GMTruckGuy74

Since the wife and I share it during the week, and knowing how she drives on I-295 North & Route 1 North to Princeton, anything is possible! That's what I was thinking... I will mention this to the service writer too. I couldn't get over to the dealership today, but I can't delay any longer so I'll be taking this info to the dealer tomorrow. Thanks guys!!!

That sucks (for GMC buyers) that you can get a 5.3 V8 in the Trailblazer as an option and the Envoy only comes with the I-6 (the 5.3 V8 is only available in the Denali model).

Within the last week, the wife and I noticed that the Atlas I-6 engine in our 2005 GMC Envoy is creating a whining sound when the engine is running and gets louder when you press down on the gas pedal. Anyone familiar with this issue? I plan to take it to the dealership today or tomorrow for them to hear it and schedule an appointment to get it fixed. I have not heard this sound on any other Envoy (my sister has an '05 XL with the I-6, and several of my coworkers have Envoys too). I appreciate any assistance with this, so I don't look like a loser at the dealership's Service Department!!!

Thanks for the link to the pictures. Those people must have been there around the same time I was (however, they don't look familiar). I didn't take any pictures outside figuring that they wouldn't come out too good. I have shots of the ASTRAs inside the presentation room. For interior, trunk, & engine shots, see that link (mine are all exterior shots).

Happy Birthday BV!

In last night's dream I finally got a real lightsaber... I think that it means I want a real lightsaber!!! < Star Wars geeks >

Congrats to all the new Sierra All-Terrain owners here. I wish you many, many, many trouble free miles with your new GMC!!!

The wife and I attended the Saturn ASTRA Test Drive Event last night (12/6) at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA. Even though it was cold and we were scheduled for the 6:00 PM time slot, it was a nice event. Upon registering and signing the official GM waiver & rules, we where taken into the presentation room where there were two 3-door XRs (silver & black), one 5-door XE (white), and one 5-door XR (silver) on display along with a Mazda 3 and Volkswagen Rabbit for the attendees to climb around in and check over. A brief intro and video on the new ASTRA was given by a Saturn official and then we were escorted out to the parking lot for the driving portion. Another quick review of the road rules, what we could and couldn't do to the cars, and and overview of the models to drive, we were let loose. A silver 3-door XR 5-speed manual, a white 5-door XE automatic, and a red 5-door XR automatic were available to drive. For comparison sakes, a maroon Mazda 3 (auto), a white VW Rabbit 2.5 (auto), and a beige Honda Civic sedan were available to drive back-to-back with the ASTRAs. Being that I can't drive manual, I stuck to the 5-doors, but those that were driving the 3-door seemed to be enjoying it around the course. I will say that I was very happy with the ASTRA and the way it performed on the course and that the VW Rabbit was very close to it in terms of ride & handling. The Mazda wasn't nearly as enjoyable and the Civic was okay. We each drove all of the cars at least once, and I did take the red XR out one additional time. One big disappoint is that you can't just get into the ASTRA and figure out the radio. It's a complicated system and will be sure to disappoint many potential customers. The HVAC controls were a little confusing too, but the buttons were small and made using the controls with gloves on difficult. The central locking system is a great feature, however try finding the button in the dark (if you don't know it's location before driving the car!). Being that it was 6:30 and it was about 28 degrees, some of the parking lot was slick due to the prevous day's snowstorm (parking lot was on a hill and some melt-off was being to refreeze). The wife liked the Honda Civic the best, although I felt the engine made more noise than the Ecotec in the ASTRA and I didn't like the road vibrations felt in the steering wheel. Once back inside, we were treated to food (appetizers, fruit, vegetables, crackers and cheese) and drinks (soda, bottled water, coffee & tea). After the light snack we went back into the presentation room and examined all aspects of the ASTRAs on display, from trunk space to rear seat comfort to playing with all the gadgets and gizmos on the dash. I was impressed with the fit and finish of these cars, as they held up pretty good for being on a 7-month tour. I was impressed with the glove box door, as it has a clip for a pen and a coing holder that holds onto your coins. The downside for me is a lack of an armrest in the middle console area and no cupholders (one could argue that the cup indent on the inside of the glovebox door serves this purpose, but it's uncomfortable for the front seat passenger to have the low hanging door on your legs). For a small car, I could see being comfortable driving one to and from work each day (though I prefer and hope to get a full-size truck for those duties). Upon leaving you were asked to complete a survey rating your experience, image of Saturn, and opinion of the ASTRA. The wife and I completed ours separately, but rated the ASTRA the same (on a scale of 1 to 5): PERFORMANCE = 5; EXTERIOR STYLING = 4; INTERIOR STYLING =3; SAFETY FEATURES = 5; OVERALL = 4. A nice smoke-colored ASTRA water bottle and a brochure fold-out were given as gifts. All in all, it was a nice event and I appreciated the opportunity to test drive the ASTRA sales staff-free. Everyone there were pleasant, gracious, and helpful. The wife said if it had a better styled interior, she would consider it for her daily driver. As such, she rated the Honda Civic the best car there, and it's safe to say that she's basing that decision purely on looks (styling). PROS - Product displays and personnel were informative - Opportunity to drive competitors cars - Food was fresh and good! - Hassle-free test drives of a new, unreleased car without any supervision (no officials riding with you) - ASTRAs ranged from base models (XE) to standard and fully-equipped models (XR) - Standard and safety features are very good CONS - The ASTRAs dated interior is a turnoff among the competition - Confusing to use radio and HVAC system - The central locking system button is located on the dash, and unless you know this prior to your test drive, you'd be fumbling around looking for it on the door - Lack of a middle console or armrest - Cupholders missing for the front seat passengers (glovebox door cup indent isn't a great idea) Overall, I can see the ASTRA being a successful car for Saturn, as long as you don't get hung-up on the interior styling. If you like spirited driving and some exterior design flash, then the ASTRA should be included on your test-drive list. (NOTE: I took some pictures from the inside but haven't had a chance to download them yet. I'll try to do it ASAP this weekend if they come out good <bad interior lighting>)

If GM went bankrupt and closed forever, I'd personally buy GM used vehicles while I'm sure the wife would be just as happy driving a new Volvo or some other foreign-branded vehicle. If I had to choose new, I'd go with a Ford F150 or Dodge Ram 1500 over any of the foreign trucks.

That black '92 Formula is hot! I grew up as a teenager in the late '80s and early '90s, and I instantly fell in love with teh Pontaic Firebird line. For a long time I wanted a '91 or '92 Trans Am GTA. I love the spoiler on those T/A's and FYI, they were styled from the 1988 Banshee concept car. I had a '95 Trans Am and still to this day I love that spoiler. My all time favorite is still the 1997 Trans Am WS6 Ram Air coupe with the <outdated> T-tops option.

A popular misconception is that cladding was "removed", which is not true. All it was was painted with a little bit of the gray plastic still revealed. Take a look at Fly's maroon pic and then the yellow one I posted and you'll see the plastic cladding is still present!

While I wasn't a big fan of the concept, I don't know why they show us this: and then give us this: We leased an '03 Buick Rendezvous and I liked it much better than the Aztek, and they were the same underneath.

Somewhat pointless to this thread, but it's cool - the Pontiac Aztek TONKA edition:

I have yet to get any ASTRA brochures from my Saturn dealership Blu, so consider yourself lucky that you got something! And if you're really considering the ASTRA (or at least wishing for a test drive), check the PM I'm about to send you! Because you're not concerned about the frame repair, and almost all other work needed is bolt-on, I too wouldn't be concerned about driving it again. I thought I'd have a hard time driving the SKY after being hit in the driver's door, but I didn't (and I realize your accident was much more harsh, but if you love your truck it won't matter as much as you think it will). And don't feel guilty about wanting to continue driving it... it's not like it's a 3500HD Crew Cab Dually 4x4! For it being a one-person daily driver, you're fine. Enjoy the heck out of it if that's what you like (and just know that when I eventually get mine, it will be a crew cab that will likely have 1.5 peope per day in it). BTW, you haven't said if you're driving a rental, and if you are, what it is.

In the early '90s, GMC referred to their sporty versions of the Sierra and Sonoma pickups as "ST" - for sport trucks. What's old is new again.

Well, I've been around since 2000 or 2001 and I gotta say I've enjoyed all the time I've spent here so far. I think my wife is jealous because there are times I spend more time here than with her! And she's always telling me to stop starting my conversations with "Today on C&G..." or "On C&G..." Keep up the great work everybody.... this place wouldn't be what it is without the diverse background we all contribute in one way or another.

Ocn, you know how much I love your Sierra... I pray all goes well for you. You know I had a similar experience myself this time last year with the SKY - you'd never know it was hit or repaired unless I showed you the pictures from the accident. Stay on top of it and hopefully all works out in your favor. Just so everyone here knows what great looking truck Ocn has, I'm attaching a picture of it that I took when Fly picked up his Lesabre at Camino's and a bunch of us C&Gers gathered for the event back at the beginning of August.

While I don't agree with it, I think while Pontiac is in this state of transition it's okay for these alphanumerics to be used. I'd rather have G6 than it use and abuse the name "Catalina" or "Ventura". The historial naming scheme just doesn't work in our current trendy society - Grand Prix; Grand Am, Trans Am, Can Am, Bonneville, LeMans, etc. They are all race-inspired names and while Pontiac is known for "action and excitement", I think a new interpretation needs to be made. Look at weather-related names to coincide with the ones Pontiac is already using successfully: Solstice and Torrent. Tempest, Surge, and Typhoon are good names to reconsider. Typhoon was used by GMC and represented the sportiest and best performing SUV they offered. Tempest is a gloried Pontiac name but has been missing for quite some time now. Captiva (a modified form of captive, meaning "somebody gripped by a strong emotion such as love or anger"), which is now being used by Opel/Vuaxhall also fits in with the suggested theme. There are so many other words to use for names, but Pontiac needs to bring out vehicles worthy of a good name. For now, the G8 is acceptable as "G8" in my books and I'm expecting the NA-designed replacement in two years to officially earn a name.

Thanks for the link RJB. I still can't wait to see this truck in production form. I was hoping it would be at Detroit so that pictures of it would be on the Internet sooner, but I can wait - as long as I get to see it in person at the 2008 NYIAS, I'll be fine.

For those that have ever fell in love with the 1953 GM Futurliner, or have been lucky to see the fully restored-to-original condition one (like Oldsmoboi, Ocnblu and myself at the '06 AACA Fall Meet in Hershey), you will appreciate this new book. And knowing that the purchase of the book helps to maintain the restored 'liner makes it even better. http://www.futurliner.com/items.htm

Naw, PCS already helped me out earlier this year. Again, it's a pipe dream and unless I was on my deathbed and the "Make A Wish" foundation was granting me my last wish, seeing and touching the Terradyne in person is very unlikely to happen.

I can't believe all the Sierra's that are being bought by members here at C&G!

An out-of-this-world gift for me would be for GM/GMC to let me play with the 2000 GMC Terradyne concept truck, or even just see it and sit in it if a ride is out of the question. I haven't seen this truck in 7 years now, but it still tops my list as my favorite concept vehicle to date. That would be the ultimate present for me. And being that my birthday is on the 23rd, I wouldn't even mind combining the two (birthday & Christmas presents) and giving me this as one BIG gift

Welcome to C&G Fred! You have definitely picked out one great truck. I won't be able to get my own Sierra, God willing, until my Saturn AURA lease ends in November of 2009, so I've got some time to be patient. I'll be looking forward to seeing pictures of yours when you eventually take delivery of it. To date, I have not seen any Sierras on dealer's lots around me with the Ebony & Morroco leather interior myself, but I'm sure that they exist somewhere. Keep us posted when you place the order.

Back about 12 years ago while in college, I had a job at an insurance company taking accident claims from policy holders. One guy called in to report that his Buick La-Sa-Bra (LeSabre to the rest of us) had been hit. I didn't correct him outright, but I did pronounce it "LeSabre" when I had to mention the name. He on the otherhand continually called it "La-Sa-Bra" throughout. I still can hear him saying it when I think back to that day!