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Yeh, I know it will make a great used buy in 3 years time.
And that pretty much sums up GM lately.
Since you only had two gears instead of three, they usually made first gear of a 2-speed somwhere between the first and second gear of a 3-speed tranny. I don't know GM's ratios, but here's a Chrysler example...
Powerflite 2-speed:
1st gear: 1.72:1
2nd gear: 1.00:1
Torqueflite 3-speed:
1st gear: 2.45:1
2nd gear: 1.45:1
3rd gear: 1.00:1
They'd usually put in a quicker axle ratio with the 2-speed to somewhat compensate, but a 3-speed was still quicker. And that quicker axle ratio would hurt highway fuel economy.
Every year, Consumer Reports would usually test a Chevy Impala smallblock, a Ford Galaxie with a 289 or 302, a Fury with a 318, and a Catalina with a 389 or 400. The Impala would consistently get the worst acceleration, but IIRC, the worst fuel economy as well! All the others used 3-speed automatics compared to the Chevy's 2-speed.
Top honors usually went to the Catalina, which would always have the quickest acceleration, and could actually break 20 mpg on the highway...or at least on CR's highway simulation. Its large engine allowed the car to be geared taller than the Ford or Mopar, while still having good power and economy.
Now the Catalina wasn't always their top pick overall, once you factor in other things like price, reliability, comfort, handling, ergonomics, etc, but it was always tops when it came to fuel economy and acceleration.
Don't you like Judge Judy?
In car explanations, go for the simplest repair item when something goes wrong. Something's not working, check the fuse first; don't replace the item, yet.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Yeh, but Judge Judy has great intuition. She doesn't need all the "facts".
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
no GM SUV is as good as the Volvo XC90
is any GM SUV as good as the X5 (for what the X5 does)? Maybe the SRX. I'll give GM the nod on that.
Of course, if all you want is a truck, buy GM, by all means
He said NO SUV is as good as the Volvo except perhaps the SRX. Obviously he has a different need for an SUV.
a better job responding to global warming. "They need to respond to climate
change and not pretend it doesn't exist," Vickers said.
That didn't impress one shareholder, Joe Baker from Mississippi.
"I think the Catholic Church is in favor of people going to church, and
families need large vehicles and SUVs to get everyone to church," Baker
said.
For everyday driving, GM doesn't make a single SUV, other than the SRX (which we all acknowledge is not an SUV) that can hold a candle to the XC90. Obviously, the X5 outhandles every GM SUV, but the XC90 isn't really an SUV, either, I admit.
The XC90 can not do everything that a GM SUV can. But no GM SUV can do what the XC90 can do, which is handle well in everyday driving, avoid collisions, etc.
But if you like how a truck drives, then buy a GM SUV. Nothing wrong with that. But saying they are "the best" is not accurate.
I personally wouldn't want to go back to Powerglide, for the reasons so eloquently stated by Andre; I was simply offering it as an answer to people who want minimal shifting in their auto trannies!
The Toyota rep in the Toyota boards is always the same person, based in their SoCal main office, not some nobody who happens to take Toyota's viewpoint.
About Reagan, well I'd have to agree that he was a whole lot better than the current occupant. And like the bumper sticker says, "I never thought I'd miss Nixon!"
Never owned a bad Japanese car. Don't know anyone personally which owned a bad Japan make. So there ya go. Could explain why people stopped buying GM.
Not saying do not buy GM product as things change and of course we are not living in the 80's or 90's. Would be a nice thought for GM to have an longer warranty though. Those burned once, twice, thrice are a bit shy to return, no doubt. And then there is price. The used cars seem about right. Buy Japan car, the used is so close to new, it is usually better to buy new.
Blaming the press reporting GM car and operation woes or the customer for not buying American, ain't gonna work.
-Loren
And that's exactly what GM should have been doing all along. Even give the person some ability to contact owners with legitimate gripes and follow through on fixing them which is what the toyo rep seemed to have done with snap ring problem in trannies.
Powerglide needed a third gear. Depended on how you drove the car, how much it needed that third gear.
>"I never thought I'd miss Nixon!"
Been that way for 14 years. I'd even settle for a government that enforced the laws they passed, i.e., border/illegal presence. Imagine if congress designed the program for the shifting and AI in the drive-by-wire transmissions!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
-Loren
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I get as frustrated with her as does the two people in court. Usually they are both guilty of something stupid so she can't really make a bad decision. However I think (granted it's only a 30 minute show) she makes her mind up well before she hears the facts.
Next, we take bets on GM screwing up on the CTS. Will it be a big hit ( _ ) Will it be better looking ( _ ) Will it lose its identity ( _ )
If it is all of the above, I take it the answer is that they have not screwed up and the car remains a big hit. Personally, the last question is key to me. While it may be better as a car, my long shot guess is that it loses the edge. It will begin to take on other styling trends. At which point it is no longer the Art & Science futuristic, wild and a little shocking style, it once was. It is entirly possible that it will be a hit, and look OK. Not saying it won't. But the first rendition may be the keeper. The 2006, if the 2007 changes enough, may be the collectable car. And the one with the personality. Hard to find personality in this current enviroment. I did not say classic, though I suppose the CTS-V may be one. Just a collector car, like those we see in car shows at the park or on the street.
-Loren
Similarly, my grandparents had a 1982 Malibu Classic wagon. It fried its ECU, out of warranty, and cost about $500 to fix. Then, not too much later, it fried it again. Granddad got fed up and traded it on a new '85 LeSabre. They'd only had the Malibu about 2 1/2 years, and it didn't exactly leave a good impression. Having a 110 hp 229 V-6 in a car that heavy didn't help that impression though. Neither did the fact that the rear door windows didn't roll down. :mad:
But who knows? Maybe if they'd kept that car longer, overall the ownership experience would have been more pleasant?
The only new car I've ever had is my 2000 Intrepid. It hasn't been a bad car. Yet. :shades:
That's why CDs were invented!
Regarding the new CTS, does anyone have a solid date for when it will be on sale? I've seen spring 2007 but also fall 2007, so I've been a little confused. :confuse:
In any case, I assume it will be labeled a 2008 model.
More to the point, have you ever owned ANY Japanese car?
Have you ever stopped to wonder why so many GM detractors HAVE OWNED GM cars in the past - but many of the GM fans have NOT ever owned a Toyota or Honda?
I'm not saying this is a universal rule; I'm sure you can find a few folks who've owned Toyotas/Hondas and have gone back to GM. But I think they are greatly outnumbered by folks who switched and are happy they did.
Wow, if the seat is really only 2" thick that could mean another 5" or so of rear seat room.
Somebody needs to tell Lutz to go sit on a cheap kitchen chair, and then a nice, plush Lazy-boy recliner. THEN tell me if a thicker cushion is a waste of space!
In fact, I think the main reason that so many SUVs, wagons, and minivans have such horrible 2nd and 3rd row seat comfort is because any seat that's designed to fold down is going to be lighter and thinner, and sacrificing comfort.
Now a thinner cushion/backrest CAN be made more comfortable. But you can't cut corners in making it.
Rocky
I guess I'm one of the so-called few in that category.
OTOH I do know quite a few that have left Toyota and Honda for GM, mainly because the local import dealers don't want to deal and had service woes like having to wait 2-3 weeks for service.
Will I ever buy a Japanese car made in America again ? Maybe. It would take car like a Acura TL Type-S with 300 hp and SH-AWD and still be in the high $30K range loaded out with every important gadget to me. Pontiac could of been the Acura alternative, but somebody at GM let the ball drop and Acura has the market of there niche all to themselves. Not even Lexus's lower end cars can match the value one gets from Acura.
Rocky
Maybe there was some thought put behind those old, overstuffed seats of the 70's, after all?
to GM car after 13 years not owned GM car.
And you know what? Then time comes to replace this car with a new one GM will have to wait at least another 13 years (if ever)...
Rocky
the SRX would be a great snow vehicle, but not a great fishing vehicle. Make sense?
Very interesting. On one side is the media and the other "industry at large" whatever that is. Someone here is biased. Employees of OEMs representing nominated vehicles are not allowed to vote.
http://www.autointeriors.com/awards/
Sit back as I tell the woeful tale of the 1980 Chevrolet Citation. :lemon:
It was a 2.8 V6 automatic titled in April 1979, making it a very early example. Grandma was getting old and couldn't really drive anymore, so she gave it to me in 1993 with about 55,000 miles on it.
That thing was a hunk of junk. It didn't idle right, the hard foam interior panels were crumbling, the exterior trim fell off, the tires dry-rotted and peeled off their tread one by one, the fuel pump broke, the electric fan broke and the car overheated, the driver's side mirror wore out, braking and turning the wheel at the same time would stall the engine, the brake hose collapsed and chewed up two rotors, the parking brake did nothing, the AC was long gone, and lots more like that. It rode like the beam-axle slopbox it was, the transmission refused to downshift out of overdrive on hills, and you had to floor it and wait for 2-3 seconds before it would kick down to "banshee wail" on flat roads.
I drove it for 18 months or so before I went off to college, and it cascaded down to my sister then my brother. My brother was driving it home one day and a huge cloud of smoke poured out the back. The engine was still running, so he limped it home. The tranny had let go and spooged all over the exhaust pipe with less than 80k on the clock, so it went to the junkyard where it belonged.
It was exactly what I expected from a domestic car.
Winner Pontiac Solstice for Interior in class? Humm?
Hey Tribeca won an interior award! That's good - at least the inside looks good.
-Loren
To be fair, I'd say that was more the status quo of a 1979 era car, regardless of whether it was domestic or import! Heck, in college I had a buddy who had a 1980 Accord, and your Citation sounds like a quality piece of engineering in comparison! This Accord was dead by around late 1989/early 1990, when its SECOND automatic transmission went out on it. Oh, it was on its second engine, too. Interior was falling apart. Rust holes the size of some Midwestern states blossomed from under its still-shiny paint. Air conditioning didn't work. 0-60 in about 30 seconds, with three people on board.
Also, sometimes old age simply gets to a car. A 14 year old car is a 14 year old car, no matter how low mileage it is. But, let me not try to defend it TOO much. After all, it was a Citation...the most recalled car in history!
Also, are you sure it had overdrive? Or do you mean "overdrive" to just mean top gear? I didn't think GM came out with a FWD 4-speed automatic until 1985, and even then I don't think it trickled down into the cheaper cars until a few years later, after the Citation was long gone.
A Corvair or Fiero retro look, with a mid-engine would be cool, but alas, little sales no doubt. The Solstice and Sky look and drive well, and seem to hit the mark. Wish they were a tad bigger and coupes; would consider those two. Seen some with ridiculous side sticker prices on them. Yeah, like those are gonna be hot collector car items. Value and re-sale values may possibly stay up for another couple of years. Would I pay thousands more -- no way!
Good little car, if it had a roll bar, and air conditioning for $20K. But $25K to $30k - dream on!
-Loren
As for the age thing, the SE-R is 15 years old now and it is an infinitely better car than the Citation was, even with 3x the mileage (also infinitely better than a 15-year-old '92 Cavalier).
-Loren
Well, if you did buy one, you'd find GM had replaced the fine Honda engine with the 3800 pushrodder. Cheaper, ya know.
My parents had a succession of Oldsmobile 88s, starting with a 1967 Delmont 88. After Olds was discontinued, they switched to a Buick Park Avenue, and then bought one of the last Bravadas. Not one of them was bad, either.
Those GM vehicles were not, however, the kind of vehicle that I would choose for myself.
The only truly bad car I remember was my father's 1973 AMC Gremlin. It was badly built, unreliable and so cheaply trimmed it made a port-a-john look luxurious. I learned to drive on that car. After driving that Gremlin, I can say that it's no wonder that AMC eventually was bought by Chrysler, and (what was left of) AMC's passenger car business then disappeared.