Drew Dowdell

+1 Additionally, even though the G8 wasn't released at the same time as the Commodore, they still had the inclination that it would be sold in the U.S.

Arguably, the only current vehicle that comes close to being a "true" Pontiac would be the Solstice, but even then it uses the corporate Ecotec, the same transmissions as the CTS, the CTS rear end....

You think the federalizing of the largest railroad in the US wasn't highly politicized? The move allowed Conrail to abandon unprofitable lines.... lines that run through congressional districts. The Penn Central was formed from the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central railroad. These two behemoths had been in direct competition for well over 100 years. When they merged there was instantly duplicated capacity. The Penn Central was never able to fully merge the two systems. As such the whole network suffered. The Penn Central was considered a run down and out of date. Millions of pensions were at stake when the railroads collapsed. There was a lot of heated debate because we helped France rebuild her rail network after WWII yet we allowed our rail network to fail. It was just a different era... it wasn't less politicized.

you need to post pics of the damage

Here's why I don't mind the UAW owning a large portion of GM. My Great-Grandfather pioneered the idea on a large scale.

Conrail was primarily the Penn Central Railroad that went bankrupt and was taken over by Congress <Conrail is sometimes referred to as Congressional Rail>. It returned to profitability in about 10 years and eventually became the most powerful carrier in the eastern US until it was privatized and sold off in about equal share to the Norfolk Southern and CSX. It's relevant because people keep saying that GM being taken over by the government lead to certain disaster. Conrail is an example of that being untrue. Every time someone posts that the government taking over GM will lead to certain disaster, I will post the Conrail logo. Sure it's annoying, but maybe some people will learn something and expand their minds.

typecasting.

Your comment that the consolidated approach worked for Leyland (which it obviously didn't)... and you're not the first person to may the BL reference. Merging GM and Chrysler would be like tying the Lusitania to the Titanic to prevent sinking. Now you just have one really big ship with two really big holes.

Holy Crap could we get off the British Leyland references already?! How many of you would pick a 1960s or 1970s British marque over a 1960s or 1970s domestic marque for reliability? styling? performance? The British cars from that era were ugly, performed badly, and had reliability that would make a Vega look like a 1998 Camry. Many GM and some Chrysler vehicles are at the top of their game. At worst, they are average in their respective segments. Even Sebring, though not a great car, isn't a bad car. The situation is NOT the same.

It could be all related. Whatever took out the waterpump could have damaged other parts of the engine. Waterpumps don't generally die like that.

You still deposit at a teller? ATMs accept deposits. With PNC Bank ATMs, you can deposit your check without an envelope. The machine scans the check, deposits it in whichever account you want, and gives you a print out of the scanned image. I do this 10 or 12 times a month and never have problems.

Would you have bought a G8?

Whoops. You're right. With the talk of the DTS and Lucerne going away I just automatically think of that plant as closing rather than being repurposed.

Are you accusing GM of using political prisoners to build cars?

He also drove a 300C Hemi. He only got the Ford Hybrid when it was clear that he was going to run for President.

If you're going to be in PGH for any length of time, let me know.

I've driven an Equinox with the base V6. I'd accept 18 around town in exchange for torque and smoothness like that.

http://www.fisherpaykel.com/ - New Zealand owned, Ohio produced, Sold at Lowes and Sears.

Why is it the end of the world if GM imports a Zeta from China instead of importing it from Australia? Seriously, this is a way for GM to get a Zeta on NA shores at a higher price point and a greater profit margin than the last one. Why do you care that the car came from GM-Shanghai instead of GM-Holden?

I think this decision has more to do with: 1. If it is the Park Ave, the factory is already up and running. 2. It makes sense to be the Park Ave, since they want to close Hamtramck where they build the Lucerne. 3. BPG dealers need product to make up for the future loss of Pontiac. 4. Park Ave sales are down in China, there is extra capacity there. 5. The Zeta is already well regarded in the AutoRags. 6. Would add another notch in Buick's "Global brand" status. 7. Maximum return for minimal investment is what GM needs right now.

Three little words: Buick Park Avenue

Hugh Laurie

I could drive that....