GMTruckGuy74

Bahama Mama

Pasing me in the opposite direction on the way in to work this morning was a newer Nissan NV200 van, done up for commercial business as it had a ladder rack with an aluminum ladder on the roof. This is the first of these vans I've ever seen outside of a car show. Kinda funky looking; wondering how I'll feel about the Chevy version?

Thanks for the Sonoma Red Metallic SLE pictures, thedriver! Sonoma Red Metallic and Stealth Gray Metallic are my two desired exterior colors, though I want to see what the Cobalt Bue Metallic looks like in the daylight sun. I'm more of a Midnight Blue Metallic or Indigo Blue Metallic (dark blue) fan and would definitely go for either of those colors on a new '14 Sierra over the dark red (Sonoma) or blue-gray (Stealth). My 2001 GMC Sonoma Highrider was Indigo Blue Metallic; I still love that color:

An electric car hasn’t reached your garage, but a natural gas-fueled vehicle might By Steve LeVine | Quartz – 1 hour 1 minute ago Over the past dozen years, there’s been a 23% surge per year in the number of natural gas-fueled vehicles on the road, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency. That suggests natural gas-fueled vehicles may catch on in a way that fuel cells, hydrogen and batteries have failed. The number of natural gas-propelled vehicles around the world increased to 16.2 million by mid-2012, up from 1.3 million in 2000. India and China’s gas-propelled vehicles totalled 2.7 million vehicles together as of mid-2012, up from 16,000 in 2000. And the International Association of Natural Gas Vehicles (IANGV), a pro-industry group, estimates that there will be 65 million natural gas-fueled vehicles on the road by 2020, a whopping growth rate of 19% per year. *Continue reading the article here.

All these failing automotive start-ups remind me of the Tucker story. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it

for a very , tmp!!

What was the other one? Any pictures of that one? Though I'm sure they will find a lot of buyers, I'm not a fan of the All-Terrain model.

Vehicle: 2013 Chevrolet Spark LT Colors: Blue Denim Metallic, Black Leatherette MSRP: $N/A (rental vehicle) So here I am on day #2 having a 2013 Chevrolet Spark LT rental vehicle while my wife's 2008 Pontiac G6 V6 Sedan is at the dealer for some warranty repairs (have been doing a punch list of items since early winter; the extended warranty expires in 8 days!). My choice of rental was either a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze LT sedan in black or this Denim Blue Metallic Spark LT - since the wife has been on a small car test-drive kick this year (a previous rental was a '13 Ford Fiesta), I selected the Spark. My drive home with it Monday evening on local roadways was not too bad. Seeing as how the speed limit was 50 MPH tops in some of these areas, the little Spark managed this with no problem. I did notice the noisy engine and wind noise while I drove, and the road feel was transferred through the chassis and steering rack. The dual round cupholders protrude out and I found my right leg was often resting on this uncomfortable piece of plastic. Tight wheel well design leave my left foot in an uneasy place to rest. The seating position was manually placed to the lowest setting so I could see out of the front windshield. All-in-all, my 15-20 minute commute home was not bad. The wife and my 7 year-old son were happy to see me pulling into the driveway with this power blue "baby" car. Tuesday was the real test, as we were now heading on our 33 mile one-way commute to work. Driving out of our development on local roads, my wife mentioned the noisy engine sounds and lack of sound proofing in the car. Driving onto the local highway at higher speeds proved the noise was here to stay. Engine is revvy and you really notice the shifts from the automatic transmission. Turning onto the Interstate highway ramp was a daring move for the 15" tiny-looking tires, as you heard them make an awful noise as they gripped the roadway. Merging into early morning heavy traffic means you need to stomp down on the pedal to get it up to highway speeds. Over 60 MPH and the engine produces a sound equivalent to a loud lawn mower; this necessitated increasing the radio volume to hear the morning talk show host. The car's small track makes it easy to get into the truck ruts in the pavement and provides an extra level of wobble to the already dreaded road feel. Doing 70 MPH makes you wonder if the engine is being pushed too far; the noise level increases and you wonder if you should take it down to 65 (or 60) and stay in the far right lane. I pass slower moving traffic when needed, and the revvy engine gives its all. Finally getting to work I maneuver in the underground parking garage with easy and find a parking spot that can easily hold two of these cars. The ride home was no different from the ride in, except that stop-and-go traffic on US Route 1 leaves little to be desired in driving this car. I can now really understand what the term "city car" means. This is a perfect little car for non-major highway use and is perfect if you don't drive far and wish to save on gas for your around-town driving needs. The driver information center states that I'm getting between 43 and 46 MPG, but I'm driving it the way you shouldn't (I've got a lead foot). My wife, who was excited to have this car for two days, is no longer interested in something this small for her next vehicle purchase. She still thinks it's a cute, small car, loves its design and price, but cannot live with something like this every day for our commuting purposes. The Fiesta was not as bad in comparison, but that car did not leave too positive of an impression with me either (unfortunately the wife didn't drive with me the day I had the Fiesta). She is interested in taking a Sonic for a comparison test drive to see if it's any better, but I'm still dreaming about the driving experience I had in the new 2014 GMC Sierra to care for these small cars.

Not me. However, I do like the RAM 1500 and think it's come a long way for the brand. While I'm tempted by it at times I could never leave my first love for one

Actor

for a very !!

Sorry for the crappy pictures, I used my Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD cell and it was raining outside, so these were the best I could get inside the service drop-off area:

Vehicle: 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT Crew Cab Short Box 4WD (Z71 package) Summit White exterior with Jet Black leather interior MSRP: $47,xxx Last night I had to drop my wife's '08 Pontiac G6 off at the dealership for warranty work. After getting my rental, I met with my salesman for a walk-around of their first new 2014 GMC Sierra and a test drive. The truck was a well-loaded SLT 4x4 model with the Z71 package. No sunroof, which is my preference, but this one benefitted from the 20" chromed aluminum wheels which really made the truck pop (compared to the 18" polished aluminum on the Silverado Z71 CC). I will admit that the ride, performance and handling were very similar to the Chevy I drove the night before. My salesman isn't a yapper (aka talker) like the Chevy salesman was, so I did get to enjoy the sound system and the quietness when the radio was turned off. You cannot hear the outside world! It was raining and even the wipers were quieter than any other vehicle I've driven. Push down on the pedal and the 5.3L V8 takes off without hesitation. The transmission shifts smoothly and effortlessly. The little indicator light on the dash told me when I was in V8 mode and when I was in V4 - cruising down the rural highway was returning 19.5 MPG, according to the driver information center. This truck had 13 miles on it at the start (put on by my salesman the previous Friday) and I added another 10 during my ride. The seating position was great, though I did take notice that the steering wheel is off-center of the driver's seat (not sure why this was designed this way). All in all, I can confidently say that I will be going after my own model this time next year (just the way the finances work out). So whether I end up with a year's end '14 or order an early build '15 model will be up in the air. Needless to say, I will be dreaming of this truck for the next 12 months! *Some pictures to come soon.

Vehicle: 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ Crew Cab Standard Box 4WD (Z71 package) Black exterior with Jet Black leather interior MSRP: $48,xxx Late last night I decided to drive by a local Chevrolet dealership to see if they had received any 2014 Silverado models in stock yet. Much to my surprise they had two models parked up front for the whole passing-by world to see - a white LT CC short box 4WD (Z71) and the black LTZ standard box described above. The dealership was still open so I decided to stop to see if they'd let me sit in it. My 7 year-old son and I walked around the truck, admiring its 'newness'. A young sales professional quickly came out to greet us. He told me that the black one arrived today and the white one arrived Saturday; there was another black one in the back. He asked if I had any questions and I pretty much said I'd like to sit in it. A few moments passed while he gathered the keys and I was inside before you know it. Pictures on the Internet do not do the new Silverado (and by extension, GMC Sierra) justice. Once I climbed into the driver's seat I felt the interior was leaps and bounds better than the GMT-900 offerings. Everything was close to reach, controls felt of quality design, and what plastics needed to be soft were soft and what should be hard was hard. The days of "Designed by Fisher Price Plastics Division" have finally ended! Now this was a well-equipped LTZ model, with preforated leather heated & cooled bucket seats, sunroof, MyLink navigation system, plus many more features. Needless to say within minutes I made myself very comfortable in this new rig. Sales professional could tell I wanted to take it out, and I guess he was bored (or was hoping to be the first to snag a '14 Silvy customer ). So off for a quick test drive. The dealership is located within a city setting, so I had the pleasure of piloting this rig down some narrow, tight turn and bumpy roads and also to get it out on the highway (Route 130, for those of you familiar with Burlington City, NJ). The truck rode like a dream over the pot hole-filled streets, handling the bumps with grace and still giving the passengers a solid but comfortable experience. One finger was all that was needed to turn the steering wheel, with its electric power assisted steering system. Lighty tap the accelerator and the new 5.3L Ecotec V8 blasts off! Smooth shifting 6-speed automatic transmission worked flawlessly. This long truck - remember, it is the crew cab model with the 6.6 bed - was easy to maneuver around like it was a much smaller vehicle. All in all, I will say my first impression of GM's new K2xxx full-size pickup trucks is a very positive one. Of course the salesman is waiting for me to come back to buy,,, not quite yet. I'm heading to my GMC dealership tonight for a spin in Sierra, which will definitely make me want one of these new pickups even more

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Congrats on the new Dodge!!

The Avalanche wouldn't make a good NASCAR racer

I know that. I was just teasin' ya! I vote for the 2nd Gen CTS. I liked the CTS when it originally debuted, but IMO the 2008-2013 model just blows away the 1st Gen's styling. I'm so-so with the upcoming '14 model, not liking the rear end styling (practically everything past the B-pillar). If we were in the market for a new car, I'd really push my wife into an outgoing '13 CTS sedan (though discounted, I'm sure it'd still likely to be too pricey for our wallets).

Now I will admit to not reading all of the fine print and not knowing all of the details, but many a local Chevy dealer that advertise in the local newspaper are running ads for new '14 Impala 1LTs leasing at $299/month. I'm sure you have to give up your first child and drive only 5,000 miles per year and be related to Dan Akerson, but there has to be a decent lease program to start moving these things. Two months ago the wife and I test drove a new Buick Encore and there was a lease program with cap reduction cash - the finance end was worse, with no low interest rate nor any cash on the hood. Buick was targeting the leasing consumer for the first production run of the Encore - I guess the finance consumer will eventually get some deals.

Well, now you're just trying to compete with ocnblu and caddycruiser

Finally found the Hot Bird (The Rockford Files) and the Fiero (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) at a Toys R Us yesterday; they also had but I did not buy: Footloose VW Beetle & the Beverly Hills Cop '68 Nova. I've seen almost all of the F&F-packaged HW cars too at Walmart, and my 7 y-o son got the HW-packaged F&F black Charger (Dom Toretto's). Also saw but he did not buy the orange Supra (Brian's car) in the same HW-packaged F&F basic offering. BTW, Olds Guy, thanks for posting these updates. Once I know you've found the cars in stores I know to start looking around in my area (doesn't always work right-away but close enough)

I like the new face of the Malibu a lot. I'm glad they differentiated it from the Impala. Now the Cruze, Malibu and Impala are clearly separated yet have that familiar "family" look to them.

I must say I really like how GMC updated the grille for the new '14 Sierra Denali. They got rid of the holes, or circular design, in place of oval openings that all don't extend to the grille surround. Very sharp detailing! Here's the '07-'13 SD grille design for comparison:

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