trinacriabob

First, I usually don't do this. I used to bring Castrol or Valvoline to gas stations to have my oil changed not expecting much of a credit back. I have a friend who does often and I think it's tacky if the part is easily sourced. I'm in a situation where some parts are available on line, they are becoming less available in retail channels, AND, a few months back, one mechanic said. 'Why don't you bring in the parts?' It's a small shop. They don't even have an alignment rack. This small mechanic's shop gets real good reviews. What are the pros and cons of this? What would happen if there was a warranty issue in terms of fixing the problem (the part was a dud but the installation was correctly done)? Any help with pros and cons, and an assessment of situations where someone would want you to bring in your own parts, would be appreciated!

I would have never believed that little 4 cylinders Aleros would go the distance, seeing so many on the road to this day. Great going, Olds!

Very true. In Montreal, it is very okay to ask someone what their ethnicity is. Everyone talks about it. It's healthy ... and interesting. They might also do that in New York or Philadelphia or Chicago. That is almost not acceptable in the Western United States. It might be something you discuss with the offspring of more recently arrived Asians but not with the offspring of Europeans. It's very sad, especially if you're first generation. I hate the whole notion of the American "melting pot." It may be relevant if you are 4 or 5 different nationalities. It is certainly not relevant it you are 100% one nationality or a perfect 50:50 split of two nationalities. I just noticed this is in the car spotting thread. No worries.

Thank you! Of the classics, I really like the mint green Buick Skylark 1970-ish convertible with the rally wheels. Of the GM intermediate quartet, the LeMans/GTO and Skylark/GS were nicer than the Cutlass and Malibu of that year. Also, in looking at the photos, I'm going to guess that the bright blue Charger had a V8 and the gray one had the standard V6. I do not like the cheap looking blacked out plastic grille on the current Chrysler 300. The 2014-2015 grille might just be the best of the lot for the current 300 model.

I believe the Aurora was introduced in 1995 or so while the Intrigue was released in 1998 for the brand's centennial. The Aurora was refreshed once, while the Intrigue never was. Maybe what I meant to say is nameplate. I think the Alero, Bravada, and Silhouette nameplates preceded the Intrigue, irrespective of updates.

That is great idea. Seriously. Did you folks know that, by default, Walmart's site stores your credit card? I think that's the way it goes. I buy household necessities there. Other places, such as hotel chains, ASK you if they can.

In 1960, Florida had just under 5 million people and California had just under 15 million people. For some reason, I was looking this up the other day. Under 5 million people in Florida probably loudly proclaimed "come on down!" And they did. Including some of my not particularly likable relatives from New Jersey.

Was on the freeway yesterday and had an Intrigue being driven by an African-American lady next to me. I was aligning with it to see what year it was. She was probably wondering what the hell I was doing. So, it had a trunk key lock and no hint that it was an Oldsmobile (no badge at the rear), meaning it was a 1998. Not at all scuffed up except for some minor dents and slightly weathered paint. She was cruising along nicely in a 20 year old card. As I pulled forward, the amber colored always on turning lamps were staring at me via my rear view mirror. Oldsmobile's last car and probably one of Oldsmobile's best cars. Very sad.

The city (MIA) is a mess. Too many neighborhoods with unchecked sawgrass and chain link fences, if you know what I mean. As for what they call "the beach" (Miami Beach), it's too full of people, new high rise condos packed in, and is now just too expensive. I remember it at a much quieter and less trendy time and it used to be decent. Find a meter, put in some coins, go to the beach, and get some Cuban food. Rinse. Repeat. Not now.

Pacific beaches are cold by Atlantic standards. The current on the West Coast comes down from Alaska. Same with Chile and Peru. That upward flowing Pacific current, which I think is called the Humboldt Current, makes Pacific South American beaches cold and the waves can be daunting. I've lived in Atlanta. I never made it to Myrtle Beach. I guess it's o.k. Virginia Beach seems to be well liked, too. For beaches, I went to the Florida Panhandle. I can only speak for Florida's Panhandle, meaning Pensacola, Destin, Panama City, and Fort Walton. They call it the "Redneck Riviera." Even the locals call it that and they're okay with it. If you vacation there, it will mostly be Southerners and Midwesterners. Easterners and Canadians typically don't go there. As for Florida's Atlantic coast, if you go too far down, you get into the hubbub of South Florida and its higher prices. Around Daytona and the Space Coast, it's very tacky. That sort of leaves you the beaches of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and possibly even Delaware. I still default to the Panhandle. If not, I would opt to sit on the sand and swim in the warm waters of Italy, Spain, Portugal, or Greece. End of story.

I had opted for a mid size. I like to get a full size when the rates are clustered closely together. As it turns out, they were really, really low on cars. I could have gotten a Jetta. The state it was licensed to was "exotic" and far away, so I passed on it ... that way I could throw my stuff in the trunk and not think about it much. I took the Focus because it was a known quantity, though not as bad as what this unit turned out to be like! I should have taken the Jetta. They've gotten larger and probably ride similarly to a Passat, which isn't all that bad.

Sorry, but I found that a little humorous. The West Coast can be sensory overload, too! Wow, has anyone had the experience of giving back a rental car and then getting into their own decade old daily driver and feel like they're on "cloud nine?" I recently turned in a rented Ford Focus with 36,000 miles on it that didn't ride well (alignment or balancing issues, at the very least) and that much talked about automatic transmission shudder was in evidence, like clockwork, at every 1 - 2 shift. I was wondering if the transmission in the car would fail while in my tenure. It didn't. I sighed when I got out of it, got my belongings, and headed to board the plane.

Good luck on your new position. I hope you find it rewarding and enjoyable. Your articles are always informative, nicely laid out, and have a smooth flow about them ... just like an excellent car should be!

Saw a 1995 or 1996 Buick Regal GS coupe in metallic gold (meh) and with the rear trunk lid luggage treatment (not good). What I thought was interesting was the transition from hood ornament to the Buick medallion laid flat, Euro style. It was in near perfect condition. Amazing that this was a 23+ year old car. I sort of liked my hood ornament on that car but I don't think they work well with the GS trim. The medallion made more sense.

Sightings - 3 "cherry" last model (2009-2010?) Mercury Milans in 3 days 1 - silver - Premier - no engine badge, hence a 4 banger - next to me on the freeway - a beautiful black Belgian Sheepdog was occupying the passenger seat 2 - burgundy - Premier - no engine badge, hence a 4 banger - Florida license plates, on a major street, and in perfect condition 3 - silver or champagne (couldn't tell) - Premier - V6 engine badge - in a historic town's small downtown - an elderly Italian looking gentleman at the wheel who either didn't have his power seat set high enough or needed to put a few extra pillows under his seat

And, except for some critical roads, the roads up there are not plowed since snow in the metro Seattle area is an infrequent occurrence. Ditto for the Portland (OR) area.

Uhm, no. Not when they're playing my hometown team! I also watched them beat Atlanta, a place I lived for a couple of years while in my 20s, and I believe the Falcons had never won a Super Bowl and were last there in 1999. The Falcons appeared to have the upper hand. They then lost it in the craziest of overtime upsets. I left during the overtime and found out that everything changed while I had stepped into a store to get some groceries. That was demoralizing. Someone else's turn. Like Los Angeles's turn. The only thing I know for certain is that I will be eating pizza tomorrow night.

I saw a new Regal sport wagon alongside me today. It was either charcoal or black. It was ahead of me, beside me, and behind me as traffic flow varied, so I got to check it out. The front end is okay. The side profile is not so okay. The roofline thickens too much toward the rear and this is accentuated by the chrome molding that follows that sweep backward. The rear is rather nondescript but I do like the way the rectangular dual exhaust outlets are slotted flush with the rear bumper. I think I like the sedan better but I definitely like the rakish look of the last model better. Sayonara, January 2019.

Ah yes, Canadians and their reputation. They generally think Americans are obnoxious, which is fine with me. Actually, I don't think that a Quebecois would have been as calm as this Anglophone Canadian was. And especially if the Quebecois hailed from a more remote redneck lumber area such as Chicoutimi or Jonquiere. There's something to this. The bears may have been here and seen him before. The mother bear isn't exactly huge. Or, this guy could have been a tank, and animals who hunt and have some power can size up the situation (i.e. mountain lions). I believe the pecking order in terms of how dangerous bears are is: polar ... grizzly ... brown ... black. Polar bears are relentless. Not a theory I'd want to test. Just based on what I('ve) read.

Wow. My old car ... all pumped up. This model ran from 1988 to 1996, but the grille tells me it's an earlier model year While it wasn't my favorite car I've owned, it was the most reliable. Unbelievably reliable. My last car ... different color, though THE inimitable model year of Impala, bar none ...

Irma Bunt does not really qualify as a Bond girl. LOL. She portrayed (Telly Savalas's) Blofeld's henchwoman in this flick. She was very Germanic and sort of scary .... on various levels. We had a field day with her accent and her lines. Ah, yes. Nutella. I was raised on it. When you're a kid and you can eat just about anything without putting on a pound. Sometimes just slathered onto those round Kaiser type rolls you'd get at an Italian bakery.

I was going to wait until I ordered and consumed some chocolate cake today. In the midst of Sunday shopping, I made some time to do just that and have a cup of coffee with it. I'm hoping a slice of chocolate truffle pie counts. Delicious! One of the highlights of that movie was the Irma Bunt character. Not in a good way, but still a highlight of that movie … a most unique villain(ess) within the 007 series of films. My friends and I had a field day with her.

Random association can be a weird thing. With snow throwers or snow blowers, I reflexively think of one of the best 007 flicks in the series - "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (OHMSS) ... and this scene, courtesy of YouTube. (rated PG +, yikes) Possibly the best movie in the James Bond collection. Might have had the best musical score - the cuts without lyrics, that is. High school and college friends and I used to recite many of the great one liners. Their lack of political correctness was pretty damn funny. MOVING ON, Sunday is National Chocolate Cake Day. Plan accordingly.

Sounds like you've got a couple of kids you're proud of. That's quite an accomplishment.

What new thing did you learn today? The internet is a big compendium of positives and negatives. Here's a big positive - the DIY stuff.