RoadmaSSter

+1 sigh...I wanted to see all that potential realized, it would be nice to think something more could still come of it all.

Good reading here and nice summaries by Ponchoman, Sixty-eight, and DBeaSSt, and though the question above is directed to Ponchoman I can tell you that the L99 4.3 is known to have the same reliability and longevity of its larger LT1 (P VIN code) 5.7 sibling. The only real complaints usually are directed at the optical-scan distributors and somewhat at the direct-drive water pumps, which are shared by both. These complaints are mostly overblown in my opinion. Sometimes you can get an oil leak from the rear of the intake manifold gasket, which runs down the back of the engine which people mistake for a rear main seal leak. The three '94-'96 B-bodies I have had have all been LT1 cars though I have friends with L99 Caprices and for all, the engines have proven to be quite reliable, with nothing typically needing to be done to things like head gaskets, valve seals, timing gears, cams, etc. throughout their lives, with little to no oil consumption being the norm. I never needed to add oil to my Roadmaster between standard 3,000 oil-change intervals, even after it crossed the 200,000 mile mark. As to why they bothered with a smaller engine for Caprice sedans only from '94-'96 while all other B/D bodies were given the LT1s during those years? Not really sure, but I'm guessing having the L99 as base it probably helped give a "value" edge to standard Caprices (including police package cars that were built with the L99) with a slight fuel economy advantage over the LT1. The L99 was competitive with the numbers put up by the Ford 4.6 in the Crown Vic at that time. Also, it is rumored that they intended to offer the L99 in Caprice wagons as well, though that didn't end up happening (keep in mind that in '93 you could buy a Caprice wagon with a 170HP 305, so it wouldn't have been an entirely unreasonable assumption that the L99 could have gone there). Another thing, when these rolled out in the fall of '93 they were likely intended to live longer than to the end of '96, the B/D-body death sentence wasn't handed down until early '95... when they saw how successful the new 4 door Tahoe/Yukon were and, weighed against declining sales of these cruisers, they decided to annex the Arlington assembly plant for additional truck capacity. FWIW, The 267 Chevy V8 from '79-'82 was advertised as a 4.4 liter, while the 260 Olds and the 265 Pontiac were listed as 4.3 liters in any literature I have ever seen from those years. My '81 Bonneville has the 2-year only Pontiac 265. At 120HP It's slow, but feels surprisingly decent both around town and on the highway, of course, the car only weighs around 3,500 lbs despite its outward appearance looking like it would be more.

They fold nearly flat, they're the type that you have to flip the hinged seat bottoms forward, then lower the seat backs. FWIW, I think the 2002-05 Explorers even with their IRS ride like $h! compared to the 360s, and have a cramped driver's area with an odd seat/wheel/pedal relationship to boot. But that's just me, I never agreed with the view that they were a better choice than the 360s for any reason, excepting nicer interior materials on the later ones. That lump of a 4.0 V6 doesn't hold a candle to the I6, and I trust the durability of the GM driveline over that of the Explorer.

Exactly. I know, I was just surprised by the BOF comment.

They won't be unibody?

Right, and specifically the frame rails behind the rear wheels like to rot on these G-bodies, so check that especially if it was winter-used a lot and/or stored on damp ground, etc. I've enjoyed reading posts on here recently from gmpartsgirl about these cars (hopefully she'll weigh in with more details about the 307 engine and what else to look for), and yes, I've been tempted by the deal on BV's Cutlass, I just don't need any more cars to deal with...

+1. It will be interesting to see how the new one turns out being based on the ML-class, etc. I'm anxious to see the styling of both the Durango and the Jeep.

Just this afternoon, a Datsun 280Z covered in salt and grime. Unusual here even in good weather!

That sucks man! Those RWD cars and that trans are known to be reliable. Hopefully it's not too much $$$ for a rebuild.

Ha! I hear you, yesterday's drive was brutal.

You would be correct. Plus the Suburbans didn't move to the GMT400 platform until '92MY. Anyway, nice looking 'Burban!

The '02-'04 GMT-360 Bravadas had both a 2WD model and an AWD model, which was a departure from the previous generation that was marketed heavily as having AWD standard. Those that had AWD had the full-time systems with no selector switch, the same strategy employed by the Buick Rainier when that came online on '04 as the Bravada died. Chevy (minus the SS) and GMC 4WDS had the selector switch for the 2WD or part or full-time 4WD modes. Bravadas, like the Rainier and Saab 9-7, had the air-ride rear suspension, while it was optional on Envoys and not available on TrailBlazers. My brother just went through a similar set of questions once he realized his Infiniti was not a good winter car (!) and he decided to add something else to his fleet that would provide other practical uses (towing, etc.). He liked the looks of the Bravadas over most of the GMT-360 siblings, plus the fact that they are unique, but ultimately, as NORTHSTAR notes (and I pushed for), he settled on a TrailBlazer due to the fact that they are available everywhere and are priced right. He ended up finding a very good deal on a nice '05 GM Certified-Used TB with nearly 2 years left on the powertrain warranty. These trucks really seemed to be hit or miss in terms of reliability, especially early on ('02 had numerous recalls and updates, as mentioned above) and for me anyway, I would trust the later ones saw improvements in those areas, which is another reason I felt better about my brother going with the '05 dealer TB for not much more than what private sellers were asking for '03 Bravadas and Envoys with no warranty. (for what it's worth, my parents had an '02 TB and an '04 Rainier that they had ZERO issues with during their lease lives). Sorry for the wordy post, hope it helps!

What a beautiful Cutlass!

Congrats on the new car! I recently put 700 miles on a rented '09 Cobalt LT1 sedan (sans ABS ) and liked the car. I agree with swapping to the '09 wheelcovers when you can, I think they dress the car up nicely.

Nice set of pics and write up! I looked over the cars at the Detroit show and am really liking it...I didn't wait to sit inside so I guess I don't get the all the tears being shed over the interior.

Very nice Malibu! Definitely the right choice among the set of cars you were considering. Congrats on the addition to your family.

Nice thread, I am another lover of the fuselage bodies, my favorite older Chryslers from any era. I'm a sick man!

Congrats! Not really a big surprise though. Here's to many more miles with it!

Oops! Sorry...yes, the balloons are a bit much, eh?

I haven't been able to get it to play either! Thanks for the link though.

Ok, you caught me. I had seen them a while back, just didn't want to admit it. Damn! :AH-HA_wink:

Why yes, with my friends at Motor City Pride June 3. That beautiful '70 Eldorado behind me belongs to my neighbor.

Don't worry, now that I've seen some pictures I can stand by my statement, whether diplomatic or not!

Er..uh, can I say both?

Beautiful!