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Oh, another problem with a dark color is WHEN and WHERE you can detail the car. I usually have to get up very early before the sun comes up or rather late when the sun is setting. It's best to do it inside a garage or a very shady area so the sun doesn't wreak havoc. I'm shaded from the sun in three directions as I have a line of trees to the west, a building to east, and another building to the south. The northern side is exposed.
An Expedition or Suburban is perfect for what we do. Vinyl/leatheret covered seats in the back two rows and hard plastics hold up well to rambunctious kids and a 60 pound hyper dog.
Plus the fact that I'm now within 4 years of my oldest driving,.....GULP, I won't have anything real nice for a while.
My car sleeps in a parking garage, so shade isn't an issue...if anything sometimes it can be a little too dark, making detail work difficult when I get out the toothpick or cotton swab to clean out the nooks and crannies. Lots of difficult to clean creases and trim pieces.
Have my first black car. It gets dirty so quick that I havent washed it the whole summer.
My Crossfire SRT--6 after about 7 coats of Zaino:
Looks great!
Anyway, I was saying, that midnight blue shines up real purty, too. Here's a pic of my $500 New Yorker, when it was in a car show a couple years ago.
I was supposed to take my '76 LeMans, but the damn thing wouldn't start that day!
Why the comparison? Because 138hp is close to what the Cruze is in base form (2hp more actually). Tq numbers are close as well, so I'd say they are a pretty dead even match under the hood spec-wise...
Except, the Snuze is coming in at a porky 3375 lbs (About what a 4-cyl Toyota Camry weighs) while an AT equiped Elantra comes in at 2970 lbs according to MT.
Hyundai Elantra Touring
Yowzah. :surprise:
Then there is the 200hp Turbo option for the Elantra which at this moment Government Motors has no answer for.
Sonata now the Elantra? Hyundai means business in a big way.
He's uncovered many a body repair on new cars that are not required to let the customer know if it values under $400.
If he were to arrive at the dealer to pick up that particular CTS, he would have sent the salesperson back to the finance manger whimpering! He's embarrassed a Porsche dealer because the detail work was third rate. Most Caddy customers aren't even aware regarding paint quality...until they are shown the defect and can find better quality in a Honda! Then they FUME!!! :sick:
Regards,
OW
Listen, it's really easy to rant against GM when the message of perfection they boast is not even laughable but downright insulting considering their slide into failure. You'd think that would have clearly humbled them. FAT CHANCE!
Blaring LIES continue to drool out of their corporate communication mouths.
I value your opinion because I was YOU at one time but not even 1/10th as lucky in my GM purchases. Not only that, you know your onions and I'm truly glad you're happy with the Caddy and Buick. You know my Mom still has the '01 BPA with 50K and 0 defects.
Regards,
OW
Yeah, the weight of the Cruze does get my attention. For GM's sake, they better have made the best of that extra poundage. It better feel like a more substantial vehicle to justify the extra pork. I'll be curious to see where the curb weight of the upcoming Focus comes in at.
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
Time will tell and it's nice to see products that you KNOW is making Detroit boil!!
The best thing is Detroit isn't even in their crosshairs...only the best will do!
Regards,
OW
Weight is hideous in cars. Hyundai is on it like Bees on Honey. F and GM are wayyyyyyyyyyy behind. Look at Regal! Hideously overweight.
Good for H. Bad for GM, F and C. They'll catch up but by that time, Hyundai will be one of the top sellers of cars in the world. Period, The End. (I don't mean Trucks!)
Regards,
OW
Regardless, while you've had no problems with your Buick's and Cadillac's, others on here, including me, have had terrible problems with our Buick's, Caddy's, Chevy's, Pontiac's, etc. I wish it wasn't so, b/c my bank account would have like it better but they were very bad/poorly made vehicles. Simple as that. If they weren't, we wouldn't have had to pour money into them constantly to keep them drivable, despite doing all the necessary regular maintenance items, rotations, inspections, etc.
Wow, I had no idea the Cruze was that chunky. Heeere, piggy-piggy-piggy!
Heck, my old 2000 Intrepid was only 3471 lb, and my old man's '03 Regal LS is only 3438, per Edmunds. And those are decent-sized cars! And one thing I'll say for the Regal, is that it does feel like a solid car. It has its faults...notably so-so handling, sloppy fit and finish, and poor interior workmanship, but the body itself feels very solid. It's not exactly rattle-free, but if something does rattle, it's more likely a cheap piece of trim that's not attached right, rather than the body flexing and jiggling.
But if that little Cruze is 3375 lb, that sucker better be built like a tank! A BMW 3-series starts off at around 3362 lb, a car that's similar size, but RWD, and with a 6-cyl engine. And a lot more upscale, so you know it's going to have a solid, sturdy feel to it. I'm actually impressed that the 3-series is that light. I thought those things had bulked up to around 3800 lb or so, but checking the Edmund's entry for it, it looks like you have to get the AWD turbo model to get into that range.
tom
Auto writer in WSJ reviewed Cruze recently. He said it was a decent car but kind of outdated already when compared to competition. Its been around for at least 2 years in Europe and elsewhere, but not the US until now. He mentioned that for same amount of money, maybe a little more, a buyer could get a 2011 Hyundai Sonata which is more advanced, sophisticated.
Toyota, Honda, Nissan, maybe Ford can compete with Hyundai. Can GM?
On colors, Silver (as many have said) and very, very light metalic champagne (not gold) are very good colors for not showing dirt. Have had many silvers and now have 2 silver cars. Metallic gray is not bad for hiding dirt and have this on an Ody.
Last GM I had was a Suburban with black on sides, metalic gray on hood and roof. That combo was ok for not looking too bad after driving in rain and drying off. Worst car for showing dirt was a dark blue full size Pontiac. Never a dark color again.
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Blech.
I am referring to WSJ article written in July 31-Aug 1 edition by Dan Neil. You go argue with him, his opinions. It is interesting that some folks have blinders on and then "blindly" buy the same brand over and over and over and over out of patriotism maybe to an old American brand without "Honestly" test driving, investigating the alternatives.
Dan Neil did also say that the Cruze was better than Civic and Corrola in comparison drives. BUT. Neil said: "The real segment (Cruze segment) leader in value is Hyundai, not Elantra, but new Sonata. If you have got $20,000 to spend on a four-door farmily car, would you rather have the audaciously ordinary-looking Cruze or the bigger, quicker, more powerful and more generously equipped Sonata? Throw in the Sonata's swooping, wind-laminated styling and this choice is not close. I mean, it's murder most foul, right?"
I guess that would make sense, as we've been hearing about the Cruze for about 2 years now, if not more! I remember seeing one at the DC auto show back in January 2009. Seriously, they needed the car THEN...not almost two years later! On my way to Cedar Point in Ohio, I passed by the Lordstown plant, and there's a big banner on the side that says "The Cruze is Coming". It was there as of June 2009, and was there when I went out there this past June, as well.
Worst car for showing dirt was a dark blue full size Pontiac. Never a dark color again.
What year/model/body style Pontiac was that? I've always been a sucker for big Pontiacs!
with some easy-peel-off crap thrown on. Alas, it looks like GM is late to another trend here, the beat-a-box-with-the-fugly-stick motif that Toyota started with the Scion lineup. Who knows though? It might not be a bad little ride, if that's your thang.
1965 dark blue Pontiac Grand Prix with 421 Tri-Power, 4-speed, aluminum wheel centers, posi, tilt steering wheel (same type that I noticed when I sat in and checked out the Buick Lucerne when it came out), etc. For a very big car, it was very quick in a straight line, especially when you pushed down on pedal and mechanical linkage brought in outer carburators. My dad took over the car and he sold it somewhere around 82 to a Pontiac collector.
I still think the headlights look like they should be on a much, much larger vehicle like an Acadia or Traverse :P
More on the concept:
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In addition, the Cruze doesn't weigh 3375lbs in base form. It's closer to 3000lbs. I'm sure if you add 18" wheels, sunroof, auto, and all the options the weight approaches 3300lbs though. The European gas version is listed at about 2900lbs.
This is the problem I have with GM - they don't set trends, they follow them. I mean, this was the world's biggest auto maker?!!!!:
Miata >>> GM puts out Solstice and Sky
PT Cruiser >>> GM builds the HHR
Insight, Prius >>> Put out a lame 'mild hybrid' Malibu, put out expensive "two mode" hybrid SUVs, and advertise the Volt starting four years before it really exists
Mustang >>> GM decides to resurrect the Camaro
Scion xB >>> Here comes the Spark!
They not only are almost always way late to the table, they have rarely executed very well.
That is one of my absolute-favorite old cars!
The instrument panel in those cars is just magnificent.
My sister's boyfriend (later husband) drove a maroon '65 GP with black vinyl top and plum interior in the late '60's and it was just so damn elegant compared to our '67 Chevelle 300 Deluxe! I loved how those Ponchos had the three gauges in chrome housings in the center of the dash that were tilted towards the driver, and also had the handle above the glove compartment to hold onto.
Wow, I had no idea the Cruze was that chunky. Heeere, piggy-piggy-piggy!
I just looked at the MT article and it put the Cruze curb weight at:
2800-3150 lbs. Reviewers say it is supremely quiet for a small car
and gets 40mpg hwy
According to The Nikkei [sub], the UAW is crafting “a set of guidelines” that will be given to nonunion foreign automakers. If the companies sign on, the UAW pledges to honor nonunion workers’ decisions to join the union or not. How democratic and freedom-loving of them. What if companies refuse? Then the UAW will pull out the big hammer and “expose those companies in any and every way we can until they agree to respect workers’ rights and to rectify their anti-union actions,” King said.
Is anyone in D.C. watching this or care? Or has GM taken some of their bailout money, and funneled it back into the campaigns of those D.C. incumbents' campaign funds? One hand washes the other in the country-club, eh?
I think I'll go up my 401K contributions so these bums get less of my $.
But, but, but think of all the jobs that would have been lost had the government not bailed them out!!!
oh, wait... :P
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Despite the reduction, GM’s 4,500-dealership network remains the largest in America. Why is the 4,500 number so intriguing? It's the number of healthy dealers it planned to reduce by 900 during its structured bankruptcy last year. That didn't happen.
meanwhile, we are insolvent as individuals and shop at walmart. That is leading to China being able to buy up America. I personally know hundreds of people in Indiana that make their living off the sale of GM vehicles. They will always have my support. Some of them are union. I hope they will join me in trying to vote out the ruling class in Nov.