z28luvr01

The combination of large diameter rims, skinny summer tires, and a high performance engine makes for some...interesting...adventures in the snow. I've seen many a BMW, Lexus, or Infiniti sedan stuck on the side of the road with a minimal amount of snow on the road. All seasons do work well for the most part (at least with the storms we get here), but in the case of Northie's dad hesitating over buying a G8 because it only comes with summer tires, it'd be better for him to buy, say, a set of 15" or 16" steelies with snow tires and just swap them in the spring and fall. It'll probably be cheaper in the long run - 18" tires are expensive in any variety, and good luck finding a set of 18" all season or snow tires

Here's a better idea. Siphon the gas out of the Yaris and put it into the Sierra. Then, the MPG calculator in the Yaris will start showing markedly decreased fuel economy, to the point where the owner will want to get rid of it. Then you can tell him or her to buy a Sierra, because your MPG calulator now shows 35MPG. Then when the Sierra arrives, you'll have even more gas at your disposal.

Just take the summer tires and get a set of steelies with snow tires for the winter. On a high perofrmance car like that, I don't think an all-season tire is going to cut it when you're trying to manueuver through slush and snow. You're better off swapping. Nice review. The G8 is a fantastic car in any trim.

I can at least move it in the Lounge. This obviously doesn't belong in features.

TICK-TOCK Happy Birthday, B. Enjoy yourself. When you get a chance, send me your address so I can send you your birthday present:

It's absolutely pointless arguing with you because you're so far off base, but I come from an Italian family so I'm no stranger to pointless arguments. $44000??? Try $19,900. So you're apparently going to continue with the "Rear drive = 1960s dragster/gas guzzler" mentality. I suppose every 3 series or C class buyer is a gearhead. So is every who buys a Solstice, Sky, 300, G35/37, IS250/350, or Miata. Yeah, that's it - I could just picture 10 of these cars parked in a Dairy Queen parking lot on a Thursday night with the owners standing over their engine compartments with the hood open making grunting noises and scratching themselves. Yeah, you're dead on. GM doesn't need to go after these customers. They're just living in the past anyway. Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, the best way to win (and keep) customers is to offer a product or service that stands out among all the others. Otherwise, there's no reason for anyone to choose your company. Why buy something that's 'Every bit as good as...' when you can just buy the real thing. GM fielding only front drive cars in "affordable" market segments immediately puts them in the middle of the pack instead of in front. Introducing a mix of RWD and FWD in every segment would be at this point unheard of in the industry, and would enable GM to make a name for itself and snag a new generation of loyalists that 40 years from now your grandchild will accuse them of being stuck in the past.

Nah, the restaurant heard GM execs were coming and decided to only serve chicken.

What an idiot. Sell the other crap, use that money to fix the Regal, and call it a day.

Here's how I see it, not because I want this to happen, but because this is how a company with a defeatist attitude would operate: We get the G8 GXP and G8 ST as promised. They'll have a short model run and be killed "due to higher gas prices and changes in customer buying tastes" I dont recall a G8 ST GXP being announced, so they don't have to kill it. The G8 dies when the Commodore runs its course at Holden I wish I could be more positive, but the powers that be believe that putting the twin kidney grille on rolling sardine cans is the way to save Pontiac. What I'd like to see happen: Holden takes the ball (yet again) and squeezes some more mileage out of the Commodore range by introducing newer, more economical engine choices (turbo DI 4cyls, hybrids, etc) Demand for the G8 in the US remains relatively high despite the climate of the market, and GM decides to offer the full range of engine and tranny options here, GXP and fuel-misers included The ST proves poular with former compact truck buyers, and GM considers exploting this and building a family of unibody pickups off Zeta Camino gets his G8 ST GXP. I get my base engine, manual version to tote my bikesa around To cope with demand, GM takes the mothalls out of Oshawa and builds GMNA-destined Zetas there. In exchange, Holden is allowed to build the Camaro and said unibody pickups in Elizabeth. Sales of Zeta vehicles as a whole do well enough for GM to justify the development of a more lightweight successor.

I wouldn't be adverse to that, but the Aveo/G3 is about as far from the Mini as East is from West.

You try so hard to stereotype everyone that argues for high-performance rear drive cars as either living in the past, a redneck, or some other derogatory connotation, yet you fail to understand that the apparent premature death of RWD at GM is only a small portion of the unrest in this thread. The problem is, GM has everything it needs to make a lineup of cars that is more frugal with gas without sacrificing anything in terms of performance or comfort. Rear-drive cars ARE doable at GM right now despite the current climate. As already said the technologies are here to make it happen. GM can innovate (like Ford will with its EcoBoost 3.5L V6) but instead is apparently scrambling and, ultimately, cowering. In case you forgot, GM tried playing it safe and flooding the market with FWD appliances in the 80s and 90s that did nothing to stand out from their Japanese competition, and look where it got them. Do you honestly think that going back to that approach is going to fare any better this time, with the market as crowded as it is, to the point where Hyundai is closer to offering an affordable volume RWD car than GM is? Get serious.

Only the completely blind would say that the Solstice and Sky only differ by the nose and badges. I'm not going to post pics for comparison. Do that yourself. GM's divisions haven't had separate design/engineering staffs for quite some time now. By your logic, Chevy exists in name only, Caddy esists in name only, Saturn exists in name only....you get the idea. So why the hate on Pontiac when every other division is guilty of the same thing? Regardless of your personal feelings towards Pontiac, you can't argue the fact that it's in GM's best interests to keep the divisions it has, give them RELEVANT product (read: No G3s, G5s, or other shameless rebadges that you are such a proponent of) , and grow them as profitability will eventually allow. Closing a brand is foolish. America is already looking for reasons not to buy GM. Closing a division will certainly accomplish that.

Who needs Alpha when you can have this. Awesome move, GM. Way to give customers a reason to buy Pontiac over any other brand. *golf clap*

Nice ride, BV. Take good care of it and keep up with the maintenance, and it'll reward you with many fun miles. My friend bought one of these new in 1998, only with a stick. Its peppiness betrayed its 116hp rating, and the shifter felt oh-so-slick. As far as mods go, I agree with the consensus - throw on a set of nice wheels and call it a day.

It wouldn't take $20K worth of technology to increase Zeta's efficiency. Any one of thoes technologies could be used to bring Zeta into the 30+ MPG club, at no more than a $5000 increase in MSRP.

I grew up around Chevys, so I guess it was inevitable. Between my grandfather and my father, I've been exposed to lots of cool bowties - you've seen my grandfather's '73 MC (which is now my father's), but add to that list a '55 Bel Air hardtop, a '65 Corvette, a '70 Chevelle LS6, a '76 MC, a '78 Caprice, a '82 S10, a '83 Silverado, a '86 IROC, a '90 Lumina, and a '03 MC. I think the appeal of a Chevy is that you could get everything you could want in a car (performance, style, luxury) at a pretty good price. The trucks I revered for their bulletproof, indestructibe, start-on-a-time-no-matter-how-long-they've-been-ssitting nature. I've had the pleasure of owning two Chevys - a 85 S10 Blazer and my curent car, a 05 Cobalt. Lately, however, I'm being drawn more and more to Pontiac, and I'd really like for my next car to have an Arrowhead on the grille if they're allowed to produce something that would satisfy my wants/needs. Though I'd never be mistaken for a rebel, ever, I'm nonetheless drawn more and more to the maverick spirit that's been a part of Pontiac for decades. Part of it is because that spirit is exactly what GM needs given the current climate of the industry. and part of t is because I feel the need to drive something that says FU to all the people who default to Japan, Inc. or Europe, Inc and feel they got the best car out there.

Sorry, Bill. I hope it all works out and your Sierra's back to perfect in no time.

The problem is, given the tools and technoligies that GM has in its arsenal righ now, we can have our cake and eat it too. There's no reason that a Zeta vehicle, even a V8-powered Zeta, can't be so equipped that it can pull down 30-35mpg highway. It can't take that much effort to put AFM, DI, and two-mode hybrid systems into current-gen Zeta vehicles to make them more efficient while a more lightweight successor is developed. And I'm sure BAS could be used without too much engineering. The fact GM has the technology and can roll it out next model year if it so desired, but won't is nothing short of maddening. Here's a somewhat surprising tidbit - Despite being heavier by some 300lb, the V6-powered Zeta G8 (with one fewer gear in the tranny) gets nearly identical mileage to the V6-powered Epsilon Malibu. The two cars get 17mpg city, and the 'bu bests the G8 in highway fuel economy by a whopping 1mpg (26-25). Zeta's been called a fat heavy pig, but in spite of its weight it can underpin vehicles that are every bit as efficient (if not moreso) than a comparably-powered Epsilon. So, why aren't any Epsilon vehicles on the chopping block...hmmmm?

I knew I had seen those grilles before: 2004 SEMA G6 GXP concept: 2009 G6 "facelift" I'll admit that the lower fascia looks to be less boring than the current one. Still, half-baked cars like the G6 are what got Pontiac into its current predicament, with one foot in the grave. This nonsense needs to stop if Pontiac is to have any shot at relevance.

They're making it harder to care. I've been waiting four years for a new interior and for all the exterior quirks to be fixed. Just kill the damn car already and make an Invicta coupe/vert to pick up the slack, if there's any slack to pick up.

Okay, I think I have to jump in an defend Oldsmoboi, as you guys still aren't seeing his point. Maybe I can clear things up with a little story, because I'm in the same situation myself, albeit with digital cameras. After my experience at NYIAS this year, I start pining for a digital camera with a higher zoom than the one I have, because 3x optical zoom just doesn't cut it when you're trying to do more than snapshots. I'm trying to get everything I need (camera, batteries, charger, bag, maybe an optional lens or two) for as close to $300 as possible. As I always do when I buy electronics, I do a ton of research, both online and with people who have had experience with the manufacturers I'm investigating. I eventually narrow my choices down to an Olympus, a Kodak, and a Canon. After viewing sample shots from all three, reading user and editorial reviews, comparing feature sets, and talking with people in the know, I determine that the Kodak is the one I want. Unfortunately, it just came out a month ago, and it'll cost me over $400 for the camera plus the add-ons I want. I'd have bought the camera already if that were doable for me. It isn't right now, so I'm holding off until the price gets within my range, as it will inevitably do once demand goes down. I could probably get the Canon within my budget, but I'd really much rather have the Kodak. So, is the fact that I'm waiting for the price drop on the Kodak an indictment of the product? Or is it just me showing some financial responsibility and not putting myself in any more debt than I need to be in. If you ask me, this situation is more an indictment of the Canon and Olympus cameras, especially the Canon, since I could get it for what I want to pay right now, yet I won't.

You're not alone. it doesn't arouse me either. Usually she's just blocking the view of what I really want to look at. I can't remember how man times I've seen a pic of some bikini'd bimbo on a Corvette or Ferrari and said "Man, the oils from her skin are going to seep into the paint and ruin the finish if she doesn't get off."

I really love this jar of All Natural Cashew Butter that I picked up from Stop and Shop. Nuts are some of the most nutrient-dense foods available. I always carry some with me on long rides - usually non-roasted lightly salted cashews or pistachios. Essential fats, proteins, amino acids, vitamins and minerals are all there. The trick is to buy nuts that aren't roasted, as the heat changes their chemical structure and most of the nutrients disappear.

Done, and done. Sixty, you know better than to post stuff like this in the main news forum One word of caution, just keep this topic tasteful. Don't post anything you wouldn't want your boss or significant other catching you looking at. So far, so good on that front.

Who has more respect as a Tier-1 luxury brand? Lexus, with it's FWD/RWD product mix, or Acura, with an all-FWD lineup? Also, pre-2003, Cadillac was considered a joke by most shopping for a status/luxury car. Yeah, I know the Catera was RWD, but it had problems that the drivetrain layout couldn't hide. Sorry, but these days if you want to be taken seriously in terms of performance, status, or luxury, you need RWD. Keeping Buick all FWD stifles its march toward acceptance as a premium nameplate. BTW, I turn 30 in July, so there goes your stereotype.