trinacriabob

Where's "budman3"?

The immediate outskirts of where I live front the foothills of the Sierra and it is a prime mountain lion area. Though rare, the 1994 attack of a woman runner on the Western Endurance Trail at Auburn CA was weird. These bastards pounce from overhead or from behind and go for the neck. She didn't know what hit her, but she did put up a fight. She didn't make it. They said that if the elderly man in North Coastal California had been alone a couple of weeks ago, he wouldn't have made it either. His wife saved him. A big state park east of San Diego called Cuyamaca Rancho is a major mountain lion hangout, with a few reported deaths and nonfatal attacks as well as numerous sightings to the point that the park is periodically closed to do some "purging." I guess it creeps me out a bit because I've gone hiking or swimming in the lower Sierra quite often and most of the time by myself. I am now going to get both a walking stick and a blade instead of just a cooler with water, Cokes and breakfast bars. If one hangs out outdoors at all, he or she should probably become familiar with any defense routines.

It's called the Hyperion treatment plant in El Segundo immediately south of LAX ...and if the breezes go the wrong way, well then....otherwise that whole area gets a great sea breeze...that's why it's so desirable...and expensive

No, sir, you are not alone. This is my favorite genre of car...the mid to full size personal luxury coupe. I don't think any domestic manufacturer offers one anymore, so my choices are also narrowed.

I voted "middle of the road." I was expecting more. I'm not saying it's poorly crafted. I'm sure it will be a fine car. I think that so many of the "pieces of the puzzle" look like they've been tried before. The front end is carryover Pontiac. The greenhouse is BMW 3 series sedan. The rear lights look like the ones on that Mitsubishi Stealth-type product. The shapes in the dashboard are extremely conventional, having been used on so many cars that didn't even register with me. It is cohesive, though, just not provocative. Since this was going to be the flagship replacing GP and Bonneville, I did not want such a bland and blunt rear end. I was expecting a longer trunk lid and more of a roofline flow. If people like it and buy it, I'm happy (for the value of my GM shares, if anything). I don't see it as my kind of car, though.

Growing up, we used to do "the triangle" but it takes a long time to drive. From LA, we would go to Lake Tahoe. Then we would head over to the Bay Area (SF and surroundings) and then drive down the coast back to LA. This was always a "must do" upon graduating from high school. Natural beauty: Lake Tahoe, Yosemite Park (if it's not summer when it's mobbed), the central coast between Morro Bay and Big Sur, Santa Barbara coast Cities: Los Angeles (the usual haunts you hear about but add Malibu, Santa Monica and the South Bay beaches), San Francisco (cable car ride, the Wharf, Marin view of the Golden Gate, Twin Peaks viewpoint), SD (La Jolla, the Zoo, the beaches, Balboa Park), OC (Laguna Beach, Newport Beach)

eyebrows

Happy birthday! Stay warm, ok?

If I recall, my first car (a hand-me down Cutlass Supreme) did not have a front license plate for quite a while. I never got nabbed. I think the assembly that held it in place got kind of screwed up from some "acoustical parking." I finally managed to ram the front license plate into the sleeve and put it back on.

tolerances

busybody

I seriously think this was invented. It can't be real. Unbelievable.

Como sei terribile! LOL. (I had to use the letters I was given, I thought) My response to thread: shoe

echos

It is scary in a way. I can't believe THAT many cars were "fleet sales." Buick's traditional core market is growing in numbers, so the fact that Buick sales are as far down as they are surprises me...so what are elderly people of means buying? LaX is certainly an improvement over Century/Regal. The Lucerne is also more uptown than the duo it replaces. (However, having sat in a Lucerne leads me to believe that the bulky proportions to the rear in its thick high trunk and C-pillar, as well as some blind spots, may not be liked by the elderly buyer, despite its rakish styling). Pontiac's line-up is readjusting itself toward better clarity. Let's see what happens. In Chevyland, the Impala is doing well...and why not? It's a great value and nicer looking/better finished than its pre-update version. I think it will get better....not by leaps and bounds, but certainly upward.

rose

coitus interruptus

I think the Intrigue was, and still is, the most successful W-body. Automotive reviews were generally flattering. Equipped correctly, it is a timeless beauty.I think the W-body morphed fairly well. Most patrons have had great service from them. My 1992 Regal stands at 232,210 miles today. (I think I will go for the 250,000 mile mark while still purchasing a new car). The Regal coupe (1988-1996) was also a decent looking car and, it too, improved...starting out with the undesirable raspy and underpowered 2.8 litre V6 and then introducing the 3800 V6 two years later as an option for that car. I don't think this has so much to do with Roger Smith, as much as I think he lacked vision....he came from the bean-counting side of the house and was not tied into the design and technology side of GM. The W-body was the response at the time and the trio of coupes probably came first because the W-body was the "contemporary" response to the RWD opera-windowed nameplates that preceded them through 1987 and were also dearly loved. In fact, the Taurus at which the W-bodies were aimed only "expired" last year, having had one in Pensacola last June as a rental. I think the black eye isn't from the W-bodies. It was from the poor reliability, bad timing and lack of focus found in many of the other lines, particularly during the 1980s.

sore

breast feeding

anxiety

Mr. T

That's a keeper, Flybry, so funny. I agree. I love the dash in the car and the in-dash ignition. It's unique and a great leap forward from 1997-2003. I wish they had done a little bit better job on the exterior. You can't throw a rock without hitting a rental GP these days. I see them EVERYWHERE. In fact, I spent a weekend not long ago in one of these base models to go mess around up in Chico, CA. I had fun driving around my base model GP.

athlete's foot

Right you are...they had better price the entry level car at $ 29.5 K or so...no more than that. Lucerne comes in at mid-20s and that's a Buick.I don't know if I like it. The shortness and bluntness of the front end doesn't grab me. It does look too much like a previous-gen BMW. Also, considering it's replacing the Bonneville, it looks small. It should be at least the size of an Audi A8.