caddycruiser

Some new, now with my uncovered car showing, taken this evening (hence the lack of light). The last showing the totally reconstructed side as of December...thanks to a Subaru bumper. With the parts, now it's a '95, a '96, AND a '93. The body shop NEVER had anyone deliver their wrecked car and ALL the parts from a quarter panel to doors all chrome and even little trim clips, at once. Ah well. That's the drive, yet again. Now if it would just stop raining EVERY freaking night after a fresh cleaning. Oy. And my favorite...

YEAH. Where, aside from dealer ads (which a lot have pointed out), are GM ads talking about the praises of the Cobalt, XFE, and that 36 mpg figure? It's either what's the latest rebate (STILL...ugh) on the Cobalt, the Memorial Day special, and then just a brief mention of (like I heard tonight) 33 mpg. XFE...XFE...we can do it GM. All you need is one new commercial. The Malibu ones are stunning. Get that team on it. Just one good one. Then again, you can't spend too much on a stick-only base'ish compact coupe...just not something very many people will actually sign the dotted line for, I guess.

YES! I JUST said that yesterday! I think they're slowly accepting the cute new puppy...but there's been some dirty looks :AH-HA_wink:

OH...and in case any wondered what might be going on in front of the Roadmaster, that's dad's "mod work" in action. He LOATHES bumper guards, as are on these cars stock, and already they've been removed off both Fleetwoods...yet still bugged him to death on the Roadmaster. So what did he do? Off they went, and to cover the holes on each side left in both the chrome and plastic below, he took the gray pads off the original bumper guards, cut them down smaller, and just attached those back on. Weird to me for the very small difference, but he's happy now. Odd man. Odd, odd man Oh, and he also ground a chunk out of his finger while doing so...playing with the grinder to make things shaped and fit right.

It seems weird as someone who drove 2 SUV's with 5.3L's for years (and LOVED the power and sound, hah, with her Corvette driving style in both), but after she saw and heard how much I loved my 2.2L '07 rental, her interest really perked up. For years, we'd been (well, not me, but everyone else) sort of averse to anything below a V6 and never actually owned any. But this car with the 2.4L is a revelation. At idle, there's no vibe and just a distant whisper of the engine inside, it steps off very lively I think and generally pulls and sounds like a small V6. Thank god GM's Ecotecs keep getting better and better, in more and more solid cars, and are NOTHING like the growly, rough 4-cyls of just a few years back. I just knew, from my rental, and the fact that a big part of her going Suburban-->Malibu was fuel economy, she would be more than happy with the 2.4L. Not that the 3.6L wasn't a slight consideration, and it's a terrific drivetrain, but it's just "too much" in a lot of ways, puts a touch more weight on the nose, eats more gas, and costs $2k more. For the price alone, she didn't care, and I assured her the 4-cyl was the one. She's now driven it since mid January and has 4800 miles and just LOVES it. She loves the car itself a lot, but also as far as the engine, she's never complained once about it being slow or noisy (there's so little noise...hence the quietest 4-cyl sedan in the class), and just raves about how smooth and spunky it is. And this is with the old 4-speed. In that regard, not that there wasn't any thought to the 6-speed, but the current setup is great as is and proven, and no desire to wait. It revs the 2.4L out a bit at times (of course, longer gear holding with less of them), but keeps the engine lively and subdued overall. Great choice. At times I'm still tempted to even just try a 3.6L version just based on the reviews, but really would never buy one given how darned impressive the 2.4L in this car is. Nearly every Camry and Accord is sold with a 4-cyl, and now that something like the Malibu has such a package and it's so good, I can see why--when it's right, it's just ideal in this kind of car. She "loves her little car" ...and we're all jealous with our old tanks, hah!

Agreed. Coming from white, and wanting no more of it (gets filthy and looks "like a refrigerator"), she gave me 2 top choices when I was shopping: 1) Silverstone and 2) Black Granite. I knew the black was just not something, despite how it looked, something she'd want to maintain, so kept that off hand a bit. I knew Dark Gray looked great on the car and when one was available (the only one we could locate at the time, that a dealer would swap), it was as such. Good thing, because she loves it, and gets a lot of comments on the color--especially the Titanium 2-tone inside. And even for a darker color, oddly can be quite filthy and not look it...same for the 2LT 4-cyl wheels, which have a sort of graphite coloring to part of them. I REALLY like this car...wish I had one :AH-HA_wink:

Hah! When I had covered pictures of my car before...I get comments of anywhere from a dead whale, to the tent pole up front :AH-HA_wink: Just my way of keeping it free of tree crap and storm splashing (as there's no garage...sigh...miss that at my PA apartment!), if it's been cleaned recently. And yep, he knows (I think) about various replacement bumper fillers, yet does nothing with them anymore and I think is just beyond caring, kind of. He doesn't like the look, but his repairing of the old ones stopped quite some time ago, but then he'll fully detail the car weekly regardless of missing bits. Odd. I think working as a collision shop tech daily again for summer, he's a bit tired of it when off. The look bothers me, so I make sure to bug him frequently about it when here. Decent car for the price, aside from the awful Olds 307. Even with just 80k on it, and thought a lot from the sitting/lack of oil changes, etc., it burns oil like fuel and often gives a blue puff. Yet he drives it daily, highway and all, with not a snippet of issues otherwise...except for that medusa (I've never seen SO many lines running around an engine) Olds V8.

Yeah, in a classic car show kind of a way... :AH-HA_wink: There's been so much talk of changes lately (if ever, who knows) in the name of downsizing, newer, etc., I thought a perfect time to snap.

Sounds JUST like me. I've been putzing around for 2 weeks, but start Monday back with the company I've interned with at home (technically, was a real employee in responsibility...just intern in theory) in construction & architecture/design. Now just as a full-time employee, officially, and all those perks. Wasn't my plan, as a graduating mechanical engineer from a top tier college, but nothing else yet worked out, so salary and benefits doing something for the time being isn't a bad thing. Best of luck...for both of us

Then, of course, mom's beauty. Suburban went bye-bye in January because she was just tired of driving "the bus" all alone largely and just as gas was starting up. She loved her Avalanche and the Suburban more than any other vehicle...until the Malibu. Just infatuated with this again, like the Av, and loves having a "small car again"--which just shocks me. This from the person who said they could never own something smaller than a Tahoe anymore and, 2 years ago, thought Lucerne was too cramped when looking at one. Beautiful car in every way, and probably never would have come about had I not had a great month in an '07 rental 2.2L 'Bu while the Fleetwood was being rebuilt. Still gets daily attention, even with a lot more of them around, and working in a bank, she's had customers not only want to see it but at least one go out and buy a matching one for his wife. Still, seems a stark contrast to the rest of the BOF, RWD, V8 fleet...odd, but really a standout in the group of ogres. Mom started a trend, or at least we say so, as I'm on again, off again with selling my '95 boat and going 4-cyl/FWD in SOME form (the what being the challenge, partially, that still holds be back), dad then wanting a practical, efficient, and cheap beater to replace one of his for a daily (probably the '93 Fleetwood, which is still great, but the household spare), well, and my brother refusing to ever cross into the dark side yet. At this point, dad may have given up the idea after months of classified searching and just not wanting to give up his cars, and I'm a leaf in the wind...one day I am, then the next I see how stunning my car is, and can't bear the idea. But that's "the fleet". Sort of a bizarre sight in today's world, really.

And some specifics. First, my younger brother's '86 Regal Limited. Has now had it over 1.5 years, after picking it up as a 1 dead owner car (sitting around...for a while) for $700. Only changes have been cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning (for single stage paint...it's quite shimmering in many coats of my products), and his removal of one of the front filler pieces, both rears, and the top dash pad to play body shop pro and repair them from their cracked up state. A year later, still just sitting in the shed...and the car is driven without. Oh, and the wheels (changed from original wire caps) that I got him for $100 from a guy in PA, via Craigslist--big improvement, I think.

Not sure why, but I was struck today to grab the camera in the sunny heat and just take pictures of our car conglomeration. Too bad only a few were cleaned, and mine was covered (hah...prepping for the storm that hit soon after), but still interesting. Why? Especially now with gas prices, micro cars, etc., the whole driveway is still FULL of old GM boats, all daily drivers--with the one pretty new face of Malibu just standing out like the Suburban before it never did. Looks almost like land of the lost. First some overalls...and again, why I didn't do this before I put my car cover on, who knows.

Congrats! I just did exactly the same, from college, 2 weeks ago! Now, if only I had a better ideal plan of what I was doing, and were already on it... All the best for you now...the first few days are a blur and it doesn't seem possible, then seems like it never happened--or at least did for me! Plans now?

I've thought that, especially living in beach land as I do. Not that I'm a big beach person anymore, but there's something about the atmosphere I just like...probably just the cool factor of it being a place where people from all over flock to each year on vacation, yet it's my daily life even in winter. We'll see. I think I'd like to stay on or near a coastal area, maybe, and am open to but not hot about the middle of the country...I can't give a good reason why, just a thought. Need to explore more! Too bad I'm always in a time/work crunch.

I had a co-worker that grew up in the Baltimore suburbs, moved to Chicago and loved it, then moved to the DE beaches to be closer to family. She was here for several years, but in the spring decided she really just missed Chicago TOO much, bought a condo, and moved back in the course of a month--even without a job lined up, she just had to get back. Last year, from talks, she convinced and helped another younger co-worker looking to expand upward that Chicago was the place and she headed out first and has loved it, when she finally found a job. It's been recommended to me to, by them, for various reasons. City atmosphere with something for everyone, real estate not as insane as some big places, etc., just with crappy weather (hah, cold and windy when it isn't summer), but that it isn't a big deal. As a new college grad, I wanted to fly out and check things out...but never did yet. Don't know if I'm a Chicago person, but I'd love to try it on.

Yeah, sort of the "thing"...all were brushed stainless steel. Sure made it fun/impossible for body shops if there was ever damage. Like said, capriceman, find out the who's who of the building in that spot and go from there with a call. I've known several people who've "spotted" cars sitting only to get in touch with the owner by a knock on the door or phone call, sometimes over the course of time, only to then end up with the car. Never hurts to ask.

Sounds good! Well, except for the arm thing...but I can provide a LOT of details there.... For the armpit thing...I've had that! Twice, actually, for no specific reason. First ended up as a sore golf ball like thing under by arm, which just never went down. Went to the ER the first time, for them just to lance it and drain all the blood, etc. out. Thought that was all, but it came back just as badly. Off to the doctor and surgeon I went. What was it, apparently? Hidradenitis. They weren't sure if it had anything to do with by diabetes (I'm as controlled as a non-diabetic, but things can still happen) or just a fluke, but the surgeon knew what to do. That section of flesh/gland was clearly infected and would continue to be so. The surgery consisted of basically carving out that section of flesh (really, left me a hole) and then--as the only way to prevent infection again--not seal it up, leaving me with the open hole to pack with gauze daily as it healed from inside out. Worked beautifully, and though odd to have a decent hole in the flesh, all healed and just a small line scar now. Then a year later, happened again, different armpit spot. This one wasn't as bad, but same surgeon and she knew what to do. This time removed the other infected section, but as it wasn't as bad, stitched it up this time. All healed, and never an issue. Now that I've grossed a few people out...I hope that gives you some insight. For someone who rarely has medical issues, it caught me off-guard (and strangely...the first time developed when I was visiting Punxsutawney for a 2 week stay in the hot as balls summer), but thanks to a great surgeon, all has been fine for a couple of years.

Oh, and as a Delaware person myself now...but also largely living in the Philly suburbs for the past 4 years with school, I'm still at a loss in regards to WHERE I might want to land now that I've, uh, graduated. The plan was to move anywhere that the perfect job took me, but as some things didn't pan out, and I'm doing a temporary (I hope) stay at home in beach-land and working here for the interim, I'm still exploring going anywhere. I think I'm naturally east cost, but could be welcome to farther south, inland a bit, or even west coast. No idea...will go wherever things take me, hopefully when they do soon.

There is a tax on cars, currently 3.25% and considered a "document fee". Still, fairly low compared to some and not a big deal. Income tax, yes, but with no tax on everything else you buy in daily life it is really nice (and shocking when you go out of state), plus living in Delaware in in general is quite affordable especially in terms of real estate and other taxes. All quite low. In a place with a nice climate, beaches and bays aplenty, great land, etc. Just a very nice atmosphere. Not a metropolis, by any means, aside from some northern cities (it's only 3 counties and 2 hours top to bottom), but not far from many either. It's a huge place to "move to" after tiring of Pennsylvania (huge transplant status...us included), New Jersey (SO many people retire here due to even just the insane taxes up there), Maryland, and more. As for the gay thing...wow, what a weird comment to make. Bad personal experience of that friend, Satty :AH-HA_wink: That's just a bizarre thing to say...other than in beach land, not exactly a huge concentration. You know, as such a disease

Good swap--and a common one too! The Concorde's chrome ringed gauges (post '00 after they tried to fix some excessively cheapo parts inside, or at least dress them up a bit more than '98-99). And a very good thing, unlike (I think) every GM vehicle I've heard of (and probably some others) that the mileage, etc. is stored on a computer in the car and not on the cluster. Having to re-program clusters to match always stinks and pretty much eliminates the job from being finished at home. Pro's to Chrysler, and apparently, Ford for that at times. Same for the chrome handles--should be able to grab a set of those, without much hassle, I would think. Given that all 300M's and LHS's and then again the '00+ Concordes had them. All nice little touches.

Higher. Who knows how high, but that's reality. Oh well.

Looks like a find! And, oddly enough, very much like something my Roadmaster driving father has his "eye on" (though hopefully newer and with a touch more guts) for fuel economy.

Very, very true. The word Hybrid is good...but not overly so when people, in general, are looking at big SUV's like a bad memory. Seems the main saving grace for these are celebrities...now they can have their big SUV but feel good with the Hybrid badges and such. It's a great product, but again, not something that I think will get much of any attraction at this point.

Finally, eh :AH-HA_wink: Now as to how long it will take to sell...or is it already? Like regular Tahoes, Yukons, etc. these as well don't seem to be moving much.

Mom replaced her '04 Suburban with the '08 Malibu, and has never looked back. Just repeatedly says now "See, and good thing I didn't wait ANY longer trying to trade the bus in..." Dad still has both his '92 Roadmaster daily and '93 Fleetwood driveway ornament. Moans about how much he spends on gas, but both cars were paid for long ago, and he drives a roundtrip of 5-6 miles a day. "Would like to have" something new and efficient, but won't yet, and...oddly...was looking for whatever little things he could remove over the weekend "to eliminate weight". I was visiting and saw him outside messing with the Roadmaster. What did he remove? The horns. "I don't need 4 of them...so 2 are gone now." Oy. Brother? Still driving his '86 Regal LTD and it's wonder of wonders Olds 307...occasionally only bringing up how much he now spends on gas. But he can't stand anything less than a V8 or RWD yet, so it (and other things like it) will be around for ages, I think. I'm still tooling around in my '95 Fleetwood LT1 daily driver extraordinare. Best case situation, I can pull 21 mpg highway. Around town, stop and go, which is my daily commute, 12-13 mpg max. It was going to be (ideally) new car time anyway...so I'm still pondering what to replace it with now. As much as it annoys me, painful to get rid of it, and another problem being it may be difficult to do so. Dad wants it. I said no, no way. Due for maintenance and fixing of some things too, but sell it is, I think. Next car? Some kind of sedan or wagon (wagon ideally I think) that's a 4-cyl OR a V6 of some kind if the mileage is high enough. After my '07 Malibu 4-cyl rental and mom's new '08 Malibu 4-cyl, I have a big "thing" for new, light, and 4-cyl cars. We'll see. OR...the Fleetwood will have to remain, get the work done on it needed, and continue being a driver...bad mileage, old age, and all. OVERALL? Brother aside, there will be NO more V8's in this house or heavy, BOF, etc. cars as daily drivers, and in the meantime, the focus is driving as lightly and easily as possible, trying to eek out every mpg possible.