hyperv6

I loved my 1970 Monte, it was not a fast car or great handling car but a good looking and very reliable car. I liked the 80's SS cars but it was a shame they never had a stock engine that ever lived up to the looks. As for the rest I was somewhat indifferent to them. I did not hate them but just never was drawn to want to own any of them. I was always more a Pontiac or Chevelle guy. As sales have shown their time has come and gone. It is always sad to see any long running name plate leave but it is even more sad to see one waste away with poor sales and over stay it's welcome. The Monte deserves better than a tarnished image of a slow seller. It was not just the Monte but all coupes outside the Mustang have gone on to the dealer lot in the sky. Just remember we may be losing an old name plate but we will get a car that will help bolster Chevys sales better than the present car. There is always some good in every bad. Better to lose a slow selling name vs Chevy not selling a new model that will garner more sales and protect Chevys place in the industry. Monte RIP may you never be forgotten.

Forget the LS7 as there seems to be bietter and cheaper things in the offing for the new Camaro and other Zetas. Here is a note from the F bodfather himself on this car. Fbodfather "Cool car -- but with the piece cost of the LS7 -- coupled with some incredible 'future' powerplants -- forget the LS7 in the Camaro as a production option". Well Incredible future powerplants!?!?!?! Hmm it might be worth the wait before swaping any engines yet.

I have no issue with the performance of the 3800 as being a base engine. But I do have a problem as it is noisey and ruff compared to other base engines in the competitors cars at that price. I could excuse it in a lower priced car. It ran fine and I had no issue running with 5 people at 80-95 MPH on interstate 5 from San Deigo to Anahiem in just over an hour. My mother has a fully loaded Le sabre with the grand touring suspension and the Lucern even in base form perfromed near as well. I just missed the leather seats from here car. The new cars dash was much better too. I did not like the wheel controls at first as they differ from my Pontiac but once I knew what was what they were fine. But I agree good car but could and should be a little better in that market.

Here are some surrvey numbers from Autobytel.com Not sure how accurate these are but it might be worth checking them out as they are not what I expected. Hybrid owners are 40% Republican 36% Democrat 21% live in the Midwest 31% in the Northeast and 16% on the West Coast 57% are over 45 years old 49% do not have collage degrees 33% make less than $40,000 a year Now I know this most likley includes many Flex Fuel Taurus and pick up trucks in Iowa. But need less to say I still figured the tree hugging West Coasters would have been more dominate just with the Prius and Honda Hybrids. I think it would be real interesting to see some real demographics on who are the true Hybrid buyers and who really wants what out of these vehicles. If someone could help provide some info it may give us some real insite into the real future Volt buyers. I think we may be suprised at who just might be interested in this car?

I was able to see both the Impala , New Malibu and old Malibu at the Nascar truck race in Mansfield. The new Bu and Impala were side by side so they were easy to compare. The old Bu was over a few cars but really let you know what kind of a improvment the new car was. Just by the eye the new Malibu looks longer and wider than the old Malibu. Compared to the Impala the length is shorter. It looks like from the A pillar back it is near the same as the Impala with the Malibu sporting a shorter nose. It also looks just a little narrower but not by much. I had seen the new Malibu was to take the Impalas FWD place and the RWD would only be a few inches bigger. Chevy would be simply offering two cars to cover any wish or need in nearly the same size class. I know the G8 is not much different in size as my 04 GP. Either way Chevy has all their bases covered on this one. If gas prices kill the RWD sales they will not be holding a empy bag. And if the RWD takes off they will not be like Ford with no options.

I liked all of those cars too but the problem is just not enough other people liked them. After last week in Southern California I have a hunch the G8 will be a big seller there. That is something that Pontiac has not done for a long time.

The Family Magazine out of Jersey said it was a 3 dead body trunk in their test. From the one I just saw next to the Impala it has to be as large as a Aura if not a little bigger. I was amazed how it was nearly as large of a car as the present Impala.

I just got done with a rental Lucerne. Here is what I had and what I noted. The car was brand new and only had 3,000 miles. Though a base model it was nicely optioned and if stickered at $26K or 27K would have been a good car for an older driver. Road manners while not sporting was very managable and comfortable. It handeled Southern Californias caynon roads and highways just fine. I even noted with the 80-90 MPH speeds on the high way it still managed 24 MPG. The one major complaint I would have is the 3800 Series III should have never been used in this car. The rest of the car is just more refined even in base form for a engine of this nature. I like the 3800 and own one but if Buick want to sell this car to import buyers it should have never used the old engine. I even could mange with the 4 spped auto as it was seemless and you never really noted shifts because they were all smooth. Interior and truck were very roomy and good materials even for a base car. The biggest thing I noted on this car was the lack of anything other than the MP3 plug in the radio to entice a youg person to this car. I even came out of a Dennys and watched as 3 people in their 70's marveled at my car. I also noted they drove away in a Regal. If Buick wants to draw in a younger crowed they had better hope the Supers and the new products offer what the younger people want. As of now I don't many people trading their BMW's or Audis for a Buick. I really like this car and see it is a good car but it is like Mercury a car with little hook for the younger buyers.

As for modifications they are limited on all but the 3800 SC cars. The V8 has some things you can do if you know what to do. Stock 3800 is limited for cheap mods and all other engines that have been offered the last 3 years have few options for modification. I have a few friends with Montes from the last 3 years all have been reliable and very cheap to purchase. only one has done any mods and it was a SLP exhaust modified to fit the small Chevy V6. The bad side of the Monte is poor resale. Also buying the end of a car line will leave you with a new car that will not age well. But on the positive most of the bugs are worked out. Might read up on the mods for the W body on ClubGP.com. What works on the GP works on the Monte. The weak spot is the tranny if you add power. I know the brand manager for the Monte and Impala. He is a great guy and car nut. The sad part is he never really could get what he wanted when he wanted for the Monte. He was still upset they could never get the GEN III 3800 SC for the Monte when Pontiac got it. It would have been great for Chevy as it will run on regular gas and dial the power down 20 HP. He felt if Chevy was the value car that option would have been a great help to sales vs the 3800 SC GEN II that was premium only

Now is the time to buy Monte's as they are giving grrat price's now. I was told of a new SS that was fully loaded that went for $20K. I figure the dealer needed it off the floor plan and had to move it since it is a very small dealer. I am not a big Monte fan but at that price it would make me consider one.

Does it really matter as the car other than the GXP has changed so liitle over the last few years. We get a few new colors and some odd option in packages that are changed just a lttle. It is a old car going out quitely and somewhat gracefully. As for the new cars out now the W cars have regulary done changes in March/April since 2004. They were intro'd in March of 03 as a 04 They had some updated in March of 04 that carried over to the 04 like the Comp G badge etc. They intro's the GXP around March April of 06. Not sure why but the GP has just done a lot of updates or change overs early in the year. Mine is a 04 Comp G but has the 05 Comp G badge. They eliminated the trunk lock later and added the back seat cup holder and wheels later that fall. I also got the updated rear seat bottom that was intro'd in Dec of 03 that had more padding than the early cars. The 05 did not get the headlight mount upgrade till after they fall roll out. So the early 05 cars headlights will bounce like the 04 cars unless ypu complain and give the the TSB on it. Not sure if thre same flux applied to the pre 04 cars but the later cars have been a work in progress not hinged on model year only.

I think most of us here this post is not word for word accurtate as GM does not open the books for all to see. But when there is smoke there is fire. So with that understanding there is something going on and we have to wait to see what it is. To be honest GM for the most part may not have all of this nailed down either. The key here is it may give us some idea where they are going and just have to wait for the deails. The Alpha has been spoken of for a while so there must be some kind of a work in progress going on. Before we start to argue models and who gets what lets just wait till we really know what each division is getting. Hell the Camaro is not 100% nailed down yet as there is still work going on there. Sit back grab a beverage and lets watch what happens.

I hope this news will prove to many GM is doing a lot better in product planning than they give them credit for. I like a good mix of FWD and RWD as it will make them viable in any market and they can load up on what ever is selling in that market. I really like what I see of GM finally becoming the a true global player vs a Global company with many different companies in different markets. The net results are we will get the cars we always wanted that were avalable else where because the US market was too small. Now we all can share in the best of GM no matter what market we are in. The only thing that is sad is it will take time as money has to be budgeted and lines need to be fully developed. Small RWD will give GM something Japan jusre really does not offer. At least yet in large numbers.

This car will most likely have the same engine as the $40,000+ Camaro Shelby killer [Z28?]. It was reported to be due to have 525-550 HP or what ever power deemed needed to beat the Shelby when it goes to market in 2010.

Sorry, but I thought this was the new Neon light Edition when I first saw the picture. It just makes me wonder who will be the first to put a ugly bulb on the new Camaro. It is bad enough that they put it on but most can't even install them right where you can't see them. Anyway I do like the minimalist approach!

ao unless there is a big surge for a larger RWD Coupe that is unforseen I would not hold my breath for one. If they can't gibe away a mid size coupe not a new one will not do much better. Having a Camaro would finish off the second car anyway. Coupes are just not in that big of demand a company needs one in each line.

It is time to think out of the box and into the future No Anniversery paint and badge jobs. These are lame cop outs. Let see some special editions with some parts not offered on the standard cars. Real Hurst shifters etc. Lets try to live in the present and do something like a ZL2 or something new and original. as the real ZL1 was a Aluminum 427 very limited production. What would that have to do with a present LS engine? It is time to make a historic limited car not glamming onto a past car it really shares nothing with. An Sunoco car or Yunick car would be ok but at least as a original spoiler not offered on the regular car. No fake scoops anything on the car should be real or functional. Time to get back to what a limited edition was in the 60's, a car with some trim and hardware that made it a real limited car and really special. I don't want something that any body shop can apply with a sticker and emblem kit. The paint and sticker cars were a product of the 70's when we lost power under the hood. It was all they had left from cars like the Judge. Somew pulled it off well like the Black Gold TA and the 10 Ann TA. The 80's brought a lot of lame special cars that just aren't worth anything and one paint job would would remove anything special about them. My point is for example, the ZL1 or Z28 were special and limited cars it they were painted or primered. The later Camaro anniversery cars were really nothing but a Camaro in primer. GM has made special car if they needed to or wanted to. This Camaro deserves to have one too. If they can make a Monte Aero Coupe or 2+2 Pontiac just to race in NASCAR they can do something here to draw attention to the Camaro.

I know as I sell about any kind of aftermarket exhaust at work from Flowmaster to Borla. My point is most V6 engines need a exhaust engineered to sound good as most V6 engines with aftemarket exhaust have poor sound. There are enough V6 pick ups running around that sound like junk with Flowmanster and the like. The Camaro is a everyday enthusiast car and sould sound like an enthusiast car and not like a Malibu. I have yet to chang my 4.3 exhaust on my truck due to the fact most sound like crap.

I have had a SSEI and have a GTP and both just need a little lower tone. They are betther than many but not as good as could be. I think the duel pipes are their only advantage. They never had the Trans Am, Fiero deep tone.

The average driver wpu;d bew happy with a 300 HP V6 and good milage in time like today. The option to buy a V8 is there for those that the added cost is not an issue. Lets face it the last Z28 was just over 300 HO and no one coplained. I only think the bad part is many V6 engines do not have exhaust systems tuned to sound very good. The one rare exception was the 2.8 V6 Fiero stock exhaust. It was tuned and had a good Euro tone that did not sound like a Citation engine. GM can and I assume will tune the new engine to sound better. Ort at least to the point of where the Gov reg will let them. Just don't make it sound like a S10 with duel pipes. Those sound so cheesey.

If not for idiots the average here would not feel so good about themselves. The more advanced we get the more dim society has become as a whole. They need to change the Geico ad to so simple an average American can do it. It would be more truthful and not offend any cave men. Barrett Jackson leads to the old saying Rich Guys, Fast Guys anf Idiots. Guys we live in a day where Paris Hilton has been made a star. So it is a good theng most cars no longer have Chrome Bumpers or it would distract the many already on the Cell Phone on the interstate and many more would die. Anyone notice with the increase in Seatbelt usage and the increase in Toyota Sales? We used to thin the heard and now we protect the dumb and look what they do to pay us back.

Agree on the I6 but they jsut don't fit into may different cars. The V6 can go RWD or transverse FWD if needed. The 60 degree is smoother over all but with the balance shafts of today even the 3.8 is no wherelike it used to be. Also the 90's seem to have better torque.

Keep in mind it still cold be some form of the 3.6. The more you build the cheaper it gets.

Bottom line is the covers are a cheap way to hide the maze of wires and lines under a hood to giv it a clean appearnace. Also the covers are padded to reduse sound. Most are not hard to remove and do not require tools. If it is hard to remove you really should not be under a hood to start. Most of GM's covers are not bad and I cona understand them being just being plactic due to cost. I do believe they should improve with the cost of the car. Cadillac should have dressed up engines with more Aluminum and real metal parts. Save the plastic for the Chevys and Staurns as you should get what you pay for. Take a look at a stock Fiero V6 engine and you are rewarded with real Aluminum covers and a painted intake with real polished stainless bolts. If GM sould do this in the 80's they should be doing better on cars north of $40K today. The plastic cover on my stage III 3.8 SC may not be fancy but for what I paid for the car I understand. But I would be disappointed with some of the other engines I have seen for the higher price. If GM could do this on a $14K Pontiac in 1985 they should do better on a $40K and up car today.

I agree with you on the Coupe or Sedan. The bottom line is there was nothing in the picture by accident. GM is not that stupid contrary to what some feel. How many hints and peeks have we gotten in GM photos. Remember the Sky in the Saturn sales book hidden in plain site.. Even the Cmaro pictured they have it so we see only what they want us to see. We can not tell how wide it is. We can not tell ehat mirrors it has, we can not tell if it has the feared B pillar. They just wanted us to know the car was holding pretty true to the original look.