GMTruckGuy74

You can forget the supercharger, the LT1 350/5.7L V8 will do plenty to get me in trouble. For a 14 year old car, the engine (@ 116k) sure doesn't feel like it's old!! I press down on the gas pedal and the car takes off like a huge rocket. I really do like driving this car :smilies-38096: And I just put out money for those four Kelly Navigator Gold white-wall tires. While the FWB does look especially nice with a set of sport/performance tires mounted on the '90s Impala SS rims, I'll stick with the luxury look for now. It will definitely fool some people I'm sure (thinking its an old fogey's car!). But I am contemplating the Flowmaster exhaust. I love the sound of a powerful V8 engine and I can just imagine how my FWB wiould sound with a Flowmaster muffler. Nothing too fancy, I still want the 'luxo-barge" look to teh car, but a nice sounding exhaust to match the power of the LT1 would be a nice modification I'd consider. I wonder how much that would cost??

Nice Camaro, BUT... I'd love to have the GMC and Pontiac dealership logos mounted on the outside of the building in the background of your picture for my garage - I'd even find a way to get the money to have an electrician come in and professionally wire them to light-up!!

Thanks for the well wishes everyone!! The car is 14 years old (2010) and still has some quirks to be worked out, but nothing that should prevent me from using it as my daily-driver for now. Derek (caddycruiser) has inspired me to become more mechanically-minded now, and I'm excited to learn more about my car and how to work on the small stuff myself. I mentioned in a separate post back when I bought it that I wanted to take the Auto Shop I class at the local high school (adult ed/evening classes), but due to returning to work I missed the deadline for registration. A new class should start soon after the new year and I've taken some steps to not miss out on registration this time. The only way I'll learn is by taking a hands-on approach and getting dirty (and possibly cuts on my own hands!) myself. While I did make a post about 2-3 weeks ago about selling it, now that I've sunk some of my hard-earned money into it, and I'm able to drive it around again, has reminded me of why I purchased it in the first place. I'm dealing with my 'used-car stigma' so far - not saying that I still don't want a new vehicle though! - but I've found a unique car (which I call the dinosaur) and like the fact I'm saving and using a car that still has TONS of life left in her. BTW, those pics I promised will come later this week, as family took priority today and I didn't even get to clean her up (will have to as I want the blue stuff completely off the tires before Wednesday).

Well, after spending almost $1,700 of my hard-earned and long saved-up money, the '96 Cadillac Fleetwood is back on the road, just about ready for daily-driver duty this Wednesday (the AURA goes back to the dealer Tuesday night). A new starter assembly, a new fuel pump and strainer, an new idler arm, and four new Kelly Navigator Gold White-Wall tires have been installed by my local repair shop. Add in a AAA Plus Membership (used to tow the car to the shop this past Wednesday (not to mention a jump-start yesterday!) and a full tank of gas and I'm pretty much broke. It runs great, and with the four new tires, their balance & alignment and the new idler arm it rides like a Fleetwood is suppose to (no more wobbly ride and off-centered steering wheel). And a BIG THANK YOU to one of our forum members, caddycruiser (aka Derek), that graciously travelled back to NJ for a second time per my request and fixed the passenger side windows (front & rear) so that they are fully operational, and most importantly, the rear window stays in place. He spent about 5 hours at my place, would not accept gas money, food, or anything else I could offer for getting his fingers/hands cut up to fix those darn windows. He felt personally responsible for the battery dying, and it's almost 4 years old so I told him not to worry (that's what AAA is for!) and when I get some money soon a new battery is on the list. Without Derek's knowledge of the problem, the parts to fix the problem, and his experience the windows would have not been fixed. I will post some pictures of the car soon, as I need to clean off the "blue stuff" ont he 1.25" white walls and give the car a much needed bath. I think a 'sick day' from work may be called for soon so I can spend some time cleaning up the interior once I order the products Derek suggested I use to shine it all up. The AURA's days are numbered, and while not very sad about it I will miss the car and it's modern features that the Caddy doesn't have. On the flip side, the Caddy is one hell of a car that has earned quite a few looks as I drove her around last night. It definitely is something unique and uncommon, even if I see a few on the roads from time to time.

For your viewing pleasure, I've submitted the following pictures: 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham original (chopped) 2008 Pontiac G6 V6 Sedan original chopped

Make sure to take some pictures with it all nice & shiny!!

So, are you going to post some pictures of your new ride and give us the details???

Camino, I knew that was a Formula Ram Air hood, but wasn't sure if it was just "added" to a Firebird model. I thought Formula's had a little more 'oomph' to them over a Firebird??

1974 Pontiac Firebird in a darker shade of orange...

I'm not too fond of the Terrain-inspired grille insert. I do though like the rest of the changes - a smaller/narrower grille (one bar less than the current HD grille), revised bumper with body-colored upper portion and the revised lower portion with the new fog light/tow hook facsia. Those changes bring it more in line with the 1500 series pickups (which I think is a good thing). Hopefully only the 2500/3500 HD pickups get that new grille insert, as I really like the current 3-bar design better. If they wanted to change a full-sizer, then they should have spent the $$$ to fix the Yukon's weird frontend design

It's funny you mention that last part 66stang, as that has been my response to her the past three years when she's brought up having another child ("can't we just practice making a child???"). I will say that I told her years ago I was fully comfortable with having only one child of my own (since she already had a son coming into this relationship). I know she's always wanted 3 kids, and we did wait a while until we reproduced (we were 30 when Justin came along; Anthony was 11 at the time). Now in our mid-30s, this is the time to have another before we get too old!!! Justin and the new baby will have a 5 year age difference, which shouldn't be too bad. We're waiting until Thanksgiving to tell the family, as my parents have been hoping that we were going to have another child and the rest of the family is clueless that we even wanted another child. The big problem we're facing now (outside of finances!) is that we live in a 3-bedroom "carriage house" (aka townhouse, but larger than the common townhouse). There's no way we can afford to sell & move, and there's no way to "build" a 4th bedroom with our model's layout. If its a boy, then Justin will have a new roommate for a couple of years. If it's a girl, Anthony's already requested that we finish the basement, or at least a small portion of it, for him to call "home". I told him cash is not available, nor will become more available in the next year, for this to happen. Maybe I should convert to Amish so I can have a finished basement-raising?!?!? Hahahaha!!

Expensive is right! You can't touch a decently equiiped one for under $35k. If it wasn't for the taller ride height and traditonal rear passenger doors, these could almost pass for a minivan. I really like the new 2010 GMC Terrain, but not sure how well it would accomodate the family comfortably and the storage space needed. As such, a Lambda would definitely come in handy!! Thanks again for all the congrats. Wife went to the doctor yesterday and she did a blood test. She also scheduled a visit to her OB/GYN in early December (I thought that was late, but according to her that's the earliest they see you in your pregnancy).

Thanks everyone!! The wife has been wanting another child, has been ever since about three years ago (my little guy is now 4). Finances are never going to be enough, so that's not really a concern (well it is, but hopefully you know what I mean). She "tried" to get pregnant in August & September, followed her websites and calculated the best days to get pregnant and all; but NOTHING. Figures that when you don't do that stuff and let nature take it's course things will work out. We were not planning to get pregnant, but didn't mind if God allowed it to happen. So far she has been a "boy producer" - Anthony ( 15 y-o, my step-son) and Justin (my 4 y-o). So what's your guess - another boy or will the trend be broken with a girl? Yeah, about the vehicles. The G6 is fine for us now, but a big stroller will be a PITA to get in the trunk (well, my 4 y-o's wouldn't fit), and then try squeezing a baby, toddler, teenager & two adults in. While she's finally warmed-up to the Cadillac, she's now more concerned about a more appropriate "family hauler" (i.e., a minivan or large crossover). So I told her we'll deal with the Caddy for now and try to save some $$$ during the winter & spring months and then maybe we can cash in on a great July 4th (2010) summer deal. Too bad GM doesn't make a minivan, it looks like I'd be a perfect target market for one.

...with my friends here at C&G: (the wife says I'm jumping the gun announcing this so soon, but I have to admit I'm excited!!)

I just e-mailed some pictures of both the '96 Cadillac FWB and the '08 Pontiac G6 to the e-mail address listed on the first page. I sent a couple in case one or the other won't work out per the layout you desire. Please let me know if they don't open. Thanks!!

VEHICLE: 2009 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 LS EXTENDED CAB 4WD (MSRP = $32,290) Exterior: Imperial Blue Metallic/Interior: Dark Titanium Cloth Options: Locking Rear Differential, $325; Rear Axle 3.42 Ratio, NO CHARGE Engine: 4.8L V8 / Transmission: 4-Speed Automatic - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Alright, so my employer (the school district I teach for) held their annual homecoming football game Saturday (11/7) and of course in the morning was the traditional homecoming parade through the main part of the borough/town. A bunch of teachers were asked to vounteer to drive a vehicle in the parade carrying the student's of the homecoming court. Vehicles were going to be provided by a local Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep-Ford-Chevrolet dealership, and expected were several convertibles. When I arrived at 8:45 AM Saturday morning to meet with the other five teachers and pick up our vehicles, I saw a loaded '09 Dodge Ram Quad Cab SLT ($44k MSRP), an '09 Jeep Wrangler 4-door Rubicon Softop, a '10 Ford Mustang GT Convertible, an '09 Jeep Liberty with the fabric roof option, and two '09 Chevy Silverado extended cab pickups. Since I was the last to arrive, I *got* a Chevy pickup to drive (honestly, I would have loved to drive the Ram, but our horticulture teacher claimed it first - she's a diehard Dodge girl!). In parade-form, a few minutes before it's starring role (carrying the three 'Underclass Princesses'): The dealership wasn't expecting to have the vehicles back until 1:00 PM, and even though the truck was finished with it's parade duties by 11:15 AM, I figuredI could "borrow" the truck for a little extended test-drive duty and show it off to my wife & kids. I drove it home (not far from & on the way to the dealership) and picked up the wife and little guy, took them for a small drive int eh area and stopped by my local favorite picture place for some pictures (and even got some at home in the driveway, just to see how nice it would look parked there ) <those pictures will be attached at the end of this thread> The truck, even though not the base model, wasn't much more equipped than the base with the LS preferred equipment group (PEG). The truck, unbeknownst to me at the time, had the 4.8L V8 engine in it and not the 5.3L V8 that I thought it did. It performed beautifully and the sound of the exhaust was great - I was fooled by the smaller V8 engine. It offered a very smooth and quiet ride and the wife said it was a better riding vehicle than what she was expecting. When I pushed on the gas pedal, the 4.8L V8 responded right away and the truck got up and moved. The interior was comfortable and spacious enough, though I think I'd still prefer the crew cab model. Power windows, locks, mirrors were standard with this PEG, and the radio (standard US8 AM/FM/CD radio with AUX input jack) kept the three young paraders more than entertained. The litte guy was not happy 'daddy' couldn't keep the new truck, and the wife claimed it was something she'd be okay with if I bought one. All in all, the new GM fullsize trucks are very quiet (i.e no rattles), perform above expectation, and are a great truck to drive for all types of occassions and needs. I just wish I had the cash to afford one of my own (well, at least the GMC version :AH-HA_wink: ) At home in the driveway... At my local picture-taking spot...

Here are the pictures of the white '71 Olds with the two different rims:

A Happy belated Birthday to you Drew!! Hoping that your day was a great one.

I found the white version of the '71 Olds Vista Cruiser yesterday, two actually. one with the new blacked-out spinner rims and the other with the spoke rims. I'll take a picture of both soon and post them here.

Not to steal thunder away from the Malibu, but the 2010 GMC Terrain has the "GMC" letters inside of the rear taillights (well, actually on the side of the taillights). I took a picture of this at the NYIAS, and the spokesmodel didn't even know about it before I showed her. I think this is a new styling element GM is trying with some o their newer designs. I'm curious what other logos are used on other vehicles?

#1 - see bolded part above: Why isn't Chevrolet doing this already? I was hoping Chevy was going to do this with the 2007 redesign. Almost since the first Chevy pickups were created was the word C H E V R O L E T stamped (debossed) on the tailgate, and it lasted well into the '80s (stepside tailgates were the same from '54-'87). I had hope when Chevy used the plastic fleetside bed on shortbed 1500s in the mid-2000s and on the Avalanche's too. Hopefully the bowtie remains on the front and the lettering makes a return on the tailgate. #2 - ZR2? What is this, 1994 all over again? With the popularity of the Z71 name, why would Chevy even revive this moniker, let alone on a Silverado (it was originally the off-road designation on the new-for-'94 S10, then was added to the S10 Blazer in '96, and unfortunately put on the Tracker in the late '90s or early '00s). I can see if Chevy/GM wants to differentiate the Z71 option from the more true off-road package, but unless this Chevy is going to be productionized to compete against Ford's new F-150 Raptor, then why bother drudging up this old moniker to piss off the loyal S10 ZR2 owners?

Something I seriously lack when it comes to working on cars. Getting new experience and skills will definitely pay off in the long run too.

Well you should have told us, duh! It's a change that does make sense, and I guess because we haven't had a birthday since you made the change it was a cause for concern. Thanks for the update.

You're working for my BPG dealership, aren't you? They're not happy that I'm not coming in to buy something NEW in two weeks. You must be on their payroll And then there's you. The Cadillac must have called you and told you I said some pretty mean things to it last week. It must have read my thread about wanting to sell it. You make some valid points for the Caddy though. ocnblu & Camino are like the little cartoon "angel" and "devil" on my shoulders. ocnblu telling me I did wrong to buy an older car, and Camino telling me I'll get more enjoyment from owning this car over another cookie-cutter new car. I bought the Caddy on a whim - wasn't out looking to seriously do that when I just jumped the gun and went ahead and bought the thing. I definitely need to get my a$$ enrolled in the local tech school or high school adult program's auto shop class. If I'm going to keep this Caddy as a daily driver, I better learn how to do some repair work on my own. Money will be tight and free labor is, well, free. Yes, I did buy this car thinking I'd be able to get in it and go for at least a little while. But I made my bed, so now I have to sleep in it. We'll see though how long I can last without a new car