mustang84

I'm seeing an increasing number of new GMs fleeted out as University vehicles. Uplanders, Malibus, and especially Cobalts. Formerly the University vehicle fleet was mostly Focuses, Tauruses, Ventures, and E-Series vans as well as Crown Vics for the ISU Police (which doesn't make sense that they have Crown Vics since it's not like they go on high speed chases in the first place...the Ames PD has '00-'05 Impalas pretty much exclusively and they patrol a much larger area). It's cool to see all these new GMs around, but at the same time it's sad to see new models like the Cobalt and Uplander going to fleets. Saw a very old woman in a black '96 Impala SS...I was like "WTF?" '06 Impala LTZ, silver Lots of Five Hundreds...they're becoming fairly common up here '67 Olds Cutlass

Actually, I believe that Ford recall only involves 3.6 million. Either way, Toyota has now recalled 5 million vehicles since May 2005. Before May, they had almost none (or at least nothing major at least). Whereas it's almost transparent these days with GM and Ford, Toyota gets noticed when it makes a recall because of its track record of quality. I imagine that their massive global expansion will only make the recalls become more frequent.

Toyota says may recall 1.05 million exported vehicles Revolution 11/09/05 11/09/05 TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp. said on Wednesday it may recall a further 1.05 million vehicles due to trouble with bolts used in their diesel engines. Toyota said it was looking into the ways the vehicles, including the Hiace and 24 other models that were exported to Asia and Europe, were used to see if a recall was necessary. On Tuesday the company notified the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport it would recall 246,592 of the vehicles that had been sold in Japan. We're investigating how the exported cars are used, a spokesman said. If the conditions are the same as those used in Japan, there is a possibility that we may recall all of the 1.05 million cars. Last month Toyota said it would recall about 1.41 million cars globally, its biggest ever such move, including the Corolla and 15 other models due to trouble with their headlight switching systems. Toyota declined to comment on cost of the latest recall. The spokesman said the bolts were not rinsed thoroughly when the vehicles were made between April 1998 and September 2003. In the worst case the bolts may be rusted and broken, disabling the engines.

This is much different than AIDS though...AIDS can be controlled through safe sex or abstinence; bird flu can't until we discover a vaccine that actually fights it. So far, the vaccines they have created have proved unsuccessful. And even if we do figure out something that works, flu commonly mutates into different strains that get more and more difficult each time. Hence why the guy suggested not getting the Tamiflu vaccine because the flu will only find ways to become immune to it. Also, if I remember correctly, there was an outbreak of disease in the late 50s. I remember my dad saying something about it being around when he was born, and that was 1957.

I've been following this a lot more recently and many medical professionals are voicing serious concerns that this flu epidemic isn't something we should take lightly. Some are estimating that as many as 300 million people could die and the flu could spread across the entire globe in a matter of weeks due to air travel. Here's a post I found on another message board: Here's a map of where the current flu outbreaks are. It's now starting to spread into Eastern Europe and I just read a report of an infected flamingo found in Kuwait, the first case of the virus in the Arabian Peninsula. I truly hope this ends up like SARS where we got all worried but it was eventually contained...however this H5N1 flu is looking to be a much more serious matter.

Isn't Pat Robertson also the the same one who called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez in the name of God? What a lunatic and money swindler.

I'm definately underwhelmed. Having the same steering wheel as a Chevy is unacceptable for a Cadillac. The grille shape is nearly the same as the Yukon and when I look at the Cadillac and GMC lights, there's just too much similarity in placement and shape to be comforting. Sure, this is a big step up from the last gen Escalade, but that's not saying much. And I did look long and hard at these photos...but I still am not wildly impressed. I love the Tahoe, but both the Yukon and Escalade have been disappointments. TOO MUCH SIMILARITY! Come on, GM!

I checked the history of Toyota recalls as far back as May 2005 when the big uptick began, and Toyota has recalled over 4 million vehicles in almost 20 countries since then. Nov 8 - 246,592 vehicles in Japan for bolt corrosion Oct. ?? - 1.27 million vehicles in Japan for headlight malfunction Oct. 20 - 70,000 Corollas, RAV4s, and Echos in Australia for electrical issues Oct. 19 - 71,000 Scion tCs for shattering wind deflector Oct. 13 - 75,000 Priuses for engine stalling issues Sept. 7 - 978,000 trucks for faulty steering mechanism July 20 - 345,000 Siennas for seatbelt issues (not a major problem though) July 20 - 2500 Tundras for air bag light cover May 31 - 173,000 vehicles in Asia for master cylinder brake issues May 25 - 8549 Landcruisers in China due to suspension defects May 23 - 4900 Avalons due to steering defect that can cause loss of control May 18 - 800,000 trucks due to ball joint issues =4,044,541 vehicles approximately since May 2005 Now I'm sure GM and Ford have more recalls, but for Toyota being the quality leader, 4 million vehicles is a lot for only 6 months.

Wow, it's kind of an odd time of year to get a tornado. We had an F1 tornado touch down on campus about a month ago and I was out in the middle of central campus when it happened. It was mostly just tree limbs down though. I have actually seen a large tornado before...I was 7 and at my grandma's house and a couple miles to the north I saw one rip the powerlines right out of the ground. She grabbed me and took me to the basement right after that. Also, last year an F5 tornado hit a small Nebraska town a few hours west of me and completely decimated it. F5 tornados are bad news...they can get up to a mile wide and completely wipe out anything in their path. I don't remember how many died, but that town doesn't exist anymore. The same thing happened in Spencer, South Dakota a few years ago too. I still love tornadoes though...nothing like road tripping to see severe storms on a summer day. Here's that town...Hallam, NE, in May 2004. This was a railroad, train, and grain elevator

I'm a fan of old school rap too. I've tried to get into new hip hop and there are a few songs that have a decent sound, but most of it is just resampling old beats or just not very interesting to me. MTV has practically ruined the genre...where rappers back in the day had a message and an attitude, today they're just puppets or poseurs that made their millions. I listened to that Eminem song...while the lyrics may be powerful, the rythym is the same thing throughout the song. I got bored after about 30 seconds of it. I think rap was good up through the early-mid 90s, but it's been downhill since. Now most of the mainstream stuff is just cliche.

So how many recalls does this make over the last couple months? And how many millions of vehicles?

Sixty8 old buddy...I'm a little late with this because I've had two tests and an arch review, but here goes: I have a friend here at college that has been stricken with bad luck over the last month. His mom died of cancer at age 46 a couple weeks ago. His sister is also very sick with something. His girlfriend of 3 years broke up with him about a week before his mom died. And finally, he was intentionally hit by a van (I think it was an E-series...full size van, not a mini) at a party and ended up breaking both arms and wrists and barely escaping with his life (if he hadn't jumped up before the van hit him, he probably wouldn't be here today). He was talking to me on the phone the other day about how he was going to have to sit out of architecture this semester and was afraid that he might not be able to use his arms again. This is the type of guy that has a hard exterior shell, but he was actually crying on the phone when he told me this. However, despite all that he has been through the last month, he's not giving up. When life shovels you sh*t, you just gotta take it and use it to plant a garden (for lack of a better analogy). Make the best out of the situation and never give up hope...nothing in life is definite. It sounds like things are looking up slightly, but if things don't turn out, just realize that you always have Sofia in your life even if you may not get to see her everyday. It's better to be there every once in a while than never at all. I wish you the best and hope that things turn out better. :)

Why is everybody ending their sentences with this phrase?? I've heard it three times today from three different people and it's getting to the point where it's just downright annoying. Was it on some movie or TV show that I missed? I hadn't heard anyone use it until about a month and a half ago, and now it's infested itself into the campus lingo like a virus. Here's some examples of its usage: Amanda: "Yeah, I took my physics test today and did pretty bad...I'm not gonna lie." Bob: "Yeah, this dining food sucks today...I'm not gonna lie." Why? :unsure:

Im-PAL-a...I know a couple people that pronounce it Im-Pahl-a, but #1 is way more common here than #2. I had never heard #2 pronounced that way until about 2000 when the new Impala was introduced.

If it does happen, it'll probably be a Lexus. But Bond in anything other than an Aston Martin is like cake without the frosting...a big MEH.

I thought government and civil protection fleet vehicles have to be domestic makes here in the US?

Damn...I thought about saying Edge waaayyy way back, but I was thinking it was something we hadn't seen yet. Anyway, the interior looks good...those vents are pretty large though. Not sure if I like the steering wheel though...it just seems kind of plain.

When I first saw this topic without opening it, I thought it was going to be about the Pope's $600,000 '75 Escort! :P

I grew up in a small rural town of 5000 people, but I prefer urban/suburban environments. I think I eventually want to live somewhere out in the Interior West...maybe the Phoenix area or Denver. I'd like that because you're surrounded by beautiful scenery that you can always head out to on the weekends but you still live in the city. If I do stay in the Midwest, I'll probably move to Omaha because downtown is going through a renaissance and it's just a nice sized city.

I had Everclear Jello shots once...never again! I rarely ever get drunk to the point where I don't remember the night before...but I remember almost nothing of that night. Two of the girls I was drinking with were sick for the next two days. I usually drink beer (Leinenkugel's, Woodchuck, Corona, AmberBock, Bud Light, etc) or sometimes I'll do something simple like mix Vodka and Kool-aid or make a Captain and Coke, but I've never really been one of those guys that buys a book about mixed drinks and experiments. Just give me something with alcohol in it and I'm fine. Although, one of the best drinks I've ever had was called a Pissed Off Japanese Middle Farmer. You can get it at Welch Ave. Station in Ames...not sure if anyone else makes it. They keep the ingredients secret, but there's definately some type of rasberry taste in there...it's good stuff! As for cheap stuff like Keystone and Natty Light...while I don't love the taste, I'll drink it if that's what's available. I'm not really picky when it comes to alcohol.

1983 H/O 442 1986 442 1987 442 442 rims are some of my most favorite wheels

Sorry Fly, I didn't actually see Polish_Kris's posts in the other thread until after I posted this...that's when I figured it probably wouldn't be received very well. Go ahead and lock this...I now realize it wasn't in good taste.

Removed

A guy from high school riding in my Lumina: "Wow, does this thing have a V8 in it?" A girl in high school US history class (extremely ditzy blonde): "Who won the Revolutionary War again? The Native Americans or the Britains?" She was being serious too. A Hotel, Restaurant, & Institutional Management major: "Architecture? Is that where you build buildings?" Design, not build. I don't actually put on coveralls and a hard hat and start welding beams together.

It still looks like a cloud or a marshmallow puff to me, except this time with a ridiculously large spoiler. Even though I'm not a big Civic fan, Civics looked better when they were leaner and meaner in earlier generations. That interior color scheme is attrocious. What is this...a Honda Civic or an advertisement for Target?