Chicagoland

There was never any "96 Malibu SS" car, ;-)

Model T's were appliances, GM turned out new looks every year to get more sales. Four doors are what most car buyers want, it's not 1970 anymore. Coupes will be around for Auto Shows, but will never sell as they did in the Baby Boomer era 60's/70's. And I agree about that old car shows get boring with same old 50's songs and fake Elvises. Seen enough '57 Chevys where I don;'t even look twice. How about some variety?

How is 'Vauxhall' prononced phonetically? 'vox-all' or 'vo-hall'?

About Can Ams, there is a rumor that they were cut to sell more Grand Prixs, since they used the same dashboards. Sale managers wanted to push as many GP's as possible. Regarding Buick Century GS, the package was available 1973-75, but the Stage 1 455 motor was only in 1973-74.

I think all G body 1978-88 RWD Monte Carlos would be Gen 3. The '81-88 was a reskin, not a whole new car.

How about calling it the 'Wyoming'?

There was no other SS wagon than the 1973 Chevelle. The Laguna was the top Chevelle trim level for '73, in sedan, wagon, coupe. But the SS package was only on the chrome bumpered Malibu coupe and wagon. Plus El Camino. For 1974, the Malibu Classic took the place of the Laguna as 'top of line' and the SS package was only on the El Camino, from then on. No Laguna or SS wagons for 1974. The 74-76 Laguna S-3 was a sporty coupe, taking the SS's place, though not marketed as a 'muscle car'. The only GM colonnade era 'sport package' that survived to 1977, and sold OK, was the Olds 442.

"A Park Avenue aimed at Lexus and Acura 20 years ago? rlol" I agree, but back then, GM figured just make it "look imported" with luggage racks on trunks and black trim and it was "good enough".

So many are in denial that GM went BK and had to borrow from the US Govt. They still think GM is a "Money Tree" and they can just hand out jobs for workers to show up and read newspapers all day.

Your premise is still false, no matter how many times you repeat it. Well, GM went Chapter 11 and is still under Gov't control. They can't afford to do 'expirements' and end up losing money. It's notgonnahappen. After the 04-06 GTO getting trashed by 'purists', why bother? All the old timers would complain that 'It looks too plain' and younger buyers cant afford $40K.

I used to know a Buick Zone Rep back in 1991, and he claimed that the PA was 'top of the line', and the Roadmaster was aimed at older RWD LeSabre owners for trade-ins. Supposedly the PA was aimed at Lexus and Acura, even back then.

I assume the NG Impala will have a police package also.. (it will be Epsilon II (FWD/V6). Duh, thanks, I wasn't thinkin!

So many are avoiding the big question, COST! What will people's electric bills be? How much fossil fuel and coal will be used at power plants to generate more electricty for grids? How much to charge at a station? We still get electric company bills, and it's not free! No way will Best buy "give away" electricity.

Maybe Chevy will keep the W body past MY '12 and call it "Impala Classic"? I can't see them investing in the tooling to put the 6 speed into the Impala for only one year [?]

After the W body goes, will there be a Malibu cop car for light duty? Not all agencies need a RWD/V8 Pursuit car.

Just wait for the police auctions, but how much will they depeciate?

"I would not be suprised if the El Camino does not appear about the same time as the RWD Chevy Sports sedan in 2014." With higher CAFE and confirmed reports of the next generation FWD Impala for 2014, I won't believe any new "Sport Sedan" for that timeframe. Also, even if true, gearheads will balk at the price premium for an Aussie car, just as they did for the 04-06 GTO and G8.

Are El Camino fans willing to pay the exchange rate for an Aussie built version? The G8 and new GTO were slammed for the high prices. And large rebates are not profitable. GM is not a charity.

The old Cavalier/Sunfire and Cobalt 2 doors sold at losses to high risk buyers, which then get beat up and not repaired, since onwers can't afford the upkeep. They were also dumped into fleets as 'economy' models, then to 'buy here, pay here' marginal used car lots. Essentially, disposable cars. Don't miss them. Hardly see any brand new Civic coupes, anymore, either. Go see how many are in stock at Honda dealer, 1 or 2? Market has dried up.

"Well... I think that Cadillac stole Buick's flagship. The XTS should have been a Buick," Remember Caddy sits on top of GM hierarchy. And don't forget that GM went Chapter 11, can't afford to whip up a whole line up overnight.

Brand new engines usually don't get good MPG numbers until they are broken in. Also, I agree that LTZ RS is too long, why not just call it RS? Ford will have Focus ST, not SEL ST XYZ.

"Century still sold well last gen did it not?" Quite a few were sold to Avis, Alamo....etc. Near Zero profit sales do not count. Also, too many fan-boys, who never buy new cars, expect GNX, Roadmaster, Electra, or even '53 Skylark. The Verano is a C class car, not supposed to have huge back seat. Also, the Jetta is pushing into Mid size territory, but the it plain as dishwater. And if one wants high MPG, buy a diesel, hybrid or motorcycle. Or better yet, take subway, train, or bus.

"Remember when everyone thought the tri-five Chevies would never be worth anything?" The answer is never. I remember in the mid/late 60's teenagers loved used Tri Fives and they were still running, while other 50's cars were demo derbied. These started to be collectable in the 70's. It will be another 20 years to see how collectible the 1991-96 'whale' b bodies are. For now, the Impala SS is only one. Maybe the Fleetwood and wagons, too.I've read that in olden days the Chevy B-bodies alone sold about 10 times that volume...(1964). Different time, different place. "I've read that in olden days the Chevy B-bodies alone sold about 10 times that volume...(1964). Different time, different place." And yes kids, once upon a time, full-sized cars were called 'standard size' and had over 50% market share. Before 1960, most car makes had one body size!

Someone earlier said "hmm maybe better to get an Avenger with rebates". Well, any car that needs rebates will get poor resale, and the Avenger is poorly rated for quality and resale value. And it is dumped into fleets, so when trading in, will get peanuts. New cars are not a right, but a privilege. Detroit 3 lost billions with all the rebated, tacky cars. So the idea that the Cruze should be like a Cavalier or Avenger, cheaply made, with rebates built into the MSRP is poor business practices.

The days of car buyers using rebates as down payments are over. Banks don't like it, and rebates kill true resale. C class compacts are not 'econo-boxes' anymore. People who can't afford new cars should get used cars, anyway.