NeonLX

Ya know, I've been looking at it from another angle--GM's fuel economy ratings seem to be higher than I'd expect, at least for the vehicles I'm interested in. Big cars like the LeSabre and Bonneville with the torquey 3800 V6 are achieving ratings not too far off from smaller, lighter 4-cyl. cars. And the Malibu V6 is simply astounding IMHO--23/32 MPG for a mid-sized car with a large displacement V6 is quite an accomplishment. And of course there are the high-powered Cadillacs and Corvettes w/ rip-snorting V8s pulling 25 to 28 MPG on the highway--that amazes me too. Back when I drove my gargantuan '72 Olds 98, I'd stop and throw a big celebration whenever I saw the high side of 10 MPG... :blink: Drew

Thanks for the welcome messages! Yeah, Neons don't get a lot of respect. I have to admit that I wasn't too keen on them until I drove a 2000 model (first year of the 2nd generation). From my perspective, these 2nd generation Neons had great handling, decent zip and a reasonably comfortable interior. They are also dirt cheap as used cars, hence my '04 Neon that I bought with 16K miles on the odometer last February. So far, I'm pretty happy with it--especially considering what I paid for it. Back in June, we spent two weeks in Alaska. Our rental car was a brand new Cobalt LS sedan. I was hugely impressed with the quality of the thing, not to mention the ride, handling, interior appointments and even engine performance. My wife, who normally doesn't like small cars, actually is thinking about trading "her" Caravan for a Cobalt sedan. She liked it that much. We're also going to look at a Malibu, Malibu Maxx and a Pontiac Vibe. I've driven the Malibu sedan already and liked it a lot--the 3.5L V6 provides oodles of punch while still giving great fuel economy. From memory, I think the Malibu V6 is rated at 23/32 MPG, while the Cobalt 2.2L (auto trans) comes in at 24/32 MPG--only one MPG difference! On edit: phooey, I tried attaching a pic of my Neon to this message but it doesn't work...oh well, you already know what Neons look like...

Hello, my name is Drew and I am a long-time gearhead. I grew up in a mainly GM household, though my wife and I have been driving Chrysler products over the past couple of decades (more about that in a later post, perhaps--but suffice it to say, they do make a mighty good minivan). I'm still a fan of GM vehicles, both old and new. Heck, I'm a fan of almost all of the domestic cars when it comes down to it! Right now, we're looking at either a Cobalt or Malibu as a possible new car purchase early next year. For many years, I've been a member of the "Allpar" forum that serves as a discussion site for Chrysler products. I'm happy to find a similar forum for discussion of GM products! I wanted to post this intro so youse guys didn't think I'm some kind of troll, in spite of my forum name... :) On edit: I should add that I have a huge collection of GM (and other brands) sales literature stretching back into the 1930s, along with a bunch of promo models from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s; again all makes. I really am an incurable gearhead