regfootball

wow. everyone has stories like this. there is no safe answer but it sounds like you are doing your part at least. all i can say is keep trying, if you give up trying, the situation gets worse.

compacts back then were guaranteed death traps. at least today with the safety equipment, you can drive say, a jetta and feel pretty good about your chances. part of that is the extra 500 pounds it carries. for me, i am ok with that. better to leave home everyday and be able to assure your wife and kid etc you at least have a chance of not being hamburger in a fender bender.

i guess mr bloke has never driven across the midwest or east or west regions of the US on the interstate. translation. people don't give a crap about windy country roads in YOU SSSSS AAAAAAAA straight 4 lane roads where passing is king. the burst that is required for satisfied driving at speeds above 50+ which little POS 130hp 4 poppers cannot satisfy. translation 2, people only buy small cars in the US when economic conditions force it. otherwise, people want larger more comfortable cars most of the time. again, the US ain't europe and never will be because it doesn't want to be. we aspire for more, despite how hard the press and liberals try to drag us into tier 2.

here's where I'd go with pontiac in the next 3 years g8- on global large rwd with awd option. v6, turbo v6, v8, include wagon, add manual to v6 mix g6- preferably on alpha with awd option, 4, 4 turbo, v6, v6 turbo, manual available on some versions, dsg type also available on some models. sedan and coupe and convertible. maybe an eps 2, if need be. this is pontiac's volume car. g4- premium delta, awd optional, 4 and 4 turbo. limited numbers. maybe sedan or hatch only. g3 solstice / solstice coupe on alpha embarass the boxster at 1/3 or 1/2 the price g7/gto- bring that baby over, there is no excuses for gm not to do it. limited numbers vibe- pontiac needs one sport hatch crossover although something more in line with the cx-7 (except actually nice). the current vibe sells but i think it needs to be a saturn or chevy. limited numbers then you basically cycle each model, one all new per year on new and current platforms and engines. is it that hard, GM? maybe to generate brand interest, pontiac should start selling sport bikes.

well, i know 3 people with grand prixs (yes i know these are not the best examples of the breed) and well, i have a pontiac, (ok, an aztek) but i sure will give a g8 a chance to be in my garage. again, pontiac would be fine if they just kept refreshing the product and did a top notch job of it. it wasn't all that long ago that the bonneville, grand am, and grand prix and sunfire all sold in huge numbers, sometimes topping 100k.

yes, like the boys above intimate, 4000 rpm at 80 mph is useless in America. Americans want more than 138hp, even in small cars. 9.3 o-60? not good enough. look at the focus......it even is over a second quicker. wow its sales are up to, way to get in sync.

ok, i basically skipped all of the above posts. here is thing......so GM continually gets bombed for not enough marketing efforts....so then why don't they just come up with more dollars and get it done? we can afford union buyouts still but not proper product support? there is NO repeat NO benefit to cut brands, primarily because of franchise laws but also because look what happened to olds, the market share went out the door. the problem is simple, it's still the product and its not coming out fast enough. If GM has so many brands and models they simply need to spend more dollars on replenishing products faster and better. Having that many brands may be a liability in that way, but to do it right then you must pay the price. The result will be better sales. G6. It sells well, but if it were done PROPERLY and not already like 4 years old, it would do so much better. This goes for all of GM's lineup. Given the chance, the stylists and engineers and manufactuing will pull it off. It's the beancoutners and management dropping the ball. Commit to the brands, focus each one, build great cars....and KEEP THEM FRESH. I give management an F for product replacement. They are doing what Ford did, starve new products.

total congrats ont he car....fine choice. is your gf hot? every good man posts pictures of his gf in compromsing positions on the internet

actually the XWD in the saab kind of revitalizes interest for me some. if saabs had new designs and interiors that weren't crappy plastic, maybe it would help. the 9-3 is too small, also. i think saab needs to exist in a place at or below acura and above vw a bit and compete for the hip factor vw has. if saab can tap any of that and make cars that are more reliable, i think they can actually be healthy here. example, the 9-3 should be a passat killer. saab also needs to emphasize green more than any other GM division. saab needs to be about DESIGN (from the land of IKEA) and right now it hardly comes off as anything ikea like or apple-esque.

zeta has steel suspension components in the rear at least, if i am correct. can you say BRICK? no wonder its heavy.

sell saab or kill it, please GM

a bit more than i hoped. privacy glass should be standard on all. i think it will still be popular....it actually will make the jetta sportwagen seem well priced in comparison. i wish the tiguan had a bit more cargo capacity. the seating is awesome, very upright and spacious and firm. considering you get the turbo, maybe its not so bad. wish it had diesel. a 40 mpg tiguan would be a good wife's car, because this thing will be a MAJOR chickwagon.

my metalhead buddy calls metallica 'lica' now because he says they've pussied out and they don't play metal anymore.

i just waxed. hurts when they pull it off....hurts like hell, especially down THERE. ! LMAO, i used zaino last year. overhyped IMHO. good carnuaba like meguiars or lexol is fine.

there's really no need to kill any brands. we sell 15-17 mill vehicles a year here. we need to have more variety....pujoe, citroen, alfa.....less asian brands IMHO. basically if toyota was whacked down to a size it deserves, there would be plenty to go around.

fusion - made in mexico. not ideal, but it seems to be working. because there is no strike. LOL

these are the people that need to be brought down a couple notches so things can get done in this country. let's start by whacking their exhorbitant pay.

yup

blame the boomers, greenies, liberals, california air resources board and legislature, greenpeace, peta, beancounters, europeans, japanese, consumer reports, your friends and neighbors, the women in your life, high gas prices, car mag books, prius bangers, 'temple of vtec' dorks, etc, and on and on they have succeeded in dumbing down your expectations, just like they have succeeded on jacking up gas so that you will trade your gas hogs for fuel sippers.....they can then jack up the price of gas to double or triple and now they can pass off little 4 poppers as premium cars too because they have fooled the public into thinking that 6 cylinders now is a wasteful luxury too.

too bad honda made this thing so ugly inside and out. its got a lot of virtues otherwise.

ah, you know, consumer electronics went this path. dumb down the product and sell it cheap. don't go to specialized. just market and sell it in many packages, in many places, and make sure its cheap enough so the inventory turns fast enough until they throw it away and get another. make it so we can make it anywhere, and produce it cheap. take the shortctus needed but make sure those ads are hip and glossy. seriously, there are no audiophiles any more, and soon we'll have been stripped of carphiles too. the ecobangers, liberals, greenies, government, and car companies themsleves will make sure to reduce carmaking to sales charts and lowest common denominator. Cars as emotional investment will go away.

138hp is not sufficient when your competitors are faster and the lack of oomph gets noticed in reviews and such. the reality is at 75-80 you still need passing reserves, and many small cars are dangerous in this regard, trying to maintain pace with the rest of the traffic. Unless you're willing to wait for your slushbox to catch its breath before it decides to go or not, or if you're willing to become proficient at 6-3 or 6-4 redline downshifts. any small car in the 2800-3100 lb range with less than about 160hp will be fine up til intown four lane speeds (50-55 mph) after which it really is a liability....the only exception I've really noticed is the big GM ecotecs (2.2, 2.4) seem to have a torque reserve in the midrange that when paired with a stick, seem to not be at risk for rear bumper bashing from others.

Car and Driver has a short take on the vibe GT manual. 0-60 in 7.9, 5-60 in 8.5, 16.0 qtr mile. 22 mpg observed. they called it 'sensible shoes'. Not enough to overtake a mazda 3 but better than a standard caliber. they did not like the steering but everything else they seemed amenable to. they were complimentary of the interior function. I would have liked to see that 0-60 in the 7.0 range....but oh well.

138hp is piss poor for 80mph cruising on US interstates, or good acceleration on suburban 4 lanes. this aint tiny europe here and 138hp is too slow. end of discussion.

i am a ford guy first mostly, and then i may have to go holden g8 before a GME car, unless you can promise me my INSIGNIA they way i want it. i was impressed with the astra here now, spacious, nice interior.....but i can't sign on to only 138hp. Nope. the current epsilon platform cars are too small for my midwest frame. After putting miles on the FIL's 08 GP last weekend, maybe i would even go for a used GXP GP while i can still get one at a deal. An all new 9-5 would be the cats meow, but i sense we'll never see that car.