Intrepidation

Just buy a `Cuda badge and you're all set

See this is another problem. The CTS may hold up better in the long run, but initionally the VW is the nicer interior...also the fact that you say that the VW's interior is softer than the Caddy's, which is supposed to be luxury, is just not right. Remember that first impressions are everything, so people will be one over by interiors that seem nicer at first. I think interiors are importnat, and ideally I want a really nice interior with plenty of soft materials, an elegant/cool design, and good ergonomics. However if the rest of the car is good enough, I'm willing to compemise. Like teh Charger/Magunm...I don't care for the interiors (the 300's looks better), but I love the looks and performance so much I'm willing to compremise.

I think gas prices will certainly have an effect on SUVs, as they already have been, for people who have paid for big SUVs on a loan or something. For those who can afford to pay it upfront, they probably have the money to pay for gas no matter what the price (realistically speaking of course).

Fo' real? Damn...I nevver knew

Yeah, that'd be my guess. That spoiler looks stupid.

10w 40 is a type of engine oil...it's not WD-40

that has to be one of the stupidest things I've seen in recent memory...all it needs is a monster wing and it'd be complete! Must be had to turn the wheels on that thing without scraping the wheel wells. ...does that say "26 cents" in the rear window? If so that's about how much the car is worth Sad thing is..it doesn't look any uglier than the normal Monte Carlo...just stupider. Talk about adding injury to insult!

nice, very nice. it takes 10w 40 right?

good question

erm...I'm not sure...sorry

Since the knocking I heard yesterday hasn't happened again so far...it's tough to tell as well. Tomorrow I'm going to bring it and have my dad take a look...so we'll see what happens. If it isneed the rod, or anything internal with the engine, the car will have to be taken off the road, and the van put on in it's place. I'm leaving on Tuesday so I doubt there's time to fix a major problem...that and money...and lack of experience ripping engines bigger than a lawnmower's apart. I'm thinking of saving up for a "new car" and garaging the Shadow until I have time to play with it. I certainly won't junk it...but it really is at the point in its life where it needs considerable work...it's an old car with a lotta miles after all. Still...for now this is the car I have, so I wanna get down to the bottom of these two problems.

priceless

That's the Chinese Buick LaCrosse in that photo...

Yeah I've used taht on busy road...how many peopel do you think actually know/remember what they mean though? I'm not sure if it's the lifter ticking or not...cuz I'm not sure what that would sound like. However if it's a "ticking" sound then it's not the lifter...it was deffinitely a knocking sound. Retainers?

Glad to hear that the annoying downtimes will stop

The sound I heard was loud enough that I could hear it even with the A/C on (medium-high), with the radio on at the volume i usually have it it's barely noticeable ( again, medium-high volume). When I was driving back I had teh raio off and was listening at the sound...it was bad enough that I was afraid to rev the engine passed 2k rpm, since the higher the rev the faster the knocking got. But the strange thing was is that when in park, I could rev the engine all I wanted and there was no knocking sound. Stranger still is that that night the sound was gone. Today I had to drive about an hour to and from UMass Lowell to take my final...going 45-55 mph most of the way and it never happened. So it baffles me. Now, there has for the longest time been a sound from the egine...it sorta sounds like a low knocking, but like I said, has been there as long as I can remember, you can hear it at idle but it is easily dorned out by the engine under any sort of acceleration...the rattling catallytic converter drons it out too. The knocking I heard yesterday sounded sorta like a severely amplified version of that...but it's hard to tell for sure since it hasn't made that loud knocking since. As for the turn signals, they don't turn on at all, not even the arrows in the dash, there's no blinker clicking noise either. When the hazards are on...everything works fine. Let me tell ya it's been tricky driving without turn signals

I kinda like it actually, although that stupid spoiler needs to go...at least replace it with a roof mounted spoiler like what the Caliber has.

I don't like this...if the beltline didn't dip and was a straight cut like the Magnum's I think it would be better.

So...what exactly happened?

I dunno if this is bad karma from the rain or if it's just hit that point in its life where everything just wants to go wrong. As many of you know, there was a huge rainstorm last weekend in the New England area. We had driven around in my car to take pics of the river and stuff, and later my friend came over. That night when I was taking him home...(I think this was Sunday)...I noticed my blinkers weren't working at all...not even the inside flasher arrows. Of course, when I put the hazard lights on...everything works fine. I have tried replacing the flasher relay with no luck. Now, if there is one thing that this car has had major problems with...it's electrical. Until about a year ago it was fine, but within the past year there's been all kinds of electrical problems. First the dome light/vanity lights stopped working, then the trunk light, and then the hood light wouldn't turn off. Fixed the dome light, replaced the hood light unit(works fine now). Of course there was the corrosion on the wiring harness connected to the HVAC controls that lead to overheat and meltdown. Fixed that...and now this. I have no idea what it is... The other problem…which just started today...is a knocking sound. My friend locked his keys out of his running car, a Cavalier, and so I gave him a ride to his place to get a spare key. Close to his house I started hearing a knocking sound from the engine. When I revved it the knocking got faster, but when I was in park it stopped. On the way back to my friend's house that we were all at, it sounded pretty bad...I was afraid to go past 25 mph. We hung out at the house for a while, and hours later I went home...and the noise had stopped. Later in the evening I took it out for a drive and the sound wasn't there either...so I'm baffled. A friend of mien suggested bad sparkplugs...but I dunno. I'd hate it to be a warped piston head...but if that were true wouldn't the knocking sound occur all the time? So...for the moment I'm stumped. Mechanically the car hasn't had any problems before this in a few years...so I dunno. If anyone has any tips or thoughts I'd appreciate it greatly. Remember, it's a 1989 Dodge Shadow 2.5 liter 4 cylinder with a 3-speed auto.

good pints on all fronts. It sickens me how hispanics tend to disregard American culture and values but instead keep their own. It sickens me when anyone does this, but I live in a town with a lot of hispanics...and I see it a lot. They are so disrepectful. Garbage everywhere, half of them don't know english and many speak spanish anyway. There's gangs in the downtown areas, grus too, and they all blare their f@#king muysic (which is IMOthe worst kind...spanish and rap). They also drive rice mobiles. Now...that may sound harsh, but FYI my best friend is hispanic...but you wouldn't know it by his personbality...hell he doesn't even know spanish. He says he's ashamed of many other hispanics...now that is sad...

Not the CX-7, at least IMO

never thought i'd have to say this to you of all people, but lighten up

*lets a loud one rip*