DBeaSSt

The only way to truly know the condition of your oil is to have a sample tested. I use Blackstone Labs (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/) for this. In my old Fleetwood I used Valvoline MaxLife and after having several samples done I was able to get 7,000 miles on an oil change. Of course if you're under a warranty of some sort, you need to stick with their recommendations to avoid invalidating the warranty. But after that, may as well save a few bucks on extra oil changes. Just my .02 of course.

Just saw a similar article on Autoblog. Sad to see really as I quite like the car. But, as many have commented, for it's price tag, it's just not worth the money. There is still an 08 XLR (v I think) sitting on the showroom floor of my local Caddy/Chevy dealer. If it wasn't white, might be worth snagging it with the huge discounts they've got on it.

But Congress feels that the reason the Domestics are in this situation is because they don't build relevant product. Could it be that they don't have a clue what they're talking about? As for the toy's situation, I'm sure the Japanese government will bail them out....

Very nicely done! Little bit of a big butt but nicely styled otherwise. Getting a bit tired of the fender vents on everything though. From Autoblog: "A new steering wheel sits front and center and the seats, oh those seats. They're called Multi-Contour Seats and have three, six-way adjustable lumbar bladders and a seat cushion featuring a new technology called Active Motion that continually moves the seating surface in a subtle way that wards off back pain on long trips without distracting the driver." Huh? What? I want to try this!

Nice looking truck. Congratulations!

I like the exterior, it's quite nice. But it's the interior I love. Just beautiful. The sculpting of the doors is wonderful. I hope the ambient lighting stays, quite nice. Agreed on the name though. GM changes model names too often, so why stick with this one?

Production cuts in Japanese plants? But how can this be? Toyota is an all American company! You mean they aren't ALL built right here???!?!??!?? http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090106/bs_nm/us_toyota_4

I guess this could be considered, kinda sorta good news.. a little, maybe. http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/090105/auto_sales.html?.v=10

I really don't care for SUV/Crossover vehicles but some of the lines on this one are just great. Particularly the tail lamps with the mini-fins. It looks like the interior gets the pop-up nav like the CTS.

Again, thanks for the well wishes! Even after waxing, there is a fair amount of dust on the car so we dropped by the dealership this morning and picked up the 'mud guards' from the parts counter. Pricey little pieces of plastic but hopefully they'll help keep the car cleaner longer and help me retain some sanity with not requiring semi-weekly washings. Our neighbor saw us coming home and stopped by to take a look. He thought we had bought a new BMW from seeing it as we drove by. Mike

Congrats on quite a milestone! Let's see another 50K!

Thanks for all the complements! I'm excited about the car and I'll rarely even drive it! Only a couple other pics and they're from the same angle, these are the best. I told the dealer if the Malibu came in RWD I'd trade my CTS. In LTZ trim, it's really that nice. Heck, the 2LT has options that my CTS doesn't have and quite a few of the "luxury" ones it does have! Now, I know it's not exactly apples to apples as the new CTS is WAY nicer but still. The chrome wheels were additional charge, see thread here: http://www.cheersandgears.com/index.php?showtopic=27433 I still haven't found any references to this wheel anywhere on Chevy's site. I like them though, WAY better than the standard 2LT V6 wheels. My favorite wheels though are still the 2LT 4cyl wheels. I think the Malibu's look best in darker colors, really sets off the chrome trim, and in this case, wheels. Unfortunately a half mile driveway of gravel will probably drive me insane trying to keep it clean. I didn't drive the 4cyl with the six speed but rode in it. We live in a fairly hilly area and while the engine certainly performed adequately, you could tell it was working a little harder than the V6 to maintain speed. It was not by any means underpowered but the 6cyl just felt more confident and, well, frankly the 3.6 is a great engine. Funny thing is, the 4cyl with the 6 speed was probably just about as powerful as the 3.1 with a four speed in the Buick. Honestly, in the end, I think it just came down to a small prejudice. My partner had a horribly underpowered 4cyl for his previous car (Tercel, PUKE) and it really turned him off to 4cyl engines. Based on the one ride I had in it, the 4cyl would be fine for most and of course with the six speed, great gas mileage. Oh, another incentive we got too. Two years of oil changes and tire rotations, an extra year of OnStar and two years of XM. Nice little bonus! Mike

Our 03 Century was approaching the 200K mile mark and we were planning on replacing it during the summer of 09. However, with the deals available right now and it needing a coolant flush we decided to go for it and replace the Buick early. I picked up brochures on the LaCrosse, Impala and Malibu. Looking at the Impala next to a Malibu just made the Impala look old and outdated. After driving the Malibu 4cyl/6speed and 6cyl/6speed (both 2LT) we didn't even bother to go look at the LaCrosse. So our local dealer found a 2LT V6 in Imperial Blue with the Cocoa/Cashmere interior and picked it up for us. We took delivery just before they closed New Years Eve. Standard 2LT with the V6 package, 'premium' mat package and (thankfully) a chromed wheel upgrade. We've put about 40 miles on it so far, I drove it this morning to breakfast. The car rides great, has plenty of power and really just looks nice. Here are a couple pictures I snapped after washing it today. It got waxed shortly after. Hopefully we'll get the same trouble free miles from this we got out of the Century. 172K miles when we traded it in and never once left the other half stranded.

Looks like we'll be doing our part to help GM. We expect to take delivery New Years eve on an 09 Malibu 2LT. It's being brought in from another dealer as our local one (Jack Evans Chevy Cadillac) didn't have the color we wanted in stock. I commented to the sales rep that I really don't care for the alloy wheels which come standard on the 2LT V6 model. They remind me too much of the Impala SS wheels which, to me, look too truck-like. So any rate, on to my point of this post. The car which we're getting, apparently has optional wheels installed and I'm not certain from the description, which ones they are. It won't kill me (maybe) to wait until Wednesday but I'm curious. The electronic window sticker states the following: 18" Chrome-Tech alloy wheels - $195.00 This is over and above the 18" wheels which come as part of the HFV6 engine package. Now, according to the (tiny) brochure and Chevy's web site, there are three optional, dealer installed, wheel options. 17" forged, polished wheel 18" seven-spoke cast-chrome wheel 18" ten-spoke cast-chrome wheel Are the 'Chrome-tech' wheels listed on the sticker one of these? I would assume so.... Thoughts? Comments from those among you who work for dealerships? Thanks! And I'll try to get a pic or two when we pick it up. Mike

http://media.gmacfs.com/index.php?s=43&item=298

Hello, Congress? Might want to look at what GM is developing. Oh, and has been developing as I'm pretty sure they didn't think up these engines last month.

Well written. Kinda funny too.

Scary stuff. Glad you and the GF are okay.

Oh, I feel just so badly for those poor import manufacturers...... NOT!

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNew...=22&sp=true Has anyone seen this ad?

Yeah, not unexpected, but still.... ick! Though good to see that Mailbu sales are still UP despite everything else sucking in general.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081121/ts_nm/us_gm_jets_1 Emphasis added....

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081120/gmac_tarp_aid.html?.v=6 Congress won't give us a loan? Fine, we'll find a way to work around the system......

For Release: November 3, 2008 GM Reports 170,585 Deliveries in October * U.S. auto industry at lowest monthly SAAR in more than 25 years DETROIT – General Motors dealers in the United States delivered 170,585 vehicles in October, down 45 percent compared with a year ago. GM truck sales of 97,119 were down 51 percent and car sales of 73,466 were off 34 percent. The steep decline in vehicle sales was largely due to a significant drop in the market’s retail demand as uncertainty over the deepening credit crisis impacted consumer confidence. “The market has been shrinking for three years, but in October we saw a dramatic decline for the industry and GM,” said Mark LaNeve, vice president, GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. “We are obviously disappointed in our results which reflect a difficult comparison with a strong year-ago October performance. More importantly, it also reflects an unprecedented credit crunch that is dramatically impacting the entire U.S. economy – from the housing market to big and small companies to banks to family run businesses. The credit freeze has also had a very negative impact on consumers’ confidence and their purchase behavior across America.” “We outpaced the competition with our sales results in August and September, and fell back with the industry in October. If you adjust for population growth, this is probably the worst industry sales month in the post-WWII era,” LaNeve added. “We believe there is considerable pent-up demand from the last three years, but until the credit markets open up and consumer confidence improves, the entire U.S. economy, and any industry like autos that relies on financing, will suffer. “We’ll do our part to continue fighting against these significant economic headwinds by bringing consumers the highest quality, most fuel efficient and affordable cars, trucks and crossovers that we can,” he said. To that end, LaNeve announced that GM’s no-haggle Red Tag Event starts nationwide tomorrow, Nov. 4. The Red Tag Event will provide great deals on most new vehicles in GM’s portfolio by offering a special Red Tag vehicle price and customer cash back. In addition, GM’s recently announced “Financing That Fits” program enables consumers to find financing at affordable rates from GMAC and thousands of other banks, credit unions and financing institutions. Despite the poor results in October, there were a number of bright spots for individual GM car and truck lines, including: * Chevrolet Malibu retail sales were up 129 percent. For the month, Malibu total sales reached nearly 11,000 vehicles. For the year, Malibu retail sales have totaled nearly 98,000 cars, up 134 percent from year-ago figures. * The all-new Pontiac Vibe recorded a 6 percent total sales increase in October. Almost 42,000 Vibes have been sold this year, up 36 percent from the prior year. * Saab retail sales were up 7.4 percent compared with a year ago, driven by the strong retail performance of the 9-3, which was up more than 16 percent. * GM sold 44,500 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Avalanche fullsize pickups in October, further solidifying its segment leadership. * GM hybrids continue to build sales momentum and the company has broken through the 10-thousand vehicle sales mark. A total of 1,496 hybrid vehicles were delivered in the month. Hybrid sales included: 372 hybrid Chevrolet Tahoe, 193 GMC Yukon and 230 Cadillac Escalade 2-mode SUVs delivered. There were 325 Chevrolet Malibu, 22 Saturn Aura and 354 Vue hybrids sold in October. GM has sold 10,549 hybrids so far in 2008. Chevrolet sales in Europe also contributed to the brand’s solid third-quarter results, growing 2.7 percent. Chevrolet is seeing strong growth in emerging markets including Eastern Europe. Chevrolet was up 6.2 percent for the first nine months of the year in Russia. In addition, Opel sales in Russia increased by 39 percent, while Saab increased 90.4 percent. GM continues to proactively manage inventories to align supplies with market demand. In October, only about 799,000 vehicles were in stock, down about 146,000 vehicles (or about 15 percent) compared with last year. There were about 336,000 cars and 463,000 trucks (including crossovers) in inventory at the end of October. “These are extraordinary times for the U.S. economy, for consumers and for an auto industry that is running at deep recessionary levels relative to 1999-2006,” LaNeve said. “We are offering the highest quality and best value vehicles to customers in our history – along with great incentives. But we can’t do it alone as GM or the auto industry. It will take a coordinated national effort to turn this economy around.” Certified Used Vehicles October 2008 sales for all certified GM brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, were 33,735 vehicles, down 15 percent from October 2007. Year-to-date sales are 408,451 vehicles, down 7 percent from the same period last year. GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry’s top-selling certified brand, posted October sales of 29,167 vehicles, down 16 percent from October 2007. Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 783 vehicles, down 11 percent. Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 3,051 vehicles, down 6 percent. Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 506 vehicles, down 2 percent, and HUMMER Certified Pre- Owned Vehicles sold 228 vehicles, up 75 percent. “October sales were disappointing for certified GM programs, as consumer uncertainty over the growing credit crisis had a negative impact on consumer confidence and retail demand for both new and used vehicles,” said LaNeve. “Going forward, we will continue offering consumers the tremendous peace of mind and value that comes with a factory-backed, fully inspected and reconditioned, latemodel used vehicle from the GM brands they know and trust.” GM North America Reports October, 2008 Production; Fourth Quarter Forecast Remains at 875,000 Vehicles In October, GM North America produced 318,000 vehicles (151,000 cars and 167,000 trucks). This is down 105,000 vehicles or 25 percent compared with October 2007 when the region produced 423,000 vehicles (152,000 cars and 271,000 trucks). (Production totals include joint venture production of 11,000 vehicles in October 2008 and 18,000 vehicles in October 2007.) The GM North America fourth-quarter production forecast remains at 875,000 vehicles (407,000 cars and 468,000 trucks) which is down about 16 percent compared with a year ago. GM North America built 1.042 million vehicles (358,000 cars and 684,000 trucks) in the fourth-quarter of 2007. General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 34 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com. Note: In this press release and related comments by General Motors management, we use words like "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "forecast," "objective," "plan," "goal" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, representing our current judgment about possible future events. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but actual results may differ materially due to a variety of important factors. Among other items, such factors might include: market acceptance of our products; shortages of and price increases for fuel; significant changes in the competitive environment and the effect of competition on our markets, including on our pricing policies; our ability to maintain adequate liquidity and financing sources and an appropriate level of debt; and changes in general economic conditions. GM’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q provide information about these factors, which may be revised or supplemented in future reports to the SEC on Form 10-Q or 8-K. Original Release: http://www.gm.com/corporate/investor_information/sales_prod/ Deliveries: http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/...ctober_2008.pdf

Agreed. My other half of 12 years now was driving a Tercel when we met. It was traded in '03 for a brand new Century and likely that will be traded in '09 for a brand new Malibu. Look at it as an opportunity to properly educate. :AH-HA_wink: