caddycruiser

Haha, yes, we mustn't forget those slimy monsters Otherwise, WOW, is this car mint!

No, his dealer in Jersey is doing a swap with the dealer in Marlow Heights to get the car they have up there.

The more he finally drives it now that it's finally inspected and 100% legal, it seems to be getting better and he really likes it. Of course, the colors are still kind of atrocious, but hopefully one day that will change if it sticks around long enough (same for the Granny narrow wheels & wire caps).

Well, here's the current breakdown of our driveway: '04 Suburban: 41,000 (Mom) '92 Roadmaster: 197,000 (Dad) '93 Fleetwood: 110,000 (Dad/Brother/Whoever) '95 Fleetwood: 121,800 (Mine) '86 Regal: 73,500 (Brother) We're doing pretty good so far

Just realized I never made a post about this, but a few weeks ago my younger brother bought his first car (and beat me by about 2.5 years at that!). He had wanted a Cutlass/Monte Carlo from the late 80's for a while, and was always looking. Never really found much except for a white '86 Cutlass with the 307 V8 at a local little used car place, and they looked at and drove it, but still weren't sure. Wasn't bad at all, but seemed to have a transmission issue and some other small issues. So they kept looking and he also was considering some late 80's and early 90's Caprices they found in his price range. One Sunday were on their way to head up state a distance to look at one of those and something else, and not far from home were still looking in the paper and spotted an ad for an '86 Regal with 73k for $700, a lot closer to home. Called immediately and went over to see it, and it was sort of a done deal on the spot. Was better than the Olds they had looked at, was half the price, and was a more unique and slightly more luxurious Buick. And also the rarer optional Olds 307 V8, compared to most that got the 3.8L V6. It's your classic one old guy owner car that sat for a while--and had some really nasty oil in it--but after a new cap & rotor, plugs, an O2 sensor and some other minor checklist things, is running very strongly & quietly. Having a bit of a smoke problem and still burning some oil, but he's just going to keep driving it as much as he can to see if that helps clean it out in there and then have work done if the issue continues. It came new from PA and spent most of it's life there, so there's some rust underneath and a small spot behind one back wheel, but still hardly bad at all. These pics were taken when he first got it and before even a wash, so it's dirty, but you get the idea: and also 2 quick vids I took of it at night when I went home briefly to see it, showing off a bit of the light rumble from the glasspack someone put on it: Not the best color combo--light blue with a dark blue interior and a half black vinyl factory top--but it's okay, and in nice enough shape that it looks quite good all cleaned up (still not really done, since it's been so cold and they've been busy). He got what he wanted, or even more so a rarer Buick that he never really thought of too much, and I hope it works out well for him. For $700, even I agree it couldn't be beat

Yep, it's definately a cool look. Just like with the last gen models, I have a feeling it'll probably be the most popular (or close to) trim too, once production is fully ramped up. Right now it seems that whenever one arrives, it's instantly sold.

Same here, now that I think of it. Our Suburban came on a dealer swap, and when we went to pick it up, we noticed it had a pinstripe on it that even the salesmen didn't notice. Looked good, actually, and there was no add-on of any kind pricewise, so we just left it as is and went about or merry way. Always good to know, though, just in case the other dealer has done extra things...even though they're usually small and you don't pay for them in the end. The only other thing was our dealer taking off the other place's logo/plaque on the back and replacing it with theirs, the typical necessary evil...left that on there too.

And a black Avalanche Z71: WHEW! That should answer questions for a lot of people... :AH-HA_wink:

A white Avalanche Z71:

A black Tahoe Z71:

And official GM illustration/pic: Some shots of Avalanches & Tahoes at a dealer:

There's a Tahoe, Suburban, and Avalanche--all with the same trim. The Z71 package is a $1795 add-on to any LT2 or LT3 level model, 2wd or 4wd. Here's a lot of other pics, of each of the 3 models: White Suburban Z71: Red Tahoe Z71:

It has a carbon fiber background and says Z71, versus just the plain black on the other models: Small difference, but noticeable.

Sounds awesome, and now that someone here just bought a new XE with the standard 5 thick spoke wheels, I think they compliment the car the best--and I've only ever seen one car with the chrome version, which really looked nice. Sounds terrific, and your wife should be VERY happy :AH-HA_wink: A swap can be really cool, because it's essentially like ordering your perfect car but then not having to wait more than a few days when they find the right one!

Oh yes, they DEFINATELY do. Both the SRX and STS started off with similarly horrific resale values, and though the SRX's eventually got better with the lowered MSRP's and constant improvements, the STS has just continued to go down the toilet. It's simply a regular occurrence to see even barely a few months old fully loaded V8 AWD ones originally over $65k going for the high $30k's in no time at all...and V6's are even cheaper, being lower priced in the first place. Credit it to poor sales, a still not that great interior for the class/price, and also various bugs (rattles, electronic issues, drivetrain issues, etc.) for the first model year and some others, and MSRP's seemingly a bit high, and the STS just has not done well so far. Still, a great car, but the soon to be out updated model hopefully will do a lot better, and not end up the product of these kind of fire sales so soon...

Even if domestics still offer more complete "pick and choose" packages, I still REALLY like the size and looks of this thing over the others.

Sounds interesting, and I definately know how it works with the trading. When Suburban shopping, there was a "just right" Yukon XL our dealer found at another, but they seemed a little odd when they saw the dealer it was at and then later the story went from "it's sold" to "we just don't want to trade it". We ended up going for a different truck, but it can sometimes be tricky...especially with a car that's still hot like the Aura. I could drive out there--it doesn't seem too far--but this will now be Saturday morning, probably too late (didn't realize that until I started typing this post). I'll wait and see if and what changes here...

Well yeah, and some dumb ratings aside, go compare even the overall feel and look of a Lucerne vs. an Avalon, an Aura vs. a Camry, etc., and some of the difference is already crystal clear. A lot of GM's still aren't at the level they could be, but anymore a lot of vaunted Toyotas just come off as more cheap than anything.

I do--I presume that's the dealer where the car is coming from? You should be very happy with it, Hankooks and all (definately not downgrades like a lot of OEM supplied Bridgestones are), and even the wheels on the XE's arguably look the best with the car. And the tan cloth interior is gorgeous. All in all, a great upgrade from the Malibu, even with the same old 3.5L (most reviews seem to really enjoy it in the Aura, moreso than any other vehicle it's in).

True. As for these changes, I've heard about most of them before, but one thing stinks for sure...if you jumped earlier and bought one before any upgrades or with just some of them. Guess it's the same as not owning the latest model year with little revisions, but still a little disappointing. But also great to hear GM is listening, recording, and jumping right on just about every little thing they hear of substance. A big part of it also has been simply calling new buyers a bit after their purchase to ask questions and inquire about things they think should change or are the best...they for sure have done this with cars like the CTS, and lately (according to some owners boards) have been calling quite a few Solstice/Sky owners to ask about their experiences.

The 3.6L definately runs on regular--they wouldn't dare let it be in a Saturn or Pontiac otherwise--and the Hankook tires are made by Hankook, no one else. Hankook is Korean, I believe, just like Kumho, and they're all a very high rated and well regarded tires. Matter of fact, over the years, we've had Goodyears, Michelins, etc. and the set of Kumhos we put on our one Fleetwood are by far the best of the bunch. Hankook makes several high performance treads, as well as regular passenger all seasons, and they're all generally highly rated and high quality--just not as expensive as a lot of regular domestic brands. I was very glad to see they started these and others on a lot of newer GM's and other vehicles, as they're just better than most of the GY's and Michelins, etc., that used to be a given on most domestics. Of course, the XR has GY Eagles and those aren't bad, but they aren't the best either. Their 18" size is just more limited, and GM seems to like using them on a lot of applications like that car still.

Now THAT is the kind of thing that impresses me, but has been the norm for many imports for a long time--glad they're continuing the effort and making each new vehicle even more incredible than the last, in terms of refinement and detail.

Yep, that'd be my only guess, especially since all the other 1500's are out and about.

Without even reading it yet, the 2nd place finish just goes to show you how EXCELLENT even the Kia is. Even the last gen, which a relative has, is always impressive as hell to me, with a level of build quality & refinement that just go well beyond the pricetag. And now the new ones have all the features of the other vans--great buy. The Honda still has one of the best packages, the Toyota has some issues but is still very nice, and the Nissan is now a really great choice too, with its upgraded materials and revised style. The Chryslers remain one of the best looking, but driving dynamics are a bit old, and the Stow & Go is great for utility, but not very comfortable. As for the Ford and GM vans, well, they're just about as good as dead... Minivans are still a "No!" to a lot of people, but with the switch from big SUV's to crossovers getting so strong, minivans are also benefiting lately.

Well, with the Malibu finally about to get some style and also size comparable to or larger than an Impala, there really will be no more reason for a mass market FWD Impala. Move it up market just a tad--not too expensive, think Charger/300 pricing--and keep the trim and drivetrain of the best stuff they can, and it should be a winner. If done right, it'll definately give all the owners of 90's GM B & D bodies who just have not had anywhere newer to go since then...and attract a newer breed looking for more style and excitement than a typical rental Impala could ever muster.