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At the Special Event - hands on with the Av. This Z71 had an engine exemption tag from 2/29/00 - it is almost a year old. There was a sign on the back glass that it could not be demonstrated, as it had been dropped a couple of times on Sunday. I did cajole the hostess into demonstrating when a supervisor left and no one else was around. It worked nicely and fit tightly into the seals. The lower portion midgate may not have latched as tightly as I would have expected, but the cargo panels were not removed to where I could get behind to check it out.
I counted at least 17 drains - three in each top box, five in the bed, one on the inboard side of each sail panel, two beneath the rear seat (channeled via plastic trim), and two where the window seats. It is set up so the bed can be flushed out and the water will drain from under the cargo mat. A removable plastic grate will catch debris at the base of the midgate.
The cargo panels are to now come with bags they can slip into for storage - originally bungee cords were to hold them in place with no protection.
Production info: The Av will be manufactured in Mexico. Production is not expected to commence before March with vehicles hitting TX, FL, and CA in May. It will be late summer before volumes pick up. One large Chicagoland dealer told the girl working the floor he had two allocations for June. Another guy told the girl at the special event he had one on order and walked away when she laughed.
Dodge Ram 1500 four door - did they borrow those short rear doors from the Tundra?
Sport Trac - construction seemed "light", rear seats were not comfortable for my wife.
Buick LaCrosse - if you get tired of talking to yourself, you can always talk to your car. Voice commands for everything. Heads-up Display with an empty dashboard.
Aztek - if you can buy the tent for only $195, maybe you can live with the looks.
"Production info: The Av will be manufactured in Mexico. Production is not
expected to commence before March with vehicles hitting TX, FL, and CA in
May. It will be late summer before volumes pick up. One large Chicagoland
dealer told the girl working the floor he had two allocations for June. Another guy
told the girl at the special event he had one on order and walked away when she
laughed."
Is this true? Can anyone verify or confirm this? I was really counting on the Av being available this spring - like around April. It appears that this is just a pipedream now! I really was looking to buy a 4-door truck but I don't want to wait forever for the Av. Perhaps I will have to re-evaluate the purchase of the Supercrew? What is the problem? Is Chevy re-thinking some of the finishing details - like cost - and getting rid of that ugly Aztec-like body cladding? Looking for some answers and some more info. Thanks!
They were late with the new 99 Silverados, they were late with the new 00 Tahoe/Subs, they were late with the new 01 Denalis.
Now this Ave will be even worse, since they have a complete new vehicle structure to work with, and compounded with the fact that this midgate thing will be an absolute [non-permissible content removed] to get sealed properly for years to come, never mind just the first pass. If we see them even by summer, I'd be surprised.
Every day that goes by GM is losing market share to Ford in this category. With SportTrac and Supercrew already ringing up sales, who wants to wait for something that is continually delayed? There has to be some legitimate reason for these delays.
The only thing I can hope for is that the general is holding up the show to make sure they get things right the first time. Well, maybe when I need my next new vehicle (8-10 years from now) I can get an Av.
Joelis/Obyone: The midgate seemed well-thought and engineered - even on a one year old model. One piece looked like a retrofit in order to keep the glass in place as it is being unlatched. Oh, but for a test drive to evaluate squeaks, rattles, leaks.
My wife did like the Av and has asked me every day if I've called the dealer. I did, and they aren't taking cash yet. They did attend a training session in Chicago last week with a number of Avs, new Trailblazers, and competing models on hand for comparison.
As for my Silverado, its funny how easy some of the problems are to ignore when you only have 6 months left on its lease. (Now, just have to make sure it gets past that post-lease inspection...)
The Avs are supposed to start production 3/26/01 and GM and most dealers are expecting a huge demand. I would argue that point based on the traffic in this forum. Look at the number of posts here compared to the Silverado and Tahoe/Yukon topics in the early stages. GM's annual sales are projected as 35,000 2WD and 65,000 4WD. "Not gonna do it." (I hope production is at that level - invoice deals within 9 months.)
Why wait? 1) I want to get what I want - not what is deemed "most popular and what everyone wants" by the General. 2) Pricing - until extras are on the lot - MSRP will prevail. 3) Delivery - will northern states see any Avs by June? 4) First yeaar bugs - Let others take the shakedown cruise?
Actually, I'm hoping the dealership will help me out of it a little early when my Vette comes thru this spring.
I'll worry about the next winter vehicle then next fall.
I checked out the '02 Olds Brav topic - they have a brand manager answering questions. Av managers need to take note and do the same. Maybe once they get it on the road.
I don't know what Chevy is doing. Why they can't build a truck to compete directly with Ford SCrew?
An Av below MSRP will be hard to find, I may yet get a SCrew for the interim, but the Av still looks like the fit for me.
By the time it arrived at the Chicago Auto Show, it was the most convincing argument for not buying a black vehicle (badly swirled).
At least the Ave is adaptable to a full size bed when necessary.
with the S-Crew. It's the 1500HD crew cab with a 6.5ft bed!!!
Unlike the Avalanche...they are out now!!!! Saw 2 at
my local Chevy dealer!!!!
What I really want is a 1/2 ton Crew. Unless I have to tow more than 8000lb, 1500HD is too much for me.
There is no such thing as an American car/truck anymore...heck there is no such thing as Japanese or
European automobile anymore. We have Chevy's and Fords
built in Mexico/Canada, Honda's and Mercedes in the U.S.
all built with components made in some other country.
As for built half-[non-permissible content removed], ironically, there was a thread here
about a year ago that addressed quality. About 90% of the
people on the thread said GM trucks built in Mexico/Canada
and Dodge Rams built in Mexico had much better built quality
than their U.S. counterparts.
I remember when American Honda first opened on US soil. Everyone was skeptical on buying one. Eventually, they were convinced that even though it was built in the USA, was still better than the quality of General Motors and Ford.
The ad was run again today in the 3/10/01 FTW Star-Telegram (Section F, pg 9) and the Av is pictured in the ad. The Chevy Dealer is Moritz Chevrolet, which used to be the Troy Aikman Automall. This has been the only Chevy dealer I've seen advertising as having the Av on lot in the newspaper. Their phone # is 888.590.7687. Their web address is www.moritzdirect.com. I checked there inventory online but neither the Av or Trailblazer was listed on the site. This same dealership has been running 2001 Silverado Ext Cabs for less than $17k ( I suspect no V8, but they do adv. auto/ac/cruise). Part of their adv. this price on these Silverado's is using the Olds loyalty rebate ($1K). They list the dealer discount as $5,708, GM Rebate $500, Olds rebate $1000 on the Silverado listed in the ad.
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=211192&uid=121063
http://www.tampachevy.com/vehicles/avalanche2.jpg
It shows the bottom of an ava in white cladding. When I first saw it, i wondered what it was showing, and then i saw the door handles and i assume i have found a new feature that most peopole here do not know anout. What do you all think?
Here's an e-mail I received Sat. from Chevrolet- note the pricing shows cloth 40/20/40 seats only.
Subject: Order your Chevy Avalanche
Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2001 01:50:31 -0800 (PST)
You waited patiently and now it's time. The all-new 2002 Chevy Avalanche, the only vehicle that can change from an SUV to a pickup can now be ordered from your local Chevy dealer.(1) Please see your local Chevy dealer for order specifics, product availability and timing.
The chart below details pricing and the features included in each package.
2WD Avalanche
Standard
(High Content)
$30,965(1) Vortec 5300 engine, four-speed automatic transmission, Custom Cloth 40/20/40 split-bench seat, 16-inch aluminum wheels, P265/70R-16 tires, air conditioning, power windows/locks and carpeted floor mats.
Convenience Package $31,618(1) Self-dimming driver's OSRV mirror, OnStar,(2) electronic climate control and HomeLink®.
Premium On-Road Package (Z66)
$31,800(1) Traction Assist, 17-inch aluminum wheels, P265/70R-17 all-season tires, specially tuned springs and load leveling rear shocks, locking differential, aggressive rubber mats and Z66 decals.
Both Packages $32,453(1)
4x4 Avalanche
Standard
(High Content)
$33,965(1) Vortec 5300 engine, four-speed automatic transmission, Custom Cloth 40/20/40 split-bench seat, 16-inch aluminum wheels, P265/70R-16 tires, air conditioning, power windows/locks and carpeted floor mats.
Convenience Package $34,618(1) Self-dimming driver's OSRV mirror, OnStar,(2) electronic climate control and HomeLink.
Off-Road Package (Z71)
$34,800(1) -17-inch aluminum wheels, P265/70R-17, blackwall on-/off-road tires, skid shields, specially tuned springs and shock absorbers, locking differential, high capacity air cleaner, aggressive rubber mats, Z71 decals
Both Packages $35,453(1)
Want to dress up your computer? Do it with an Avalanche screen saver. Simply click here, follow the directions and you'll have a computer screen as great- looking as Avalanche.
Avalanche available 2001.
Since you're receiving this Avalanche Email Exclusive, you'll be among the first to receive upcoming Avalanche news as soon as it's available. Stay tuned.
By the way the show will be on again tonight at 12 midnight Eastern and on Friday, March 16th at Noon.
Here is the website link:
http://www.tampachevy.com/avalanche.htm
Roll over the pic to see the whiteness.
Got the latest piece of AV promo literature, complete with the color lineup....looks like
Black, White, Green, Sunset Orange, a Red, not much else.....kind of surprised I didn't see yellow, may have been cool.
The lower cladding looks excessively chunky on anything other than the black truck....
and here is another kicker....the fuel tank is 32 gallons! I thought it would least have the "regular" 26 gallon tank of my 1500 Silverado Ext. Cab, which already is in the $35-$40 neighborhood to fillup here in the Northeast. I'm thinking that I should stand pat for awhile and
seek how the Av shakes out the first year or so, or when the bugs get shook out and the incentives come out. The incentives will come...for those who don't have to have the first one....even on the new Silverado, I was getting financing and rebates at the end of the intro year.