trinacriabob

Really? I always wondered about 2.2 Ecotecs? What kind of mileage have they racked up? Any problems?

Right you are. I currently have a 92 Regal coupe with the 3800 V6. It is nudging 225,000 hassle free miles and not burning ANY oil in between changes, extremely quiet and returning the EPA sticker mileage to this day. Therefore, best engines, in my mind / experience: 1. Buick 3800 V6 engine 2. Oldsmobile Rocket 350 c.i. and 260 c.i. V8s (we had these in 2 Oldsmobiles, though only the former in the one I drove) 3. Chevrolet in-line 250 c.i. L-6 (my Dad had this in a Pontiac LeMans early 70s coupe which he kept as a second car that was the only one the dog could ride in)

Which is amazing because final assembly is carried out at Oshawa, Ontario, Canada...the best plant in North America.By the way, The O.C., I had another one of these THIS past weekend and, when pressed into action, the 3900 is noisy. My Regal 3800 with over 200,000 miles is quieter because as soon as I got onto a ramp on Sunday night, I floored it to hear how noisy it is -- it isn't. I am not impressed with the 3900 the way you are.

road rage !!!!!!!!!!

No. I think the cluster is too small. There's TOO much empty space in the dash. it doesn't all have to be filled up, but I would have done it differently.

No way. Import loving, liberal Portland OR likes a Buick product. There is hope after all.

It's too subtle...it's almost not worth doing. And it's an expensive option...almost $ 300.

See, I knew WMJ would lead the pack...Minnesota rust and all.

gas hog

I stand corrected. When did this change?

I absolutely despise Eugene OR for many of the same reasons. Then there's the schizophrenia of being a twin city with Springfield OR which is about as redneck/Tonya Harding as it gets. With an undergraduate degree (with honors) from a Catholic university in Southern California and parents domiciled in Oregon which legally made me in-state, they denied me admission to a graduate program while more reputable schools like Univ of Mich., Univ of Ill. and Georgia Tech let me in. A lot of people told me that I would have been miserable if I had been admitted and actually went. My skin crawls when I happen to go through Eugene OR.

bark

white coat syndrome

Just coffee. I spend more time at Starbucks than I care to admit....but I'm usually doing something productive while I'm there.

But is it a college town? Which one is there?

You subscribe to the SF Chronicle and NOT the LA Times? Where are your loyalties, sir?

"Chicken" doesn't chicken out (he's a feisty one) and you do ???

I give my sled lots of "positive reinforcement." Just about daily. It seems to respond...the 3800 purrs quietly with acknowledgment. I need for it to last another 9 to 11 months.

the fence

Yep. I think 60 Minutes or 20/20 once did a show on the prevalence and clout of the lesbian population in Northampton MA. So, it kind of beats to the same vibe as Eugene/Olympia/Bellingham. Why do lesbians like these funky college towns, anyway?

Have friends that went there and visited it. Every college town has a couple of bohemian shops. Aside from a couple of those in Bloomington, it's pretty darn conservative. As far as the Midwest goes, I think Madison Wisconsin is reputed to be the most liberal of those towns.

As Nancy would have said, "Say no to drugs." I'm proud to be an uncool geek in this manner. I also say no to alcohol. Two big wastes of money and time.

Krispy Kreme

I went to a Jewish wedding in Santa Cruz CA on Saturday. I got there about 1.5 hours early and needed to change into a suit, so I hit Starbucks and lounged around for that time. In addition to having a weird culture to begin with, UCSC is located here. It is the only campus in the famed UC system that does not give letter grades. It's an absolutely gorgeous locale with the ocean, mild weather and lush vegetation; however, God are there weird people there! Other weird college towns: Eugene OR - California-hating Oregonians and earthy-crunchy frumps galore Bellingham WA and Olympia WA - more of the same; also, lots of Subarus - what saves Bellingham is that it's closer to Vancouver Canada than to Seattle -- a mere 22 miles from the border check. Other not as weird college towns: Berkeley CA - at the wedding yesterday, I was told it is now too expensive to be weird. Heck, one might even find a Republican or two. Chico CA - now, I like Chico. Why? It's a college town without the college town weirdness. It's also in an eerie location at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada but too low to see any snow. It's a toaster during the summer. None of the college towns in So Cal qualify as weird. They are all too suburban, hedonistic and conservative. ADD SOME MORE WEIRD COLLEGE TOWNS. I've been to Burlington VT while in Montreal. It was SORT of weird, I guess. I know the Northeast has a handful of them.

WWJD? (interesting thought - after going to a Jewish wedding yesterday)