trinacriabob

To anyone who celebrates it, Happy Easter. Brunch buffet or dinner buffet? They read me the list of items at each and the dinner buffet wins! I need to put my tongue back in my mouth.

That is really disheartening. I think about stuff like that from time to time. Tonight, I was coming home and had a green through a fairly major intersection. I noticed that a car on the other major perpendicular street was heading into the red light on that street a little too quickly, so I slowed down ... a lot. As it turns out, that person did stop, but PAST the crosswalk, and they were seemingly too eager to make that right turn onto the street I was using. Drive defensively. The worst I've seen was a multi-car accident while driving from the Seattle area to the Portland area on I-5 on a Friday night after work. This was about 20 miles past any metropolitan area and while traversing the forested countryside. All the traffic in both directions was crawling for half an hour to an hour up to the scene. The vehicles were all sedans, IIRC. There were no tangible expanses of metal to be seen anywhere. They all looked like they had been shredded. All sorts of emergency response vehicles were at the scene. It was gross to look at and you don't want to imagine how it played out. You just collect yourself and keep driving, as safely as you can.

Just yesterday I got to visualize this. There was a newer Envision in a parking lot. The words Buick and Envision were very symmetrically placed and, for being a font that hasn't changed in a while, it's not bad. However, I did notice that most vehicles are dropping dual names. The change in the rear deck lid of the Sonata for 2018 shows this, with the letters of the word Sonata spaced across the rear deck lid. And, it looks pretty good. It definitely separates it from quite a few Sonatas of the last few years.

I don't eat fast food all that much, but I do eat it. Lately, I've been happening onto Subway coupons en masse. I will eat there. As for chains, there is El Pollo Loco based in the West and it is a Mexican grilled chicken type place that I wish was more ubiquitous in the U.S. It's actually good. Also, no more than once a month, I may pop into a Village Inn, Baker's Square, or equivalent because of the free pie slice Wednesday if you order something else. The pie flavors rotate, but they've got some tasty ones at times. In FL, you can often count on Key Lime pie as a choice.

Well, now that the reason is stated, it makes "more" sense. In the case of Oldsmobile, and it was with the Intrigue, the Olds badge was altogether missing in 1998, very small and timid in 1999, and back again in 2000 for the remaining few years. In that case, the company wanted to disassociate this svelte new contender in a very competitive segment from the stodgy Oldsmobile image, not at all helped by the ad campaign "not your father's Oldsmobile." (Well, my first car, and first Oldsmobile, was indeed that of my father.) I think most buyers do know what a logo signifies anymore, but having 25% that does not is still a sizable number. In the case of Ford, they sport the oval but it contains the word Ford in their signature style inside that oval.

I will have to say that the family resemblance in the three popular Chevrolet cars (via their grilles) has been extended to Hyundai for 2018, with the Accent joining that trio, alongside the Sonata and the Elantra.

It can be weird. I have eaten fried chicken at KFC three times in my life, the last of which was in my late twenties. I have gotten sick each and every time while the others in the party did not. It was soda crackers, ginger ale, a major headache, and throwing up for the next 12 hours. I am probably allergic to a seasoning or something in the batter. I do not get sick when I've eaten fried chicken (which I don't really like all that much) elsewhere.

Do you read your mail coupons? Do you have an Arby's nearby? I don't usually go to Arby's. However, for a limited time, they are running 2 pitas for $6, and we're talking the shaved gyro meat, whereas the deli roast beef and deli chicken (neither very authentically Mediterranean) run all year long. It looks like I might be having some Arby's for dinner a time or two during the next month or so. I've had this special before and it's good ... it's quite a bit of chow.

I'll go with the Nancy Reagan motto when it comes to curries: "just say no." It is one flavor and scent that doesn't do it for me and I definitely like to eat. This weekend, if my quick checking and memory serves me right, we've got two smaller Catholic universities squaring off against two bigger Midwestern universities in the Final Four. Not a real conventional looking Final Four.

Holy cow, when I lived in graduate housing for the first semester and it was quite popular with international students, the Asian students were renowned for a lot of microwave use for their ethnic cooking and the cooking odors would linger for a long time. A long time. Damn, there was a cafeteria at the ground level with a meal plan. How nice to have left for an ordinary apartment with none of the antics of a large housing complex, albeit very interesting and comical antics.

Check out that road sign, too. It's one "y" short of an embr(y)o. Love all the posh sounding British names around Toronto and throughout Ontario.

There are always humorous and/or eye opening videos of human-animal interactions being featured, but this recent one was just plain nutty ... https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/t/moody-moose-teenager-having-a-very-bad-day-takes-it-out-on-driver/vp-BBKCdvy

Buying a car can be completely random, though. I like to plan it out in advance while sometimes you have to buy a car, either because you need to replace one immediately or your dream second car snuck up on you in a manner that you can't look the other way. The latter is how my Dad, and thus my family, owned its first Pontiac. Being in sales in no way guarantees a 1:1 relationship between customer:closed sale. That's why being in sales isn't for most people and they shouldn't have unrealistic expectations. Also, the stronger the personality they're dealing with, the more likely the person they're pitching to is likely to walk away if the terms or the general situation doesn't suit them.

Two things: 1. If told up front, the salesperson CAN give you a card, invite you to look around, ask if you have questions, and ask you for your business when you are ready to buy. That said, I don't buy without having test driven what I intend to buy via a rental of at least 100 miles. That's how it was with my last 3 cars. 2. I almost could see buying a place to live (#1 purchase) more quickly than buying a car (#2 purchase). The amount of time required of the salesperson in #1 is a lot more involved than for #2 and they need to have passed a test to sell property. Also, it probably won't depreciate. As for a property, you can walk around the outside and almost preview the floor plan just from how the windows and doors are laid out. The few times I've done it, I walked around and walked around the outside and got a good gut feel and, after seeing it inside, which was no surprise, that was it.

The issue is that the ground rules have been stated (I state them upon beginning to speak to a salesperson) and they then proceed to break them because that's the way they've been trained or it's their protocol. It sounds like a conflict of interests between what the customer wants and the dealership wants from the get-go. The absolute worst, as I mentioned above, is when you're out of town (and you tell them you're from out of town and just looking with no intention to buy) and you go into a dealership, perhaps near your hotel, and they pull this crap.

As far as the 80s Cutlass Supremes went, it all depended on the grilles and color choices, since both changed every single damn year. I liked 1981, 1982, 1984, 1987, and 1988 (Classic was the name for the half-year of RWD), the last two of which had the "mono" piece rectangular lamp which was more futuristic. There was a huge billboard on a freeway that showed the outgoing familiar coupe and it said, "Last call for Cutlass Supreme ... good-bye from an old friend." I wish I had a photo of that!

What I would give to see a 75 Cutlass Supreme or Salon coupe in Persimmon metallic and in "cherry" condition .... I would dream about that at night Favorite color was the medium to dark metallic blue of 1998 and 1999. It was perfect on the Intrigue. I sometimes lament never having owned one.

Did it have an advertised price that you knew of up front and that was in the ball park? And was there are any unpleasant and prolonged haggling over the price? I think that the experience is always more pleasant when one is actively looking and ready to purchase, as you describe you were doing. It's annoying when they want to push an information gathering episode into a candy bar impulse purchase, and when the person they're pushing is better at penciling through things than they are. That's the rub.

I saw a Chrysler PT Cruiser in burgundy that was all pimped out. It had the phony Lincoln styled rear tire bulge in the back and a lot of extra chrome and portholes. And this was in a conservative, WASPy neighborhood. The driver looked nondescript. I saw a 2000 to 2004 Bonneville in purist form. Those, usually LEs, are among the most rare ... no cladding, no spoiler, etc. I actually liked those cars. The dash is super busy, but interesting ... not one any other GM division would put out! I couldn't find a photo of the purist LE I saw so here's a few, possibly with the spoiler: See dash: Interesting dash unique to the very last Bonneville Also, MANY Aleros and the coupes are always a fine sight.

Yes, though "T-O" implies up a level in the pecking order. With my current car, I found the car in the on-line inventory at a particular dealership, talked to the internet sales manager, and he quoted me a price right over the phone, which he stuck to. The only glitch was that they wanted to sell me a different company's extended warranty while I wanted the one from General Motors. They saw that the sale wouldn't go through unless it was the GM warranty product so they somehow managed to "find" the binder with the GM extended warranty information. I never ended up using it. Ditto with my previous GM car. I guess that's good.

Yes, I am aware that some dealerships are set up for a "T-O" while others are not. Right, if these rules come from the top, then the "underling" (regular salesperson) has to follow them. The timing is perfect here because, today, I looked at my VM and had gotten phone messages from both the salesperson and the sales manager. The salesman was told that I was only looking, that I was passing through the general area (not that far, so feasible) from an appointment, and that I wasn't buying today. I even declined driving the car. I think that I've gotten sort of tired by this tactic. The two on one pressure doesn't work for me. I'd be writing the check and it's not a candy bar, so I tell them that. Comments like "how would you like to drive off in this car today?" have never worked for me. The absolute "winner" was when I was test sitting in a car in California, the salesman pulled a "T-O," and I got fairly heated with them since I was on vacation, the state in which I was domiciled had NO sales tax, and I asked them how they proposed to get the car to a DMV over the state line so I could purchase it free of sales tax. They didn't have a solution. At this point, with vacation + living in a state without a sales tax combo, I felt I was in my right to tell them they were clueless and drive off. This. I haven't bought many cars because I keep them for as long as I can but I always remember the salesperson who was courteous, informative, not cheesy, and "soft sell," and that's who I go back to give my business to when it comes time to purchase.

I tend to take photos when I rent ... Basic econobox Hyundai Accent (in hatchback version) White works but the wheel covers don't do much for me - this was the base model Seats were firm and supportive, but a little tough on the rump - the way they were put together seemed durable and the bolstering and ergonomics were decent for the price point (note that the base model lacked an actual console) Here's the thick rear view in this hatchback ... it's far less of an issue in the sedan. For 2018, only the sedan continues. This is one of the most intuitive dashboard setups I've seen for this price point and it's nicely shaped and easy on the eyes. Without steering wheel audio controls, this is all that is on the steering wheel - the cruise control, and it has fewer toggles than most. At this price point and in this model, you can't adjust cruise mode to a speed that you see as a digital number. Everything you really need at one glance ... I thought it was very cool that the trip odometer button was unmistakable and seen at the bottom right. You push on it and it rotates through the tidbits of automotive information. This was a likable little car and I would have preferred to have experienced it as a sedan.

What's interesting is that Cadillac was successful at reinventing itself while Lincoln has been far less so. Could it be that there is room for only one American "standard?" Nah. Germany puts out several high-line brands: Mercedes, BMW, Audi. So, Lincoln could do it but hasn't pushed the envelope to the extent that Cadillac did. It is amazing to look at who is behind the wheel of a Cadillac anymore and see how far down the age demographic appears to have been pushed. And, even if we're not talking about age, the drivers seem to exude a savvy that the modern day equivalent couple from "American Gothic" would not.

This YouTube is almost half an hour long! At times, I felt like I was listening to Chris Christie.

Just recently, I went to look at the fresh new car version of a car I have rented. I wanted to see the sticker, sit in it, check visibility, yada yada. The kid helping me was really nice and I didn't want to take up much of his time. He added, "It sounds like you really want to drive this car." I told him, "Not today." We unlocked it, I sat in it, turned on the engine, and got a feel for the controls. I also looked at the trunk. That was all I needed. I also took a brochure. As I'm about to leave, he says, "If you've got a couple of minutes, there's someone I'd like you to meet." *Cue to leave, in my book* I told him that I didn't have the time and headed for the door. It was an obvious turnover in the making. If someone tries a turnover on me, I will not be buying a car from this individual in the future. I just leave and it's a closed chapter. Man, I hate going to the dealerships at night when the car doors are locked and you can't really get a feel for the car and I hate having to wait an entire year between auto shows so I can cut loose like a kid in a candy store, but also have to part with some coin for the hassle free privilege. What do you do when you visit car dealerships out of curiosity and are subjected to a "turnover?"