Intrepidation

V8 + FWD + odd proportions (especially the tire width on the GXP) = not my cup of tea...but congrats! Hope you have a blast with it!

I'm sorry but how can you not notice something or not pay attention to an aspect of the car you feel is important? You're putting down 20+ grand on a car you should pay attention to every aspect of it so you know you bought the right car...it just sounds like excuses to me..especially " ... the old memory is fading now"..are you like 90? As far as tomb-like silence...why? It's nice to hear an engine if it sounds good...it also lets you know the car is alive and you're driving more than an appliance. Of course there's a difference between refined and raspy.

The Astra's diesel is cleaner though right? The Liberty diesel sold quite well until the canned it..wasn't their waiting lists for it?

A Charger?

A little respect, please The 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible doesn't have to be a true luxury car to hit the mark in its segment, but it sure wouldn't hurt. Up to now, you've most likely encountered the Chrysler Sebring convertible on a rental car lot. Middle-management executives across the country invariably anticipate a summertime business trip with the refrain, "We can take the Sebring!" Unfortunately it's not necessarily a gesture of respect, especially when it comes out of the mouths of people like the self-absorbed boss featured in The Office. It's no wonder the all-new 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible is clearly reaching several steps above the outgoing model in terms of features and design. It has to succeed, or face a troubled future as a punch line in a mean-spirited joke. Realizing its full potential Punch line or not, the Chrysler Sebring has had a lot of takers. It's been the best-selling convertible in the U.S. for seven of the past 11 years, so maybe the joke's on us. Some might dismiss its success as a product of fleet sales to rental car companies, but can you imagine flying into Honolulu or Miami without the option of a Sebring rental? So let's admit that this is an important car for all of us, even if we encounter it only on vacation. The 2008 Sebring Convertible comes a lot closer to the luxury car it's always wanted to be. It comes not only with a folding cloth top but also with an optional full-on folding hardtop. When it comes to interior luxury, there's a hard-drive-based navigation system with music storage. And the Sebring Limited convertible features a 3.5-liter V6. Of course, the Sebring convertible has some competition these days. The Ford Mustang, Pontiac G6 and Volkswagen Eos are all bidding for serious consideration as four-passenger convertibles, and at an affordable price besides. The Toyota Solara convertible comes closest to the Sebring in spirit as well as dimensions. Make your choices from the menu As it has in the past, the Sebring carves out its own niche in this segment with a wide range of choices, beginning with a soft convertible top or a folding hardtop. In fact the Sebring gives you the choice of no fewer than three different convertible tops and three different engines. The $26,145 base model comes with a 173-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a soft vinyl top. Once you step up to the $28,745 Touring model, there's a 189-hp, 2.7-liter V6 (with flex-fuel capacity). The vinyl top is standard for the Touring, but the cloth top is a no-cost option, while about $2,000 gets you a nicer top made of real cloth, while a lot more money gets you into the retractable hardtop. Once you step into the $32,345 Sebring Limited convertible, the 235-hp, 3.5-liter V6 is standard. The cloth top is the standard item, and the $2,000 hardtop is optional. Hard or soft top, a power hard-cover tonneau is standard, so retracting or deploying the top is just a matter of pushing a button. And when you choose the Touring or Limited, the key fob will trigger the whole process for you. Though the installation of the optional windscreen is a little clunky, the cabin is absolutely serene once the screen is in place. We drove around Los Angeles on a damp, chilled afternoon in spring, and the Sebring interior was comfortable and pleasant. Even our female driving companion had no complaints about the temperature, and there wasn't enough wind turbulence to invite any concerns about tangled hair either. Basically, the Sebring convertible with the top down is a win-win for everybody. Still a few steps away from top-down heaven Compared to the Toyota Solara convertible, we think the 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible has a better drivetrain, better driving dynamics and more interior features. Plus, the Sebring convertible's retractable hardtop makes this car as quiet and weatherproof as a coupe, and as fresh and fun as a convertible. The Pontiac G6 has a hardtop's versatility, but it's neither as elegant nor as refined. The Volkswagen Eos drives well, but it's short on interior room, and expensive besides. Still, the Sebring convertible isn't without its drawbacks. For example, the hardtop that quickly and easily converts the car from cozy coupe to spring fling makes its presence known when it's stowed in the trunk. The new Sebring convertible's luggage space is limited, whether the top is up or down. In addition, you can feel the presence of all that steel in the trunk when the top is retracted, as the tail of the car bounds up and down when the pavement rolls, and the back of the car also wants to follow its own path when the corners are fast. We'll also tell you that we could feel the 330 pounds that the 2008 Sebring Convertible has gained, a matter of an additional 3 inches in length as well as structural reinforcements, plus the hardtop itself. Not that the Sebring convertible aspires to be much of a sporty car. Smooth and stable is what this car is about. This car shines on the highway, not on the back roads. There's very little cowl shake, which makes the Sebring seem even better. All this structural reinforcement has even managed to cleanse this car of the dorky, upright, based-on-an-SUV feel of its sedan counterpart. The 2.7-liter V6 does an adequate job when paired with the five-speed automatic transmission in the Touring model, but the 3.5-liter V6 and six-speed automatic that come with the Limited really wake up this car. In comparison, the 3.6-liter V6 delivers a far more composed experience, plus a little bit of an exhaust note that gives the car some worthwhile personality. Style, comfort and even technology The real bright spot in this car's personality lies in the audio and navigation system. It's possible to rip music from a CD or USB device and store it directly in the 20-gigabyte hard drive (although only about 8 gigs are available for music), while the navigation system's updated graphics are nearly as crisp, clear and colorful as those found in the new Toyota Camry. The hard drive also includes Gracenote organizational software, as well as a DVD player that lets you listen to DVD-A discs or watch a DVD-Video disc while the car is in park. The options sheet also includes Boston Acoustics speakers. Features like this make the Sebring convertible different from other convertibles. And when you consider that the car itself is decent if not outstanding, well, maybe we should rethink what the Chrysler Sebring is really all about. Is it a wannabe luxury convertible that falls short? Or is it an affordable hardtop convertible that delivers great value in a fairly competitive segment? It might be a little of both. Those looking for a four-passenger topless sports car will be disappointed. Those looking for a comfortable all-weather convertible with a premium flavor will be pleased with the Sebring's look and interior features. Once you ante up for the Limited with a hardtop and MyGIG navigation/entertainment system, the Sebring suddenly seems as if it's almost a luxury coupe. The 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible isn't a real luxury convertible. Then again, it doesn't have to be. As long as all of us are happy to pick up the keys at the rental car counter for our summer business trip, then probably that's all we can ask.

That, is f@#king awesome.

I like those wheels!

They should do it, if the Liberty diesel was any indication, they'll sell very well.

That reminds me, the other day I saw a flatbed with a red Jaguar S-Type backing into someone's driveway a few houses down from me...the rear end was pretty much totaled...I should go take a pic of it...it's still sitting there in the driveway...I wonder if they plan to fix (if they can) it or want to junk it but don't wanna through all the money away. How did that Hyundai end up in the water?

So yesterday, the day after my birthday and the day there's supposed to be a party with my friends started fine. I got up early for once, took a shower, and got ready to go to my only class on Fridays (which is only 50 minutes long). I get in the Intrepid with my new mp3 player, plug it in and off I go. Only about a mile from the house the Check Engine light comes on. I pull over immediately into the parking lot of a new apartment building that just went up. And turn the car off. The engine temp was reading normal, the oil levels were fine, and no ominous smoke or sounds were emitting from the engine bay. I reluctantly start the car back up, listen to it...and it sounds fine...but the light is still on. I still have no clue why it's on, but I slowly drive it back home, get the Prizm, which needs gas of course, fill it up and fly to class (speed limit 45...I was going 60 most of the way). After I get out of class I call Tom Manzi Dodge and ask if I can bring it in and they said yes, there's no waiting time. I go home, get in the Intrepid and drive it cautiously to the dealership. I explain to the service rep what the problem was and they go in to have it looked at. While I wait I end up talking to some older woman who was having her `92 Spirit in for checkup (she said it was a really reliable car, and she asked me how I liked mine and so on). About an hour later the service rep comes in and invites me over to the car which is in the air. He explains what they are doing (pumping smoke into the system to determine the cause of a leak in the emissions system, and tells me the problem is something above the gas tank...either a cracked hose, gasket or the fuel pump. It's another 180 to pull it down (takes 2 hours to pull it down and put it back at 90 bucks an hour for them). Needless to say I'm relieved and frustrated at the same time. Nothing's wrong with the engine but of course it's gonna cost a lot to fix this problem. As it turns out...this is one of those cases of cheap part, expensive labor. The part was 10 bucks, the labor was 270...it was a gasket that sealed the fuel pump (thank god it wasn't the fuel pump cuz that's 300 bucks). They fix it out and take it for a drive to make sure the problem is fixed and it was. Of course during this whole time the car still has writing all over from Jessica saying "Happy Birthday, 21, Honk!" etc...so the old guy driving the car got a lot of honking apparently and they all had a good laugh in the service department. I also got a 10% discount which brought the price down from $280 to $250...hey every little bit helps. Of course that oil switch will need to wait a couple weeks now...I had planned to do it yesterday actually, but 250 bucks set me back a bit. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Get a Fiero GT You can find some 2nd gen Intrepids in prefect shape that have blown 2.7L engines in them...buy one for cheap and drop a 3.2L in it (I heard the 3.2L actually costs less than the 2.7L). You could even drop a 3.5L if ya wanted.

I actually like the grill...but as it is it seems too much like a knockoff of the Camry's front end (albeit better than the Camry's front end), so maybe a grill change (but not the actually shape) would help...depends on how well they do it.

I don't like the red grill...but it's a handsome truck...more so than the ugly Silverado that was in your driveway before Just hope the diesel doesn't give you to many problems...if it does is he gonna try a Ram 2500 Cummins next? And if that doesn't work a Tundra? ...Oh yeah...they still don't have a HD model

Mitsubishi Galant? I always liked the 2nd gen Aurora, it was a classy car. there's one for sale near my school...dark blue or black...it looked really nice.

Thanks again guys We went out to Smokey Bones (first time) for dinner. Lemmie tell you the 45 minute drive was totally worth it. They've got some of the best fod I've ever had, with great service. They have some neat things like a spekaer box on the table that lets you select one of the TVs you want to listen to and adjust the volume. Like I said, the food was awesome, and they were nice enough to ive me a Sundae and use a free dessert...which was fresh donuts (foodgasm!). I got an mp3 player and Supreme Commander for gifts (both are sweet). Today is supposed to be a sort of party, I think we're gonna do bowling with my friends. Should be fun!

Nice to see that the plant isn't going to be closed.

Wow the graphics are a huge leap over the old ones...it's looks awesome!

That sucks. I'm one of the lucky ones whose mouth has enough room so that if they need to be removed, they can just be pulled in like 5 minutes. Hope ya feel better! By the way I was near your house Wednesday

Because they are bias and unfair in their tests. Consumer Reports: Child seat test faulty

Nice brakes...the wheels look nice but I've never been a fan of black wheels.I've never been a fan of black wheels but design is good, and better than the stock wheels...the brakes are sweet too.

I think the Trax has awesome styling, the best of any small car I can think of...I hope the build it.

After looking at it, I think my only problem with the exterior update is that the lower grill doesn't flow parallel with the fog light lines...I dunno why but it bugs me. The rest is fine, and the new upper grill is an improvement. The interior isn't bad, but it's design just seems so far behind the SLS and te excellent CTS interiors. There's details that seem to be missing too, like the lack of chrome/metal rings around the center stack dials...you can find that touch in any GM vehicle with the corporate stereo.

Thanks guys, and nice analogy ocnblu I dunno what is going to happen today..Jessica won't tell me...so far I'm in class so it's business as usual so far.

Aww thanks! Love you too! Party at my house!

Maybe if every Buick didn't have the same shortcomings I wouldn't need to post it in every Buick topic. By the way...3 or 4 topics is not every Buick topic. If you notice, I don't post these complaints for the Enclave...because it's a good product with no major shortcomings.