Flybrian

The Electric Company, Reading Railroad, $1000, and a hotel on Park Place.

Everyone loves to hate on probably the greenest V6 engine out there.

GM should merge with a raccoon. Why? Why not... Anyway, Buickman already has a plan. In fact, its THE Plan!

Though 2001 may have been the first year for the configuration, it was the fourth year for the 3.5l/4spd and the platform was around for several years prior, too. The only 'issue' with a 3.5l Aurora would be option availability and mileage. V6 Auroras were typically lighter-equipped than 4.0s, but keep in mind this is in relation to Auroras, so you'd likely have alloys instead of chrome, no sunroof, Delco instead of Bose, and potentially no heated seats, but all the other creature comforts. I even once saw a 3.5 with Bose, chrome, heated seats, sunroof, and the navigation system. An Aurora with a navigation system, by the way, is like finding the Holy Grail. I've yet to see one in person. Many second-generation Auroras I've seen have had rather high mileage, mainly because they're damn fine highway cars. However, being both a luxury car and a fullsize domestic,you get a double-whammy of high maintenance levels, i.e. someone cared for it. Also, many of the highish mileage ones I've seen were mostly highway miles, which does little harm to the excellent Aurora drivetrains. Classic or 2nd Gen, 3.5 or 4.0, all are excellent choices. Normal preventative maintenance will keep these babies running forever. Mine is up to 105,xxx and still strong as an ox. One gentleman on ACNA bought a 1995 brand-new and ran it for 306k miles with only normal wear-and-tear componants needing replacement. 2nd Gens are a bit more subdued and have had all the kinks worked out (coil-on-plug vs waste spark ignition, refined engine mounts, etc), but the Classics are far more exotic, IMO.

I Fly'd up Satty's sig in preparation for this grand day. For the record, I don't know what a breakbeater is, but Frord brand Fruison is very alcoholic, and those Haterblocka' are my gift. WWBMD...well...just guess.

Yet neither look like each other, or even share much of the same similarities while the new Versa sedan and Sentra do appear IONesque. Odd when you consider it.

BY MICHAEL ELLIS FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER General Motors Corp. shares closed above $30 for the first time in more than nine months on Tuesday amid growing expectations that the troubled automaker could post an operating profit today. The higher stock price put billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian back in the black on his nearly $1.7-billion investment in GM stock. If GM beats earnings forecasts, analysts say CEO Rick Wagoner could tout the figures as proof that his turnaround plan is succeeding and the automaker doesn't need to join an alliance with Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA. "I believe that it will demonstrate beyond any possible doubt that Mr. Wagoner is turning around GM without any outside help," said David Healy of Burnham Securities, who is the most bullish analyst on GM. "If I'm right, they're going to put North America into the black this year." An operating profit in the second quarter, following the net profit in the first quarter, could strengthen Wagoner's hand when Kerkorian is pushing for the alliance with Renault and Nissan. After a July 14 meeting between Wagoner and Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Renault and Nissan, GM said management would spend three months studying the proposed partnership. Although Wagoner said he would keep an open mind about a deal, supporters of GM say the alliance makes little sense for the automaker and they view it as a threat to Wagoner's job. People close to Kerkorian said he is unhappy with the pace of change at GM after last year's $10.6 billion in losses, the worst results since the early 1990s. GM's better second-quarter results, coupled with the stronger stock price, might help secure Wagoner's position. GM shares ended Tuesday at $30.66, up 99 cents, or nearly 3.3%, for the day. They last closed above $30 on Oct. 17 when GM announced it had reached an agreement with the UAW on concessions for retiree health care costs. Kerkorian, who owns nearly 56 million shares, or 9.9% of GM, paid an average of $30.24 on his investment, according to a Free Press analysis. GM is expected to report a multibillion-dollar loss for the three-month period ended June 30 due to a one-time charge of about $3.8 billion for the costs of enticing about 35,000 U.S. hourly to retire early or quit. But Wall Street analysts focus on operating results, which exclude the charge and are expected to show a profit. GM's potential new partner Nissan reported a 4% rise in its first-quarter net income on Tuesday to $944 million. The results may appear strong compared to GM forecasts. GM last reported a $1-billion quarterly profit in the second quarter of 2004. Ghosn said that Nissan faces only short-term challenges, due to a dearth of new car and truck introductions, which has caused vehicle sales to fall. Nissan has promised stronger results later this year. Meanwhile, GM's success at cutting annual costs by $8 billion could result in profit-sharing checks for U.S. autoworkers for the first time since 2004, Healy said. Excluding the charge, Healy forecasts a second-quarter profit of $1.17 per share, or about $660 million, for GM, far above the average forecast of 53 cents per share, or about $300 million. In the second quarter last year, GM lost $987 million, or $1.75 per share. GM may see substantial improvement in North America, where it could cut losses by $1 billion to around $400 million, according to BNP Paribas analyst Bradley Rubin. GM's recent changes to its white-collar health care benefits will save $700 million alone, Rubin said. GM is also seeing positive signs in its U.S. sales. Its new full-size SUVs are selling well and sales incentives are down about 25% from last year. Consumers are also paying about $1,200, or nearly 5%, more on average for GM vehicles. The better results at GM are in contrast to Ford Motor Co., which last week reported a $123-million loss in the second quarter and warned it would have to take more restructuring actions.

GM's performance wows Wall Street Associated Press Jul. 27, 2006 12:00 AM General Motors Corp. lost $3.2 billion in the second quarter because of heavy charges for layoffs and early retirements, part of its massive restructuring program. But without those charges, the world's largest automaker scored a profit that blew Wall Street away and bolstered management's claim that the turnaround is working. GM shares rose $1.34, or 4.4 percent, to close at $32 on the New York Stock Exchange. They have traded in a 52-week range of $18.33 to $37.57. The loss of $5.62 per share in the April-June period compared with a loss of $987 million, or $1.75 per share, for the same period last year. Without one-time items, GM said it earned $1.2 billion, or $2.03 per share. That was significantly ahead of the 55 cents per share forecast in a survey of Thomson Financial analysts. Revenue climbed to $54.4 billion, compared with $48.5 billion in the second quarter of 2005. In North America, excluding special items, GM lost $85 million, $1.1 billion less than it lost in the second quarter of 2005. "Conventional wisdom is that you can't turn a ship as big as GM around quickly," GM chairman and chief executive Rick Wagoner said in a statement. "We aim to prove that conventional wisdom wrong." GM, which lost $10.6 billion last year, launched a major restructuring in November that called for closing 12 plants by 2008 and slashing its workforce and structural costs. The cost of the retirement and buyout program accounted for $3.7 billion out of $4.3 billion in special charges that GM took in the second quarter.

The interior is now 'acceptable', though that three-spoke blows in a capital fashion and the exterior is still ugly as sin. I will actually accept the rear door handle the way it is on the Armada since its an offshoot of the Pathfinder (remember Pathfinder Armada?), but not on the QX56.

'89 Aerotech III that forcasted the style for the aforementioned Cutty Supreme.

Between my Girlfriend Fund and my Repairing My Aurora After Someone Else Hits It And Progressive Wants to Total It Fund, this is my ceiling. Fine. $115.23.

$110.00

Every American who had a dream...dreamed of driving a Cadillac That ad comes very close to sheer perfection.

I cannot for the life of me be attracted to this...thing in any way, shape or form. I'm always going to have a sedan. No minivans, no crossovers, no...whatevers. A big ol' sedan

I admit I'm domestically-biased, too. But the first prerequisite is courtesy. An asshole in a Honda and an asshole in a Chevy is the same kind of dirt in my book. However, I will extend the extra courtesy to those driving GM products, namely Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and Pontiacs. I've noticed the same happens to me. An Audi driver will cut me off while a Chevrolet driver will let me in. Maybe Audi drivers are just pricks.

This is a joke, right? What a f@#king horrible ad. A good car ad shouldn't require one of us to decipher what car they're showing. The bridge one at least something related to the road...? If I wanted to see what a bridge looks like, I'd drive across one. If I wanted to see what a metrosexual looked like, I'd go to the Channelside District. I want to see the freakin' car.

Individual Model: Lexus GX470 Marque: Any Volkswagen product with a college/sorority/fraternity decal Vehicle Class: Motorhome. These people need to take serious driving class or die. Biggest wastes of space, fuel, and manufacturing resources I've ever seen.

You already saw a great STS-based rendering from artist and member NOS2006 here on C&G last Monday. Tonight, we're proud to unveil new presentations from two more of our resident artists. Again, using spyshots, our sources, and our imaginations, we've coalesced a multitude of information into three exceptional renderings C&G Staff Member and Artist Ted Krygier (!!!TED!!!) used a well-known spyshot as a foundation to conceptualize his vision of the 2008 CTS, making his very accurate in terms of proportioning. From this, we can gleam the '08 will be very taut and still very edgy, evolving the Art & Science design language in just the right amount. Thin LED element taillamps flank a creased decklid whose line continues down to the rear bumper, ensuring that the orignal CTS' angularities live on into its successor. Member David Murphy (American_Revolution_2005) chose to create his design with pencil and paper. In his exterior front rendering, you can get a feel for the muscular yet refined stance the '08 CTS will take. Notice the intricately-designed 'stairstep' jeweling inside the headlamp cluster, something many of us hope will be found on the production car. A larger grille with larger slats adds a more aggressive look to the front-end. The 2008 CTS will for once and all dispense the constant complaints about the original car's interior quality and design. Observe the trim panel running from one end of the dah to the other, sweeping down around either side of the console, leaving the center stack unbroken. We expect a selection of woods and metallic finishes. An analog Bvlgari clock rest beneath a Driver's Information Center display towards the top of the center stack; below are controls for the radio and cabin HVAC, with dual-zone temperature settings controlled from individual readouts under the console air vents. The three-gauge cluster rest simply and elegantly behind a three-spoke steering wheel of newest desing. Our sources indicate the gauges will have a Sixteen-inspired design with a large, center-mounted speedometer flanked by ancillary gauges. Surely, such a sedan with swift looks deserves the moxie to back it up, and from we've learned, it will not disappoint. A direct-injection development of the current 3.6l will push close to 300hp in the regular CTS. Expect the next CTS-V - debuting for the 2009MY - to carry a supercharged 6.2l LSA V8 pushing 500-520hp through a six-speed manual. For more powertrain discussion, visit this ongoing thread: '08 CTS - What's under the hood? We hoped you've enjoyed another look at one of the most anticipated new cars coming soon. Remember to keep your browsers pointed here as we bring you the latest on the CTS and other future GM products!

1976 Chrysler LeBaron

Yeah...yeah MDM can enter it. He's just a damn idiot is all... Just kidding, man. I really do like it, though. One of your best to date.

You know what's sad? There is no way to actually tell what Sixty8 means to say.

Toyota brags about the Prius getting 60mpg, which even they know it can't get in this country. Isuzu bragged about winning some award from Southern Montana Offroad 4X4 Quarterly or something with a circulation of five. Hyundai brags that the Azera has more [EPA-rated] interior space than the BMW 760i. Its true, but a '96 LeSabre has even more than either. Infiniti bragged about the Q45's 0-60 time...in cold, low-moisture air...with no spare tire...and a <100lb driver. Bragging is bragging. Who said it had to be 100% logical?

Lance Bass?

Yeah, Olds dying not a year after the '01 Aurora was launched sure didn't help. What kind of equity is there is that? But in reality, those who chose an import instead of an Aurora for the 'dead Olds' reason missed out on some wonderful deals. There's still an untitled, unsold 2004 Alero somewhere when I looked on eBay two weeks ago. 24 miles.

Wow. What a pile of crap-looking thing that is. Why would you even need a hybrid motor for that? Just give it a good shove.