trinacriabob

I've only been once. The view from the south ridge where the inclines are was spectacular, as was the entrance into the city via the Fort Pitt Tunnel. The weather couldn't have been better that day, IIR. The downtown feels a little shoehorned, though, with the one-way streets on that narrow point. I did not see the area around CMU but I couldn't leave without seeing the Cathedral of Learning (the name for the tower at Pitt, I guess). Trees everywhere. And also some suburbs tucked into what looked like canyons of sorts, in Western lingo. I remember one such suburb in the northern part of the city. There was a good and authentic Italian restaurant there. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Was the STS the Seville equivalent in the 2000s, being a notch above the CTS and shy of the DTS? Cadillac sure got its act together. What a 180. May it keep it going! I like that all brick house directly behind the new used car.

Is this within the actual city limits and it's THAT forested? Interesting. That series was hard to tell apart. For me, '74 to '76 were easier to distinguish. Maybe that's because it was about when I started liking cars ... and those cars, specifically. The green colors in the series you mentioned had that not particularly attractive olive green in the line up.

Love me some Pontiac. Yesterday, I saw a 3rd gen Pontiac Firebird Formula in a parking lot. It was no younger than 1996, because the scoops were tame compared to later years in that series. It was in perfect condition - black exterior, black interior. I looked at the seating area and the dash and they were really nice, as I once recall. Sort of timeless and Pontiac at the same time. I'm sure the backlighting was orange, though. Except for '67 to '69, Pontiac ran each of the successive 3 generations of F-bird for about 10 years apiece! Also, early models of the 3rd gen started you out with a 2.5 Iron Duke L-4 and they did not fare well. The 4th gen started you out with a 3800 Series II V6 and I was reading some favorable owner reviews of them.

Wait, did the minivan owner, over yonder at the left, park that vehicle on the lawn? Today, in a major shopping center parking lot, I saw a newish Chevy SS in a really nice (Schwinn bicycle) metallic medium blue color. What beautiful looking car! Too bad they cost too much and can only be had with a high(er) performance engine. It makes me lament the loss of the Pontiac G8 and its entry level model featuring the 3.6 V6. I actually think that the grille and rear treatment of this Chevy look a little nicer. I've usually tended to like the Pontiac variant whenever it was duping what Chevrolet was doing (Grand Prix over Monte Carlo, Firebird over Camaro, etc.) Inspiring sighting ... thought I'd share.

I was just thinking about new car brochures and ads, including on the web. I was looking at Buick brochures from the 1980s and it seems like they were always set in a beautiful setting, like Charleston, Savannah, New England, or in the national parks of the West or the Smokies. Now, if you look at these same brands and cars, the cars are mostly placed in downtown L.A., another modern downtown, or next to a minimalist, modern, tech-y, expensive as hell custom home. Hmmm ... have those other places lost their appeal? Not to me, anyway ... - - - - - Another thought, it looks like the new Focus (next year) will employ the "laptop left open" look atop its center stack. Oh well.

True. I also vaguely recall that when GM was having a crappy year circa 1975 coincidentally at the time they had just introduced the catalytic converter, it was trading at about $ 34 a share. My dad used to sit there with the morning Times and talk out loud about what he was reading while having his coffee at the breakfast table. Then, during the bicentennial year and the economy got better, and when they couldn't make Cutlass Supremes with the quad rectangular lamps fast enough, I believe GM stock about doubled, into the $ 60 + range. I remember something to this effect. I'd have to look at a chart.

Why is Ford stock (F) so listless?

Thanks. This all makes a lot of sense. Also, I learned the word keystoning today. So, a good rule of thumb would be that the mechanics get it at a discount if they routinely deal with someone, they then mark it up, and it should return to about the retail price I see, but with a possible ceiling of no more than 1.333 x the retail cost to me. That sounds plausible.

I've sort of wound down to using 1 GM dealership and 1 or 2 independent shops. I've found an independent shop I really like. The owner, also a mechanic there, is real easy to talk to and has an excellent reputation among his peers and customers. So, here's the question. What is the normal mark up for parts that he has to get from the auto parts stores that he works with? Is it 20% 33.33% Or something else? I am wondering if there is a rule of thumb. Or, put another way, say I walk into AutoZone and a part retails to me for $ 100. What is a reasonable amount for that part on the final repair bill if the mechanic had to purchase it from the same store? I'm sure knowing this will be helpful to some folks reading this. As for labor, they will tell you their hourly and book rates.

You're probably right. I still prefer to stick to a conservative regimen of fuel, fuel injector treatment, and engine oil. I also like to put the newish RED Fram air filter in the car (a minor upcharge). I'm stuck with AC Delco engine oil because that's what GM dealerships use (it's made for them by Mobil). However, when the car hopefully hits 100,000 miles, I plan to switch to Castrol GTX. I still think Shell and Chevron/Texaco are the best fuels available to most Americans. To me, it's cheap insurance.

I couldn't find a more recent LaCrosse article so I figured I'd post my comment here. Buick's website shows their 2019 lineup sans Regal, possibly because it recently got released. I'm sure they'll add the Regal to 2019 sooner than later. At any rate, there are SIX LaCrosse levels to choose from. It was interesting to see that the base model is given an unflattering 1SV designation, as was the case for the decontented Verano as it was on its way out. The base model is something like $29,### and it is only available with a 2.5 L 4 with start-stop, a 6 speed automatic transmission, a choice of 2 exterior colors, and 1 interior trim model. When it's all added up, I believe it priced out at $ 30,495. Not bad for their flagship. BUT ... is this the same 2.5 L 4 that powered the Chevy Malibu in 2013 and 2014? If you want one trim level up, so you can get the 3.6 V6 (it pushes you up to a 9 speed automatic transmission), along with a REAL choice of exterior colors, you will be hitting a MSRP in the mid $37K range. Obviously, there's much more standard equipment in the car, but $7 K is a big jump. I have never read much about the new LaCrosse nor have I driven one. I then proceed to read some consumer reviews. A good many are pleased as punch while some are pissed. They say that noise isn't suppressed as well and the ride isn't as nice as it was in the previous gen LaCrosse which they traded in to get the most recent gen LaCrosse. I like the svelte current gen LaCrosse much more so than the chunky looking last gen LaCrosse. I never warmed up to the last version. However, between the huge price changes with the trim levels, the iffy consumer sound-offs, and the confining high center console, I don't know what to think of this car. I just wish a person could get a more simple one with a 3.6 V6 (one of Ward's Top 10 engines, as we all probably know) and a few colors to pick from with a MSRP of less than $ 37,000. I don't need 9 gears, either.

Apparently filmed in or near Havana, Cuba. Makes me want to go. I've been fascinated by Cuba for as long as I can remember.

I'd really like to get one of these (the Hyundai) if and when I rent an economy car next. I was looking at on-line dealer inventories. They are few and far between, relative to other Hyundai models. Some, however, show up and are marked "in transit."

I didn't know that. I thought it had a different platform letter, just like they changed Regals to a W-body when they went FWD.

Yes, that would indeed be an "unusual" car ... this would have been the pre-X-body platform and the replacement badging for the Ventura. I preferred the Ventura nameplate. It sort of made sense alongside Catalina. IIRC, these cars had the stiff and rudimentary rear leaf (nomenclature?) suspension whereas, a step and two up - at a LeMans or a Grand Prix - you got coil springs all around. Seeing an X-body on the road and in any kind of shape would be close to a miracle. That would also go for the Chrysler K-car. Haven't seen either in quite a while.

Well, it's the 1st of August. Seen anything you care to share, describe, and/or have photographed? Have at it. Today, I was driving down a major street with two traffic lanes in each direction that had residential homes on each side of it. I was in the right hand lane. Following me along in traffic in the left hand lane was a silver 2002-2003ish Olds Alero coupe. It sounded pretty good as it accelerated in the stop and go traffic. At a certain point, the traffic was stopped in front of a house with a silver 2002-2003ish Olds Alero sedan. At this point, these two silver Olds Aleros were perpendicular to each other. It was funny to me because just last night a friend and I were talking about cars and talking about what was junk and what was in it for the long haul. He mentioned that Aleros are in it for the long haul. He, too, sees many on the road.

This was a very random and unexpected sighting (Sicily). So I'll put it under random thoughts (stateside). It even has my reflection in it taking the photo. I just noticed that.

Epic. I was listening to this thinking it was a new take on Barry White and an African-American musical artist. It's not. It's a Sicilian musical artist named Mario Biondi. This gives hope that competent musical talent may return because we've been missing it for about a decade now. The lady synching the song in the beginning, apparently a joke of sorts, may be Lisa Stansfiled. Not sure. Also, perfect to hear the first time in a Fiat 500!

I will. I know that most of them have a layer of features. My concern is that someone had to have bought something. I did ... the upcharge to put the bag underneath. Thanks.

Thank you. I have scanned various links and they talk about reimbursing what is expected and reasonable for what you purchased to tide you over. If the bags are lost, the likelihood of finding the things you packed (clothing, specifically) in another geographic locale would be unlikely and a major inconvenience. It would take a week just ot shop for the clothing that had to be replaced. And, if the bags are simply coming in late and a person had a rough night because of it, that's a major stressor, too. As they say, "It's not over until the fat lady sings." Here, that means that a person can't relax until the bags are reunited with them ... and not just their knowing that they never left the previous airport and another airline will be carrying them for the airline that missed the mark and that the bags will be with you the next day. Thanks for the links. I'll go through them again.

I could use some help here. If your luggage doesn't make a connection and there are many connecting flights later that day, aren't you entitled to some form of compensation, even if they bring it to you the next day ... and you're at a hotel? Also, for a nonstop flight in the morning where you are checking in over 1.5 hours ahead of departure and the same thing happens, shouldn't they give you some token money, even though it comes the following day? A nonstop flight! It never got loaded onto the plane! No one is going to go out and start buying things if there's a probability of it arriving in a day. However, it means one may have to sleep in their clothes or in their birthday suit, or something between the two, not to mention the stress of wondering if the luggage will in fact arrive. I thought there's a token amount that is reasonable for such inconveniences. I thought this convention about some token remuneration was written down somewhere. Luggage losses and delays are a minute percentage of all the luggage that they move. Looking for some input and information ...

I can't even do this ratio off of the number 10, so I'll use 20. If you go onto a Hyundai lot, you'll see approximately the following ratio of Sonatas : Elantras : Accents - 11 : 7.5 : 1.5 They have boatloads of Sonatas. Evidently, people are seeing them as good values and are scooping them up. On the other hand, with the restyling and slight enlargement of the Accent, the line between the Elantra and it has gotten finer. In short, one has to really scour a Hyundai dealership lot to spot an Accent. That's what I have experienced.

Today marks yet another anniversary of the sinking of the "Andrea Doria." *sigh*

Not really a joke, but a funny story with a joke embedded in it. When I lived on Atlanta's north side, I would drive to the MARTA station and take the train to work. (I couldn't believe all the trees ... beautiful.) A couple of times, I would pass this chiropractor's office that was near a small private college. This chiropractor had one of those message boards outside with the hanging letters that said "Free Spinal Exam." The nearby college students would periodically remove some letters so the message would read "Free Sex." Nowadays, that board would be electronic. Regardless, I thought those college kids doing that must have had a good sense of humor. Q: What is New York's 6th borough? A: Miami.

I like the sail panel lamps but not much else here. Very tacky. But then it's on a ritzy street in FL, per the houses and trees. A family friend who was too short to drive an' 80s Eldorado had one and had the fake tire affixed to the trunk ... terrible. Here you go. One such year was 1975. I had forgotten that there was a Calais series one step down from the Deville. Most of the cloth interiors offered were pretty wild. Only one, the "Manhattan," was consistent enough with the cloth seating offered for at least a decade going forward. http://automotivemileposts.com/cadillac/cadi1975interiortrim.html