z28luvr01

Me ======> I guess I'll trade in my Cobalt for a G5, and go and purchase a "Radio Shack" stereo then.

I bought a US Robotics one. It's a little more money, but it's more of a business-grade unit for the home. I used to have periodic resets with it, but a recent firmware update fixed that. Maybe you should take a trip to http://www.netgear.com and see if they have any firmware upgrades for your router?

That sHIiZZZZit is mAD TYyyYYTe, Yo!!!!!!!!!!!111!!!111oneoneoneone Seriously, though. Is this some kind of joke? This is more proof that Honda is alone in the woods without a compass or a GPS, searching for an identity. And you know what the saddest part about this is? Take away all the rice, and that is a very attrractive little hatch.

Northwest

To add to the "which engine goes in the CTS-V" speculation: Remember why they used the LSx in the first place. The engine bay in the CTS isn't wide enough for a Northstar. Those fender flares = something much wider underneath.

Sixty8

Sixty8Panther Posting about foreign cars Sometimes I worry

PS: Right now I'm listening to the online XM player that comes free with your subscription.

Here's what it boils down to: Frats are like secret clubs, like the Stonecutters or the No Homers Club. If you're in the club, you get to meet other people in the club and make friends and do things that people outside the club can't really do. Does it really benefit you? It depends on what your priorites are. NOS, you'll be fine in college with or without a frat. Your personality will win people over, not the three letters on your shirt.

I didn't renew XM after my three month trial was up in September, because I had started buying Christmas presents and was low on disposable cash. I wound up renewing December 1. Let's just say that this year, I'm not going as wild on Christmas presents

The great GTO is going on hiatus. But it will be back.

Are you sure you don't mean Linux, or were you really planning on trading in your PC for a vase?

Isetta, BMW

Dodge Aries

I think I still have that sign somewhere....

As promised:

An Icon Departs – How America Failed the GTO By z28luvr01 By now you’ve all read the news that GM will be ending GTO production this model year. The last batch of GTOs is scheduled to be completed around September, marking the end of a three model year stint as Pontiac’s performance flagship. I’m here writing this to help give the car a proper send off, something that the finest all-around car GM has graced North America with in a long, long time should be entitled to. It is my opinion that, during its three year stay on our shores, that the GTO never got the fair shake it deserved. Not only is it the quickest, most athletic GTO ever made, it boasts performance credentials that could give any similarly priced European or Japanese competitor a run for its money. Any car boasting those qualities deserves better treatment than what the GTO got. The Car: The GTO can trace its roots to 1998 Sydney Auto Show, when GM Austrlian subsidiary Holden unveiled a concept depicting a coupe variant of the then new Commodore sedan. Reaction to the car was overwhelmingly positive, and the coupe came to life in 2001 as the Monaro, a nameplate as endearing to Australians as GTO is to Americans. The car presented a unique combination of American muscle and European refinement and driving dynamics. Simply put, the Monaro was a car that GMNA really needed. After Bob Lutz spearheaded a campaign to bring the Monaro to the US as the GTO, the car received a few changes. The most significant of which is the relocation of the gas tank to comply with US crash standards. Aside from the obligatory cosmetic changes to make the car into a Pontiac, the other changes were made to enhance its performance credentials. The 350hp LS1 from the base Corvette was used instead of the standard Monaro V8, an increase of about 50hp.GM engineers developed a true dual exhaust system for the car, complete with that distinctive muscle-car era burble. Priced at around $33,000, the GTO picked up right where the top-of-the-line F-bodies left off, and then some. It provided handling prowess and overall refinement that last-gen F-body owners could only dream about. In 2005, the GTO gained quite a few performance and appearance upgrades. The LS1 was retired and replaced by the 400hp LS2 V8 developed for the sixth generation Corvette. The car received bigger brakes all around to help control the extra power. New hood scoops, thought by many to be a GTO styling hallmark, were added as an option. The exhaust system was re-routed so that the tailpipes were on opposite ends of the car (2004 models had both tailpipes on the driver’s side). Also, a new sport appearance package added aggressive looking ground effects, spoiler, and front and rear fascias. An Unexpected Reaction During the early part of this decade several magazines as well as auto enthusiasts looked at Holden’s vehicle lineup with admiration. Motor Trend in particular envisioned the Commodore as an Impala replacement and the Ute as a return of the El Camino. Knowing this, once would assume that the arrival of the Monaro, the best looking of the Holden variants, would be met with a positive reaction. Unfortunately that was not the case, as critics dismissed the car for its exterior styling. Words were not kind, either, as things like ‘fat Cavalier’ and ‘bloated Grand Prix’ were frequently used to describe it. Pontiac marketing tried to put a spin on it, saying that new car represents what a GTO would look like had it been allowed to continue instead of stopping production in 1974. Noone bought into it, however. With bold, heavily retro influenced cars like the 2005 Mustang and Chrysler 300C getting all the positive press, the GTO was seen as a design failure, despite a superior powertrain, interior, and chassis. Each model year, GTO sales fell short of intended targets. What Went Wrong? One would think that a car with such an impressive pedigree as the GTO would take America by storm. Obviously that did not happen, and there’s plenty of blame to spread around: • The media: As I alluded to earlier, the media outlets literally begged GM to bring the Holden Monaro to our shores. Back them its styling was even praised, believe it or not, as it represented the polar opposite of the design language in use by Pontiac at the time, generally the butt of many jokes within the enthusiast community. In the relatively short time it took to bring the car here, that praise turned into disdain. In my opinion that just wasn’t fair to the car. Apparently they were so enamored by the new Mustang and Chrysler LX cars that every car released thereafter had to be measured against them whether it made sense or not. The truth is, GTO is not a full sized sedan, and has several qualities that make it worthy of being advertised in a higher price and in a higher class than the Mustang. • Pontiac Marketing: GM had to walk a tightrope in marketing the new GTO. Trying to avoid another PR nightmare with enthusiasts who were still in shock over names like Impala, Malibu, and Monte Carlo being applied to FWD bread-and-butter cars, GM needed to make people believe this new car was worthy of the most revered muscle car nameplate of all time. Things started off on the right foot, with the GTO starring in a made-for-TV movie and getting its share of commercials. Lately, however, it’s been a different story, as Pontiac has shifted its marketing focus to the Solstice, and the GTO hasn’t gotten much airtime in over a year. The overall feeling I get is that GM marketing sold the GTO short. Its credentials and price point place it squarely in BMW 3 series territory. Instead of going after those buyers, Pontiac fell into the trap of pitting it against the Mustang (see above), and previous GTOs (in reality all but impossible to do). The 2005 GTO brochure on my shelf is loaded with references to the Mustang GT. In doing that, they set themselves up for a failure, as people looking in the Mustang’s price class would naturally see the GTO as too expensive. Had the car been marketed as a “3 series: American Style”, it might have had a better fate. • Dealers – Perhaps anticipating a huge demand for the GTO, overzealous dealers went overboard in applying “market adjustments” to the GTO’s MSRP. It was not uncommon to see a 2004 GTO with a price tag north of $40,000. With the car being derided for its price being several thousand dollars over the Mustang, dealers commanding several thousand dollars obviously didn’t help. By the end of the 2004 model year, dealers relented on attempting to gouge prospective GTO buyers – even offering incentives on them – but the damage had already been done. • The American car buying public: Well, not all car buyers, just the ones who read magazines and watch commercials and think they’ve gathered enough information to form a valid opinion on a car. I can’t think of any other reason to explain how a society so fond of the previous generation 3 series could not find this car attractive. The GTO is a car that needs to be driven to be believed. Having merely sat in one, I can appreciate the driver oriented-ness of the interior as well as its build quality and refinement, which is up there with the finest European cockpits. Test drives of the GTO have still been positive (minus the obligatory “styling” comments), and the 12,000 or so people that bought them each year (including several GTO owners on this board) are happy with them. The people dismissing the GTO before experiencing it fully have missed out on a lot. Conclusion In a few months, the last of these GTOs will hit our shores, undoubtedly followed by dozens of articles about how it was too expensive, too boring, and an overall failure. After three years of dumping on the car, I would not expect anything less than that for a final kick in the rear bumper. What I’m asking the readers to do is this: when you’re reading those articles, take into account all that you’ve read here. The GTO didn’t fail – it was failed. A fickle car-buying public and greedy dealerships combined with inept journalism and poor marketing created a perfect storm to derail any chance of this fine car being remembered as a success. Like it or hate it, the car deserved better than this.

Not as cool as a GTO and a 5th-gen Camaro . Sixty8, what's this I see you posting ads for FWD cars. Am I going to have to have your brain reprogrammed again?

Whatever tastes good.

One was turned into a Monument for display inside the Grumman park in Calverton. I have a picture of it as a backdrop behind my Cobalt. I'll post it tonight when I get home.

The Grumman plant in Calverton, NY that made the F-14 is about five miles from my house. You used to be able to see one take off several times a day in the 1980s. The F-14 meant a lot to Grumman, and consequently the Long Island economy. Afte rthe Navy stopped buying them, Grumman went through repeated downsizings....the Bethpage plant I worked in (E2C Hawkeye) as an intern 8 years ago is now a popcorn factory.

the new Camaro I want it in my garage It is so gorgeous

Chevrolet Cobalt Oh you handle so nicely on the twisty roads

This has gone beyond beating a dead horse. Now we're running it through a meat grinder, and torturing its surviving relatives.