trinacriabob

I've got mine on auto mode. Yes, they will not be as long lived. BTDT. It's when you get into a rental car or drive someone else's car that you have to check their lamp settings.

Yes. I just noticed it this weekend. It looks good. We've morphed from some cheesier versions over the years but, then, most websites have gotten cleaner. The worst offender, back in the day, was that of European low-cost Ryanair. They then got a clue.

Great story (at least to those involved) to follow. Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_2D8Eo15wE Two countrified millennials were working the breakfast room at a chain hotel jn a scenic rural area this past weekend. The guy and the girl were teasing each other and playing off of each other. One would say "bam-a-lam" and the other would respond "Black Betty," and vice versa. I got wind of this, popped my head into their work area, and belted out the lyrics "Black Betty had a child. The damn thing gone wild." They didn't expect it from one of the guests. We were "fast friends." It has always been a kooky song from when it first hit the airwaves.

Ha. I've noticed it a lot on Subaru wagons. One front lamp is often not working. Outbacks of about 5+ years and some Foresters. God, I hate those vehicles. But y'all already know that.

On the freeway today, a last rendition ('18 or '19) Dodge Charger base model was in the lane to my left. It was in purist form - white exterior, black interior, alloy wheels, no spoiler (needed), V6, and spotless. Never would I have thought I'd like a Chrysler product. Having been put in the driver's seat of a Charger a couple of times by rental agencies, I know that this is a car that I like a lot and one that is super comfortable at that. I'd choose one identical to the one I saw.

I'm not a fan of many retro things, including car rehashes and movie reboots. The whole thing today for ocean liners and cruise ships in order to be successful is the maximization of outside cabins, either with large picture windows or balconies. Even the big ships released in the 1960s (the QE2 and the France) would fall short on that criteria. I am not looking forward to seeing this. I know that it will have to be a certain length to get through the Panama Canal. At 963 feet, the QE2 could get through the canal and was able to visit L.A. or S.F. annually on her World Cruise because of that. At between 1,100 and 1,200 feet in length, the new QM2, Cunard's current flagship, cannot use the Panama Canal and has to go around South America. That's why L.A. and S.F. have only seen her a time or two. After going around South America, she heads to East Asia, Polynesia, and Australia during the winter and then runs transatlantic service during the summer. I'm guessing the (new) Titanic was and is going to be shorter than the QE2, making a Panama Canal crossing feasible.

I really didn't want to see this come to fruition. Titanic replica to set sail It was an ugly ship, unlike newer and sleeker ones. Why rebuild it? Just because of that stupid (Oscar winning) movie?

I believe that for '81/'82/'83, the mid-size might have been the Bonneville and the full-size became the Parisienne. (They had been using the name Parisienne in Canada for many years.) Then, they undid that. The Bonneville "Model G" in the early '80s was essentially a Grand Le Mans with some more formal styling effects. Also, the uptown seating options (though not in bucket seat form) found in the Grand Prix were also available in these smaller Bonnevilles. There's a lot to be said for embracing someone's culture when selling cars to them. The more extensive use of French names in the Pontiac line-up made them solid sellers in the province of Quebec. I used to see so many Pontiacs over there. French-Canadians can be ethnocentric ... and why not? They've got a lot of things in their corner in my book. Here's a car I recently saw ... Ontario plates ... I like this car a lot. This is what I'd be buying if in the market today, albeit with the base V6 to get that 30+ mpg on the highway. I hope the next rendition of it is plausible.

I couldn't believe how plush some of these RWD GM top of the line boulevardiers were ... an era that will never come back. Yes, some Javelin but I saw some Pontiac because they tended to scoop out their grilles in that era. I don't like the front vent window. Cars looked so much cleaner when they got rid of those. It's only as of late that they've been able to put them back in without making them look dorky (I'm thinking Verano).

I was going to guess 1970ish Pontiac LeMans, but close enough. Safe travels. Are you going to the state or to the tri-state area (NYC and surrounding metro area)?

The situation sounds dour. It's obviously Australia's Regal eqiivalent. Well, it doesn't sound happy because driving down the wrong side of the street must stress them out. It would me.

I will say that, of the shrunken down intermediates in 1978 (and on into the mid-80s), the Grand Prix easily won the dashboard contest and the Monte Carlo was the loser (rat-tat-tat, for one - poor build quality). The Cutlass Supreme dash wasn't the best and had to have the gauge package, although the new front end in 1981 made it the best looking car of the quartet. The Regal had the distinct pods with squares and silver dials, so it was in line with that brand's image. It was actually o.k. because the finishes on it were the nicest. I liked driving around my Dad's mid-size Buick Limited sedan (bought with 47,000 miles) with the plush seats and that pod dash in which the Computer Command Control was still in its teething stages and later caused headaches.

I was referring to the right side of the dash. One AMC product handled the right side of the instrument panel / dash almost identically to this, decades before, but I can't remember which AMC car it was. It was seen from the passenger's vantage point. It was definitely at home in the '04 to '07 Pontaic GP. Grand Prix last-gen dash favoring the passenger side of the vehicle

^ The rolling speedometer on the original Toronado was unusual and interesting. That's for sure. But I don't know if I liked it. I definitely liked the trestle shifter on the console. I wish they would have retained it on the last-gen as a salute to the Toronado's heritage. Onward with random thoughts: I've never been a big fan of Westerns but I saw the reboot of "The Magnificent Seven" and thought it was pretty good. Maybe because movie making techniques and sound have improved. What a lawless world that was - people's lives were about as important as those of insects. I think I've never liked Westerns because I've never liked driving across the vast, empty, and eerie expanses found in the West, which accounts for most of it, and Westerns remind me of those dreary road trips. They're not places you'd want to break down. But then, neither is East St. Louis.

I believe one of the later models of this coupe had the circular air conditioning outlets on the passenger side that surely inspired the same in the Pontiac Grand Prix of 2004 to 2007. (When I first drove the last gen Grand Prix, it was deja vu.) That very last Grand Prix could have been just a hair better in styling and creature comforts, but I sure miss it. There are MANY teenage Grand Prixs still on the road, meaning 2006 and slightly older. They seem to be doing fine.

I agree. I recently had a Hyundai Sonata for a couple of days. It doesn't price out much higher than a Chevy Cruze (LT), yet it's a larger car. I will say that the Japanese full sizes (for rental fleet classification - they're more like mid-sizes to me) don't feel that great (solid) when scrutinized, such as by simply closing their doors. Not long after this rental, a friend of mine gave me a ride in his retired mom's newer Cruze LT. The build quality in it is better than that of larger Japanese sedans and it rides more quietly. So, while there is value in the foreign competition's cars (let's include the German Passat), I'm still not convinced they're what they're cracked up to be or that I'd like owning one long-term.

Believe it or not, Javelins had decent looking dashboards for being products of funky AMC. As did the Firebird and Camaro, the base engine for the Javelin was an inline six, though not many were ordered for any of these pony cars. Then they went up to the usual V8 numbers that AMC put out, such as their 360 V8. Any more, seeing any AMC vehicle on the road makes me laugh ... or at least chuckle. I don't know how they lasted so long with so many ugly cars such as the Gremlin, the Pacer, and the Ambassador. Yet, now, we're sitting with a GM that only offers 5 passenger CARS (sedans and/or coupes, excluding niche coupes) that normally sticker out somewhere between $20,000 and $40,000 MSRP. I'm less and less optimistic about the future of the automobile as we know and love it.

As long as their new vehicle is not anything analogous to the Cimarron in terms of quality. Whoever remembers the Cimarron, raise their hands. "Dare greatly" is a fairly lame campaign slogan. It's not quite as bad as "not your father's Oldsmobile," but it's bad. I tend to find numbers or letters assigned to models tedious. I am also thinking they need to roll out a new styling vernacular, though I don't have any ideas or opinions on what that should be. I'm liking that CT6 photo at the top of the thread, though.

I parenthetically referred to this car in car spotting, but this would be "random." Monte Carlo refresh with the best alloy wheel design This is a HUGE improvement in terms of an upgrade compared to the downsized 1978. The chassis on this was the same. The sheet metal was different. Love those wheels. You didn't see them often.

On Thursday, I saw two identical black Cadillac CT6s. One was in a valet situation at the curb and the other one was driving by. Both had 3.6s and the one at the curb had AWD. I will say that the rear lights which slope slightly outward are one of its best features. It's a departure from the always too vertical Cadillac finned look. I like the CT6 from the side and the rear. The front is okay but that long extension of the front lamps into the fender is a little odd. Today, I saw a black Range Rover. Never mind the vehicle. The driver, an Italian looking heavy set thuggish type, had a small white poodle in his lap while driving and with its tiny head out the window. In addition to being an atypical sight, it's not a good situation for the dog. What grade did this guy get in driver's ed? I wish dog owners would let them look out other windows in the car and not sit in the drivers' laps. He was perpendicular to me at an intersection. Had I been walking in the intersection, I would have told him something. As for the OP, I think it was hit and miss as to which '76 to '77 GM full size conversions I liked. I know that I liked the smaller Pontiacs and Cadillacs better after that refresh. Probably the Buicks, too, with that Riv hatched from the LeSabre platform and for which its grille was referred to as the Parthenon. I will always love the '75 and '76 Bonnevilles and Grand Villes in big coupe form, though, with a landau roof and base Pontiac rally wheels. They were the only division that could pull off the big coupe. I would love to know what driving one of those would feel like. I once saw one in Yosemite in November back in the day and it was beautiful. So was Yosemite! I think that the '77 to '78 refresh of the GM intermediates was sort of lame. The GP and MC needed to shrink, with the GP looking okay and MC looking cheap afterwards. The Cutlass Supreme and Regal were so-so, with the fastback sedans being a total styling disaster. It wasn't until 1981 that all 4 of those were fine tuned and looked a lot better ... a lot better. Even the entry division MC looked great when outfitted in buckets/console or with the 60-40 LS seating, full instrumentation, and the unusual "racing flag" alloy wheels.

I believe it. Especially since the leeward side of the Cascades is so wide open and sparsely populated ... and "red." However, I'm past my "into skiing" phase.

I never skied there when I lived in the general area. I had gotten sort of bored with it while living in Northern California (fighting the crowds up the narrow roads to Lake Tahoe, snowboarder punks, etc.). But, looking at the video, it looked like there was a good choice of runs, with some people creating their very own through the trees (not my thing!).

This was sort of funny. I got it. You probably don't want me to list all the countries in which Spanish is spoken.

Autumn is here and it's apparent more and more every day. I like beaches and summer but autumn is my favorite season: yellow stands of aspen in the West and orange stands of maple in the East, at the very least.

Happy belated. Better late than never.