mustang84

I'm quite excited about Fisker Automotive. In an era when domestic automakers are no longer dominant and brands are being dropped like birdseed, I'm glad to see an innovative American startup forging ahead with its own vision. In some ways, I wonder if we could see a mini-repeat of the early 20th century with new startups vying to develop and perfect electric vehicle technology.

This will be the first EV charging station installed between Chicago and Denver. It will be a couple miles north of I-80 in the town of Elk Horn, which is near where I grew up. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...30069&rfi=6

Olds

Just curious, but what Chevy did he have in 1974?

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Phantom Lord?!?! Man, awesome you got to hear it live...that song has probably been gathering dust for a long time. I saw Metallica in 2004 and last year for their Death Magnetic tour, but hands down the DM Tour was a better show and one of the best live shows I have ever seen. Who was the other opener? When I saw them, it was The Sword (very NWOBHM sounding) and Down with Phil Anselmo. Edit: I looked through the photos and it answered the question...

I usually go for Adidas when buying shoes. I switched it up to K-Swiss a couple years ago, but they seemed to wear out faster than my Adidas usually have, so I bought a new pair of white Adidas recently. Doc Martens were huge when in was in high school in the late 90s. Nearly everybody had them. I had a brown pair and had the polish and all that. I think they are still at home, but I haven't worn them in years and I doubt they fit anymore. I also remember when LA Gear shoes with the red flashing light were big in elementary school. I always envied my friends that had them. Looking back on it, the whole thing seems kind of silly now. I think the light had mercury in it and that's why they stopped making them.

I was wondering about that too. Box Caprices ran about 3500 lbs, while Bubble Caprices were closer to 4000. I was just watching videos from the People's Curse, and a late model P71 Crown Vic was one of the ones crushed.

Wouldn't the cage be exempt from the cost even if it came with the car, since it is under the safety equipment category?

A couple 5-speed '94 Cavaliers around my area for $500, "race ready" http://desmoines.craigslist.org/cto/1391496841.html

These pictures make it look much better than the original sedan release pictures from a few months ago.

The commercials say one thing, but people are starting to open their eyes toward Toyota. I post at a City discussion board and Toyota is brought up a lot in the automotive help section. One guy's neighbor had a Toyota that experienced unintended acceleration when she hit the Cancel button on the cruise control. The posts there about Toyota are generally about how quality seems to have fallen from current or ex-owners.

It was a faint whine until a few days ago when temps started dipping down into the 40s and 30s and then it became a loud metallic groan (probably the better term for it) as the wheel was turned left or right. I'm guessing the colder temperatures contracted the metal in the ball joints and there was some rubbing? I'll be interested to see if the whine is still there afterward...I know Ford's power steering pumps tend to whine a little regardless if they are going bad or not. My plan was to get a new Mustang 5.0 in a few years, but I don't know if I'd want to sell the LS since it's original and in really good shape (I can see these cars becoming future classics). It all depends if I have a place to store it.

Nice Regal...I'd like to have some sort of G-body in my garage some day.

The first "lolcat," from 1905.

I think that may be what it was. He also mentioned the ball joints and control arm while he was talking about the steering knuckle now that I think about it. I'm really learning quite a bit about how my car works though, so I guess there is some good to take away.

I posted an article about the new Caprice PPV on a city / state information website where most of the posters are not hardcore car enthusiasts like us here, and you would be surprised how much positive reaction there was toward the PPV. Most said something along the lines of GM is finally pulling its head out of its ass, but they were disappointed to find out it was only for law enforcement. I think GM would be missing out on a huge opportunity to rebuild its image by skipping on a civilian version altogether. If it's delayed 6-12 months to build a proper Impala/Caprice, fine....but it needs to be offered.

I'd be just fine with the judge ordering him to wear a t-shirt in public for 60 days that says "I abused the legal system"

I went to Junge LM for this, but I usually go to Albert Auto...and yes, there are an awesome bunch. Well, it wasn't the power steering pump or pulley....it was the steering knuckle on the LF side. I have noticed the camber has been a little weird for a while, but I thought maybe I was just seeing things. $615 was quoted, which is a little lower than average for this repair ($650 seems to be the norm), but I still had the wind taken out of me a little when the quote was read. I also rented a car since I need to be able to get around this weekend. 2008 Saturn Aura XE 3.5 from Enterprise. I had a choice between two Kia Optimas, a Sonata, an Accent, a Focus, a PT Cruiser, and an Altima...decided to go with the Aura to test out the Epsilon. Overall, it's a decent car but there are flaws. The Aura drives very well with a tight steering feel and good power, so no complaints there. The brakes are a little touchier than I would like. The interior is pretty craptastic though...bad graining and hard plastic all around. I love the gauges when they are lit, but during the day when they aren't it is very hard to see the speedometer because they are set so far back and there is no white lettering or anything to make them stand out. It took me forever to figure out that to open the gas tank. You just have to depress it in. I spent 10 minutes looking for a gas cap unlock button like on my car and browsing the owner's manual at the gas station, so I'm sure I looked like an idiot. This car has 36000 miles on it and has seen some hard use...the turn signal is starting to go out and the automatic door locks are seemed like they were having a little trouble locking at times. Overall, decent car, but I can see why some of the reviews were lackluster when it first came out. It looks like the Malibu improved on many things.

I'm pretty sure it's power steering related. It's not a constant squeal, only at certain angles of turning the steering wheel will you hear it, especially when the wheel is turned near max. I've done a lot of reading on LS's and power steering problems are very common due to a badly designed pump pulley. On LS sites they recommend replacing the OEM pulley with an aftermarket one.

It only changes when I turn the wheel at low speeds...I don't notice it at high speeds.

No, it still steers like it usually has. The only change I've noticed is the louder squealing. I just got back from poking around...from what little I can see of the belt it looks like it's in good shape. Pic

Fluid level is fine, I just checked it tonight. The belt is buried but I had it checked out 4 months ago when I bought the car and my mechanic said it was in good shape.

My car has always had a small whine coming from the power steering which I had read was pretty normal with LS's and 90s-early 00s Fords in general, but the last couple days with the weather getting colder the faint whine has become a loud squeal and it sounds terrible. I have to go home this weekend which is a 500 mile round trip, so I'm thinking I probably don't want to risk the power steering pump going out on me with that many miles ahead. Right now the plan is to head to Lincoln Mercury tomorrow morning and see if they can diagnose for sure that it's the pump and if they have any in stock. If they can't get it done tomorrow, I'm probably going to be renting my first car to get myself home and back this weekend. Any general idea how much a power steering pump + labor will run at a dealership? Online, I'm finding remanufactured OEM pumps for $60-90.

Sounds like a fun time, but it's too far away for me to travel. Make sure to snap some pics for those of us who can't attend!