Rocky, I think you're going to have to hold down the fort until he returns. We enjoy your enthusiasm! Do you live in/near Dalhart? I've flown into the airport there, that's a long story...
Well I use to have a Dalhart address when I lived on my FIL's farm house which my MIL got in the divorce. My wife is from Dalhart, and her dad still lives their. (all long story's also) I now live about 40 miles east of Dalhart, in a town called Dumas. (about 45 minutes N' of Amarillo) "rorr" has traveled through Dumas.
I work in Amarillo, at a DOE site called Pantex, and have a hour commute to work. These gas prices are killing me since my V-6 98' Mustang only is getting 25 or 26 mpg hwy. My next work vehicle I get will have to get at a mininum 30 mpg hwy. Somewhere someone said the ION gets 35 mpg with a stick. Maybe a inexpensive used car like the ION will be my next work car ? I will have to check their safety rating since I occassionally see 300 pound Mule Deer near the Canadian river which sobers my sleepy eyes up really quick. :surprise:
I'm going to buy my grandma's 02' Aurora next month and I'm unsure if that is going to be a family car or a work car ? It will be a family car at first since I plan on driving the Mustang into the ground first. The Oldsmobile Aurora has the 3.5 "shortstar" V-6 which grandma says she gets over 30 mpg in it. So we will see. The Mustang has 142K on the odometer but it's starting to make a weird-ish noise when it starts up ? Dad thinks it might need another tune-up. I told him I got it one at around 80K. I wonder on higher mileage vehicles they need them a little more often ? I will flush the tranny fluid again when I put 18K more miles on it.
I drive mainly HWY with it. Well anyways currently I'm undecided on what new car I'm going to buy. I have time to wait for the 2008 Cadillac CTS or CTS-V if I go that route. I will still be eyeing those Volvo S80's and could wait for the MKS to come out. I also don't want to prematurely buy a brand new car because the Acura TL will be redesined for model yr. 2009' and is rumored to get SH-AWD.
I guess as long as I can keep fighting off the new car fever, I will beable to keep enjoying no car payments, but you guys keep infecting me with that itch.
The Mustang might need a fuel filter change someone else said. I can't remember the last time I had that done. :surprise: I wonder if that is possibly it ? Oh well dad "Mr. Mechanic" is coming in a few weeks and I'll let him dissect my problem.
I thought you and GM were one in the same? Mustang is a car you could keep for ever. Plenty of parts and they don't cost all that much. Saw a really cool '57 Corvette at the Atascadero Lake Car Show today. And they had some fine Cadillacs and a La Salle. And a good standard favored cars, the Malibu and Camaros. The XKE would be something to own as well. Plenty of great rides for that show. Lots of examples of the better years of GM styling too! There was even a '93 Riv, which I happen to like. I realize it is not high on the collectable car lists, but still is interesting to me. They had some great old Buicks from days-gone-bye. -Loren
My employer took delivery of a new '07 Pontiac G6 sedan yesterday. Nice looking car, BUT:
It's the base model, but it does have the Sport Package option (about $1400), which provides the 3.5 V6, 17-inch alloys, fog lights, and spoiler. You'd think ABS would be included, at least with this Sport Package. Wrong, ABS is a separate option! Hello, the Accord had standard ABS in 2003 and the Camry in 2005.
Next, kudos to GM for making side curtain airbags standard, but front seat side thorax bags are optional for another $295. The Accord has had standard curtains and thorax bags since 2005, and the redesigned Camry got them for 2007.
I open the trunk and am greeted by an unlined trunk lid (bare metal). Then I open the hood a find the dreaded PROP ROD. The Camry tried to use the rod for 3 years ('97-'99) but went back to gas struts.
GM, this is a PONTIAC, not a Chevy, and not an entry-level car!
Not to be rude or anything, the base G6 IS an entry level car, last time i looked approx. $17500 is low, like a Scion tc, which is entry. Not even a base Cam/cord is that cheap
In that price range, I would imagine only the Sonata would be much of a sedan, all things considered. Unless you want to go really inexpensive and get a PT, like I did. Zero gizmos, and not a lot of safety devices, but you can carry stuff, and it looks different. The G6 sedan has this look to it, like a worm or caterpillar which is hunching up in the middle a litte. It is kinda rounded, yet the front hood looks short relative to the overall length. The coupe pulls off the look a bit better. In sedan class, and FWD, I would be testing out the Sonata, Fusion, Altima, and maybe even a Rabbit. The Mazda6 is a maybe. Not sure how the resale is going. Seems like the hot seller is the Mazda3. Can't think of a mid-sized GM that is interesting. Well the Aura, is a maybe. First impression was underwhelming. -Loren
GM, this is a PONTIAC, not a Chevy, and not an entry-level car!
You know, this is my complaint about all the badges. I understand the reasons for a few badges. You want differentiated lines of cars. But a) does GM really need 10 lines of cars? and b) more importantly, GM must differentiate their divisions.
You raise a great point that even Pontiac, a supposedly more upscale line, does not include as standard features things that the mainstream competition does. Honda and Toyota do not need equivalents of Chevy/Buick/Pontiac/Saturn. Honda has two divisions and Toyota has three. And I know what they each stand for.
GM has lost it.... so many badges with no good differentiation of them. No wonder people are confused. Many of us just lump them together conceptually and they all stand for the same shabby cars. GM should be able to do better.
I had this problem with my Blazer - misaligned brake pedal. I checked Edmunds then and found Edmunds editors had the same opinion about Blazer's brake pedal. Still, I think GM does this intentionally (and not by mistake). I just wonder what the reason is.
Well, my Blazer lost all its value ($25000 + $1700 protection plan + taxes, fees + $10K in repair bills in last 2 years after protection plan expired) in just 7 years. A friend of mine bought a new civic 7 years back (in fact, he buys one every 7 years) for $13000 and he just sold it for $5000. He spent hardly anything on repair. $8000 of depreciation over 7 years isn't all that bad.
That would be the Audi 5000 debacle. The brake pedal is higher so that the careless operator hits that one instead of the gas pedal, and doesn't sue GM when the vehicle accelerates through the garage.
open the trunk and am greeted by an unlined trunk lid (bare metal). Then I open the hood a find the dreaded PROP ROD. The Camry tried to use the rod for 3 years ('97-'99) but went back to gas struts.
I'd have to go pop the hood on one to double check, but I was almost positive the '02-06 Camry used a prop rod for the hood. Maybe it's just the base models? IIRC, the Accord uses it too. And much to my disgust, even the Dodge Charger uses a prop rod!
I agree, I don't like 'em one bit, and I think they make a car feel cheap. But they're starting to seem like the the status quo these days, and not just for your father's Dodge Colt!
The G6 my employer bought is NOT an entry level car in my book. Sure the base sticker is $18,540 + 650 (freight). But the Sport Package is $1390, which upgrades the engine to the 3.5 V6 and adds the 17-in. alloys, the ABS adds another $400, the side thorax bags $295, and floor mats $80. Bottom line: $21,355. Edmunds TMV: $20,334 (no rebates, yet).
We paid $20,6xx.
This is easily in line with base Camrys and Accords.
There is a bottom-of-the-barrel G6 that starts at $16,995 (excluding freight). But this is clearly a fleet special with the sole options being floor mats and engine block heater!
The more fundamental question is should Pontiac even be offering such a bare bones car? Shouldn't that be left to Chevy and Saturn? And what is the upcoming Pontiac G5 supposed to be -- a sub-entry level car?
You don't have to check, my friend. I have an '04 and an '05 Camry (the earlier one is the base LE), and both have a single large gas strut. It may look like a prop rod from afar, but it most definitely isn't.
The only years from 1992 on that the Camry had a prop rod were in the decontented '97-'99 models. In the 2000 mid-cycle refresh, the struts were brought back.
You're also lucky you didn't have a serious crash in the Blazer. It's one of the models in the IIHS's "hall of shame" for very poor performance in their frontal offset test:
I drive safe and a crash was not that likely. But once I lost control and drove on 2 wheels (2 left wheels) for good 10 seconds - however, I don't want to blame GM for this since I knew of the rollover issue before buying the vehicle. I actually needed something like a minivan, but bought an SUV because of good looks! This time I traded it in for a CR-V which handles better and has stability assist standard. Lesson for GM - make stability assist standard in addition to airbags and ABS on all, and traction control on 2WDs.
Loren we would be if GM would deliver "Gadgetology" on it's models. One shouldn't have to spend big buck$ on a vehicle to get sophisticated technologies that are found on Camry's to Acura RL's all which are under the $50K MSRP mark. The perfect vehicle for me Loren, would be a Super Handeling All-Wheel Drive Acura TL Hybrid with at least 350 hp. and a 6-speed manuel, and of course the latest gizmo's. I also am warming up more and more to the Acura RDX's styling. I wished it had about 60 more hp. and a 6 speed tranny. A hybrid version would definetly make the RDX a huge winner.
GM, perhaps one day will apply it's R&D and make us winner type vehicles. This is something the Buick Enclave could be. I'd take everything the concept had and apply a 600+ watt DVD-A 5.1-7.1 surround sound system and those Enclaves would fly off the lots. It would make a better RDX IMHO. Hell if they really wanted to do it right, they'd just buy the rights to the SH-AWD system from Honda and it could be a option. :shades:
IIRC, Rocky, you had an Acura TL -- what became of it?
As for me, I don't want too much "gadgetology" or "technocharged" cars. There's enough complexity as it is.
I haven't completely mastered the audio system in my '05 Camry XLE, and I'm not going to bother any further. I can play CDs, change them with the steering-wheel mounted controls, and use the seek/scan for the radio, so that's good enough.
IIRC, Rocky, you had an Acura TL -- what became of it?
I lost it because my fianace/drafting company canceled my contract without any notification, because they claimed they had the wrong drafting dates. Well to make a long story short they settled out of court with me 1 full yr. this month.
Honda finacial bank also was no help to me and it was a 3- way fight between myself, HFB, and the drafting company. My long stressful wait yielded me a check for $55K and my credit be cleaned. The money will never make up for the stress it put on myself and my family. (long story's also)
BACK ON TOPIC:
GM, needs more "technocharged" vehicles pal. They already have the simple to use vehicles. I'd master your camry audio system within' 20 minutes. :P I guess being a Generation Xer gadgets and other technologies come very easy to me.
210delray, hold are you again pal ?
If your much older than me, then I can understand. Technology can be frusterating to many and if people would read the directions and take a little time to learn it as complicated as it may sound, I promise it will make your driving experience more enjoyable. :shades: I thought my former 2005 Acura TL had lots of gadgets (well at the time 04' it was one if not the most advanced cars on the market) but other cars offer much more, but at a more expensive price. The big rumor floating around is the redesigned 2009' Acura TL will be packed full of the latest and greatest technologies to reclaim it's crown as the vehicle for gadget junkies like myself. :surprise:
I however am wishing GM, comes to the table with gadgets on the new 2008' CTS. They should let some of the gadgets from the STS/DTS/Escalade trickle down to the CTS IMHO. The 3-series market is perhaps the most competitive anywhere, with over 2,000,00 vehicles sold in that segment, I'd say every gadget or gizmo that adds to the overall driving experience at a value can and will make a difference. The Acura TL, Lexus IS 350, Infiniti G35, Audi A4, Lincoln MKZ, and of course the BMW 330 & now 335i are my proof. The question is can General Motors's Cadillac division "man-up" with this next CTS, to grab a big enough piece of the pie. The Generation Xer's and others are waiting patiently to see.
But you mentioned a Mustang. Those are truly simple. Talk about old tech, with that Fox Body dating back to '89 tech. And ya know what, simple was good as far as inexpensive, and a car with fewer problems. Not many gadgets. From time to time I think about getting an '99-'04 Stang GT just to have the old-time feel of an American V8. You know, sit in the driveway and race the motor. Children - children, I guess it makes no sense as I am sure I can get better gas mileage, better handling, a modern chassis, better ride, and all that good stuff elsewhere. But I can see the thrill of a simple car in this complicated car world. Ford has a pretty inexpensive car to keep for life, with a bunch of aftermarket stuff in the Stang. Maybe a second car for play?
Meanwhile, back to GM styling. Saw another Solstice today, and ya know, it is darn impressive. Now make one in a coupe and it is really gonna look slick. Please, GM start making some toys for the boys again! The car world has so many FWD sedans to choose from, cars like the Aura may be OK, but they are just another car which will get sort of lost amongst the rest. From Accord to VW Rabbit, there are loads of cool, and/or reliable FWD cars with good to better looks to choose from. Do we need another Altima, or Sonata, heck no, they are pretty darn good. In German cars, the VW, has some good offering in the $15K to $21K range, if you don't mind an electrical glitch here or there. Really nice looking interiors. I think the Solstice Coupe would be spot-on, and hopefully coming soon to help GM gain some image, and get the ball rolling again. I hope they stock up on the cars, and get them on the road with some good advertising blitz, then back it up over the years. Please do not let it simply die off -- get some clubs and aftermarket stuff revved up. I hear they are doing some good promoting of the Cobalt. I am not excited about the Cobalt, but do see this as something really positive that GM is getting some of the youth interested in Chevy. Some people at GM have got some good ideas. For GMs sake, keep those people. -Loren
But you mentioned a Mustang. Those are truly simple. Talk about old tech, with that Fox Body dating back to '89 tech. And ya know what, simple was good as far as inexpensive, and a car with fewer problems.
Just pray you never have a heater core go out in a Fox body. I remember years ago my mechanic telling me that the labor on them was something like 8-9 hours! Now this was back in 1989, and maybe he said it to make me feel better about the $225 I had just paid to have the heater core replaced in my 1980 Malibu! :sick:
IIRC on the GM cars of that era the heater core is actually in the engine compartment, and not THAT hard to get at (at least on every GM vehicle of that era I've had, there's this big protrusion on the passenger side cowl where the heater hoses go in, so I always presumed that's where the heater core was), but on the Fox cars, I think they were up under the dash.
But then who knows? Maybe by today's standards, 8-9 hours is suddenly the low side of a heater core job? :surprise:
When I started looking at my 98 H-body under the dash and looking at the service manual, I found out that the heater core "sticks" out at the end of the box under the glovebox. Remove the sound deadener under the dash, remove programmer (2 screws, two electrical connectors, one snap rod), remove screws for end of heater cover, pivot the plastic end off of the hooks at the end next to the firewall, and you have the heater core. Remove hoses in engine compartment and pull her in. Reverse for replacement.
I would guess a two hour job for a yard mechanic. Probably 1 hour for real time shop guy. 5 hours for me. Note that the dash doesn't need to be removed. I don't think the glovebox has to come out in some models, but that gives little more working room.
I was surprised how easy the design made the replacement.
That's too bad about the TL. I didn't think you had wrecked it or anything, just couldn't understand how it had gotten away from you.
Let's just say I'm old enough to be your father.
Actually, I have read the manual on my Camry's audio system and understand about 90% of it; the last 10% I don't fully get, and that's good enough for me.
You work at the Pantex plant? Holy smokes, those guys take security seriously, don't they?
Yes I and my co-workers do take our jobs very seriously rorr. We are considered the benchmark rorr, and I'm proud to say I belong to something important. Some carry a fountain pen for their bread and butter. I carry automatic weapons instead. Like any job it has it's up and downs. Our next contract will determine if I stay or not.
I will also say I get to drive and inspect/search a wide variety of vehicles and do make personal judgements if I'd own it or not. :shades: I must say though I like the new 07' GMT-900 SUV'a alot. We will be getting some GMT-900 Pick-up Trucks this fall from GSA.
I was wondering what people think of this car. I do like the styling a whole lot more than a Cobalt andd I'm looking for an affordable car for my son in high school. What do you guys think of it? Thumbs up or down
Base is starting at $15K. Yes, it is better looking than the Cobalt. Both are kinda retro Japan look to me. Why not get the best in class Mazda3 iTouring? Should have a better resale value, with a little higher cost than the GM. My Corolla -1998 was reliable, and great on gas - bet the current one is reliable too. Side air bags are extra, I think on all these. The new Civic looks cool in a coupe, but expensive and feels strange from the drives seat, to me.
Lucky guy to get a new car for High School. I thought the used '65 Stang I bought in or around '70 for school was pretty good. New cars were almost unheard of. Was probably good that I traded in my motorcycle for a car. Actually the first car was a German Ford Taunus about a '60, which I had but a few months, due to low parts availability, so the real usable first car was the Mustang 289. -Loren
Well, he has to pay for it, but pay me back over time. Because we went looking and so far he can afford a 92 Escort with mix matched body panels or and 85 Renault Alliance.So Im trying to teach him a lesson while being a good dad I guess. Yea, I looked at Mazda 3 but they just kinda seemed odd. I dunno, the styling and all was off. Ill have to look into Corolla and Civic.
All things consider, including insurance, something like a Crown Vic may be inexpensive used. Those Buicks, like the Custom, whatever the smaller one is, are inexpensive used. Good insurance wise too. A Corolla or Cobalt will be expensive on insurance for everyone, but more so for younger drivers.
He did not like the looks of the Mazda3 sedan? I like those more than the 5 door, which I guess is suppose to be the stylin ' one.
Anyway, if you end up with a GM, I would go for one with the V6, as they get around 30MPG freeway, and are larger cars, with lower insurance. Beware though of the curse of the intake manifold leak which runs a bill over $700 to repair the engine. Any older car, be sure to change the coolant, even though the car book may state a longer period of time. Do it every say 35K miles or so. The 3.8 can be a solid engine gas wise and performance for the buck.
Hyundai has low priced cars. The Sonata, after discounts, is said to be much lower in price than the sticker indicates. You may find one close to the price of a Cobalt! Good luck! - Loren
Actually, I have read the manual on my Camry's audio system and understand about 90% of it; the last 10% I don't fully get, and that's good enough for me.
If your dedicated enough you can figure out that last 10% :P
Yup you sound just like my dad. Neways what's up with older people and gadgets ? It seems both go hand and hand like oil and water. :surprise:
"Yes I and my co-workers do take our jobs very seriously rorr."
You should.
If somebody asked me which place should have the highest level of security: the White House, Fort Knox, or the Pantex plant.....I'd reply "the Pantex plant". No doubt.
how does buying him a new car that he has to pay back at artificially low rates teach him a lesson? Or are you trying to teach him the lesson that "it's really not good to get in over your head?"
seriously, not sure what lesson you are tryign to teach - I'd teach the lesson with a used car, rather than a new one
then again, I am a firm believer that if you are wealthy enough, you owe it to the country to buy new cars as often as possible, and push your barely used cars out into the marketplace. This will improve the nation's air quality and highway safety
but if you can't afford the "depreciation hit" then you should not be buying new cars
that would be a good lessson to teach your son
ps that Alliance will run forever, if you disconnect the air conditioner. I drove one for about 200,000 miles from 1983 on. Great little car.
"Yea, I looked at Mazda 3 but they just kinda seemed odd. I dunno, the styling and all was off."
Finally, someone else that doesn't love the Mazda3. The top of the lines have some nice stuff, but the basic ones (the ones I see all the time) leave me cold. Not that nice looking... not that well designed.
Remove the sound deadener under the dash, remove programmer (2 screws, two electrical connectors, one snap rod), remove screws for end of heater cover, pivot the plastic end off of the hooks at the end next to the firewall, and you have the heater core. Remove hoses in engine compartment and pull her in. Reverse for replacement.
Many, many years ago, we owned 2 71 Firebirds - Formula 400 and Trans Am 455 HO with 4spd. Liked the styling on these cars. Firebirds in last decade of production got fat and ugly (front nostrils).
Had to replace heater core on 400 one very cold January in unheated garage. This car had air, which meant that hoses from heater core were "under" plenum type boxes mounted on firewall. Tech manual said you had to remove right front fender to get at core hoses. That was partially correct. I had to also take off the fiberglass hood, then the fender, had to loosen something at the grille. But, that was not all. On inside, air cond duct work had to be removed under dash to get to the core. But, wait that is not all. To get out ducts, had to take out center console first. Entire job was handled over a couple evenings, working in ten minute bursts then going inside house to warm up. Ahh - excellence in GM engineering/maintenance design. But, I still like the styling of the 71 Birds, especially our Trans Am in white with blue stripe. Might be interested in an updated retro of the 71 TA if GM ever made it and kept it about same size and not like upcoming bloated Camaro.
If GM brought out a new TA, they could get their marketing people to work with Hollywood to feature it in some movie(s) just prior to its re-introduction. Remember that Clint Eastwood (a ex con) did a movie were he and his thief partner Jeff Bridges stole a 71 TA from a used car lot in Thunderbird and Lightfoot. John Wayne also did a movie as a detective in a 71-73(?) vintage TA. Later, Burt Reynolds did some Smokey movies with mid-late 70's TAs.
So who is going to provide vehicles to the fleets then if the big 2.5 want to cut back? They have to buy their vehicles from some company right? Maybe they should be like the old Checker Motors- make cars that were just used as taxis, and something that Austin still does for London taxis. And you know what, those cars were (are) pretty roomy and dependable- maybe not a bad idea!
Hyundai has been stepping into the rental fleet arena big time.
I would be surprised if Hyundai has had as much luck with corporate fleet. Those relationships tend to take a long time to develop.
Nissan is pretty aggressive with both rental and corporate.
My understanding is that GM's goal is 15% fleet out of total sales. If Ford and Daimler do likewise, you will probably see Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Mitsu (assuming it makes it) move in to pick up the slack.
Corporate fleets keep cars longer and are concerned about maintenance.
As corporate employees drive corporate fleets, they also worry about safety.
The Chinese may be able to come through on both. But they will have to convince the fleet managers before picking up big sales.
Hyundai is on the ground floor already with the rental fleets already. I would expect them to get in with the corporate fleets before the Chinese makes.
To show you how things can change, I remember reading a 1960s article on the Chevrolet-Ford sales battle. It was published in either Fortune or The New York Times. (Sorry, no link available.)
The article said that Ford would never topple Chevrolet unless the full-size Ford outsold its Chevrolet counterpart. This was hard to do, because the Chevrolet was so popular with fleet customers.
Why was the full-size Chevrolet so popular with fleet customers (in particular, rental car companies)?
Because of its excellent reliability and high popularity with retail customers, fleet cutomers were assured of a HIGHER resale value for a used Impala or Bel Air, as opposed to a Galaxie (or Fury)! The rental car companies were therefore reluctant to switch from Chevrolet to Ford or Plymouth.
In those days, Chevrolets usually brought a higher resale value than a comparable Ford or Plymouth, because they were more desirable as new cars, and, thus, as used cars. (No import competition to worry about at that time, as they weren't competing in the same market.)
What if GM took one or two brands and made them exclusive rental car providers. Buick and Pontiac. Would this not help the resale of the cars in the other divisions? IMO, Buick and Pontiac are pretty much that anyway. Why not just make it official and let the other divisions concentrate on retail market share?
Corporate fleets keep cars longer and are concerned about maintenance.
How long does the avg. rental fleet turn over their cars vs. corporations?
My wife gets a new company car every 2 years or 50k miles, which ever comes first. They definitely mandate maintenance and provide a coupon book that states what is to be done and when.
With corporate America, I don't seem them switching to imports for their fleet cars (maybe small private companies). Not that it doesn't happen, but I don't know anyone who works for a publicly traded company that drives anything buy a domestic for a company car.
How long does the avg. rental fleet turn over their cars vs. corporations?
Cedant, parent company of Budget and Avis, filed its contracts with Nissan, Ford and GM with the SEC. According to the contracts, Cedant could return leased cars back to the manufacturers in as short as 6 months.
I doubt the large rentals keep many of the popular cars much longer than a year or so.
Rentals do not want to spend much time on maintenance.
No wonder I'm seeing used 06 Impalas etc. showing up at local dealers. That also helps explain why wholesale values of heavy fleet models being so bad.
I don't know anyone who works for a publicly traded company that drives anything buy a domestic for a company car.
Seems corporate America likes to support corporate America. Generally, corporations buy a large number of cars and they can make better deals with domestics. Also, there is an image or perception problem, if you are an American company you should buy from other American companies. I'm not saying it is wrong, it is probably right. I worked for Time-Warner and they owned so many cars they don't buy insurance, they actually pay from their own company, it is like having their own insurance company. It would be really bad PR to have a fleet of foreign cars...Hyundais when you are pushing American made films, magazines, books, recording artists, etc.
Many rental agency's have a seasonal business where there is a big demand for rental cars for part of the year, then a minimal demand for a few months. The rental agency does not want the cars to sit around costing them money but not bringing in revenues, so the business model is to sell off the extra cars at the end of the rental season.
As a result of this rental business model, there are a large number of nearly new cars on the used car market. So the resale value is depressed.
Comments
Well I use to have a Dalhart address when I lived on my FIL's farm house which my MIL got in the divorce. My wife is from Dalhart, and her dad still lives their. (all long story's also) I now live about 40 miles east of Dalhart, in a town called Dumas.
(about 45 minutes N' of Amarillo) "rorr" has traveled through Dumas.
I work in Amarillo, at a DOE site called Pantex, and have a hour commute to work. These gas prices are killing me since my V-6 98' Mustang only is getting 25 or 26 mpg hwy. My next work vehicle I get will have to get at a mininum 30 mpg hwy. Somewhere someone said the ION gets 35 mpg with a stick. Maybe a inexpensive used car like the ION will be my next work car ? I will have to check their safety
rating since I occassionally see 300 pound Mule Deer near the Canadian river which sobers my sleepy eyes up really quick. :surprise:
I'm going to buy my grandma's 02' Aurora next month and I'm unsure if that is going to be a family car or a work car ?
It will be a family car at first since I plan on driving the Mustang into the ground first. The Oldsmobile Aurora
has the 3.5 "shortstar" V-6 which grandma says she gets over 30 mpg in it. So we will see. The Mustang has 142K on the odometer but it's starting to make a weird-ish noise when it starts up ? Dad thinks it might need another tune-up. I told him I got it one at around 80K. I wonder on higher mileage vehicles they need them a little more often ? I will flush the tranny fluid again when I put 18K more miles on it.
I drive mainly HWY with it. Well anyways currently I'm undecided on what new car I'm going to buy. I have time to wait for the 2008 Cadillac CTS or CTS-V if I go that route. I will still be eyeing those Volvo S80's and could wait for the MKS to come out. I also don't want to prematurely buy a brand new car because the Acura TL will be redesined for model yr. 2009' and is rumored to get SH-AWD.
I guess as long as I can keep fighting off the new car fever, I will beable to keep enjoying no car payments, but you guys keep infecting me with that itch.
So Stop it !!! :P
Rocky
Rocky
-Loren
It's the base model, but it does have the Sport Package option (about $1400), which provides the 3.5 V6, 17-inch alloys, fog lights, and spoiler. You'd think ABS would be included, at least with this Sport Package. Wrong, ABS is a separate option! Hello, the Accord had standard ABS in 2003 and the Camry in 2005.
Next, kudos to GM for making side curtain airbags standard, but front seat side thorax bags are optional for another $295. The Accord has had standard curtains and thorax bags since 2005, and the redesigned Camry got them for 2007.
I open the trunk and am greeted by an unlined trunk lid (bare metal). Then I open the hood a find the dreaded PROP ROD. The Camry tried to use the rod for 3 years ('97-'99) but went back to gas struts.
GM, this is a PONTIAC, not a Chevy, and not an entry-level car!
-Loren
You know, this is my complaint about all the badges. I understand the reasons for a few badges. You want differentiated lines of cars. But
a) does GM really need 10 lines of cars? and
b) more importantly, GM must differentiate their divisions.
You raise a great point that even Pontiac, a supposedly more upscale line, does not include as standard features things that the mainstream competition does. Honda and Toyota do not need equivalents of Chevy/Buick/Pontiac/Saturn. Honda has two divisions and Toyota has three. And I know what they each stand for.
GM has lost it.... so many badges with no good differentiation of them. No wonder people are confused. Many of us just lump them together conceptually and they all stand for the same shabby cars. GM should be able to do better.
I'd have to go pop the hood on one to double check, but I was almost positive the '02-06 Camry used a prop rod for the hood. Maybe it's just the base models? IIRC, the Accord uses it too. And much to my disgust, even the Dodge Charger uses a prop rod!
I agree, I don't like 'em one bit, and I think they make a car feel cheap. But they're starting to seem like the the status quo these days, and not just for your father's Dodge Colt!
We paid $20,6xx.
This is easily in line with base Camrys and Accords.
There is a bottom-of-the-barrel G6 that starts at $16,995 (excluding freight). But this is clearly a fleet special with the sole options being floor mats and engine block heater!
The more fundamental question is should Pontiac even be offering such a bare bones car? Shouldn't that be left to Chevy and Saturn? And what is the upcoming Pontiac G5 supposed to be -- a sub-entry level car?
The only years from 1992 on that the Camry had a prop rod were in the decontented '97-'99 models. In the 2000 mid-cycle refresh, the struts were brought back.
See this.
At least it had "road-hugging weight" going for it, so if you crashed head-on into a Civic, you probably would have come out okay.
Loren we would be if GM would deliver "Gadgetology" on it's models. One shouldn't have to spend big buck$ on a vehicle to get sophisticated technologies that are found on Camry's to Acura RL's all which are under the $50K MSRP mark. The perfect vehicle for me Loren, would be a Super Handeling All-Wheel Drive Acura TL Hybrid with at least 350 hp. and a 6-speed manuel, and of course the latest gizmo's. I also am warming up more and more to the Acura RDX's styling. I wished it had about 60 more hp. and a 6 speed tranny. A hybrid version would definetly make the RDX a huge winner.
GM, perhaps one day will apply it's R&D and make us winner type vehicles. This is something the Buick Enclave could be. I'd take everything the concept had and apply a 600+ watt DVD-A 5.1-7.1 surround sound system and those Enclaves would fly off the lots.
Rocky
As for me, I don't want too much "gadgetology" or "technocharged" cars. There's enough complexity as it is.
I haven't completely mastered the audio system in my '05 Camry XLE, and I'm not going to bother any further. I can play CDs, change them with the steering-wheel mounted controls, and use the seek/scan for the radio, so that's good enough.
I lost it because my fianace/drafting company canceled my contract without any notification, because they claimed they had the wrong drafting dates. Well to make a long story short they settled out of court with me 1 full yr. this month.
Honda finacial bank also was no help to me and it was a 3- way fight between myself, HFB, and the drafting company. My long stressful wait yielded me a check for $55K and my credit be cleaned. The money will never make up for the stress it put on myself and my family. (long story's also)
BACK ON TOPIC:
GM, needs more "technocharged" vehicles pal. They already have the simple to use vehicles. I'd master your camry audio system within' 20 minutes. :P I guess being a Generation Xer gadgets and other technologies come very easy to me.
210delray, hold are you again pal ?
If your much older than me, then I can understand. Technology can be frusterating to many and if people would read the directions and take a little time to learn it as complicated as it may sound, I promise it will make your driving experience more enjoyable. :shades: I thought my former 2005 Acura TL had lots of gadgets (well at the time 04' it was one if not the most advanced cars on the market) but other cars offer much more, but at a more expensive price. The big rumor floating around is the redesigned 2009' Acura TL will be packed full of the latest and greatest technologies to reclaim it's crown as the vehicle for gadget junkies like myself. :surprise:
I however am wishing GM, comes to the table with gadgets on the new 2008' CTS. They should let some of the gadgets from the STS/DTS/Escalade trickle down to the CTS IMHO.
Rocky
Meanwhile, back to GM styling. Saw another Solstice today, and ya know, it is darn impressive. Now make one in a coupe and it is really gonna look slick. Please, GM start making some toys for the boys again! The car world has so many FWD sedans to choose from, cars like the Aura may be OK, but they are just another car which will get sort of lost amongst the rest. From Accord to VW Rabbit, there are loads of cool, and/or reliable FWD cars with good to better looks to choose from. Do we need another Altima, or Sonata, heck no, they are pretty darn good. In German cars, the VW, has some good offering in the $15K to $21K range, if you don't mind an electrical glitch here or there. Really nice looking interiors. I think the Solstice Coupe would be spot-on, and hopefully coming soon to help GM gain some image, and get the ball rolling again. I hope they stock up on the cars, and get them on the road with some good advertising blitz, then back it up over the years. Please do not let it simply die off -- get some clubs and aftermarket stuff revved up. I hear they are doing some good promoting of the Cobalt. I am not excited about the Cobalt, but do see this as something really positive that GM is getting some of the youth interested in Chevy. Some people at GM have got some good ideas. For GMs sake, keep those people.
-Loren
Just pray you never have a heater core go out in a Fox body. I remember years ago my mechanic telling me that the labor on them was something like 8-9 hours! Now this was back in 1989, and maybe he said it to make me feel better about the $225 I had just paid to have the heater core replaced in my 1980 Malibu! :sick:
IIRC on the GM cars of that era the heater core is actually in the engine compartment, and not THAT hard to get at (at least on every GM vehicle of that era I've had, there's this big protrusion on the passenger side cowl where the heater hoses go in, so I always presumed that's where the heater core was), but on the Fox cars, I think they were up under the dash.
But then who knows? Maybe by today's standards, 8-9 hours is suddenly the low side of a heater core job? :surprise:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/randman1/1993SSEi/DSC01066_edit.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/randman1/1993SSEi/DSC01068.jpg
I would guess a two hour job for a yard mechanic. Probably 1 hour for real time shop guy. 5 hours for me. Note that the dash doesn't need to be removed. I don't think the glovebox has to come out in some models, but that gives little more working room.
I was surprised how easy the design made the replacement.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Let's just say I'm old enough to be your father.
Actually, I have read the manual on my Camry's audio system and understand about 90% of it; the last 10% I don't fully get, and that's good enough for me.
You work at the Pantex plant? Holy smokes, those guys take security seriously, don't they?
So here it goes:
Besides the Vette, I don't like most GM cars =P
Brandon- SC
Yes I and my co-workers do take our jobs very seriously rorr. We are considered the benchmark rorr, and I'm proud to say I belong to something important. Some carry a fountain pen for their bread and butter. I carry automatic weapons instead.
I will also say I get to drive and inspect/search a wide variety of vehicles and do make personal judgements if I'd own it or not. :shades: I must say though I like the new 07' GMT-900 SUV'a alot. We will be getting some GMT-900 Pick-up Trucks this fall from GSA.
Rocky
Lucky guy to get a new car for High School. I thought the used '65 Stang I bought in or around '70 for school was pretty good. New cars were almost unheard of. Was probably good that I traded in my motorcycle for a car. Actually the first car was a German Ford Taunus about a '60, which I had but a few months, due to low parts availability, so the real usable first car was the Mustang 289.
-Loren
Yea, I looked at Mazda 3 but they just kinda seemed odd. I dunno, the styling and all was off. Ill have to look into Corolla and Civic.
He did not like the looks of the Mazda3 sedan? I like those more than the 5 door, which I guess is suppose to be the stylin ' one.
Anyway, if you end up with a GM, I would go for one with the V6, as they get around 30MPG freeway, and are larger cars, with lower insurance. Beware though of the curse of the intake manifold leak which runs a bill over $700 to repair the engine. Any older car, be sure to change the coolant, even though the car book may state a longer period of time. Do it every say 35K miles or so. The 3.8 can be a solid engine gas wise and performance for the buck.
Hyundai has low priced cars. The Sonata, after discounts, is said to be much lower in price than the sticker indicates. You may find one close to the price of a Cobalt!
Good luck! - Loren
If your dedicated enough you can figure out that last 10% :P
Yup you sound just like my dad.
Rocky
You should.
If somebody asked me which place should have the highest level of security: the White House, Fort Knox, or the Pantex plant.....I'd reply "the Pantex plant". No doubt.
seriously, not sure what lesson you are tryign to teach - I'd teach the lesson with a used car, rather than a new one
then again, I am a firm believer that if you are wealthy enough, you owe it to the country to buy new cars as often as possible, and push your barely used cars out into the marketplace. This will improve the nation's air quality and highway safety
but if you can't afford the "depreciation hit" then you should not be buying new cars
that would be a good lessson to teach your son
ps that Alliance will run forever, if you disconnect the air conditioner. I drove one for about 200,000 miles from 1983 on. Great little car.
Finally, someone else that doesn't love the Mazda3. The top of the lines have some nice stuff, but the basic ones (the ones I see all the time) leave me cold. Not that nice looking... not that well designed.
Many, many years ago, we owned 2 71 Firebirds - Formula 400 and Trans Am 455 HO with 4spd. Liked the styling on these cars. Firebirds in last decade of production got fat and ugly (front nostrils).
Had to replace heater core on 400 one very cold January in unheated garage. This car had air, which meant that hoses from heater core were "under" plenum type boxes mounted on firewall. Tech manual said you had to remove right front fender to get at core hoses. That was partially correct. I had to also take off the fiberglass hood, then the fender, had to loosen something at the grille. But, that was not all. On inside, air cond duct work had to be removed under dash to get to the core. But, wait that is not all. To get out ducts, had to take out center console first. Entire job was handled over a couple evenings, working in ten minute bursts then going inside house to warm up. Ahh - excellence in GM engineering/maintenance design. But, I still like the styling of the 71 Birds, especially our Trans Am in white with blue stripe. Might be interested in an updated retro of the 71 TA if GM ever made it and kept it about same size and not like upcoming bloated Camaro.
If GM brought out a new TA, they could get their marketing people to work with Hollywood to feature it in some movie(s) just prior to its re-introduction. Remember that Clint Eastwood (a ex con) did a movie were he and his thief partner Jeff Bridges stole a 71 TA from a used car lot in Thunderbird and Lightfoot. John Wayne also did a movie as a detective in a 71-73(?) vintage TA. Later, Burt Reynolds did some Smokey movies with mid-late 70's TAs.
I would be surprised if Hyundai has had as much luck with corporate fleet. Those relationships tend to take a long time to develop.
Nissan is pretty aggressive with both rental and corporate.
My understanding is that GM's goal is 15% fleet out of total sales. If Ford and Daimler do likewise, you will probably see Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Mitsu (assuming it makes it) move in to pick up the slack.
Corporate fleets keep cars longer and are concerned about maintenance.
As corporate employees drive corporate fleets, they also worry about safety.
The Chinese may be able to come through on both. But they will have to convince the fleet managers before picking up big sales.
Hyundai is on the ground floor already with the rental fleets already. I would expect them to get in with the corporate fleets before the Chinese makes.
The article said that Ford would never topple Chevrolet unless the full-size Ford outsold its Chevrolet counterpart. This was hard to do, because the Chevrolet was so popular with fleet customers.
Why was the full-size Chevrolet so popular with fleet customers (in particular, rental car companies)?
Because of its excellent reliability and high popularity with retail customers, fleet cutomers were assured of a HIGHER resale value for a used Impala or Bel Air, as opposed to a Galaxie (or Fury)! The rental car companies were therefore reluctant to switch from Chevrolet to Ford or Plymouth.
In those days, Chevrolets usually brought a higher resale value than a comparable Ford or Plymouth, because they were more desirable as new cars, and, thus, as used cars. (No import competition to worry about at that time, as they weren't competing in the same market.)
Corporate fleets keep cars longer and are concerned about maintenance.
How long does the avg. rental fleet turn over their cars vs. corporations?
My wife gets a new company car every 2 years or 50k miles, which ever comes first. They definitely mandate maintenance and provide a coupon book that states what is to be done and when.
With corporate America, I don't seem them switching to imports for their fleet cars (maybe small private companies). Not that it doesn't happen, but I don't know anyone who works for a publicly traded company that drives anything buy a domestic for a company car.
Cedant, parent company of Budget and Avis, filed its contracts with Nissan, Ford and GM with the SEC. According to the contracts, Cedant could return leased cars back to the manufacturers in as short as 6 months.
I doubt the large rentals keep many of the popular cars much longer than a year or so.
Rentals do not want to spend much time on maintenance.
No wonder I'm seeing used 06 Impalas etc. showing up at local dealers. That also helps explain why wholesale values of heavy fleet models being so bad.
Seems corporate America likes to support corporate America. Generally, corporations buy a large number of cars and they can make better deals with domestics. Also, there is an image or perception problem, if you are an American company you should buy from other American companies. I'm not saying it is wrong, it is probably right. I worked for Time-Warner and they owned so many cars they don't buy insurance, they actually pay from their own company, it is like having their own insurance company. It would be really bad PR to have a fleet of foreign cars...Hyundais when you are pushing American made films, magazines, books, recording artists, etc.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
As a result of this rental business model, there are a large number of nearly new cars on the used car market. So the resale value is depressed.