caddycruiser

Since everyone is so stuck on the stripe and the hellish dealer sticker... ...new test for you. Who can spot a clear bra? Look hard...

Of course :AH-HA_wink: I take the 3 month variety. Then again, after what the G6 and then the Malibu sort of put me through...the G8 is just the nice reward for staying GM true despite best efforts by the cars themselves to push me off. And thank you.

Okay guys, 2 for 2...ignore the dealer sticker. Tell yourself it isn't there, on any of the 3 and enjoy otherwise :AH-HA_wink:

I know about the pinstripes...like my G6 I wasn't sure, but I really like it. I bought it in New Jersey at a dealer who--shockingly--actually made it a policy to not install the front plate brackets unless requested (strange for NJ), but once in a while will do a stripe on a car. The other one I looked at was pure & clean, but I actually liked the stripe. Still do, and am glad it's on there. As for the dealer sticker, that can come off at anytime but I never take them off unless they're big, tacky, etc. Again strangely, I'm just proud to say where it came from--especially the dealer this car came from. I'm happy to advertise for them, too. This and the stripe seem to really stand out in pictures, more so than real life, I swear. Oh well. Thanks for the comments otherwise...and yes, the new Malibu looks the toned, older brother of slab sided, fragile standing last gen. No comparison for my G8, however, hah.

I’m trying to make this short, but if you’ve seen even my other single posts...humor me. It’s a long time coming. For more pictures of each of my 3 new GM rides, hit the Member’s Rides Showcase HERE. If any of you remember, last year early in the summer after I had just graduated and started working officially, I posted about new car shopping. Driving my beloved ’95 Cadillac Fleetwood at the time, I thought I wanted to make a drastic change and was looking at anything from a Chevy HHR to a Honda Fit to, essentially, what I “really wanted” with another new Malibu like I had chosen for my mother earlier in the year and loved. #1: 2008 Pontiac G6 GT Coupe White Diamond Tri-Coat, Light Taupe cloth, Sunroof/6-CD, 18” 5-spoke wheels, Remote Start, Cargo Nets & Floor Mats. Ended up with an ’08 G6 GT coupe that I actually really, really, really liked, and it was a car I never expected to even give a second thought but stumbled upon on the dealer lot, sat in, checked out, and drove a few. Had to have one, really. Spec’d out the perfect one & my dealer got it for me from a dealer in south Jersey, no sweat. I really did enjoy this car for what it should have been and honestly still miss it—yes, really. It fit me well, was fun, looked terrific and enough so that it garnered positive comments and questions daily, and I liked how it drove. And, also unexpectedly, I did a 3 year lease so I for sure could jump into something else by about the presumed time I was ready. BUT, but, BUT, even in the first 24 hours bizarre things started happening and from that first night onto the next 3 straight months of insanity, despite how much I enjoyed the car, it was a nightmare in regards to un-resolvable issues. What went wrong? A list works best, I guess. 1) First night I drove it home, it poured and for whatever reason with this, steam/vapor would just pour out of the front when it was running and got wet. Not a real issue, per say, but not at all normal vs. any other car we’ve ever had, especially when parked in the driveway and it would just keep spewing for 5+ minutes. Alarmed someone at a red light beside me once in the rain too, steaming away. Talked to other G6 owners, even at the dealer, never heard of it with anyone else and eventually—I think—it just stopped happening. Really, this was nothing compared to the other problems. 2) The “Check Gas Cap” alarm & light, or, shall I call it, my in car greeting at least once a week if not once a day from the first morning I had it. Initially, all excited to drive my new car to work, I left home and within a mile ding-ding-ding, Check Gas Cap came on. Probably one of the most common car alerts around, I knew it well and, although unexpected, pulled over, tightened the cap, and went about my merry way. If only I had known. This ding-ding-ding, alert message on, and then even having gas fumes clearly apparent in the car happened 17 times in total, in the 3.5 months I had the car. Another issue that may or may not have been related was the car chugging and/or shaking from time to time, at idle, under power, or just lightly cruising—often, although randomly in degree. It was checked, checked again, GM TAC was called, and in the end as part of the final repair attempt, after again checking every kind of evap & fuel system part & test they could, dropped the gas tank, replaced the fuel pump, fuel level sensor/sender, gas cap, and re-installed. After? Ran the same if not worse, ding-ding-ding and Check Gas Cap came on more than once and was now accompanied by a gas gauge that would go up-down-up and dance around as it felt, the Check Engine light came on one day with the crazed gauge, AND now even the Outside Temp readout was goofed, sticking on a wrong temperature forever throughout the day only to maybe update or not, if it felt like it. Never, ever fixed, and just went on and on…ding-ding-ding. 3) Creaking, popping, rattling, crackling, thunking, banging, and any other obnoxious sound that could possibly come from the roof, sunroof, and headliner of a car—and go unfixed, baffling everyone. Like the gas “alerts”, this too started early and after repeated fixes, nothing. The very first time I drove the car around the lot when it first arrived after the dealer car swap down from Jersey, there was a light creaking from around the sunroof but only very slight and I—too concerned with the cool new car-ness among other things—dismissed what I heard as maybe a dry or dirty sunroof seal on a car that really had never been driven or used much, at all. Oh, again, if only I knew. Fix 1 actually did work, but only for a day, with the dealer techs dropping the headliner tightening up what they thought were loose sunroof cables, and re-assembling. Drove home and after a few normal road bumps and vibration, Mr. Creaky-Poppy was back by the time I hit the driveway. Took it in again and again along with the fuel issue and they’d try, calling GM TAC, searching bulletins, etc. and despite actually doing everything GM told them to do as far as tightening, lubing, insulating, adding foam, etc., it only got worse and though the sunroof always worked perfectly, just left me with a roof full of “galloping horses” as my mother called it after I showed her a video, that simply would not stop. 4) Maybe in relation to the fuel system issue, maybe not, the car also always had a low grade rumble/vibration that always felt powertrain related—and a road force tire/wheel re-balance certainly never helped—that essentially manifested itself as a shake felt through my butt & back when cruising, albeit most of the time but also sometimes when it randomly felt like being smooth. In relation to the fuel issues and otherwise, they tried but it never went away, and I essentially just got used to the oddity. After about a month and a half, I finally called GM/Pontiac assistance, started a claim and though they tried, apologizing for the amount and repetition of issues I had, it never all actually met the “3 repeated times and attempted repairs for per issue” rulebook, so they alone couldn’t do much. So I filed a BBB AutoLine claim, requested it either finally fixed or replaced, and after a month of the process and an official final repair, and an AWESOME GM rep who I still have the contact for and hope remains with GM, they offered me a no upcharge, no usage fee trade repurchase for any other GM vehicle I’d like. A shame, but it happens was the attitude I tried to keep amongst the extreme aggravation and craze it drove me to. Though I was mentally planning it for a while, picking a replacement was a bit nerve racking but I did it and eventually the G6 was turned back in on October 22, 2008 and now, after a trip through GM headquarters soon thereafter, hit the auctions and a GM dealer used lot in Wisconsin (thanks Carfax) and resides in the Midwest somewhere. Probably the most influential factor in my case and having it repurchased was videotaping EVERYTHING EVERYDAY and doing daily send offs to my GM rep, who thanked me greatly for doing so...I watch them now just to remember the daily nightmare. NOT. But still, enjoy: http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c101/cad.../G6%20Problems/ Funny thing? Whoever now has it STILL has yet to set up their Ontar account and I STILL, every month get the Onstar check up email, like clockwork. Hah. Nice to see how it’s, uh, doing, I guess. #2: 2009 Chevrolet Malibu 2LT V6 Summit White, Cocoa/Cashmere UltraLux, Power Sunroof, Premium Mats, Power Package (rear window shade & 110-volt outlet). This was a great car, for sure. I completely fell for the Malibu after having a last gen rental (yes, the ugly Enterprise special variety) for a month while my Cadillac was being re-built, and then saw and drove the new ’08 model. Got my mother into one and really liked them even more after living with one for a bit and being impressed by it in so many ways. Originally when I bought the G6, a Malibu was high on my list if not first but I ended up liking the coupe layout of the G6 more and the price/features was better for me at the time. Once the G6 turned out to be a disaster and GM took it back, a new Malibu was my natural choice or at least the one I naturally gravitated to after being so used to the Epsilon platform and our other one having been so terrific at the same time. My G6 was rather loaded so the trade repurchase allowed for a very loaded Malibu, and I decided on another 2LT but with a V6 and more stuff as my replacement. Definitely better than my G6 in so many ways, especially refinement where it felt like a completely different and more refined car in ways, smooth, quiet, sharp handling, compact but roomy, and the generally creamy and nice sounding 3.6L underhood. Everyone else loved the interior and features on this car when I’d drive, and it gave a good showing, for sure. Too bad it never felt “right” to me, from interior comfort to some driving dynamics AND it also had issues (basically AN issue) too, that escalated to the point of GM engineers coming for a visit and me then having to drive with a data recorder to continue the R&D in my daily driving and car payment making. What was it this time? Though I test drove the car 4 times before signing anything and not one thing seemed at all abnormal, just splendid, smooth, and such a nice ride, from—I guess like the G6, kind of—the first day I drove it home I felt what was a bizarre and very noticeable drivetrain shudder that would reverberate through the floor and seat based on my throttle and speed from the trans/engine right from around 40mph exactly up to around 55’ish, depending on the day and time. It wasn’t an everyday thing and never to the extent of the G6 issues, by any means, but still something that drove me bonkers from time to time and eventually by the end of ’08 (literally, December 31st) I took it in for a check out. A tech drove it, noted the same thing I had and even called GM TAC about it, but was told—at least based on their account—it was normal. Didn’t think so, and after my G6 saga they knew I wouldn’t even fathom bringing something back in unless it really was happening, so I moved on to the next steps while still, really, enjoying the car overall and—after such a saga with the G6—not saying a word to anyone except for on a Malibu forum I still frequent. To make this quick, I never went back for a month, but in the meantime we started a poll on the forum regarding who had the issue and who didn’t and the results were pretty telling, I forwarded this off and my experiences to date to both Chevy customer assistance and Ed Peper (yep, really—he replies to emails quickly and was a help with this), and the next day had the GM exec offices calling to set things up. Another long story short, 2 engineers were sent, they test drove the car and data logged, met with me, I drove, etc., etc. but of course like most car problems, Mr. Malibu was having a good smooth day. Still, they were great and believed me so the car was set up with a mobile data recorder “Family Feud button” for me to press whenever driving and the shuddering was happening. I obliged and had gotten farther than any other affected Malibu owner had so far, so I wanted to push on but after the G6 being an R&D tester daily was beyond getting old, and I had already started “shopping” right after New Year’s casusally. By the time I turned the device back in I had already been shopping and was making a deal on the replacement—enough was enough, and beyond issues I was already tired of making a lease payment on something that simply didn’t “do it” for me enough, had seats that never agreed with my butt or back, etc.. See yah, ‘Bu #2. At least #1 is still around, doing great, and I do still like it a lot—very impressive car, just not for me, as I saw once again AFTER the fact. #3: 2009 Pontiac G8 GT Pacific Slate, Onyx Leather, Premium Package, Sport Package The best. I love this car like nothing else I’ve ever driven, owned, thought about, etc. It’s just a killer car. Before I ever even started with the G6, a loaded G8 GT was “the car” I looked at a few times on the lot and just was enamored by the looks, the interior, how things like the door handles felt, the idea of a 6.0L/6-spd underhood, etc. but still, it never seemed like something realistic to me, both from a price and, uh, needs perspective. The Malibu was a great car and I still miss things like the interior look, features, suede, etc. but otherwise, the G8 is a whole other playing field. 6+ months of living with two consecutive FWD V6 cars, issues and all, gave me a much better view of what it was I really did want and would actually be happy with—happy enough to enjoy paying for monthly. The answer remained a G8. Amidst dealing with my Malibu issues and having yet another case going with GM, February came around and so did finally some unbeatable deals on the G8. I kind of knew what I wanted this time around to, in model, color, and options and after the playout of both the G6 and Malibu with my dealer, I certainly wasn’t going to shop there amidst the latest case, so I shopped. Found a handful of G8’s, got quotes all over, and narrowed it down to 2 matching cars in both MD and NJ, handling everything by email. Drove up the first Saturday of February, test drove both, got great trade prices on the Malibu from both, and then just had that week to sort out the deal. I just couldn’t get over the warm, happy atmosphere and a staff that seemed to read my mind when it came to special requests at the Jersey dealer, plus the internet sales guy was just the absolute best ever, anywhere. Had some extras added on (trunk mat, tint, clear bra), and then drove up the end of the week on Friday 2/13 to give them the Malibu and pick up my new G8. Never looked back even once regarding the Malibu, which I didn’t expect, but the G8 just does it for me…and NO issues. None. It’s great, and after what was 7 months of enough things to make a person think they’re insane almost, nice to be back in the normal world with a hot new car. The G8 is just beautiful. Physically, if it’s not just for the looks, the Pacific Slate color garners fans all its own, and underneath it’s so solid, rides so well, handles like a well bred performance/luxury sedan, and has that glorious AFM equipped 6.0L purring away that it’s hard to beat—and everything I ever could have wanted. Even better, unlike both the G6 and Malibu that were leased and I had that “last day” forever in mind, the G8 is really mine (or, will be) and I’m already modding. I learned from my Fleetwood that I need that ability to keep me interested more…and there’s no shortage with the G8. SO…that’s the synopsis and random beauty shots of my bouncings through the ranks of GM for months on end, only to end up “Down Under” with the dreamboat I never fathomed I’d have. EDIT: OH, and as for the Fleetwood...sold it to a friend/fellow Fleetwood enthusiast in Chicago who has black '96 show car version, to be his daily driver. He put some money into it to take care of some basic maintenance, re-did the suspension & brakes, and then sold it again to an older next door neighbor who had an early 90's Town Car but was apparently enamored by the Fleetwood and would come over to ask about it every few days, cash in hand. It's now his, sitting garaged and the replacement baby for his ex Town Car. I was supposed to head out there 2 months ago and make a stop to see it, but have yet to make it.

3) The car: 2009 Pontiac G8 GT The stuff: Pacific Slate, Onyx Leather, Premium Package (heated leather), Sport Package (19” wheels, sport pedals, sport steering wheel) The pictures: MORE pictures here: http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c101/cad...0Stuff/09%20G8/ Enjoy! And be sure to check out the, uh, long and fascinating story about how each of these 3 beauties came, aggravated, went, drove me crazy, and then made me smile once again in the Lounge HERE :AH-HA_wink:

2) The car: 2009 Chevrolet Malibu 2LT V6 The stuff: Summit White, Cocoa/Cashmere UltraLux, HF V6 package, Power Sunroof, Premium Mats, Power Package (rear window shade & 110-volt outlet) The pictures: MORE pictures here: http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c101/cad...ff/09%20Malibu/

This has been very, very strange, and somewhat hard to explain after the first exciting “new car” days the middle of last summer only to go downhill around a sharp corner bounce back and end up Down Under, but finally here they all are. See my post in the Lounge HERE for the story of how/why/when/where. 1) The car: 2008 Pontiac G6 GT Coupe The stuff: White Diamond Tri-Coat, Light Taupe Cloth, Power Sunroof/6-CD, 18” Wheels & StabiliTrak, Remote Start, Cargo Nets & Floor Mats The pictures: MORE pictures here: http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c101/cad...0Stuff/08%20G6/

Welcome soon to the post college 6 digits club :AH-HA_wink:

That's AWESOME siegen :AH-HA_wink:

Completely with you on that. I still honestly feel that my 4 years were worth every penny, but it's an insane amount when you look at it after the fact or ponder repaying it. That part you don't think about until it's THAT time. My master plan, especially given my degree and where I was graduating from, was to be able to make enough to live comfortably while also getting the "life mortgage" paid down and off as quickly as possible. That, of course, didn't work out as of yet, other than the enjoying work part. So, daily and monthly, I ponder, how this will pan out for the next umpteen years or, more immediately, what might or should change with what I'm doing myself. Ah, student loans.

Oh, some day...over the rainbow. Thankfully, no credit card balances of anything, but the 6-year 1.9% loan on my G8 (almost no interest, longer term...pay it off quicker if and as I please) and my, uh, LARGE student loans from 4-years of Villanova (say, uh, 6 figures literally by a few dollars) will be with me for a while. The latter, especially, I refer to as my "life mortgage" for many reasons. If it weren't for the student loans, I'd have quite the nice place very comfortably, but even without any car expense, it's too much of a stretch given my current career. That's my one current, uh, issue, but working on it. At least I started with my savings, IRA's and such several years back. No debt = a great feeling. As for cars, at least that is until something else catches your eye, as happens with most people.

Cool. Yes, this was my ploy as a PA transplant after 10 years of seeing ads for both low tags and rare vanities for sale, to gave one. Worked beautifully. The tag fascination here is incredible, and lives on.

Delaware weather. It's a new lesson in WTF everyday.

I know...in little Delaware, if it isn't the G8, I get more pointing, blabbering, questions, etc. about the plate than anything else. Literally, everytime I'm at a red light, whoever is behind me leans forward for a closer look and if someone else is in the car, nudges them and they "discuss" it. Then try to move up to see who I might be. More than worth the $40 a year, and the black/gold tag is awesome. But that's off topic. It looks even better on the G8, and is another reason why I love this picture...that, and all the other GM's looking towards it, even though the scenery isn't the best.

As if seeing it everyday weren't enough...I just loved this picture, so it's my desktop on both computers. Getting old, though, so might be time for another G8 angle out of the collection :AH-HA_wink:

Drum roll please...pictures with me are an exclusive, rare item (hah...), and being so, the few I have are all random friend snaps. Here's me during Senior Week days before graduating from Villanova...ah, I miss it. Until a friend takes another good picture of me, this is what will remain "me" online for quite a while. "caddy" has finally been revealed...

So, as before, will you remain a Delaware <-> Europe resident?

I love this car just from knowing everything about it to one extent, but now living & loving day in and day out a G8 GT with the same guts, I'm gaga for it. I've already unrealistically contemplated having both, but at the same time the 4-door G8 and it's HUGE space inside, prolonged exclusivity (I keep thinking...there's still so few of us, etc.), sedan stealth factor to an extent, etc. just fits for me more than a Camaro would, really. I'd just love one for a "sometimes" toy, but I get all that same fun and driving dynamics already in a car I can comfortably drive daily and still load with stuff. The Camaro is just such a smoking hot car...take that blah Mustang or boaty Challenger and shove them. These bedamned big, heavy, porky pigs known as Zetas are just killer, killer cars. Make mine a Cyber Gray 1SS with Titanium cloth, 20" wheels, sunroof...you know :AH-HA_wink:

Yesterday passed a new silver 2009.5 G6 sedan both coming and going from work to home, at almost the same point in the road, with out of state plates. Clearly still the same car, but the new nose looks so much more detailed and fresher than the existing flat blah-ness one, and the lower side sills and painted mirrors similarly brighten up the sometimes drab sides. All little pieces, and I've seen them on the dealer lot, but it was nice to see how much better they actually look now on the road too--or at least fresher.

Hmm, GM really does have quite a few interesting "smaller" choices. And to think, last year I almost was into an HHR myself. Still really like them, a lot, for various reasons. But, just...couldn't...do it. Then again, after a G6 GT, Malibu, and now G8 GT, that should be understandable. The Pontiac "thing", aside from the G3, and even re-fascia'd G5 and all, really grabs me, which I never, ever, ever expected and I still don't understand. Ever since the G6, problematic and all, it just felt and looked right to me...of all the GM brands, go figure. G5: Cool little side friend to your G6, refined enough, efficient, etc. and not exactly wow, but especially in GT form a cool little car that's more standout than a Cobalt. The awesome, awesome south Jersey dealer I bought my G8 from still has a leftover '08 GT in red apparently...hmm...? G3: I know several Aveo drivers and they all love their cars, but most also use them as 2nd cars, town runabouts, or commuters. The Pontiac nose & such isn't a horrible thing, but isn't great either. I'd say not enough car, at least for what you'd want. HHR: Fun little wagon that's not overly spacious like a lot of new small wagons, but fun, refined, efficient, etc. and not at all a bad choice. Vibe: Kinda like the HHR but a Toyo, a slight bit more functional inside, etc. just not as distinctive, optionable, etc. And, well, not your typical new GM, both good and bad. Really hard to say, except for our own personal preferences. Hopefully you can do some in depth looking, driving, etc. and get a good offer from GM, in time.

Oh yes...then again, I never stop, regardless of the time of year. It was 70'ish over the weekend, the G8 got the rain muck from the end of last week cleansed since it's last full wash the Saturday before, it rained while I let it sit at work today, then got a no rinse wipe/wash tonight to freshen...and a re-dry again after it decided to light rain for a minute afterwards. Aside from the OCD with my own, the other cars are doing well except for the Malibu which is, uh, bothering me. It'll soon be on break time with a bed ridden fused spine driver, so I'll probably get around to fully re-freshing it for her. It's overdue, in my book.

Very good review, yes :AH-HA_wink: After repeatedly getting 87 from Royal Farms in my G6, possibly to some strange results, possibly not (our Malibu has been perfect on the same), I switched to only 87 from Exxon in my Malibu. Then with the G8, I started out the first time with Exxon and after confirming Shell's "top tier" status (that, and really, it's about the only big brand choice around here), I'm now locked on only the Shell station for the 93 Supreme it enjoys sipping post tune. Random stations scare me, for whatever reason, though the G6 was the only car I ever had issues with, repeatedly, though I'm pretty sure they weren't fully station induced--just a psychotic, screwed up car and fuel system. So, long story short, I'm now happy with and sticking to Shell's 93 for the G8, but could comfortably use 93 from Exxon, Wawa, or a Sheetz if visiting PA...I think.

Welcome to the very well known "Nigerian scam". Even when they're not from Nigeria, it's still the same thing. Garbage.

They still are here...I've seen 2, and only 1 was local, and I've never seen it since. Heck, there are more of us G8'ers, and there's only a couple of us. Just no Challengers, ever, anywhere. Oh well. Waiting to see how it turns out with the Camaro in that regard.