Intrepidation

Like I said in the Malibu thread...It's all about perception.

:rotflmao: @ the hubcaps BV, Do you have a bank account? If not you should consider finding a bank that does not require a minimum balance, get a debit card (no charge) and use that to start an ebay account with. That's what I did...I'd be in credit card debt up my nose if I had one...so I steer clear

The restoration kit is very neat to have...since, like I said, it tells you everything you could possibly want to know about your car. It even has the the press release for that year on it. There's a lot of information on where to get parts, have things machined, rebuilt, and cleaned and so on. All I had to do to get one was call Chevrolet (the number for each division is listed on GM's website), spend about 2 hours with them (they had technical problems apparently, but at least they were very, very, polite) and request a restoration kit for the make, model, and year. I didn't actually request it, the offered, but I'm assuming they will send you one anyway. It didn't cost me a dime.

Bomb attacks? I didn't even hear about it until now.

Well this week the Prizm accident was finally settled for 1,494.66, including keeping the car. Not what I wanted but better than what they were going to give me. I found out that the original offer was not for $1,500 but for $1,015 - $100 to keep the car...so $915 I had wanted $2,425 but I just couldn't get that price from them. As it terns out, cruise control, which was optional only on LSi models was factory installed on this base model...I found the bad news out from the original owner. It looked like I'd be stuck with a base model offer of...well...$h! However I must extend a huge thank you to GM. I called them up several weeks ago asking how I could identify the trim level of the car. They were very polite, even though they took a while. In the end they weren't able to help me because there was a number missing from the spare tire cover that would have otherwise identified the trim level. So the woman I spoke to said she would have GM send out a complete restoration kit for the Prizm at no charge. This would include the options available for the car and anything else I could possibly want to know...including 30 pages of certified GM restoration and machine shops. A week later it came in the mail...it was like 60 pages of goodies. On the options sheet was confirmation that the cruise control was only available on the LSi. So I sent that (official GM paperwork) and a myriad of other paperwork to Liberty Mutual...and they gave me close to $600 more for the car than they were going to. they said they couldn't go any higher than that...so I accepted. $1,494.66 + $245 (reimbursement for the towing fees) + $200 (reimbursement from Enterprise) = $1,939.66 I despise Liberty Mutual at this point...it took them almost 2 months for this, and most of that time was waisted because the person handling my claim either wasn't at the desk, or wouldn't return my calls. Next step is to get the checks, then repair the Prizm and put it back on the road. Even though I didn't get as much as I wanted, I still get the last laugh because they spent over $900 for me to drive that rental. I got to drive a brand new car for what will be 2 months, I'll have leftover cash, and the Prizm will get a new paint job out of it.

AT least the Chrysler problem can be fixed with a computer reprogram and it only happen while coating uphill (how strange)...The Civic recall is just a tad more serious.

LOL

So...I can get an Astra with a NAV but not the bigger and more expensive Aura or Malibu...?

Halo 3 may tank when they find it's endorsing this piece of crap.

W00t I get to tell my coworker that he Civic's wheel is falling off!

So I was asleep around 1 today when my mom bangs on the door. I reluctantly get up to see what she wanted. She told me there's been an accident at the corner of the streets my house is on...and one of teh cars is right next to the damn Cobalt. I quickly get dress and have a look....to my great relief, the Cobalt is undamaged, but the red Accord that got hit by some dumb bitch in an old Acura was less than a foot away from the front fascia. I immediately move the Cobalt into the driveway and out of harm's way. The last thing I need is the damn rental car to be involved in a wreck! So this dumb girl was coming up the hill and wasn't paying attention to the road that it ends at (forcing you to turn left or right) and smacked into the passenger fender of the Accord and smashed up her front end (the bumper later fell off). Then she tried to tell the cop it wasn't her fault...that she "looked both ways, and that there wasn't a stop sign." It's like..you idiot..the road comes to n end and the road that passes by is the right of way. I'll upload some photos as soon as I find the damn USB cable...

I understand perfectly what you're talking about. Hey BV, I must say iy it looks funny with that undersized canopy on it As for the Mazda jokes, it's usualy all in good fun. Most of us have to deal with it anyway...look at all the Chrysler jokes I have to listen too. By the way, have you tried selling some stuff around the house to raise money for the Millenia? Like BV, and Fly, I would never give up the conveniences of a modern car for an older one....A/C, brakes, handling, interior comfort and other conveniences, good stereo, fuel economy and so on. I'd love to drive an older car, but not on a daily basis.

In my experience, dealers are good for locating problems but not for fixing because they charge out the @$$. My local dealer does good work though, and they are very nice...but the cost quite a bit more than my regular mechanic. Some things I might leave to the dealer, most I would leave to the mechanic. This is somewhat like my light bulb issue in the gauge cluster. the temp guage light went out and shortly after half the tach went dark. I took it to the dealer and they wanted to charge me somewhere in the neighborhood of $290 to do it, assuming they "didn't break anything" They suggested I let it be since I could still read the gauges. On our way back from teh Tulsa trip (still need to post photos of that), the Cruise Control light went out...which I found to be rather annoying. So I went to the junkyard, found a junked Intrepid, leartned how to take teh dash apart...and then grabbed every light bulb in its dash. The junkyard was very nice and didn't charge me for the bulbs (1cuz they ddn't know I had them! ). I took teh dash apart myself, replaced the bulbs, put it back together, broke nothing, and my dash is as good as new. Sometimes it pays to just do it yourself.

While the idea of eliminating spare tires in favor of fix-a-flat has space and weight savings advantages, sometimes the rupture is too big for that stuff to work. When my girlfriend was driving the Intrepid on the highway on her way to work, the rear passenger tire blue out...it looked like someone had put huge slash marks throughout the tire wall...there's no way a can of fix-a-flat would seal it up. luckily we had a donut and were able to put it on and she was able to get to work and home no problem. Instances like this are where spare tires are very nice to have. It's a donut, but i did the job no problem. We keep a can of fix-a-flat in each cars' trunk anyway just to be safe.

The next time I see you I swear I will slap you. Dodge Nitro SXT w/SXT B Package (base model) in Bright Silver Metallic Clear Coat (not quite regrigerator white but close enough) $19,350 + $660 Destination Charge 3.7-Liter V6 Engine 6-Speed Manual Transmission AM/FM Stereo Radio w/In-Dash CD/MP3 Player 6 Speakers Air Conditioning SXT Base Cloth Low-Back Bucket Seats 16" x 7.0" Styled Steel Wheels P225/75R16 BSW All Season Tires 3.21 Axle Ratio Base MSRP*: $20,010Total Discount†: - $500 Net Price: $19,510 LIFETIME Powertrain Warranty Automatic, if you must have one, is $825 Upgrade to SLT and you get, in addition to body color fascia and fender flares... 3.7-Liter V6 Engine Incl. 4-Speed Automatic Transmission AM/FM Stereo Radio w/In-Dash CD/MP3 Player 6 Speakers Air Conditioning Premium Front and Rear Floor Mats Sun Visors with Illuminated Vanity Mirrors Fog Lamps Speed Control Universal Garage Door Opener SLT Premium Cloth Bucket Seats 17" x 7.0" Aluminum Wheels P235/65R17 BSW All Season Performance Tires 3.73 Axle Ratio Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass Base MSRP*: $23,420 (including $660 Destination)Total Discount†: - $500 Net Price: $22,920 Keep in mind you can probably haggle the price even further, since Dodge dealerships probably have plenty to move. So there you go...RWD, BOF, V6 Keep in mind the this lovely Japanese car who you'd be sending the profits back to Japan for is not a true BOF, it's a Composite Unibody...part BOF part Unibody, not a true BOF There's also the `07 Liberty that has hefty discounts plus that Lifetime Warranty 2007 LIBERTY LATITUDE EDITION 4X4 Y Pkg. $24,945 (this is the mid-grade model) + $660 Destination Stone White Clear Coat 3.7-liter V6 engine 4-Speed Automatic VLP 42RLE Transmission ($825) AM/FM Stereo with CD Player & CD Changer Control 6 Speakers Air Conditioning Fog Lamps Cloth High-Back Bucket Seats 16" x 7.0" Luxury Styled Steel Wheels P225/75R16 OWL All Season Tires Command-Trac® HD Part-Time 4WD System Corporate 8.25 Rear Axle 3.55 Axle Ratio Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass Base MSRP*: $26,430Total Discount†: - $3,500 Net Price: $22,930 That's before any dealer incentives. You can get a Sport with AWD for even less. It comes with a 6-speed manual too. RWD, BOF, V6 There's also the Magnum if you want SUV utility without actually needing an SUV (which most people don't anyway) 2007 DODGE MAGNUM SE C Pkg. $23,370 + $675 Destination Stone White Clear Coat 2.7-Liter V6 DOHC 24-Valve MPI Engine 4-Speed Automatic VLP 42RLE Transmission AM/FM Stereo with CD Player 4 Speakers Air Conditioning Cloth Low-Back Bucket Seats 17" x 7.0" Steel Wheels P215/65R17 98T BSW All Season Tires 3.90 Axle Ratio Base MSRP*: $24,045Total Discount†: - $2,000 Net Price: $22,045 It's unibody, but it no doubt handles better than an SUV, it's RWD, V6, Lifetime Warranty It's not as good of a deal as the SUVs, especially since you have to go up to SXT if you want AWD and that jacks the price up to the 28,000 neighborhood. Yes the Warranty is not transferable, but so what? If the vehicle is covered for life than you've got a sweet deal until you're ready to give it up, costing you nothing in powertrain repairs. I'm surprised that someone who is so good at car shopping and works in the car sales business overlooked these...I mean, really. Unless you really have your heart set on something Japanese

I too happen to know people who have LX cars and not only love them, but have had trouble free miles with them. It's easy to knock Chrysler's quality, and sure it deserves it's share, but many of you fail to remember that GM and Ford have not exactly been quality leaders for some time. GM has been making vast improvements, and Ford, when it's cars aren't catching fire has been too, but So has Chrysler, and I suspect that Chrysler will make big gains in quality now that Cerberus is at the helm... Oh, and for the record, I not only know people who have taken their Mopars close to or past 200k I own 2 of them

Accord Altima G6

Accord...I prefer it's exterior and interior. The Altima looks awkward from some angles where it didn't translate from sedan properly, while the Accord looks like it was made to be a coupe...looks good from every angle I've seen i it so far.

We still have one of those Yeah the hatch struts seem to fail in almost every Shadow I've come across.

It's a `98 Chevrolet Prizm...when Geo was discontinued the redesigned Prizm was rebadged as a Chevy.

Bastard! Congrats! She's a beauty and a fine upgrade from the monte

Oh really?

It still pales in comparison to this: I get depressed every time I see it

I think there is still a market for one BOF SUV and the Durango fits that bill...but it needs to be better in every possible way. The Magnum is a unique niche vehicle that can probably afford low sales volume since the plats that makes it will soon have 3 other models to keep them busy I like the Commander...it's a real Jeep...but I don't know if there is room in the market for it Kill the Compass, kill the Aspen...both were mistakes Nitro's styling is nice but everything else about it needs an overhaul Dakota could be so much better