trinacriabob

Yes, Azzurri. But, back to the livery, the stupid stripe on the ITA tail doesn't work. When you get close to the blue graphics, they're dumb. And, yes, seeing the Sistine Chapel is an incredible event, as is going to the top of the cupola and seeing 360 degrees of Rome. I haven't done either in a long time. This is what a good livery looks/looked like:

This new livery for the airline replacing Alitalia is sophomoric and a disappointment. The Italians can do better. This looks very "11th hour." However, it has just been announced that ITA joined Sky Team. That means your Delta miles will work on Air France, KLM, and now ITA to get you across the pond.

It's too bad when stuff like this happens; however, it lasted a long time. When looking through the photos, the first thing that caught my eye was that robin egg blue house across the street. What were they thinking? You sometimes see wood sided ranch homes in this color or apple green in the West. Do people consider subsequent buyers ... and curb appeal?

I forgot to mention fuel economy for this car. I rarely forget to do that! My composite mpg for mixed (mostly highway) driving was 38 mpg. The one all highway tank that I calculated brought in 42 mpg. That's impressive.

Very true about the cabin environment of the last-gen Impala. The dash is great and a big improvement over the last W-body's dash. However, while the window is actually sort of large, it's the rake of the roofline and the thick C-pillar that screw up the visibility. Interesting about the Iron Duke. Well, they were around for over a decade. Maybe it was a hit-miss with years and manufacturing batches of them that had quirks and reliability issues.

With some scouring and luck, I was able to get a weekly rental at a price folks were more accustomed to seeing. This was at the end of last month, right around when fall colors peaked in some places. I was booked for a "mid-size," for which the icon showed a Nissan Sentra. Once I got to the rental agency, there was indeed a Nissan Sentra. However, I saw a Ford Fiesta - a "compact" - toward the edge of the lot and asked if I could have that, instead. The rental agent obliged. It was interesting that this was a 2019 and with miles that were low enough to allow it to remain in the rental fleet. For some strange reason, I get a kick out of the Ford Fiesta. It looks narrow from the outside and with a "Focus on tippy toes" look. It incorporates the shared design vocabulary of Fusion-Focus-Fiesta and does it in a jellybean package that rakes sharply downward toward the front of the car. Most angles look fairly good, with a few that are clunky. Let's start with the interior and the creature comforts. The seats have a normal enough shape, are finished in a durable cloth with a cheap looking pattern you might see in a European econobox, and, over a week, I did not encounter any discomfort or too much fatigue from being in them for a long time. The seats sit fairly low and I had to ratchet that lever to move them up so I had the visibility that suited me. The dashboard is mostly simple. Two big "mostly" circular pods jut out at the driver, with analog speedo, tach, and fuel gauge, while temperature is shown as a digital bar. The center stack is really easy to work with - the climate controls are logical and the infotainment center resides in that funky little hut jutting out at the top of the dashboard cowl. It was fairly sensible to operate its touch commands, too. The geared transmission lever is smartly placed and the feel of moving it indicates its assembly is good. The only thing that took a little bit of getting used to was the operation of the stalks. The left one has all the info settings and the right one has a extension that you push in for a quick wash and wipe from the wipers. The buttons on the steering wheel are fewer than most cars have today, making them easier to learn and operate. The car had excellent visibility, especially toward the rear, which is important to me. In terms of the comical, Fiestas tend to have colored lighting in the front footwells and the console cupholders. I've had purple and blue ones before. This time, I got one with gold lighting. That completes experiencing all 3 of these schemes! Also, this one had a urethane steering wheel. I'm not aware if the packages for this car allowed for a leather steering wheel, but, even if the ride and handling qualities are the exact same, a leather wheel strongly changes that perception for the better. There were a few demerits for the interior. The first is that, while there was a 12V lighter slot, the USB ports were inside the console box. There was a little passage beneath the latch that let you put the cord outside the console box. No USB port was near the lighter. Another issue is that there are no interior latches to release the trunk and the fuel door. I would like both, but, if I had to pick, would want the remote fuel door. The car had a normally aspirated 1.6 liter engine. (That translates to almost 100 cubic inches in old school terms.) This engine worked well with the Fiesta, and even works well in the slightly larger Focus. You hear what it's doing at almost all times, with a slight exhaust hum at freeway cruise. It rarely gets grainy, but, at certain rpm ranges, it might. The transmission was a geared 6 speed automatic unit. (And that's part of why I chose it over the Nissan Sentra, which has a CVT). The Focus-Fiesta 6 speed automatic has seem some bad years, per the reviews, and even in one with under 20,000 miles I rented about 5 years ago. There was a shudder in, at the very least, the 1-2 shift. This one had no such issues at almost twice that mileage. I will say that the shifts are kind of unusual and, again, resemble those of European econoboxes with automatic transmissions. There is an audible spooling up of the rpms followed by an audible drop in the rpms, which tells you that the transmission has changed gears. That finely tuned bump-up you sense in more finished car is just not there. You don't feel much of anything in ordinary driving but, of course, do so when you've gotten into the accelerator to merge or pass. As for passing, be very cautious when doing so. This car is adequately powered, but doesn't have power to spare. The handling and road manners of this car are what would be expected. Like professional and consumer reviews state, the Fiesta is fun to zip around in. It's nimble. It sort of reminds me of the Hyundai Accent, which also had a geared 6 speed automatic until just a few years ago. They are both adult go-karts. For being so small, the ride was acceptable. It rides nicely enough on interstates, good city roads, and especially on rural 2-lane roads. If rough roads are encountered, this car will "speak up." The car isn't overly noisy, but the ride can get a little buzzy and a long trip would require breaks. This was confirmed when I got home and got behind the wheel of a car about 10 years older than it, and with over 100,000 miles, and the quieter and smoother ride was all too apparent. Keep in mind that this is/was an entry-level car within the Ford family. Under the hood, it's fairly well organized with reachable dipsticks and ways to see if you have the right fluids and oils. The only one I could not find was a dipstick for the automatic transmission. Perhaps it's a sealed unit or it's measured from a less conventional place. The battery is up top, slightly to the right, so not at all a challenge to replace. There is even an area behind the engine where you can see through to the pavement below. I believe that final assembly for these Fiestas is at a plant in Hermosillo, Mexico. While that won't bring on a snicker for a Focus, it does bring on a snicker for a Fiesta. I never made that connection before. - - - - - Photos forthcoming

This would be to "use up," as you say. I don't like the Celebrity at all. Never did. It was the ugliest of that set of quadruplets. I would love to have the 4.3 mid-'90s Caprice. I love looking at that reliable, centered engine under the hood. And, their being so many on the road proves that they're heirlooms. It would be a great road trip car, assuming everything is in good working order. The way their interiors are decked out are all over the map - from ugly fabric bench seats to leather with nice stitching. Also, it would only be practical where the weather ranges from warm to mild, which would only go up as high as the Mid-Atlantic, the lower Midwest, the low elevation locations in the Mountain States, and the entirety of the coastal West Coast, owing to the rear wheel drive. The last gen Monte Carlo would have FWD, so it could "live" in more places. Okay, I was thinking you meant the 2000-2005 Impala with the 3.4. I once had a 2004 or 2005 Impala with bucket seats and a 3800 V6 as a rental and I really liked it. Not many of them, nor MCs other than SSs, in those years had 3800s. I saw a lady in a black last-gen Impala LTZ parking it in a shopping center parking structure. She was backing into the spot, against a wall. It took her some adjustments to make it happen. That model has poor rear visibility. Reviews by owners on the various sites cite this as being a demerit for them. Most of them otherwise like the car. I agree with the first part, but liked the Malibu prior to the current one, with the high trunk lid, the Camaro-esque rear lamps, and the 2.5 L4. The current one is more modern all the way around, but I had a great week with a rental of a previous one ... 2015, I think. Also, the W-body vehicles, and especially the Impala, required too much steering effort while parking and at low speeds. They should have eased up on it, without necessarily making it as soft as electric power steering. Haha. Well, were the Iron Duke 4s reliable? Or did you have any serious issues with the basic engine? (I'm sure you had all the maintenance under control.) The thought of losing a tooth / cog on a timing chain, for example, gives me heartburn just to read about it. ^ Unbelievable! Cars - even those priced for commoners - had so much personality. What happened? It must be that sharp corporate pencil.

You get a 113 in cholesterol, and you take nothing to get to that number? If so, wow. Even if you take something, wow. I am going to guess your triglycerides are also under 150. That whole health consciousness thing is so Seattle! And very West Coast in general. I once read that 'America's fattest city' is Houston. How can it not be? Brisket, Tex-Mex, buffets, and on and on ... You always get good food in Houston ... and plenty of it.

Saw the last-gen Regal sport wagon turning left in front of me yesterday. It was a red-orange or candy apple red I've not seen before. It looks long, especially with the horizontal metal bands in the roofline. If it didn't have the Buick badge, you'd think it's a European car. Well, it is. The person driving it looked "discerning" ... that means that they weren't "Mom, apple pie, and Chevrolet" and could have just as easily been driving a Jeep or a BMW, for example. This morning, seen going down the street from a parking lot, I saw an old Sunfire notchback coupe, like the Monza Town(e) Coupe. It was silver with a black landau. It was in excellent condition. I wonder what powered it and if the engine was original. It was worth a chuckle.

I'm starting to get frustrated with what's coming down the automotive pike and what's NOT coming down the pike. When I sometimes look at (used) car ads, I wonder if I should sell my car in a year or two and get an a) a VERY LOW mileage '94 to '96 Caprice Classic 4.3 V8, or b) a VERY LOW mileage '06 Monte Carlo LT 3.5 V6 (and appease how much I like large coupes). I don't know what to do, especially when I look at the ads and see beautiful examples of a) and b) for sale.

Wrapping up October after the fact ... a lot of random sightings on October 29th ... If it gets any greener, it will grow ... Very well maintained early 90s Lumina being driven through a business park by a conservative looking gentleman. I would love to see one - a coupe or a sedan - with the last of the 2.2s because it would be so rare. That engine fared decently compared to the Iron Duke it replaced and which could have presented problems. The norm for this car was obviously the 3.1 V6. Did I miss my calling? I love automotive brochures. I was walking down the street in a fancy neighborhood with professional offices in these brownstones and thought these would make for good photos. And, for expensive German iron fans, this pulled up alongside me as I was walking on the sidewalk in the late afternoon. Not bad, but nothing I'd own, even if I had the money to spare.

I guess you must have been a ways away from the office counter to do that! I'm hoping it cranked over with the purr of a reliable, high functioning small block GM V8. If the price was right, it sounds like it had your name written all over it. After posting, and not feeling so great, I read that hummus is very good for you ... in reasonable quantities. As for the GTO above, and based on previous posts on the forum, I learned that Iris Mist was a real PMD (et. al. ?) color, even though it looks very after market. I think I like the GTO starting with when it had the finned sides on its backlite and the more rounded look of the late '60s and the early '70s, though only specific years within the latter. And I sort of like the last GTO built by Holden of Australia, though I think the G8 has a more timeless and less jellybean design than the last GTO it ran alongside to.

I'll agree with you guys. Prior to '77, Chevy did a nice job with their Impalas and Caprices. They were heirloom vehicles. With all their roofline experimentation, they pulled off some nice coupes. That white '74 coupe was a limited edition type of offering. I also remember a marketing slogan they once had - 'See the U.S.A., in a Chevrolet' or something like that.

My mother had a friend who had a T-bird with an interior pretty much like this and kept it for a really long time. I remember that the steering wheel tilted "away." My mother also had a friend who bought the very first Maverick ... a down-line model ... on the cheap. She was from Brooklyn, wore cat glasses, and was a chain smoker. Someone out of a sitcom from decades ago. We knew when we came home from school that she had visited, complained about her, and had to throw open all the windows in the house. Both FoMoCo when you think about it ... - - - - - My original random thought: Sadly, it's easy to lose the battle with a small tub of hummus or French onion dip that is deeply discounted and that you've purchased. I only do the hummus/dip or tub of ice cream thing about once every 3 months.

I instantly tune out to all vehicles with an upward market adjustment. I think about how crazy it is to bring fancy, expensive sheetmetal that depreciates onto the open road and expose it to the elements, nature, and crazed or incompetent drivers. For people for whom money is no object or are compulsive with their buying behaviors, it's obvious that their mentality and my mentality are not in synch.

Did they chase you right back?

I hear these specific and memorable lyrics in my head every now and then ... "Will you meet him on the Main Line? Or will you catch him on the rebound?" "Will you marry for the money? Take a lover in the afternoon ..." Name that song!

This might just belong in the joke thread. These were around when I was a kid. You don't see them much anymore. They'd border on being vintage items. (It's priced like one.)

Very well could have been even though they did offer a dark brown interior to go with that lighter exterior color, as well as the dark metallic brown they offered those few years. I tend to dislike dark brown cars. However, I've seen a few '83 and '84 Supreme Brougham coupes in that color, together with a landau roof and interior in that same color, and they were beautiful. They dialed in that color. Exterior in metallic dark brown, per brochure I would have never thought this could have looked this good. I think this - brown vinyl top and interior - looked better than it potentially did with burgundy. Too much. Per the rear window, the interior upholstery is very faded and has seen better days. MAGA? Bring back Cutlass Supreme RWD coupes and their stablemates. And, while I'm at it, disco, too.

Seen late this afternoon I was photographing some houses decked out in a big way for Halloween, and saw a few interesting cars in the process. They're GM products, so, if that ain't your thing, you don't have to read on. This is the smaller sibling of "la cathedrale roulante" (FR) ... a 1983 or 1984 (based on the color, since my family bought a Cutlass Supreme that year) Olds Eighty-Eight (Royale) (Brougham) being driven by what seemed like a high school kid. He and/or his parents know what's good for you. While looking at one great Halloween display at a one house, this beauty on an adjacent property caught my eye ... a 2008-ish Pontiac G8 in a metallic charcoal color. In my book, this looks even nicer than a BMW 3 series sedan ... both then and now.

Saw these a few days ago ... A last-gen Pontiac Grand Prix in a color seen only in its first year as such, and maybe its second year: Fusion Orange Metallic. It would have been unlikely that other W-body GM cars such as the LaCrosse and the Impala would have offered it. The Monte Carlo coupe could have been a candidate for it, but didn't offer it. That's why these GPs stand out many years later. This looks great for a 16 to 17 year old car! A ridiculously overstyled front end that, in my opinion, detracted from its maximum sales potential, in addition to the more confining astronaut-like (well, sort of) accommodations inside. And, then, while the return of the "Costco lunch" might make your day, their featuring this outside might sort of ruin it.

The random thought I had really meant to share: the "normal" Costco lunch has pretty much returned. 'Tis a good day.

Yes, please. The Las Olas area is nice. Somewhere, I have a photo from 2015 or 2016 that I took of a new spec house for sale in Fort Lauderdale, a nice 3/2 stucco concrete block ranch with a standing seam metal roof and a 2 car garage (am/was not in the market for that sort of home), that was EAST of Federal Highway and SOUTH of Broward Blvd. and the flyer indicated a price of $ 449 K for it. I thought it was a little high. The joke's on me. A few auto makers used to feature interiors like this, in this funky color, and these were very cool. BOF vehicles also bring back good memories.

I had just finished up with a doctor's appointment and there was a Cadillac dealership right across the street. I don't usually look at Cadillacs but, since it was right across the street, I thought I'd look at their entry-level vehicle, the CT4. There was one in the showroom and it made for sticker shock. That's because it was the Blackwing edition, the top of the line. I was told that they are having trouble getting cars in general and that there was one slightly used or demo of the more basic CT4 on the lot. I told the lady there was no sense in opening it up since I was just looking. I'll do this review in pro and con style, like @regfootball does, to be concise Pros: - an entry level Cadillac with a base MSRP under $ 35K - rear wheel drive (depends where you live) - sunken in feel from driver's seat like that of a race car driver (this isn't your father's Cadillac) - styling that hearkens to the 2000s CTS (familiar, sensible); attractive in front view, side view, and front angled views, except for the overly long dip of the turning lamp relative to the rest of the grille - a 2.0 engine that has been around quite a while - an engine that's centered in the engine bay - nice fit and finish - roomy trunk - rake of the roofline and greenhouse provide sight lines that, I assume, most people prefer and rear headrests do not encroach much - the canted inward outline of the trunk lid is interesting and novel for a Cadillac sedan Cons: - there is no engine in the line-up that is NOT turbocharged - rear wheel drive (depends where you live) - sunken in feel from driver's seat like that of a race car driver (I adjusted the seat upward, and it still wasn't to my liking) - styling that hearkens to the 2000s CTS (safe); a little clumsy in rear angled views, owing to the taillamp design - GM dials and switches found across all the divisions - price can climb quickly by adding on option packages; many paints are extra cost, but not absurdly priced; the up-level trims become garish, in my opinion - the height of the console surface is still a little high, but certainly better than that of the 2017-2019 LaCrosse, for example - rear seat leg room - - - - - I think it's nice that Cadillac has this car in their line-up. You can bet that it has a leather steering wheel. (Put together a Malibu, in LT form, and it does NOT have a leather steering wheel as standard unless you opt for one of the hefty packages and it will push that car's MSRP toward $30K.) I've seen videos of this car in motion and I like it. I built one and had it come in at around $ 37 K. PHOTOS EXTERIOR For me, less is more - I much prefer a more basic model than the Blackwing Mostly nice shapes "Different" for being a Cadillac INTERIOR Decent fit and fish; infotainment center nicely positioned Leather wheel, but switches just like on any other GM car Console surface still a little high for my taste The rake of the roofline and C-pillar area works for me for changing lanes and such Get rid of that clutch (joking, the Blackwing has a manual shift option ... the base model comes with an 8 speed automatic) Rear seat leg room Nice rear headrests and interesting detailing of the leather seats I'm not so sure I like those contraptions on both side of the front seat headrests Rear vents and power/USB port Nicely sized and deep trunk END OF REVIEW

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