trinacriabob

Feliz cumpleano or Buon Compleanno, Z. BTW, it's still NOT your birthday in THIS time zone.

I don't know you, but you seem to be even more practical than me about purchasing things and making them last. I'd follow the "red dots" on Consumer Reports. I think the Malibu comes up favorably and will serve your needs for a long time. However, the more I see G8s on the road, the more I think that is the best looking GM car out there at this time and stickers for under $28K in base V6/no-options-needed form. I think white is great for the G8, but the "metallic bicycle blue" is also fantastic for this vehicle. However, right now, if I was actually buying, I could easily be steered into a Milan/Fusion with the 4 cyl. and some nice options...or into the 2010 Taurus, which is stunning and a huge leap forward for FoMoCo. I think Ford has the mid-size sport sedan niche cornered at this time, as much as I hate to admit that.

No, actually it doesn't change with the cycling of the A/C. I'm buying a mechanic's stethoscope tonight. I'm starting to lean to (1) idler pulley, followed by (2) power steering pump, because those are ORIGINAL (sheez), but will have to confirm. I've never had to deal with whining/buzzing sounds before, as this is not a supercharged vehicle. The rattling and clackety sounds from a failing water pump are more familiar. I will be checking out all that has been written above.

Happy birthday, Von!

While I wouldn't be a Camaro buyer, I am hoping it does well. I've seen some around and think it looks best in silver and worst in yellow. On the day before the 4th of July, I rented a car up north and was offered an upgrade to a Camaro. I declined because I only needed to get to and from the airport. While getting into my compact, I went over to a Camaro and opened the passenger door to check out the interior. The layout is nice. HOWEVER, there was something not quite right with both the fit and the way the passenger door closed. Maybe it's because I am now used to doors with frames around the windows. Unless that rental unit had been hit and in the body shop, that door should not have felt that way upon opening it and closing it. It's a nice looking sports car. However, I am troubled that the roof rails are as thick as they are compared to the late 60s version it's patterned after (the Malibu has the same unwanted thickness in the roof rails for my taste).

I hadn't driven the Regal for almost 3 weeks because I was on vacation. In a nutshell, over the last few days, the sound coming from the engine sounds kind of "wheezy" or "buzzy." It is a 1992 vintage 3800 V6 with 258,200 miles. It's NOT a clackety/clack noise at all. What it is - it increases with the rpms of the engine What it is not - it is not related to the gears, since it does it in park and neutral A few thoughts: Could it be in the pulley system? A water pump - though these seem to chirp more, having replaced one many moons ago? Also, no temperature change and no coolant drip. A power steering pump? A problem in the compressor? I've used the A/C a lot since it's hot here. A problem in the tensioner in the pulley system? An exhaust problem or something in a manifold? But it's not a groan. I drove it about 40 miles tonight and the drivability is not at all impacted. I have no choice but to keep driving it and keep looking/listening under the hood. Any thoughts?

WTF - I'll post one. Here's after a $6.99 coupon haircut and a 2-hour nap with the A/C on to avoid the 100+ heat outside on Saturday afternoon. Much darker than usual due to being in Italy and Portugal for 16 days. Nice and vague...just like PCS composes them.

It seems people are steering you toward the Comfortred. Goodyear puts out a good enough tire. I like the Goodyears on the LaCrosse. Now that the older car is getting older, I have switched from Michelin to BF Goodrich, though still from Costco. Believe it or not, the ride is about the same, but the Michelins would squeal a little in cloverleafs and the BF Goodrichs do not. I don't know why. Since your car is practically new, you can pay a little more. In your metro area, the traction in winter should be as, if not more important, than the ride. I remember what it was like trying to walk down a sidewalk in Calgary and Banff in winter, let alone drive...

Doesn't Pittsburgh always rank high on QOL surveys? The pictures I've seen where the hills drop down to the three rivers and the fountains blasting in the foreground look nice. I've known a few people who moved there (to take jobs at the universities there) who like it. I would imagine it gets cold and there are a lot of cloudy days.

Well, I hear you. More so than the weather, it's the strong local/non-local vibe in the PNW that's even more depressing, unlike CA or FL where the sense of "entitlement" is minimal or non-existent. Hell, CA or FL presumes you're from somewhere else and welcomes all. As for FL, I find the turquoise beaches (most of the peninsula) to be very soothing...especially up in the Panhandle. I could put up with the humidity to look at the ocean/gulf. I can see why moving from the PNW to FL would take someone off of anti-depressants.

electronic wizardry

variable valve timing (uses a phaser on cam-in-block Chevy V6 applications)

Detroit and Cleveland are not surprises. Portland is a real dichotomy of pluses and minuses, so kind of a surprise. Nashville, Jacksonville and Atlanta are surprises. Check out the list: Link to MSN list of Saddest Cities

insular

overweight

Georgia

No, blu, it's that your proclivities are at the forefront of everything you do and say, rather than the decent amount of brains you have in your head. What a memorable post #20,000. *not cool, keep inferring what you want, some of us are not interested in replicating your blended-family complicated white-trash world...from what you post... To thread: scallops

jerk (unbelievable, but you really are)

enmeshed (psychological term)

You already know how I feel about a bleak landscape, though I have a friend who moved to LV to buy the house she could never afford in SoCal...where I knew her from college. For me, most of California is too parched. I drove through Walnut Creek (SF East Bay) this past weekend and thought "WTF, too pricey for being this brown and this hot." I've also never liked what some people think is cool - Sedona or Santa Fe - not my vibe. Of those you mentioned, I've only driven through Columbus and I've heard good things about Cleveland and that its suburbs on the lake are nice. Of those in the OH-PA area, I would say Pittsburgh is the nicest. I know 3 Californians that moved to very green PA and like it -- didn't come back. Personally, I go ape-$h! over a full-brick home set in trees...and that's what I had in ATL. As for DEN and SEA, I saw DEN from the air in February and it's way too brown. SEA is gorgeous, since it's all cut up by water, but expensive and I didn't like the anti-Calif. sentiment there. Plus, all PNW and large Colorado cities attract too many granolas and spandexed bikers...who all think they are "too cool for school." Your field is marketable, so you know best where you need to go.

ambidextrous

dam (beavers make dams)

Lindsey Lohan

That house has a lot of character. Drive-under garages with the house set up on a knoll have a lot of curb appeal.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, "Chargerino!" Wow, can now legally drive, then college, an amazing future...