GMTruckGuy74

You have my empathy, ocnblu. I've been laid-off three times in 10 years... June, 2002 (rebounded by August), June 2009 (was recalled 3 days later), and June 2010 (another quickie, back to work in a new field by October [permanent 13 months later]). I have no doubt in my mind that you won't find something else. Commute to the Philly area (or King of Prussia) - there's plenty of accidents in these areas

A 25 year-old coworker of mine recently purchased a used 2011 Kia Forte sedan. She went window shopping and fell in love with the Kia Forte and Hyundai Elentra cars. She was driving a 2005 Dodge Neon that tarnished her view of domestic cars, not counting the fact many of our other coworkers are Asian car humpers that also told her to stay away from American cars. I showed her pictures of the Ford Fiesta and Chevy Cruze (again, looking at 1 year-old used cars), but she said she had it with domestics and all her friends have been way happy with their foreign cars. My step-son loves certain Kias and Scions, and my wife went out to lunch in a coworker's '11 or '12 Kia Optima and said how nice of a car it is too. Kia & Hyundai have upped the ante in the American marketplace and are growing on consumers minds very quickly. Back on the large car topic, I wasn't overly impressed with the 2014 Chevy Impala when I saw it at the NYIAS in April. However, truth be told I wasn't into the '13 Ford Taurus either at the time (my recent rental experience changed my mind). I will say that while the new Impala has a nice look to it, I still like the current Holden Caprice (Chevy Caprice PPV) better. I will admit that I am a fan of the Cadillac XTS, and the wife is a big fan of the current Buick LaCrosse. Here are some of my pics of the '14 Impala from the NYIAS:

I had the brief opportunity to test drive and then be a passenger in the Verano CXL on the streets of Philadelphia in February, courtesy of GM and the Philly Auto Show. It seemed to have a pleasant ride, and the power was certainly enough for Philly traffic. Back seat was tighter than I'd like, especially since I have an almost 2 y-o in a car seat and an almost 7 y-o in a booster seat that can easily put their feet on the seat backs (one of the reasons I liked the '13 Taurus rental I had - lots of rear seat legroom space ). Curious about your reply on how it handles the poor street conditions of Detroit. Also want to know how fuel economy is with the 2.4L 4-cylinder engine. And overall impressions - good, bad, and ugly!!

For my high school prom (1993), I borrowed my brother-in-law's '92 Toyota Camry XLE V6 sedan, as that was the newest & nicest car in the family at the time. I would have much preferred any rental over that (wasn't an option that I thought of), but not wanting to pay for a limo and my '78 Camaro LT not being the best for two couples, it fit the need for the night. Front seats felt fine for the time I put in, but will admit the large & tall console restricted front seat movement and may irritate some people. I'm wondering what a two-hour drive would be like with that console? Is that what that's called? I did like the MyFordTouch setup, and if I had the rental longer I would have sync'ed my cell phone to try that out. Seeing as how it was going back at 9:30 AM, I didn't bother. The controls were easy to understand and use, and I had no problem finding out anything I wanted to know (especially with the settings feature). He's 18 y-o, he's not in the market for anything new (though he "wants" sure enough). He has been on a Jeep Wrangler kick for a few months now, and has always wanted a Cobalt (especially a SS or Sport version). His '98 Regal LS serves his needs just fine for the time being It really was a last minute deal for them both. Both wanted to go, but not alone. Somehow they both found this out 2 weeks prior to the prom. I don't know if that's why she did what she did, but my wife said prom planning for girls is a long and extensive process (thank God my daughter is only going to be two soon!). Did you have a Limited model? If not, I'm curious if the suspension setup is different. This was the new 2013 model, so I don't know if suspension upgrades were part of the new deal. The car felt very stable on the road, gave a comfortable, not-too-firm, not-too-soft ride, and drove like a smaller car IMO. One of the reasons I was so impressed with the '13 Taurus was for how it performed/handled on the road. So far that's my favorite color for it (heck, dark red metallic on any vehicle tends to be my favorite the past year or two, though I'd personally like my next vehicle to be in dark blue). I saw a Sterling Gray Metallic 2013 Taurus SEL at a car show Saturday afternoon, not a fan of that color. I'm curious to see one in Deep Impact Blue, though I feel it will be a brighter blue vs. a navy/dark blue. One thing I could not find, and my neighbor/friend who is a loyal Ford owner couldn't either, was the heated seat controls for the front seats. Not sure if the car had the feature, but why wouldn't a Limited? The two '13 SEL's I saw later that weekend had the leather interiors with the heated seat option on their window sticker, but nothing looked different from the Limited I had. Very curious to learn where those controls are.

Drew, you deserve it for all of the work, time, and efforts you put into this site while holding another job. It was a very small token of my appreciation (and you've been kind to me in the past too, let that be known!). Actually, I've received items from posters here and have tried to do my part in paying it forward. I think about a lot of the posters here when I'm at car & toy shows... just wish I had the funds to send stuff more often. Watch out, YOU may be next!!

I will admit that I am now a member of the '13 Ford Taurus fan club. I can't say for sure I won't be tempted to price one out, but the new Impala can't come out fast enough for me (maybe I should go spend some time in a LaCrosse) Needless to say, if GM/Chevrolet sold civilian versions of the Caprice here in the US, I would likely give it some serious thought (the current Impala is a joke to me - no offense to any owners - when compared to the new Taurus). Though the PPV Caprice is not as up-to-date as the Taurus, I do like it's design and would give it a shot.

Happy Prom Couple in front of the Taurus: Happy young man, who now wants a new '13 Ford Taurus): Ford Taurus picture taken with my camera (others in the post above were taken with my older Droid phone): While cruising home from Mother's Day brunch on Sunday, stopped to look at this SEL-trimmed model:

More Photos:

My step-son decided pretty late in the game to attend his senior prom last Friday (May 11). His original plan was to go with his friends in a stretch Chrysler 300 limo, but with his indesiciveness about attending, his friends replaced him with another couple. When he finally made the decision to go, it was too late for finding an affordable limo in short time (less than two weeks). In comes step-dad with the decision to rent a "luxury" car from Enterprise Rent-a-Car and offer my chauffer services for the evening (you must be 21 with a large fee to drive a rental car in NJ; 25 without the fee). I was hoping to end up with a Cadillac DTS or CTS, but being a holiday weekend (Mother's Day), selection was tight and the best that could be given was a brand new 2013 Ford Taurus Limited sedan. As I arrived at the Enterprise location late that Friday afternoon, there stood the Tuxedo Black Metallic Taurus sedan. It had a whopping 51 miles on the odometer - it was brought in from a Pennsylvania location that afternoon (they removed the window sticker as I arrived). Opening the door gave me the aromatic smell of a band new car in its fullest (ah, the smell of factory-fresh leather!). Seeing as how this car was going to be doing livery service for the night, a quick stop at the local car wash to give it a proper appearance was necessary (the quick back-of-the-store wash left many a water spot on this metallic black car). A quick spray of tire shine in my driveway completed the look. The wife and step-son were impressed with the car for the night's limo-like duty. A mix of local streets, major interstate (I-295), and local highways is where this car delivered it's demonstration. Overall Impressions: Smooth, quiet, solid and well balanced ride and handling. The performance of the 3.5L V6 was unexpected for a car of this size - definitely a plus. Outward visiblity was good, though the rear window is not as big as one would expect in a car of this size. Side windows suffer from the gangster car, a'la Chrysler 300. The backup camera was a big plus when reversing! Comfortable, adjustable seats. Floor console is huge and impedes on driver's comfort (plus it was tall, so if you suffer from restless leg syndrome you may find the lack of space disconcerting). The steering wheel was of a good design, with my thumbs finding a comfortable spot to rest inset of the 10 and 2 positions. Very good steering feel and responsive to driver's input. Turn signal was of curious operation - push down or up and release and it blinked for 4 times before automatically turning off. Want to make a full turn though required you to push down harder and in most cases I activated the flash-to-pass feature. Not the typical GM feel. Nice gauge lighting, gauges easy to read. Love the combination digital readouts and analog spedometer (right side provided entertainment information, outside temperature & compass readings; left side was set for fuel, temp and tachometer options). Controls wells laid out, easy to use. Did not take long how to operate touch-based controls on IP and use the touch screen of the radio & climate controls. The ambient lighting feature was one of my favorites, and I changed the color several times that night. Brightness could be set, but I choose full-on as it lit the floorwells (front & rear) very well and made for an interesting mood lighting feature. I love the angular styling of the exterior. Very truck-like in appearance (tall body side, blocky hood and trunk). Summation: Great solid road feel, soaked up a lot of the bumps I feel in the G6 Sedan and somewhat in the Envoy. Very powerful V6 engine that liked the gas, but of course I was not driving this as it was mine (the point of a rental is to push it to its limits to see how it acts, right?). Interior was very roomy in the back seat, my step-son and his date had ample space to get comfortable in prom attire. Front seats comfortable throughout the seat time, though floor console will not be liked by everyone. Has made me a fan of this car from Ford - not an esay accomplishment for a guy that prefers to drive trucks! The question now is will I be enticed enough to want to buy one Positives: - Powerful V6 engine - Roomy rear seat area - Large trunk that appears to be able to hold large amounts of luggage (or "stuff") - Easy to drive and easy to manuever in parking lots - Love the backup camera and great visibility, even at night Negatives: - Large front console that robs personal space from front occupants - Turn signal operation still hard to cope with 18 hours later - Loves to consume gas (but also a result of my leadfoot driving) - Rear headroom will be an issue for tall people, or anyone over 5'8" Total Rental Time: 18 hours Total Miles Driven: 88

hug

It took me a while before I decided on TRUKGUY for my personalized plate, so I'm no real help here. Let me ask you though, as you happy with FWD FTW? Are you ready to explain it to non-car people who will ask you? When coming up with my plate, I made sure that if someone was viewing my plate they'd "get it" quickly without having to think about it too long, or mistaking it for something else (a co-worker jokingly said to me the other day, "What does tru k guy mean?" Another co-worker, having a blonde moment, replied, "No, it clearly says truck guy, see it's on a truck!"). LOL!! But still, make sure you're 100% happy with whatever you decide on. I wanted one of these "United We Stand" plates, but the character limit is 5 (down from 7 on the normal NJ plate) and I had a tough time coming up with anything 5-characters that I liked:

Last generation full-size Ford Bronco's ('92-'96).

Yes, I think POPS is newer than 2006, but I'd have to double check that. And, how did you map it? I bought SEVERAL books, but the most-helpful was the "EZ Guide", which gives turn by turn directions and detailed maps to guide you on taking all the different alignments that you won't know are 66, unless you research and dig into it. Cort | 38.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 5 MCs + 1 Caprice Classic CHD.MCs.CC + RoadTrips.hobbies.RadioShows.us66 = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort * rNw-CC+event: http://rdwhl-caprice...rd=whatsgoingon * "But those days are gone" __ Anne Murray __ 'Time Don't Run Out On Me' years of library research, mapping websites (Google maps follows it pretty well), and other fellow rt66 fans, both online and off, that have shared their findings. I've been wanting to do a full non-stop Rt66 trip since i was in high school, so that shows you how long I've been trying to set this up. also is there one alignment that's more well-known than others or more recent, or whatever? or would a full trip constitute following several different alignments just to stay on the road? nothing is unnavigable in the right vehicle. very true. http://jalopnik.com/353737/unicat-all+terrain-land-yacht-will-take-you-anywhere-do-anything

Awesome Corvette purchase, and some really great photos above! They seem so professional in quality - you are a talented photographer. Enjoy the time spent behind the wheel of that beast, and many happy motoring miles ahead

burn

tank

I get it too, ocnblu (and Camino, and fightingbee). It's a part of who you are, no matter what the price of gas or the price of the truck is, you can't ever separate from. I have test driven many a new car lately, but don't find the same satisfaction as I do behind the wheel of the truck, even the Envoy (however, if the financials were where I needed them to be, that wheel would belong to a brand new Sierra Crew Cab ). I am content with keeping the Envoy until I can afford a new pickup truck - here's hoping that the new '15 GMC Canyon will be spacious for my family hauling needs and fuel efficient to boot in 4wd models.

How about non-temperature controlled storage places? Maybe that will bring the price down? Not a preference, I'm sure - but anything that helps keep the cars you love in your collection is a better option. Do you have family members with available garage space? Even if it was just for one winter to keep them out of the elements, to buy you some additional time for hunting a new storage place. Any warehouses near you that are empty? I know in some cases they might run pretty cheap leases (not sure what you're paying for your current storage space). If all else fails, are you selling the entire collection or keeping at least one? Every time I see a MC at a car show, regardless of it's year, I think of you (just saw a white with blue vinyl top & interior '75-'77 MC at a local car show Saturday that reminded me of you). I'd hate to see you part with your cars, Cort

I LOVE these Turbo Grand Prix's (only offered in red or black with tan leather, in '89 & '90 - the GTP model debuted for '91 replacing the turbocharged 3.1L V6 with the 3.4L V6). I'd so park this in my garage and take to car shows without a problem.

In that color, these NJ plates would be appropriate:

I've also noticed a lot of these military trucks on the highways in & around NJ the past year: I take it these are the new Army workhorses? I like the tandem axle models (posted), though I see more single rear axles. UPDATE: After a Google search, I found that these are known as FMTV (Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles), the two pictured above being M1092 A1 models. Here's more from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_of_Medium_Tactical_Vehicles

Driving in to work today, on Route 1 northbound, was a car carrier loaded with two brand new '13 Ford Taurus models on the bottom deck and three older/used Chevies - two Silverado work pickups and one base '94-'99 Suburban 2500. Very strange load, if you ask me!

Congrats Camino!!

I would still love to see what the designers had in mind for these cars based on the Lambda platform.

However, the 2013 RAM will feature an air suspension as an option...