DBeaSSt

I say buy it. But then I'm a tad biased so you probably should ignore me. If you do buy it. There are quite a few online resources for repairing/maintaining the last gen b-bodies.

Oh, I can't believe I forgot that one, one of my favorites! Beep Beep by The Playmates. "..a little Nash Rambler was following me about one third my size.."

I searched thinking there must be a thread on this in here but couldn't find it. Probably using the wrong search string.... oh well. I was recently looking up some info on Cars, the recent Pixar movie. EVERY car guy or gal should see this. Anyway, I was listening to some of the soundtrack and it got me thinking about just how many songs were inspired by our beloved GM. Most songs I know of are about GM models, engines, etc. There are a few about Fords. I'm sure there's gotta be some Mopar songs, though I don't know of them. I do not ever recall a song about a Honduh or TOYota. Okay, except "Pink Cadillac" which states that her (or his) love is bigger than a Honduh or Subaru. List the car songs you know and what (if any) specific make, model, etc is mentioned or about which the song is written. Also, if possible try to list the ORIGINAL artist as many songs have been remade so many times. So, I'll start off the list: Only right to start off with the song which spawned this thread - Sheryl Crow - Real Gone - First line "I'm American made but I like Chevrolet" - Opening title song to Cars, the movie. Asleep at the Wheel - Route 66 - Okay, no specific cars mentioned but it is the ultimate car guy song. Brentson, Jackie and his Delta Cats - Rocket 88 - Oldsmobile Rocket 88 of course The Beach Boys - 409 - Um, it's about the 409. Prince - Little Red Corvette - Another obvious theme. Okay people, your turn!

Sorry I've just seen this thread. Have you (or your friend rather) located the problem yet? The 91-3 B-Bodies used a TRW keyless entry system which is quite prone to failure. I'm working on restoring my 92 Custom Cruiser and am on my third unit just trying to get a working one. You mentioned that the system was disengaged. Was the control unit unplugged or just the fuse pulled? I ask because to really eliminate the problem if the remote module is bad, it should be unplugged rather than just pulling the fuse. Don't ask me why but that's been my experience. I don't know much about the radios in those units so I can't offer any help there, sorry. Good luck!

Again, thanks for all the comments! I think it will be a great little car for her and she won't have to worry about more repairs on the Taurus. I'll tell you what impressed me most about the Maxx. The rear seat legroom is AMAZING! Probably twice the legroom of my Roadmaster! And it's half the size. And of course the sliding rear seats are just And I'm glad to hear that GM fixed that gasket problem. My partner has an 03 Century with the 3.1. It'll turn 100K in a month or two so I just had the oil tested. No signs of coolant in the oil! So maybe the implemented the fix for the 03's? Or I'm just lucky. Mike

Thanks for the info guys! So the GM documentation, says it's derived from the 3.1/3.4 engines. I know they have a history of intake gasket failure around the 70-90K mile mark. Probably too soon to tell on this one since it's only been out a couple years but anyone know if that little quirk exists on the 3.5 as well? I'm wanting to drive it now, see how the electronic throttle feels. No throttle cable anymore huh. Not sure how I feel about that. Too bad she didn't get an 07 then, I guess that's going to the Variable Valves? Again, thanks! Mike

Mom finally gave up on fixing her Taurus wagon. So I took her car shopping. She looked at a Passat wagon, Vibe, Vue, L200 and a Malibu Maxx. She was planning on a late model used but later decided to spend the extra couple grand and buy new. So her local Chevy dealer found her an 06 Maxx LT with a couple extras, sunroof, side air bags, XM. Very nice little car, I was very impressed with the solid feel of it. So anyway, my reason for posting.... I'm pretty comfortable with GM's 3.1, 3.4 and 3.8 V6's. But I don't know too much about the 3.5. I'm hoping someone can enlighten me on the changes (as compared to the previously mentioned engines). Is this just an updated 3.1/3.4 or a totally new engine? Pushrods I presume? Peppy little engine! TIA! Mike

They're still selling two year old Aleros? How on earth do you have a car sitting on the lot for two years?

Looks like quite a bit of bad news for Toyota sales actually. Why is the brand new Camry only up 3.3%? Are they still ramping up production? I would have thought quite a few more would have sold than the previous month. And YTD sales are down. Prius id certainly not doing well. Surprising considering gas prices and all the positive press hybrids in general are getting. Every Lexus car is down, a lot, except the IS250 which is apparently new. Big SUV's down quite a bit too. I supposed the new GM's and gas prices are impacting. FJ appears to be doing well. I guess ugly means sales! :AH-HA_wink: Still doing better than GM though. EDIT: Where is the Echo? Wasn't that still for sale last year? Not that I miss it.

I was thinking the same thing! My Roadmaster has 221,000+ on the clock. Just picked it up today from having a tuneup, brakes, etc. My GMC won't qualify though. "Only" has 138,000+ on the odo. Give me a few more years GM! I agree this would be an awesome marketing campaign for GM. That is IF they can manage to not screw it up!

Nice rendering Fly. Looks just like the (incorrect) hood ornament on my 91. I liked it so It's my avatar. Great birthday idea christina!

Thanks for the info guys! I haven't decided whether I'm going to replace it or not, I kinda like the one that's on there! I do have a source for the correct ornament. I appreciate the offer Sixty8!

Wow, that car is beautiful. But did I read the price right? $15,000??????? Could be an interesting project to convert to 100% Biodiesel. Upgrading the fuel system would be necessary anyway.

Take a look at my avatar. Right click, view image to see the bigger version. This is a picture of the hood ornament on my '91 Olds Custom Cruiser. I was recently informed that this is the incorrect ornament for the car. Sooooo, while I'm in the process of getting the correct one, I'm wondering what car (or more likely cars) this one belongs on. I like the design of it so I'll have to keep it around for something. TIA!

I don't dislike Statesman but I keep thinking of my Mom's ride-on mower.

Roadmaster!!!! But then I am a bit biased.

Good points. I was thinking out loud. I know there are so many facets to this and it's not a simple answer problem. I agree, Cadillac should be pushed even further up market, go head to head with the best, most expensive/luxurious cars in the world. That leaves more room for Buick to sell luxury cars that right now would compete with Caddy's. And Chevy should continue to be a "your first car" company. It's finding a place for all the other divisions that's not so easy. Should Pontiac be a performance only division? Saturn a niche division? What about Saab and Hummer? It's a tough one. But GM does need VISION for it's divisions, they don't have that now.

Great article and a lot of truth. An updated version of this is exactly what GM should be focusing on! Entry Level = Chevy Lower Middle Class = Pontiac Upper Middle Class = Saturn Lower Upper Class = Buick Upper Class = Cadillac

Thought I'd throw my slightly b-body biased views in here. :AH-HA_wink: 1996 Buick Roadmaster Wagon - 217,xxx With the exception of the drivers seat heater (grrrr) EVERYTHING still works. Needs a tuneup though, gas mileage is starting to suffer a bit. Engine runs smooth as silk though. 1991 Olds Custom Cruiser - 198,xxx Check my sig for what this car had been through. Just got it inspected and tagged. Runs GREAT. Let's see a 'little car' take that and keep going. 2002 Olds Alero (sold) - 75,xxx Repairs? What repairs? One set of front brake pads, one set of tires, oil changes. That's it. 2003 Buick Century - 78,xxx Had front ABS sensor replaced a couple months ago. Front brakes, tires and oil changes. I could go on..... Oh, wait! 1996 TOYota Tercel - (sold thank goodness) 90,xxx Had the usual, brakes, tires, etc. Also replaced brake master cylinder around 75,xxx. Arm rest constantly falling apart. Okay, I'm done.... for now....

I'm sure it was mainly a $$ issue. Custom Cruiser grilles are not too easy to find. Not surprising considering the relatively small number made. Caprice grilles, however, are a dime a dozen and a direct bolt in swap. The previous owner was not a 'car guy' just wanted it to run and pass inspection. So now I'm cleaning up his mess. Oh well, fun project! :)

Nope. Genuine '91 Custom Cruiser. It had a Caprice grille on it when I got it though. That came off right away. :) Should be roadworthy by the end of January!

:blink: :blink: That thing is right here in town! I should ask for a test drive..... ......nevermind......

Thanks. A straight 6? Hmmmm. Anything will fit, given enough time and money. :) It would be tight though, those V8's are kinda crammed back against the firewall. I've actually been pondering a big block but who knows...... Custom Cruiser 442? :D

Two required in VA. :( Hate it for the reasons mentioned above. Really looks bad on a lot of newer cars. Oh well.......

Great choice! :D Don't know that I can add too much, you guys have covered most of it. Impala/Caprice prices are dropping right now. I'm not to happy about it but good for you. I've seen a few sub-1,000 mile SS's still going for high dollar but typical cars are approaching 100K now. Not that 100K is really anything on these cars, my daily driver is an LT1 Roadmaster Wagon. Over 214K on the clock. Original engine, 2nd trans. Trans is really the weak point on these cars. Mine was replaced at 180K-ish but wasn't driven hard in its early years either. Trans in my SS was replaced under warranty by the previous owner, hmmmm. There are tons of cheap mods that can be done to these cars. True however that mods are more readily available for the LSx engines. LT1's were only made for, what 4 years though so considering that, there's still bunches of stuff available. I'll also suggest looking at B4U and 9C1 caprices. Both can be found with most of the SS performance goodies at about half the price if you're willing to sacrifice some of the SS 'look'. A couple resources to check out: http://www.goissca.org http://www.9c1.net http://www.impalassforum.com http://www.impalasuperstore.com Good luck! Oh, and a number of people who bought SS's new are trading them for GTO's now. Just to give you an idea of some of the owners interests. :)