GM News, New Models and Market Share

fintail

A good question might be if the limit changes for a justifiable reason and not just to catch people. Time to drag some "traffic engineers" and revenue enforcement officers out by the napes of their necks and make them explain the policies.

imidazol97

Interesting data about the Verano sales from GM:

GM--

DETROIT Buick Verano sales continue to trend upward, with nearly 2,500 sold in March, the luxury sedan¡¯s best month yet. Early trends show the Verano is bringing new types of customers to the Buick brand.


Verano owners are:

##Seeing Red. Or at least buying it. One quarter of all Veranos sold have worn the most colorful hue offered, Crystal Red Tintcoat. According to paint supplier PPG, red was only the fifth most-popular color across the industry last year.

##Progressive urbanites. Verano¡¯s top three markets are New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. Other major metropolitan markets like Dallas, Houston, and St. Louis are among the Top 10.

##New to Buick. Nearly one in two Verano owners are trading in vehicles from brands outside of General Motors.

##Western leather lovers. Almost half of Veranos sold on the West Coast are top-spec 1SL models with soft leather-appointed interiors, a heated steering wheel, and standard Bose audio.

##Saving fuel. Verano¡¯s EPA rating of 32 mpg on the highway beats competitors like the Acura TSX, Infiniti G25, and Lexus IS250. While those competitors recommend the use of premium fuel, Verano uses regular gas.

dieselone

EPA rating of 32 mpg on the highway beats competitors like the Acura TSX, Infiniti G25, and Lexus IS250. While those competitors recommend the use of premium fuel, Verano uses regular gas.

I just don't see how a Verano competes with those vehicles. They all start $10k higher. I thought the TSX, G25, and IS were on the Regal's radar? Now the Verano? I just don't see it.

tlong

They think their cars are perfect.

Yup, that's what at least one poster says all the time.

circlew

Well... look who lives! Our spy photographers have managed to snag a few photos of what may very well be the next interpretation of the Chevrolet Impala SS. Long thought to be a casualty of the General Motors bailout, the biggest member Club SS was reportedly shelved a few years back. The Impala line hasn't offered an SS performance variant since 2009, and the more aggressive grille, front fascia and tweaked head- and taillight arrays on this prototype hint at something more sinister than any topped-out LTZ model could offer. Our spy shooter's supplier sources indicate GM is, in fact, still working on an Impala SS, and they suggest the sedan may bow with a new LF3 twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 under the hood.

Is Chevrolet testing an Impala SS?

Regards,
OW

andre1969

I slammed the brakes on to slow from 30 to 25 and his headlights disappeared for a second below my trunk. He 'almost' had to eat his donuts with no coffee.

I dunno if this is true or not, or if it ever was, but I heard that in some smaller jurisdictions in the midwest, late at night, it was common for the cops to come up behind someone with their high beams on. The driver in front would instinctively slow down, but the cop would stay back there, tailgating them, so they'd slow down even more. Once they went *too* slow, the cop would then pull them over and write a ticket for going too slow and obstructing traffic!

Someone in one of my Mopar clubs told me this story. He said that one night, he was driving a Dodge Ram, and a cop tried that with him on a lonely country road. Well, up ahead, there was a fence post with some barbed wire wrapped around it lying partly on the road. This guy swerved over to almost avoid it at the last second, but caught it with his back wheel, causing the fence post to bounce up, catching the copcar full in the grille!

Now, take it with a grain of salt. It might have really happened, or it might just have been one of those feel-good-sticking-it-to-the-man old wive's tales. :P

Now, down in North Carolina, one of my friends got pulled over by the cops late at night on a weekend because the cop said he was "driving erratically". Well, what my friend, with Maryland tags I might add, was doing was the speed limit. When he came to a school zone, which has a lower speed limit, he slowed down to that posted limit.

Cop wanted to know why he was slowing down, since it was late at night on a weekend, and school wasn't in session. Umm...because that was the SPEED LIMIT?! :confuse: And there was quite obviously a cop behind him?!

Now, the cop did let my friend go, but seriously? And the cops wonder why they get such a bad rap?!

anythngbutgm

Yup, they need to get a handle on this one

otherwise, this one is going to bite them like the millions of recalled S/C 3.8's...

imidazol97

>cops to come up behind someone with their high beams on. The driver in front would instinctively slow down,

A small township police department got those bottom of the barrel cops the larger, higher-paying departments didn't want. So they do all the typical low IQ cop stuff. The high school scient olympiad group had a project about 20 miles away. One of the cops would drive with his high beams on and wait for someone to flash him, then write them a ticket under his interpretation of something about having their high beams on.

The dad of the high schooler, made a big deal of the cop's technique. Got an attorney and backed the township down on the ticket.

The same township stopped me for backing down a ramp to avoid a backed up freeway. I backed up about 300 ft. to the crossroad and took the parallel county road. Cop told me it was illegal to back down a ramp. No ticket. I think it was Saturday evening and he hoped I"d been drinking. I didn't pursue it, but I doubt any judge would find I did anything reckless in my actions--I backed down the pulloff lane, not the driving lane.

andre1969

otherwise, this one is going to bite them like the millions of recalled S/C 3.8's...


Wait...what have you heard about the supercharged 3.8? I know the regular 3.8, from sometime in the mid/late 90's to sometime in the early 00's, tended to have an intake manifold failure, usually somewhere north of 80-90,000 miles or so, but I wasn't aware of any major issues with the supercharged version?

But, for some reason I do seem to recall a picture of a W-body Regal that caught on fire in a garage, making the internet rounds not too long ago?

Oh, on the subject of intake manifolds, my uncle's '97 Silverado just needed a new one on its 4.3 V-6. Also needed a new (well, used in this case) rear end. It has about 133,000 miles on it. Once upon a time, that would've been considered high mileage out of a vehicle, but today it just seems inadequate. But, then again, in the old days, intake manifolds were made out of iron, weighed about 50 pounds, and the concept of one failing was somewhat alien. Dunno about rear ends, though. My Mom had a '68 Impala, and in 1975 its rear end was starting to go, and that prompted her to trade it on a new LeMans. My '80 Malibu needed new rear axles at around the 80,000 mile mark. But other than those two instances, that's the only time I can think of a rear-end failing in any of my, or my family's, older cars.

stever

One of the guys around here is a double dipper retiree from down in Tennessee, probably in his early 50s. Now he's in the woods and out of the big city and can afford to live here. I watched him mediate a minor fender bender that a friend was involved in and he was really good. Showed what happened in the parking lot while being emphatic and the two guys settled up without going to their insurance.

And yes, there was a Buick involved.

uplanderguy

I don't remember ever hearing a single thing about fires and 3.8's. I did post a video of a Camry on fire not terribly long ago though (LOL).

anythngbutgm

Both the S/C and naturally aspirated 3.8's have been recalled for fires on a few occasions. For Buick it was the Regal tho, nothing regarding your Park Ave.

link title

link title

uplanderguy

Better post this over on the Hyundai forum....third example of a Santa Fe fire I've read about with about a minute input, in the last twenty-four hours:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vm3V_tbDb4

uplanderguy

This recall was three years ago, and was just under 1.5 million. Being the "High Priest of Hyperbole", I see this becomes "millions". I should've used that term when I discussed the 1.3 million BMW's recalled last week for fire possibilities..."MILLLLIIOOOONNNNSSSS"!

lemko

Heck, I'd have bought a new 1956 Packard Caribbean hardtop just to be sure I could get one while I still could!

This topic is getting really boring with all the "pseudo-business-school intelligentsia opinions" as you put it. If I want to read that kind of nonsense, I'll buy a copy of Business Week. I came here to read about cars!

uplanderguy

My best man owns a '56 Caribbean Hardtop. The vinyl roof is sometimes a rust-trapper I've heard, but they're actually rarer than the '56 Caribbean convertible. Only 263 built. His was sold new at Gezon Motors in Grand Rapids, MI. Don't talk to him much these days.

lemko

I have a very nice Danbury Mint model of the 1956 Packard Caribbean hardtop. It even has the flip seat cushions!

busiris

Regarding the recall, that's one disadvantage to being a top selling producer... You have far more examples to be observed, and scrutinized.... And ultimately, possibly recalled.

For all practical purposes, I don't personally see a recall ending in 2003 models being very significant today, other than possibly in a historical context, since a ton of things have changed mechanically/electronically in the roughly 10 years since then. But, I don't own any cars over 10 years old.

And I'll be honest, if I was looking at buying a car today, can't think of a single model that I would exclude from my search based solely upon recalls. Even the Cruze fire potential wouldn't bother me too much, because the reported frequency of fires is so small compared to the number produced. For the most part, as far as any of us actually experiencing any serious event due to the cause of a recall (at least, any recall i am currently aware of) is what I call "lottery winning odds".

In many ways, recalls are used as measuring sticks, to compare different makes/manufacturers quality standards, and occasionally as measuring sticks for folks to beat each other over the head...

Just my opinion...

uplanderguy

That is a very nice model and I wasn't aware one was out there.

The convertible sold at my hometown dealer still survives, and in beautiful condition. Sometime over the years, wire wheels were added. I saw it in 1997 in Kernersville, NC, and it still had the plaque on the dash that said "This Custom-Built Caribbean Made Especially for A.L. Bailey, M.D." Actually, the car was in Packard's Detroit storage lot when Dr. Bailey bought it, but...details!

Kirstie_H

There are a few nice fire stories here:
Pontiac Grand Prix Engine fires 3800 series II 1996-2003

No recall on these, though.

uplanderguy

Didn't see any supercharged engines in that page, though.

Kirstie_H

No, I was just on the topic of engine fires in general... in GM vehicles. That's the only series for which I've seen more than a one here-and-there for.

circlew

Getting bigger....

Cadillac spotted testing bigger next-gen CTS

Regards,
OW

uplanderguy

My best man owns a '56 Caribbean Hardtop. The vinyl roof is sometimes a rust-trapper I've heard, but they're actually rarer than the '56 Caribbean convertible. Only 263 built. His was sold new at Gezon Motors in Grand Rapids, MI. Don't talk to him much these days.

Incidentally, his is in 'good' condition, but definitely not 'show'. I don't believe he's driven in it several years.

fintail

Good idea there. Even though it is supposedly the same size as a 5er/E/A6 etc, it sure doesn't look it, and needs to grow by maybe 10% to look like it belongs in the segment that some claim it competes with.

dave8697

It was in Chesnee, SC. I used to work till 3PM and then drive to Sugar Mt, NC to ski. Chesnee was about 11 hrs N. of WPB. I would get profiled in Chesnee for driving after 1AM with Fla plates. MD is another state that profiled for Fla plates on I-95.

I figured that if the speed was increasing with the next sign that I could go that speed as soon as I could read the sign, but if the speed fell, then I only had to the sign to slow down.

xrunner2

I was once pulled over by a cop who proceeded to tell me that "I was almost speeding" and he wasn't including any buffer above the limit.

So, what's this got to do with GM?

uplanderguy

It made me laugh anyway:

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/16/bmw-owners-twice-as-likely-to-be-adulterers-a- s-drivers-of-other/

ateixeira

Both the study and the commercial are hilarious.

I always wonder - what % of people tell the truth in studies like this?

I mean, seriously, if you're asked if you cheat, on anything, wouldn't 99% of people deny even if they did? :confuse:

busiris

Since the study was done in Britain, maybe it's because men that can afford to drive luxury vehicles also have the coin to afford having their teeth fixed.

ateixeira

Ba-dum-PAH!

Or women are just more attracted to men with money - in any country...

fintail

I'd say that's the case

busiris

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/04/edmunds-new-list-of- -best-vehicles-for-holding-value/1#.T48GahB5mK0

ateixeira

CTS and Acadia make the list, kudos to GM. Like I say, when they swing the for fences, good things happen...

uplanderguy

I wonder where guys who drive Cobalts and Studebakers are on that list.

Don't tell me, I'm already aware of the irony.

ateixeira

Loyal.

They have no choice.

busiris

What model/year is the Studebaker you own? How long have you owned it?

fintail

It says they are taken and someone else holds the purse strings?

uplanderguy

I have a '66 Daytona Sports Sedan, which is a two-door sedan with bucket seats. It's a light metallic green, black vinyl top and black vinyl interior. Last model year Studebaker. Not exciting to look at; marketed against Chevy II and Dodge Dart and Falcon, but rare and handsome I think. I previously owned a white '63 Lark Daytona hardtop with factory folding cloth sunroof, factory air and factory Avanti power, and a dark blue '64 Daytona Hardtop that needed more work than I could give it. Sold both of them, at good prices, to a buyer in Australia about a year ago. The '66 I bought last August.

andre1969

I have a '66 Daytona Sports Sedan, which is a two-door sedan with bucket seats. It's a light metallic green, black vinyl top and black vinyl interior.

Had to fight Aunt Bea for the keys and wrestle her to her death, eh? :P

Not exciting to look at; marketed against Chevy II and Dodge Dart and Falcon, but rare and handsome I think.

All things considered, I think Studebaker did a good job at keeping their cars looking up to date. Can't the '66 models pretty much be traced back to the 1953 cars? I know all the "traditional" Studes got thrown out after 1958, but I'd always heard they used a shortened version of the 1958 as the basis for the '59 compacts.

By 1966, the Falcon was getting pretty dowdy looking, partly on purpose by Ford, as they wanted to keep it from competing too much with the Mustang. The Dart and Valiant were still kind of quirky looking, as they hadn't totally shaken off all of those odd turbine-car-inspired styling cues. I think the '66 Chevy II was a looker, though. 1966-67 is probably my favorite years for the entire II/Nova lineup.

Is it just me, or does the front-end of a '67 Chevy truck bear a strong resemblance to the '66 Studebaker?

anythngbutgm

I had to Google this one because I am unfortunately too young to have been around for those. Neat cars, I guess compared to others, they could be considered Compact? I have wanted to for years, find a Chevy II to restore but those Daytona's would make a really cool alternative

andre1969

I think the 4-door Studebakers were on a 113" wheelbase and the 2-door models were in a 109" by 1966. They would've most likely still been marketed as compacts, but I'd guess they were a bit roomier inside than your typical Big-Three compact of that era.

For comparison, I think Chevy II's were on a 110" wheelbase, Falcons on a 109.5", Valiants on a short 106", and Darts on a 111". But I believe the Studes were a bit wider, taller, and had a higher seating position.

uplanderguy

Aunt Bee's was factory Algonquin Green, which looked awful IMHO! Mine is not a factory color; it was built a light blue metallic which I wish the previous owner would have kept.

The basic chassis goes back to '53 (king pins--like '62 Corvettes), but wheelbase, crossmember numbers, frame gauge, changed a lot between '53 and later. I'm not convinced ball joints are better than king pins, which trucks retained, but probably cheaper to make. The steering supposedly was new for '61, and dual master cylinder brakes came about in '63 and of course discs became available in '63, but mine has power drum brakes.

I like the seating position and minimal center hump. I think the big restyles of '62 and especially '64 were good bang-for-the-buck.

berri

I believe 66 was Studebaker cars last year and they had all new models on the board for 67 before they closed down. Saw some prototypes for 67 and thought they were decent looking for the times.

busiris

Our neighbor (head nurse at the local health dept.) purchased a new 1960 4-door Lark, and it was a greenish/aqua color IIRC.

I remember riding in the car a couple of times, but I was only 7 or 8 at the time, and I don't remember many specifics about the car... Other than it was easy to spot her in town, since she had the only car in that model and color, and the city population was about 12k.

I was hoping you owned something like a Silver Hawk... Then again, you might be hoping for the same thing...

busiris

I agree with you on the Chevy II/Nova. I have always thought it was the best looking years for the modl.

I had a high school friend hat owned a 1966 SS Chevy II he bought from the original owner. IIRC, it was a 327-4 speed, and it ran like a scalded dog!

Silver with black vinyl top...

uplanderguy

I was hoping you owned something like a Silver Hawk...

My favorite Studebaker is a 1964 Gran Turismo Hawk...I'd choose a dark color with a half-vinyl top. Here's a white example I like:

http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/photo/730300,17565/1964-Studebaker-Gran-Turismo-- Hawk_photo.aspx

The long-hood, short-deck nature of the car is apparent here, when most GM's were still short-hood, long-deck!

I'm not a mechanic, and I bought this '66 so that I could get it serviced easier near where I live, which is full of 'git her in, git her out' shops that I'd rather say "It has a 283" than try and get them to work on a Studebaker...even though Stude V8's are very sturdy engines. A '66 also has a flanged rear axle, instead of tapered like earlier Studes. I was told they had five-inch wide wheels onto which an easily-available 205-15/70 will fit, although I've since found out that only happened in Jan. '66 and later production. Mine was built 9/1/65, a very early '66 model.

imidazol97

Friends have a 63 Nova SS in their garage. Like this one
Link to 63 Chev II Nova SS

uplanderguy

No V8's of any kind were available in a Chevy II--even in an SS--until the '64 model year.

I'm really not trying to be contrary, but the '66 and '67 Chevy II, styling-wise, is my least-favorite! Probably my favorite is the '65, with subtle differences over earlier models, and I do like the '68 as it was still called a "Chevy II". I like the '75's too.

I can remember going with my Dad to look at plain-jane, new '67 Chevys (Dad was a six, three-speed guy). He bought a Chevelle. The Biscayne was too big, and he wouldn't even look at a Chevy II. I seem to remember the prices were only a bit over $100 different for a basic Chevy II, to a basic Chevelle, and another $100-some over a Chevelle to a basic Biscayne.

andre1969

FWIW, I do like the earlier Chevy II/Novas as well, although there's something about the front-end on the '65 that doesn't appeal to me. Around the headlights, it just seems to have an unfinished look about it. With the '66-67 though, I really like the forward-sloping front-end, and the taller, fuller taillights.

If I was shopping for a compact in '67 though, I think I'd go with a Dart. I think the Chevy II/Nova is prettier, but the '67-69 Dart just has a sturdy, muscular look to it that I really like.

I never really liked the '68-72 Nova. IMO they just had sort of a cheap, bargain-basement look to them, and I was disappointed that they dropped the hardtop and convertible models. Supposedly though, those models were designed to be able to easily take a big-block V-8, so they definitely have their merits.

I actually like the '73-74 Nova, but I think most people prefer the '68-72. And I think the '75-79 is a really good looking car...IMO, the '75 was the car that truly ushered in the clean, modern, angular styling that would perpetuate through the later 70's and much of the 80's.

I think I'd still take a '75-76 Dart over a Nova, but it's not because I'm a Mopar-hugger. Partly, it's because the Dart still offered a true hardtop. But, more importantly, the Dart has a better seating position for me. More legroom, and the steering wheel, dash, and cowl are a more comfortable distance away from me. But style-wise, by that time, I think a Nova is hard to beat. The Dart/Valiant just looked old. The Maverick and Hornet looked cheap. And the Granada just looked too pretentious and cliched...although a LOT of buyers fell for it!