trinacriabob

It's actually between a 4 and 5, so, to be conservative, I gave it a 4. Nice job!

Definitely better looking than the Enclave. This doesn't try to look like anything else. The front lamps are chiseled and interesting without being stupid. The overall appearance is proportionate and harmonious. Nice dashboard, too.

Well, I admit I do go to Wal-Mart. I don't like it much, but I do go. You can't ignore that some items are priced way low...all the time. For example, oatmeal which is $ 4.19 at Safeway (Quaker Oats) is $ 1.64 (Great Values Wal Mart brand), and on and on. I sort of know ahead of time which handful of items I plan to buy so I can run. Yes, indeed, it ain't the Safeway crowd at all. I am a little bit on the defense when I'm in a Wal-Mart as opposed to a more upscale store. Some of the help is nice, most are jaded. I wear the crappiest more torn jeans and t-shirt I can find to go in there. Funny story: One fine day, I was driving between Montreal and Quebec City and I am in Cap-de-la-Madeleine (sp). I was at a Wal-Mart where they only spoke French. I was looking for the Perce rock - the one with the hole you see in the postcards. Turns out it was all the way out at the Atlantic coast...another 750 miles or so, so I settled on going as far as Quebec City. This lady looked like something out of the 70s, with feathered hair and glasses with the temple bars on the bottom instead of the top, and like she could have been Erin Brockovich's best buddy, but she was actually really nice...asking all her co-workers if they knew of the big rock I was talking about. Does Target have groceries? If so, I may start to skip on Wal Mart.

The South

Spoken like a true Catholic.

Right. I find that the front seats are a little bit of a chore for me (at a 34 waist) to get in and out of because of the bolstering and slightly lower position than in, say, the MC. The rear seats are exactly as you say. Good call on the assist grip...I think you're right. It's a very likeable road car, though, even in base form. I have rented enough of these and put enough miles on them to get me from LA to NY and I'm now "working my way back." LOL. The O.C.s comment about the steering wheel and the speedo is funny. Yeah, I think a design that is a little tamer would have been nice. I wanted to say that, as I look at these, raising the roof an inch or two and having a backlite that isn't so flat would not have damaged the sportiness....just look at the previous gen. You do have to admit, however, that the overall shape and functionality of the dash is quite good. The other thing to keep in mind is that, for the overall level of amenities and type of car, it is very affordable in its base level form. Perhaps the chintziness, as is mentioned above, is what allows for it to be in this price point, though that is kind of sad.

Very well said, Cananopie. This car isn't looking to abandon its niche market (which is growing larger, by the way) while attracting some new buyers. This is a car that isn't meant to shout. (NO here). This is a car that wants to keep its following happy primarily through its competence and reliability.

After years on driving with my elbow on the center console cover in my Regal, the vinyl now has a dimple/tear about the size of a quarter. Incidentally, it's burgundy colored vinyl. No big deal, but if it's a cheap fix, I'll do it. The console cover comes off so it can be taken somewhere. What's usually involved in something like this? Is it expensive? I know that, when used cars come in, they are accustomed to making these fixes.

Smokey and the Bandit

Funny. I used to live at the northernmost reaches of Kirkland off I-405. Issaquah is a nice area.

spendthrift

expensive

Reg, I like the way you think. Exactly. Look at all those ads for realtors. They have a cute slogan, wedding invitation calligraphy, and try real hard to differentiate themselves based on...well...nothing.I think if I were to see an attorney's yellow page ad that said, for example: JD, Columbia University BA, Boston College Av rated by Martindale Hubbell I know that person has been SERIOUSLY filtered. I couldn't pull that off. True, tax deductions come into play than if you an employee on someone's payroll. Usually, RE sales is the secondary and discretionary income.

I tend to be more sympathetic to someone who makes this a full-time job and has to bust their ass to make ends meet, rather than someone who is married to someone in the statistically most well paid profession and, given the small child she was tugging along, does it as a side gig. That's why I have to purchase over a 3-day weekend so it fits into her schedule, obviously.

surgeon

dirty Looky-here, post 2000. Time to go to work.

detergent

climax

Ocn, read Reg's post. So true about the fee you get as an architect versus the amount of work. An architect doing custom homes can only do about 6 to 8 of them a year, at best, and has to deduct a boatload of expenses...CAD programs, malpractice insurance (that's right), employees, etc., etc. A realtor can show a couple of houses and make the same percentage, and without any education or formal training. And therein lies the problem. No barrier to entry like a traditional profession so there are too many and not all will make it. And because there is no barrier to entry, people that are unprofessional can get into the field and so, yes, a lot of realtors can be less than optimal to work with so it is about realtors. Let's face it. There are so many realtor nightmare stories, as there are car sales stories, so I don't apologize for the gist of the thread nor its title.

Hey, good job ditching the goatee. You look like a respectable Eastsider instead of a typical 981xx-er! And dressed to complement your car, too. That looks like the Bridge of the Gods in the background of the other pic...

seratonin

oppression

The only foreign ones I've been on--- Lufthansa ... never fails to take my carry on away from me. It meets the carry-on standards. I might have an extra sweater or towel stuffed in there that adds an inch or so. It fights into the overheads perfectly. That's why I don't like them and they are militant about it. Alitalia...well it's just a riot of sorts. It's a flying Italian restaurant with a lot of theatrical people on board. It's the most entertaining of the foreign carriers. They've gotten better and more punctual...remember, according to a joke, A.L.I.T.A.L.I.A. means "Always Late in Take-off, Always Late in Arrival." Air France...actually very good. Not snobbish, as one might imagine. Professional yet relaxed, punctual and the food is also very good. Aerolineas Argentinas...loved them. They are the nicest of any flight crew with great personalities. It seems like they enjoy their jobs. They can run late, but not on any of my flights. Iberia of Spain...I thought they would be nice, but they were clinical and bland. They weren't bad...it's just that they weren't good, either. Domestically, I've gotten the best service from Delta, followed by United. Very little experience with the other coast-to-coast carriers.

launch pad

The poll/thread was to discuss reactions based on experiences. Mine have been mostly negative. Those of my parents buying a house in Portland OR were appalling and extremely unprofessional. I already wrote what the first lady said to me. So now I will add that the realtor that sold them their current house was giving my Mom the once-over and made some comment how she could fill her big new walk in closet with new clothes. This lady was about 45 and flashy and my Mom was nearing retirement and dresses like she could be a librarian. I thought: what a catty sn@tch! Pantho, I doubt you would go to get your estate plan drawn up or your taxes done or your cavity filled and hear $h! like this. It's nauseating. There are good realtors. In Atlanta, I fired the first realtor when I sold my place to go to grad school. He had an ad in my parish bulletin. He was as milguetoast as the day is long. I had no clue how he made it as a realtor. The second realtor was a single lady from NY I met at an open house 2 years before. She was proactive and made a good impression. She didn't push me to buy the listing she was showing. I then gave the listing to her. She sold the place....so it has nothing to do with gender or education. The lady I met at the open house this time around sends me batches of listings so that I can act on a purchase over the tight window of a 3-day weekend when I go back to where I was vacationing. There is no way I would use her for my eventual purchase if I choose to relocate. Car salesmen: a LOT of them ARE assholes. Some aren't. Look at all the stories we read on this very forum about altercations at car dealerships. I had a great car buying experience with my Regal. I went to the Pontiac-Buick-GMC place about 10 miles from my parents' house. The guy showed my both the Grand Prix and the Regal. He let me drive both. He handed me brochures, a business card and told me when I gave it some thought and was ready that I should give him a call. I liked the way he didn't push me. Two months later, I make an appointment. I type out a list with all the options I want, together with the codes and the MSRPs. He comes back in 10 minutes with $ 1,800 off of an $ 18,736 car. Done deal. Good service department, too. Incidentally, on those career aptitude tests, I score extremely high in sales to the point that it scares me, including being a realtor. Obviously, I don't want to do that. I am just appalled because I would take such a different approach to handling people than what I have seen. That's what the thread is about....professionalism/lack of professionalism