trinacriabob

That is the line of demarcation - those who plan to turn the car around and those who plan to keep it a long time. A friend who had an early '90s Thunderbird coupe with the bar chart graphics on the instrument cluster had it fail and it was $500 to drop the new one - a solid state piece - into the dash, and this was in the early 2000s. Now, just like there is planned obsolescence, there seems to be "planned service life." And, yes, it would penalize the person who is in it to keep a vehicle for a long time.

I don't hate all of it ... just some of it. I ask myself, "How much will that cost to repair?" I have watched how the dash changed from the one on the last Envision to the new Envision. I'll take the dash on the last Envision, for example. Is the current Envision dash one big R&R job, or are there segments of it that are salvageable? I'm afraid to ask. I don't plan on using my GM points on one to begin with. I don't mind the TV screen, as long as it's well done and integrated into the design of the dash. I do wish they could leave the climate controls in a separate pod that doesn't rely on touch controls. Because of connectivity to Bluetooth et. al., I could see the audio features remaining up on the TV screen. When technology changes again and something different from those big TV screens comes along, they sure will look crappy. We're currently making fun of stuff on cars from the '80s and '90s. I see them having their day, too. Recent changes in cars are making them more expensive to buy and more expensive to repair. It's no wonder some people are "frozen" with regard to this type of purchase.

@Robert Hall This thread has taken on a life of its own. Yes to Denver RTD. It's a vast area and it covers a lot of it. The coolest thing about it is the "Pythagorean theorem" hypotenuse effect of having a line right down to the Tech Center from the airport so you don't have to go downtown, and then down south. Phoenix's one line does a lot. I parked the car in Mesa and used it. They need more of it. Some poorer people ride it to stay air conditioned when it's boiling outside. As long as they don't bother the paying passengers. I prefer heavy rail to light rail ... like BART and MARTA. Cities like L.A. and Houston should not have light rail so they can do it on the cheap.

Thanks. That's a great map. I like the interactive part that shows expected progress over future years. Yes, I have ridden the new train from the airport to downtown. I did notice that it goes one stop south of the airport. I think that's because Alaska Airlines has their HQ at the Angle Lake station. I was stunned - downtown to Capitol Hill to Univ. of Wash. are all about 3 or 4 minutes apart. It looks like I'm going to be test riding it to the other side of the lake sooner than I thought! It would have been nice to have as a commuting and airport option when I was there. Is the Univ. of Wash. to Northgate extension underground?

@oldshurst442 Front F-bird lamps and fascia on the '79 to '81 were safe and decent looking. At least they were really toned down and slotted into the sloped front. Better than '77 and '78. Agree on '75!

I believe King County levied property taxes at 1.0 to 1.5% of assessed value. That's reasonable, if they kept it at that. What may not be reasonable is the assessments and the rate at which they can climb. Isn't there any stopgap in place to index how fast assessments can rise to protect long-time homeowners? Like California passed years ago? WA has high sales taxes and business tax on gross receipts to make up for no income taxes. It's too bad if King County raised the tax levy rate on property. NJ has that problem because communities levy at 2 to 3% of assessed value. I didn't think light rail would go too far into Snohomish County. I will get out that way and visit when it crosses the lake. That ought to be something to see. They put it into place after I leave. That helps.

Okay, I partially agree with you. Not so much on '74, as it lacked the wrap-around rear back lite, which I liked for the F-bird/Camaro. A big thumbs up to '75 ... the inset lamps on the grille looked great. I'm okay with '76, but I see what you mean. You didn't exactly pick out a flattering photo of one! It was funny that this car could be had with a bullet proof 250 c.i. L6, and that it was available in base and Esprit. Not sure if up-level Camaro LTs and Berlinettas could be had with this engine during that same time frame. For the short while I owned a Camaro, it had the 305 c.i. V8.

I wonder if it will correct. I know that Snohomish County sends out a slightly smaller tax bill than does King County. I don't know much about South Everett. I believe I would drive next to it and through it on the freeway. The area I was a little partial to, since I saw it get built out to some extent with some of the newer subdivisions, was Mill Creek. I understand it is now a traffic nightmare to get in and out of that suburb.

Some people say "Happy Easter" with a lot more fervor and work than others.

Spotted this yesterday ... someone is either very fond of this old Pontiac or someone has a huge project on their hands What a sight on a trailer to be pulled by a newer Chevy truck - GM loyalist Look at that old school Pontiac front end - this thing has @balthazar written all over it Crank windows and beat up interior Catalina-Ventura - ha, both within 60 miles of L.A., as the crow flies Rear view

As for car spotting, I saw one of these today - a 45 year old 1978 Olds Delta 88 Royale coupe. That's a lot of sheet metal for a coupe. It didn't look good and it didn't look bad. The Rocket V8 exhaust note was still sort of there as it turned left in front of me. It was like this model ... It did have a landau top, but it did not have the rally wheels like the above (too bad) I always get a kick out of the small windows they used to feature in large coupes. Somehow, they made the proportions work ... most of the time.

That's a house, though. Apartment style condos in either Bothell or Woodinville are selling for at least $300 K, and they may not have 1,000 square feet and may not even have a 1-car garage. People who locked in a residence that they like in what have become expensive areas at yesterday's dollars have a lot to rejoice about.

Happy Easter to those who observe it, celebrate it, or spend the day in a way other than you usually do. I was "good" yesterday. It's the only Friday I observe during the year. I had oatmeal for breakfast and fish for both lunch and dinner.

It's the angle of the front inch that I don't like. Like on the very last GP, it's too much. It's not so much a "go big or go home" approach that Pontiac would sometimes push as it is a matter of good taste, but that's just my opinion. In styling cars, fractions make big differences in how the styling turns out. I'm okay with the full width rear taillamps. They're clean. I probably would have opted for a '75 or '76 Esprit with some nice Rally or honeycomb wheels, full instrumentation, and some other tame trim options. With the F-bird, I always felt "less is more." (sidebar: the phone number for that car is in Tom Leykis's "beloved" "the 909")

Today, Thursday, April 6 is National Burrito Day. You may reconsider your lunch plans. I don't eat Mexican all that often, so I might just do that. When I think of burritos in the most humorous way possible, I think of the teenage movie "The Last American Virgin," where nympho neighbor Carmela seduces three pizza or chicken delivery boys and instructs the chunky one with 'Come to Carmela, my big burrito' or something like that. Then, Paco, her Puerto Rican sailor boyfriend, inadvertently comes home to find her entertaining three neighborhood teenagers and a chase ensues (age restricted on YouTube, so I couldn't post it). But I can post this.

Thank you! This year of Firebird over the equivalent year of Camaro. Easy. This was the top of the heap for the Firebird, whether base, Esprit, Formula, or Trans Am. With their revised front fascias, '77 and '78 were cringeworthy. - - - - - Here we go. One periodically sees what celebs are up to on one's homepage, so I Googled "Deborah Harry today," and of all the images that came up, this one was the klassiest. She's better behaved in the other photos.

Good point. They "touch my soul" in different ways. '76 and '77 - good; they came down in displacement from the entry-level 400 c.i. V8 in the preceding year '78 and '79 - hindsight is 20/20, so the refresh coming after them was better; these two years took some getting used to '81 through '87 - very good to excellent, except for CCC teething problems - '81 and '82 had the small Pontiac 4.3 V8 - 85 onward started out with the Chevy TBI Vortec V6 to replace the standard carbureted 3.8 V6 - - - - - For everyday driving, I'll say '81, '82, and '85 to '87 - they retained the manners of the much larger car, but were easier to work with

Not to sound too melodramatic, but this touches my soul.

Last night, I realized something. I know some of the neighbors I see around, and might even know some of their names. However, I know all the dogs and their names even better.

I just saw on my homepage that there's a montage they just came up with title "I'm So Indicted." Funny. It obviously references the Pointer Sisters song from the '80s, which is okay, but not as good as what I think is their best song - "Neutron Dance" "I'm So Excited" about "I'm So Indicted" It's obviously a montage of a bunch of different movies, only some of which I can identify.

Last spot of the month - today, March 31 It has actually been sitting there for a while. It could be the color. As I was photographing it, a kid walking by on the sidewalk commented to me that it was ugly. Angled Front Rear It's an AWD "Pentastar" V6 GT model - 3 mpg highway mileage penalty for all 4 wheels being hooked up to the drivetrain. MSRP - $45,410

I don't know. It's got ~2000 written all over it and the front and rear fascia cosmetics are not convincing enough.

Axel (Akmed) Foley alert ... I've put up this car before and it's still there ... more or less in the exact same place! Seen on March 21. And here it is with a gentleman walking his Australian Shepherd on the sidewalk about a minute later!

Seen March 20 slightly north of Balboa Park in San Diego We saw the progression of Datsun/Nissan from 240 (to 260) to 280 to 300 Z(X). If this thing was sporting a red cloth interior, this must have been relatively "old." Let's not forget the chunkier looking 2+2 they did with this model for a couple of years. It's not like the extra seats were all that usable. - - - - - I can't omit some Subaru spotting - also on March 20 in the San Diego area. This one belonged to one of the big museums in Balboa Park This one was plated somewhere far away (no front license plate) but certainly competed for attention with the runway behind it in the distance at San Diego International Airport.

MORE Dodge Chargers ... March 15 Spotted in CA's Inland Empire (that's a nicer way of saying "the 909") Here's a Dodge Charger in these new enamel grays I like, except for the real dark one. - - - - - March 18 I was driving down the highway toward the house I was staying in and I just assumed these would be used Chargers. Wrong. They were brand new. So, it's a white one and a charcoal metallic one sitting under the desert sun. The one above appears to be a V6 - MSRP $43,600 The one above appears to be an V8 - MSRP $54,265 I wonder if they'd part with these at MSRP and/or just how much more above that they'd want. Maybe the latter is why they haven't flown off the lot and sold "like hot cakes."