Flybrian

I don't know what's going on! Yay!

How about people that see a YIELD sign, add five more sides, make it totally red, and add the letters S-T-O-P? I love them...

We stole it, Chris, and we're not giving it back. Here's proof its alive. Its a little chilly today...about 74 with a strong breeze. :)

A few pics I snapped today while visiting my girlfriend at her work - a local retirement home. A few hundred people live here and I would say a good 95% of the residents' vehicles are domestic. And before the 'fixed-income' talk comes up, its true, but their income is at a far higher level of being static than most people; this is an expensive place to live, so these aren't your poor, ill-educated old people living off government cheese like some editorials love to espouse about. You're looking at Buick, Mercs, Cadillacs, and Lincolns, typically no older than mid-90s. Take away the Centuries, and very few of the cars cost under $25,000. Besides those four brands, there are a half dozen Avalons, three Lexi, a few Fords, two Saturns, some Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs, two Chryslers, one Infiniti, five miscellaneous Toyotas, one Optima, and one Volvo (as well as a few miscellaneous imports I forgot about, YELLOWDART). No Benz, no Bimmer. Among the newer models are a Milan, Montego, three STSs, a DTS, and two LaCrosse, so they haven't all stopped at a '95 Cutlass Ciera. People like these are why GM and Ford still make cars like the DeVille and LaCrosse/Lucerne CX. There is a reason and this is it. Look for yourself and see several million dollars worth of late-model cars. This also makes for excellent low-mileage well-cared-for used cars for many of us. And, yes, I know there are parts of the country where the only place you see this many of these cars is a dealership. :P

Seriously... Badge on the lower left of the tailgate reads 'COUNTRY SQUIRE.'

You mean how you can look up parts for the 'Mazda Truck Truck'?

Wow, a very interesting blog about a topic often ignored. I for one would be interested in different opinions about how well or how poorly these displays are put together, especially nowadays when what was once intangible or unimportant has new significance. Welcome aboard, by the way!

Shouldn't it be called the Ford Feflex?

Consider this: Can GM even afford to file suit now? :P

I think if you buy too much into the 'hot compact retrotruck' marketing, you'll be very underwhelmed with either product (not including the Turbo PT). However, if you approach it as an economical compact utility, you'll find the HHR more than adequate. Seems as if he fell into that marketing trap as well as forgetting its the first model year. The PT went several years without a more performance-tuned version and a convertible. That, or he just feels like being an asshole. I'm placing my bets on door #2.

So, is the car actually buried in some sort of protective cocoon or did they just lower the car into a hole? 'Cause if its the latter, they can keep their rusted hulk.

Did you not read the two posts by me calling this conversation back on topic from global economics to inaccuracy in hp/mpg figures? You were banned once for reigniting arguments after they were settled, want to go for two?

You've died from cholera.

Just kinda funny to me. And more proof its the stuff around the steering wheel that needs changing...

Yeah...you mean the Park Avenue?

I think one of the big problems was the inadequate explanation for the panel gaps. If it were made abundantly clear is was a necessity for expansion, you would've had more acceptance among the rags...or not, really.

The X5 is the only real good-looking BMW left. Why ruin it?

I wish I knew how to quit you, Ocn.

If you don't know what a Frappr is, its an interactive friend-mapping site. Just go here to our Frappr... http://www.frappr.com/cheersandgears ...fill in your C&G Username and Zip code (and a little comment and picture if you choose) and volia! I think it'll be neat to get a real representation of where everyone is. And, yes, works for Canadians, too, eh? :CG_all:

GTO is very nice-sounding. Worst? Infiniti G35 coupe/FX35. So tinny and synthetic.

I heard a 1.8l 105hp diesel in the Enclave Club Coupe.

One must also keep in mind the Aurora we got wasn't intended to be the real Aurora, rather the Antares, replacing the Eighty-Eight. The real Aurora was dropped when Buick killed the superceeding Riviera and Cadillac wouldn't share anything RWD (or so the rumors go).

I think you've been out on the euphamism coast too long, O.C. ;) Seriously, you do have to admit these 'crossovers' are really wagons in the practical and marketing sense if not in their actual chassies source.

I was getting my car appraised at CarMax so I can hopefully get it refinanced on cheaper terms and I had the opportunity to take an '06 Avalon (yeah, I don't why they had it either) out for a spin. I don't care when the figures say, the engine doesn't perform like it has 268hp. I must honestly say I felt better movement and more torque in 15-40 and 25-70 type accelerations with my 4.0l Aurora V8, which has 18 less hp but more torque. I will admit the Avalon's six felt smoother and more quiet, but I'm comparing to my car which is a decade old and closing in on 90k on mostly original equipment. And I don't care what anyone says, I don't like an engine being that quiet. Mind you, I'm differentiating between noise and smoothness. Avalon was quite smooth but too quiet. I like audible evidence of a car's cojones.

2005 has been a turbulant year in so many respects. For most of us, we spent the past twelve months seeing continued war in the Middle East, unfathomable natural disasters, and stratospheric gas prices. We've also seen the automaker we care and admire face difficulties of its own with the postponing or cancellation of several models and the sword of Damocles that is bankruptcy. The forums we call home have probably been up-and-running about 80% of the past year. And a few among us have even lost cars, jobs, or worse. I've felt a general malaise around here now and then, often evidenced by our conduct towards our fellow members. In light of that, I'd like to say this: If... 1) You have some sort of desire/passion/care for or positive concern about General Motors... 2) You do not engage in trolling and/or mindless bashing of General Motors with no constructivity... 3) You treat the opinions of others with the same respect you demand for yourself... ...you're welcome to post here. If the opposite is you, well, I don't need to elaborate. One thing I would like to remind everyone is that we all share that basic passion for automobiles and the automotive culture. Let's face it, its hard to find a nice place to engage in the debates we do here without being ridiculed, ignored, or being met with blank stares and the one aspect of Cheers and Gears that attracts people and sets it apart from the dozens of other automotive boards on the web is our community spirit. We share our purchases, our accidents, our losses; our first cars, our last cars, and the cars we wish we had and we do it with the intensity that one would usually only find in a specific model's owners' club. That means something to me and - I would like to believe - others as well. We don't have as many members as some forums or as many hits even, but its never been about that here. Being the "#1 GM site on the 'net" is more than rote figures; its about being a place you want to point your browsers to and hang out. Consider this your neighborhood bar & grill in a world full of McDonald's, Subways, and Paneras. So, as we embark on the year of 2006, let's keep our family, friends, and fellow C&Gers in mind. Let's all let the plastics and politics, the OHVs and overhangs, and all the old feuds fade away with the year's passing. Look out towards the horizon for a brighter year is about to crest in a couple of hours and let's remember why we're all here... Because we have computers and want to talk about cars but can't find anyone else to talk about them with. That, and we get bored frequently. I hope you all have a wonderful evening and an even better New Year. I want to thank you all for being what makes this site great and worth returning to daily. You guys are awesome. And I end with the last verse of today's traditional melody, the one we never sing and probably should... :CG_all: Happy New Year! :CG_all: