FUTURE_OF_GM

I'm certainly not denying the merits of the Malibu and the write up was decent (eventhough it did include the typical girlish bitching about irrelevant things that plagues ALL Edmunds pieces) But, the fact that the Altima beat the Malibu is a joke IMO... It hasn't even been close and is in no way a superior car. If the Malibu can't beat the one year old Altima, then what do you all think will happen when the new Mazda 6 (A car in the same realm, except MUCH better) comes out? I know that the Mazda 6 is technically Pontiac territory but the comparison will be made with Malibu given the fact that the current G6 is quickly becoming an also ran in even the lower end of the pack. I'll be interested in comparisons from C&D and Automobile since they both gave the Malibu an award in favor of or in favor with the Accord. But I'll bet cha' despite the award, somehow, 'magically' the Malibu won't measure up to the new fat assed L300... err, Accord. Just my :twocents:

Bingo! Further proof that the positive press is fleeting.

I would not recommend having a gun ready. (I would recommend having one somewhere that you could get to it, but not immediately available) That's just too risky as that could go bad really fast. If you shoot someone, then depending on the laws in your area, you might get the worst end of things. Not to count, I don't really think someone deserves to be shot over breaking & entering, unless they're trying to shoot or kill you. Maybe you could upgrade security.. My GF's grandma just has a big 'shatterproof' window put in with a sensor on it so that if it does get shattered an alarm goes off. Or you could just put a normal plain jane door in (If you're willing to make that compromise) I also think a dog is a good idea. Even a smaller dog that sounds mean will suffice sometimes. We have a chow/sharpee mix... Very sweet dog and a lot smaller than my other 2 'bigger' dogs. But he's very energetic and is VERY intimidating when someone he doesn't know is around. He sounds the part and, despite being smaller, even looks like he'd tear someone apart when they come in.

Just like Buick, Pontiac continues to prove it's relevance. Phasing out either of the divisions would be sheer ignorance IMO. Those who say it is a good idea are obviously not CEOs for a reason.

Cant' wait to see the tide of negative press for this.

That's Our old Silverado got hit at 45 MPH in the rear by a '67 Camaro. The hitch took all the force of the hit, aside from a rear bumper bracket that was bent. The hitch is connected to the frame, there's no way it did that damage to the front of her Xp.o.s. (As we all know) The Camaro in our incident got fubared though... I felt bad for it.

+1 STEP 1: Get a method of self defense... STEP 2: Have a good friend take your truck out and leave as if he were you. STEP 3: Grab some refreshment of your choice and hide with STEP 1 beside you.

To prove my point about this affecting the Malibu, catch a glance at the readers responses (Which I replied to) These people (who probably all drive imported trash and maybe even have never considered a domestic) have read this one article and already judged the car as "typical Detroit" It's the audience more than the review that makes me angry.... The damn car is on C&D 10 Best and is an All Star, yet they refuse to consider it based on Healy's (A notoriously anti-GM journalist) $h!ty one page write up.

Like I said before... The positive press will be fleeting. This is the same bull$h! that we as GM fans are accustomed to. And all because this pre-production car was obviously flawed, NOT because the design itself has bad merits. What pisses me off the most is the fact that this review is in USA Today. Most of the 'CR humping/believe everything you read' idiots subscribe to publications like this instead of the auto rags that have been giving positive press. This could have very bad implications for the Malibu and could set the tone for more negativity in reviews.

Nah, I was actually refering to the impending CAFE If it gets too wild, then I'll just drive retro as opposed to driving micro-liberal. Honestly, I have been thinking long and hard about replacing the Focus though. I found an SVT Focus here the other day that I could probably get pretty easy. But I really want a pony car of some sort and previous gen 'stangs are more affordable and more fitting (It's almost physically impossible for me to get in/out of an F4 Trans Am or Camaro) I've found a couple of nice, well used Mustangs in my range. The real dilemma though: 1) Should I just go ahead and go further in debt for a used, yet nicer car now. Especially given that I am a V8 man and the future of the V8 might be in danger with rising pump prices and idiot legislators. -or- 2) Should I pay off the Focus (I only have about a year left) and hedge my bet on a new GM Zeta when I graduate? The problem with that is; I'm not sure if I will like anything GM has on Zeta. The current G8 is out of the question, I don't hold much hope for the GXP version being much better and the Camaro, although nice, seems to already be slipping a bit in my taste department. Sorry for the

Exactly! And that's the sad story that accompanies 'free trade' and our new 'prosperous global economy' Any sociologist will tell you that the standard of living in america is dropping as we are becoming a 2 tier society and the rich get richer off of 'managing' the companies - overseas that the working class broke their backs to build. Service jobs? Yeah, we can get those, except they pay (on average) about 1/3 to 1/2 of what the manufacturing jobs payed. The data for the economy can be skewed any way you want. Hell, basic economics will tell you that. So the 'good news' we are being fed isn't always true IMO. It's when you get 'in the trenches' and see how real people like you and me are living that you find out the REALITY of things. See my above post (In response to Dave) this is exactly what I was touching on. Although, as much as I hate liberals, I think the conservatives are just as bad about it.

Amen... It's a media fueled hysteria that has reached a whole new level in the aftermath of 9/11. But then again, that's what they (The leaders of our society) want. It's a system of sociological checks and balances.

I didn't know that was an option... Count me in... I might be in that boat soon anyway.

Ford or Dodge.... If they died as well, then probably BMW or, dare I say, VW.

Sure it does... This is the definition of political correctness... A group of self righteuos people bitching about the actions of others (A.k.a. telling others how to live their lives) until the 'others' are beaten into submission. It's always about someone getting offended or having their feelings hurt, otherwise there would never be an issue. But instead of being in touch with reality and realizing that one can't always have it their way in life, (No pun intended) these spoiled 'do gooders' make it their hobby to "fix" the world into what the do gooders themselves deem is correct. This is bull$h! and I think it's so funny. Hopefully our society is about sick of this sort of hysteria induced waste of time. And it is a waste of time when you consider the vast universe of problems we have that this energy could be spent on. But, for example, it's not easy to reduce black on black violence. However, it is easy to sit at home on your ass (Probably collecting some sort of government aid, to boot) and type angry messgaes about a 'big, evil corporation' and their 'lack of sensitivity when advertising'

LOL I think the best one so far has to be the Panda bear spooking and the Sparta pop up. LMFAO, I was in tears last night over that one. (It's just the thought of someone thinking up something that random and the reference to the movie 300 -- which was subpar at best IMO)

That's effin' sweet! I could have one custom built for my seasonal affective disorder... That way, when I get depressed I can stare at my keyboard as opposed to being an asshole on C & G. YAY!!!

Wasn't there an article recently that said as long as gas prices increase slowly that americans will continue to adjust and continue to drive whatever they want? It's the shock of gas prices leaping over night that hurts us, not so much incremental increases as that has been burned into consumers minds as simply "the way life is now" We know this, the automakers surely know this and most importantly, OPEC probably definitely knows this... Remember, 'wound the cash cow and feed off of it, don't kill it.'

If this is true, then GM is the same old ignorant sloth that it always has been... So much potential wasted. If they phase out yet another perfectly healthy division, then count me in as a Ford fan instead of a GM fan.

Good to see you made it back in one piece

FOG <---- Desperately looking for an affordable 4th gen. Problem is; I'm not sure I would have the money to funnel into it while I'm still tweaking my classics. (They get first priority)

Or you could get a sensible commuter and save the 400hp car for 'special events' It works for me and keeps my nicer cars, well, nicer, in the first place. I agree that we shouldn't have to make compromises in what we buy though. I don't think people should just be extravagant for the sake of image but I don't think people should be forced into crap cars either.

We're just nitpicky (You know, like the media is with Detroit) I'll break it down for you the way I see it. The biggest problem Detroit has to overcome now is perception. One of the horrible perceptions of Detroit is that they have multiple divisions with the exact same product. And this perception is well earned after the years of identical, except for the trim -n- badge, cars and trucks. However, now that Detroit has platforms with distinct vehicles, often even more distinct than their imported competitors, the perception still remains and is still promoted that Detroit only badge engineers. This issue is critical because Detroit, especially GM, is trying very hard to build unique identities for each of it's divisions. So, the bias remains and the argument is still valid. Now, is it overt bias or unintentional? Who knows, but the fact still remains that GM is treated differently/more negatively than the imports in the media. I would agree with that in some ways. I certainly don't read car reviews or car news for stupid quibs or smart assed remarks (Like especially Car and Driver and Motor Trend seem to think) If I wanted girlish gossip or whining, I'd read fashion or entertainment magazines.

But see, that's the problem... All of the bleeding heart policy makers can't police and control China. The U.S. with it's whipped and ignorant, self-loathing population is a much easier target. As usual, WE will be the one's who make compromises for the good of the rest of the world. Same &#036;h&#33;, different day. My beef is; why do these people who need a hobby instead of taking up the latest 'cause' always tend to gravitate toward Detroit or the automobile in general? Is it the freedom which an automobile gives that they don't like? Is it the tight-knit, rather discriminating culture that they hate? I mean, they've only tried to kill the concept of the car 3 times now and they've only been trying to kill Detroit for 30-40 years now. I really hope we can avoid major changes, but I fear our fun as car 'enthusiasts' is about over. Especially if this social movement continues to pick up steam. THE GOOD NEWS: Social Movements tend to only last about 5 years and this one seems to already be losing popularity. THE BAD NEWS: The fallout from it will affect us for years via regualtions and such.