regfootball

exactly. for me what i would actually PREFER in my g8 would be a twin turbo v6 3.6 DI high feature (dare i say ECOTEC). Or even the 300hp DI HF v6 with a 6 speed manual. I'd like AWD also, but you can't always get what you want mick said. why not a ecotec 2.4 turbo, w/ 300hp or so? for the record, i want alpha pontiacs too and i think buick needs the chinese park avenue NOW. I also feel a caprice from chevy would work too. GM needs to pull their head out of their ass.

the press and hip crowd has everyone convinced that you have to prefer cars like the jetta and such over GM but the truth is there are still some people that if they had their minds open and test drove stuff and paid attention to what really matters to them would actually pick the GM stuff. Using myself as a case in point. My father in law got an 08 Grand Prix recently. I've actually always liked the current GP, when he was in town with it i got to drive it for an extended evening and i was reminded what was nice about the car. Cabin comfort, good stable ride and handling, responsive v6. But GPs are not cool. So I should never want one. I test drove that jetta the other day and vw's are supposed to be all that and a bag of chips and yes it was a very excellent car but i sat there thinking that for my situation i might still enjoy the GP more than the very good jetta. Mainly becuase the GP has such a smooth and stable ride and a much sportier cockpit and really good handling too. Plus its interior accomodations are better as far as cabin width and space. Just because its not cool to like GM or even Ford....doesn't make them invalid in the market even though many see it that way. It's the buyers choice what they like and i think its fine to buck the crowd and admit you like cars like the v6 g6.

vw needs a good alum 4 cyl. funny, astra is having to wait for bluetooth and such and ford's half of their lineup i can talk to my car and have it play tunes to me.

sell saab and hummer.

GM does not lease well still. Ford does now though! i want to try the 2.4 6 speed too. the aura 4 cyl was nice but i could tell it could really use the extra 2 gears. i didn't like the jetta i drove yesterday. and for sure, don't ever BUY a VW. lease it and get rid of it before it falls apart.

considering the 300 day inventory of astras now, discounts have to be on the horizon. yes the design is dated but how does a corolla drive pcs- the insiginia and new astra are still too far off, GM never does things quickly. IMHO the a3 is way steps above the astra on a lot of fronts, its just that you pay for it and to be truthful I sould go volvo C30 at that point i think. that little volvo is the bomb. the astra still feels a lot smaller than the a3 jetta etc. but that is the thing, the astra feels sprite and nimble. VW needs that 2.0 DI and to do something about the car feeling so heavy. like i said i think i need to drive a GTI

i bet the tdi is nicer to drive. the 5 cylinder is ok and has power but is not a free revver. the car as a whole feels too hefty for a car its size. like i said i gotta try a GLI / GTI i wonder how well equipped that TDI is becuase that is a good price. same as the gas version apparently. i may need to look at this car. wow they are dead set on making a splash with the pricing.

a few posters on edmunds have said they can get 35.

engine - very smooth, revs nicely . nice power for urban cut and thrust and gearbox is well matched. could use more grunt thru entire powerband, especially at low end but really is not a big deal for everyday driving. very entertaining drivetrain, even if sporting driving requires more power. salesdude says 35+ mpg is possible. needs a 6th gear to keep revs down at 75+ mph. no engine vibration or buzz or coarseness until illegal speeds. chassis, very balanced. right combination of supple and firm. steering was jest perfect in terms of quickness. nimble. light nose. not nose heavy like the jetta. felt a little undertired, like it could use wider and better tires. seat was nice. perfect for a mid level econocar....jetta i drove right after had wider and more substantial seats....still astra's were good. love the driving position.....wouldn't mind more cabin width. drives with verve like the focus zx3 USED to. i had an 08 focus for a week in feb and the astra is a much sportier car.....focus now is a cruiser.....astra will entertain drivers! interior is nice, not best in class, but very good......i had no issues with controls....stuff like the turn signal you just get used to. the cupholder is in a dumb spot. needs an armrest. seat cloth is cheap. the leather is nice....one must pop for it. definitely. love the shifter except for the reverse lockout which gets in the way. i had a little issue with ergonomics. i felt like i couldnt exactly get my feet on the pedals and keep the the steering wheel far enough away. the upright position is nice but the dash seems a bit in your face.....LOVED the gauges (way more than the dash of death in the Jetta)...minor complaints really. Loved the gauges and the red. trunk is nice, well appointed, wish it were a bit larger! rear seat comfort is very good. no thoughts either way on the brakes. price is the problem for this car. it losing bragging rights on the spec sheet. with the XR with sports suspension, you have a real fun car. It won't spin the tires like the 170hp jetta i drove right after, but its not an achilles heel or reason to not buy the car unless you are HP starved. its a reason to pause slightly but for most it won't be a deal breaker.....if IF they could adjust the price some. I'd like to see that price come down a bit because there are too many bigger sedans with more utility crowding that price point. like the aura sedan which the sales guy forced me to drive on saturday. Jetta 2.5/man felt larger, had a choppy ride the astra did not, felt nose heavy. steering was heavy but secure. jetta feels one class larger than the astra. astra is nimble and balanced. Jetta felt like a vault in comparison. Jetta's shifter can not be bettered but the astra's clutch had a nice light feel to it, the jetta's was heavier. Jetta had the interior of death. those VW interiors look great in the showroom, but 40k miles and wear and dust and such, the black on black with leatherette felt pretty dour. I bet the astra with leather and big ass moonroof would be COOOOOOOOL. Jetta has a tangible amount more room...its commodious to the point of luxury in comparison to the econosized astra. too bad the jetta has the boat anchor under the hood. jetta needs a new base motor, an aluminum 4 thats revs quicker and is smoother. NOW though, I want to drive a GTI! anyways, the astra is a nice car! makes me want to wait for the cobalt SS turbo now! that and i need to drive the Vibe GT now and see how that compares since it has much more utility than the astra. if i decide to go small next car, the astra will for sure make it near the top of the shopping list. i just reread car and drivers writeup on the car from the comparo earlier this year. boy what a useless review. they said nothing tangible about the car.

great to have fly back! that datsun is cool

too bad your mom sucks at accepting you. its her own issue worrying about her own thing with God by the sound of it. i think if you ask God if he accepts you, i am pretty sure he's super compassionate about it. to heck with your mom. skip the middle man (woman)

all this kappa talk makes me want to drive the sky red line.

mustang, one thing that is not a blessing but a by product, there WILL BE lots of new contruction in your town for the long term future.....when grand forks nd flooded in 97 they built buttloads of new stuff for 5+ years after. IOW, it looks like your job will be safe and you may have a chance to be working a lot!

when does the SS cobalt arrive?

i drove an astra XR / stick today and will post thoughts on that later in the saturn subtopic but suffice it to say its a nice driving car! anyone who is hellbent on looking at small cars needs to investigate the astra. The cloth seats I think are cheap so think leather if you can. Although i admit the Aura 4 cyl vs. Astra debate wages hard. But for the purposes of this topic I would say for sure go try an Astra XR with handling pkg before you decide vs. all other small cars.

can these energy drinks function as a cheaper form of viagra? Not that i need it now, but i turn 40 this fall and who knows when a guy may need an energy boost IYKWIM

shades of the horror i feared when i owned my v8 SHO. although maybe not as extreme. vVs is right. GM can not afford to have issues with this motor. Why is it so hard for GM to pull off an overhead cam v6? Does anyone know if the running upgrades for 09 on the new DI version would address any of this?

shades of the horror i feared when i owned my v8 SHO. although maybe not as extreme. vVs is right. GM can not afford to have issues with this motor. Why is it so hard for GM to pull off an overhead cam v6? Does anyone know if the running upgrades for 09 on the new DI version would address any of this?

I test drove an Astra XR 5 door w/ 17" A/S tires and sport suspension upgrade over lunch today....will post a writeup later.....also drove a base jetta 2.5/manual right after that. nice comparo.

rather dated interior....? not bad, just.....meh, seen it before.

diesel fans are a bit non mainstream and probably would be independent thinkers and control freaks enough to want a manual anyways.

oh my

yup i remember...live and learn!

can a person get the HHR SS with leather or would one have to go katzkin? heated seats too?

but will the fit survive spring potholes? I am wayyyyy skeptical