trinacriabob

I stopped by the Saturn dealership tonight to look at the Aura. It is attractive and nicely proportioned. I will go back to see it when they are open so I can sit inside. I don't think I'd want one because it didn't possess the "gotta have it" factor for me. I, too, read the 4 out of 6 ranking. I was expecting 2nd, but no less than 3rd. It's about time they acknowledge the Camry is as bland as the day is long. This isn't the first time that a Japanese product is eclipsed by GM. When the Olds Intrigue hit the scene is 1998, it nudged out Camry AND Maxima according to Road and Track who tends to be kind of high-brow anyway. Have never driven a Maxima, but, in the late 1990s the Intrigue tracked so much more reassuringly than the Camry...by a noticeable margin.

OK, so there is some resemblance to some current VW products. It's not extreme, it's just that most of us (who have design sense or we wouldn't post on C&G) might pick up on this.I am not saying it's bad. I hope the car is successful. It's a turn in the right direction for GM. I think the ultimate test will be seeing it in person. I came onto the forum/site when the LaCrosse was being unveiled and the "Taurus/not a Taurus" debate was heated. When you see the LaCrosse, then you realize there's a lukewarm resemblance to the Taurus, but it's pretty clearly a mid-sized Buick.

LOL. I think the area you speak of is "sensory overload." Too funny, TYD.I think I told you I stayed at the Days Inn (Carlton and Yonge) next to the Maple Leaf Gardens when I was there. It was convenient with the subway entrance smack in front of the hotel. One day, I went around the corner to the CAA office (AAA for us) on Yonge to get some maps. This obviously (bitchy, I might add) male homosexual was at the counter. When I asked him for maps to get to some Toronto suburbs, he got all pissy as if I was a loser that had no life. It's amazing how some in-town types have a disdain for the suburbs. Maybe THEY need to get a life.

Thanks to all of you guys for the advice.I went to the hospital tonight and he was happy to see me. I stayed about 45 minutes and he talked "shop" a lot...I told him, when he gets home, he needs to just hang out and get his strength back up, so he needs to FORGET about work for a while. As I approached the room, his MD was in there talking to him and it looks like he has been through a lot and that he will be looking at some recovery time. Yikes. As for something to read, I went to Barnes and Noble afterwards looking for a pictorial book I could buy for him - he's thinking of retiring Idaho or Montana way.

leprechaun

Muito obrigado, o minho amigo! O ultimo test e o 14 de Maio!A verdade e que eu aguardo o minho viagem pela Europa no verao mais...ya tenho os minhos bilhetes transatlanticos e tamben os bilhetes Europeos com a Iberia Linhas de Espanha: ida Roma-Porto e voltando Valencia-Roma...eu vou ir a Madeira e Valencia (Espanha) pela primeira vez. Quando volto na Italia, vou con os minhos primos a Sardenha, Bolonha, Veneza e Alemanha (Munich). Nao posso aguardar!

jackpot

I loaded up on THREE night classes (9 semester credits) and should wrap up this degree in mid-May. Last night was my last mid-term. Kind of tough, actually. So, now it's time to go away. I leave for Las Vegas on Sunday (should be toasty) and then for LA on Wednesday, triangulating back up next Saturday. Booked a while ago so I got real cheap fares (each leg under $ 100). I am itching for some poolside r & r and sunshine. How about those of you celebrating Spring Break? Any plans?

obtuse

stunned

I keep seeing the new Jetta around. As much as I would not own one, it is much improved. That being said, I cannot help but notice too much Jetta in the new Malibu: overall side profile, greenhouse and door shapes, and trunk height and contours. It really jumps out at me. I think the Malibu will be a hit and I hope so. However, GM needs to stop siphoning some overall design themes (Malibu from Jetta and Enclave from Lexus). That's my humble opinion, anyway. Obviously, I voted yes.

Agreed. They are dip$h!s. A metallic light steel blue is also a great car color, having had several. It may not work for the GP, but it belongs on the Impala and the Buick stable (LaX, Lucerne, etc.)

I want to know about the chicks you've met there that Mama was inquiring about, possibly because she wants you to bring them to her place to meet her. :AH-HA_wink:Seriously, the gym is a big anti-depressant and, after the endorphin high, there's a mellowing period where the heart rate comes down. That's a real nice feeling. I've lost 5 lbs. in the last 2 weeks, but that's because I ain't on the job where the candy bar jug was always stocked and the kitchen always had some type of a spread present.

WMJ: 3.5 Impalas w/o flex fuel also make it to 31 mpg on the higway. Same rig as the MC. I'm so tired of the knee-jerk "write-off" of American cars by idiots in the market.

verbatim

Mind blowing, isn't it? That a person can look better at 27 than 17, and then better at 37 than 27. At 17, I had the "pepperoni on the face" action going. At 27, I had hair that was still too full and needed to be cut shorter. Some people just get their act together later, right?

bitch (how my parents pronounced "beach")

You are up at 4:47 in the AM and on this site? Good Gawd...My response: IKEA Hate that place!

FIFTEEN bucks... That must be your co-pay!

I've gotten that sensation, too, from people from there I've known and when I've been there. (I did not get a good feeling in Boulder, though, as granolas pretend to be so liberal, but are actually very rigid and smug -- their list of "shoulds" is much longer than most peoples). I hear Denver is often used as a "test market" because the cross-section is "extreme" so it really represents the US pop. I've often questioned if the cultural amenities are very good, though. The one thing that I don't think I could handle is the extreme dryness which creates a lot of nasal problems for me, so I like a mild dose of humidity to keep me out of pain. Another thing that keeps Denverites upbeat is 300 days of sunshine, compared to less than 100 in Seattle..is it any wonder northwesterners are so morose?

furniture

And the Pacific Northwest is EXACTLY the same way, particularly Seattle. That's why I couldn't stand it, though my parents retired in that region. In fact, you know that MSP and SEA are tied at the waist...too many Minnesotans of the smug variety moved there and made it uptight. They couldn't stand me. (I do have one friend from northern MN who is of French Canadian origin and she is one of the coolest and funniest people I've ever met - I met her at U of I when we were students). Down here, I am myself at work, or wherever, and it works just fine. Within a couple of weeks of being at work down here, numerous other employees were including me in their lunch groups. It's for that reason that my Dad, when he was alive, had a deep seated dislike of Nordic types, being from the other end of Europe (Sicily) and all. He was so irreverent, emotional and talkative that those stoic types seemed confining to him. He talked to all of our neighbors except for Mr. Olsen with whom he just drew a blank. And, yes, enough people notice it about Seattle that it's almost documentable. Don't even think about changing it "over time." You either assimilate, keep being yourself and risk not being in the clique, or move. I moved. And, it shouldn't take 3 years to be accepted. I know anywhere between 3 minutes and 3 weeks if I want to hang out with somebody.

No, dude, Arizona is ridiculous...3 months of 110 degrees. Yikes. I don't care how low the humidity is.

flap

You're asking ME? The "Canadian" car, of course.