trinacriabob

The new Elantra is just around the bend and it stylistically follows in the footsteps of the new Sonata. That's a thumbs down. It looks like they're trying to reinvent their design vocabulary and niche. The exterior views are consistent but the interior views are not. I've seen two renditions of their interiors and dashboards. One is better than the other. I see the Accent going away. Too bad. The Accent is being discontinued for the Canadian market. I'm not sure if we (the U.S.A.) are included in this. There are very few of them on the lots, while Elantras, the current one, are plentiful. I surprisingly enjoyed how nicely two rentals drove and sipped fuel. The only heartburn I have is that it went from a 6-speed automatic to a CVT. Yep, CVTs and "laptop left open" infotainment centers give me heartburn.

I'm part of the way with you on this. I do not get the appeal of Krispy Kreme at all. It's their glazing and slickness that I don't like. I only go during National Donut Day or if someone else really wants to go. I much prefer Dunkin Donuts because their donuts are "normal" in consistency, frosting, etc. So are the donuts of some indie shops. A good croissant does trump a donut, either filled with jam or turned into a small sandwich.

And Edsel made its own engines? What powered their cars - cylinders, c.i.? I don't know anything about them except that Kathleen Turner made a comment about an Edsel in one particular movie. So sad to see Pontiac shelved. With few exceptions, always the best styled of BOP + C(h). Compared to the rear of the '59 Impala, the '60 (and '58) almost pale. ... few tail lamp assemblies have been that uniquely and oddly styled.

Here are some classics don't fit into the monthly spotting threads ... all of them seen in California. Here's a Chevy wagon of some sort (year and model unknown) in a rest area along US 101 in the vicinity of Hearst Castle. Here's a real treat. I don't recall if and when I've seen one before. I kept looking at it in this shopping center parking lot, trying to figure out what is was, and it was an EDSEL! (rear light panel looks "slightly" old Impala like)

If it's that trashed outside, it's probably fairly scruffy inside. That looks like a '79. Probably a beautiful car in its day. I think I spot the little square emblem on the landau roof indicating it's a Brougham.

You guys were on this like flies on sh*t. I had edited it out quickly. My God. Next Monday, August 17, is National Vanilla Custard Day. If you have a Culver's near you, things with vanilla custard are half off. Check. And, raise your custard treat as a "cheers" to Robert DeNiro's birthday. I think it's on the 17th. I have a friend, a "paesano," with a b-day on the 18th who told me that.

Never mind. - - - - - Also, yes, riviera74, I agree. The Chinese president's car has an ominous Gotham City quality.

Money does not buy class. It's one tacky ride. Also, I see tattoos showing up by his sleeves. Many people, including many celebrities, are clueless and should be getting rid of them before age, and what it does to the skin, creeps up on them.

This sled has existed for a while but, today, I saw it on line for the very first time. I was trying to figure out if Mercedes or Bentley built it for the Chinese president and other VIPs. Turns out it's made by an expensive niche Chinese auto manufacturer and these cars cost about $ 1 M (US equivalent) each. It looks more like a butt ugly and expensive cross between an early '60s Rambler and a late '60s Toyota on steroids.

@oldshurst442 Two things: 1) That's exactly what I was thinking. If a great white shark can swim up to Maine (a very sad situation), there's nothing stopping it from swimming up to Nova Scotia (Halifax, etc.) 2) The could have been me in that photo except that my rented Alero was a coupe, burgundy, and on the Trans-Canada Highway in AB near the Continental Divide. The moose was also a lot farther ahead of the car ... thankfully. But who can forget that?

Nice exterior color, indeed. However, I've got to say that, for their trucks/SUVs/CUVs, GM seems to make more attractive instrument panels and interiors than other car makers ... nice lines, contours, etc. Enjoy!

That's a good price. You mean you actually consented to driving a Subaru? I recently was supposed to have an Hyundai Elantra or similar (mid-size) for 6 days and it was in the high $200s and I had to shop and shop for that. But the silver lining in the cloud was a NICE upgrade. I have found Costco to be good for renting cars. However, I don't think you can get frequent flyer points. (Or maybe you can if you give them the number at the rental counter.) Anymore, you just have to shop and shop.

Rental car rates seem to have gone way up. Probably to cover sanitizing the vehicles, lost revenue, etc. I am not even seeing weekly rates on most rental agencies' sites. They seem to price by the day. It used to be that 5 to 7 days were priced at the same rate, which helped out the 7 day folks.

"Fraternal twins" having a heart to heart conversation (on August 2) (IMO, the two best colors for either of these Mopars)

Woohoo. West Virginia plates. That's where the fictitious Clarice Starling from "Silence of the Lambs" hailed from. Hannibal tried to put her down for her lineage. These two like to park next to each other ... two generations of Dodge Charger, in black.

A lot of good facts here and with all the low 3 liter V6s and 4.3s in both V6 and V8 form, it's easy to get them confused and/or forget them. I had forgotten. There was a 3.3 V6 in the downsized Malibu because, that same year, they put out a 3.2 V6 (196 c.i.) for equivalent Buick products, such as the Regal and the Century. I knew someone who had this engine in a hand-me down in a 2-door Regal, and he said it was reliable, economical, but had no oomph. It was great that Chevy's downsized full-sizes kept the inline 6 because the engine bay had room for it. I believe 231s were available in the BOP full-size base cars. I think, in that era, I'd opt for the inline 6 over the 231. I don't know what the 4.4 V8 was based on, which was also found in Malibus and Monte Carlos. 4.3s by Chevrolet can be confusing, since they made them as V6s and V8s. Both were excellent engines. The 4.3 V6 (Vortec) was sliced off from a Chevy 350. Who'd have thought that this engine was a slam dunk for 300,000 miles? A few Astro van drivers have told me that their 4.3s would not give up the ghost. I think that, in that era, the 4.3 V6 (~ 262 c.i.) with simple TBI was better than the 231 c.i. V6, even if the 231 had gone even firing. And, yes, it showed up in the 1985 MY model year. I had the opportunity to drive a RWD Monte Carlo (bucket seats and console!) coupe with that engine in the NYC area and the extra ~ 30 hp (if I recall) came in handy for short ramps and getting out of the gate after paying a bridge toll. The 4.3 V8 was a de-bored 5.0 (305 c.i.) V8. It showed up for the 1994 MY in RWD form but only stuck around for a few years. If in excellent condition, the purr that they make is music to the ears. It also can go the distance ... just hope the Optispark ignition control doesn't give out, which can be costly. For some reason, the smaller GM V8s have nice, quiet exhaust notes and I like quiet running cars. Also, in the late '70s, Chevy had some batches of 305s and 350s that had premature camshaft wear problems. I knew a few people who had problems with them. That definitely skewed me towards Olds designed V8s. However, with all of that behind them, I would gladly drive a car powered by the L99 engine (4.3 Chevy V8) that the thread discusses.

Great photo! It's good fun to take random photos of random animals when they show up. I was getting gas in Orlando FL on a humid night and a little green frog had made its home in one of the slots in the steel column holding up the canopy over the gas pump island.

heavy

Just saw an immaculate Pontiac Grand Prix, 2004 (had trunk lock), in "Light Urine Sample Gold" metallic with FL plates w(h)izzing by me on the freeway in the fast lane.

Q: What do tornadoes and divorces in Appalachia have in common? A: Either way, you lose the mobile home.

inimitable

marionberry

This would be the ride across the pond to New York, parked at the gate at Frankfurt airport, Lufthansa's home base. Kudos to Lufthansa for being the launch customer for the B 747-8i. I applaud people who were brave enough to take German in high school or college. They just join words together to make mega-words with 20 letters in them. And to think of all those poor immigrants from Southern Europe and the Middle East living in Germany who have to learn them. For example, an "auditor" is a "wirtschaftsprufer" (with 2 dots over the u) in their lingo.

double

The DreamLIFTER has the same Beluga the whale look that the Airbus 380 has. But, yes, it can carry a lot! Perhaps too much. I am looking at all the press about delays and whatnot that the Boeing 777-X is getting and that damn plane looks huge. I've only flown on an earlier B-777 once and wasn't crazy about it. I know they're workhorses. I have flown on the 787 Dreamliner twice ... and very much look forward to flying on one again. Still looking forward to flying on that rare B767-400 ER. If I recall, only 36 of them were ordered by American carriers - Delta and United/Continental. The best thing about the 767 is the 2-3-2 arrangement, which favors the passenger more than it does maximizing revenue.