PurdueGuy

Police cars don't generally need to be super-fast anyway - you can't outrun Motorola.

looks decent... I'd still buy a chevy.

Well, maybe not after they get production numbers up. Can't expect it overnight, though. None of this "why doesn't the Cobalt base model come with a 6 speed auto standard for '08!?" stuff, people... Good grief - it's the energizer battery. Maybe it was to avoid some lawsuit (unless it would cause one *shrug*), maybe it was a misquote... but it just makes the person sound like an idiot. Oh, and 200,000 mile life isn't something to brag about. Now, if that's with abuse & lousy maintenance, then that's dandy. If that's WITH proper maintenance & normal driving, then that's mediocre, if not sub-par. Knowing GM and transmissions, it's a conservative estimate, and the tranny will be great.

more integrated/can't replace, or less integrated, can replace?

The problem with the late model LeSabre (and Park Avenue, I believe) is not really message-center related, but that in important computer component is located in the radio, and if you remove the radio, the car won't work. Best friend works in auto parts, and relayed a story of one of his customers -customer came in, wanted a stereo & speakers. Bought them & left. Friend didn't ask for any details about the car, because most cars can use a stereo just fine. -customer came back in, complaining that the car wouldn't start anymore. Friend guessed the car was a LeSabre, due to this problem, and the customer confirmed. Friend informed the customer of the problem, but the customer had already given the stock radio away to a friend, who tried to make it work in their car, and fried it. -customer went to the dealership. Radio was uber-expensive. Once installed, the car still wouldn't work right, because information in the radio computer didn't match information in the rest of the car's computers. Paid the dealership more big money to reprogram multiple things, or something like that. Total cost was several thousand dollars.

I'm involved with sport compacts, and at least in that world, when you talk to serious people, anything "carbon-fiber look" is tacky. If it's not the real thing, it's "rice". Of course, another more important rule is "it's your car - do what you want with it."

So that's what they looked like before they turned into rusted-out POS's...

+1 Though the whole wagon thing is a bit of a fragile thing. I'm sure for some people it would pull the image down of whatever nameplate it's attached to (perhaps any wagons should have their own nameplate?) Personally, I think wagons can be very good looking, and if attractive enough, could become competition for small & midsize SUVs as people look for better fuel economy. One thing I think needs to be remembered in a wagon, though, is a 3rd seat. A 2 row wagon to me is just a sedan with an open, windowed larger trunk. A wagon is a people hauler. Oh, and I like the rear-facing 3rd seats. Not sure how they do on safety, but I like 'em.

I like the GM radio too, though the integration disturbs me. IMO, they either need to work with some aftermarket companies for some sort of message center standard so that aftermarket head units can also act as message centers, or they need to get that integration out of there. At least it sounds like it's not disabling to the car to put something aftermarket in (a la late model LeSabres...)

I know the Aura is on the same platform as the G6 & Malibu (Maxx in partular), but I'm curious what SWB and LWB stand for...

bingo. I wonder what the break-even point is as gas prices rise - how expensive does gas have to be for the two to be equal?

doubtful, but I don't know 100%.

This is really cool news - part of me had feared that GM had mostly given up on hydrogen in order to regroup on hybrids. I can understand not being able to put a huge focus on fuel cells, but they need to keep pushing it, even if largely in secret in order to suprise people later.

Because there are still many customers who want a minivan, not a crossover. Sure, the lambda's are 95% minivan, but many people will still see them as SUVs, and will want a minivan instead. The sliding door is a good feature, even if it does have a "soccer mom" stigma attached.

They hire Hyundai to do the styling? I see the cues that are on the other 'yotas, but this one screams "I look like a Hyundai!"

Oh, and since so many people are putting 2-year models up, the Saturn SC was only around for 2 years. Then they introduced the SC1, and renamed the SC SC2.

And my impression of dealers as a bunch of whiners grows...

Darn you for beating me to it! lol It was only the first year as the LS, LS1, LS2 and LW, LW1, LW2. After that it was the L100, L200, L300 and LW100, LW200, LW300. Then in the final year of the L-Series, they did a funky thing to use up the last of the parts. All sedans were L300's, but there were 3 versions, the L300-1, L300-2, and L300-3. The -2 and -3 had V6 - previously all L300s had the V6. The -1 had the 2.2 Ecotec.

I think it's safe to say that it wasn't *warranty* service. I think that's the real question here...

Saturns can be serviced at any dealer, I'm pretty sure. After all, it shares so much with the Malibu...

...gets my vote.

Better than '80s grandma brown. lol I think the new ones look alright, if chubby. I'm still hoping that these recent troubles will get people to quit treating Toyota like a god in lean manufacturing, which is the direction I'm looking to head with my career. Yes, Toyota does a lot of things right with lean. No, they are not perfect, and other companies should not just copy their practices like robots.

I like the 2-tone dash. Gives variety. Sometimes a single color starts to just look like they didn't want to bother changing vats of plastic material for their parts forming...

+1 toward Buick instead of GMC. A Denali minivan just seems... not at all right. I can see GMC with a minivan with a more utility design - not that it wouldn't be made compatible with families, but that it would be function over form inside, and simple, classy looks outside. Special cargo-related design features (stock and/or OEM aftermarket) for the inside would further justify it being a GMC.

Well, it would have slightly more power than the regular Sky (same engine, electric motor assist), though weight would go up, and there goes that last tiny bit of trunk space... if it weren't for the trunk space, it could almost be feasible.