z28luvr01

If you get the G85 package, you're stuck with the black interior because they don't make the Recaros in any other color. I think it's a worthwhile tradeoff, as the stock seats don't have enough side support for those high-G turns. If they made a set that didn't have the SS logo embroidered in it, they'd already be in my car.

I think the hood is open in that photo. The GM trucks were never bold looking or on the cutting edge of design. But they were always very handsome trucks with designs that aged well. This one looks to continue the tradition, though I think this might be the "boldest" truck design from GM in quite a while. I think you're right. This truck looks to be an LT, which is the mid grade trim level on most Chevy trucks. Assuming this is the mid grade truck, I'd imagine the LTZ would have body color up front. THough I do like the chrome.

As much as I'd love another Cobalt driver, I think the best thing is to stick with the Camaro. College life gets pretty expensive, and not having an extra payment will leave that much more in your pocket. The rear main seal is worth getting fixed, because that'll only get worse. It could be that you got a bum seal from the rebuild kit. That happened to me on the front pump seal on the tranny in my truck. If you have the shop do it, make sure there's some sort of warranty on that problem. As for the fenders, scour the local junkyards for a black Camaro front clip. I'm sure that'll come out cheaper than buying the parts new and having them painted. You might even find an SS hood . Are you sure the A/C problem is the condenser? It sounds to me like the compressor, as it's the only moving part in the whole A/C system. If it's the compressor, it might just need some lubricating oil...only thing is, I'm not sure if you have to evacuate and recharge the system to put the oil in.

*kicks Fly in the shin* That 88 is pretty darn nice, especially for the price. Congrats. I'd love to see some pics of it all nice and clean. From the looks of it you better not leave the keys where Sophie could reach them.

And folks, don't forget, you'll also be able to see The World's Ugliest Kitchen and Blowed-Up Grand Am National Monument.

Thanks for all your help guys. I suspected that, ocn, and my dad confirmed it. I told him of how the hood release comes out the grille underneath where the bumper would be (see the front pic with the missing grille slat). The cars with the full width bumpers had the hood release in that location, while the true split bumper cars had them way down on the bottom. he also didn't like the water in the trunk (possible rear window leak and underlying rot), or the undercoating-covered-rust in the inner rear fender wells. I may have to let this one go since there's obviously something fishy about it. I don't have the ability to do that kind of work that it needs, and my dad has neither the time nor the space. I'll have to end up spending a lot more dough on one with a better body.

I sure would like to know. Though I'm glad you're looking to join the Cobalt family.

With all these "car shopping" threads in here lately, I thought I'd try one with a cool car in it for a change. So I'm going along my training route on the bicycle on Thursday when I see this early 2nd gen Camaro sitting on some guy's front lawn for sale. I didn't get a very good look at it, but I knew how to get to it for when I could take a longer look. Today, I'm in the neighborhood and I swing by to see if I can talk to the owner and get a better idea of the car's condition. To keep things short, here's the data: It's a '72 Camaro - the typical early '70s dark brown with black stripes. My guess is, it's not a Z/28 or SS, but it has the split bumper Looks to be lightly optioned: no A/C, manual everything, AM radio New quarters, doors, fenders, bumpers, and floorpans. The engine in the car is a 307 with 2 4bbls mated to a Turbo 350 auto. The drivetrain has 80K miles. Here's what's wrong with it: Paint is bubbling on both A pillars (passenger's side moreso than the driver's side) Some very light surface rust in the trunk and on the metal panel underneath the front bumper It's missing a trunk lock cylinder It has the fiberglass high-rise cowl induction hood on it broken grille The driver's side seat needs recovering and the interior needs a rug. I'm assuming the passenger's side seat isn't that great either, since it has a velour seat cover on it broken/missing radio knob hood release cable looks to be broken as well Some pics: The guy showed me the original hood (same color as the rest of the car) , the door panels, and the plastic front air dam. He has $5200 written on the windshield, but he said he'd take $4800, as he just wants to sell it to pay for his new pool. So watcha think? Ideally, I'd like my dad to go for it (I'm working on him), so it could get the restoration it deserves. But he's in the middle of redoing a '55 Bel Air, so it's not likely. For that price, do you think it's a worthwhile car for me to buy for myself, give it a thorough cleaning top to bottom, fix the broken stuff, and make the inside nice? When I have the space, I'd probably turn it over to a body shop to fix the A-pillars, strip this paint off, and put on a nice coat of red black stripes. Also, if anyone here is interested in it, I have more pics and the owner's phone number. I'll PM upon request. I love this bodystyle Camaro, and I just want to see this car go to a good home, be it with me or someone else.

The low roofline on the GP might give you issues when loading things in and out of the back seat, especially sincve you're a rather tall guy. You'll probably end up bonking your head a few times. I like the Maxx and the Lesabre of that bunch. An Aurora would be cool too, but if they're not taken care of they can present expensive problems. Have you thought of an Escape or maybe an Equinox?

Congrats, BV. I'll bet it feels great to just have something to tool around town in, again. Lots of luck with it, and you actually have some spare cash in your pocket. Good deal. Question to you or anyone who might know: Does it have the Miller Cycle V6?

Whatever...100K, 125K, does it really matter. The majority of cars you posted had six-digit mileage on them. I was hoping you'd understand my example instead of nitpicking one detail to disprove my point. Forget it, I'm outta here. *walks hurriedly, shuts door*

No, I didn't. I'm sorry.

I think the point Fly is trying to make is: right now, you NEED a dependable car more than anything right now. What do you think will happen if you buy a car with 150K miles, get a job, then have something major go wrong shortly after you get the job? Do you think your boss will care that you can't come to work because your car is dead? Not in the least, they'll just hire another guy to do your work. The time will come for you to have a car that you WANT, but right now it's better to get something that satisfies your NEEDs. We're not just -ing you, we're speaking from experience.

Let me ask this: in the GA's current semi-running state, how much do you think you can get for it? Without seeing the car, I'd say 500-1000. Add that to your pile of money, and go from there. You can't go wrong with any of Fly's suggestions. If you do go with a J-body, stick with a 95 or newer one that has either the 2.2L OHV or the 2.4L Twin Cam. The 02-up Ecotec models are probably out of your price range. Both the 2.2 and 2.4 will run a long time with just routine maintenance. They're not as unreliable as you'd think.

Dude, you've got one of those already.

Well it would be a little nicer without the pile of dishes in the sink and all the crap on the counters and stove. Gett off your lazy butt and straighten it out. *cracks whip*

Yeah, you might not want to keep the bra on the car in the rain, especially if its one of those delicate lacy numbers.

hyperv6, I think your plan is very well thought out and I believe that a combination of what you and 91z4me will be enough to save Pontiac. Pontiac's days as a "volume" brand are coming to an end. Torrent and SV6 are gone or will be. The G6 and the GP seem to be up in the air at the moment, at least as far as what their replacements will be. These changes will likely spell the end of Pontiacs being peddled to fleet customers. evok, of those 400K sales, how many of those were fleet sales? I'm gathering it's a rather significant chunk. So even if your numbers for hyper's lineup are true, if the majority of those are retail sales, then the actual dropoff in retail sales will be much less drastic.

You're not a "briefs" man? Ocn, I'm shocked at you. Sounds like you're getting past this, good for you. RE: the cell phone thing, if cost is your hang-up, get one of those pay-as-you-go deals. If you don't use it a lot, they can end up costing as little as $10/month.

IIRC, our insiders have told us that there's no Chevy Lambda in the works, and that a MCE for the Trailblazer is on the way for '08. Of course things may have changed, but we've been misled by Motor Trend before.

He should stick with "Messiah".

Good Article, Variance. Now get yourself a Turbo Ice coffee, and unstick youself from the pleather.

@ Enzora. Congratulations, at least it's running. You've got one of two options: Sell it now and take whatever you can get for it (probably 500-1000), or use it as is, get a job, and drive it (carefully) over the summer. You might be able to net a couple of thousand to put towards the Miata, then do with the GA as you wish.

Oddly enough, that blue dash is pretty appealing to me. I wonder how it's look with the faux-CF trim from the SS as opposed to the plood. Plus it's extremely clean and straight for having been used for police duty.

My experience has been that going to lunch with a group of coworkers is usually more trouble than it's worth. Nobody can ever agree on a restaurant, nobody wants to drive there, and nobody knows how to get there. 9/10 times I eat by myself (usually after a 0.5-0.75 hour bike ride) with a lunch that consists of some fruit (usually raisins) and some water from the cooler. I don't know if this helps, but I always live by the rule "It's not where you are, it's who you're with". If you really enjoy spending time with these people, don't let the setting play more of a part than it should. I don't think it's right that you had to eat lunch with the menus, but it could very well be a misunderstanding or a miscommunication. If he makes a habit of it, then I'd consider ditching him, but I think this one should get a free pass.