Flybrian

The 'family' is changing with the times. I am a child of a non-nuclear family. My parents were divorced when I was 6 or so and I have lived with and was raised by my father (unusual) ever since. I am also mixed in race with my father being white with European heritage and my mother being Taiwanese with Chinese Han heritage. According to many adherers of 'ideal family values', I should be despondant, distraught, a constant trouble maker lashing out at society. I wouldn't join a gang, but rather cause rukus on my own, stemming mainly from my identity crisis over my race since I don't know who I am. I should've failed in school and lost my girlfriend because I verbally or sexually abused her because I lack a balancing mother figure in my life. Yet, I'm not. I'm fine. I graduated with honors in high school. I'm a junior in college purusuing a Bachelors in Aeronautical Sciences. I have a pilot's license and a $31,000/yr job as an assistant superintendant for a successful contracting firm. I have a wonderful relationship with my father, my friends, and my lovely girlfriend (almost 1 1/2 years now). And I'm an Administrator on C&G, a true sign of success! I underwent no counseling, no divorce therepy, no psychiatric treatments when I was younger. I simply had a father who cared and loved me and helped me pursue my goals and a good network of peers and role models. I say all that because I'm frankly sick of reading/seeing/hearing all this specious B.S. reasoning about the breakdown of 'traditional' family values and how if you don't have the perfect nuclear family, your family is dysfunctional and you're also dysfunctional. I've actually been told that by school counselors earlier in my life. What a joke! My point in all that rambling is that modern America is changing. Few people live in a two-story townhome with a mother, a father, a sibling, a dog, a white picket fence, and a Camry (okay, maybe the Camry). The odds are the norm today - blended families, single-parent families, multiethnic families, and yes even *gasp* gay families. But you know what I think? Kids growing up in what is described by many as an 'inept, breakdown' society can be just as fucked up or successful as they were in any other time. Perhaps even more successful because they grow up in such a varied environment. People all too often judge a family asthetically. It ignores the basic fact that a family is not what something is supposed to appear to be; its what it is. And as long as its caring, nuturing, understanding, and supportive, its a perfectly fine family to me.

I killed a guy with a trident.

I love...I love lamp.

The Corolla XRS and Civic SI use Premium? Jesus...

Where I used to live, this asshole would always park his ugly-ass Passat right in front of my driveway every time he saw his skanky-ass girlfriend. I talked to him a few times about it; the last straw was when he said, "Deal with it, cracka'" (The kid was white, by the way). I made it point to deposit all my used gum to the sidewalls of his tires and on his headlamps.

I do have to laugh at the "superchargers should be in Buicks because it doesn't present a premium image." First off, to knock off a George Jones song, Buick was premium before premium was cool. Second, what about years of Mercedes Kompressor cars? Third, a supercharger certainly does deliver more power than many V8s, depending on the two applications, of course. I could waste any of those pathetic Ford fullsizers in a s/c 3800 II car, even if they have V8s. Better yet, put the 4.0l Aurora V8 next to the blown 3800 II in the two cars in my family next to each other. Very similar output ratings (250vs240hp/260vs280lb-ft) in extremely similar cars. My Aurora delivers its power in a smoother, more controlled fashion and the engine really comes alive in midrange RPMs, yet I can barely chirp the tires on regular asphalt. However, the Bonneville will lay rubber down gladly and frequently if you accelerate like you would in most other cars. More of its power is quick and down low. It'll waste me 0-60 no doubt and probably up to 80, but it isn't as smooth in its delivery. When the blower kicks in over the n/a engine - say from 50-70 - its very punchy in a good way and perhaps to the point where it would be disconcerting to someone who normally drives an old TL or ES and simply isn't used to so much available power that's so ready to go without coaxing. As far as economy goes, my father gets better mileage than me - about 25-27 for him vs. 19-20 for me, mainly because he's not running on all eight like I am. Two different beasts for sure, but I wouldn't say one is 'better' than the other; merely depends on your taste. I've grown to appreciate the smoothness of the Aurora, but there are many times when I miss that raw surge of torque that comes in the Bonnie. Those are the days I steal my dad's car for a spin. :) In the end, people who forsake one type of engine for the other based solely on magazine reviews are missing out. And you can't judge DOHC or OHV engines by driving only one application. I drove a 2002 Camry with a DOHC V6 for awhile and, ye-God, are you serious? Doesn't make ALL DOHC plants bad; just that one.

You know, people make fun of the Colorado/Canyon a whole lot, but with the new Dakota, Tacoma, and Frontier, GM's got the best-looking out there.

"First, they cancel Empty Nest, and now this? Damnit!"

:rolleyes: Oldsmobile did this for the introduction of the then-new Ninety-Eight sedan back in the early '90s. Big deal.

A little? Dude, you'd have to pay me to haul that away.

A couple Commanders and the dealership. Looks like crap. Oh, and get this. A black sedan spec'd out pretty nicely - low-profile tires, blacked-out rims, chromed exhaust tip, lowered slightly, driven by a young person, about 25ish - car looked very, very hot. It was a Buick LaCrosse CXS.

Was 280, dropped to 268 under the new standardized rating scale. I'd obviously rather have the Northstar. Given its track record, economy wouldn't be that much of a difference, plus the massive amount of low-end torque with good all-around performance. Plus, V8 cars got class. :)

Heh. As good as any Toyota engine is, I'd hardly go as far as sayin 'turbine-like'. The disappointing part of the 3800 is not its presence, but its rating. 197 vs 205 for the LeSabre. Plus, anything under 200 looks really, really bad, though not as laughable as that crappy 2.7l in the 300.

They need to work on the lack-of-showers thing first.

Asking me, a Jag has inumerably more status than a Bimmer. BMW has only produced actual luxury cars here for about 20 years now.

Look towards Edmunds for an overabundance of cliches and tired or strained metaphors.

I bet the next CTS will be hot as all get-out.

The biggest hick I knew had a Corvette of similar vintage done somewhat similarly (just on the exterior), but with little Confederate flags all over as well. Classy. Or rather, not.

Those look cleaner and better than half the compacts I see any given day, nevermind Civics/Integras. Kudos for nice rides!

Winter prep? I'm getting ready for all you yankees to clog my highways and roads with your presence. J/K...welcome and bring money!

I just wish someone from GM wouldn't fall into the Number-of-Recalls-Equals-Quality trap, because its a huge misnomer.

Maybe that it had the aura of a Crown Vic LX Sport with buckets and three extra gauges than the real muscle car they wanted it to be. As far as Fieros go, alot finer cars failed for alot less. Blowing up is pretty serious and downright kills the sales potential for any car branded with the scarlet E for Explodes - ask Audi and Ford.

No one bought it, so it went buh-bye.

No doubt the B-bodies are still superior to the Panther cars as far as massive barges go. The Fleetwood certainly would've bit the dust a few years ago and the Rodie would need serious reworking to be relevant in today's world. However, the Caprice certainly could've been kept alive as a fleet sedan, much like the Checker taxis were, just update the safety equipment to meet new standards. The current crop of Panthers, however, are just so blah. No one buys a Vic, no one under 60 buys a new Grand Marquis, and Town Car? A good competitor to the '96 DeVille Concours. Maybe. I'm sure most former B-body owners simply bought the largest Buick/Cadillac they could after '96. And for most, they probably found the LeSabre, Park Ave, or DeVille to be a more suitable car, albeit a bit pricier than their old rides. Buick and Cadillac need new large RWD sedans, yes, but something more 'flagship-worthy'.