trinacriabob

chick

stand-up comedian (from Portugal, no less )

tongue (ok, let's see what path we are wandering down...)

embalmer

mausoleum

Wait...you're abrasive and you live in the South? I thought being abrasive was reserved for Yankees. Having only lived in ATL for 2 years shortly after college, I found most native Southerners to be either: (a) of the sugarcoat variety, which anybody can see right through, or (b) "over the backyard" friendly and philosophical. I liked category (b), even though most of my friends were other transplants. On the topic, you wouldn't believe how many tidbits of data I've put together on car mechanicals and car maintenance from talking to them...together with reading articles, owner's manuals, Chilton's, etc. And, if they are in fact full of it, one can figure that out because their input is NOT "in synch" with what the other sources say. I did run into one who was a total asshole at a Pontiac-GMC dealership (back in 2005) and he DID NOT know that the Series III 3800 V6 was synonymous with drive-by-wire...the electronic throttle control which throttles the engine through a "potentiometer" (???) evidently attached to the gas pedal instead of using an accelerator cable. Wait, and I'm just a working stiff who reads magazines and he's a service advisor?

Hey Frank, welcome back and Happy Birthday! Again, ocn is sleeping on the job...

Ok, I'm on board with "the rules" now, camino. Answer: Mercury Milan with 4 banger, white, cloth interior in some TBD color, wood trim over metallic accents on dash, alloy wheels. I was at Borders the other night and was leafing through Consumer Reports. The Fusion/Milan garnered a lot of praise and also fared well in the component-by-component ratings.

gourmand (moltie likes food as much as I do)

You seem to be OVERLY preoccupied with (1) menage a trois, and (2) gated communities. Just curious, which "combo" do you like? My response to thread: Fontainebleau in Miami Beach

I took the LaCrosse in for an oil change at the dealership on Saturday...based on time, not miles. I always seem to wind up talking to service advisors. For one thing, I seem to "file away" their comments and opinions on cars, maintenance, reputations, etc. This weekend, at the Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealership, I saw a used 2007 MC within viewing distance as he was writing up my LOF work ticket and I told him the decision process I went through in deciding on th Buick over the Chevy. He told me that it was a good choice, but that their experience with VVT has been virtually problem-free, but that the 3800s almost NEVER come back for anything. I then went into the showroom with a cup of their cheap coffee in hand. I talked to a salesman about Buicks. He said a bunch of things that resonated with me or that made sense. He said: 1) the Enclave gets the most inquiries (I could see that) 2) the Lucerne is next and that he feels the name recognition has hurt them -- he almost wished the Park Avenue name had stayed around (I agree) 3) he wasn't thrilled about the next-gen LaCrosse in terms of its looks -- he thought it was kind of "too much" (I agree) The man drove a 3800 V6 equipped early 2000s Bonneville as his personal car. He said he fell in love with the car when it was released, has had great service from it and can't seem to part with it. I rarely find the opportunity to talk to the parts people. It seems they are the busiest. Which of these folks do you seem to B.S. with?

asexual

California (seriously, there is such a town at the base of Mt. Shasta)

espresso (or: bica)

bunny

6-pack

A lady at work in a nearby area who has a booming husky smoker's voice that everyone loves to imitate and complain about...including me.

As you know, anything in the coastal NW is moderated by the proximity to water. It seemed that, when I lived in Seattle, the daily winter temperature ranged from 36 to 44 degrees.

cosmetic dentistry

Cheesecake Factory BH and Gladstone's on PCH are almost reliable...and good.

Happy birthday, Croc! What is this, your 4th or 5th one in the Southland?

Australian Shepherd

What color was this, and the last, G8?

windshield

Smallchevy, I'm only quoting a part of what you say since, through your education and worldly experience, you seem to have a good handle on the business world. Add to what you say that, whenever you get a large, pyramid shaped organization, you also get (1) inefficiency, (2) bureaucracy, (3) slow information flow, (4) turf protection, and (5) slow reaction time. Again, I say that what they did in the 80s (quality control issues) is what really hurt them today. That's coming from the viewpoint of American buyer who has watched other American buyers defect. Also, the changing demographics of America make those who recently came here from another place, and most of our inmigration is from Asia and Latin America, more likely to buy a foreign car. Camino, I've been at forks in the road before and can't always say I made the right decision. The worst decision I ever made, in hindsight, was to leave Atlanta to return to the West. I mean, things worked out, but things were better for me in the greater Atlanta area all the way around. I really empathize, but don't do anything rash without laying out your strategy. I'm holding good thoughts for you.