GMTruckGuy74

I also believe I read somewhere that people were disappointed in that the XUV didn't offer a 3rd row of seats (especially since it was based on the long wheelbase XL that did offer 3 rows of seating). I liked the concept, not the execution. If the regular length Envoy had a retractable roof, that's the one I would have leased in a heartbeat.

I saw it happen with the Solstice and SKY. Many of the Saturn dealers around me were selling the SKY at MSRP and not over (some I believe had some dealer add-ons). However, every Pontiac dealer had a $2,000-$5,000 premium on top of every Solstice. When I ordered my car and again when I got to test drive the demo model, there were Solstice-deposited people in my Saturn dealership putting their recently returned deposit money on the SKY since they couldn't get the Solstice or were being overly charged for one. I love my car but refused to pay over MSRP for one (thank God I lucked out with my Saturn dealer sticking to MSRP ).

No lie... in Atlantic City last Monday there was a 2004+ Grand Prix with rims very similar to the ones on the Solstice. I wish I had my camera! What is it with PONTIAC owners???

Okay, the sad thing about this is a neighbor of mine got rid of his Corvette (2002 or 2003) for a new 2005 Caddy STS and the options you listed Fly are on his car! A beautiful car (cream colored) ruined by aftermarket crap. Now another neighbor has a black 2006 STS done the right way - factory stock.

#4 happened to me on Monday as I was driving to Atlantic City for a conference. I'm on Route 206 South on the two-lane portion behind a woman in a newer BMW. She's moving, but not as fast as I'd like her to and the car in front of her is at least 10 car-lengths away. When the roadway opens to a four-lane passing area, I signal and move to the left to pass. Now it becomes apparent that I'm not to be in front of her! She not only starts to go faster than me, she floors it! When the roadway goes back to two-lanes, I'm stuck behind her and she goes back to the same slow speed as before. I can't understand when people who drive under or right at the speed limit hate when others want to pass them (legally). Who deemed them god/godess of the road??? Moving on... another one my biggest pet peeves is similar to your #1 (people in the left lane that don't belong there) - but goes a little bit further. When I commuted to New Brunswick for two years I had to drive Route 130 North. This highway has left turn lanes. I'd get behind someone going slow for 5-10 miles just because they were eventually going to use the left turn lane. Like they couldn't have stayed to the right and moved over when their exit got closer? #6 seems to happen to me all the time when I drive on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. In NJ, trucks & buses are not allowed in the left lanes (usually on 3-lane highways). But most of the PA Turnpike is 2-lanes. I hate when a truck wants to pass another truck, going uphill, so now everyone is on their brakes just because some idiot truck driver wants to get around another idiot truck driver.

I agree with you packardlust... I have the new corporate radio in my SKY and I think it's the best radio GM has ever offered. I have the upgraded US9 6-disc CD changer radio with the Monsoon sound system. I have up to 6 pages of 6 FM radio settings to program - that's 36 FM stations!!! Never had other than 2 pages of FM settings avialble. Plus with all of the program features and buttons, I'm glad GM is incorporating this radio throughout it's model lines.

This TrailBlazer is a cloth trimmed model (with steering wheel radio controls - LS or LT) but it has the frontend design that I thought was limited to the LTZ models. Did Chevy make a change and are going to use this design on all TrailBlazer trims levels for 2007???

Since you mentioned the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) system, I remembered that he said his mechanic stated the door locks will do that when the system goes bad - so he disengaged the RKE system and John has to use the actual key to unlock the doors and trunk. He said the door locks don't hum/vibrate ever since his mechanic did that. However, something is still drawing power that kills the battery.

A coworker of mine asked me if I knew anything about Caprices and electrical problems. I told him that I'm no mechanic, but know plenty of people online that I could ask (um, that means you guys!). He has a 1991 Chevy Caprice with the 305 V8. He was given this car by his uncle about 7 years ago. When his uncle owned it, right before giving it away, the radio was replaced due to being shorted out. John, my coworker, had to replace the radio again about two years after he got it. The first indication of an electrical problem (other than the shorting of the radio) was that the door locks would hum & vibrate - until he turned the car off. The latest issue he has is that his car battery keeps dying; when recharged, the charge holds for about 30 hours and then dies again. His mechanic has checked the ABS system, power door locks, and radio system looking for a power draw - but nothing. The reason he asked was that his son just turned 17 on Monday and he would like for him to have the Caprice as his daily driver. Until he can get this electrical issue resolved, his son will only be driving when John's car or his wife's car are available (and you know when you're 17 with a driver's license, you want to be able to drive ALL of the time!!!). Any advice or technical help will be greatly appreciated by John!

Yeah... about that change witht he Solstice... you could only get a BLACK top on the Solstice in '05 & '06, whereas the SKY you could get either BLACK or TAN depending on your exterior & interior color choice. A co-worker of mine just bought a BMW convertible - silver exterior with a blue top. Not my cup of tea, but at leat the option was available to him.

I'm still jealous of your Caddy! If I had the money & space, I'd definitely put a '95 or '96 Fleetwood on my "must have" list. Keep up the good work and keep us informed of any updates.

I received an e-mail from Saturn today letting me know about their sponsorship of the ESPN X-Games coming soon in Los Angeles (right in my backyard, right?!? NOT!). Anyway, it goes on about how the VUE Greenline and AURA Greenline will be there on disp0lay and includes this paragraph: If confident styling meets dynamic performance is more your course, then be one of the first to meet the all-new AURA Green Line Hybrid, which will make its first public appearance at the X Games. The midsize sedan with European-inspired driving dynamics is sure to turn plenty of lids with its strong stance, pleasing proportions and refined interior. The AURA Green Line Hybrid is scheduled to arrive at retailers in March 2007. Can't wait for the details and pictures to surface

I've been meaning to ask you about the wheels on your Caddy. I noticed in your signature that you opted for the Impala SS rims... but you never posted anywhere saying that you actually made the change. I thought maybe it was a photoshop of what it would look like. Anyway, can't wait to read your update. And thanks for helping to keep my thread alive!

Here's the link to my signature: http://www.kriskurek.onestop.net/cg/GMTruckGuy74b.jpg Please be kind!

Don't worry Satty, the time will fly by. My little guy (Justin) will be one year old on Tuesday, Aug 8th. Where did this past year go??? So, have you decided on the room decor for the little guy? We went with a construction theme, b/c I didn't like any of the other car-related stuf for babies. Of course I told the wife that it had to be car-related themed - nothing else would do! And just recently we bought some TONKA-themed bedroom furniture from Toys R Us for the next phase. Let's throw Satty a C&G baby shower!!!

Jesus Christ - which one do I join then???? '04 Malibu - FWD '05 Envoy - 4WD '97 SKY - RWD I'm so totally lost!!!! j/k! I agree with Camino... this is some funny sh%t right here!

You're too good to me Frank. That is better than I could have hoped for. THANK YOU!

What, nobody washes their cars in teh summer??? I mean yeah, I sweated my %$#@ off in the heat, but the end result was way worth it.

Overall, not that bad of an article, although below I will comment on some of the writer's points. It just seems that while many other magazines & websites have been gushing over the Solstice and SKY, this one has to seem to put their claws into a successful GM vehicle. I have not had a problem hearing the stereo at all. Of course GM radios have an automatic volume control feature, which I use in the SKY. It works great and I never have to worry about not hearing my music. Umm, this was a problem on the very early build cars and was fixed at the factory right before my car was built (April) and at the dealers to those delivered already. They really need to do some research.. hhhmmmph, writers! I think they're totally wrong here... I do push the SKY at times and that car sticks like glue on the road in turns. Even at the dealership when the demo model came in - an ex-racercar driver salesman took me out in it. He REALLY pushed the car, at around 90 mph on a curved road in an office park. That SKY handled and performed great. Of course I didn't buy the SKY for racing (more cruising), so I don't push it as hard as the writer did. Okay, what is this guy smoking? Yes, you have to be out of the car for most of the top down operation. But it takes less than one minute! If I were stuck in traffic - NOT MOVING - I could get out and have the top down before the traffic starts moving again (I'm assuming he's talking about Southern California traffic, which really means I could take my sweet a$$ time to put the top down if stuck in traffic ) While his steps are pretty much accurate, the top operation is not nearly as horrible as he makes it out to be. WRONG! With the top down you can put a duffle bag in there for an overnight trip. While you can't use the side areas with the top down, that 2.0 cubic feet is still available in the very rear - enough for a duffle bag, maybe even two (haven't tried it yet). My son has kept two cases of Snapple with him in the front, but that was on a short distance trip. If you really want to take the SKY (or Solstice) on a getaway trip, I'm sure you're passenger won't mind a little baggage for the freedom of an open top roadster. Plus I usually drive solo 99% of the time WRONG again. You can recline the seats within the vehicle. I'm not saying it's an easy thing to do, and it would be better to have the door opened, but I have adjusted the seat while sitting in traffic with the door closed and me still in the car. I do agree that it's not the greatest or easiest feature of this car to use (it's a rotary design rather than a lever). Sadly, this is true (even with the auto trans, my elbow from time to time bumps the cupholder tray and it pops out). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I love my SKY.... and I also knew what I was getting into before I signed on the dotted line. I guess if the writer is basing his arguement that this car is a poor choice as a daily drivers (aka commuter car), then he's on the right track. For me and many other SKY owners, this is a 2nd or 3rd vehicle in the stable and used for pleasure. Hence why I can be more accepting of it's downfalls. If I need more passenger space, I'll take my Malibu. If I need to haul something, I'll take my Envoy. If I want to go out cruising on a beautiful day/night, well then I'll just jump in the SKY and have fun!

Hey NOS, think you can help me out? I want a new Avatar picture.... I like the way the red Sierra in the front row looks... I'd like just that for my Avatar. Think you can help me? Thanks in advance!

The wife and I want to see it. Living in NJ and working not too far from NYC that day I was emotionally impacted by this tragic event (I was teaching in a high school not too far from NYC; several of the students and teachers had family members working in the WTC). I have to agree that 9/11 was a day that the earth stood still for me - it's a day I will never, ever forget and by keeping the memeories of that day fresh, however painful they are, will allow me to never forget. I will say that I did not see "Flight 93" b/c I was sure that seeing it would anger me and I'd prefer not to have those feelings (again). But "World Trade Center" is about the last positive event that ocurred at Ground Zero - the rescue of the last two survivors.

That's what I used when I cleaned my '92 Cav Z24 with the 3.1 V6 and never had a problem. The one time I cleaned my '95 T/A with the LT1 V8 the darn car wouldn't start for over an hour. I was also advised by some car guys that newer car engines were more delicate and you have to be careful when spraying under the hood. I'd prefer to do it myself - anything I should know about the LX9 V6 before I go spraying under the hood???

Sharp looking truck (although I could never afford the Denali version). I believe the Crew Cab models come with the shortest bed available; I'm sure the middle-sized bed (6.6') looks better and of course the 8' bed probably doesn't have this issue with wheel flare porportions.

It's called the Arcadia when it comes optioned with the video game system for the kiddies!!! (sorry, bad joke!)