GMTruckGuy74

What, no convertible to round-out your ideal line-up?!? J/K I agree with your point that a panel version for commerical customers is a great idea and the pickup version would be a great addition for the weekend warrior customer - maybe the DIY'er who needs to handle small runs to Home Depot/Lowe's, or the outdoors/sportsperson who needs to haul their kayak or canoe. Having small-medium-large offerings in both SUVs and pickups (Granite-Terrain-Acadia/Yukon and Granite/Canyon/Sierra) will open the window of opportunity for GM to sell GMCs to more customers.

I know that the GM rep, not the spokesmodel, took down my comments, name and address about the Granite at the NYIAS last year. Where they went or what was done with them I don't know (never been contacted), but the rep stated that public approval was high on the Granite from the Detroit, Chicago, and New York auto shows.

Great food for thought, SAmadei. I don't have any problems with the door panels, and the truck will be turning 5 years old next month. I am definitely reconsidering this modification. While searching for pics, I did find some postings of Envoy/Bravada/Rainier owners that found chrome overlays that seemed to work for the effect I desire. I just don't want something that looks like it came from Pep Boys

Okay, so the steering wheel is definitely not production, and the leather/suede on the dash is neither. However, the dash looks semi-production capable... maybe some of the trim and digital readouts are too futuristic, but it mimics the Camaro dash in a way and looks a little like the Terrain/Equinox dash design. Of course the seats and door panels look too conceptey for production, and the white applications, a'la Apple iPod, would have to go. I do like the Granite's dash though.

Thanks for the info, SAmadei. And you statement above made me realize I forgot to say that when I do buy the door handles, those will definitely be a dealer-installed item!!

Usually? That place is like heaven for truck enthusiasts, plus the free Mack Truck Plant tour to boot!! Yes, that has been a staple, rain or shine, for over 5-6 years now. The little guy was just asking about that truck show Sunday night, because this week's CBS show "Undercover Boss" featured Mack Trucks. Once he saw the plant in operation, he got all excited and said he can't wait to go back (in June). I believe that the ATHS show in South Bend, Indiana will have Studebaker as the featured manufacturer, and the focus of the show will be the early '60s Studie concept truck (the boxy one, a'la Ford Econoline, Dodge A100, and Chevy Corvair). Recently the wife got stuck with a $200 non-refundable airline ticket and it gave me an idea to fly out to that show. Of course I need to figure out other logistics first, hence this post

Yes, the HHR had a sea of gray plastic that could have benfitted from a two-tone interior treatment, a'la Equinox & Terrain. One of the many turn offs for my wife on the HHR was the interior. GM has since corrected this course of action with the interiors it has been offering on the newer intro'ed models. I know the Granite's interior was too concept-ey for production, let's just hope the production version is versatile, functional, and attractive (for some reason, I don't have any fears about this). I understand where you were coming from with the $18-$28k range, but in these times when I see at the recent Philly Auto Show the Hyundai and Kia areas had more people than Ford or GM did, I think it would be wise for GM to continue to offer their reliability but at the Hyundai/Kia price point to win back some marketshare. With the recent profit postings, GM now has some available cash to NOT offer incentives to move vehicles, BUT rather price their vehicles accordingly to steal sales awy from other manufactures and provide hard working people with a vehicle that isn't a "sacrifice or a compromise". I am a diehard, drink the General Motors KoolAid guy, but I will tell you that Hyundai and Kia definitely have caught my attention, and my wife's too, with their current lineup and pricing. If GM wants to keep or add buyers to their vehicles, they will be best suited to look at their competition's price structuring and compete on that level too. If a consumer only has X amount per month to spend, GM wants them to spend Y whereas Hyundai or Kia will accept W, well which way do you think the consumer is going to go in today's market? Commonsense will say spend a little more for a better vehicle, but today's consumer will save here to spend somehwere else. If the new GM wants to survive, they have to realize this is the new way of thinking of today's economically depressed consumer.

I'd like to ask you a few questions about getting into the area via a flight (if possible). The reason? 2011 ATHS (Antique Truck Historical Society) National Convention and Annual Truck Show, May 26-28, 2011, St. Joseph County 4-H Fairgrounds in South Bend, Indiana Please either reply here or feel free to PM me. TIA!!

The GMC Granite, if produced, has caught my eye for commuting purposes in a fuel efficient way. Diesel that gets better MPG and is affordable could definitely sway me over to that side. A Volt-ized Granite would be cool; 33 mile one-way commute to work, so all electric going; if employer puts in charging stations, then 33 miles home would also be electric based... kinda would have me interested too. But ICE all the way first and foremost.

Here's a wheel on eBay... basically, this is the standard wheel like I already have but they added wood trim to it. I want the factory issued wheel with the chrome trim rings, but this is what I want to find in a salvage yard (what is pictured).

As you probably can tell, I want to start personalizing my '06 GMC Envoy SLT to an extent. Thanks to all the input on the rim question in the other post. Now for something else... One "luxury" feature of modern vehicles I like is the leather and wood steering wheel. The Envoy SLT model never offered it, but the Envoy Denali came standard with one (pictured above). The "wood" on the wheel matches the "wood" on my dash, so I think it would be a great item for me to enjoy. Of course I don't have the tools needed, so either I would have to find someone that does or take it to a shop/dealer to have it done. Anyone have an idea of how difficult this is, or how expensive it would be if done by a professional? There's three "salvage yards" near me with modern iron, so that is where I would start my search (of course eBay has them between $99-$249, but I think it will be cheaper finding one in a local salvage yard). I don't want the airbag - mine's fine - and the steering wheel cover can stay too (I don't want the Denali cap, I'm happy with my GMC one). Another add-on I'm planning, but not anytime soon, is the GM Accessories chrome and painted door handles: Too tacky???

I agree with many of your points hyper. Many of the new Terrains I see in NJ sticker at $26k-$28k or $34-$37k. However, I don't want to see a fully loaded Granite approach $28k. I saw the Granite in person last year at the New York Auto Show, and it is slightly larger than the Scion X D and Kia Soul from my perspective. But there is no way I can see buyers flocking to a loaded $28k Granite - heck, when I was considering 2009 HHRs I had a hard time finding loaded ones ($27k), most of the dealers stocked in $23-$24k models. I think it would be in GM's best interest when entering this market to price lower for the first two years to gain marketshare, then increase as needed with good reason (more features, better sales records, etc). I can see people needing a small, fuel-efficient people mover like the Granite but in today's economic climate not wanting to put out too much $$$ for one that is nicely equipped. I am one of them - I want to keep the Envoy for family duty and find a fuel-efficient vehicle that satisfies my vehicle needs that is well-equipped but doesn't cost me an arm and a leg (likely in the next 1 1/2-2 years). The Granite has gotten that attention, and the upcoming GMI-700 pickups could be a possibility too. But with my new financial status (working for less money, worse credit score, etc), I will have to shop within reason and make my money count. GM has an opportunity to make headway into a new market and attract new customers that may not have considered a GM vehicle, let alone a GMC Truck-branded vehicle.

I know... but there are three "salvage yards" nearby that have mostly modern iron that I would be checking at for these rims if I were going to bite the bullet on this. Money for the tires is earmarked from our tax return, so that's checked off. But, I don't want to buy the tires yet until I decide on the rim situation. Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Thanks to all of the recent replies. Rims are not the top priority in a way, tires, an extended warranty, and some general maintenance are my main concerns. However, I don't want to buy new tires for my current rims, then find a set I can use on the Envoy that I like but not be the right size for the new tires. I don't need new rims, I just want something better. Here's the 18x8 Denali rims on a white (Denali) Envoy: Here's the '07-'09 18x8 SLT rims on a white Envoy: Here's what my current 17x7 rims look like: Though they're not deep dish style, I like the SLT rims the best on the Envoy.

No, I wasn't able to keep the mileage down long enough and subsequently ran out. I made contact with AAA at the Philly Auto Show and have to call the agent back for the price quote of their extended warranty. My neighbor uses the one repair shop listed on their website for most of his vehicle repairs with much satisfaction (called Highway Tire, a Goodyear retailer but not part of a system of dealers like Gemini or Vespia Goodyear dealers), and the local Chevy dealer (Lucas) is also listed as an authorized AAA repair facility. I just need to find the time during the workday to call the agent back for the price quote. Anyone have direct experience, or know anyone personally that has, an AAA extended warranty?

Kia Soul (base model, inc. destination) = $13,995 MSRP Scion xB (base model, inc. destination) = $16,720 MSRP GMC Terrain (base model, inc. destination) = $24,240 MSRP So, if they want to compete with Kia and Scion, they'll have to price near/around them. Or they could position themselves to be a more luxury equipped model over those two vehicles and price higher, but then the Terrain base MSRP comes into play. And if they go that route (a'la Canyon/Colorado and Sierra/Silverado), why would anyone go for a Granite when they could have a Terrain? I hope the Granite comes to market, but let's pray GM does it's research on MSRP well.

Thanks Z-06 and Balthazar for responding. Numbers-wise, I can see that it was an apples-to-oranges comparison since they weren't exact. Balthazar, thanks for the link to the illustration. And you're point is spot on - I don't like the flat-faced rims used on all Envoys versus the deeper dish rims that came on the Sierra & Yukons. So it seems that if I want a different design, I'd need to look at other Envoy rims. The only problem I have is that the designs I like are of the 18 inch variety: Envoy Denali 18x8 (2006-2009) Envoy SLT 18x8 (2007-2009) I'll have to search a little more to find out the specs on these rims, but since they were used on Envoys I can't imagine that they wouldn't work on my 2006. My new question is what would other work would be needed going from a 17x7 to 18x8 rim? I'm assuming the speedometer would have to be compensated for the larger tire, right? Is that an easy to do fix on the Envoy? Of course if I wanted to go aftermarket, I like these and according to TireRack.com, they'd fit the Envoy: The problem is they're a little pricey!! http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialPartNumber=KM65077565245C&wheelMake=KMC&wheelModel=Slide&wheelFinish=Chrome+Plated&showRear=no&autoMake=GMC&autoModel=Envoy+4wd&autoYear=2006&autoModClar=Standard+Model&filterFinish=All&filterSize=All&filterBrand=All&filterSpecial=false&filterNew=All&filterWeight=All&sort=Brand

*Bump* I reworded the original post... if you are knowledgable on rim sizing, please help me out!

Yeah, I thought that too when I first saw it. Maybe that's what it is photoshopped with?

If true, then this is great news! I for one would consider a Granite for commuting purposes during the week and light family hauling on the weekends (plus it would be a great vehicle for the soon-to-be-driving stepson to use). Like others have already stated, I hope the styling doesn't differ too much for production.

This one: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/2176098907.html I wonder what the rust issue is like on that Jimmy?

More pictures of this Jimmy at AutoTrader.com: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=294671865&dealer_id=54364028&car_year=1991&doors=&systime=&model=JIM&search_lang=en&start_year=1981&keywordsrep=&keywordsfyc=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&search_type=both&distance=0&min_price=&drive=&rdm=1298051289820&marketZipError=false&advanced=&fuel=&keywords_display=&lastBeginningStartYear=1981&end_year=1991&showZipError=n&make2=&certified=&engine=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&body_code=0&transmission=&default_sort=&max_mileage=&address=08060&color=&sort_type=priceDESC&max_price=&awsp=false&make=GMC&seller_type=b&num_records=25&cardist=920&standard=false

http://www.autoshopper.com/used-trucks/1991_GMC_Jimmy_Sle_4x4_Hudson_FL-4338550.htm I've always been a fan of the entire GMC Jimmy (full-size) models, and would LOVE to have this last year model. Too bad it's almost $5k and 900+ miles away from me in Florida. But it sure is clean looking for a 20 year old SUV

Thanks for the offer, but yeah 1,200 miles is a pretty long commute I too love the NAPCO-equipped GMC trucks, but finding one of those for a decent price is like finding a needle in a haystack. Here's some NAPCO GMC eye candy for you to enjoy: