FUTURE_OF_GM

GM: Fantasy, in order: Corvette Z06 CTS-V (sedan or most likely coupe) Camaro ZL1 Sierra Denali Escalade Platinum Realistic, in order: Terrain Cruze ECO -or- LTZ RS Volt *** I'd also consider the sporty version of the Sonic if GM actually delivers or a sporty Malibu if I can shift myself or even a Regal GS if GM actually gives it balls. Chrysler: Fantasy, in order: Charger SRT-8 300 SRT-8 Realistic: Fiat 500 *** A mid-size Jeep truck would go right to the top of my list. Ford Fantasy, in order: Mustang Boss 302 Taurus SHO Mustang GT500 Flex Explorer Ecoboost F150 Realistic, in order: Focus (preferrably ST) Fiesta (preferrably ST) *** I'll also consider a next gen Fusion when it loses the patchwork styling.

Done

Obviously if people have hijacked the thread and are talking about it, they care. I'm jus' sayin'.... (Oxymoron much?)

They just didn't focus on what would be RELEVANT for the vast majority of their buyers--how does this car meet/exceed a family's daily needs? The typical family doesn't care how much this car shares inspiration with the Camaro, they care about safety, how much family gear it can hold, how the infotainment system can make their life easier, cupholders, rear seat comfort, etc...as it was the unveiling was more geared toward geeky/gee-whiz features that appeal to enthusiasts and those who have already been sold on Chevrolet and the Malibu...not the Camry, Accord, Sonata and Fusion crowd. It was a Facebook reveal.... So, essentially you're saying it hit the mark.

Agreed... While I love the LEDs on the Malibu tail, because they work, I find the trend of putting them on the front of the cars disturbing. (SEE: Holden Zetas, New Jeep GC SRT-8, Ford Taurus & Fiesta, etc.) It's essentially a Pep Boys add on both in thought an execution.

Color me impressed.... VERY impressed. GM still hasn't completely abandoned it's love of 'Opel bland proportions and details' SEE: Regal, LaCrosse, Verano, Cruze, etc. But this new Malibu is hella attractive! I'd buy it! It's very nice to be proven wrong by GM for once.... Now let's just hope they follow through with pricing an powertrains.

Not bad at all! Much better than the previous one an almost as cool as the original. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the wheels! +1 to Dodgefan, The CC was the last VeeDub I liked as well, until now.

I didn't really like it until I saw the video AutoBlog has... It shows the proportions of the car better. While I was certainly a fan of the former Taurus an it's classic good looks (hard to improve on), I think this one will be just as nice and more sporty. Kudos.

It was warmer than it has been in a while (low to mid 70s) but by no means hot for Charlotte. As far as the gas thing goes; not that I know of. But I'm not even sure where the last tank came from (it's the GFs car) The smell is gone now. Her last Cavi had Cat issues as well. I can try to check it out, but I've read other places that the entire exhaust is welded up and has to be replaced as one unit. I'm not sure how true that is as I didn't get a chance to look at it before work today. I did drive it to work though (roughly a mile from the house) just to see if I could duplicate the problem and it ran fine. Then again, if it's heat related, that would definitely not be enough time to heat it up. As for the No Trac light... Only thing I can think is if the car started missing, maybe the loss of power to the wheels could trigger it. I really have NO clue about traction systems (except how to turn the one in my Mustang off )

So it seems just as I get the Mustang running decent again; no miss and so far neither a wheel nor a caliper has flown off, it's the Cavalier's turn. Today I was 'toolin' down the road and all of the sudden the "No Trac" light comes on and I have a loss of power. I pull off to the side of the road (in the ghetto, no less) and the car dies. First thing I do is lock my new Canon in the trunk and look for a weapon.... Oh wait, I actually did that, but that's the wrong story. First thing I notice is this godawful smell of sulfur. My first thought is a battery issue or a cat converter issue. I get out and check the battery, since it would be a quick fix. It's not hot (I was worried that the alternator might be overcharging it and cooking it) and both of the cables look good and are snug. Thinking the worst (it's a cat converter issue) I get back into the car and put the keys in the switch in hopes of at least being able to push/guide it to the side of the road. Just for giggles, I tun the switch and it fires right up and makes it home. It's still not running quite right though... So, any thoughts? Cat converter? It's a 2001 Cavalier with the 2.2L and it's not flashing any codes that I know of. (No light) I swear, it seems that everything I touch lately breaks down. Maybe it's life's way of trying to get me back into working on cars.

My goal is to eventually own at least one classic from every GM division (and every major American division if I do really well) After seeing this GMC making the rounds here in Charlotte, I think it'll be the model I eventually spring for. Not bad for an iPhone photo... Really wish I'd gotten a good pic of the side though.

I submitted my story and a few pics. Was in contact with these folks for a few emails and thought I might actually have a shot at being in the movie. I'm not so sure now, though. I'm on a "we'll let you know" basis. But at least they still have my story and pix. At any rate, judging by the super nice cars they've been posting on Facebook (some A LOT nicer than my fix 'er up-ers) the movie should be really good.

Many thanks! I'll certainly let you guys know. I really don't expect to win the trip, but I've been a member of SAN for a while now and I think it's a great organization. So I'm going to give it as much exposure as possible.

That's awesome! The only advice I can give you is this; old cars are a lot like children. They're costly, fun and sometimes very frustrating. But through it all nothing beats the pride of building (raising) something that means so much to you and other people that 'get it'. (And a lot of people don't 'get it') I feel your pain about the cruise nights. Here in Charlotte the hobby is HUGE but my cars are 2 hours away at my parents house. It's very painful to go take part in the hobby as strictly a spectator. But I never talk to anyone anyway because I'm so shy. (God forbid I be outgoing enough to appear human, LOL) Even a couple of years ago when I finally fulfilled my goal of organizing and putting on a classic car show for Relay For Life, it kind of sucked because my cars weren't at the event. It's a bit of a curse and a gift though. My cars are to the point (in my eyes) that I almost can't enjoy working on them or taking them out because I'm always afraid something might happen to them. But that's another issue entirely. I think the G6 coupe is one of the most attractive cars of the last 10 years. As far as insurance. I can't speak for NJ, but in NC there are no exemptions until 35 years or older. Then you're exempted from inspections altogether. Of course, a lot of us who garage these things would just ignore the inspections anyway or just pay a buddy at a garage for a sticker (anything 1995 and older is still not computer linked here and extremely easy to forge) Most of the time the cops won't bother us unless we're 1) driving unsafe or 2) driving something that they can profile as unsafe. Classic car insurance is simple here... All you need is documented proof of a daily driver for every licensed driver in the house (i.e. 4 adult drivers = 4 daily drivers) and a locking garage. No mileage limits or anything like that. I'm at the same crossroads. My cars have done way too much sitting for the past few years and it's time to either start messing with them again or (gulp) consider passing them on to someone who can.

SEMA Action Network is a non-profit organization that works to promote legislative solutions for classic car owners and members of the hobby. If you are a part of the hobby or just enjoy preserving this part of our history, you should take part and join. It's free and it merely updates you on laws/propositions that either promote or threaten the hobby. I recently agreed to take the SEMA SAN Challenge to try and win the trip to this year's SEMA show. If you join, kindly put my name (Josh Leatherwood) under the "How Did You Hear About Us?" question. My true loyalty lies in passion for the hobby. So even if you don't like me and don't want to put down my name (which, I don't know why that would be, since I'm a fine upstanding young man) at least join SAN and get more involved with the fight to preserve this great pastime and awesome pieces of automotive history. Sign Up Here: http://www.semasan.com/san/IndividualSignup.aspx

YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!! I guess that 'joke' avatar description from back in the day wasn't too far off.

I love Slipknot. Mainly the first two albums though (when Corey Taylor was super effed up and violent) the newer stuff isn't as good. I am a fan of the PsychoSocial video though. Favorite mask:

I wonder how many Passat drivers know where Passat is? And yes, as far as I've heard, the Malibu will debut at new York. It's going to be sold around the world before it's sold here. GM has to be sure and only give us the outdated stuff.

LOL.

I guess it depends on your definition of globalism. MY definition would be producing product for a specific area IN a specific area which would safeguard the company from things like this. THEIR definition of globalism is producing the product where it's cheapest to produce it. See the problem?

Nice! Now even Kia can do RWD and Chevrolet can't? LOL.

So today I took the car apart again and put some super duper red thread lock on all the caliper and caliper bracket bolts. I'm still going to check them periodically because I don't trust them. As for the spindle nuts; I couldn't get the wrench to break at all. I guess I just don't have the muscle to get 250 ft/lbs of torque on the nut. (Safely... I mean, I could wail on it and risk effing something up, but it was a $100 deposit for the wrench alone) All the same, the nut is still tight as hell. The only thing I can think is to maybe find someone with an air wrench. It sucks that I'm having to do all of this in Charlotte where I have virtually no tools and few contacts. I've already put probably over 200 miles on the car since the brake job itself and tightening the nuts.

Because that's relevant. Why not ask how many Monte Carlo owners know where Monte Carlo is? Monte Carlo was just a name. Denali is an obvious metaphor for that the vehicle trim level is. Perhaps I should alter my question to "...what the Denali is". But to your point, I'd say a good deal of people knew in the early days what Monte Carlo is, even if they can't exactly pinpoint it on a map. Monte Carlo was much more promenant in popular culture in the '50s~'80s. I have nothing good to say about post-'88 Monte Carlos, so I'd have to assume their owners don't even know THEIR addresses, let alone where Monte Carlo is. ;-) They only know that #3 Dale Sr. drove it to glory. And that's all they need to know because by that point the car had built a reputation of it's own (good or bad) I could also argue that MC was originally chosen because of it's relevance to luxury, since it was one of the first luxury coupes.

I think it was only C3 for GMC's centennial year though. I don't think Denali should mean performance, but it should mean something besides 'Here's's a little bit of extra $h! that you can't get on an SLE or SLT.'