote on a new '10 Fusion Sport of all things today, heh. Round the world. Again, STILL want a Solstice, and still will go for one if nothing else strikes me, but in the low $20k's & new...there are a lot of different choices. From an award winning midsize "everyone has one" sedan to a little roadster that could win a design award but also full of "uh..." points to some new mini CUV's.

Wow...

Yes, sir. I'm a stickler for just the right "combo" and this is an example of one of them, interior color aside...but even that I like. On the financing, yep, I've never had to do anything special...but I've seen them take on anything & everything, in my various visits. Not that you're anything & everything, but it never hurts to ask at all. John is their guy when it comes to %'s...or just let you get on his computer to print out insurance cards because you forgot them otherwise, heh;-) We both have ADD, but in situations like this, again, never hurts to ask. I asked for ball park % rates they'd expect to get on the Solstice and got a guesstimate via email, just then depends on me personally when bounced off the different banks. I still want that black coupe...still do...I wish it were at Pointe...but until I can sit in & drive both body styles, still can't say for sure. That goes for anything else I might spot & want to try along the way, including some new Fords... Today I talked myself into how much the 2.4L would be great, how fun these would be to drive, and even how nice it would be to have the USB input on the black coupe's head unit as I was driving home, tinkering with my iPhone & aux. cord in the G8. Round and round we go.

Heehee...there was a point in time...not long ago...when I heard the GM Card topoff earnings were back, and I thought "hmm"...hey...there's a cheap new...something... Lasted about 4 minutes You know though...I never have seen a G3 in the wild... Heehee...well...I did just get 2 free Philly auto show tickets from the owner of Pointe...so...you know...we could both head there, figure out a car to grab each (the Pointe guys are financing pro's from what I've seen) and then hit the auto show to close the day out

I'll PM you...what an idea, if not too far or a hassle;-)

Thought about it. Still do. To finally let the cat out of the bag...the original car this thread was started about was another '09 G8 GT. Why special? Owned by a meticulous retired friend, Pacific Slate like mine but also with a sunroof, Pedders suspension, Corsa catback, 3 sets of wheels, and various other accessories. All with only 8k miles and to take over his CRAZY cheap 39 month lease (put a big $$ chunk down, wanted to finance but also liked the idea of dropping the keys & running away in 3 years) at not only at $150 less per month than my GT financed, but about 20 months left & a low end buyout too. Everything he had for it went with it, and it was like mine but pampered even more. What a deal. But in the end he mentioned it to his daughter after me (then regretted it) who turned out interested & took it instead. He has automotive ADD too & just bought himself a new black Jeep Wrangler, of all things, yesterday. Funny part is, no matter what I could buy aside from the cheapest Solstice, I'll still end up paying more monthly than that modded & spotless G8 GT lease. Oh well. Just have to find a lightly used PSM GXP in times to come, instead. GREAT post Roger...you & I would both enjoy & go crazy shopping together;-)