Blake Noble

Ha-ha. On another note, I can't figure out why, for the life of me, the Camaro doesn't get decent gas mileage anymore. It's lucky to average 22 mpg highway anymore. The fuel injection system isn't all that dirty and the car doesn't need a new fuel filter. My driving habits haven't changed, either. For the record, for the first few months I had the car, I could get 30 plus mpg.

*sigh* Regardless if I might just be a neurotic mess, but there's something about that car that makes it seem like not it's up to handling an 80 mile round trip 5 out of 7 days of the week in sub-30 degree weather. I just don't want to lose my job because I couldn't make it to work because of my car. That's pretty much the bottom line. That, and it would be nice to step up to something ... else. The derogatory rancor reflected in that remark I don't intend to dignify with comment. ... Okay, kudos for changing it up. +1 for you.

Interesting bit of info ... concerning mostly. I'm not going to write the car off, but I will double my cautiousness about checking the car out should I buy it. That's a very good suggestion, dave. One caveat, though: these things are amazingly popular with Kentuckians, so they aren't uncommon down here. My cousin owns a blue XR. My mother drives a base as base can be Berry Red XE, which by the way I managed to find out that it's twin brother can be had for a little over $9k and he likes to wear Pumas. I'd like to find a three-door Astra, though. There's a car that you really don't see everyday and it's far more entertaining than a Cobalt.

I don't know what "sticking with it" would entail. Right now, though, because the car keeps feeling more and more fragile, I'd bet sticking with it would mean breaking down. In the cold. In a south-midwestern snowstorm. True, but I do have the extra money for it. That is subject to change, but I'd rather not focus too much on that and keep the momentum I've built up going.

If the Saab in town has over 85k on the clock, then I'm going to forget it. I'm tired of dealing with higher mileage cars. The Camaro, I've noticed on my 80 mile trip to and from work, is beginning to feel a little fragile. Don't get me wrong, though. It wants to give all it has to give, but after 136,000 miles of service, "all" doesn't exactly mean the glass is full anymore. It's half empty at best. It isn't like I've ragged the car out, either. You can do all of the regular, preventive, and reactive maintenance you can possibly do, but at the end of the day the car is going on 13 years old and it's pretty much traveled the distance of the equator about 6 times. Looking at it that way, it seems fitting that I retire the car. Yeah, I'm going to catch some crap from folks with higher mileage cars on here, but the core components to my car are original, including the clutch (except for the clutch master cylinder). I think 136,000 miles on all of that, with many of those miles having come from torturous city driving, is very respectable. Sure, I've seen better, but it's still nothing to shake a stick at. Anyway, I did manage to find a sub-85k mile Magnum in nearby Mount Sterling for $8,500, but it seems somebody already snatched it up (it's no longer available on the lot's website). One last issue I'd like to mention and rant for a month about: when looking for a new car, I've really come to re-realize so many newer cars are so unbelievably dull, front-wheel drive is damn near unavoidable, and interesting front-wheel drive cars are few and far between. I love Pontiacs as much as anybody else here, but 2003 to 2004 Grand Ams and G6s are so common, it's like swimming in a Chilean swimming pool filled with dirty dish water. Grand Prixs are just as bad if you're looking at the four-door model. A two-door 2002 or 2003 Grand Prix GTP Supercharged would be nice, but I've yet to encounter one. Continuing on the same path, while touching base with home, I can't find a reasonable mileage, unmodified 2002 Trans Am as much as I can find a pair of 36 inch waist jeans to fit my 29/30 inch waist frame. Also, I'd rather spend a night sleeping in a friend's Toyota than be a card-carrying member of the Sunfire club. Solstice? Pftttt. Trying buying one of those at a reasonable price, ditto the coupe, which is Pontiac's equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster. Chevrolet Impalas are boring and the 2000 to 2005 model is as ugly as a meat butcher's wife, and the Monte Carlo is gawd-awful with the 3.4L, which is all I can find around here. Older Buicks are too cushy for my tastes, except for the Rivera strangely enough, which is too old for me to really consider buying anyway. The last run of late model Oldsmobile reserves are beginning to dry up, so I can't find a nice last-gen Aurora to save my scalp. A Caprice, while ignoring my criteria, would last a damn long while, but I would rather buy one already converted into an Impala SS, so in that case I'd rather just buy an actual Impala SS, which are hard to find not repainted in baby blue and thrown on a set of donks. The Caprice is only sexy if you rip the first three buttons of her blouse off, undo her grandma bun, and throw her glasses in the trash. If it wasn't for the Impala SS, I'd honestly bet that we would have all forgotten about the Caprice and mainly it's inner beauty by now. Anyway, I'll end my rant here. So far, the Saab is in the lead because, if I do have to break down and get a nose-puller which is looking likely, I'd at least take comfort knowing it was designed with the spirit of a bunch of Swedes in mind.

Well, nobody guessed it and I'm in a "shocker" kinda mood so ... Yeah, it's wrong-wheel drive. But there is a lot I do seem to like about it, that fact aside. For starters, I think it's a quite handsome machine. Secondly, no one drives a Saab. And last but not least, the ignition key is between the seats. There's one for sale at a lot here in town for somewhere around $7k, an '04 I think, in red like the one I pictured. Old habits die hard, so my runner up is a Magnum.

I see we recently had one of those so called "hypothetical situation" threads posted here in the Lounge, so I thought I would start one of my own. So, let's say you're tired of your daily driver. You know it's been reliable 80 percent of the time. You know it's a good car. However, you're also tired of the confusing fuel economy, the dying gas gauge, the puzzling glitches with the O2 sensors, the bugs that have bored their way into the ABS system (which caused you to skid into a ditch), the deteriorating paint and bodywork, and the styling which you keep losing your infatuation with every day. What do you replace that car with? The word "replace," in that sentence, meaning what do you trade it off to? Some additional criteria/information/whatever: it can't cost more than $175 a month for 48 months; it has to be a later model vehicle; it cannot be built by Toyota; it has to have charm and distinction; it should have at least a V6 engine. Let's see what you suggest. After a few posts, I'll share what I have on my mind (which may surprise a lot of you). If someone guesses it correctly, you won't win a prize, but you'll have the distinction of being the mind reader who creeps me the hell out. Also, inb4 white 1995 Honda Accord. If you post it, at least give suggest one additional car that isn't a Honda .... or an Accord ... from 1995 (anything from that model year doesn't fit my criteria anyway).

That last Intrepid I think I've seen somewhere before ... Interesting fleet. Who would have thought an Olds 88 has the same bolt pattern as a 300M? 22? Five cars? Damn. I'm 20 and I've only managed to keep two cars since I've had my license. Care to donate a car to my fleet?

Thankfully, the ratings system no longer has to do with individual reputation, like it first did. If that were still the case, I think we would have done away with the entire system by now. Satty is right about one thing for the most part: there is a lot of complaining that detracts from any intelligent discussion that takes place around here. Intelligent and high quality discussions are part of this site's main M.O. and when all threads are high in good content, there is a chance we can attract new regulars. When we're all sitting around bashing a new car because it doesn't get the gas mileage of a frigging Sonata and because it doesn't have windows for the a, b, and c pillars that roll down, threads begin to look immature as does the entire community. I can see a way to reform the idea: merge the report and ratings system into one tidy clusterfuck. Posts below a threshold of minus five are earmarked for deletion. When a member ranks a post down in this fashion, they have to leave a small note saying why they ranked the post down. Anyone who leaves a reason saying, in essence, that they're butthurt that such-and-such doesn't agree that the Cadillac ULC is a POS automatically makes their vote invalid.

Uh, bench seats and a big trunk? Well, I don't know if they're still offering them on it but it does have a big trunk. Here's your new luxury ride, fellas. A bench seat and column shifter in a newer car just feels ... wrong. As for the 300, I like it. The original is something of an icon for Chrysler and icons do not receive radical redesigns every few years. You instead keep evolving them.

Thanks all. Let me also add there was a little more to the job than I thought; mainly getting used to the interface we use to ring up purchases, look up inventory, and so on. Other than that, despite the fact it's been slow the past two days, it's not that tough of a job. Getting adjusted to a sort of steady job is really the biggest hurdle. I haven't been this social with people in months and it really shows. I'm usually a very extroverted person and I've sort of become a complete introvert because I never really had a reason to get out this much. It's quite refreshing.

Despite the fact I've put more on my table during the last few months, I've noticed I'm stressing less and less about things. Instead of having a well-defined idea of what I want and how I want things to go and trying to maintain a claustrophobic style of control over that, I'm just taking things in stride and keeping a rough idea in mind of where I want things to go. I'll be a full-time student next semester and there might be a good chance I'll still be working part-time after the holidays as well (I wouldn't bet anything on it, though). On top of that, I've currently decided to put any and all previous projects (mainly ones pertaining to music) on an indefinite hiatus and start brand new ones (again this is mainly pertaining to music; I'd really love to play with a band again since I've been ingesting a lot of stoner rock/metal and garage rock ... stuff that really stayed true to the roots of rock and metal).

Thanks guys. For the moment, it's what I'm going to do to pay off college loans, when that time gets here ... Well, it's the holiday season and I suspect that was the real underlying motive for the manager hiring me. However, already being knowledgeable concerning guitars, basses, and accessories was a big plus I'm sure. Music really is my other forte besides general automotive knowledge and art. I'll wait until January before I truly make a toast to my new job and begin to believe the economy might be crawling back out of it's six-foot hole.

Well I shouldn't have to continue to sell my stuff through Craigslist to keep some dough in my back pocket: I start at Guitar Center next week. I tried for a few parts houses and there and that's who wound up calling me back. Fine by me. At least I know this is one job I can do without a shadow of a doubt.

Winter's already trying to poke it's ass in the door down here. We had our first light dusting of snow early Friday morning.

All I had money for was that balloon.

I see Carlos Mencia has been writing jokes for Leno, more or less. "We have a two party system: the Democratic Party, which is a party of no ideas, and the Republican Party, which is a party of bad ideas." - Lewis Black http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGlVhss6Gr4 Well, the essence is the same.

Ohhh ... well, there's my two cents anyway.

I don't hate it, I just have no clue how I should really feel about it. I guess I do hate the fact it has a Japanese Sombrero glued to it's grille, but I really ... don't hate the car. It's not the most attractive coupe I've seen, but it's profile is okay and it's a cleaner design than the sedan. I do like that it's rear-drive, obviously, and a small-block V8 is always fine with me. Like I said, I'm glad there's a slim chance of Toyota building it. Why? It's a confusing car. If it were a Malibu that had been given the same treatment, that would certainly make the concept easier for people to swallow. Agreed.

According to modern standards, the term "two-door sedan" is an oxymoron. You'd think that "four-door coupe" would be treated the same way. Buyers and a vast majority of enthusiasts do not let how much rear-seat space dictate what bodystyle a car is classified as. Neither does the NHTSA. Ultimately, it all comes down to a simple door count now.

Well, I will say this: If it's one thing Toyota can do right, it's building a car that you can love to hate to like. I'm actually glad there's a slim chance in Hell that they'll build this thing. I'm not counting out the fact Toyota will roll out another Camry coupe, however, and should that happen, well let's just say I can already hear all of the shouting that will be thrown in the direction of the RenCen.

SEMA 2010: Toyota Builds ... A Rear-Drive Camry? 3rd November, 2010 by "black-knight" Photo Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET No, it isn't April Fool's Day just yet. Yes, we're just now into November and the oncoming Holiday Season. You can put away the callender. Straight out of Bizarro World, Toyota rolled out a rear-wheel drive, V8-powered Camry "Nascar Edition" concept coupe at SEMA this year. Powered by a TRD-built, 358 cubic-inch V8 good for a respectable 680 horsepower mated to a Getrag six-speed row-your-own, the Talledega-themed Toyota was built for the company by some group of guys who call themselves RK Customs. Surprising? Yeah, it is. It's even more surprising is that this particular Camry doesn't look like the backside of a bloated, seasick whale shark (did they actually manage to make the old Camry Solara glasshouse look, dare I say, decent?). Don't look for Toyota to actually build this, though. You should know better than that. Besides, I'd hate to imagine what would happen to little old Aunt Ethel if the accelerator stuck or the driveshaft snapped on her 680-horse, rear-drive performance coupe.

Hey, the keyword in reg's post said "like" ... a Solstice Coupe is sort of like a CR-X ... keywords there are "sort of like." Give me a backing band and I can put on a hell of a show. I'm still somewhat absorbed in solo work, though, where I'm playing pretty much everything ...

Camino, if you want to ensure a fast response from a Craigslist seller, always change the subject of the e-mail line a bit, no exceptions. A Craigslist seller is more likely to actually read and take your message seriously if you do this. For example, if the subject line Craigslist gives you in a blank e-mail says "2008 Fender '72 Telecaster Deluxe - PRICE DROP ($500)" reduce that down to just "Fender '72 Telecaster Deluxe" or simply "Telecaster Deluxe". I sell a lot of stuff through Craigslist and you tend to get a lot of e-mails asking dumb questions like, "Do you still have it?", in which case that leads to a further e-mail trying to lure you into a scam.