VenSeattle

This isn't a hostile take-over... Nissan & Renault are looking for "investment opportunities" and to add to their alliance... they're not looking for an estate sale. It would serve no purpose to invest 20% into GM just to tear it apart. If that was the case, (based on some analysts) it would be smarter for them to wait until after GM goes Bankrupt to pick up the pieces they want for pennies on the dollar.

There's a blue Fusion that lives a few doors down from me. It looks great. Yours does too. Congrats! The Fusion has far more personality than a Camry IMO... That actually goes for any of Ford's triplets.

Quit trying to censor BV... he's just expressing himself If you don't like his topics, don't click on them. You can also use the ignore feature... Maybe we shouldn't censor Religious and Political subjects either... it is the lounge after all. That could really make things interesting around here.

Uhm... According to urban legend, it's not "squinting" that will make someone go blind... Think about it

No they don't... Nissan "brand" interiors still need to improve, but Nissans are pretty good. Infinitis are great vehicles. It's the only Japanese brand I prefer. (In fact, if I leave Buick, it'll be to head for an Infiniti dealer near by) I'd love to see this happen. Can Carlos Ghosn manage three companies?

Very cool. Congrats! I thought about the 0% for 72 also... but I'm just not ready to depart with my PA.

GM sold 558,092 vehicles in June 2005... but GM only sold 380,267 in June 2004... Let's see how bad it turns out. Due to the extreme circumstances surrounding last year's sales numbers, I'm more so inclined to compare 2004 with 2006.

But doesn't it bother you that the Fusion SEL doesn't have options available on the Camry XLE even though you weren't considering those options anyway? j/k Congrats Satty! Hope you enjoy it and look forward to the pics.

I like it. I wouldn't have a problem driving an XR.

Richard Gilligan retires from Mitsubishi Automotive News 6/29/2006 1:32:00 PM Richard Gilligan, the manufacturing executive who was drafted to lead Mitsubishi's North American sales organization as the company's U.S. sales were crumbling earlier in the decade, will retire at the end of this week. That's all I could get... another nail in the coffin?

UAW officials found guilty A federal jury convicts two bosses of demanding unqualified men get jobs after a '97 Pontiac strike. Wednesday, June 28, 2006 Paul Egan / The Detroit News DETROIT -- A federal jury convicted two United Auto Workers officials Tuesday of conspiring to break labor laws and to extort favors from automaker General Motors Corp. in the midst of a bitter labor strike in Pontiac nine years ago. Donny Douglas and Jay Campbell showed no emotion when a U.S. District Court jury returned the unanimous verdicts after a little more than a full day of deliberations. The incidents that sparked the case date back to 1997, when the UAW went out on strike at GM's truck plant in Pontiac. The work stoppage involved 5,000 workers and lasted 87 days, costing GM hundreds of millions of dollars. Douglas, an UAW International service representative, and Campbell, who is now retired but was a longtime shop committee chairman at the plant, demanded two unqualified men -- Campbell's son, Gordon Campbell and Todd Fante, the son of another UAW official -- be hired in high-paying skilled trades positions if the strike was to end, the court was told. The trial that began June 1 continued the case's long legal history. The pair were first indicted in September 2002 after a four-year federal investigation. The charges were dismissed once, in 2003, when a judge found they did not constitute a violation of federal law. But in 2004, the 6th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals reinstated the charges. Harold Gurewitz, the lawyer who represented the union officials, said the case may now be appealed again. "I am certainly disappointed with the verdict," said Gurewitz, adding that he respected the work of the jury, but strongly disagreed with the legal instructions the jurors received. "No matter what the evidence, it doesn't add up to criminal conduct," he said. Before launching an appeal, "we're going to ask the judge to review what has been done so far." The two were released on bond and are to be sentenced by Judge Nancy Edmunds on Nov. 2. A third count of mail fraud against each of the men was dismissed by the judge before the case went to the jury. Reached by telephone Tuesday night at his home in Holly, Donny Douglas said he was weighing his options, including a possible appeal. "I think we got a bad call from a jury that didn't look at all the facts," he said. Douglas is set to retire Friday from his position at UAW's Solidarity House headquarters in Detroit. He is one of about 35,000 union workers to recently accept financial packages from GM to retire. Douglas said he believes the jury was swayed by UAW members who testified on behalf of the prosecution. "We had some UAW testimony that was totally inconsistent with what we had heard earlier," he said. "I think that tipped the scales." Gregory Nash of Metamora, a former wood model maker at the Pontiac plant who sat through the entire trial, said he was pleased by the verdicts. Nash said he is unhappy he lost his skilled job at the plant while unqualified people were being brought into skilled positions. "They have obligations to the membership," Nash said of Douglas and Campbell, but instead they were focused on "getting family and friends in." At one time, a third UAW official, William Coffey, had been charged in the case. Coffey died in 2003. Spokespeople for GM and the UAW could not be reached for comment late Tuesday. A separate civil suit filed against GM and the UAW on behalf of 140 plant workers has been tossed out of court, according to Harold Dunne, the plaintiffs Livonia based lawyer. You can reach Paul Egan at (313) 222-2069 or [email protected]. Link: http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A.../606280364/1148

VERY TRUE! Great point!

I'm at a loss for words at the moment. I do want to pay my respects... but just... wow. What the hell? Def, are you okay?

Are you referring to this post? http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...ndpost&p=135786 It appears you accidentally placed your "Houston Comment" within the <quote></quote> when you replied to Ninety Eight's post. Do you feel that a moderator is harassing you? If you don't wish to discuss the problem out in the open, please PM one of us or Fly to discuss it in private.

Yeah, that would help. Trinacriabob, can you provide a link to the topic?

Pretty much anything from: Sarah Brightman Sarah McLachlan Depeche Mode I can become completely lost in the above. Limp Bizkit's version of "Behind Blue Eyes" is a good song. Loved the 'Gothika' movie too. Those are all I can think of at the moment for when I'm feeling vulnerable.

A friend of mine in Dallas owned a 2001 Regal GS Olympic Edition. Seats were comfortable and the interior held up well until he traded it in. We drove up to OK and down to Austin several times. No discomfort. The Regal looks exceptionally nice with a bra & full set of black mud guards. The mud guards actually make the Regal look like it's been slightly lowered IMO. The Regal has cornering lights as well, correct? I've had two 3800s (both SC) and my mother has had at least three non-blown 3800s. None of them ever had a head gasket problem. I'd say the road noise was due to the tires also. Congrats and good luck!

It allows room for the NG STS to move up... and I agree with jbartley (but for different reasons) that the DTS still has a purpose. I was at the Cadillac dealer yesterday (my Buick dealership also owns a Cadillac dealership), and a late-30s to early 40s petite, blonde, tanned woman was taking ownership of her new Black DTS with V-Series-like aftermarket grille. Looked very nice. Definitely not the stereotype that the media or many C&G members try to force upon the DTS. As for the CTS... it looks great. I look forward to seeing it in person when it comes out.

Yeah I know... but I think 'simulation' would be more appropriate in this situation than when he referred to the Lucerne. Based on pics alone, even you admit that the Sebring interior is cheap looking so his original use wouldn't apply here. IMO he owns the word 'simulation' because he had to 'dig deep' to insult the Lucerne's interior quality based on appearance alone. I think He could easily use it again on the Sebring. Sorry, I'm not a fan of the Sebring's styling... it looks like it had a 1990's Pontiac attack.

No... Check the Hyundai Topic about becoming the Safety King. Sonata is currently the only one offering ESP standard. Other midsize family sedans offer it as an option or standard depending on trim levels.

CARBIZ - Yeah, but you can also view it like this: If TS had to list the gas cap as a major strike then they ran out of complaints rather quickly.

The LaCrosse gets an MCE for the 2008 model year. There will be a 2009 model year as well... probably a short production run in 2008 before they close the plant down. IIRC, the EpsII-based LaCrosse is a 2010 Model Year vehicle coming out in 2009. So the MCE will have two model years of production. There shouldn't be much of a gap (if any) between the current & NG LaCrosse.

Nick - I don’t have a problem with the Chevy girls... I've pointed out to coworkers who have commented on them (I'll show & discuss topics from C&G at times while at work) that they missed the Chevrolet Bow Tie hiding in plain site. I take into account the automobile industry itself is attached to scantily-clad female models... auto event pics (like SEMA) show more flesh than your animated Chevy girls. I would just like to tone down the most offensive forms of speech. Really, why should 'nigger, wetback, kike, & f@#k' be used on C&G? True, there are derogatory terms with multiple legitimate uses: slant, chink, bastard, ass etc... Easily identified 'hate speech' and extreme 'offensive language' can be controlled (at a bare minimum) to assist with preventing a hostile environment. I like the idea of a filter that can be enabled/ disabled, but I don’t believe this board is capable of that. It’s something to find out.

So the Sebring interior is a "simulation" of an upscale interior? Wow... finally an acceptable example… but I wouldn’t call it “first-rate” by any stretch of the term. Where’s Patrick Bedard from Car and Driver? We need another article.

I see what you’re saying Pauli, but there may be a better argument that the "Velite inspired" grille is a warped inversed derivative of an 80's Regal grille (forgive the color)