I've said on several threads on several boards that GM should get rid of all brands and just build the best of each under one name "GM". No one seems to think that that is a good idea. But the way they're doing it now is not working. And I don't know of any car companys that are still successful that builds the same car rebadged into 5 brands.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/03/news/companies/taylor_gmplan.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008120313

My 2001 Tahoe still has the original brake pads and rotors. It has 100,000 miles on it, and we go camping on average 8-10 times a summer, and I tow a pretty heavy trailer. In Colorado, in the mountains...

I am a firm believer of letting off the gas when you see people ahead of you slowing down, not waiting and then slamming on the brakes.

Bill

Your local kinda to me, come on and take a look at it. as for towing the first trailer was so heavy that it made me add helper airbags !

I started towing with it @ 10k miles on it.

The first 4 years of ownership it got the highest milage figure the first 140k
I'm a traveling sales rep I figured out that it was started 10 times aday (yes still has the oe starter)

The time that I drove up the grapevine --- it melted the paint off of the differental cover, yes DAD I changed the oil after that one!SmileWavy

Oh and my 2006 Che'vette has 60k on it.
2 track days and it's been flogged to over 150+

The only problem that it has is the roof was recalled (it does have a click in the roof that I would like to go away )

Oh and the airbag light comes and goes.

I was going to buy a porsche, but the wife needs a wheelchair once and a while and it wouldn't fir in a Cayman

I'm not sure there are many cars produced today designed to last 10-15 years. I think the maintenance schedules are what shorten the lives of many cars.

Why? Because of reliability or because they're disposable?

The Cobalt SS is intriguing. I would go test-drive one if I had money. Supposedly the interior is still kinda cheap, but the seats are recaros, which is really the most important interior facet.

I saw a video on Edmunds.com about the Cobalt SS:

0-60 in 5.8 seconds.
.90 on the skidpad.
Fastest car available for $25K and under.

As I said, maybe there is hope for American cars.

Why GM doesn't push this car and the G8 in their marketing, as opposed to Chevy pickups, is beyond me.

I have a tech that works for me that got 120,000 miles on original brakes in his Chevy van.

He also got I think close to 110,000 miles on the original tires.


I've had 2 new HHR's (1 in 2006 and 1 in 2008)and both had brakes that sucked at around 10,000 miles.

I don't drive my company cars hard but I do drive them alot. I've heard we are going back to Vibes next year. The Vibe is a much better car. Not as usable WRT space but the fit and finish and the engine is better.

Well, the Japanese cars that the Cobalt is aimed at are certainly good for 15 years if they are reasonably maintained and you keep the rust away. I could go out right now and find half a dozen <93 Civics and Corrolas and Protoges that would make great used cars for ~$1500-2000. Could I find decent Cavaliers, Neons and Focuses? Not so sure.

Reliability. I have a few friends with GMC trucks and they have been dependable and cheap to maintain. One friend has a '95 1/2 ton with the 4.3 v6 that has over 200k miles, and it uses no oil between changes. He's owned it for 5 years and has only done front brakes and rear bearings. I'm not impressed by the looks or the fit & finish, but it's been a great workhorse.

what have you got against chicks?

My father in law had a '92 Chevy work truck. Overloaded it, pulled trailers that were overloaded, beat hell out of it, hauling rolls of carpet, linoleum, floor tile, 5 gallon buckets of glue, lots of heavy stuff. First clutch lasted over 100,000 miles, brake pads about the same. He changed the fluids like you are supposed to do, not like they recommend you do.

300,000 miles, on its third set of brake pads and third clutch when he gave it to his son. Would still be going if he did not get drunk and wreck it.

He had a lemon Pontiac though, kept stalling, which was unacceptable because it was my mother in law's daily driver, and he would not have her breaking down. He persuaded them to take it back. He offered to drive that MFer right through the front window for them, as I recall. They eventually saw the wisdom of doing the right thing.

Only Pontiac that ever did it for me was a red '69 convertible Firebird with a 400 this friend had, that was a sweet car.

I bet that the owners of the VW vans built by dodge will swear that their vw's are the best thing evar!!11 and will be ok with any minor problems.


Once that they find out that there dodges they will complain what piles of crap that they are!


I had a neighbor with a Mazda b2000 pickup telling me how great it was and what a pile the Ford Ranger is

American trucks kick ass. From all the big 3, really. I've seen plenty of work trucks from all 3 marques with well over 250,000 miles on them.

Nothing. Chicks need cars, too. :)

(which is in fact a Lotus elise rebadged and re-engined by Vauxhall)


anyhoo, does Pontiac still make any cars or do they just rebadge other brands cars with a new logo for all their cars?

Stijn, the Opel Speedster, Pontiac Solstice, and Saturn Sky share exactly ZERO components with the Lotus Elise. The GM car is much bigger and heavier than the Lotus. The GM car is made out of steel (including the body panels--GM had to develop a new stamping technology to get the dramatic curves). The Lotus is all aluminum. The GM car uses the Ecotec 4 cylinder placed up front. The Lotus uses a mid-mounted Toyota four cylinder.

eer No, Opel Speedster is Alu and Carbon Fiber

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauxhall_VX220
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1228488031.jpg


but if you say the Solstice is front engined, then obviously it's not an Open Speedster now is it, as that car is very much mid engined.


dug it up, it's based on the Opel GT, not the Opel speedster



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1228488018.jpg

The last Pontiac I owned was one of these...they've gone downhill since...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1228504421.jpg

Actually, I briefly had a '66...traded it in on my first P-car...liked the '65 best...

Now that I think about it, I don't think Pontiac builds cars these days.

The's 'cuz you got the back all jacked up.