Opinion

So I'm sitting at home Friday evening, watching TV and I see the commercial for the new Rav4. I turn to my wife, who happens to like the Highlander, and ask her what she thinks. She says, "Its ok." Now my wife doesn't hold the same prejudices as me, but she also doesn't see in Toyota what growing numbers of the nation and the media see. You all know what I'm talking about. Toyota, despite current reality, is seen as the end all be all of vehicle reliable and quality. Now this is a reputation rightfully earned in the past, but isn't quite as upheld today. Now don't get me wrong. Toyota's are good vehicles. But in many ways, they're not better than their competit…

As I hinted in my two final review pieces for 2015, I would be picking my favorite review vehicles from the year. Thus, here we are. 2015 saw almost 80 vehicles being driven by yours truly. From subcompact hatches to heavy duty trucks. There seemed to be an endless variety of vehicles I got to lay my hands on. Trying to pick my favorite vehicles of the past year is a difficult task. To begin with, I have close to 60 vehicles to pick from. These are vehicles that spent a week with me, going through the various motions. Any vehicle that I drove in a first drive event or at media/manufacturer event don't qualify (the Scion iA, iM, and Hyundai Tucson will be eligible …

Commercials that Make You Wonder Television commercials are supposed to sell a company's product. Sometimes the way the company goes about it leaves you scratching your head. After a slew of generally well-received automotive Super Bowl ads, I thought I'd cover some of the head scratchers I've noticed over the years. Sometimes, you have to stop and say "Hey.. .wait a minute...." Dependency This is not the recent Mercedez-Benz commercial that caught my attention; however, this one is a close second. The commercial that really caught my attention is the one where presumed MB owners talk about how the car assisted them in stopping and staying awake, with …

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Horsepower Meets Hertz -Variance September 20, 2006 No, this isn’t an article about the Shelby Mustang GT-H. Rather, it’s a look at the state of technology in vehicles today. Me, I’m a bit of a tech head. I want the latest and fastest computer. I want a big plasma screen TV. I can take pictures on my thin cell phone while talking on my Bluetooth headset. I love seeing and experiencing advances in technology because to me new technology – in most cases -- means progress and if there’s one thing I like, it is progress. (I’ll come back to my “in most cases” caveat later.) In addition to being a technology fan, I also consider myself a car enthusiast. So when there’s n…

Notes from the Board Saturn Brand Advocate Board Meeting Recap By Brian Dreggors As many of you know, I was recently invited to attend the first Saturn Brand Advocate Board Meeting in Detroit, Michigan. From April 18-20th, myself and thirteen other people representing other Saturn enthusiast organizations were given an in-depth and comprehensive look at the Saturn Division, its heritage, and the direction it intends to follow into the future. I have to begin by saying that no one knows how to dazzle like General Motors. From the events, to the accommodations, to the entertainment, it’s clear that this corporation is well-versed in the art of making good first impression…

The Near-Future of Saturn By Brian Dreggors SKY Introduced in early 2006 as a 2007 model, Saturn's SKY was a true watershed in the Saturn lineup. Cutting through the clutter to deliver halo car performance at a ridiculous price, the small roadster proved extremely popular. Retailers quickly saw their stocks of naturally-aspirated SKYs and turbocharged SKY Red Lines evaporate before their eyes; some markets have even resorted to purchasing barely-used SKYs on eBay just to have something on the lot. With 2007s completely sold out, early adopters got bragging rights, but those who wait for '08 get the following: Standard (formerly optional) Limited-slip differential S…

Oh Give Me a Home, Where the Saturns all Roam And the Auras and Outlooks all Play... By Brian Dreggors Establishing a brand identity today goes beyond merely styling cars a certain way. Effectively communicating your intentions for a product starts at manufacturing and ends when the vehicle is being purchased. To that end, retailers play a paramount role in the car buying experience. As the local representative for the manufacturer, they are the first to leave a good impression and also the first to leave a bad taste in one's mouth. Its often said a good dealer can sell a bad car, but not vice-versa and having good dealers is what Saturn is all about. This isn't to say …

Building on Tradition A Tour of Lansing Delta Township Assembly By Brian Dreggors NOTE: As our cameras were not cleared by GM, I don't have any pictures inside the plant itself, but there was a cleared photographer with us. I'll post more pictures when I can. You have to put it into perspective that the birthplace of GM's newest crossovers may be modern, but its hardly new. You see, Lansing has been building automobiles for over 100 years - since 1897, to be exact - so the general concept its decidedly old hat to the 550,000 people of Michigan's capital. What started here five score and ten years ago was thanks to one Ransom E. Olds, a budding automobile maker that wo…

Is The Buy-Out That Big Of An Offer? On paper, the buy-out that General Motors is offering to it’s 113,000 U.S. workforce looks pretty attractive. Workers with nearly 30 or 30 year or more are being offered a buy-out settlement of $35,000 plus full pension payout including benefits. Sounds like a tantalizing offer, does it not? Just think of what you could do with that $35,000. Where you could go? What you could buy? Imagine what college your child or daughter could go to with $35,000 sitting in the bank. Sounds good, no great doesn’t it? General Motors and the UAW want you to think so. However, I say not so fast. Lets take a look at this $35,000. First thing’…

How I would structure General Motors North America. (Broken down into 5 sections) DISCLAIMER: I decided to sit down the other day and try to come up with a pretty cohesive plan for the future of GM given the market and their tough financial situation. My plan is probably a little on the heavy side and might need better focus. But keep in mind; although I put A LOT of thought into it, I didn’t directly research anything. So feel free to post whatever you want about the plan; criticisms, acclaims, adjustments, anything. But just remember, I’m an amateur and it’s a work in progress. SECTION 1: COMPANY & DIVISIONAL GOALS AND NOTES. General Motors: Times are tough r…

Nothing could have prepared Quick Quack Car Wash employees for the moment when a 94 year-old man suddenly careened through their Sacramento, California business last Friday. Security cameras captured the carnage as the elderly driver's white Oldsmobile sedan barrelled through the automated wash lane at speeds of up to 40 mph, risking the lives of employees and damaging equipment. After narrowly missing a Honda Civic, the driver's wash from hell abruptly ended after slamming into a car wash vacuum, the Oldsmobile curiously landing arrow-straight in an immediate parking space after impact. The driver of the Oldsmobile accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brakes, …

King Carlos (and a ravenous media) may be at it again A Tama Article November 1, 2006 The following excerpt is from a BusinessWeek article that suggests a solution to Chrysler's recent woes... Chrysler is in a mess again, and there are calls for the messiah of flagging car companies to come to the rescue. Guess who? If its not Carlos Ghosn, it's not a turnaround controversy. Since the romance with GM is over, and Ford shut it down before it could even begin, Carlos would be forced to turn to the American car company with the least appealing satchel of assembly plants and bothersome union obligations, Chrysler. This would not be the first time King Carlos has trie…

The GM Heritage Center A photographic tour of GM's most historic collection By Brian Dreggors Most people know about this place; if not, its the Holy Land to GM enthusiasts. While Ford and Chrysler proudly display their historic cars and trucks in huge, brightly-lit museums open daily for all to enjoy, GM keeps its most prized treasures in a rectangular building hidden away on the ground of the GM Technical Center, off-limits to the general public. Why? Who knows. But it sure adds allure and makes visitors seem like honored guests, which in a way, we were. Not only did we get to enjoy the grace and beauty of 100+ years of American motorcar, but we had a wonderful cater…

Some might say a steering wheel is the #1 interface a driver has with a vehicle. Those 'some' would be, of course, correct. Used to just steering and honk, now more & more controls are moving to it. Sure; airbags and crash standards are forcing ever-increasing homogenization in steering wheel design, but there's got to be room for something FRESH. There was a HELLA lot more creativity in the past, maybe a look back would do designers good. Some interesting wheels :: 1966 Toronado Deluxe with tilt/telescopic ~ 1961 Imperial ~ 1956 DeSoto with optional self-winding hub clock ~ 1956 Lincoln ~ …

Saturn’s Revolution: Why I think it’ll become GM’s hottest brand -VarianceJ30 October 14, 2005 Debuting in 1990, Saturn was made to be General Motors’ lower-end import fighter. Saturns were a unique breed in many respects. With their spaceship-like styling and space age dent-resistant polymer body panels, one would think the name “Saturn” was indicative of where they came from. GM established a plant specifically for making Saturns, Spring Hill. They had unique engine and platform shared with no other GM vehicles. Lastly, the dealership experience at Saturn differed from everyone else in that they employed a “no-haggle” policy with their cars. Basically, the p…

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G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com 2016 Buick Envision Test Drive! June 23rd 2016 started off like most days, up at 4am, in the shower, on the 4:48am 511 bus into Seattle, breakfast at my desk while reviewing email. Work focused and getting things done. A little over 3 hours later I get a call from my local Buick GMC dealership that the Buick Envisions they got in last week are all ready and on the lot for people to come see, test drive, etc. Text message to my sister who has a 2002 Mazda 6 that she is ready to retire that the Buick dealership had the Envision in stock, equipped the way she wanted it and we could test drive…

Article from Automotive News. http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...0/1078&refsect=

Saturn was orginally intended to be an All-American can-do brand. Remember back to the 80s when some American thought wejust couldn't build cars as well as the Japanese. So, GM developed a project brand of how to build an American Japanese car. It succeeded to the extent that it proved Americans can build great quality cars. This problably saved GM and Detriot from ruin. Bob Lutz said recently that Saturn will be an American version of Opel like England's Vauxhall or Australia's Holden. Well, Opel is VW's main German Competition. VW out prices all other non-luxury brands, including Toyota. This would likely mean Saturn's prices will sky-rocket to match those of VW. If …

Saturn was orginally intended to be an All-American can-do brand. Remember back to the 80s when some American thought wejust couldn't build cars as well as the Japanese. So, GM developed a project brand of how to build an American Japanese car. It succeeded to the extent that it proved Americans can build great quality cars. This problably saved GM and Detriot from ruin. Bob Lutz said recently that Saturn will be an American version of Opel like England's Vauxhall or Australia's Holden. Well, Opel is VW's main German Competition. VW out prices all other non-luxury brands, including Toyota. This would likely mean Saturn's prices will sky-rocket to match those of VW. If …

I'm retyping this from an editorial written by David E. Davis, Jr., in the October '88 issue of Automobile Magazine.....almost 18 (!) years ago.....about General Motors..... He starts......."When was the last time you heard anyone suggest that General Motors was a dangerous monopoly that should be broken up?" ....and continues......"Never mind, General Motors has come a long way. All of the car divisions have spiced up their product lines, and some great saves have been made. We've seen an Indianapolis victory and a 200-mph Corvette. The Lotus connection is bubbling happily, and lots of exciting projects beyond the ZR1 Corvette are in the pipeline. Some very good ex…

Phase Out Pontiac to save Buick and GM: Can Pontiac adjust? Or more importantly, can the public adjust to the new image of Pontiac? Pontiac has called itself the brand that drives excitement, but truthfully, it lacks any such excitement. I mean:the Grand Prix as a performance car? Come On! It is a masked vehicle most youths would never want, the stodgy, yet elegant in my opinion, Buick LaCrosse. These days the brand uses hyperbole to sell,and not in a limited amount, I mean calling a V6 a powerful engine is normal, but saying sleek styling, performance bred engines, is over the top! The main reason Pontiacs arent selling is the fact that they are no longer performance…

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com February 13, 2012 Walking around this year’s North American International Auto Show, I noticed that something was amiss. It wasn’t the amount of vehicles that made their premiere at the show; nor wasn’t the amount of press, industry, and guests walking around during press days. No, what missing were the concept cars. The lineup of concepts ranged from group design is not a good idea (Chevrolet Code 130R) to this is a production model in concept clothing (Honda Accord and Lincoln MKZ). Only three vehicles, the Chrysler 700C, Lexus LF-LC, and the Smart pickup thing were actual dream concepts. But even these concepts had …

I'm serious. We now have a way of actually directly talking to GM management thru the "TELL FRITZ" http://www.gmreinvention.com/?commentSubmitted=true LINK I wrote: Please for the love of GOD.. Get rid of the 3.0L in the Cadillac SRX, CTS, and Lacrosse. It does not improve the MPG and obviously performs worse than the 3.6L or 2.8Lt. I am willing to bet the 3.5L would do better . Unless the 3.0L has a turbo. Kill it.

Once upon a time the GM empire conquered the world. Since the 1930s, GM had ruled its mighty global empire with iron will. An ideology of Sloanism had established undeniable order to the land. Chevrolet ws the entry brand. Pontiac was the youth oriented brand that exemplified style & sportiness. Oldsmobile was the premium brand that was for Chevrolet owners that wanted to show they have arrived. Buick was also a youth oriented brand like Pontiac however, they were pricier and more luxurious than anyother brand exept Cadillac. Finally, Cadillac was the Crown on the GM thrown. Cadillac literally defined luxury and was in a class of its own. Then, suddenly fueled by j…

It all started out on a day when my suspension was making a funny clunking noise at low speeds, about two weeks ago. I've talked some other G6 owners, and it was actually a bulletin, so I took her in. I brought the TSB number along with me, just to speed things up and help them out. First off, the guy didn't really pay too much concern, and started dissing me off with like "yeah we have those things already", and wasn't really letting me express my concern. Then it's the standard routine, looking up if there's other work to be done. Turns out that there's a huge list, ranging from brake maintenance and annual service. However, these were actually done, when I was in Water…

It all started out on a day when my suspension was making a funny clunking noise at low speeds, about two weeks ago. I've talked some other G6 owners, and it was actually a bulletin, so I took her in. I brought the TSB number along with me, just to speed things up and help them out. First off, the guy didn't really pay too much concern, and started dissing me off with like "yeah we have those things already", and wasn't really letting me express my concern. Then it's the standard routine, looking up if there's other work to be done. Turns out that there's a huge list, ranging from brake maintenance and annual service. However, these were actually done, when I was in Water…

Tired of the Voom, Voom, Voom of a performance Borla exhaust, the wife asked for a new ride. This is my journey of what I experienced in working to buy/lease an EV in 2024. Let me first start off by saying that I am in no way a normal sized human. At 6 foot 6 inches 300 lbs with a 40 inch long legs, I am much larger and big bone than most Americans. My wife being of Korean descent is also larger than most at 5 foot 8 inches compared to the average female height of 5 foot in Korea. The USA census has the average female at 5 foot 4 inches tall and the average male at 5 foot 9 inches tall. With this knowledge of size, subcompacts, compacts are totally out of the questio…

So we now know some of what’s been going on inside the Tech Center and Ren Cen for more than likely many months. Half of the North American brands wearing that chrome GM badge will be sold, cut, or put in a coma. At least GM’s starting to be a little gracious now that it’s strangled most of its brands nearly to death. Honestly, step into a GM showroom right now. Name at least two vehicles from each brand that could be considered desirable from the mass public. Oh, and don’t let me forget to wish you good luck. Cadillac has much going for it just with the CTS and its upcoming variations. The Escalade is okay at best, and the DTS and STS are FWD subpar boats. The XLR is…

Yeah, try and guess.

The third and most elusive of GM's trio of fullsize Lambda crossovers, GMT968 (GMC's Acadia), has been caught and the first clear pictures are here for your viewing pleasure courtesy of Chris Doane/Brendra Priddy & Co. and Cheers and Gears. Cheers & Gears has paid for the rights to publish these photos. Please do NOT re-host or hotlink these pictures. URL links to this story are fine. Thank you for your cooperation. This frontal exterior shot gives you a much better idea of how GMC's new yet muscular design language will translate on the large crossover. This interior shot shows some of the more obvious thoughtfullness that went into the design of the das…

Intellichoice informs people of the potential cost of ownership on a vehicle over 5 years. Using their data 2006 Impala LT with the 3.5 V-6 (as 2007 info was not available) TOTAL COST of ownership over 5 years - $32,202 2007 toyota camry Hybrid TOTAL COST of ownership over 5 years - $32,611 2007 toyota camry LE V-6 TOTAL COST of ownership over 5 years - $33,400 2006 honda accord Hybrid TOTAL COST of ownership over 5 years - $34,706 THIS IS THE ADVERTISING GM SHOULD BE DOING!!! ** Edit added the accord Hybrid

I have read all the glom and doom in the press, and I think it's time for a different perspective. I admit that Ford, and gm do have some problem right now, but I think there's reason for hope. For Gm Fans, the new full size SUVs seem to be getting great press, and I think they will do well. I think GM is Very smart in offering its first hybrid in a full size SUV. I mean more people still but full size SUVs than Prisuses. The second ray of hope for gm is their lambda crossovers. If they build the Enclave as is styling wise, this will help turn around Buick. They appear to be good complents to the Tahoe, Yukon, and Escalade. The biggest star for gm could be Satu…

Can the Viper be saved from distinction? I think so. With Fiat acquiring a piece of Chrysler, a question to ask is whether or not the Dodge Viper should still cease to exist. Some rumors have circulated that Dodge will be selling the Viper as a brand, and have already been contacted by some purchasers. However, I see that this new deal with Fiat could spell a new age for the Viper. Since Fiat owns Alfa Romeo, the Viper could be positioned as the brawn little brother to the 8C Competizione. While the two models would not share powerplants, the size of the two are very similar. The Competizione possesses some very sexy and compelling characteristics that the Viper ne…

SPY SHOOTS BACK -An Editorial by Chris Doane (CD/BP) For the uninitiated, read the story of VetteGate here. - Flybrian It is not uncommon for the prototypes we see in spy photos to be deceiving. Some cars may be comprised of fake body panels, others may be covered in rolls of tape that appear to be inspired by a zebra. Sometimes even the entire shell of a current model car is shoehorned over a chassis that’s still in development. On Friday afternoon, word started getting around on several automotive websites that something was awry with a few current spy photos of a silver corvette purported to be the Blue Devil “super vette.” When these photos first hit the web som…

2004 GMC CANYON 2-year Update A Tama Review September 2, 2006 Happy Anniversary!! That's pushing it, but I've had my truck for two years now. How's it holding up? Well, contrary to media contentions, the truck is solid and I still get the grins when it's parked in that picture perfect stance (you know the one I'm talking about). Overview After two years, the Canyon has done everything I've asked of it. It hasn't gotten stuck (despite ski-lift duties), it hasn't run out of gas on the highway (city streets a different story, though), and it has always been a reliable work truck. Mechanical Mechanically the truck is solid. The four-wheel drive is unstoppable, and h…

As you may think from My recent article, I dislike pontiac. I think the opposite! PONTIAC RULES! I have been upset since 2002s end of firebird production, but if the Firebird becomes the performance god it used to be, I will indeed buy one! It will go niceley with my soon to be purchased bonneville(Its my first restoration)! This will be SO AWSOME!!!!! I couldnt wait! Heres my Idea of a firebird trans am! Any opinions on a new firebird? I am going to write an article on why Pontiac needs THIS car for its halo vehicle! Heres the *concept*

Over the past six months and numerous articles with the ‘As the Diesel Emits’ in the title, we are no closer to have a fix for the around 600,000 Volkswagen diesel vehicles with illegal emission software. Instead, we have been treated a first-rate performance of ‘How not to handle a crisis’. From Volkswagen’s delay of admitting the illegal software to CEO Matthias Muller seeming very oblivious to what happening in an interview. It seems the German automaker is getting one black eye after another. The past month or so has seen the crisis cranked up to eleven. New documents revealed that senior managers, including former CEO Martin Winterkorn, were alerted about the U…

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A few months ago, I posted some results of a very un-scientific survey I performed myself on about 250 cars in an upscale shopping/dining/entertainment center here in The O.C. It opened my eyes as to the real-world demand for domestic (and specifically GM) cars in this market. Being bored, and recovering from Chicken Pox, I decided to run down to John Wayne/Orange County airport and do a new survey. I counted 413 vehicles in the A1 parking lot outside terminal one of John Wayne Airport. Since these are cars parked AT the airport, I'm assuming it's a relatively high-percentage of people that live locally. For those of you not from California, John Wayne Airport is a b…

Ok, time to move outside the bounds of conservative, automotive engineering: 1) Isn't it time we have a 802.11b wireless card built-in to your vehicle? I'd say 802.11g - but the b standard, being outdated is ridiculously cheap. I should be able to connect with a laptop/home computer and pull up a configuration page - similar to a router's configuration page. Of course, you'd want the connection secure -- but routers have already worked within this confine w/o a problem. I should be able to connect & change simple things from radio presets to the clock. The car should also have a small hard drive. Record driving patterns, temp, oil changes, etc…

There has been a lot of discussion recently about rising gas prices and how it will affect sales of vehicles that don't get great gas mileage. Here are my thoughts on the issue: 1) We haven't seen a huge decrease in sales of big SUVS that get terrible mileage. Why is this? It has been proven, more or less, that owners of big, gas-guzzling SUVs have the income to support the cost of gas. 2) Most cars that get poor gas mileage are more expensive than cars that get good gas mileage. What does this have to do with anything? People who can afford more expensive cars can, in most cases, afford to pay more for gas, just as owners of the big SUVs can afford to pay more for g…

An Icon Departs – How America Failed the GTO By z28luvr01 By now you’ve all read the news that GM will be ending GTO production this model year. The last batch of GTOs is scheduled to be completed around September, marking the end of a three model year stint as Pontiac’s performance flagship. I’m here writing this to help give the car a proper send off, something that the finest all-around car GM has graced North America with in a long, long time should be entitled to. It is my opinion that, during its three year stay on our shores, that the GTO never got the fair shake it deserved. Not only is it the quickest, most athletic GTO ever made, it boasts performance credenti…

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Cheers and Gears Podcast #2: Loose Screws and Nuts Hello and welcome to the second C&G Podcast! Our weekly podcast comes to you on the second week of July, only a month and a half after the first one! In this episode many important things were discussed...I'm pretty sure. We've provided for you a rundown of what we're discussing and when, so you can skip around if you don't feel like listening to everything. In our new Craigslist Finds segment, we pick out some of the more..interesting finds in our area and talk about them. The links will be provided below so that you too may marvel at the horrors wonders of the classifieds. 0:00-1:11 - Bull&#036;h&…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CTIxykcTH8...0gear%20pontiac

General Motors on the Advertising Attack -VarianceJ30 October 25, 2005 GM has released some impressive products as of late: *The totally overhauled Chevy Impala complete with a SS version with a 303-horsepower V8... *The Miata-fighting Pontiac Solstice roadster... *Not to mention the current king of the hill, the Chevy Corvette Z06. However, as it is with most any product, they all require one key element to aid sales (ok, the Z06 probably needs no help)... ...advertisement. Advertisement is the means through which companies showcase their products to the public. This is done via television, radio, newsprint, and radio. General Motors spends $…

In response to this on autoextremist.com http://blogs.edmunds.com/karl/345 The "Anti-Detroit Go-To Guy" Talks Back First, to really understand this post you must read a short paragraph at autoextremist.com. Just follow the link and read the second paragraph (hint: it starts out saying "Edmunds.com"). Now, the various points Peter DeLorenzo is attempting to make really boil down to this: A. He thinks Edmunds should have picked more domestics for the 2007 Most Wanted winnners B. He thinks the list of winners is a clear reflection of my personal "anti-Detroit" bias Let's examine these points, shall we? 1. On the question of how we pick our winners, the process is a…

About a month ago, before C&G went down, me and my cousin Jim (Aka Montana on this site) Went ona trip to the Gm Oshawa plant to check out some of Gm's new models. Particullarly, the Pontiac Solstice. Now we have all heard about Gm improving thier products, some people like Gm's new line of products, others despise the bread-and-butter fwd sedans but love the new sports cars coming out of Gm. Now on my trip to Oshawa with my cousin (Thanks for the transportation) I investigate Gm's new offerings, some upclose and every detail on the car, (Solstice) and others that just got a snapshot. (Torrent) I hope C&G enjoys looking at these pictures, and I h…

G. David Felt - Editorial Staff Writer Alternative Energy - CheersandGears.com What will it take? Oil started the year at over $100 a barrel and now hovers around $94 a barrel. Oil may fluctuate but continues to stay close to $100 a barrel. Refined Gas production being sold overseas keeps the average consumer paying $4 plus a gallon and people continue to complain about Green House gas emissions and the lack of being able to afford the gas cost. Natural Gas on the other hand continues to increase in production keeping prices right at $4 per thousand cubic feet or about 30 cents per gallon before government tax's giving one a range from a low of $.60 a gallon to $1.85…

G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com Sand into Fuel, Reality or Fiction? We have all dreamed of the ultimate dream, how to drive the auto's we love without having to pay through the nose for fuel. Especially for performance, premium fuel can really hit the wallet and many of us have been forced to decide, our dream auto, or commuter car? Lately, I have noticed many Motley Fool stories about unlimited free fuel from sand. There have been other web sites and like the Motley, they are all long speeches without getting to what this new fuel is or how to make money on them. Most people today want you to get to the point so these mo…

Like GM, views of Toyota range from "I love it" to "They are bland and vanilla"...You must admit that Toyota was climbing to the top of the automotive industry leaving domestic companys in the dust. We saw GM's lowest point in recent years but now it seems that they are finally beginning to pick up the pieces of a weathered company. What does this mean for Toyota?....How far in success can one company go before falling straight to the ground? We can all say that Toyota will probably never hit rockbottom but what happens when the company suffers a downfall...Can it happen soon? Recently, we have seen that GM's newer innovative models are moving up in sales and …

Auto Dealership Websites, Winning your Purchase According to a Cox Automotive survey, 83% of auto consumers prefer at least one online function from a dealerships website and 85% are more likely to buy from a dealership that allows website users to digitally buy a vehicle even if they do not currently opt to complete the whole purchase online. The importance of the website today compared to the early 90's when people might be more likely to balk at spending money on a website with features like this is making a drastic change in how consumers shop. How do you feel about shopping for an auto via the dealerships website? Wards Story

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My Ideal GM by Justin Brock The following hopes, wishes, assumptions are all based upon information and speculation from some of C&Gs insider sources, as well as my own hopes for the future of General Motors. This is purely speculative and is almost entirely my opinion. From what has been told from sources here at this site, Croc and evok, there are no plans currently for a future G6. What this can possibly mean is that GM may be moving Pontiac away from directly competing with the Japanese Big 3. I'm hoping that it may possibly mean a future Pontiac division riding entirely on RWD architectures, though thats purely speculative and maybe a bit too hopeful on my …

What phrase chaps the hide of anyone looking to buy a used car? "Ran when parked" Who was the offender that inspired this rant? This guy: http://stcloud.craig...2831238108.html Or more specifically, this: For those not versed in the dark arts of car repair, here's five things I can tell just looking at the picture: 1. Supposedly rebuilt cylinder head that obviously hasn't seen a machine shop or the paint would be gone in order to better check for cracks. 2. Water pump with a mounting bolt hole broken off. 3. No rag stuffed into the coolant hole in the head, so who knows what has fallen in there. 4. Carb is missing. 5. No oil filter, so probably no oil either…

Guys, check this out. What a great read. Article by Ed Wallace. http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/...paign_id=search

SAME CONCEPT across different makes/COOs. #inarut

Hi, I'm new, so if I sound dumb, give me a break. Anyway, I was wondering. I have a '95 Chevy Beauville that can carry twelve, with the back seat very reasonably fitting four across. What if someone built a sedan that was as wide as my van (76 inches), with two bench seats, and marketed it as both a better minivan (no climbing out of the back over seats, legs, and seat belts), an exceptionablly well handling large sedan (just think how it would handle being so wide. I just DARE you to try to flip it!), and the sedan with the biggest trunk, period? It would have to be a reasonable weight (as close to 4000 lbs as possible), either RWD or AWD, and if you really want i…

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GM REPORTS IMPROVED SECOND-QUARTER FINANCIAL RESULTS .... GM has reported significantly improved 2006 second quarter financial results. Global automotive operations were profitable on an adjusted basis, excluding special items, for the first time since 2004, and the company posted a second consecutive quarter of record revenue. GM reported a net loss of $3.2 billion, or $5.62 per share, for the second quarter of 2006, compared with a reported loss of $987 million, or $1.75 per share, for the year-ago quarter. The net loss for the quarter included a total of $4.3 billion, or $7.66 per share, in special items that reflected a previously announced $3.7 billion after-tax ch…