z28luvr01

Dogs for me, though I don't mind some cats. Kittens can be pretty cute.

This is a well-played tease. There's not one good shot to really judge how the car looks, and yet it's "out in the open", so to speak. The color is terrible...that's about all I can fairly say right now.

clicky Give me a few minutes...

$1950 for that honey. On Long Island. What a steal.

The purpose of the 1st amendment was to allow people to practice, or not practice, their faith without fear of oppression from the government. It has little to do with "keeping religion out of politics". IMO, if politicians based their stances and their policies based on their loyalty to God, as opposed to their party, we'd have much more desirable candidates than what we've been getting the past several elections.

Sorry, man, that's terrible. How far is your commute to the train station? Maybe a beater ten speed with saddle bags and a good lock would fit the bill as a commuter vehicle.

It's a shame he decided to take that route on his campaign. You can only ring that bell so many times before people get tired of hearing it. Had he instead spent more time on how he took a no nonsense attitude towards making NYC clean, safe, and respectable again in such a short period of time, he might have done better.

True, Bob. But it seems to be that way every go around. We're forced to vote for the person we hate the least rather than the one we like. I can't believe this is the best that either party could do.

Do two nip rings made out of Holden keychains.

Automagic. The car was rated at 25 city under the old EPA estimates. Pretty freaking sweet!

Just filled the Cobalt up around lunchtime - 29.0 MPG in purely city driving. Yeah, I'm telling everyone that'll listen

And here's the inverse. I didn't think I'd like this one as much as I do. I actually prefer it to the first one.

I could take a stab at it. EDIT: I think I like this

Love the duals...I just realized you had them. The way you did the tailpipes is really tasteful - I hate the way most aftermarket truck exhaust systems exit right under the bumper.

B-but, where's the NAV, the bluetooth, the 16 cupholders, the backup camera, the forward camera, the turn signal mirrors, the adaptive speed control, the 20 way power heated leather seats, the DVD entertainment system with 17.1 surround sound, the dual-zone HVAC, etc., etc.? How do you expect me to drive that? Seriously, though, that thing is pure awesomeness.

It's on Delta II, so I would expect proportions not all that different from the Cruze, which does have nice proportions for a FWD car.

Wow, that was great. I remember watching this in elementary school. I miss cartoons that don't suck.

When I clicked on the link I was very disappointed not to see the Solara Coupe, Accord Coupe, and Altima coupe. Talk about a letdown. I want a poster of one of those pics.

Red and Ice Blue really flatter the car as well. The white one I sat in at the NYIAS was very upscale looking, but I don't think I can deal with keeping a white car clean.

Do you want to leave the chrome border as is, and paint only the flat part of the spokes, or do you consider the chrome part the "border"?

fixed

2011 Chevy Volt Revealed!! ~September 8, 2008~ Volt Reveal Thread - from AutoBlog Production Volt Spotted ~August 29, 2008~ The cat's finally out of the bag. Autoblog obtained images of the production Chevy Volt with no camo on the set of the upcoming Transformers 2 movie. While the production car's design appears to have succumbed to the realities of aerodynamics, the car is nonetheless quite the looker that proves that an environmentally friendly car doesn't have to induce vomiting. Clck the link below to view the pics and discuss them Production Chevy Volt Caught Naked --- C&G Drives: 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible ~August 25, 2008~ What started out as a quest for a free bike jersey turned into a love affair with a certain topless Swede. Wait a minute...does that even make any sense? It will once you click the link below for z28luvr01s test flight...err drive, of the 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero convertible. C&G Drives: 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible

C&G Drives: 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible By z28luvr01 If you've read my report of the New York International Auto Show press days, you know that during my time there I gained quite a respect for the Saab brand, its history, and its fans. Despite my newfound appreciation for all things jet-inspired, I still didn't have enough of a reason to actually head down to a dealer and try one out. The push I needed came last week, wrapped in the latest edition of Bicycling magazine. Nestled between pages 48 and 49 was a coupon for a free cycling jersey upon test-driving any new Saab. I make the trip to Saab of Smithtown, some 13 miles from my house. When I arrive I decide to lay low at first, and I check out two 9-3 sedans in the showroom. I walk up to the counter and present my coupon. Mr. Rodney West, a member of their sales staff, jokes with me for a bit and then offers to fill the coupon out without going through the test drive. I told him that I had no immediate plans to purchase, but for his time I'd drive the car and write up a review for Cheers and Gears for him to present to his customers. He smiled and agreed to the deal. I love the barter system! I ask if he has any Turbo Xs yet. He doesn't but tells me he’ll let me drive the "2nd hottest" Saab, a 9-3 Aero convertible. For those that don’t know, the 9-3 line got a significant refresh for the 2008 model year. All models received new front and rear fascias and a cleaned up side profile - the rub strips s are body color on the convertible and are non-existent on the sedan and SportCombi. The changes result in a sleek, bold, crisp design that appears fresh despite being in its sixth model year. Truth be told this is one of the best "refreshes" done by an auto manufacturer in recent memory. My silver test subject came with the 17" 10 spoke wheels, dual exhaust outlets, ground effect, and fog lights that all come standard with the Aero package. After Mr. West affixed the dealer plate I got into the cockpit. It didn't take me long to find a comfortable seating position; all I had to do was slide the seat forward a few inches - standard procedure when you're 5'4". I became immediately impressed with the vault-like construction of the interior. All controls and switchgear felt of very high quality and gave a firm tactile response when used. The seats, covered in two-tone light grey/black leather, offered a great deal of comfort and support. Now it's go time. Since driving a car like this on a hot August morning with the top up is borderline criminal, I hit the button on the dash to engage open air mode. In less than half-a-minute, the back half of the top folds forward, the tonneau cover lifts up and over the trunk, the top folds and retracts behind the rear seat, the tonneau cover lowers, and all four windows go down - all in that order. With the top safely tucked away, I put the little Swede in Drive and leave the parking lot. Once on the main road I move the pedal down about half way, and after some initial turbo lag, the 2.8L V6 propels the car like, well, a jet. Acceleration is brisk and seemingly effortless, as only a low pitch hum could be heard out of the engine. On a four-lane highway, after getting the car up to the speed of traffic, I push the pedal down hard and it moves from 40 to 65 in...pretty darn fast. Unfortunately, a red light had to ruin my fun, but after coming to a stop I was treated to what is now one of my favorite sounds - turbo blow-off. Throughout the drive, the six speed auto shifted so smoothly you hardly knew it was there; it felt very well matched to the V6 as it always seemed to be in the right gear at the right time. Around turns the 9-3's steering felt very responsive and gave decent feedback. The body felt incredibly solid over bumps with no noticeable cowl shake. On the one last stretch before pulling it back into the dealer lot, I gave the 9-3 one more opportunity to sprint, this time from 30 to 60. Mr. West gently ribbed me, saying “You like doing that, don't you?” With a big grin on my face, I said, "Oh yeah.” After pulling it back in, I snap a few pictures of it, and Mr. West shows me some more features on the car. After talking for a bit, I thank him for his time and head back home. All in all I'm pretty impressed with the 9-3 convertible. The refresh for 2008 improves on what was already a handsome car, and in Aero trim it definitely has the go to match the show. Unfortunately, at $46K I won't be driving one home anytime soon. However, a gently used 9-3 2.0T sedan could be the ticket for me when I'm ready to move into my next car, and I will be sure to stop by Saab of Smithtown when that time does come. The staff was extremely courteous, professional, and polite to me even though they knew I wasn't there to buy a car. If you're in the market for a Saab and live in the Long Island area, I'd urge you to pay them a visit. I think you'll enjoy it even if you don't leave with a new car. Now for some beauty shots:

Hmm....very weird. I've never heard of a bad Michelin tire. I love the Michelins on both my car and my bike. My sister's '05 Avalanche came with Goodyears (not sure what they are, buty the're stockers with raised white letters). THe truck rides great, no road noise, and they work awesome in inclement weather.

Gotta jump in here and defend the cyclists... Why do you say this? Bikes have been around long before cars in this country, and there's more than enough space on the road for both to coexist. You may have to get used to it. With gas prices the way they are, bike sales are booming, as people are finally getting the idea that taking a bike to work or even to run some light errands makes a ton of sense. Given my commute, every day I take my bike to work I save about 1/16th of a 13 gallon tank according to my fuel gauge. That's $3 in my pocket instead of Big Oil's. None of this means I advocate riding down the center of a lane unnecessarily or wearing spandex or tight-fitting neon. As a rider you should find a balance between being visible and not interrupting the flow of traffic, and always, I repeat, always be predictable. 95% of the time I ride within 3 inches of the shoulder line provided it's a reasonably wide shoulder, that way I'm out of the flow of traffic yet away from the tire-damaging debris that collects on the side of the road. If, however, it's no longer safe to ride in the shoulder, such as when the shoudler disappears, gets too narrow, becomes littered with debris and/or potholes, or if riding in the shoulder means drivers can't see me, then I will take the lane as is my right. As soon as the unsafe shoulder condition is behind me, I go back to straddling the shoulder line. You know what, doing it this way works, even on Long Island's perpetually congested roads. I ride in peace on anything from narrow streets to four lane hghways without any negative feedback from drivers.