ShadowDog

I think the memo should be drawn to finally acknowledge the fact that Pontiac lost its performance image over two decades ago. They can't really do much more to damage that performance image now.

The mother has already died... From MSN: He's a looney for sure, based on his opinion of Michael Jackson: I don't expect he had much to do with her death.

Inappropriate things in cars... ...a mainland Chinese lady (fear for safety of your car and your life) ...a tube-strengthened chassis in a ricer Chevette (fabrication and tubing probably cost more than the car was even worth) ...Cragar old-school muscle car wheels on a minivan ...gold-spoked wheels...on ANYTHING!

The height makes for much more practical room in such a small car. A taller person has little trouble fitting inside. You can thank the Toyota Echo for sparking the most recent trend in taller roof lines for the smaller-car.

Oh look, a pig just flew past my window.

I imagine us Canadians could really give little care to brand-differentiation. Just because we live closer to the U.S. than any nation in Europe doesn't mean we have to love trucks more.

Two things here: 1) The article suggests that Honda's softer market share of trucks is a good thing. While trucks may see a decline in sales based on the cost of fuel, the article somehow wants me to think that if they decline substantially, Honda being the first to sell zero is a good thing? That's some pretty convincing logic there...something only a real moron can appreciate. 2) Yes, Honda is quite remarkable with motorcycles, lawn mowers and marine motors. Still, I wonder how great an atmosphere we'd enjoy without the pollution of 2-cycle engines?

Alriiiiiiight! GM finally has something to fight the import tuners! I always wondered what hiphop, baggy-pants crossed with a mullet and 5 HP Confederate flag stickers would look like. OMG! The Political Correct Police Squad is gonna get me now! ___ ...or, GM, keeping to their roots with greatly subdued production models of their highly adored concepts.

Sure, like another hole in the head.

Few people understood the concept, or didn't see the connection between owning one, and the practical use that was intended for it. This, as I saw it, mostly because the marketing for the vehicle was absolutely pathetic. 'Hey look! Our "XUV" does this! Ain't that neat?!' Response? 'Hmm, yeah...wait, wtf is an XUV?'

All the woodworking and craftsmanship power and hand tools a person needs... ...cars just, well, take up useful space in a shop.

Well, that's easy...just launch it off a 20' tall jump and she'll soon be singing a different tune than "Dixie", broken back and all. I'm sorry, but, damn, that's ugly.

Somebody had better hurry their ass up and invent the teleporter. People are getting impatient, and if the people can't get what they want, when they want it, how they want it, revolts start. Then it's WWIII because the convenience of air travel is becoming less convenient. I wonder, without all these security measures, if air travel would not still be safer than ground travel as a crap-shoot for whether or not you'd get to your destination alive?

This thing did well performance wise with FWD? Charger 2.2 I helped my brother rebuild a DeTomaso model as his first car. It was an 'interesting' car, anyway...but nothing really was back in the early-to-mid 80s. From info: Chrysler's goal was to create an economy car with sporty styling, different from the traditional "econobox". Chrysler originally intended this vehicle to have a motor modified by Maserati, but it never went through. This just cannot be the car we're thinking about here...

I just don't know who has that kind of taste, because I've always despised the look of hubcap-style wheels. I mean, if you want that look, save a grand by purchasing steelies and throwing on a set of chrome hubcaps from your local aftermarket ricer-shop. This ranks right up there in tackiness with gold-spokes. Yuck.

In this town, dealing with Hutterites for bulk purchasing, they sometimes throw bottles of 'hooch' our way. I got one two years ago as a present and opened it a few weeks later to give it a taste. I'd already been warned about how powerful the crap was, and for good reason, since a sip of it left my bitter senses looking for a way off my tongue. I'm sure these guys know what they're doing, since they've been making this garbage for generations; but, it was horrible stuff, not even fit to mix with...and if you can't even mix it with anything, you might as well keep it to clean stuff, which is exactly why I have it in the garage now. I get the shivers just thinking about that taste. I would imagine beer has a best before date? In '02 I won Belgian beer displayer that included a traditional glass set. There's a Leffe, Hoegaarden and Sella Artois. I don't know what I was thinking because I never cracked them open. Now I'm curious if the few floaters in the sealed bottles are growth or not.

Reflection on life is probably the best way to hold on to memories and contacts. I was fortunate to have grown up with my friends from pre-school. To this day, being spread out over 1500 kms, we still manage to keep in contact, for the most part. Two of my closest are now beginning their family with the birth of their first child. My wife and I are now at that stage of trying. Even with the busy moments of every day life, there is always room to listen to how others are doing. I find myself more interested in the lives of people I know back home than of the people I am surrounded by every day. I completely understand your point on having an introverted personality when growing up. I was the very same, preferring the company of my thoughts more than anything. I always had a lot to entertain me, growing up in the countryside, but the friends were always there. To this day, I still wish I was back in those days as a child. Everything certainly was far more wonderous and exciting. I have a certain spot up on the mountain-side that overlooks our valley where I grew up. I would go there any time of the year to sit on the rock ledge and just take in the surroundings. It was probably the most peaceful and meditative states one could ever encounter. In the winter, I would gather up my GT Snowracer and take the 45 minute hike up the hill with it slung on my shoulder. Whether by myself, or with a friend or two, I'd jump off that cliff in the snow piles for a bit, then race down the hillside at terrifyingly exciting speeds...sometimes crashing...sometimes hurting myself. I would give anything to be able to do that again right at this very moment. There are a few friends I haven't been able to reach for some time. I managed to make contact with one of them, living in London at the moment. He was my very first best friend in preschool thru to highschool with his twin brother. He is problably the only one with the mindset to reflect with me on how things were; however, even his passion for life had probably clouded over what once was. Nevertheless, it's always exciting to get an e-mail from him about his new projects; his last one being on the figure-animation crew for Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. Others have gone the way of the winds. We're all so spread out that I find myself wondering if I'm losing touch with what is most important in life. My connectivity to those I grew up with is probably the most important aspect of my desire to keep the memories of my youth intact. I feel somewhat bummed that it would have to be me to take the initiative, once more, in keeping the contact alive; wondering if it's very important to them anymore, but that's a petty thought. Sometimes it's best just to take the first step to setting up that network. It isn't that difficult to do, and can be quite rewarding.

http://www.myspace.com/shadowdogger Man, searching for people I know, but no longer have a valid e-mail address to is a royal PITA!

"As the C&G World Turns" - brought to you by, GM and its divisions, makers of fine automobiles and embarrasing fans. Tune in next week when another meaningless report is distributed to the masses, only to be buried among the scratching cat-claws, hissy-fits and over-excessive amounts of personal pride that gets in the way of anything educational or informative. YET AGAIN, WAY TO GO MEATHEADS! For crying out loud.

About face?! Well, I never... Church groups may finally be growing into the 18th Century by accepting self-gratification as a form of abstinence! Think of how much money they could have raised in the Catholic Church if they'd rounded up all those pedophile-priests for a marathon!

It is interesting to note the problems facing Toyota cannot be blamed on growing pains, or mistakes in engineering or production as a result of their sudden-success in the marketplace. This is because of the fact that these recalls affect vehiles a decade old already.

No, the engineers at Toyota saw all of those images of cars with cardboard ground effects and wings and figured, "By George, let's give them all what they want. We'll make MEEELLIONS!" That, my friends, is the finished product!

Regardless of what's actually "IN" the bed when you get a flat, the fact that you have to take it all "OUT" to access that spare is a royal pain in the ass. Any Ridgeline owner in that circumstance will likely agree, or has enough time not to care. All I know is, if I get a flat, I'd rather winch down the spare, and winch up the flat under the bed without ever having to open the tailgate.

I'm ... uh ... thinkin', "yeah".

The forum's retaliation tactics are quite hylarious. It all starts with this e-mail to their dealership sales agent: Then, it goes into IM, where you get to instantly harrass sales agents. The following is likely the most amusing: All the harrassment is usually by people looking for a Subary Legacy L. After everything they've had to endure, I'm sure they scrutinize every on-line customer. As someone on there stated, I feel sorry for the poor bastard who comes in actually looking for a Subaru Legacy.