caddycruiser

I wish there was rehab for our disease Roger...heh A co-worker just got a new '10 Escape over the weekend, and having ridden in it everyday since Monday several times, I can even more now see the appeal of current small/mid-size crossover 'utes with space and very efficient powertrains. I like the "crotchedy old but updated" '09+ Escape so much, especially even with the 2.5L/6-speed, it makes me really wonder how really how great a new Equinox/Torrent winning accolades is. And I got a killer quote on a new '10 Fusion Sport of all things today, heh. Round the world. Again, STILL want a Solstice, and still will go for one if nothing else strikes me, but in the low $20k's & new...there are a lot of different choices. From an award winning midsize "everyone has one" sedan to a little roadster that could win a design award but also full of "uh..." points to some new mini CUV's.

Wow...

Yes, sir. I'm a stickler for just the right "combo" and this is an example of one of them, interior color aside...but even that I like. On the financing, yep, I've never had to do anything special...but I've seen them take on anything & everything, in my various visits. Not that you're anything & everything, but it never hurts to ask at all. John is their guy when it comes to %'s...or just let you get on his computer to print out insurance cards because you forgot them otherwise, heh;-) We both have ADD, but in situations like this, again, never hurts to ask. I asked for ball park % rates they'd expect to get on the Solstice and got a guesstimate via email, just then depends on me personally when bounced off the different banks. I still want that black coupe...still do...I wish it were at Pointe...but until I can sit in & drive both body styles, still can't say for sure. That goes for anything else I might spot & want to try along the way, including some new Fords... Today I talked myself into how much the 2.4L would be great, how fun these would be to drive, and even how nice it would be to have the USB input on the black coupe's head unit as I was driving home, tinkering with my iPhone & aux. cord in the G8. Round and round we go.

Heehee...there was a point in time...not long ago...when I heard the GM Card topoff earnings were back, and I thought "hmm"...hey...there's a cheap new...something... Lasted about 4 minutes You know though...I never have seen a G3 in the wild... Heehee...well...I did just get 2 free Philly auto show tickets from the owner of Pointe...so...you know...we could both head there, figure out a car to grab each (the Pointe guys are financing pro's from what I've seen) and then hit the auto show to close the day out

I'll PM you...what an idea, if not too far or a hassle;-)

Thought about it. Still do. To finally let the cat out of the bag...the original car this thread was started about was another '09 G8 GT. Why special? Owned by a meticulous retired friend, Pacific Slate like mine but also with a sunroof, Pedders suspension, Corsa catback, 3 sets of wheels, and various other accessories. All with only 8k miles and to take over his CRAZY cheap 39 month lease (put a big $$ chunk down, wanted to finance but also liked the idea of dropping the keys & running away in 3 years) at not only at $150 less per month than my GT financed, but about 20 months left & a low end buyout too. Everything he had for it went with it, and it was like mine but pampered even more. What a deal. But in the end he mentioned it to his daughter after me (then regretted it) who turned out interested & took it instead. He has automotive ADD too & just bought himself a new black Jeep Wrangler, of all things, yesterday. Funny part is, no matter what I could buy aside from the cheapest Solstice, I'll still end up paying more monthly than that modded & spotless G8 GT lease. Oh well. Just have to find a lightly used PSM GXP in times to come, instead. GREAT post Roger...you & I would both enjoy & go crazy shopping together;-)

Not far, I think. Smail in Greensburg. I know Cochran but not familiar with this place, beyond that they have this car.

Awesome shots! Right about now I'm envious of that...uh...climate even just visible in AZ...

I do, I do...if only that damn roof were easier to deal with & didn't necessitate another $1k piece to make it stowable on the fly... And if only it or one was closer, or at "my" dealer. The white roadster they do have that I've looked at 3 times still speaks to me too. All I need to do is sit in a roadster and then a coupe, and play with the roof on each and see from there. Jumping ahead, I emailed my 3M clear bra guy in Philly for a quote and he's already set to go...heh...I told him white or black...and got offered a discount "since you have been a great customer"...yeah, the G8 has been cleared over over, up front 2x...can't have a car without the stuff. The other 2 wildcards here...there's still a white GXP roadster a few miles from the base white one above, and another dealer in PA has 1 remaining coupe, a red GXP. It's too much $$ and red, but alas. Oh, if only I could get a Pacific Slate one...

Another day almost done and I think I'm still stuck on one of these little go karts... So many other things to consider, but in the end can I stand having something everyone else does? Or just another car that's "another car"? Not really. Grr, if only I could sit in & drive a few of these back to back, I could make up my mind better. Thought about VW's. Thought about Terrains. Thought about various Fords. Still not hitting it. Driving the G8 home tonight, I realized how it really checked ALL the boxes off, from purring luxury car, to Vette acceleration, to room galore, etc. I just want something "else" to play with. If only there were a GXP coupe for a better price and closer by...that wasn't liquid red like the one that is available...

I'd never seen one, no one knew whose new car it was, then the rest of the day "what do you think of those wheels?" was said many times. The person who bought it wasn't sure & said he tried to have the dealer swap them out, but none of their other Escape's matched...IMHO all black, it just looks cool, on an otherwise drab plebian Escape. And yes, should be an option elsewhere

2010 Ford Escape XLT in black, black, black, black and more black...even chrome lipped wheels that were otherwise also gloss black. Not sure what the trim package is, but brand new, and a co-worker company car replacement. Looked menacing. Or at least made a garden variety Escape special. Caught the Ford bug today...heh. EDIT: Ah, it's a new "Sport" package.

Good points, really. Roger made a good point to me earlier today that I should probably slow it down a bit, do some shopping, hit the Philly auto show, etc. Mainly because I, like him, have automotive ADD. Pretty true. That said, what it comes down to is what, if I'm going to the extent of taking on a 2nd car payment (albeit as low as possible), what could I get for that certain $$$ figure and feel it is WORTH every last cent, month to month? If used or older, unless really over the top, could I stand making a payment on something that's already been around the block several times? Cash, okay, but otherwise IDK. An SUV is practical, comfortable, roomy, all weather ready, etc. But usually no more efficient than my G8, there are a lot of stylish choices out there but none that really are what you'd call exclusive or rare (okay, aside from an Isuzu Vehicross...), and they're not exactly engaging to drive. The G8 is quite the multi talented beast, but sometimes I want just a bit more luxury, a bit more soft silence, etc. Then there are also times I'm just doing my daily flailing around, and think, this is GREAT but a smaller little sport something could be even better. For "those" days, that is. I'm a sucker for exclusivity, yet another reason why, of all my cars, I had the least passion for my Malibu. I don't do appliance & if I can go weeks without seeing myself? Check mate. Heh. You guys are good, very good. I wish I could get a day or two off earlier & figure myself out without another full week to stew;-)

Base 2.4L & automatic, most every other option. In a perfect world, I'd want the DI 2.0T but to get otherwise what I want, still new & at a doable price, so far only base models have been the choice. I had visions of cruising in this coupe after I got the pic...grrr...;-)

By request, the dealer in western PA snapped a shot of the black coupe in their showroom for me. Oh boy.

^^That is COOL!

Heehee, you never know. Now that I took a third look at that insanely low mileage '01 Yukon SLT 5-seater, buttery leather seats and all (back in the years they had awesome leather), it continues to intrigue me. I sent a late email to my guy there about moving forward with get me some % rates & we can chat from there on the Solstice, however that works. Sent an email to the dealer with the black coupe, too, with a similar request. Or...maybe I'll just buy a 9 year old Yukon & call it a day

Believe it or not...I was looking at those same TWO things earlier today I started to get an Envoy thing going on there for a while, heh. My guy Kevin there is great and I love the little place, so, you know...we could work something out. They like to deal, without much effort & it's just a friendly little place with some volume. Then times to come, they have apparently mastered the Terrain allocation system, so... I REALLY like that Yukon...and the price...hmm... I was about to send my guy there an email or call him today to say start checking on the financing for me, as they've had other bites on that Solstice in the meantime, but I still haven't had a chance to try them out & would forever wonder if that black coupe would just stick too hard in my head...

Roger, I value your opinion on these the most...since you had one I didn't like the 2.4L in our Malibu because it was a slurpy pig, but at the same time, in a car like this, it has to be better. The 2.0T is a standout, but of course, that's also why there are so few left to pick from...except for a white GXP roadster in northern DE with cloth seats (a plus for me) that I also liked & wanted to see. White would be a breeze for maintenance, black looks great but would drive me crazy too. I like the idea of more structure behind my head, and a full hatch vs. a clam shell trunk with little space under it, but then at the same time having the hardtop you can't store in the car and the softtop being a $1,000 accessory and that it takes up the full cargo space if you store it anyway, there's not a perfect setup. Just those natural Kappa design flaws that make them actually attractive, plus that they're so small but I fit in them nicely. "My" dealer had a Wicked (sport red) base coupe last year that really caught my eye, and was the car when I asked about it got the response of "yeah, as if it isn't hard enough to sell a convertible, no one wants to deal with the coupe roof...we dealer traded it off finally". They've had this white roadster for a long time, dealer traded in from PA some time back, and is their last Pontiac just as the black coupe is the other dealer's last Pontiac. Whatever it is...even if it remains just the G8...next time we meet up, you can have at either. I promise!

Yep, and toxic, but it still smells good to some of us. Add in certain leathers, which aren't a bad aroma, and it can be really nice.

Interesting point...that new GM smell always gets me...in a good way. The Fords, I wonder, if it might be because some have soy or corn based seat foam, etc. and it just naturally isn't as potent, in that typical vinyl sort of way? They kind of smell as they look, GM's fruitier & fresher, especially with the Buick/Cadillac leather aroma, Ford's more austere and gray...if that makes sense I can't remember what a new Chrysler smells like nowadays anyway either...hmm...

Oh, IF ONLY...

Wow, I really do think like a lot of you... I was browsing "my dealer's" site today with the one Solstice and looked at a low mileage CPO '06 Impala SS of all things, heh. Then some older Grand Prix's, from about '02-03. That could be an even more affordable option & check off other boxes, albeit not exclusive unless a really rare model of some sort. The goal of a #2 is not to be a winter car, a summer car, or just a trip car, but to have something that I enjoy & can spread some of the G8's extra miles onto. Of course, financially, just driving the G8 as much as I need or want to and let that be that costs less in the end...but I've done so much to it, I don't know, just want to preserve. And some days? Honestly? A 360+ horse, BIG sedan can be a bit much, great, but a bit much at times. The coupe looks amaze me, but the top situation, etc. and the fact it would be more work to get one are what remains stacked against it. I need to do a back to back sit in & drive of each, and see from there. Funny, pics of the white roadster (yep, even Amana, err, GM Summit White) just looks good on this car with the polished wheels...and then can look completely drab & blah in others like above. That's white for you. At least it'd be easy to maintain. Here's a shot of the ACTUAL roadster in NJ, behind a Lucerne of all things...heh...fun shot: Solstice remains the cheapest option, somehow, of other things I'd want. I never did like that 2.4L in our Malibu, though...mmm...but with the 5-spd, etc. it has to be different in a smaller, RWD Kappa. Hopefully just not a pig or as much of a slug as it was in the 'Bu...unless...

Silver solstice roadster with the chromies, cruising beside me down Rt. 1 on Friday evening...hot. Black G8 GT with the standard 18" silver wheels facing me at a red light yesterday, pre-snow, I looked, smiled & waved, got a weird look back. Okay then, Mr. G8'er...be confused Black '10 Camaro SS with blacked windows, orange stripes & the charcoal ground effects...see it often...too cool. Aqua Blue '10 Camaro SS Tuesday, followed to the dentist realized it was a lady of about 75 behind the wheel, she turned off to a side road through a field and just BLASTED it...no LeSabre for that lady...I'd like to meet her

Today, online only however, in between working & Sunday chores, I browsed anything from used Avalanche's (mmm, a Bermuda Blue one would match the G8...and remains one of my favorite trucks/SUV/things ever), to Taurus's, to Milan's, to Lexus's (well...that's another crazy story...), Infiniti's, a Honda something or other and then back to the Solstice's. So among all that, and still, price wise even though there isn't much size for the $$, nothing has yet to beat the deal of a last run Solstice nor do I want anything as much. Well, at least until later tonight when I change my mind again. If you were buying a Solstice...spare me if you'd never, ever want one...2009, base 2.4L, automatic, loaded with everything else which of the following & why: 1) Pure (white) '09 base convertible, black leather. Nearby & $8k off. Great dealer. I've NEVER seen a white Solstice in person until this one at my dealer. (same car, just polish the wheels to be like #2) 2) Mysterious (black) '09 base coupe, black leather. 6 hours west, $7k off, final price $2k higher than #1...but it's a coupe...it's black...more cargo space?...dealer seems good, back near where I used to live. But it's also black, has an annoying roof...$2k higher final price than #1. To keep this going & before I drive other things and may decide...take a gander...post away...I could use the Kappa pointers