DavidCL2

I wonder if this is a sign of the impending merger with Chrysler. Maybe GM is cutting development of models that Chrysler already has covered (like larger RWD performance sedans).

Truly amazing! Good job GM, keeping prices (and hopefully costs) down! This car will sell well :-)

I would prefer a G8, but with the better powertrain and cheaper price, i'll probably purchase a Camaro within the next 18 months.

Of course, in reality, most drivers don't see the EPA estimated mileage... I really doubt if people will really see a 1mpg improvement. I'm cynical...they will probably still get a combined 15mpg or so...

True dat! I bet there is still a ~.85 mpg increase with these options though. I wonder are lower resistance tires referring to a special rubber compound, or is it marketing for thinner tires?

It seems absurd to pay $500, even $100 for a trivial 1 mpg increase.

With my basic calculations, assuming $3.50 a gallon, $500 would pay for itself (jumping from 16mpg combined to 17mpg combined) in just under 40,000 miles with a saving of 147 gallons of fuel at a saving of $515. This is a no brainer option, unless their is a usability/performance detriment.

It seems absurd they would charge anything extra for this... these improvements should be standard.

I can understand your point of view, but if it was a free upgrade it may cut into profit margins as aluminum parts cost more than steel (especially for something the size of a 17" rim). I think this a small leap forward, and as a $500 option it would be a bargain and hopefully a popular option package (take dat OPEC!).

This proves that the two mode hybrid doesn’t do anything for highway mileage. It comes completely from aerodynamics, low resistance tires, gearing, and dieting ;-) I applaud GM for engineering this easy fix, and I hope they can keep the additional cost under $500 as it would pay for itself in roughly two and a half years for the average consumer.

UPDATE! WOOHOO!

Last night I put a $2000 deposit (my GMcard points) on a new 2007 impala LS with ABS/traction/floor mats as the only options. My dad and I are going to suprise my mom She was expecting another pontiac g6, we figure she will like the impala better.

This proves my theory that the chassie on the tundra is made of bambooo!!! I would be pissed if my 6 month old truck lost 1/3 of its value becuase of incentives, even more so considering the incentives are there because of quality issues!

There's a LOT more to it than that.

Old Hondas have their wheels fall off for a multitude of reasons,

mostly crappy, lightweight suspension/balljoint design. I've seen

this occur about a dozen times, not the actual wheel separating

but a stranded 1990s Honda on the side of the road with a wheel

cocked all funny and a long tiremark and gouge in the road from

where the balljoint contacted the road.

I hate Honda, this is just ONE of the reasons.

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...ic=9247&hl=

This happened to my uncle on an 8 year old accord (but with only ~65k miles on it). Unfortenatly it happened at highway speed, fortenatly no one was badly injured. His car was totalled and another car got side swipped, no biggie. He thanks god every day after a situation like that!

I don't hate all of Honda's models, but I do hate how Honda and Toyota are perceived as quality with no excepetions. The news and majority of people's perception is that the Japaneese are totally trouble free, it just doesn't make sense and isn't realisitic.

I work for the supplier that builds these wheel bearings. Apparently Honda is installing the bearing improperly and damaging the O-ring, thus causing premature failure. The actual bearing was assembled properly.

Woohoo, glad to hear they can't wiggle themselves out of this one (like they attempted to do on the 98-02 accord transmission trouble). I hate lawyers (even though I am in law school - gotta chase the money), but I hope some lawyers get really rich at Honda's expense!

Hahah, that video is great! just FYI the actual footage (minus the footnotes, lol) is from Downfall a great film which I highly recommend. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808642134/info

Nice to see you're happy with your decision.

Thanks You. I am more than happy, this car rocks! I feel secure in it and I can cruise comftorably upto 80mph, I am truly impressed with the quality to price ratio on this car. This Pontiac makes me want to upgrade to either the G8 or new CTS in the next few years (not because the g6 is a bad car, but because I love upgrading cars and I drive a ton of miles for business so in 4 years the g6 will be hitting 90k miles).

I am researching new scaffolding to purchase and I keep reading about how the asian's use bamboo sucessfully, the main advantages being it is cheap, light, can withstand a hurricain, and you can "hear" when it is over strained. Maybe Toyota with its innovative thinking used bamboo for the frame of this truck????

Nice to hear the media is picking up on Japan dumping it's trash on us. I bought a brand new 2002 honda accord and went through TWO transmissions in 72k miles, plus the most minor of accidents totalled the car! (I hit not a guard rail, but those little bumpie curbs (2" max height) at the side of the road at 30mph, it damaged the car beyond being worth repairing). Detroit builds their cars more heavy duty, no question about it. Plus the gas milage perception is a myth, I was getting 22mpg highway on the 4 cylinder accord LX (it had vvt), the 4 cylinder g6 vp with more hp and torque is treating me to 24mpg <--- yeah I drive these cars hard, I should be getting closer to 30mpg, but I drive like an asshole.

Hey guys, that 3/4 was a mixup, I ment to type 1/2 ton, I never realized it would cause such trouble, lol

Back on topic, I have yet to bite the bullet as the minivan is repaired and again available to me. I kinda already had my mindset on purchasing something new though, so we'll see. The minivan was my moms, my parents said if I find my mom a good deal on a new car (and allow them access to my $3500 GMcard points) they will give me the van for free. I am not sure what decision to make, so i'm waiting.

If there becomes a good deal on either an impala, pontiac g6, or any buick car I may just take my parents offer as I know my mom would love any of those vehicles and the van suits my needs until I graduate from law school. I may get her a Monte Carlo as I can borrow it anytime ;-)

I'll keep you guys posted, and please let me know if you hear of any GM clearance sale. I called the car dealership that sold me the Pontaic a few months back, and unfortanetly the salesman I delt with was in a huge motercycle accident and not available He was a great guy and I wanted to steer him some more business. Also they worked out the incentive numbers and somehow the same g6 is $1500 more than before.

as a rule of thumb... now you heard this from a friend, not a gm certified employee...

these ratings are designed to show the maximum payload that can be safely transported on this vehicle through all components major and minor... meaning... your engine, brakes, suspension, axels driveshaft, transmission are all designed to support that weight without breaking... but as my dad had always said, usually the vehicles maximum weight is more like double the payload... 2052 does sound right... its been a while since i've looked in a brochure to check... but that number sounds right... the extended cabs have lower numbers...

but in a palet enviornment i've seen extended cabs 1500, take a pallet and a half in the bed and a trailor of weight... sure it didnt look pretty, looked like a low rider, our pallets weight was near 2700 lbs plus more weight... and the extended cab short bed not allowing the weight to be pushed all the way in the middle of the truck like a single cab would allow... once a week this truck would get around 3200 lbs of stuff put in it... and it drove away without any troubles every week...

so to me that was what the maximum weight looked like, 4 kids a BIG mom... and a full truck... that was the most i always saw that 1500 do... although we rarely maxed vehicles out like that...

so get that truck... and dont be afraid to put some weight in it... she can handle it...

Thanks for the post, I was hoping this was true. I kinda had a feeling this was true after loading a ton of weight into the minivan on multiple occaisions. I think the truck is a no brainer, I still have the Pontiac G6 to throw miles on.

I'll keep you guys updated. Thanks again for all the help, I am coming into this purchase confident I am making the right choice.

Thanks for all the comments and sugestions. I have found my truck (at least online, I will contact the dealer over the weekend plus make the purchase then as GM may offer a labor day special, last year GM gave another $1000 on top of all regular discounts to trucks).

It's a regular cab, 4.8 litre, auto, HANDLING/TRAILERING SUSPENSION, locking rear differential and spare tire lock. I would have preffered AC and a cloth bench, but there are basically no trucks left with v8's in general and the only 4.8 v8's with AC have another $1500 or so of options that I don't need.

With the upgraded suspensions can I haul more then the standard rating on the long bed/regular cab rating of 2052lbs? If not, no problem, i'll just go on a diet :AH-HA_wink:

Thanks for all the replies guys. I just contacted GM marketing and they are hunting down a GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado Classic with the 4.8 V8 regular car long box 4speed manual AC and prefferably a locking rear diff. There are so few of these left I know I am going to have to travel, but that is no big deal as my friend can give me a lift on labor day

I just want to know, is a locking rear diff very important? Is it worth traveling an extra distance for + the extra ~$300?

I am really looking forward to the truck, if my numbers are right it will not be more then ~$12,500 OTD (and possibly slightly cheaper).

The more I think about it, the more I feel the v8 is worth the extra effort to hunt down + extra ~$800. If it gets the same mpg as the v6 and has a lot more power, why not?

Thanks again for all the help, this is exciting times. In the past I loaded up a pallet of mortar in the dodge caravan, the guy with the pallet truck thought I was nuts! It was 35 50lb bags + the weight of the pallet over the rear axel = ~1800lbs! Once I get this truck there will be no more risking my life to get the job done, lol

I am a part time law student, but during the day I refurbish rental properties for a relative. I used to use a 2000 dodge caravan to haul my equipment, but that is not available anymore. I have a 2 man crew. Would a regular work truck comftorably carry 3 people (or at least semi-comftorably, I would really preffer to save the ~$4k and get the regular cab model especially since it would enable me to make the whole purchase in cash)? Would you recommend the vinyl or cloth interior? I have $3500 saved up on my GMcard, that along with the current $5000 rebate plus eager dealers makes it possible for me to buy a plain jane V6 work truck with cash. I may be able to swing an automatic + ac without dipping into credit, but is it really important to have an automatic transmission? I do have a second car, an 07 g6 value package so for long trips I will use that.

Do you guys think the v6 engine is sufficient (it seems to be the only avalable option from my local dealers, but if its worth the trip and expense I will hunt down a v8, there has to be one within a couple hundred miles).

Is it important to purchase the eaton locking rear differential if I never plan to take the truck off road (I am only looking at the 2 wheel drive models)?

This will be my first truck purchase and I am clueless as to what is important for long term hauling!

Thanks in advance

David Cappell

P.S.

Do you feel the incentives will go up in the near future (labor day etc?) I can push of the purchase for a little while if necissary.

~6 month and 15k mile update. Guys, again thanks for the help with the purchase! I love the car.

Here is my mini review. The 4 cylinder G6 is more than peppy enough. It's great on gas (~22mpg real world mostly highway, the exact same I got on a 4 cylinder Honda Accord). The interior may look a little cheap but it can really withstand abuse. I had only one reliability issue and that was with a fuse blowing for the window motors. I dropped off the car at the local dealer and I was out within the hour (and this was without a schedueled appointment!) In conclusion, while the G6 may not drive like a cadillac it's a great car for someone on a budget. Save the $5k (assuming you have a GM Card) and buy american!

-David

P.S.

If anyone is considering purchasing one, contact me anytime if you have any questions.

Congrats on your new car!

Good to see another G6 owner around here.

Thanks buddy, i've been loving the car. Even as a 4 cylinder it's peppy

I'll take pics as soon as I can.

Man oh man!!! I want one! Looks like the new lexus LS for probably half the cash

This car is going to rock!

Silver.......... Well not just regular silver, LIQUID silver

I'll take pics as soon as I can!

Thanks again for all the help guys.

WooHoo! Papers signed Just made a $1000 downpayment (the $1000 is my GMcard earnings).

I owe $11,014.42 ($7.50 tire fee tacked on to my preveous calculations) on friday. Gotta save dem pennies ;-)

Ok, here's the final numbers (it's depressing my trade is really not worth much).

$17358.38

-$3500 trade

______________

$13,858.38

X 1.07

________________

$14,828.46

-$2000 gm direct rebates ($1000 rebate + $1000 bonus rebate in lieu of 0% financing)

-$1000 Conquest rebate (non gm car in household)

-$1000 GMcard rebate

___________________

$10,828.46

+$109.95 (dealer doc fees)

+$67.50 (state registration fee)

__________________________

$11,005.92

THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!

I will take pics of the car as soon as I can.

I am making a down payment tomorrow and making my final payment (and purchase ) on friday! I can't wait.