Drew Dowdell

The new look has left me cold. I might wait it out to see what the CTS coupe looks like. I liked the photochops a lot, so if Cadillac comes close, I'll go that route. Depending on timing, I might buy a G8 once my CTS lease is up next year and then trade it on a CTS coupe once it's available.

My CTS has only had 1 warranty repair*, but I still hear from my Cadillac dealership plenty. *so far, my near accident a few months ago appears to have damaged the suspension. I've only driven the car about 300 miles since Thanksgiving, so it hasn't been a huge priority.

I get a holiday card every year. About every 4-6 months or any time they get something new, either my salesman or the GM of the dealership I bought from will call me and invite me in to look at some new model or take a test drive of something. They always ask how I like my car and if I need anything. If I ever bring it in for service, my salesman is sure to stop by if he's not with a customer, he knows ahead of time that I'm coming in if I've made an appointment. They usually offer to send another Cadillac down for me to use for the day or one to take with me for a few hours if I want to go out shopping somewhere else. They'll do pickup service even though I'm a good 17 miles from the dealer. <minors annoyance, the old guy that does the pickups insists he needs a 1/2 tank of gas or he won't take the car> I get the free state inspections without a coupon. I just have to take it there and they hook me up. They send me coupons for free car washes, but I don't really need them. Any time I go in to check things out they take my keys and wash the car. Sometimes I stop buy just to get shmoozed, eat a free doughnut, and get a free car wash. Here's the touch I like the most it's that bit extra that makes me praise them so highly.... I have Cadillac branded napkins and mints that they give me. I keep them in the car. The cocktail parties are formal affairs. They're usually held at the Crown Plaza north of the city or inside Heinz field. They'll have a jazz band of some type, free drinks, fancy horederves and you mingle among the Cadillacs parked in the room. There are tuxedo clad salesmen around who will tell you about the cars but don't pressure you to buy anything at all. They're there for information purposes and to hand out business cards if you're really interested. My dealership experience has really been top notch. My only regret is that I'm not sure my next car will be a Cadillac <thinking G8 instead of CTS>.

I have to say, Cadillac has certainly taken care of me being a CTS owner. I get invites to 1 or 2 Cadillac sponsored cocktail parties each year, coupons for free car washes, free state inspections, holiday cards, phone calls. They pay a LOT of attention to me.

It gets a 6.0 litre.

Who said it's V8 only?

Fixed

I never said you were wrong about the Camaro. Guessing about if the Camaro would be retro or modern was about as hard as guessing the Superbowl winner being the Colts or the Bears. You had a 50/50 chance and you got it right. Buick needs a Zeta based Lucerne before Pontiac needs a LWB G8. You seem to forget that it takes money/effort/time to put new cars out. Money isn't something GM has a lot of right now.

perhaps "Keep Dreaming" would be a better name...

I would expect the 3.6HF as the base engine.

[speculation]One issue I understood was capacity in Oz. If Holden starts selling the heck out of these new ZE based cars, there may not be enough capacity left for the NA market. Additionally, with the Impala and Lucerne most likely ending up on the Zeta platform, building a Pontiac sedan on the same platform in the same facility would make sense. [/speculation]

Will it eventually move to Oshawa once W-Body production stops and Zeta production is ramped up? I think people are thinking that an MCE will be timed with such a move, hence the "stop gap" speculation.

You left them in a stall in the bathroom of the truck stop off I80.

Good list..... Though the Tundra is only on there because you don't have to wait for a Silverado/Sierra anymore.

The GM Digital dash was blasted to the point of heckling. I don't know about the other divisions, but the Oldsmobile models that had them were functional and attractive. I actually miss having the digital dash from my '85 Toronado.

I think the people that annoyed me most were the ones that would complain <loudly> about how the GTO was not "authentic" because it was >from Australia/not bad ass enough/too expensive/etc.< while a beige Camry sits in their driveway.

I've always admired the idiots <mad scientists?> who would drop turbocharged 3.4 DOHC engines in Fieros.

Actually, apparently the 4.3 did ok as far as reliability was concerned it was the 5.7 that had most of the reliability issues. 0-60 was measured by scientists with carbon dating equipment. Speaking of carbon, you'd usually get a layer a couple inches thick on the whole rear of the car. Mpg was in the mid 40s.

Limited Slip Differential

Isn't that embargoed?

Incorrect. There is no one fuel* that is the correct answer. The correct answer is "diversification" *That hydrogen is even a fuel and not just an energy storage medium is another debate

The HHR one was the only decent one of the bunch....

I could see people who want near the performance of an M5 but not the price tag or repair bills being supremely attracted to this. Given all the nice write ups the last Commodore had even when compared to the previous M5, it's not an impossibility.

and if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon.

*scoff* Just another example of Buick using "ancient" technology.