trinacriabob

cost effective

My '08 LaCrosse was bought new and only has 3,787 miles on it. It gathers dust! I keep driving the damn '92 Regal. But, over Labor Day weekend, the LaCrosse will stretch its legs. I may post some pictures.

focus

Who are you talking to?

cornea

The DTS, yes (Ice Blue Metallic, if they still make it) The Lucerne, no The DTS pricing is in nosebleed territory, so I was thinking about what wouldn't be a hit on the wallet...

teacher (the muffled voice in the background)

jubilant

propofol (I shouldn't be making jokes about this *sigh*)

cavity

you're welcome

The Regal 4 wheel discs have averaged 30K to 35K on fronts ... and has been amazing on the rears, which were replaced at 110K and 220K (front wheel drive, you know...LOL). The Cutlass Supreme, RWD, averaged about 45K to 55K on both axles.

agree

calculus

I had an Australian Shepherd as a teenager/college student, while living at home with my parents. It is probably the most closely related breed to a Border Collie. I was considering both breeds and this good deal on unpapered Aussie puppies came up in the L.A. Times. The dog was what they call a "blue merle" and there was no doubt she was authentic, seeing her parents and litter mates. She was extremely smart and ultimately succumbed to hip dysplasia (age 12), an ailment that takes down many herding dogs later in life. Yes, she would also go for the heels/achilles tendons on people that she didn't like. It wasn't often, but if she was angered, I had to watch her. Once she made peace with you and you were admitted to the house, she would find her way under the visitor's arm so he or she would pet her. One of my best friends as a kid had 2 of them. The female was friendly to strangers and the male was a bastard, going straight for the heels/achilles tendons on ALL visitors. Still, I really liked the medium-sized herding dogs because they are both beautiful dogs and smart. Anyone who has a Border Collie or Australian Shepherd is lucky. The next time I get a dog, it will only be one of these.

Nice color for the Passat. Nice color for any car, actually. That is a nice design, for a FOREIGN car. When you say the Regal suffered major electrical failure, what exactly happened? How many miles were on it? Sad...I now remember you as being a Regal owner. Hey, as a resident of Washington state, you undoubtedly know that the license plate on the adjacent Cayenne says Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

You've gotta do what you've gotta do. That dashboard inset in red is kind of interesting. Yes, don't sink too much money into it. Drive it into the ground and then get something to reward yourself for finishing school.

energy (those windmills they are putting up in rural areas)

I'm fairly opinionated so I may get jumped for my (incorrect) perceptions. For starters, I like New England a lot. If I could afford to live in a Boston suburb, I would. I'd shovel the snow. But I can't afford it...at least, the last time I checked the prices. It is colder than the tri-state NY/NJ/CT area and colder than S.E.PA. I think that their (un)employment rates are about the same. I've heard NH has some tax breaks, though the tax picture shouldn't trigger a drastic move, unless it's to retire. Correct: Southern NH is an extension of the Boston metro area and Northern NH is an extension of...Quebec...which could be a good thing. What I've experienced and had said to me is that New Englanders are more aloof and more reserved than tri-state people. They would consider the direct approach of the tri-state area to be brusque. I kind of like the in-your-face tri-state area approach, since I am familiar with it. When I was visiting my uncle in northern NJ about 10 miles west of the G.W., people would just BS with me and ask me questions wherever I went...amazing for being in the shadow, literally, of the Manhattan skyline. When I was in New England for about a week in 1996 (Concord/Lexington, MA, Danvers, MA and Portland, ME), nobody was like that. It was waaaay more aloof. I liked the whole area, but I know if wouldn't be Jersey. I bet the Philly exurbs are more like Jersey...unless that's what you want to get away from. Economically, I think it's a wash and shouldn't steer a PA-to-NH move. My .02.

buffet

I saw my first 2010 LaCrosse last night at a dealership. That's why I started this thread...to see how everyone viewed this car. All of my opinions from viewing the photos remain because I think we saw enough photos to where the physical presence is no surprise. My opinions remain exactly the same. The only pluses are the updated grille and a dashboard/interior that is functional and asthetically appealing. In fact, the fact that the dashboard tapers away makes for a great feeling in the cabin. I will add the only new thing I noticed: the side sculpting on the upper fender flanks is unique and complements the car. The minuses continue unchanged: the BMW side-front marker lamps, the Lexus rear (a co-worker said "it looks EXACTLY like a Lexus" -- is this good? No), and the biggest demerit--the squashed greenhouse and practically horizontal backlite. I detest it. The fit and finish are excellent and the quality appears to be high. Since I was disappointed, I immediately made a beeline for the Ford dealership in the same auto mall. There was no Taurus, but I did see a silver one at the airport rental agency last weekend (I went to Tahoe in an inexpensive rental). It was nice; however, the Fusion makes the most sense to me and, damn, I see so many on the road. People seem to love the Fusion/Milans. They make a helluva lot of sense and their reliability has been stellar. If in the market right now, I'd buy a G8 in V6 form for the loyalty factor, but then would quickly steer to the Ford dealership and pick up a base Fusion in the medium metallic blue with a cloth bucket seat interior, alloy wheels and the upgrade into a walnut applique dash instead of the brushed aluminum crap. Sorry, you folks know I've driven nothing but GM cars, but right now they have nothing I like.

+1 agreed

MWAHAHAHAHAHA... I saw a mid-90s Subaru wagon as I was on I-80 in the lower Sierra foothills Saturday. I was looking for the driver. I COULDN'T SEE the driver, initially. Wait, the steering wheel and the driver were on the PASSENGER SIDE. In ambulance (reverse) style, the words U.S. Mail were etched on the front of the hood. I couldn't take a picture while driving.

When we lived in Italy for a few years when I was in grade school, Nutella was in every kitchen's cupboard. I loved it. Now, it probably tastes too rich for my blander taste buds. It was delicious, as I recall. We would put it on pieces of toasted, fresh-from-the-bakery bread rolls. Damn, Italy and food...

insurance