General Motors Fans

lemko

Maybe I can retrofit it to my Grand Marquis? If one already has OnStar on one vehicle, will it work on others or do you need a separate subscription?

xrunner2

I heard about this recently on WGN radio, Chicago. Hosts Steve King and Johnnie Putnam, who are huge GM/OnStar fans. were talking about it. BUT, the costs to put it in that they mentioned, was in hundreds dollars, seems too much.

fezo

Good point. You'd think they'd see the unit cheap and tie it to a couple of years of subscription fees - like cell phones do all the time.

cooterbfd

That's a good question about the sub. I read that you should be able to buy it at Best Buy, for any car. They can install it and it takes about 1-1.5 hrs

lemko

I'd think it would be better to have somebody other than the Best Buy dudes hacking into your wiring harness! :surprise: I've seen these guys butcher a lot of auto electrical systems! :sick:

imidazol97

"The leadership board bypassed multiple layers of decision-making built into the traditional GM product-development model, Parks said. The Volt board had direct access to CEO Rick Wagoner and, when funding was needed, to the GM board of directors, he said."

"Ed Welburn, GM’s design chief, says the stand-alone board was instrumental in GM meeting its 2010 delivery date.

"Parks estimates that under the traditional decision making process of pre-meeting, meeting, tabled decisions, approval to the next council, etc., it would have taken an additional 18 months to finish the Volt, if it had ever been green-lighted."

link title

cooterbfd

I'd bet, because of that, it's plug and play.

imidazol97

Lutz had 4 journalists evaluating cars for him.

"Lutz tells me they were his secret weapons. He credits them with the reason why GM's cars are now tuned to world-class standards. These guys didn't design, engineer or develop any vehicles. That was done by GM's long-standing employees. But the journos brought an enthusiast magazine mind-set to the evaluation process to make sure there would be very little for the press to pick apart."

motorcity6

The count starting with 2 Porsches, 3 Chrysler products, 13 Ford Motor products, and 35 GM cars.. Current garage holds a 2010 Mustang GT, and 2006 Pontiac GPGT...plus a 2002 Camry XLE, not mine but I pay the bills..

So GM has won the past honors, however it's future with me is dim based on the Government takeover and the heavy Chinese involvement..Cadillac has gone ballistic on pricing, Buick keeps building 2 ton cars with crappy power however big price tag..Chevrolet is stuck in the "Green Zone" with the Cruze and the Volt..The Camaro is a mish-mash of direction, Malibu is committed to 4 cylinder power with the V-6 LTZ w/sunroof around $31k.,and equipped w/touring tires, top end 113..The Corvette is okay, 2 seater though, and the Impala is really dated...Forget the trucks and SUVs, no interest..

Spent 34 yrs selling parts to the Big3 and various military vehicle programs, never wore out a car with trading as low as 6k miles and as high as 120k mi..Worst suspensions were with Buicks including 87 Electra T-Type, 81 Riv, 92 Regal GS, and a 94 LeSabre..Solved the 94 LeSabre problem with replacing all 4 struts at around 25k with the some stiff Monores struts which shackled it like a sports car..dumped it @110k mi..

My favorite car was the 71 SS 350 Camaro with 82 Z Camaro at the bottom..

motorcity6

Out of the many GM cars owned the 91 Caddy Touring Sedan along with a 1998 Olds Intrigue GLS come to the forefront..

The 91 Caddy was my wife's car and I only drove it to the dealership for whatever it needed and the 5 round trips to Fla from Detroit..GM replaced the RH front fender, composite-material in that series, I think my wife somehow ran into the small side garage door and cracked it cracked like a fiberglass boat..A Caddy rep approved the no-charge replacement..approx $700.

Next episode was with the engine which had piston-slap, rattled when starting cold..Over the 58k miles they relaced several pistons, and finally a couple weeks before our upcoming Fla migration trip prior to 59k miles, I told them it was still suffering from piston-slap, and the dealer ordered a new engine which was installed within a week and I went to another dealer and picked up a new 96 Caddy Deville.. I sold the 91 Caddy myself, drove it 50 miles and parked it in the garage..

My 98 Intrigue GLS was bought back by GM after 26k miles, no attorneys involved, no yelling or screaming.. Cost me $800 for mileage driven, received a check for full purchase less mileage and bought a 1999 Olds Intrigue w/3.5 Shortstar engine V-6, GLS, drove it 75k miles, and traded it on a 2002 Olds Intrigue GLS which went 120k mi before being traded on the 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix GT at the local Caddy dealer showing 4300 miles..

The 1998 Intrigue suffered steering rack problems, ISS problems and brake problems..The 99 Intrigue had brake and ISS issues, however the engine was the fun part, it liked to run fast..The 2002 had 1 ISS replaced and brakes were fine..Both the 99 and 2002 were equipped with SLP cat-back exhaust system..

The Pontiac was 1/2 original sticker price and I always wanted the S/C engine, so how could I refuse such a deal..The GP is on it's third battery and has had 3 ISS issues, all covered by GM, all completed around 30k miles, showing almost 54k now..This car stickered around $31k, and some poor soul really got hosed, so I will keep this one until it gets to around 90k miles..It cruises @80 turning only 2100 rpms..however it is noisy, no rattles though, and has a real thrist for gas, but who cares...maybe my driving habits are wrecking the gas mileage..The good thing is this is a pre-Govt takeover edition..

imidazol97

This is the GM Fans Discussion.

You should find other discussions for your complaints.

imidazol97

Volt to be available all over the US by end of 2011.

"We're accelerating our launch plan to have Volts in all participating Chevrolet dealerships in every single state in the union by the end of this year," said Rick Scheidt, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. "This is the right thing to do for our customers and our dealers who are seeing increased traffic onto their showroom floors."

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS185343+27-Jan-2011+PRN20110127

circlew

'69 Camaro SS396



This is as good as it got for Chevy.

Regards,
OW

roadburner

Nope, it was the 1971 Camaro Z28 with the RS package- the most beautiful ponycar to ever roll out of Detroit:

imidazol97

I think this is a picture of the same car. It shows off those great wheels.

uplanderguy

For some reason, I always remember Camaro Z-28's of that early '70's vintage being that lime green they offered. Only thing I can think of, there must have been one like that in our small hometown.

motorcity6

Ligthen up, after 35 GM cars it would be safe to say I was a GM fan, however perfect automobiles are hard to find..I either bought a car cause it was a great bargain or I had to have it..After having driven a few million miles over my 77 yrs, I would state that the most common deficiency or ailment is due to tire alignment or balance, inadequate suspension{too soft or too much travel}, and brakes..

My favorite car was a 71 SS350 Camaro, 270hp w/auto, which sustained 90k miles in 18 months, no mechanical glitches, tons of tires, and suffered only one annoying problem--high speed shake--which took 50k miles of driving to locate the problem and fix..Otherwise, weather and road conditions permitting it was opened up flat out every workday on my 70 mile commute..I-75 north of Detroit. Speedo was turned back to 45k, shipped west and sold for $1,000 less than my cost..

Bought my wife the 82 Z-28 new, and it was a nice looking car, but gutless..Car was sold to a friend after 45k miles, and it developed an engine fire 2 months later..

After the 91 Caddy fiasco, had a 96 Caddy and a 99 Caddy..

I like to work the dealers over for service beyond the normal..Look at the Intrigue deal, 98, 99, and 2002..The 3.5 V-6 with the 3.29 axle was a blast and the ISS, intermediate steering shaft was a predictable downside, rotor warpage was usually due to overtorquing of the lug nuts..The 2002 went 65k mi before any brake problem, new spark plugs at 110k, sold at 120k. All Florida miles...

After the 71 SS350, I got into a 73 LeSabre Buick w/455 engine which suffered from "Rod Knock" when starting cold..Engine was taken apart twice, and dealer wrecked the car in a shop accident requiring a couple weeks in the body shop..Drove their loaner new car 3k miles and dumped the Buick couple weeks later..

Got a 74 Grand Prix LJ w/big block, 76 GP w/Big block, and a 77 GP w/big block. Next car was 79 Ford Thunderbird w/351 and after that a 81 Buick Riviera..

The 74 thru 77 Grand Prixs, all LJ models were outstanding, all were broomed around 75k-90k miles.. Trouble free..

More stories if you wish??? GM of the past was okay..Certainly used enough of their cars..Had a few X-body models also..however won't bore GM owners with my stories.. I liked the SS-350 Camaro better than my 2010 Mustang GT, for I have to shift the GT, a penalty with the "track Pkg".
has the Bullit suspension..The new Camaro is too heavy, and you sit on the floor, lack of good vision..

roadburner

It's just up the road from me...

1976 Cadillac with 18,000 miles

imidazol97

Mileage is 18,000!!!

Must have been driven only around the horse farm and never on the road!

dieselone

Neat car, but is it puke green or @#$% yellow. The color has to go.

lemko

Nice car but awful color. Still, that puke green is nowhere near as bad as this color called "Pharaoh Gold" on this 1974 Sedan DeVille that had been showing up at Macungie for several years. I once had a 1975 Cadillac Sedan DeVille in a much more tasteful silver with a dark blue top and interior. I see that Caddy has the then-trendy CB radio!

andre1969

Neat car, but is it puke green or #$% yellow. The color has to go.

Actually, I think it's more of a cross between bile yellow and gonorrhea green!

I swear,when it comes to color choices, that era was the best of times and the worst of times all rolled into one!

Here's a 1976 Cadillac paint chart. Nice choice of greens, blues, reds, burgundy, etc, but they just HAD to throw some of those oddball colors in there as well.

I actually don't mind that pale green or whatever it is on that car too much, but it wouldn't be my first choice. The ad says it's "Dunbarton Green", but it looks more like the "Phonecian Ivory" in the color chart to me.

andre1969

Ahh yes, Pharaoh Gold...
Isn't she lovely?

dieselone

Actually, I think it's more of a cross between bile yellow and gonorrhea green!

ROTFLMA!!!!!!!

Yes, some of the colors from the 70's are simply inexcusable. But looking at the chart you posted, I could live with many of them. To bad, many of these cars were ordered with the trendy color of the day. Yuck!

fezo

On the paint chart isn't that the one that says cat poop green?

andre1969

You're thinking of one of those elusive "spring special" colors that didn't make it into the paint chart. I believe it was called "merde de chat vert" :shades:

uplanderguy

Wow, choice of twenty colors. Man, do I miss those days.

andre1969

Yeah, I miss that too. I just checked the color choices for the 2011 DTS, and it's all of seven. Cadillac calls them more exotic names, but basically they're...
black
red
dark gray
silver
sandstone
champagne
white

Now they're all tasteful colors at least, so on the plus side, I guess it's impossible these days to get a new Caddy in a nasty color. But still, I'd like to see some greens and blues in there. I saw a Park Ave of similar vintage to mine the other day, in a dark green, and thought it was really attractive. And with a luxury car, you can't go wrong with midnight blue.

dieselone

yeah, my wife looked at all of the colors before ordering a 2011 Taurus for her company car and only 6 or so are offered. i still can't believe it will take 3 months to be delivered. can't dispose of the grand prix soon enough.

michaellno

Yeah, I miss that too. I just checked the color choices for the 2011 DTS, and it's all of seven.

I hear ya. Seems like most cars come in the same basic shades:

White
Black
Silver
Light Grey
Dark Grey

With some optional colors, depending on the type of car (sporty / not):

Blue (light / dark)
Red / Burgundy
Yellow
Beige / Champagne / Taupe
Dark Brown

I'm beginning to notice that light blue is making a comeback, after being dormant for 20 or so years. My folks '91 Camry was light blue - and, now that I think about it, so was the '83 Celica they had before that.

I'm liking some of the darker brown colors that are available. Lexus has one on their SUV's that is particularly nice, and the wife and I both like the "Hot Chocolate" color available on the MINI's.

imidazol97

Those colors were what people wanted in that time era. And on the higher-priced cars , a lot of those were metallic paints that have really rich appearance in person. I recall looking at the colors offered on a leSabre vs the offerings ont he color chart for a Riviera; the Riviera colors were definitely much better appearing.

tlong

Wow, choice of twenty colors. Man, do I miss those days.

Yeah, but somehow WE have become much more conservative as a society. In the '70s there were all sorts of colors. Yellow, green, and brown cars were common. This is still the case in Europe. Today in this country everybody wants white, black, and silver.

tlong

i still can't believe it will take 3 months to be delivered. can't dispose of the grand prix soon enough.

We just know you *love* that Grand Prix! Shades of its racing heritage! :shades: :surprise:

dieselone

We just know you *love* that Grand Prix! Shades of its racing heritage! :shades: :surprise:

Since this is the GM fan forum, I'll just obey my mom and keep my negative comments to myself:)

stever

Yeah, but somehow WE have become much more conservative as a society.

I think part of it is that people started worrying about resale values. Back in the 70s cars didn't last that long anyway, so you didn't have to worry about getting tired of that yellow and purple rig since it was going to fall apart in 3 years anyway.

dieselone

A lot of it probably has to do with the manufacturing process as well. Less options generally equals better efficiency. I think we have the Asians to thank for that.

Isn't that how 'ole Henry envisioned it. Any color you want at long as it is black.

andre1969

Back in the 70s cars didn't last that long anyway, so you didn't have to worry about getting tired of that yellow and purple rig since it was going to fall apart in 3 years anyway.

And even if the car proved ultra-reliable (hey, don't laugh, it CAN happen...I have three 70's rigs in my yard right now!), the styles changed so much in the old days that even if the car WAS running 3-5 years later, chances are it was so out of style that most people were embarrassed to be seen in it.

My Mom bought a brand-new '75 LeMans, in a color she always called "Bronze", but I remember Dad calling it "Persimmon". And the color charts are no help in ID'ing, because Pontiac used both names that year! As a kid I didn't like the car. I think it was partly because I preferred greens and blues, but I also didn't like the single headlights up front. The car it replaced was a turquoise-ish '68 Impala, so perhaps I had post-partum depression from that car or something!

But I do remember, even when it was fairly new, we never had trouble finding that car in the parking lot. That color, and that swoopy colonade coupe roofilne and sloped rear-end really made the car stick out, even among the wide variety of shapes and colors of that era.

That car gave way to a new 1980 Malibu coupe, in light blue. Nice, conservative, angular car. And I remember it was soo easy to lose that car in the parking lot, as it just blended in too much. The Malibu, IMO, made the LeMans look downright ancient, even though it was only a 5 year old car. I don't think you really see that phenomenon all that much anymore. Even cars that are pushing 30, such as the 1983 T-bird, just don't seem that old

isellhondas

Say what you will, those were the very last of the "big" Cadillacs.

They floated down the road like a dream and were so silky smooth and quiet.

They were smogged up cars that had adequate power and were damm lucky if they got 10 MPG.

This one even has the rare CB radio.

For 15,000, it might not be that bad of a buy IF this is what a person likes!

andre1969

For 15,000, it might not be that bad of a buy IF this is what a person likes!

I wouldn't mind a car like that, but don't think I'd want one that nice. And would prefer the 4-door hardtop. Problem with a car like that $15K Caddy is that you can't really drive it, or it would start losing value as it got miles added to it, a stone chip here and there, etc. And if something happened to it, it would be hard to find another like it that's as nice.

About 10 years ago, I saw a '75 Electra Limited 4-door hardtop for sale, for something like $1400. And it looked like it was in great condition, except that it was missing the plastic fender extensions in back. But for $1400 I could live with that! It would have been a neat car to drive around in and enjoy, and if something happened to it, I wouldn't have been out TOO much money...although I'd still miss the thing!

fezo

A lot of it probably has to do with the manufacturing process as well. Less options generally equals better efficiency. I think we have the Asians to thank for that.

Yep. Specifically Honda. They always had this thing about a specific set of options for each trim and few colors. When we got our 00 Accord, which was the first new one we bought, since we wanted a stick with a sunroof we had to have an EX and it came in blue, black, white, gold and green. If we'd gotten an automatic red was an option.

roadburner

Problem with a car like that $15K Caddy is that you can't really drive it, or it would start losing value as it got miles added to it, a stone chip here and there, etc. And if something happened to it, it would be hard to find another like it that's as nice.

I found a 1967 Cougar XR-7 with less than 8,000 miles on it. The owner was a friend of my uncle. Beautiful car, and the price wasn't THAT out of line, but the problem was that I -like Andre- wanted to drive it- and once I did I'd be throwing money out the window from a depreciation standpoint.

isellhondas

Those plastic fender extensions would get brittle with age and they would break. You can order reproduction ones through Hemmings and get them painted to match.

Very common thing.

lemko

Legendary GM Designer Chuck Jordan

imidazol97

"Instead of simply containing small bits of metal, the SpectraFlair pigment in Black Diamond uses aluminum flakes encapsulated in a glass-like substance called magnesium fluoride. The result is a paint that has a diamond-like sparkle as light hits the surface from different angles.

"“The CTS-V Black Diamond Edition is like a finely crafted, tailored tuxedo,” said Michelle Killen, Cadillac exterior paint designer. “The base color may be a simple black, but the details and richness of the material set it apart.”"

andre1969

I've already seen a couple of CTS coupes on the street. Hopefully it'll be a success for them. I like the looks of it, it certainly has presence.

dieselone

Yeah, the CTS coupes certainly stand out. I see a black one running around almost daily and it's sharp.

stever

"There is a new generation of car buyers who don’t want to settle for mass market radio,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. “They want to create their own individual stations and have access to them wherever they are. Chevrolet vehicles have offered customers the ability to use portable media devices since 2006 and the introduction of MyLink takes media personalization to a new level.

Also in the mix: advanced capabilities for those who subscribe to GM’s OnStar, with almost endless possibilities for OnStar-enhanced services and features.”

Chevy MyLink Revs Up Infotainment War (AutoObserver)

imidazol97

http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1055639_2013-chevrolet-cruze-to-offer-2-0-li- ter-clean-diesel-option

Diesel in 2013 for Cruze

fintail

Wow, I hadn't heard about that. If it is priced right and performs right, it could be pretty cool.

imidazol97

I can see the replacement for my Cobalt there in 2013 in a diesel Cruze.

I plan to stop by the local Chev dealer when I'm feeling poor and test drive a Cruze when I won't be tempted to trade. Then I'll be able to report how it feels and drives.

I was in getting a coffee and overheard a female clerk telling others about a friend's new Cruze and how wonderful it was. She was listing off the options and features for them. That's the kind of positive advertising that helps for the future.