AM6_Cutlass

Malibu is a great name. If GM made the same car, and called it something else it would somehow be less desireable to rental car agencys? A certian percentage of most GM sedans will always be available as rentals. It doesn't have to be a bad thing... We have rented a car every year for vacation since 1997. We rent from Avis specifically to get a GM car, although this year they tried to stick us with a Sonata so we had to upgrade at the counter to get a Lucerne. It was a very positive experience, and I am actually considering buying a Lucerne because of it. I like Lutz's attutude: "done right, rental sales could help GM. By selling better looking cars -- without "gray rat's fur upholstery and dark gray plastic parts" -- renting a GM car "becomes a national demonstration program where people actually pay to drive a GM car, and they say, 'Holy smokes, it's fabulous.' "

I bet you're right... I think the fact that Feb 5th is a media day at Chicago, and April 2nd is a media day in New York has something to do with thier chosen dates. It seems like it was towards the end of April when the majority of the info was released last year... the 30th perhaps...

Makes sense for Europe, not so much here. Hopefully GM has enough sense to keep it there, but I can't believe they have been going so long without one.

Wow, there are so many. Excluding the Cutlass I already owned (and wish I could have back), if I could magically go back in time and pick out my "new" Oldsmobiles... classic: 1977 Delta 88 Indy pace car replica with the full graphics package, and pretty much every option except the reverse (front half) vinyl half top. modern: 1991 Toronado 1SB in med. Antelope glam metallic with red cloth bench seat, and power sunroof and whitewalls (and the '92 spec wire wheel covers) If that's actually a little modern to be considered "classic", and a little old to be considered "modern"... 1972 Cutlass Supreme hardtop sedan in Nordic Blue with super stock wheels, and every power option. AND 1999 Eighty Eight 50th Anniversary package in white with graphite leather and sunroof (and the LSS five-spoke wheels swapped in place of the standard wheels)<-- I had been looking for a used 88 50th Ann package to replace my Cutlass for years, but the only one I ever found (gold) was sold before I had a chance to go look at it.

As far as the public knows, the Impala was all new for '06. If they come out with another one for '09, that is only three model years for the current design... unheard of in the industry these days! I don't see Toyota or Honda moving that fast. A little sad, because I actually like the current Impala, and don't see anything wrong with it.

Anybody know when we'll see the new Vibe? I was kind of thinking Chicago, since Pontiac usually like to make intros there...

No tears shed here. Jeep would have been better off building a Durango vaiant if they wanted three row seating. I would suspect that the next gen Grand Cherokee will have three rows. I would not be saddened if the Compass went away as well. That is the goofiest proportioned thing I have seen since the Aztek, and the idea of a front wheel drive Jeep is laughable. Too bad my neighbor was one of the first around to buy a Compass, so I will be stuck looking at it for at least the next few years.

$2.23 is the cheapest around here. Made me mad it was only $1.89 in Mich last week. In fact, as soon as I crossed the Ohio state line, it dropped to $2.09 (on the turnpike even) PA sucks!

I was very upset when I heard the first heard the news. I think that it changed my outlook of GM and the auto industry in general. as my optimism turned to pessimism. I still don't think I'd ever buy a non-GM car, as my grandfather is a retired GM employee and I grew up almost exclusivly around GM cars. It will, however, change my willingness to buy new, and make me keep my used cars longer. My grandfather was always a Pontiac man (though he currently has a Buick Century), and Pontiacs never did much for me with the rare exception of a few years of Grand Prixs COUPES and Bonneville. My other grandfather primarily drove Chevys (though he did have a 77 Cutlass when I was little). My parents owned whatever they got a good deal on (three Chevys, three Pontiacs, two Oldsmobiles, a Buick and a GMC). I always considered my dad a Chevy guy as that's what he seemed to default to on his own, and he was a big fan of the Chevelle (owning one in the early 70s before I was born) and Corvettes (though he never owned one). My mom bought a Buick on her own, and is most interested in replacing it with another. Oldsmobile was my thing, more distinctive than any Chevy could ever be, lacking the overly firm suspension, seats and red guages of Pontiac, and not as stodgy as Buick. I have always been a Cadillac guy to a lesser extent, but there is too much status associated with owning one. I could go out and buy a brand new Impala for $25,000 and nobody would blink, but spend the same amount on a used Caddy and even though it's used and didn't cost me any more, it will change the way people view me and my money situation. People would be asking themselves "where did he get that kind of money?". I think it would make it harder to convince my boss that I need a raise, or to get people to extend themselves with free or reduced offers because I'm young and "just starting out". I pretend to be way too poor for that. Anyway, back on subject... I lost interest in the auto industry in general for a few years after the announcement. I turned my interests more to classic cars instead of future cars, and began collecting die-cast cars and license plates. I now know more about why GM did what they did... they were in worse financial trouble than I could have imagined at the time. I still feel like a homeless consumer though. The funny thing is that I'm such a bench seat guy, and Olds wasn't even building any cars I would buy when they were shuttered. I had hope that GM had realized they had made an error changing so quickly, and the next gen Intrigue would remedy that if only temporary. The Alero was certianally on the right track for the future, attracting lots of younger, more educated and upscale buyers than the Achieva or Calais could ever dream of(plus it was beginning to gain a decent aftermarket following). Oldsmobile needed more time for those Alero owners to mature into owning Intrigues or Auroras. Olds would have been wiser spending the money they wasted on the Malibu-Cutlass on an Intrigue based Cutlass that would have had different front and rear fascias, standard 3100 V6, bench seats and 15" hubcaps with aluminum wheels optional. Even if they pushed the Intrigue, the Cutlass would have sold well to just the Olds loyalists looking to trade thier Supremes or Cieras and even some Eighty-Eights, and without advertising. I remember asking an Olds dealer if the Intrigue came with bench seats yet (knowing the answer, but curious to what he'd say). He responded with a no, but said he wished it did and that he could sell alot more of them that way. When I bought my Impala, I had the money to buy a new car that I didn't when I bought my Cutlass. I defaulted to used, because there was no new cars I felt were worthy of spending double on. After just over a year, I am BORED stiff with my Impala. Even after seven years, I still thought my Cutlass was beautiful (especially after washing), and still looked back on it in a parking lot just to see it. I am thinking about buying a new Impala, this time higher optioned, but even at that I'm afraid I will grow bored with it quickly. The Lacrosse and Lucerne are decent cars on paper, but I also fear I will grow bored with them quickly (My Impala seemed perfect on paper too). My dream would be a new DTS, but see above as to why that won't happen anytime soon. If Saturn would build an appropriate car, Saturn would probably become my brand of choice, but time will tell. I'm willing to forgive the fact that Saturn got alot of the money that would have sustained Olds to get a car that matched my personality. They just haven't created one yet. Olds will always hold a special place in my heart, and as soon as I get things in order around the house, and the garage cleaned out (my dumping place during remodel), I will be looking for a Toronado or older Cutlass to add to my stable.

The CTS definately had a pretty big crowd, perhaps the biggest of the production vehicles... and dispursed between the silver one and the red one. I think the Camaro had the biggest crowd overall at the show.

Whoa... I want , no NEED, that Oldsmobile racing decal on the rear quarter!! The quest has begun...

I was blown away when I saw the pics last week, and then blown away again when I saw it in person at NAIAS. Some of the sheetmetal complexities don't come across well in the photos, expecially the muscular flares on the rear quarters. This car is beautiful, and every line just looks right.

Back from the show... had a blast. Had to drive through rain most of the way up, until about the Mich state line, and the entire way back was rain. Show was MUCH more crowded than I anticipated, there was no room to move, or take pics which was kind of a dissapointment. The displays were awesome though. I will definately do it again! I will never be able to look at the Pittsburgh auto show the same again. Too bad I didn't get to check back on this thread last week, or I could have met up with some of you guys that went. Maybe next year...

I was wondering the same thing. Mercury seems to be a little too quiet. Hepefully they are just holding back for Chicago or New York.

Just got done making my hotel reservations... I will be going to the show this Saturday. Pretty excited about it, I've been wanting to go for years now, and this will be the first time. Anyone else going?

Nobody caught my brain fart... 1991-1995 Caravan had a different tail light than the Voyager/T&C. The interior is HORRIBLE, F--. I could have designed a better interior when I was five.

beautiful... love the red. I was a bit worried, but it looks better than the teaser pics hinted at. Will definately look good as a coupe if they build one.

Front looks pretty decent, but the rear kills it. I thought this was supposed to be a sedan, not a hatch?

Looks... uh awkward. Still should offer bench seats, but does not.

I love those wheels, love the light blue metallic exterior, and even more so the all blue interior. I could do without the tiger stripes though.

back to boxy, I see. Looks like two steps back, though they are using different tail light designs for each division for the first time.

I really like the interior, especially the black one with the silver trim. The back end is a let down though. I was expecting individual round tail lights sort of like the Cobalt coupe based on the spy photos, instead it looks like someone backed a Lucerne into a wall and flattened it.

Looks good. I never cared for the old headlights, looks sleeker now.

wow, that's the first time I ever saw the interior of the Oldsmobile Anthem. Where did you get that pic? I doesn't really look like wnat I pictured bieng in there. Less... um, nice. futuristic for 1992 though, I guess.

I saw my Cutlass on Memorial Day of this year. Passing perpendicular through an intersection while I was stopped at a red light. Made me miss it I really wish I would have kept that car. I also saw my grandfather's old Lumina in a Wal-Mart parking lot across town about a year after we sold it. My other grandfather traded his Pontiac 6000, and we saw it parked on a street about a block from the dealer with dealer plates on it about a year later. I always keep an eye out for old cars my family owned. I know my grandfather's old Malibu wagon was sold to a family in West Virginia, we carfaxed my dad's old Jimmy and it was titled in a town about an hour from here. The rest of the cars I never saw again, or didn't recognize.