inapired by NOS's recent post my driveway in the near future.

[intrigued]

So my family is going to go be doing a major overhall of our car fleet. in the next 6-18 months almost EVERTHING will be replaced.

Current fleet.

My car - loaded 2006 SS Malibu sedan

My brothers car- well optioned 2006 Mustang v6 with pony package and leather.

My sister in laws car- well optioned 2006 Saturn vue fwd v6

My parents car - Loaded (besides sunroof) 2000 Oldsmobile intrigue gls

My dad doesnt drive anymore as he has MS so he sold his 02 alero 4 banger and isnt looking to replace it.

We've all just moved to a really cool brand new house that customized and once the old one sells (please God let it sell sooner rather than later) We'll be in a great financial postion. About 1/5 the debt we used to have and its a much nicer bigger newer house, just 40 minutes further north from NYC.

The intrigue is the trooper of the fleet. It's been the BEST car we've ever owned bar non. the 3.5 shortstar is by far the most refined GM v6 made till the HF family debuted. ITs good on gas and delivers smooth power with 3800 like tourque. The car right now has close to 100k miles and this is the maitenance we've done. 1 new battery. 1 new set of pads and rotors. 1 new set of tires. Thats it nothing else. Car needs a new suspension and a tuneup and new pads but its been a real trooper. Always delviered suprisingly good milage and is surpsingly fast and refined when you get on the throttle. Truly one of Old's best cars in the alst 20 years.

It it going to be replaced by an aura XR or a 08 malibu ltz with the 3.6. My folks are fine with a midsize and the epsilons have finally grown up enough to replace the intrigue and keep them happy. My mom's torn. She want to ditch the intrigue before it needs a ton of servicing but loves the car. ITs been too good to us!

My car, ahh my car. My alero which I had loved was mortally wounded in terms of power stearing when it injested a rebarbed shaft through the pwoer stearing system. I didnt want to sink 5 grand itno replacing everything that was damaged on a car worth at best on trade so I talked my local chevy dealer into giving me 5500 and taking it as is. I got my malibu SS. IT doenst handle as well as the alero but thats not surprisng sconsdiering its heft. ITs fast but the tourque steer off a start is rediulous. Ive driven aura XRs and realized its probably the short wheelbase on the 'bu that screw up the traaction. Either way its time to replace it. It was a compromise car to replace the alero. I really wanted a RWD midsize but couldnt afford a CTS at the time and GM had nothing else out in this catagory.

I'm making very good money now and have decided that THE month the G8 comes out it will be my new car, as long as it drives like the AU mags describe. Im saving already and will have enough saved to wirte a check and buy it outright, figuring I get at least 9 grand trade on the 'bu which I feel is conservative as kbb puts it at 13-16k now. Im going to get a GT with all the trimmings, cant wait to see the color shoices and other options. Il likely be loading it to the gills.

The saturn vue we'll be keeping. Its a great vehcile, versitle, good on gas, not bad looking and actually really fast with the 3.5 honda unit.

My brothers mustang is turning out to be a lemon. Suspension got hoplessly f@#ked up after hitting a bad pothole. He is embarressed that his car gets owned by my 3.9 malibu when it gets traction and he doesnt like the live axle rear. He's going to trade it on a new Camaro. Not knowing what the drive trains are he can't decide what to get yet but he plans on getting a car with about a 26k msrp, so we're both hoping for a 5.3 ls4 as a base v8 option.

Our family's been floating from brand to brand since olds stopped but at least all of us but my brother have stayed loyal to gm and he is coming back to the fold as he wont by an asian or eurpoean brand but it now thoroghly PO'd with ford.

[ocnblu]

Sounds like a plan. But hey, your brother shouldn't blame his Mustang for the damage it sustained. What exactly happened?

[intrigued]

He hit a deep pothole going about 80. IT we're not sure what exactly it screwed up suspension wise but the ford dealer kept putting him off tellinghim the car rode fine. Then they charged an arm and a leg to try and fix it replacing one shock or somthing likt that. No difference. He took the car to 2 different shops and ended up replacing all the shocks and springs and one of the control arms and the bushings. It rides a lot better now but still isnt quite as solid as when it came from the factory.

It was largley ford's help or lack thereof in getting it fixed that pissed him off. Whenever we have gone to goodwrench with our GMs weve never had any problems like that.

Plus he really dislikes the 4.0 v6 after friving my 3.9 malibu. The 4.0 is so laggey on throttle repose and never seams to be in much of a rush to build power.

[Sixty8panther]

Yeah.... well it's FORD. You get what you pay for.

Still 80mph + bad pothole is ALWAYS a bad combo!