z28luvr01

I have to ask: Back in the early portion of this decade, when Pontiac's lineup was a cruel joke, and GM decided it wanted RWD back at Pontiac, and GMNA had just killed its last volume RWD platform, and the Catera was just finishing up a miserable run in the US, how would you have gone about getting Pontiac the RWD vehicle it wanted? The fact remains that Holden was the only place where GM could get a RWD platform that could fit more than two seats. If not for the VE platform's availablilty, GM might be completely devoid of RWD save for the Corvette. Another question: what exactly is the root of GME's hatred of Holden and, consequently, Pontiac for its relationship with Holden? Is it because Holden turned the run-of-the-mill Omega into a hot blooded supercar, and created enough variants out of it to make your head spin? Is it because Holden stopped selling Opels and went to Daewoos, thus costing Opel some business? Whatever the reason, all of GM will suffer if GME doesn't get over their little tiff.

As long as somebody, anybody knocks off the Sawx I'll be fine with whoever wins.

I'll pass. My dog-related expenses don't really need to go any higher. Though it might be nice to bring him to work and perform some "population control" on the geese that leave droppings everywhere.

My final offer: $150 and a box of Nicorette.

Try to stick with the USA-made Treks if possible. The drivetrain components on the made-in-China bottom feeders do leave a little to be desired in terms of reliability. I picked up a 1988 Trek 1200 for my sister (100% made in USA), and it's a very solid, well made bike that's as light as any $500-$1000 road bike I've seen. We got it in pretty rough condition, but after a new set of cables and tires, it runs like new. Now that I learned how to service/replace bottom brackets, I've officially learned every aspect of bike maintenance, so I think from here on out it'll be custom builds for me - I enjoyed building up my Giant Yukon last year, and my restified Schwinn continues to defy the laws of physics.

In the late 70s I'll bet noone thought that a small block V8 could make big block V8 power and yet be within reach of 30mpg hwy. The lighter weight of an Alpha based car alone will help a lot. Throw direct-injection in a small displacement V8 and 25MPG city is doable even at the power output of the current V8s. HCCI could make things even more interesting. And if a workable ethanol infrastructure is ever developed.....

Looks better as a Buick than as an Opel. Still not a fan, though. The side vent looks terrible. Can we please have some portholes instead?

Something to consider now is that, at least in the case of GM, new technologies are being phased in gradually. DI, for example, helps make a turbo 2.0L 4cyl every bit as good as a non-DI 3.6L V6, and a DI 3.6L V6 is every bit as good as a 5.7L V8 from a few years ago. I would really love to see a production V8 fitted with DI, only instead of having the V8s make more power, they'd make the same power but shrink in displacement to increase fuel economy. Couple that with a lighter weight car, and you have a faster, more efficient vehicle.

Don't do the drag queen thing. It's so played out. Whatever you go as - it needs to involve a giant afro wig.

For me, it probably doesn't matter, but for the car to be sold as a Camaro, it needs a V8 option even if it's a small displacement that has lower HP numbers than we're used to.

Q1 2009 Need more data. In your local Caddy dealer, once you special order one because GM never stocks manual tranny cars. I'm partial to the 1961-1962. Yeah the 65-69 cars had more power, and the 58, 63, and 64 are legends, but the 61-62 had fantastic lines that epitomized the transition from the flamboyant 50s to the more stramlined 60s.

LTZ 4cyl all the way. 22/33MPG really can't be argued with. From what I hear the 2.4 is no slouch in the Malibu, either.

What's that rather anonymous looking white blob just to the right Both of these colors are just pure hotness.

I'm proud of you Cory. Good work.

Actually, buying the G5 would have proved to GM that passing off Chevies with twin-kidney grilles as Pontiacs is a good idea. 'Blu did the right thing. Congrats, Bill, and welcome to the family. I can't wait to see it. You'll have lots of fun miles with it. Wait until that Ecotec breaks in. You should crack 40mpg regularly. I do have a question - how does the 2.2 feel with the extra 10hp, compared to your mom's '05?

I have no doubt about the availability of W body parts for years to come. They're as close as your neareast junkyard.

Oh, there are people at GM who would love to build a car like that for Pontiac. They just work for people who are being told to STFU because it's going to Chevy And that's what gets me. It isn't a case of "we don't have the money" or "we need to focus on fuel economy". The whole scenario surrounding Pontiac reeks of sabotage and, eventually, planned obsolesence. Pontiac can get an Alpha that's unique in NA. Non GXP G8s can get a manual. Zeta's fuel economy can be improved until Alpha is ready. The Solstice can get new sheetmetal and powertrains to keep it interesting for a few more years. All of this can happen with relatively little investment, and yet keep Pontiac from being a one stop rebadge shop. But it'll never happen, because someone doesn't want it to. So in a couple of years we'll have: G3: rebadged Aveo G5: rebadged Cruze G6: rebadged Malibu whoop dee doo! Hell yeah this strains my relationship with GM. But I'm just one person. If anyone thinks that America won't care if Pontiac dies, they are sadly mistaken. It'll do nothing but further weaken public opinion of the company and provide further proof that if you want a car you're better off buying imported. Consider the following: GM Lays off x,xxx Workers GM Loses x.xB this Quarter GM to Close x Plants GM Sales Down x.x Percent Consumers are peppered with headlines like these regularly. Throw in "GM to Close Down Pontiac" and it'll do nothing but accelerate the country's move away from GM.

If Apple were smart and really wanted to back MS into a corner, they'd release a version of Mac OS for garden variety PCs. It really isn't the hardware's fault (especially since Apple now uses Intel). I sampled an "altered" version of Leopard on a Dell Inspiron 8200 (P4, 2.0GHz, 512MB RAM) that ran "OK" with XP, and it really moved. Boot time was about equal to XP, but application load times were much faster and the graphics were smoother. IF I could've gotten my wireless card to work with it I'd have never given it up.

A Recipe for a New GM ~September 25, 2008~ Unless you've been under a rock the past 18 months or so, you know that GM is a company that's in a constant state of flux. Amidst the turmoil, rumors are constantly flying about the viability of certain brands and models. Well-respected C&G forefather FUTURE_OF_GM has come up with a comprehensive, well laid out, five-part plan for GM to organize itself to best serve its customers now and in the future. We invite you to spend time reading each section and adding your comments. Section 1: Divisional Goals and Notes Section 2: Platforms and Models Section 3: Divisional Breakdown Section 4: The Sales Channels Section 5: Performance and Specialty Models

Hey, CD. I know you weren't exactly very gentle on your test drive, but can you give a decent estimate as to what kind of mileage you got out out of it? Given that in my experiences GM's EPA numbers don't reflect real-world mileage (in a good way), I'm very interested in the V6's fuel economy.

Given what GM's been doing to Pontiac lately, I half expected the Firehawk name to be attached to a G3. When you look at it that way, I'm ecstatic that it's attached to a G8.

From what I've heard so far, the album is a great combination of "old" and "new" Metallica. The songs are structured very much like MoP and AJFA era Metallica, with somewhat unpredicatable shifts in tempo within the songs, and Kirk's solos that literally seem to come out of nowhere. Yet, James seems to be having the time of his life "singing" the lyrics as he did from 96-00. I really like what I hear and didn't think they were capable of something this good. After St. Anger I thought they were washed up. Haven't really had that issue in either my Cobalt's Pioneer system or my Sony home theater system. It sounds great on both counts, especially when played very loud . The only issue I've heard of was the sound from Lars' snare drum - they compared it to sounding like banging on a Rubbermaid garbage can.

The 9-3 Aero goes like it was shot out of a cannon. I could only imagine what the Turbo X is like. Nice writeup, CD. Very fair assessment of the car. The pricing issue (as with all Saabs) is likely tied to the unfavorable exchange rate. I really wish they'd wise up to that and start making US-bound Saabs here.

That is one sexy beast. Lots of luck with it, my friend. Just as a word of advice, I'd consider popping out the rear glass (or at least the stainless trim), and the interior quarter trim so you can check out the condition of the metal underneath. Rust spots like that typically originate under the trim and creep outward. Water gets stuck underneath the trim and, as the glue deteriorates over time, makes its way to the metal and lays there. As long as it's solid, you can get away with putting some rust encapsulator on it and covering it with any old white just so it looks halfway decent, just to keep the rust at bay until you have time to repair it the right way. Quarter panels are a PITA to change, and if you can prevent it now with a quickie repair, by all means.

If that's the case, Caddy needs to grow the hell up. A RWD/AWD Zeta Escalade would be much more in keeping with the brand's supposed mantra than one built off Lambda. I guess it's OK to hang out in the back of the pack with Acura and Lincoln as long as it means not using a Holden platform