The O.C.

Guys, I'm not looking for sympathy from anyone, simply wanna say "goodbye" to all my friends on here that I've truly enjoyed bantering with for the last few years...... I was recently "warned" when I responded in a recent thread to what I consider a personal attack from a certain member on the site. Now mind you....I didn't use any foul language and didn't call this individual any nasty names....but I responded firmly so that he would know how I felt about his posts that were directed at me. I was "warned" for that. Unfortunately, it was a thread that all of us were having a really good time contributing to....and someone had to come on the thread and attack me because of their either dislike for me, or their inability to be able to deal with the topic that was being discussed in that thread. Maybe I'm being over-dramatic....but I'm done with the attacks from this individual and I simply won't accept being "warned" for my response to him. Especially since I wasn't being argumentative in the thread in the first place. I've truly enjoyed the time I've spent on here and I know my overly-candid criticism of GM hasn't won me the best of friends on here, but I want all of you to know, even the ones I've disagreed with the most, that you all always made me think a bit harder about the automotive market in general and you all have always engaged me in truly enjoyable ways. Maybe I'll revisit the site down the road.....I'll see. I just need a break now. There's alot of GREAT people on this site and I wish you ALL the best. If anyone wants to keep in touch from time-to-time, I can be reached at [email protected] Cheers! (and gears) Chris

....with a domestic General Motors interior....... (sorry) In all seriousness.....I like the exterior looks of the AURA....and am glad they made the 3.6/6-speed combo an option. It's just too bad the interior isn't more like the European Vectra's..... After looking at the AURA and G6, the new Malibu has the most to gain on this platform......

I was at GMI from '88 to '93. It was a hell-hole then....and it sounds like it's even worse now. It's too bad there's not someone in city government that has a true vision on how to bring the city back. There's been plenty of cities around the country that have shown how it can happen.....

I'll reply to Razor's post only to bring reality to his ludicrous statements...... How 'bout Evok's idea of pushing education and health care? How 'bout Flint starting to promote some sort of tourism based around Michigan's abundant outdoor lifestyles? (Hunting, abundant lakes, etc.) It IS the largest metropolitan area in MI north of Detroit....a GREAT jumping-off point to the beautiful northern MI areas..... How 'bout NEW manufacturing opportunities? How 'bout just NOT ACTING LIKE VICTIMS?

Skyline GT-R.....?

But it's not really "leaps and bounds." I love my CTS.....but there's nothing that would put me into an STS or a DTS. I don't think you can call two successful products (CTS and Escalade) as "leaps and bounds." Don't get me wrong....Cadillac HAS come a long way. I just don't want to "excuse" them into "mediocrity." They need to execute their lineup 100%.....if they are truly to become the global premium player that they desire....

Razor....you're out of line. And I don't care if this thread gets locked. For the record, yesterday/today was the first time I visited this thread.....hence the "attention" to hot guys "brought so quickly." Don't you DARE try to insinuate that I can't post pics of what celebrities I think are hot.... You are so egotistic to think any posts of hot guys were put on here simply to "insult" you....get over yourself.... Seems to me that you are the ONLY individual in this entire thread that has turned this argumentative in any sort of way.... Seems everyone else has enjoyed the thread....and posted and commented on who they think is hot without denegrating anyone else's posts. Who do you think you are?

THANK you.......

Ur WRONG RAZOR.... Please REREAD THE TITLE TO THE POST..... "Movie Stars and Musicians You'd Love To Have Naked" I don't see anywhere in the thread where it said only "girls"

Well, my impressions of Flint come from living there for five years while I attended GMI and worked for Buick Motor Division. Axel....I know it's your hometown, realize my comments are in no way directed at YOU....please don't take them personally.... But I've never experience a more depressingly bad city that I could find NO redeeming qualities than Flint, Michigan. Even in Detroit, I can find redeeming qualities. Flint epitomizes just about everything one sees in "Roger & Me." My experience over five years is that GENERALLY (meaning not necesarily you, Axel) the populace of Flint, Michigan have this "holier-than-though" attitude towards GM and it's always "we're the victims" and "we deserve everything" and "GM is destroying our city" and "GM owes us the world." In Flint, you have city leaders that seemingly refuse to realize the realities of the domestic automobile market today. Instead of letting the city go to $h! like it has, city leaders SHOULD have been focusing on diversification of Flint's economy. Not easy you say when they've had an economy almost 100% dependent on GM and the auto market? You're RIGHT...it's tough as hell. But look at two examples of cities that HAD to diversify....on the smaller scale, and similar in population to Flint, was Bethlehem, PA. (I spent two years living about an hour south of Bethlehem.) This city has been a stronghold of the U.S. steel industry for a good portion of the last 100 years. We all know what happened to the U.S. steel industry. What did Bethlehem do when ALL of their steel factories dried up? They turned to tourism and began to attract way more "back-office" white-collar operations from companies that formerly officed themselves in (more expensive) Philly suburbs and (way more expensive) northern N.J. suburbs....and you know what? Bethlehem is a booming little town now (or at least it was when I was there last.) The other, on a large scale, is San Diego. 20 years ago, when the defense and military industry went bust, San Diego was in BAD shape. Military bases began closing in masse......defense plants were shuttered....and San Diego's economic base went down the toilet. What did they do? Renewed their focus on the vibrant tourism industry there....but the biggest boom has come from San Diego's romance of the high-tech, electronics, and computer industry. Now, military and defense claim an extremely minor impact on San Diego's overall economy. Flint and the city's population can blame GM for pulling out of their city. But they have only themselves to blame on how they approach the future.

Mercedes STILL makes the best gated shifter. I don't know why others haven't copied it..... (Interesting note.....the gated shifter in the Caliber rental I had felt JUST like a Benz gated shifter....I'm sure it's a common part....) The Benz shifter slides back and down almost effortlessly....but with positive detents. Others (an Altima gated shifter comes to mind) are clunky and unituitive....

Now.....you'd have to put a bag over his head.....but for HOT sex for the body ALONE..... We have....Carrot Top...!

YUMMMM......Chris Evans from Fantastic Four

Paul Walker....of Fast and Furious fame.....

Another one.....there's ALWAYS Stiffler from American Pie.....

[ How's this one for ya sweets...? I'd have his baby in a HEARTBEAT....! (figuratively of course....)

"Coming Out" doesn't have any sort of "announcement" to it as a general rule. It's more of an internal realization within oneself....and just a general way of how you handle yourself in your personal life. Like I said before....the media catches the "fringe" that try to make an over-the-top statement about "coming out."

Yeah....but you as a straight man have never been "persecuted" for your sexual orientation. "Coming Out" simply means being true to yourself and living your life as the person that you are. Being "out" to me means that I don't have to "hide" any part of my life. You've never met me in person.....but I feel, and many people tell me, that I'm extremely "straight-acting"......in other words...no "flamer" and people say they'd never know I was gay unless I told them. So I didn't "come out" so that I could start marching down the middle of main street in high heels wearing a pride flag.....I did it so that I could just BE NORMAL. I did it so that I wouldn't have to worry inside me that someone I knew would "see me walking into a gay bar" or someone else would "see me holding hands at a restaurant with my boyfriend" or someone else would "wonder if I was gay because I'm hanging out with a group of known gay guys." Crap like that. I also did I so I wouldn't be afraid to take my boyfriend to social functions with my straight friends.....also did it so that I could take the guy I love home to meet Mom and Dad.....things like that. Sorry for babbling.....but maybe do you understand just a little bit more? Most of the gay people that get the media attention for "coming out" are the fringe, small percentage. Unfortunately, that's only what most of the straight people (like you) see.....unless you have lots of close gay friends....?

True.....true.....

I'll be there on press days.... <nanny-nanny-booboo>

Indeed.....while I find the car pretty bland on the outside, I've been in numerous Corolla rentals and have found them pretty damn inoffensive. I still think the current (old) Corolla interior is one of the nicest in fit-and-finish and materials....and even that old interior is hands and feet above the Cobalt in terms of execution. I've never found it to be tippy or dangerous in it's handling. It's no sports sedan, but once again, inoffensive. Powertrain could use more guts with the automatic and that's about the biggest bitch I have with the current Corolla.

This is the kind of attitude that ruins my enjoyment factor on C&G. I come on here because I like discussing ALL things automotive....not JUST GM.... We can discuss the competition....and agree or disagree to like the competition....but coming on here just to "bash" something seems really childish and moronic to me....

WOW....seeing them next to each other, I really do think the Corolla looks far more upscale and refined..... At first, I thought I'd consider it too bland.... And there's no mistaking the fact that the interior of the new Corolla is FAR superior to anything Cobalt can offer....

I for one.....think he is sexier than hell......!

CTS spans the range of $30K to about $42K (not counting v-Series.) DTS STARTS at about $42K and goes to about $54-$55K. To answer your question, NO...my whole point is that the DTS in it's current configuation is NOT aspirational....it's a fuddy-duddy's car. BUT, shouldn't the largest car in the Cadillac lineup, with a price that goes up to the mid-50's BE aspirational for those at the "bottom rung" of the Caddy lineup? And if NOT....please explain to me WHY.......