A Horse With No Name

Looks good in both the silver and the blue. Did you get a manual or an auto? Chris

...o.k., so what do you replace the Colorado with? I love it, but it seems to be too big to be a small truck and too small to do the work of a full size. Also, does Chevrolet really need two small cars? Why? My mother has an Aveo and it is not THAT much more fuel efficient than a Cobalt, and the out the door price is not that different. Would love to know what you are thinking. Chris

My take- Solstice-refresh with a better top and a real trunk. Keep the SCCA race winning suspension, the good looks, and the ecotech 4. Put a little more hip and shoulder room in the car-this is another area an already great car could be improved. Vibe-keep it... G-5-build a small car on the same chasis as the redesigned Chevy platform I talked about in the Chevrolet thread. G-8-keep- Grand prix is already gone or irrelevant, or both. Pontiac needs to develop another sexy midsized car other than the G6, perhaps a really good, slightly smaller g6 replacement for about 2011. Give this car a hybrid option and skip the convertible and the goofy GXP street edition, build instead a reallly sexy 2 door and really comfortable 4 door version of the car. Test the 4 door version with average sized Americans and make sure they fit... Chris

Keep- Full sized vans and p/u trucks-we in the trdes need them. Put a smaller diesel in the half ton p/u and van. Corvette-development work is already done and it's a great halo car. Build a few mid engene concepts and a few wild show cars to keep the public guessing. Malibu-what else can be done or said? Next version should have a sporty two door model, however. Update-redesign- ...Aveo and Cobalt into one really good small car, similar to Astra. Start with a fresh sheet of paper, and go all new from the ground up. Build a hybrid and diesel version, as well as a sport compact version. Impala-perhaps an RWD car on the Pontiac G8 Platform. Don't they already sell such a vehicle in Saudi and so forth? Make it a limited production car. Plan on selling about 35,000 a year. Should be a niche vehicle. There are lots of older people with money, as about 80% of the wealth in the US and Canada is with people over 50. These are people who remember RWD sedans with power.Houston, you've found your market. Trailbalzer, Equinox, HHR, et all-consolidate into one good economical smaller SUV type vehicle, smaller than current CRV/RAV-4-etc. Lots of females seem to like vehicles like these, the Hyndai santa fe, etc. Work on making this vehicle fuel efficient, because Carbiz is right, with the weakness of the Dollar $5 gas is gonna be a reality and people are still going to want to buy SUV's. Colorado-Discontinue Chris

It's called the Mustang...to be followed by the Camaro and the Challenger. Seriously, though...I really wonder what a modern BMWish version of a Malibu/Cutlass/Skylark/Torino/Cyclone/whatever could be. High winding v-6, couple of different suspension choices, a slick paddle shift automatic or a 6 speed...built in Michigan and available down the street at your local dealer. Chris

But if we could capture and burn that Methane we could have renewable fuel. Perhaps future cars will have ducting from the drivers seat to the intake manifold? Chris

If your ever in Ohio, try a fried Balonga sandwich at the bar in Waldo. They are world famous for a reason. Chris

Now we just need a red line version of the Astra and we'll be all set. Looks good in the photo's, GM did a great job with this. Chris

I don't really follow NASCAR, but didn't the Toyota trucks do well last year? Chris

It will still take time to bring up to speed...but I really hope we continue to invest in E-85. Chris

This is overly optomistic. The way the economy is headed, no one will be able to afford fast food. Chris

Interesting to see what happens to the economy here in Ohio if the Lordstown plant (Cobalt plant) gets shut down. Not only do you lose the plant, you lose the supplier base and seconary economy as well. Chris

Actually, BV, I can get this from my wife anytime I want. Would prefer a car, but instead of the Hummer in the photograph I'd settle for a Solstice. Chris

...or sneakers. Chris

Exactly. Chris

I drove an Astra Wednesday. Like it very well, nut sure a 3 door would improve the current design. My quick thoughts: Love the styling, better than Mazda 3, Civic, GTI, etc. This car does not photograph well but in person IMHO it is the best looking car in the segment. I'm a big guy 250lbs and almost 6' tall and I can ride in the backseat of both the 3 door and 5 door with zero problems. The center stack on the dash is about as awkward as that in the MIni-Cooper, but if I can forgive the MCS for that I can forgive the Astra. Car does not have great visibility out of the rear window, esp. in three door form. Since I'm used to driving a Mustang Fastback, a Miata, a GMC Safari van, and a Ford Econoline work truck, it doesn't bother me. But if you like lots of rearward visibility you'll be disapointed. Fit and finish on the car beats Honda and Mazda. As a Current toyota owner I can say the car hands down IMHO beats Toyota Fit and finish. The interor has some plastics some of our members might quible about, but its a 17k car, its not a CTS. As such, Astra reminds me more of Volkswagen-Audi than say Ford. Driving dynamics? Some people might flame me for this but it is IMHO a four door 5 seat Miata. Hands down the best road feel and handeling of anything in its class. By far. Guages are the nicest of anything in the price range and very easy to read. My Safari van has oil pressure, temp, and battery chage guage and this car needs that also. You can probably get that info through the small screen in the dash, but I'd prefer a guage. The Oil pressure guage saved the motor in the Safari and the Motor in my 55 Chevy when I lost oil pumps in both vehicles, so this is kind of a turn off. The car is definitely a drivers car, gives you lots of feedback. Driving position is much better than other cars of its class and size. It is a night and day difference between this car and say an Acura Integra, the other small premium car that sold well here for years. If Saturn can get people into the showrooms to look at it they should sell a fair number. Overall, I liked the vehicle far more than my post above suggests. On a scale of 1 to ten I rate it about 9.5 or 9.7. Personally, I was going to be able to pay off my xB and buy one until my son Joel had emergency surgury and I got laid off work. My tax return should pay what health insurance doesn't on the surgury, and I( probably start a new Job Monday so I should hopefully still be able to buy one within the next year. Chris

Happy birthday, sir...this makes what, 96 years young? Chris

Actually IIRC the TC was the car with the YOUNGEST average age buyer in the US at about 30.2 years or something like that. But if GM/Saturn does its job Scion will have a dogfight on its hands. The new Astra is a MUCH better car than the TC IMHO. Maybe Scion needs one mainstream car (the new xB) a revised sport coupe (The TC design is a little long in the tooth) and a funky JDM car to replace the xD (which isn't selling that well.) Chris

Exactly. Toyota needs to do something original here IMHO. Chris

I actually have a lot of faith in Lutz and a lot of faith in GM to build this car and for it to perform as claimed. There is too much at stake for GM right now to be making fishy claims they can't back. IMHO Lutz is too smart to write a check with his mouth that reality can't cash. Chris

I had a chance to buy a beautiful 94 Trans Am, red, 80k, never driven in rain or snow. Brother of a co worker owned it. $4500 but it had a slushbox. Begining to think I should hyave bought it even with the slushbox. Chris

You laugh, but my wife works for a local community college (Columbus State University). Lots of 20 year olds are graduating with an associates 50 Grand in debt for school and expenses. They then go to Ohio State or Kent state or Ohio Dominican or wherever and put themselves another 50 grand in debt to get a 4 year degree. The daughter of a good friend of mine just graduated from Wright State in Dayton 65k in debt for school alone. These people then borrow money for a car and clothes and meals out and then... I'd hate to see how far in debt Suzie McMansion is by comparison. Chris

This is smart, because real estate and hard assets will be amoung the few things to hold their value in the hard times ahead. See you bought a 96 Roadmaster Estate. Little bit of jealousy here, I always liked the looks of those. Almost bought one down in North Carolina right before I bought my GMC Safari van and I've kicked myself ever since for not buying it. Good luck with your new (old) car. Staying out of debt kicks ass. As soon as my tax return gets here I am going to be debt free other than a small car loan and my home mortgage. Glad to see you are doing the same. Chris

Not to brag...but I'm just a lower middle class Electrician/Tlecommunications worker and my banker says that I am in better shape than 95% of Americans. He says that such a huge majority of people have over-leveraged themselves it will be a long time before we are out of the woods. In his exact words "seven out of every ten people I see on the other side of my desk I just can't help because they are too far in debt to ever get out." Scary to think about where we are headed long term. Suzy McMansion may have just sold us up the river, given the amount of our debt that is now held my middle eastern or asian nations. Chris

Hyundai is a brand "on the way." For whatever reason they seem to appeal very well to females and older couples, I don't know why they fit that demographic but at least around here they do. Would be interesting to see what a Hyundai luxury car would be like. But if the Amanti is any indication, the Koreans have a LONG way to go to catch Lincoln, let alone Cadillac or Lexus. Chris