Brandon Adams

I hear you. I am still trying to come up with a plan to get to Flint. Looks like I will be in Cleveland that week for work, but trying to come up with something. My Aunt still lives in Flint (and drives a snazzy LeSabre too) so she has already signed off on lodgings if I need em'. I would really love to drive the 49 up there, but that wouldn't have a happy ending. I can feel it in my bones. Anyone driving north on US 70 would tell tales upon arrival at Flint of some goofy fool on the side of the road next to a burning black 1949 Buick sedan. I am still working on my master plan to get to Michigan via Cleveland - and in the process not alienate any of the corporate suits I have to deal with during the week. My caper is in the planning stages...

I hear you. I am still trying to come up with a plan to get to Flint. Looks like I will be in Cleveland that week for work, but trying to come up with something. My Aunt still lives in Flint (and drives a snazzy LeSabre too) so she has already signed off on lodgings if I need em'. I would really love to drive the 49 up there, but that wouldn't have a happy ending. I can feel it in my bones. Anyone driving north on US 70 would tell tales upon arrival at Flint of some goofy fool on the side of the road next to a burning black 1949 Buick sedan. I am still working on my master plan to get to Michigan via Cleveland - and in the process not alienate any of the corporate suits I have to deal with during the week. My caper is in the planning stages...

I was debating this with my father-in-law a couple of weeks back. He is a dyed in the wool Toyota man. Here in NC, I see probably 60% of the vehicles on the road are non-US. Growing up in MI, seems like I never saw foreign cars. I recently bought a Saturn Aura, and it is a great car. Yet on reviews, people harp on the plastic interior, fit and finish, etc. Now I can't say this to Pops, but my Aura is hands down nicer inside, quieter, and much more comfy than his Camry. No contest. I can't claim the mileage that his 4cyl Camry gets, but that's the one nod I can give him. Not knocking Toyota's, everyone has their favorites, and mine are Buicks and Saturns. But it pains me to see people use the old stereotypes of bad American quality, dated designs, etc. But one co-worker of mine was recently looking for a two door GM vehicle. He didn't care for the G6, but he said that if a Malibu or Aura was a two door, he would scoop it up in a minute. What did he end up buying? An Altima coupe. I love American cars, but sometimes I think all the focus on trucks and suv's are killing the US automakers. There are some outstanding cars out there, but either some miss opportunities, or don't seem to get any press. Hopefully vehicles like the Malibu, CTS, Aura, and Enclave will help to draw people back to American, but who knows? I'd buy American even if it was a lemon. The fear of my folk's wrath for buying foreign is much worse than anything a bad American car could toss at me...

I was debating this with my father-in-law a couple of weeks back. He is a dyed in the wool Toyota man. Here in NC, I see probably 60% of the vehicles on the road are non-US. Growing up in MI, seems like I never saw foreign cars. I recently bought a Saturn Aura, and it is a great car. Yet on reviews, people harp on the plastic interior, fit and finish, etc. Now I can't say this to Pops, but my Aura is hands down nicer inside, quieter, and much more comfy than his Camry. No contest. I can't claim the mileage that his 4cyl Camry gets, but that's the one nod I can give him. Not knocking Toyota's, everyone has their favorites, and mine are Buicks and Saturns. But it pains me to see people use the old stereotypes of bad American quality, dated designs, etc. But one co-worker of mine was recently looking for a two door GM vehicle. He didn't care for the G6, but he said that if a Malibu or Aura was a two door, he would scoop it up in a minute. What did he end up buying? An Altima coupe. I love American cars, but sometimes I think all the focus on trucks and suv's are killing the US automakers. There are some outstanding cars out there, but either some miss opportunities, or don't seem to get any press. Hopefully vehicles like the Malibu, CTS, Aura, and Enclave will help to draw people back to American, but who knows? I'd buy American even if it was a lemon. The fear of my folk's wrath for buying foreign is much worse than anything a bad American car could toss at me...

Snacks? My middle name is snacks. Sort of. Only problem is sharing those snacks - see the fear-inspiring attack dog on my avatar? Pepper is the queen of snacking in my house. Although she loves to share, she expects belly or ear rubs in return. No rubs? She'll stare at you till you cave in. No one can resist the snack-hypnosis of Pepper Adams....

Snacks? My middle name is snacks. Sort of. Only problem is sharing those snacks - see the fear-inspiring attack dog on my avatar? Pepper is the queen of snacking in my house. Although she loves to share, she expects belly or ear rubs in return. No rubs? She'll stare at you till you cave in. No one can resist the snack-hypnosis of Pepper Adams....

Thanks for the welcome. Seems like a nice group of people in here, and despite my stacks of manuals and tech stuff, I alway seem to learn something new everytime I come in here. Thanks again. Brandon

Thanks for the welcome. Seems like a nice group of people in here, and despite my stacks of manuals and tech stuff, I alway seem to learn something new everytime I come in here. Thanks again. Brandon

I have been a BCA member for a year now, but just haven't posted. After seeing this thread about why people joined the BCA, I figured this was a more appropriate place to chime in. I was born in Flint, my folks were both Buick line workers, retiring in the late 70's, and I am only the 2nd person in my family to have NOT worked for GM. My folks bought a new Buick every two years - RELIGIOUSLY. Electra's, LeSabres, and Park Ave's, that's all I remember them driving. My first car was a hand me down 1978 Skylark with a 305. I thought I was the man in that thing - a regular hot rodder. Most of my friends in my hometown of Tawas used to rib me about driving a "grandma's car" but I loved Buicks from day one. My second car was an 83 LeSabre Limited with a bulletproof 231 in it, and I had it till I joined the Army and sold it when I went to Desert Storm and Germany. A few years passed and I got married, and returned to civilian life. I always wanted a new Buick, but couldn't really afford it, until 2002, when I bought a new Century. I had always been a "car guy", but I started to develop a love of old cars, and I saw a 1949 Buick Roadmaster sedan at a local car show in Raleigh, and I wished it was mine many times... In 2003 I got the call to go to Iraq with my reserve unit, and while there I met a fella with a GSX and a 48 Special. That rekindled my love for Buicks, and I started to dream of owning an old one... When I got back from Iraq, I started searching for a 1949. I wanted a 2 door sedanette, but couldn't afford any of them that I found, or if I could, it had more holes than a pack of swiss cheese in it. That's when I found my 49 Super Sedan online at a dealer in MO. It was a tad overpriced, but those wide whites and black paint job hypnotized me... so I bought it. The car is a story in itself. It purrs like a kitten, fires up on the first or second try, and has 80k on it. It smokes a little, and has a couple scuffs here and there, and some hazy chrome, but has a charm to it that captured me... Due to work, military stuff, and finishing my degree, my baby has languished in the garage for three years, occasionally getting fired up and backed out, washed and waxed, then pulled back in, covered up and left again. This year, I am committed to getting her on the road - cautiously. She has a Dynaflow that drools like a baby, and she requires some space for braking (not unsafe, just old...) and while she doesn't smoke like a James Bond special, she does put out a little of the blue stuff - but I have been reading the postings on here, and getting motivated. I love Buicks, and if my folks were alive now, they would be happy that I was in this organization. I have a deep seated fear that Buick will disappear in the near future, and while I don't drive a modern Buick now, I sure hope they are around for a long, long time. Although I haven't really posted here - I like this place, and I love the Bugle. I was planning to attend the Annual Meet this year, but due to a work conflict, I am unable to. I am not a member of a local chapter either, but I am looking to fix that soon. One thing I miss about my home in MI is that there were plenty of old Buicks around, where he in NC, there seems to be nothing but Tri-5 Chevys, vettes and mustangs. My work is cut out for me. Sorry for the long winded post, but I hadn't felt the opportunity to post prior to this. I hope to get to know others on here better, and I have learned a great deal in my year of lurking on these boards. I hope to become more active in the BCA in the near future, and maybe even get the 49 back on the road... THAT'S why I joined the BCA... Brandon Adams