Edmunds Member Spotlight - Meet Imidazol97!

Karen_S

Please take a moment to congratulate the newest honoree of Edmunds Member Spotlight!

Imidazol97 joined the Edmunds Automotive Network July 25, 2002. With over 18,500 visits and almost 20,000 posts, we believe he’s planning to stick around. He frequently shares his knowledge of the Buick LaSabre/Park Avenue and Pontiac Bonneville, which has helped countless owners. Thanks, Imidazol97, for your continued loyalty and participation in Edmunds Forums!

What was your first car?

There were two and both have importance. The first car that I actually chose for myself was a 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 2-door sedan (fake hardtop with chrome on the pillars) in a strong blue and white two tone. It had the 292 cu. in. engine. But my real first car was an old 1950 Studebaker in pea green, which had been the family car from when I was little. From sometime around 12 or 13, I was allowed to drive to various nearby friend's houses, my brother's farm, and to nearby country villages with country stores for things we needed at home; all that before I was 16 and could have a license. Growing up on farms most kids were driving tractors, pickup trucks, and large farm trucks to help with the work, so driving a car was second nature already. Having grown up with that Studebaker is one reason I enjoy the Postwar Studebaker discussion here on Edmunds so much.

Of all the cars you've owned, which was your favorite and why?

The car I loved most was my 1977 dark brown Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham with tan vinyl roof. It was fast with the Rocket 350 cu. in. engine by Oldsmobile and a QuadraJet carburetor. Also, that Cutlass was balanced so that car was stable in snow, slush, and ice and didn't pull when hitting snow or slush deeper on one side as much as other cars I'd driven. The interior was soft velour cloth, really attractive and very comfortable.

If you won the lottery, which current cars would you buy?

My first would be a Buick Verano for 2014 with the updated engine that will be the basic engine for next year, in pearl crimson metallic. Next would be a Mercedes with the Bluetech diesel engine. Third in line would be a Kia Forte hatchback. And then a basic pickup truck from GM or Ford.

What do you like and dislike about today's auto industry?

My like is the increased quality of the product. The GM's that I'm looking at are much better than the cars from the 80s and 90s where there were some failure rates higher than acceptable.

My first dislike is that most options are available only within certain upgrade packages. To get certain features, let's say heated seats, I have to buy the 3rd level upgrade which includes many things that I don't want such as leather seats, sunroof, and 10-inch navigation screen. My second dislike is the lack of tires with normal sidewall height on upscale packages (see number 1 dislike). If I want the heated seats, that only comes with 19-inch wheels with 35 profile ratio tires. So the tires I want are on the base model and the options I want are on the 3rd or 4th option level. Third in my list is that cars don't offer bench seats, and some only offer a cockpit feel where the driver is tightly surrounded. Along with that tight feeling of being in a fighter jet cockpit, visibility is terrible from several of the cars I've looked at recently. Last among dislikes is the separation that has grown into the industry due to the friction between owners of foreign brands and the US home team brands.

What is the highest mileage you've ever put on a car?

Highest is now at 197,200 mi. on my 1998 leSabre Limited. I'm trying for 200K mi. before I replace it.

How often do you log into Edmunds Forums?

Usually I log in every day and often several times a day.

Which Edmunds forums do you frequently visit and why?

The "Why" is easy. There are several people on the Edmunds forums who have a lot to contribute. The posters know so much about so many things. Some have become friends even though I've never met any of them. When one of them decides to leave a forum like happened recently, it's like losing a friend. Yet another "Why" for my being in the groups about GM H-body cars is that I have some experience with those cars, and I can help some posters who have a problem with their LeSabre, Bonneville, or Park Avenue. It's always great when someone asking for help posts back that they were able to fix their car with the aid from our posts.

Forums I frequent:
I spotted a NEW (insert make/model) today!
General Motors Fans
The State of the US Auto Market
I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!
Postwar Studebakers
Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)
Mystery car pix
The Stock Market and Investing
Buick LeSabre and Buick Park Avenue (the whole group)
Pontiac Bonneville (the whole group)
Chevrolet Cobalt (the whole group)
Stories from the Sales Frontlines

qbrozen

congrats.
Man, yer old!
:P

isellhondas

Congrats! You well deserve this!

Kirstie_H

Thanks, imid, for "being there" for our members with issues on their older GMs. We, and the members you help, definitely appreciate your patience and specific advice that's really hard to find anywhere else.

[Deleted User]

Thank you for enriching the community by helping others and sharing your wisdom. An honorable pastime! He who helps one person can help the world.

nyccarguy

Congrats!

andre1969

and thanks for putting up with some of us owners of GM cars from that era when we become less than thrilled with them! :shades:

crkyolfrt

That has long been one of my beefs ever since the manufacturers starting offering packages. I like the old days when you could tick off what you were ok paying for and not tick off what you weren't. Hell, in the case of taller rims, I'd actually pay them a perk to let me have a few high-end options on my lowly base car, if I could do it with the good old 16" ers which has kept people rolling just fine for decades.

uplanderguy

Congratulations imidazol; appreciate your help when it seems like I'm the 'last man standing'. You know what I mean.

I appreciate your fact-based postings and your opinions that are obvious as opinions--never opinions blurted out as solid fact. That's what differentiates you from a fair amount of folks on these boards. Thanks for that.

Bill (uplanderguy)

imidazol97

Uplander, Andre1969, Gimmest, Isell, qbrozen, Kirstie, NYCcar, and cski, thanks for the thumbs up. There have been so many friends through the years here on Edmunds. I appreciate it all.

fintail

I've enjoyed your expertise and devotion to some GM products too. Didn't know you wanted a Bluetec. Must be for the mileage

stever

197k on the LeSabre eh? Maybe if I live right, I can catch up with you in another year or so in my minivan. Assuming you park it instead of trying to pad that 200k.

If I make it there too, we'll have to start a club. :shades:

houdini1

We need people like you who speak their minds on many subjects. It is obvious that you are well informed, engaged, and a great member of this community.

imidazol97

Thanks Fintail.

I like the mileage it's giving you, but I also like the conservative design of a Mercedes. An E series with diesel would make my day. In white just like yours would suit me fine. But I didn't win the 500+ million PowerBall, but I tried. Well, I did win $4.

fintail

I didn't get a single number, and I spent $6!

You don't have to be rich - just be single with no kids and find a sweet lease. But yeah, I like the more conservative design too, it isn't trying hard to be something it isn't - although the 2014 model is a little more extroverted. In design terms, it is conservative, maybe like a nice old Buick.

explorerx4

My FIL had an Olds Cierra that had 288k on it the only time i checked.
He had it a few more years until one of my nephews borrowed it and took it 'off roading'. :sick:

imidazol97

>We need people like you who speak their minds on many subjects. It is obvious that you are well informed, engaged, and a great member of this community.

Thank you. I appreciate the comments many have made through the various forums.

andre1969

hey Imidazol...just wanted to let you know I got that magnet trick to work, for getting my '00 Park Ave's gas gauge back on the correct side of the peg! I had tried it last Friday, but didn't have a strong enough magnet. This time around, I went out with 4 magnets, and through various random maneuvers was able to get the gas gauge to swing, little by little, counter-clockwise until it was back to about where it belonged. And then, turned the car on, and it stayed where it belonged!

scscars

Imidazol,

Congratulations on being selected for the member spotlight. You truly are deserving of it. And let me say thanks for all your help over the past few years with helping me better understand the inner workings of my 2002 Bonneville. You have saved me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars by diagnosing problems and showing solutions. My Bonneville has 197,400 miles on it, and I am sure that it wouldn't have gotten anywhere near that far without your input and help to me and to others having similar problems.

Keep up the good work, and best wishes with your LeSabre, and your future Verano, Bluetec, or pickup.

imidazol97

> it was back to about where it belonged.

Most people get it with magnets if strong enough. Glad it worked.

imidazol97

>You have saved me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars by diagnosing problems and showing solutions

Thank you for saying that. It really made my day to know that I helped. There were many others on forums who answered my questions and who posted things they had learned, and they helped me with my cars several times. I'm just passing it on.

>197,400 miles

Amazing. That's the mileage on my 98 leSabre. I keep hoping to make it to 200,000 mi on one of my cars. That may be the one if I don't trade it first.

stever

All these years and I've never heard the magnet trick. Very cool.

jmonroe

I stepped out for a while; even put my nose in another forum. So, I missed the word that you are now a BIG SHOT here at Edmunds. I don’t even want to think what your dues must be now.

Congrats for sticking around.

Your poster buddy,

jmonroe

imidazol97

Thanks.

My dues are double what you are paying. Enjoy reading yours posts just like those of many other posters. Thanks for showing up in the Mechanic's forum. Roadburner beat me to the invite.

PF_Flyer

You da man :shades:

rockylee

Hope you are doing well, imidazol97

-Rocky

andre1969

hey Imidazol, thought I'd share a positive Buick story, to help offset, somewhat, the fact that my Park Ave hasn't exactly given me the warm fuzzies of late. Last week I went with a friend to look at houses, and his real estate agent had a 1999 LeSabre. We started talking cars, and he said that it had about 160,000 miles on it, and was running great!

stever

Had a sleepless night last night. Was playing with a new operating system until late and just figured it was the excitement (yeah, I'm easily amused).

Then I realized I had both monitors blaring and hadn't installed f.lux. After our "chat" the other day about waking up in the middle of the night I thought you might find the link interesting, even if you don't watch TV or play on a computer before bedtime. The take-away from the research page is "night-time exposure to blue light keeps people up late."

imidazol97

Yes, I fiind that is very interesting. It's scientifically logical, as the Harvard Medical School link shows.

I had to laugh about your sleepless night because last night I woke at 3 am and had trouble getting back to sleep. ATN time on WLW700.

In past, I had gotten some bright white compact fluoresent bulb and used to read the books and mags. I had decided I felt tired and down in the dark days of January and February and using the sunlight substitute was a help in relieving SAD (seasonal affective disorder). I wonder if there's a correlation to sensitivity to the SAD and blue light exposure sensitivity at the wrong time giving sleep disturbance.

imidazol97

f.lux installed.

It's adjustable for how much blue is taken away for evening simulation.

stever

Yeah, lots of tweaks. Naturally I went for the beta version LOL.

I was getting weirded out after 20 Alaska winters and probably should have done the SAD stuff. There was lots of debate back then whether it did any good or not.

Naturally a couple of years after we moved, my new doc found out my thyroid was out of whack. Thus the fatigue and winter blahs. But I was ready to quit shoveling anyway so the move was good (don't ask why I wound up moving over 200" of it this last winter, after not owning a shovel in Boise for a decade. Another move is in the long range plan. :shades: ).

Now that I think of it, I did have one of those pillow radios for a while back in the 90s - didn't know about trucker radio though. We just need to switch to polyphasic sleep. Electric light screwed that up.

There's always Feynmann's "lucid dreaming" technique, if you really want to mess up your sleep habits.