3 New GM rides in 7 months…the Pictures

[caddycruiser]

This has been very, very strange, and somewhat hard to explain after the first exciting “new car” days the middle of last summer only to go downhill around a sharp corner bounce back and end up Down Under, but finally here they all are. See my post in the Lounge HERE for the story of how/why/when/where.

1) The car: 2008 Pontiac G6 GT Coupe

The stuff: White Diamond Tri-Coat, Light Taupe Cloth, Power Sunroof/6-CD, 18” Wheels & StabiliTrak, Remote Start, Cargo Nets & Floor Mats

The pictures:

MORE pictures here:

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c101/cad...0Stuff/08%20G6/

Edited April 12, 2009 by caddycruiser

[caddycruiser]

2) The car: 2009 Chevrolet Malibu 2LT V6

The stuff: Summit White, Cocoa/Cashmere UltraLux, HF V6 package, Power Sunroof, Premium Mats, Power Package (rear window shade & 110-volt outlet)

The pictures:

MORE pictures here:

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c101/cad...ff/09%20Malibu/

Edited April 12, 2009 by caddycruiser

[caddycruiser]

3) The car: 2009 Pontiac G8 GT

The stuff: Pacific Slate, Onyx Leather, Premium Package (heated leather), Sport Package (19” wheels, sport pedals, sport steering wheel)

The pictures:

MORE pictures here:

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c101/cad...0Stuff/09%20G8/

Enjoy! And be sure to check out the, uh, long and fascinating story about how each of these 3 beauties came, aggravated, went, drove me crazy, and then made me smile once again in the Lounge HERE :AH-HA_wink:

Edited April 12, 2009 by caddycruiser

[ZL-1]

Why do dealers in the US put those pin stripes on the sides of cars, and the dealer badges on the trunk?

Re the cars themselves, the Malibu sure looks solid on the outside! The previous generation Malibu did look a little fragile when compared to this one...

Edited April 12, 2009 by ZL-1

[caddycruiser]

Why do dealers in the US put those pin stripes on the sides of cars, and the dealer badges on the trunk?

Re the cars themselves, the Malibu sure looks solid on the outside! The previous generation Malibu did look a little fragile when compared to this one...

I know about the pinstripes...like my G6 I wasn't sure, but I really like it. I bought it in New Jersey at a dealer who--shockingly--actually made it a policy to not install the front plate brackets unless requested (strange for NJ), but once in a while will do a stripe on a car. The other one I looked at was pure & clean, but I actually liked the stripe. Still do, and am glad it's on there.

As for the dealer sticker, that can come off at anytime but I never take them off unless they're big, tacky, etc. Again strangely, I'm just proud to say where it came from--especially the dealer this car came from. I'm happy to advertise for them, too. This and the stripe seem to really stand out in pictures, more so than real life, I swear.

Oh well. Thanks for the comments otherwise...and yes, the new Malibu looks the toned, older brother of slab sided, fragile standing last gen. No comparison for my G8, however, hah.

Edited April 12, 2009 by caddycruiser

[PurdueGuy]

Why do dealers in the US put those pin stripes on the sides of cars, and the dealer badges on the trunk?

Re the cars themselves, the Malibu sure looks solid on the outside! The previous generation Malibu did look a little fragile when compared to this one...

If I ever buy a brand new car, the removal of all such things will be one of my demands on purchase. I occasionally like a simple pinstripe, but dealer decals are just awful.

[caddycruiser]

Okay guys, 2 for 2...ignore the dealer sticker. Tell yourself it isn't there, on any of the 3 and enjoy otherwise :AH-HA_wink:

[ZL-1]

the new Malibu looks the toned, older brother of slab sided, fragile standing last gen. No comparison for my G8, however, hah.

The G8 was engineered with the 5-Series in mind, so it is bound to be more entertainig

[ocnblu]

Are you sure this is what your saleslady meant when she offered a test drive? :AH-HA_wink:

Three nice looking vehicles, mr. cruiser.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Why do dealers in the US put those pin stripes on the sides of cars, and the dealer badges on the trunk?

Re the cars themselves, the Malibu sure looks solid on the outside! The previous generation Malibu did look a little fragile when compared to this one...

I never get any of that crap on my cars. Sometimes the dealer will say it's too hard to get the dealer name off, then I say then lower the price by 3K, that's my advertising fee. You would be surprised how fast it comes off for them after ...

[caddycruiser]

Are you sure this is what your saleslady meant when she offered a test drive? :AH-HA_wink:

Three nice looking vehicles, mr. cruiser.

Of course :AH-HA_wink:

I take the 3 month variety. Then again, after what the G6 and then the Malibu sort of put me through...the G8 is just the nice reward for staying GM true despite best efforts by the cars themselves to push me off.

And thank you.

[caddycruiser]

Since everyone is so stuck on the stripe and the hellish dealer sticker... ...new test for you.

Who can spot a clear bra? Look hard...

[vonVeezelsnider]

I never get any of that crap on my cars. Sometimes the dealer will say it's too hard to get the dealer name off, then I say then lower the price by 3K, that's my advertising fee. You would be surprised how fast it comes off for them after ...

the dealer we deal with is more than happy to oblige in taking the decal off, I hate that look too.

[Intrepidation]

The G6's interior doesn't look half bad in those colors, but the Malibu blows the whole car away. The G8 mops the floor with both of them though. :wink:

Love the car and love the color, I've thought about that hue as a possible choice for my car when I eventually repaint it.

[caddycruiser]

The G6's interior doesn't look half bad in those colors, but the Malibu blows the whole car away. The G8 mops the floor with both of them though. :wink:

Love the car and love the color, I've thought about that hue as a possible choice for my car when I eventually repaint it.

Thanks...I concur. The G6 interior, especially, looked completely different in taupe/black, but also clearly not to the Malibu level as far as the dash and center console. But, I must say, details of the door panels at least in my G6 with matching cloth inserts and such were better than parts of the standard Malibu fair, to an extent, both in looks and feel.

Otherwise, it was really interesting to have both a new G6 and then a new Malibu back to back...same guts, but so definitely not the same car. Too bad both had issues. Then again, out of sight, out of mind now.

The G8 Pacific Slate really is something else. Partly because it looks so great and also partly because it's not a "common" shade lately. If anything, it's most like the ex Bermuda Blue on GM SUV's that was offered for a short time, very popular, then cut. They're not overly easy to find, either, I must say when it comes to G8's. The vast majority are black, red, silver, or white.

I had NO trouble picking a color this time around when I decided I wanted a G8...and after silver-white-white, who'd a thunk I'd go with this in the first place. Not typically a blue or green fan, but this is too cool and looks hot a GT Sport G8, especially with black glass and such.

Edited April 12, 2009 by caddycruiser

[David]

All the cars are nice looking but I really do love your G8, that is the best of the three and the cream on that cake. Nice HOT Ride!

Edited April 12, 2009 by dfelt

[Oracle of Delphi]

The G6's interior doesn't look half bad in those colors, but the Malibu blows the whole car away. The G8 mops the floor with both of them though. :wink:

Love the car and love the color, I've thought about that hue as a possible choice for my car when I eventually repaint it.

But what platform will last longer ???

[ZL-1]

I never get any of that crap on my cars. Sometimes the dealer will say it's too hard to get the dealer name off, then I say then lower the price by 3K, that's my advertising fee. You would be surprised how fast it comes off for them after ...

haha, I agree: when negotiating, play hard ball!

[caddycruiser]

But what platform will last longer ???

Very true, but that's life and the effect of current times.

Such a shame, but we've discussed this before. Especially given facts like that my Malibu 3.6L 4 month "lifetime" average fuel economy never got past 21 daily or 25/26 on highway cruises, but my G8 with the 6.0L and all that pesky weight, RWD, etc. easily pulls mid 18's with a lot of redlights, sitting, and the same stopping & going. Do a steady cruise, even just as I did the other morning from the Shell station to work with no redlights and I hit 24.5, or higher on all highway with beastly. 4-cyl mode is a great thing, as is a transmission that's actually uses the power effectively vs. the slosh, bog & bang driver connected to the 3.6L. I did like the sound and feel of the 3.6L, as expected, but eh. Then again, the issues I had, and that I wasn't the only one with, didn't help my impression.

Edited April 12, 2009 by caddycruiser

[Intrepidation]

But what platform will last longer ???

The worse of the two of course, the Epsilon. That's how GM works after all.

But oh well, for a little while at least they can say they've got one of the best platforms in the world.

[Oracle of Delphi]

The worse of the two of course, the Epsilon. That's how GM works after all.

But oh well, for a little while at least they can say they've got one of the best platforms in the world.

The W?

[caddycruiser]

The W?

At least that thing is almost gone...then again, not. Ah, the Impala.

I must say, having had 2 Epsilons with more problems that I could possibly spend a day on detailing, I got the chance to ride in the service shuttle '08 Impala LS many, many times and wasn't disappointed. Mushy mouse-fur seats and the worst, no legroom rear seat of a lot of sedans--let alone one that large--but overall a solid, smooth car and the 3.5L/4-spd always felt like buttercream in comparison to the same in my G6 and especially the bonkerific rumbling and shuddering 6-spd in my Malibu.

That said, either Epsilon still was more polished, crisper handling and with better seats and space inside...but I wasn't totally unimpressed by the dinosaur W. Lord knows, I depended on that old boat with non-stop service shuttle miles most of all some days.

[caddycruiser]

I've just started watching my G6 videos again...wow...what a car it was.

These were some random classics:

The last 2 were from "the day" that GM called me later that afternoon, apologizing again and offering me the trade repurchase...oh, fun times. Too bad the Pontiac Excitement with this car meant videotaping the latest surprise day by day. Hah.

Still, a shame, because design, interior, powertrain, etc. I really, really liked this car, G6-ness and all. Then again, with a G8, out of sight out of mind...I'm certainly not missing anything much, hah.

[knightfan26917]

If I ever buy a brand new car, the removal of all such things will be one of my demands on purchase. I occasionally like a simple pinstripe, but dealer decals are just awful.

AMEN!

Again, very nice G8, Caddy!

Cort | 35swm | "Mr Monte Carlo"."Mr Road Trip" | pig valve.pacemaker ...Chitown #2 = 07/25/09

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"An open road and a road that's hidden" ... Steve Wariner ... 'Brand New Life (Who's The Boss?)'

[caddycruiser]

AMEN!

Again, very nice G8, Caddy!

I concur again, but ignore the sticker. Dirty pictures, just dirty :AH-HA_wink: I don't buy from places who rivet, tape, etc. up their cars...hence my single striped, no front plate Jersey G8.

Otherwise, why thank you...again. Thankfully 2 months into #3, I heart it and haven't had a single negative thought, comment, etc. about it. Unexpected for me, I just haven't looked back in an "I miss it" at all way for either #1 or #2, even though both were quite nice...uh, just, troubled. Weird, how that happened.

The G8 makes me want to do things...a lot of them...just like with the Fleetwood, the desire to mod (only effective, clean, "could be OEM") things is non-stop. That's what will keep me extra entertained, for some time.