Grand Prix Off-Topic Thread (Closed)

Yep, our's jumped $0.22 two days ago.

It jumped here from $2.15 all the way up to $2.45. A .30 cents jump in one day.

There was a news report last week and they were saying that "experts" expect gas prices to rise before Memorial Day before settling around $2.30/gal. I hate when they speculate like that. It.s like giving permission to the oil companies to raise the price to that level even if they had no intentions of going that high. I remember last year it was mentioned that speculation about oil and gas prices was part of the reason why prices went so high in the first place.

I'm sure they'll use the same excuse they always do now that we here in Michigan have to use that garbage oxygenated summer fuel. Supply is exceeding demand (and our yacht payments are due), so we'll have to raise the price of gasoline (we can write off the fuel for our corporate jets and limos so we don't care) on your area. Sorry little Peons (oops...did we say that out loud?)

Bastards!!!!

I'm sure they'll use the same excuse they always do now that we here in Michigan have to use that garbage oxygenated summer fuel. Supply is exceeding demand (and our yacht payments are due), so we'll have to raise the price of gasoline (we can write off the fuel for our corporate jets and limos so we don't care) on your area. Sorry little Peons (oops...did we say that out loud?)

Bastards!!!!

:iagree:Any thing to get more money from the people that can't afford it. No they want the big year end bonuses, making sure that it is bigger than what they got last year.

I've been hearing rumors that GM is reconsidering doing away with Pontiac. There has been an overwhelming inflow of support for the brand, and maybe GM will do something smart and listen to their customers for once.

Don't bet on it.

I've been hearing rumors that GM is reconsidering doing away with Pontiac. There has been an overwhelming inflow of support for the brand, and maybe GM will do something smart and listen to their customers for once.

that would be awesome...even better if they decided to make the GP again :bigthumb:

Don't bet on it.

:werd:

Or hold your breath. :grinno:

Here is a good for you guys to get a good laugh out of. I replaced the front left hub on my GTP last week so I decided to take it in yesterday for a 4 wheel point alignment check since I haven't had it done in a long time and since installing the 18" wheels and tires. The place was Firestone. :twak:

Surprisingly the alignment came out good all within specs. The mechanic performed a courtesy inspection as part of their service to make you feel good and noted that the left front hub may have some very minor play and should be replaced due to the mileage? :confused:

Anyways I went along for the ride and was given a quote of $600 for a new hub and labor. Ouch! After I let them jack their jaws I asked them are you sure the hub needs replacing and what methodology was used to test it? Then I nonchalantly informed them that it was a brand new AC Delco hub and just replaced last week. There was dead silence.

I wonder how many people these shops rip off. Sad. :shakehead And we thought the stealerships were bad. :rolleyes:

A lot Bob. I have a friend who used to work at Firestone and he told me the techs are expected to "find" items needing replacing or extra work to make more money. The problem is according to him that the tech isn't the one getting any commission from the extra work that is approved, rather the manager is the one who gets the commissions.
My mother-in-law is one of their victims. When I first met my wife 16 years ago I found out she owed them over $2000 in repairs on her Explorer. She's not that good at handling money or understanding her vehicle, and they took advantage of her. She took her vehicle to them for everything including oil changes, and everytime they found something that needed repair. They even talked her into getting their credit card to "make it easier" to break her bill down into easier payments :screwy:

I had that happen too, I had taken my dodge colt in for an oil change, but they were telling me that I needed a new exhaust system including a new catalytic converter on my dodge colt. They were telling me that it was plugged. The problem with that diagnoses is I had punch out the converter the week before because it was plugged, and the dealer would not cover it under warranty. It had small droplets of lead on the top of the honey comb. The dealer said that I was using leaded gas or was using a lead substitute in the tank. This happened when I was around 20 years old.

There are a lot of repair shops like that. I went down to one with my buddy who knows absolutely NOTHING of cars and they about ripped him off. All he needed were some brake pads, which he did in fact need. They then tried to explain to us how he needed all new rotors for all four wheels on the car. I checked them out and simpily told him, "he doesn't need rotors, he doesn't even need the current rotors shaved." He replies back with how worn they are (which they weren't in the least). I told him to take the car down and put the wheels back on and not to even change the pads as I will change his brake pads for a 12 pack. So he gets it off the lift, gets no money, and I get a 12 pack out of the deal. And just a fun fact, this was about 2 1/2 years ago and he is still on the same pads AND rotors!....what a surprise.

On a side not by brother's wedding is now done as of yesterday which also means my best man's speech is now over with as well. I actually thought I would be more nervous than I was but all in all I held together well. I do fear I may have overdone it at the end of the night at the open bar though. :(

:lol:

Glad to here that you made it through your speech, at your brothers wedding.

Reminds me of a time about 20 years ago when I had my 1976 Monte Carlo. I was getting gas at a station that had a garage that repaired vehicles. Out walked a mechanic casually and stopped behind my car and started wiping his hands with a shop rag. He looked at me and said ,"Your cars sagging on one side a bit too much. Looks like you need a new set of leaf springs." I said ,"Leaf springs you say?" Knowing quite well the car had Coil springs. He said, "Yeah a nice new pair of leaf springs will set your car straight again. I believe we're still running a sale on new leaf springs, check it out when you pay for your gas." Needless to say I didn't, but I wonder how many times they had pulled that type of scam to unsuspecting, or unknowledgeable customers just there to get gas?

Also I see gas prices went up another 10 cents this weekend. :screwy:

I do fear I may have overdone it at the end of the night at the open bar though. :(

:lol:

You should see me after about 6 drinks. :uhoh: My wife and I then have the guts to go up and dance. The only part I hate is when she steps on my toes though. :lol:

Bob, please tell me it's nothing like this when you dance...:lol:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f44/richtazz/ATT00242.jpg

The gas around here is up to $2.59. It was $2.45 so another .14 cent increase.

I've noticed prices in my area have risen on the average of $0.25/gal in the last ten days. What's different this time is there is no public outcry as to the reasons behind this sudden jump. Perhaps we've grown immune to these price increases from the past couple of years and there is apathy among consumers nowadays. The price would probably have to go up quite a bit more before we start hearing anything from "Joe Driver" concerning the higher prices.

Bob, please tell me it's nothing like this when you dance...:lol:

:rofl:

More like ABC's Dancing with the Stars. :uhoh:.....:lol:

BTW - I took dance lessons a long time ago and the wife didn't.

Just a friendly reminder for anyone with outside dogs in the upper midwest. There is an almost epidemic of heartworm cases right now in the Michigan/Ohio and surrounding states area. Please be sure you have your animals checked and on preventative medicine. One of my dogs has contracted heartworm, even though he was on the topical treatment (the type that comes in the tube you apply to the skin at the base of the neck). It's a long and expensive ordeal, not to mention having to keep the dog calm and indoors (he's a 105lb highly energetic Husky/Shepard mix that HATES being in the house). He's going for his last series of shots and hopefully will pull through as we caught it early and he's an otherwise healthy dog. The only plus is that the company who's medicine he was on is footing the bill.

Oh wow , sorry to hear about that. In NY we're having problems with ticks and Lyme disease. Everybody has been asked to check both themselves and their pets for ticks, especially when being around wooded areas, and to wear longer clothes (which is hard to do in the warmer weather.)
I didn't realize they had heartworm medicine in a topical form. I've only been familiar with the little nugget you feed the dog on a monthly basis. I have been using a topical flea/tick control monthly like Advantage, but it's not for heartworms. Hope everything works out for the better.

It is with great sadness that I will not be on the forums for some time I have no clue how long I will be off. Lost my house and have been evicted Wells Fargo SUCKS. All my belongings are on the front lawn. I am such a depressed state of mind life sucks and I am finding it hard to keep on going. My one dobie Thor bite my son I just do not what to do any more. I feel like a friggin looser.:frown::moppie::crying:

Hey doctor, I'm really sorry to hear about your troubles. Don't feel like a loser, there are millions more just like you all over due to this shitty economy and the real estate problems going on, so keep your head up. I refinanced my house to get away from Wells Fargo since they were acquired from AIG. I had nothing but problems with my escrow account for the taxes and insurance, and my statements always arrived late with only a couple days to get the payment out. I tried sending my payment in early before I got the statement only to have that check applied to a different loan (even though I wrote my account number on the check) and it took 3 months to get it sorted out. As far as the dog biting your son, if it was a nip because he was sleeping and your child stepped on his tail that's one thing, but if he bit him in an aggressive move, the dog's gotta go. I love my dog's like they were my kids, but if either one bit my actual kids unprovoked, they'd meet the business end of my 44 Mag.

BTW he is a red Dobie, Thor is so dam lucky that I did not have my gun. My son got a good chunk taken out of his chest about the size of a little pinkie finger. The gun was getting repaired by the gunsmith. Had a problem with the magazine jamming all the time. Got a new magazine that did not help either. I put down one of my dogs that way. She loved to run, so I let her run to her hearts content. When she was done she laid at my feet and I pulled the gun out and put one shot in her head. The she got buried. She had cancer and the chemo treatments were just too high in price. It was very hard to do, and very sad. Would I do it again in a New York second. Let the animal do some think that they love, and that is the best memory one could have.

It is with great sadness that I will not be on the forums for some time I have no clue how long I will be off.

Sorry to hear that doc and hang in there. You'll always find support here and we feel for you. Thanks for contributing to AF.

Welcome back Bob ! How was NY:biggrin:.

Have some extra time on your hands? If so, read these few links below made by the worst con possibly to ever exist:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=5976775#post5976775

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=953143

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=953732

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=953089

:rofl:

Thought I'd post a recent sun roof mod I performed on my '93 Grand Prix.

http://www.clubgp.com/newforum/tm.asp?m=4866892&appid=&p=1&mpage=1&key=&language=&tmode=1&smode=1&s=#4866892

Welcome back Bob ! How was NY:biggrin:.

Not too bad Tom. Just a crappy Palisades Parkway for poor roads. My son's graduation was fine. The Hudson River area was very nice with some nice sights and eateries. My wife enjoyed it too since it was a short vacation too.

New Jersey was a PITA as usual with the toll roads and having to do u-turns to get to the motel but I had EZ Pass on the rental car and you get used to the driving conditions there.

That EZ Pass is nice to have. I've had one since '96 when they first rolled out in my area. I practically live on the Thruway as it's about 500 feet from my house. I can zip across town in minutes since there are 6 exits that cover the Syracuse area,( more than any other city in NY I hear, something having to do with political influence when being built in the 1950's).They recently have opened up other uses for EZ Pass such as paying for parking at our State Fair, and just this month paying for parking at the airport. It really speeds things up instead of making sure you have the correct toll or waiting for change. It's fun to zip through the open EZ Pass lanes while the others are backed up with a dozen or more "paying " cars.I'd be willing to bet at least 60 to 70% of residents now have one compared to years ago.

I got the I-pass, did not want to have to pay double on the tolls. So a 40 cent toll would be 80 cents. I don't why we are still paying.

I got the I-pass, did not want to have to pay double on the tolls. So a 40 cent toll would be 80 cents. I don't why we are still paying.

Same in NY. Our Thruway was built in the 1950's with bonds that were supposed to be paid off in 1996. But the Thruway Authority claimed it needed to continue to keep the tolls due to maintaining the road, upcoming construction projects, all of the people that would lose their jobs, blah , blah, blah.
Then a few years ago they take over operating our state's canalways, with tolls and such :shakehead: . A couple of years ago the Authority proposed toll increases amounting to 10% for the next 3 years (each year.) Then Governor Spitzer asked them to reconsider and they pretty much told him what he could do with his suggestion. They have grown so powerful that literally nothing can touch them. Even the state comptroller came out with a report of an audit on these guys citing wasteful overspending and needless duplications. They snubbed their noses at that too and went ahead and increased the tolls anyways. Yeah good idea, traffic counts and revenues are down so lets raise the tolls even more and scare even more customers away.
Our system has a yearly plan for a set amount which lets you travel up to 30 miles one way without extra charges. They also have a pay as you go where you set up an account by credit card or send in payment when your account gets low. And a couple years back came out with a $25 prepaid tag which you could purchase at a grocery store. It is a decent discount off regular tolls, when using the tag.

Welcome back Bob, we missed you around here. I'm glad Michigan doesn't have toll roads. I still say if they want $$ to fix the roads, put some cops out there and start pulling the people over that are doing 15+ over the speed limit, cutting across 3 lanes, and paying no attention to where they're going.

SL3000GT, only one of the links you had posted worked, but what an ultramoron that guy is!!! Sheesh, he probably has a Vin Diesel security blanket, :lol:

Welcome back Bob, we missed you around here. I'm glad Michigan doesn't have toll roads. I still say if they want $$ to fix the roads, put some cops out there and start pulling the people over that are doing 15+ over the speed limit, cutting across 3 lanes, and paying no attention to where they're going.

They could definitely pay for road repairs here in NY with the surcharges they add to the fines for moving violations and DWIs. They went up a few years ago to between $30 to over $100 each. The money I guess goes to the courts and the police agencies. Some of it could be diverted to fix the roads since most of these moving violators are the ones causing some damage :grinyes: The monies collected by the state gas tax and those taxes paid by truckers sure isn't enough. And we all know the money collected from the State Lottery goes toward education :rolleyes: .


SL3000GT, only one of the links you had posted worked, but what an ultramoron that guy is!!! Sheesh, he probably has a Vin Diesel security blanket, :lol:
My favorite thread by this guy was that his mom just pulled in the driveway in a Bentley!
(All I could picture was some middle aged woman trying to look younger pulling into the crushed stone driveway of the trailer park with a big cloud of dust following behind in some kit-car :lol: )

My favorite thread by this guy was that his mom just pulled in the driveway in a Bentley!
(All I could picture was some middle aged woman trying to look younger pulling into the crushed stone driveway of the trailer park with a big cloud of dust following behind in some kit-car :lol: )


And don't forget Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart" blaring on the radio!

Does anyone else hate this trend of taking old GM A/G bodies and jacking them up in the air like a 4X4? I snapped this car pulling in the gas station with my cell...looks STUPID! As he drove down the road, the car would literally jump an inch or two left or right every time he hit a bump. I don't know how he could drive it!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f44/richtazz/DSC00103.jpg

HMM. Haven't seen any around my area...because they've all rusted out years ago. :shakehead: But yeah, I do agree, they do look stupid :lol: .

Add the spinner wheels to that and then you will have the Chicago look.

Does anyone else hate this trend of taking old GM A/G bodies and jacking them up in the air like a 4X4? I snapped this car pulling in the gas station with my cell...looks STUPID! As he drove down the road, the car would literally jump an inch or two left or right every time he hit a bump. I don't know how he could drive it!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f44/richtazz/DSC00103.jpg

Dear God, Rich, that is all a sight to familiar in northeast Omaha. That kind of thing is damn near as popular as a Cavalier (which seem to be quite abundant around here) there. Just today I saw one just like that painted a lighter purple with the signs of sever oil burning coming out of the two exhaust tips. Hey, you have a $500 car, why not throw some $8k+ wheels on it right?

:lol:

Hey, you have a $500 car, why not throw some $8k+ wheels on it right?

:lol:

Speaking of $8000 wheels. Does anybody find it disturbing that some rent to own places have vehicle rims on display? C'mon are you really going to rent rims for your car? I haven't found out what the terms or prices are but I can imagine. Like paying $2500 for an $800 computer through one of these places.

If they have to repo them, do they charge you for the blocks they leave the car on?

If they have to repo them, do they charge you for the blocks they leave the car on?

Probably $16.00/week for 3 years :lol:

Well, I will probably be mashed on for this but I am going to say it anyway! My cousin, who drives a 1998 GTP Grand Prix took a ride in my VR4 about a month and a half ago. Well, he is now selling his GTP and picking up a VR4 exactly like mine but black today. So, now he has the honor of having to fix boost leaks when they come about, $50+ oil changes if he does it himself, 60k tuneups (which a a huge hassle), and more things to go wrong than you could even imagine (4 wheel steering, AWD, active aero, active exhaust, electronically controlled suspension, etc). :lol: I actually didn't dog him that hard when he told me he was getting this VR4 but I did give him some grief about it. It's what I do. :D

No mashing...bad ass toys cost money, and I think the 3000gt VR4's fit that catagory. All that fancy stuff is expensive to fix, but it makes them fast as hell and a lot of fun.

The monies collected by the state gas tax and those taxes paid by truckers sure isn't enough.

Speaking of gasoline another thing I found interesting on my trip was not having to pump my own gas. I got gas two times in New Jersey and every station had an attendant. I guess it helps keep people employed. Also, these guys are good for getting directions when you are lost or when the maps are vague. :lol:

Does anyone else hate this trend of taking old GM A/G bodies and jacking them up in the air like a 4X4? I snapped this car pulling in the gas station with my cell...looks STUPID! As he drove down the road, the car would literally jump an inch or two left or right every time he hit a bump. I don't know how he could drive it!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f44/richtazz/DSC00103.jpg

Rich, I sort of like that look. NOT!!!!!!!!! :shakehead

I am sort of a fan of the late 80's early 90's cutlass's or monte carlo's or camaro's. But I like them bone stock on factory rims or AR rims the same aspect ratio and thats pushing it.

We have a guy who works next door over with a white cutlass, rusty as hell, but its all jacked up and has them HUGE rims on it. What a pile of .......

How is that even possible? How in the world do they lift them things that far, and more importanatly how do they alighn them?

Thats just stupid.

Speaking of gasoline another thing I found interesting on my trip was not having to pump my own gas. I got gas two times in New Jersey and every station had an attendant. I guess it helps keep people employed. Also, these guys are good for getting directions when you are lost or when the maps are vague. :lol:

I guess that's been a state law in NJ for quite some time, (for safety reasons? :dunno: )
I never knew it existed, even though I has passed through NJ years before but never got gas there, until one day I was getting gas at one of my local stations and a car full of teenagers pulled up and they were there for quite awhile. They looked confused and i asked if there was something wrong. They said they were from NJ and didn't know how to put gas in their car. At first I thought they were kidding, but they explained about the law and never had the opportunity to do so. I ended up showing them what to do and they thanked me.

Isn't it sad that they weren't resorceful enough to figure it out themselves?

That's what surprised me too, to the point where I thought they were joking. I do admit we have some different gas pumps in our area, it would be nice if they were all standardized. I remember the old non-digital ones that you pulled out the nozzle from the side and lowered the little arm to start:
http://i40.tinypic.com/2en95xl.jpg
Then came the more modern design where there could be a few different ways to activate, such as simply removing the desired nozzle from the slot, removing the nozzle, then selecting a button for the desired grade, or removing the nozzle then flipping up the "stand" the nozzle rested on to turn on, (or a combination of the above options.):
http://i40.tinypic.com/vno5eo.jpg
So it can be somewhat confusing to some people. I've helped others, mainly elderly people who have an issue figuring out which way to operate the pump.

But then again most pumps have pictures on them to show the customer how to operate them.

It just goes to show you that no matter how far you dumb it down, it's never low enough.

Topic Change Guys! (sorry)

Can Anyone Interpret Dreams?

I had one last night, it seemed sort of weird. It was dark out, I pulled up to a red light and this ricer filled with teens rolled up next to me revving their motor to race. When the light turned green, we both took off. I took an early lead but they were catching up, so I gave it a little more gas and all of a sudden my car started to run bad (missfire) and all of a sudden, a new idiot light turned on that I have never seen before. It was towards the bottom right side of the instrument cluster. It was amber in color and said "Low Compression". Well, I remember pulling over, shutting my car off, and when I restarted it, it ran good again. Then I woke up.

Isn't that weird? "Low Compression", sort of like "Low Coolant" which, that light is currently lit in my car and has been since I change my LIM gaskets. So Maybe that has something to do with it.

Topic Change Guys! (sorry)

Can Anyone Interpret Dreams?

I had one last night, it seemed sort of weird. It was dark out, I pulled up to a red light and this ricer filled with teens rolled up next to me revving their motor to race. When the light turned green, we both took off. I took an early lead but they were catching up, so I gave it a little more gas and all of a sudden my car started to run bad (missfire) and all of a sudden, a new idiot light turned on that I have never seen before. It was towards the bottom right side of the instrument cluster. It was amber in color and said "Low Compression". Well, I remember pulling over, shutting my car off, and when I restarted it, it ran good again. Then I woke up.

Isn't that weird? "Low Compression", sort of like "Low Coolant" which, that light is currently lit in my car and has been since I change my LIM gaskets. So Maybe that has something to do with it.

It's probably all SL3000GT's fault. Remember, he just posted about a buddy selling his GTP for a 3000GT VR4, and I bet it crawled into your subconscious....:lol:

I have weird dreams like that all the time, they seem uber real other than one or two small details like the light on the dash in yours.

Have you ever dreampt you were dreaming, woke up in the dream, then had another WTF! moment only to wake up for real and wonder if you're really awake this time?

No......heh heh, :eek7:, uh... me neither... :cwm27:

The only time you should really be concerned in your dreams is if you are riding around and forget to wear your pants, or worse yet...naked :uhoh::eek:

The only time you should really be concerned in your dreams is if you are riding around and forget to wear your pants, or worse yet...naked :uhoh::eek:

do you mean driving pantless/naked in the dream, or when you wake from the dream?

do you mean driving pantless/naked in the dream, or when you wake from the dream?

Well I was kinda thinking in the dream as many people when surveyed say one of their fear in dreams in being naked in public places like work, school, church, etc.
http://www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=ijp.047.0552a

It's probably all SL3000GT's fault. Remember, he just posted about a buddy selling his GTP for a 3000GT VR4, and I bet it crawled into your subconscious....:lol:

Am I really that threatening? :lol:

As far as that being a weird dream I don't think that is all that weird. I have had dreams where not only part seemed amiss, but evey single detail of the dream made absolutely no sense and was thrown together by a crackhead. (which I am not :p)

Hey SL, is your avatar pic of you on your bike? I miss my old CR250, but I can't afford to miss work if I crash hard anymore.

I miss my old CR250, but I can't afford to miss work if I crash hard anymore.

The object Rich is not to crash. :uhoh:.....:lol:

Hey SL, is your avatar pic of you on your bike? I miss my old CR250, but I can't afford to miss work if I crash hard anymore.

Yeah Rich, it actually is from a year or two ago. It is a CRF450R. While I no longer motox it I still do a lot of enduro racing with it which is a lot of fun for me. In fact, I actually enjoy enduro much more than motox.

Here is a larger picture of it that I found:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t60/SL3000gt/CroppedWheelie.jpg

The object Rich is not to crash. :uhoh:.....:lol:


:rofl: