vonVeezelsnider

Outside of GM the only cars that have my interest right now are the Volvo XC70, Saab 9-5, Chrysler 200 Convertible and 2011 Dodge Charger.

Make sure you have a good one Balthazar!

Well there's no turning back now. Found myself a decent "Heritage of Ownership" medallion for a first Cadillac on eBay, and that in and of itself is the symbolic beginning of a search that will likely define this year. Mercifully my insurance didn't go up last year after the two accidents I was involved in (though neither of them were my fault in the slightest), in fact my insurance went down- substantially. I have decided that I need a little project on the side to keep me busy (and sane) and have decided to fulfill a childhood dream, killing two birds with one stone. I'm going to find myself a 94-96 Fleetwood Brougham. I'm hoping to find something within Canada but I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and import one from the States if it comes to that (the joys of navigating the red tape are giving me nightmares). I'm just laying the ground work right now, but it's certainly an exciting prospect; trying to figure out insurance and how to get a car from out of province or out of country home, registered and road legal, etc... Will probably be more seriously looking to make the purchase in early April or when the snow melts (whichever comes last). Maybe spend Spring and some of summer giving Western Canada a chance and then expanding my search to the United States if necessary. Already went and looked at one last week (a 150k km 1994 Brougham in Red with the Burgundy Prestwick Cloth interior seen below)... but I don't think it's worth it- asking too much money I think, also not the color I was looking for and had an aftermarket grille, window tint which costs money to remove, some engine modifications (Cold Air Intake among others), and I'm going to keep looking for something that is in more unmolested condition. Ideally I guess I'm looking for something with no more than around 200'000km (125000mi), ideally lower for a cost around $5000-6000. Preference of course given to the colors of Burgundy, Dark Blue, Black, Gold, Green, Pewter or White (to a point- I'll take what I can get). No aftermarket padded tops and no steel roof models (windows are hard to find as replacements for those cars since the great majority of these cars came with the factory padded top which has a smaller rear window). As for where I'm going with this idea, I'm thinking a little long term so it won't get driven too too much, and I'll probably slowly redo the exterior badging (faded crests etc), maybe new carpeting and/or seat-covers as time and budget allow. Perhaps I'll luck out and find a set of the factory chrome wheels for cheap as well but let's face it- that one is specifically a pipe dream. Wish me luck!

This is my fourth Toshiba laptop since 2003... The only one that kinda sucked was the A100 I had. Otherwise the others have been good.

Looks better than a Fiesta, and aside from the instrument pod (not a fan), I like it a lot. Hopefully the plastic won't be too cheap.

The Plood they put in the 08-11 DTS was really nice, it was a browny woodgrain, I think it was simulated Bubango wood. I wish they put that wood in the cars for real, it was a really nice contrast to the light linen interior (my favorite color).

Take a look at some of the Business Grade laptops sold to the public. They don't have a lot of wacky nonsensical patterns and whatnot. I recently bought a Toshiba Satellite Pro L650, lots of power, but no glossy crap and the availability of even getting a matte screen texture.

Honestly, I think I prefer the Regal.

I have a feeling I'm going to be blowing money on stuff this year (perhaps another contraption of the four wheeled, V8 Powered variety? )... Last year I treated myself to a Powershot T2i, and I'm very happy with it. Good luck with the camera!

Here's to a better one. Happy new years!

In terms of durability? Significantly. Especially so when they've been previously owned by people take the initiative to change their supercharger oil but even if not, they're significantly better. There's the added benefit of cheaper parts as well.

A Chevrolet Chevy Sonora License Plates.

The Bonne fits in as with the others in terms of dependability. The 2G Aurora is basically same difference to the Cadillacs in terms of the $ to fix factor if you have the V8, the V6 is okay but still some electrical gremlins.

My aunt traded in her 1998 Volvo V70 XC Wagon for a Liberty and immediately hated how unstable it was... In short order she ended trading it in and going with an 06 Fusion SEL.

If you like the STS a Park Avenue Ultra or LSS would be much more reliable and cheaper to run.

Nissan Juke and Renault Megane at the Hoover Dam today...

The feel of the Leather Steering Wheel and Shift knob really makes the car more satisfying to drive.

Had a 2008 1LT Sedan and a 2007 Pontiac G5 SE Sedan. I had the same problem ocn had, twice on the Cobalt, but not on the G5. Overall good little cars but eventually all the door panels loosened up to the point where they creaked when any weight (ie arm) was put on them. That all that I can find to fault though.

Congrats, I like the color... looks sorta like a Subaru Outback on steroids, really clean too. PS: Check your PM, I left you a couple Fleetwood related questions.

Glad you had a good one Roger, all the best!

Check the Intermediate Steering Shaft... we've replaced this part twice on our 2006 Maxx but it didn't fix all the clunking, yet they couldn't find anything else wrong... the front suspension is poorly designed it would seem. Ditto for the electric steering but that's another kvetch for another day. Considering the amount of livery Impalas I see up here the durability simply *has* to be there in the 3500/4spd setup. At least 40% of all the cabs I see nowadays are 06+ Impalas. The last time I took my 07 to Vancouver I got 37MPG (not a word of a lie) too, made the trip on more or less one tank of gas (850km), and you can't beat that.

That's about 6k less than it would go for here, you guys are lucky.

That's the part that scares me the most is when I see my new premiums in February. Hopefully I'll still be able to afford to drive. 2 accidents in one year (neither were my fault but that doesn't really figure into actuarial calculations) I'm already getting raped on insurance... How does $4500/year for full coverage for a 2007 Impala and a spotless driving record sound? And that's down from what I was paying before on the Cobalt ($5800). *cringe*

Green is underrated as a colour.

The Curse hits lots of people every year it seems but I think that this year I am entitled to the bragging rights associated with most cursed. I'd be interested to see if anybody can beat this, it's just been one of those years. In addition to the two incidents with my 07 Impala this year, there were actually many other curse related incidents I didn't share, and now at the end of the year, totaling the insurance damage, it's something spectacular. This year's total: APRIL 9, 2010- I was rear ended at a stoplight by a Camry in my 07 Impala causing $1200 in damage requiring a new rear bumper and bumper shroud. JULY 12, 2010- Biggest hail storm in terms of insurance damage in Canadian History. My 07 Impala was parked indoors at work but all three cars were at home (not very far from where this video was filmed) and sustained damage. The Malibu sustained $4300 damage, the 09 Impala $2400 damage, the now departed Cobalt just $500. JULY 30, 2010- Some ditsy, mouthy teenager with a minivan full of her brethren rear-ends the 09 Impala in the parking lot of shopping mall in Surrey, BC. Bumper warped and dented, manufactured and repainted to the tune of about $800. OCTOBER 31, 2010- Parked on the street, my 07 Impala is backed into by a dude with a learners permit driving a GMC Sierra 2500 Crew Cab. Fender, front bumper and front wheel shroud in addition to wheel alignment... to the tune of $3200 NOVEMBER 25, 2010- 09 Impala parked on street downtown when some idiot backs into it and takes a chunk out of the front bumper, then drives off. New front bumper to the tune of $1400 Grand Total for Curse Related Damage, 2010: $13'800