Mallard

I have nothing nice to say about Byers Mazda/Subaru. Horrible service both times I went in there.

Nice car. I always liked Fiero's and this is a good swap for them. It's just the wrong time for me, so I can't buy it.

Best.Website.Ever.

George Staton didn't hook up, and that fucked a lot of stuff up. It doesn't matter how fast your car is, stupidity on the road kills people.

If they have families to support they shouldn't be riding 150 mph on public roads.

Damn, that's what I need to do. I haven't ridden my bike in a long time because I live on a bumpy road and I can't stand how stiff the bike is. However, there are over 40 miles of trails in my area and part of the trail runs behind my sub. They're still expanding the trail system and it's going to have over 70 miles when it's done. I have an older Cannondale. I did some searching and I think it's a mid-90's R500. I think that's the only one that came with a fully polished frame.

Wow, that sucks. I was always a fan of the APS design.

I'e been doing much of the same, but with some differences. -We'll eat out for lunch instead of dinner since a lot of places have pretty good lunch deals now. -I traded in my Sky and got a Mazda 6 that I could have completely paid off. (Dropped a car payment) -I pack my lunch everyday -We shop with coupons. This isn't about buying off-brand items, it's about buying what's on sale and using a coupon or double coupon on top of it. Typically we get 30-60% off when we go to the grocery store by using this method. We've gotten quite a few items for free too. Sometimes we could do better, but things that are necessities (like cat litter) that don't go on sale as often can hurt our % saved. -I didn't take a honeymoon. We're still planning on doing it next year, but for now we can't afford the time off. -No racing this year. No karting, no open track, I'm not finishing the Sky turbo kit (even though it's 90% complete), etc.

You totally missed my point and you even bolded half of it. I didn't say anything about lap times in that quote. Sure, you can build a purpose-built tuned Vette that can lap or drag like a ZR1 or better. But the OEM's play by different rules. The ZR1 is an entire package that has to meet the same durability requirements, emissions requirements, heat test requirements, cold test requirements, etc. etc. as every other GM car. No tuner car will go through that much development. Take the list of parts that are different between the C6 and the ZR1 and price them out. The carbon fiber, magnesium, half shafts, brakes, engine upgrades, damping system, etc. are not cheap either. Don't get me wrong again, I don't have the money for a ZR1 and I'm more likely to be buying a base Vette and modding it. But as a factory car that meets all the OEM and government requirements the ZR1 is a badass ride that's worth every penny.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for driving the crap out of a car and enjoying it. I also think Mark's car is badass and I'm not selling it short. My point is that no matter what you bolt on a C6 (or any base car for that matter) nothing can equal the amount of development, tuning, and reliability of the ZR1 (or nearly any tuner car for that matter, there are exceptions, but you pay even more money for those names). The car is more then the sum of its parts, so sitting back and saying, "pfft, over-priced POS. I could build something better in my garage with 1/5 the budget" is a gross understatement. You bought an SRT4. Why didn't you buy a base Neon and build some super sweet sport compact that was better for less money?

Sure you can make something that puts up numbers similar to a ZR1, but put both cars on Barrett-Jackson in 30 years and see what happens. No matter what you do to a C6, you will never = a ZR1 in value, prestige, collectability, etc.

The Lambo could get out of the turns quicker because it has AWD. No matter how much money you throw at a C6 you will not = a ZR1. Maybe in a straight line, but this isn't a drag car. (Unless you get a C6RS...but then you;ve spent more then the ZR1 anyway.

I work 60-65 hour weeks in the winter, while living in a hotel 5 hours from home for ~12-14 weeks straight. We used to get paid overtime, but now get a bonus check that reflects how much your manager thinks you worked vs. how much he has in the budget. Not complaining too much about that...but this year I have taken about a 20% cut in pay (10% base pay, 16 days off without pay, and no 401k match) and my wife has been laid off since Thanksgiving. It's been almost impossible for her to find a job in this state and she graduated college with honors and has 3 patents. So yes. This economy sucks. We're all feeling the pain, so I'd be happy to have a job right now. If everything recovers for the company and they don't reward you for your hard work I would be looking elsewhere.

Awesome garage!

Most likely the state owned account. If you want juicy you should read the former mayor of Detroit's text messages. They were allowed to be released because they were sent between phones that were paid for by the city. Don't conduct personal 'business' on government property if you want to keep it private.

Good luck. I wish you both the best.

Andy, I'm glad to hear things went well in surgery. My wife has been through a scare in the recent months as well and still has to go back for a follow-up. It's scary to think that you could lose your spouse at this young of an age. In the last year my wife has lost her grandmother to cancer and her aunt is currently undergoing radiation, so the genetics are not in her favor. I'll be keeping her in my thoughts and prayers.

Wrong. There are many, many differences that make these cars completely unrelated. I doubt you could even share 1 part between cars. They were developed independently on different sides of the world. The Delta platform won't truly be global until the next iteration.

They haven't used an Opel chassis yet, except for the importing of the Astra, which was a complete failure. Saturn has a great dealer network, great customer satisfaction, and "green cred." I think saving Saturn is a smart move, depending on where they get their future product. All future product was supposed to be coming from Opel, but then those were going to get turned into Buick's. But now Opel is owned by Magna, so possibly they could supply Saturn in the future. It all depends on what agreements were made in the contracts.

Hoping to be employed in a month....

I'm worried about you.

It's off the Europa, and supposedly it's been cancelled.

The SS starts at $30k. That's about the same price as a Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8L and the Camaro kicks the crap out of it.

Yes. There is no way I'm going to pay for VZ Nav. I don't care about turn-by-turn directions though. I'll look at the map once or twice and know what to do. Google Maps rocks.

Yeah, I heard Battelle was hiring too. Most of the jobs my wife and I have seen lately are down south. I'm sure others exist, but it's been tough lately. We're both in automotive, but she co-oped at an aerospace company. There are so many people looking for jobs that have automotive experience that the aerospace makes her stand out. That's how she's gotten almost all of her interviews in the last few weeks. Good luck. It's tough out there right now but some companies are hiring.