Dsuupr

My ex was abusing my children (she most likely has Aspergers), so when she decided to run off with a guy old enough to be her dad, I made sure to pack her bags and shove her out the door. It has been a year since I have been single, and I have not been this happy in a LONG time. What are you coming to Oregon for?

Realistically - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco If done with school - 2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist If all bills paid off (minus house) and done with school - 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe AWD or V-Series

I understand what you mean, balthazar, but I would advise against selling your first car. I know way too many people that have sold their first car for similar reasons ... and then highly regretted it later..... I'm with Knightfan. It isn't the cost of the redo you should be thinking about, but rather the fun per mile that you would get out of redoing your first car over getting something else. Of my 40+ cars, there are many I wish I would have kept, but most importantly, I wish I would have kept my first car (1977 Chevy Nova that was just like my Opa's who passed away a few years prior to me getting my first car). At this point Marie is never going away. If I get remarried, my new wife will need to understand that the car and I come together or not at all.

How could one replace a perfect car like Marie, my 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity. She averages 26 to 28 mpg in the city, seats 6, is able to carry any and all things I need, can tow up to 3500 lbs (though I have not tried and do wonder how the little 4-cyl. could move anything that heavy), has a $0 payment plan, takes on dirt roads as if she was a 4x4 Suburban, needs little to no money when repairs are needed and is as reliable as anything money can buy. The big question is, why would someone need anything else? OK, OK, so it takes her 15 seconds to get to 60 mph, she floats when I take a corner so I have to obey speed limits and she isn't as quite as a new Buick, but past that she is all love.

Congrats! Nothing beats the durability and longevity of a Silverado.

I stopped by my favorite Chevy dealer, who has traditionally sold very few new Chevy cars, and found out they sold 4 Cruzes in 2 days.

I did get to ask someone at the Avis desk what cars they have been getting and if the GM cars had just been rented out. She stated that most of their new cars are hyundais, Fords and toyotas now days with only a few GM products sprinkled in now and then. She also mentioned that they had two fully loaded Cruzes (leather seats, etc.) that tended to rent quickly (requested product to rent). This medium sized airport location didn't even have a handful of GM products in their fleet.

I just drove through the Avis & Hertz parking lots (one of the new vehicle arrival locations for Hertz) to find a huge increase in the number of new toyotas, hyundais and nissans. I didn't even see a handful of GM vehicles on the lot. The only two GM products I did see where the Impala (two) and DTS (one). I do wonder how much toyota, hyundai & nissan have increased their fleet to help those numbers. Government and small business fleet is good and needed business especially for trucks. I wonder if GM & Ford is selling mostly to this group and much less to the value dropping rental companies. Do keep in mind that Avis has traditionally focused on GM products, but I did not see one GM product available on their lot.

How does the person you are speaking of feel about that?

I'm impressed that you know what your family drives so well. My Opa (Mother's father), died owning a Chevrolet Nova and in his later years swore by Chevrolet. My Oma (80 years old) has owned multiple brands including a few Chevrolets and two Oldsmobiles (Aleros), but now drives a scion xa (true "old" person car). The scion was not the first choice, but at the time GM, Ford nor Chrysler really offered a similar product worth considering (Aveo was just to cheap). Grandpa Ferguson was a Buick and Ford truck fan. His last vehicle was a 1998 LeSabre. His Ford F250 was sold a few years prior. Over his life time he owned a little bit of everything including a couple of hondas, nissans, Chevrolets and Fords. Though they had the money for a Cadillac in his later years, my Grandmother would never let him spend that kind of money on a car. My parents have a 2008 Malibu and co-own the scion with my Grandmother. They have owned many makes over the years but have settled on Buick as being their favorites. To be honest, they have been disappointed with their Malibu because they don't believe it offers the same level of luxury as their previous Buicks. They look to retire in the next few years and since they won't have much (both being educators for a public school district), they are most likely to stick with Chevrolets. My brother drives whatever his father-in-law gives him or what he can get cheap. Him and his wife currently own a 2006 toyota sienna (given to the them by her parents) and a 1994 (?) Ford F150, which is in near perfect condition which they bought themselves. He doesn't like the sienna much and would rather they traded it in on a Regal, but being they are teachers and have three kids there is no money for options like that. Anyone that knows me, knows I only buy GM now days. Over the years I have had 1 VW (college), 3 Ford/Chryslers (cheap temp cars), 14 Volvos (early 20's phase) and 31 GM products. Now I own the best of them all and the one I dreamed of owning when I was in middle school (though not in wagon form); Marie, my 1984 266k mile Celebrity. Everyone on both sides of the family own(s) at least one GM, Ford or Chrysler product and most of us are pro-union (lots of teachers in the family), pro-American owned, pro-American made people.

1. Finish my Masters - should graduate in December 2. Finishing #1 means I finish my local income housing project 3. Continue to concentrate on raising my girls and not over worrying about how their mother treats them (she doesn't come around anyways) 4. Get work in the field I am going to school in - though this might not come in 2012 5. Continue on a reduced spending lifestyle to reduce debt 6. Get back into volunteering in the local community 7. Go on more dates 8. Enjoy updating / upgrading my home (kinda hard to do a limited budget, but still fun)

I wouldn't expect GM to get car lovers, especially American car company lovers, to like such a vehicle. The Spark is for the non-car person who just looks for basic transportation and one who likes to give an image of being "green". Smart sales are low because the product isn't that good, plus it only seats 2. Don't get me wrong, the Spark will not be a runaway success, but when gas hits $4 to $5 per gallon, it will sell well enough to justify Chevrolet offering it. For the record; If I lived in an urban setting, I would consider a vehicle the size of the Spark for convenience and cost (it is perfect for a city like Portland).

I think the Spark will be a big hit in many areas throughout the country where bigger isn't always considered better. It won't be perfect for everyone, but I'm sure there is enough city dwellers that love to own cars that size. Once you add in the $10,000 to $13,000 price tag, which will attract the young and retired, I'm sure it will do just fine.

Having spent time behind the wheel, I can tell you it drives like no other compact I have been in. As stated in other posts, a friend of mine just took one home and she was a hard core foreign car fan. It took a fair amount of effort to get her to look at the Cruze, but the minute she sat in it the comments about how much better it is over the civic, 3, corolla and Focus (2010 version) came out. She wanted good gas mileage, which it has, but more importantly wanted a small car that didn't feel like a cheap car. Face it, the corolla and civic have not been the mileage champs (besides hybrid versions) for a few years now but they still sell in bulk. A great product with better than average fit and finish and an upscale feel, as compared to others, will move many to choose the Cruze over anything else. Don't get me wrong, I do think GM has some work to do on the gas mileage of the vehicle and only hope the 2012 model year has some adjustments just like the Cobalt did later in its life.

Same base engine, but different NVH. I guess the vibrations and noise coming from the 2.4 in the Regal just seem a little much for my likings.

The problem is, the LaCrosse is just so much nicer. I would rather deal with less equipment for a better overall package, especially considering the difference is only within a few thousand of each other. Don't get me wrong. The Regal is "refined" when compared to say a toyota camry or honda accord, but do to the course engine I would rather buy something else.

This past week I got take a Regal for a short drive and came away rather unimpressed. The real problem isn't that the Regal is lacking in many areas, though the engine does seem course and unrefined compared to others, but rather that there is another car available from the same manufacture that is so much better for the same amount of money, the LaCrosse. The interior, NVH levels, power availability, and overall dynamics of the LaCrosse are just so much better than the Regal I don't see why one would take the Regal home instead of it, besides the fact that the LaCrosse has a subcompact size trunk. If the Regal was $3000 to $5000 less I could see justifying the savings. But at $1000 to $2000 difference, assuming equal equipment levels, it just isn't worth the downgrading. If I was looking to save money, I would step down to the Cruze as the engine is smoother and the overall refinement warrants the cost unlike the Regal.

Happy Birthday NOS!

I hope they consider putting eAssist on the vehicle as standard equipment. It isn't supposed to degrade performance but can make huge strides in mileage for little cost increase.

Congrats!

I have access to every new Chevrolet & Buick available for writing articles plus have more than adequate time to do of such.

This car would change public perception of the division faster than the Regal, LaCrosse and Enclave combined. I do wonder if it doesn't fit their goal of being the American version of lexus and Mercedes leaving Cadillac alone to tackle BMW & infiniti type of products. In the past, acura has had great success with building brand awareness through the rsx, maybe Buick could do the same with this, even dropping the Verano name for something more exciting.

Without better gas mileage, they are going to be slammed against the wall for introducing the car. We can only hope they make the start/stop or eAssist system standard to at least help in this area. Don't get me wrong. I think it is a good looking car and a great move by GM, so a long as the gas mileage is better than they state.

Thanks Tom! Any chance of the Cruze getting a Best Buy rating if the transmission issue was taken care of, especially since the score was so high?