caddycruiser

Great, you should be good to roll for many years then :AH-HA_wink: Curious...does it have single or double front sunvisors? From '00-03, they all had the much liked double sun visors and then still had some left over for the start of '04, and many early builds had them--our '04 Suburban, built in August '03, did, for example. Does yours or is it just a more common later build?

All the best to you, and the changing GM :AH-HA_wink: As CARBIZ found out...due to the watching/monitoring that goes on among the boards (beyond the level people even remotely suspect) and just what can come out in posts, without intention, this isn't unexpected. From a Delaware person to another (well, at one time...maybe current, etc.), Gut tschüs und viel Glück!...hopefully that's mostly correct...

This is a great overview for someone like me who NEVER misses the autoshow...but did just that this year :AH-HA_wink: Years ago, I used to go to the Baltimore show with my father (closest, relatively, coming from lower Delaware and he knows the area), and recently have been doing Philly since it's a train ride away.

Pro GM is great...but NOT to the detriment of pulling someone away from something they like and you can afford. There's nothing wrong with a Volvo, and a lot that is GREAT, so why not try something different for once? You can even lease them very well, in most cases. When GM makes something that's great and I like it to the point of signing the check...great. But if something completely different is the winner for me, so be it. Don't be brand/company phobic just "because" :AH-HA_wink:

Hah! That's what I wish I had done myself today...great realizations on your part :AH-HA_wink: What have I seen...well, it wasn't immediate...but a Smart in ever color, trim, model, etc. at the dealer here. Didn't see them all until this past weekend, and it still is a bizarre experience to see such a thing, in Pennsylvania or anywhere US. Also, never until this past week, but a Black Granite Malibu LS, then a Silverstone LS, followed by a Sandstone (yuck) 2LT V6...there were none, and now I think the effect of the sales explosion is starting to be seen.

It's still shocking (though it shouldn't be) to realize the number of people who still think EXACTLY like this. As I've said before, now a senior about to graduate with a mechanical engineering degree...even professors and other ME students who "should know" still make comments like this day in and day out. Of all the people, it's of these two groups that I just...

No, you're NOT. My Suburban driving mother just went Malibu...and that's still a bit "large" to her, and IF it were just her & dad, she'd love to drive VW Beetle still. Dad, the Roadmaster driver (that's been his smallest vehicle in a while) has been talking so much about "I really wish I had something smaller and a lot more efficient, I just can't decide what. Something like a Beetle...but...that's too small, maybe." I had him talking when I was home, and he also asked me about the HHR when we saw one, "That might not be a bad idea, but they don't make them with a stick or anything"...I told him they do..."Hmmm...really. Too bad they're ugly, or weird, or something...I can't decide what." So, we have 2 potential Beetle people here...my dad being the one that still shocks me, but he goes 100% on looks, and in small cars, that does it for him. Me, the Fleetwood driver (seriously...even at a decently large college, I have the biggest car to be seen), my upcoming new car will be much smaller, for sure. I can't figure out what, and am thinking a step down to Malibu size like mom would work...but then I also keep thinking it's only me, and even SMALLER would be great. So, Astra, Beetle, Mini, etc., etc. and even a Smart aren't far off. Ever since the Smart dealer opened less than a mile down the street, with then a VW dealer a block further, etc., it's always been on my mind. The car that did it for me was my Malibu rental, in the sense that it was the first 4-cylinder vehicle I had ever driven, and I came to LOVE that aspect about it so much in the time I had it...I really started seeing things in a different light. It was also this that made me direct the purchase of mom's Malibu to stay with a 2.4L and not go V6 "just because" as so many past purchases have. And as much as I love my Fleetwood, the attention it gets, the rarity, the space, etc...I looked back on buying it 2 years ago, and even my mother said again to me several times recently, that I very much should have gone with something smaller, newer, and more efficient for the same dough. Basically, not just gone on "Oooh...look at that..." gut instinct. I've still yet to get myself to the auto show...but of everything, am dying to try out the Astra, the Smart, and reintroduce myself to the Beetle, Rabbit/GTI, and others that I've ignored in the past couple of years.

I really don't think "badge" engineering is a huge problem of theirs (the Durango/Aspen and Caravan/Town&Country are the only ones), the big problem is just too many vehicles that aren't even close to being competitive or are, somewhat, and just have terrible styling, refinement, materials, etc. It's time to cut off dead weight like the Compass (why that one never was before...who knows, as it certainly doesn't sell at ALL), get rid of the Aspen, etc. Even though it too didn't sell well lately, it's a shame the "last" of the eye pleasing, high quality (generally), refined, feature packed, etc. Pacifica had to die, because, in theory, if the rest of their vehicles had the combination of looks, interior quality, refinement, etc. it did, they'd be MUCH better off. They just need a massive clean house operation...basically. They could do a GM style turn around, but are so far below even bare minimums right now, and need so much to get it right...it's not a bright outlook.

You're not alone...I want one more than anything, and the fact that one of the most popular/biggest Smart dealers is a few blocks from me, it is SO tempting. Well, if I had the $13-15k, that is

Ah! Well then good, and it sounds like it went to a very nice home.

I must have missed a thread somewhere...but the Buick was fixed, and then put up for sale? Or is this a different one...

I think some of you are still thinking too MUCH, in terms of possibilities. Kind of like us and originally thinking of going with a Lambda to replace the Suburban. Yes, cheaper, and yes, more efficient...but marginally so. The HHR SS is a viable choice, but as ocnblu is re-thinking, potentially still right on the cusp or already over the "too MUCH" idea. Same with the Camaro, only that is even more over the mark. For someone who previously had small, 4-cyl vehicles and seemed to enjoy them...I think going right back to that route may not be a bad idea at all. Sometimes, when you've gone big (such as the trucks), you THINK that you can only go so far in terms of smaller, but it can be best to really, honestly, sleep on it. Just as he's doing...thinking, driving many smaller, efficient choices and mulling it over. For the time being, though, many suggestions are over the top. Maybe Astra, maybe regular LT/LS HHR, maybe a Subaru...but smaller, 4-cyl, and still fun without extra cylinders, turbos, etc. Ah, I love acting like the mind of someone I've never officially met :AH-HA_wink:

YES! The month I had the '07 Malibu 1LT 2.2L while my Fleetwood was being repaired, I missed the look and aura of my car...but really didn't miss "it" at all. The Malibu was not an eye catcher or with anything truly special, but after even the first day or so, I started looking back to when I bought the Fleetwood for my daily...and thinking why did I not actually ever look more seriously into something smaller, sportier, and even a 4-cyl, etc.? Well...we know how that worked out. I got my car back, and still enjoy it, but still wish it wasn't my daily...and then bought mom the new '08 Malibu, based HUGELY on what I said of the '07. And in her regard, this is a person that said she could never go back to anything but an SUV because of height, size, etc...and now can't believe she waited so long.

You're nuts, right? :AH-HA_wink: Camry "sticker" mileage in the city, using an expensive Hybrid system and a $50k+ pricetag...but the car still usually gets better, and really is an apples to...well...concrete comparison. Good point on the enthusiast bit, though...they may, but GM fanatics wouldn't typically know about such events. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That said, I ALMOST made it to this event but had to back out at the last minute! Signed up, but had to go away for the weekend, and still even if I was around...there's no way I could have been there on time. One, I would have slept in and two, I was NOT taking the Caddy in to the city and there's no train that early, so oh well. Last year, when we went on media day, it was awesome, for sure. I think I'm going to go down this week, either Friday or Saturday, hopefully with things having died down a bit.

Oil changes and such, yes. Anything else, such as a typical warranty repair, no. That said...congrats on the Vue! They're porky little beasts, but as many have said, you can instantly tell where some of that weight has gone when you close a door or drive around. And right now, with the terrible sales, there's deals to be had that didn't tend to be a Saturn thing before. When mom recently wanted something smaller, I was very close to recommending a new Vue XR FWD to her, especially since the local dealer had a few light optioned ones that could be had for around $22/23k. But, she wanted a sedan, and the Vue fuel mileage wouldn't probably have been high enough for the purposes of going smaller. I still really like them, though.

Yes, those are rare, especially because they were only made in 1991 and 1992, then dropped.

Just means the last owner de-badged it...it's clearly a Z71, not an LT (but same interior). Good choice. 2004 was a fine year...that's what our Suburban was, which served us very well before trading it for the new Malibu at 56k. What's the mileage and such on this one?

Hmm...I agree on that list, and also add this one: '95-99 Buick Riviera Not just because it's a GM (no influence), but more that it was probably the most unique and different vehicle ever to come off the G-platform, and a great car in reality. There's lots of others...but I'm drawing a blank...

Agreed, that's a new combo as of a month or so ago, and a very attractive one. I just saw the new Hybrid Tahoes and Yukons on Ebay too, and realized they must finally be out. Weird thing is, they've yet to be added to the GM sites as far as "build your own" or searching inventory. No mention, yet, even though you can get one.

My mother's boss just traded her '05 Durango for an '07/08 Pilot too a day or so ago. Back in the summer she had been looking at the Mazda CX-9 and really liked it in pictures, but her Durango just wasn't worth enough and the Mazda too small. Then, admittedly, when my mother traded her Suburban for the new Malibu...she felt left out and got the Pilot apparently through a relative or something. Her words: "It's nice. I get 18mpg now vs. 12 before." That said...as others have pointed out, the Pilot is NOTHING Special in the looks or even packaging department. But, it's a Honda, and with that should come the usually very nice drivetrain and polished feel, so Honda people will flock to it regardless. Or, as many Accord people are now, they admittedly aren't hot on the look or certain new details...but they want/need a new car (such as lease ending, etc.) and will only stick with an Accord, so they get used to it.

I bought mom a new Gateway laptop before Christmas (screaming Best Buy deal), and Vista is a bit clunky...but works well if your machine is up to it, or at least decently. Her laptop came with the usual 1GB memory standard, and from reading, it was said that Vista would tend to hang and be even slower with that, and to stick with 2GB as a minimum--so I popped in 2 new 1GB chips, and no issues. Seems quicker and more able to handle the hog of Vista. But it's hers, so what does she think? All she wanted was something she could sit go wherever and be on the internet or play games...and it succeeds well at that. She's not at all computer savvy, and was only used to the usual Windows, but has yet to hit upon anything in Vista that stumped her--and apparently was able to go in and play with settings I never knew she'd know about. Biggest of all? She LOVES the new Vista (or maybe it's just a new version in general...) Solitaire...much more active and higher tech looking/operating. Yeah, it's the little things... Hope it works well for you! Playing with mom's, I sure am jealous over the dull Dell Latitude I have, given to me by my school.

36F, or 2.22C here in the Philly suburbs right now. Reading posts above...holy geez. I thought it was FREEZING when it got to 10F here not long ago. And before that, the lowest I ever really remember was -2F (I think) when we lived in western PA, a.k.a. Siberia of NA. Or, at least we thought it was. Reminds me, why never to live much farther north or out in the north-midwest :AH-HA_wink:

Well, that was part of the point. Even in 4-cyl, LX-S form, the Accord looks great and actually has very nice wheels--I like the latter as much or more than the upper EX wheels. If ONLY they could have more successfully translated the coupe's overall strong proportions and details to the sedan. Oh well, exactly like the last gen, look for a new sedan butt job at least by maybe 2010.

I've wanted to see one of these in person ever since, years ago, seeing a special on TV about them...I think on the Travel channel, or something. Very, VERY cool, indeed, and hard to imagine they were originally done so long ago.

Thanks for reminding me :AH-HA_wink: Though, for whatever reason, I did this before and it kicked back to the new on my PC after a day or two. I think that may be just my own settings. Either way, ahh...SO much easier and cleaner to use again!!