GM must be having some major problems. They are jut now introducing a retro car, that new pickup whatever it's called. They are a little too late to do that. Everyone else has already done that to the point that people are sick of it. A year ago you could get ANY GM car for 0% financing including Z06's! Good for us, but bad for GM. I just noticed that there are dealers selling new Corvettes at 20% off MSRP! I thought these were special cars.

Aside from the Corvettes I can't think of a single thing that GM has done well in a long time.

If you want a fast truck- There was the 454SS. it's gone, now there is the Lightning

If you want retro- PT cruiser, T-Bird, mini cooper, VW bug

Ultimate Luxury- Noe GM interior will fall into that catagory. Lexus, Infinity, Mercedes are nice.

SUVs- ok GM has done pretty good. The hop hop generation LUV's the Cadilac SUV, My dad has a Danali that is really nice! But I think Ford still outsells GM

Ponycar- GM gave up :cry the Cobra makes 390HP handles pretty good, and is VERY fast. And can be had for about 30k :)

But I think things are changing. I have read incredible things about the new GTO, the New Vette will be better than the one it replaces (I think they used a 911 Turbo as their target competitor) The Cadilacs are sort sort of cool looking and sporty now. I really like the looks of the XLR.... but I would never buy one, the mercedes is only a little more expensive and a much better car.

I don't understand why they are keeping pontiac.... they have produced same nasty looking cars for a long time! Even the GTO that I priased a second ago still looks like a Grand AM or Prixx, in the pictures.

Our local GM dealer don't even put new cars up front on the lot! They have all the used cars up on display with the new ones hidden. I guess thye know where the real money is.

this is very sad :( GM cars of the past were always the coolest.... now they are boring.

All they really have that is exciting is the Corvette, and the GTO. I think a new hot rod truck is comming soon.

~Jay

 

Killer Olds with 455 video from the Hydroboost site
http://www.hydroboost.com/multimedia/movies/movie_5.WMV

 

The '98 Intrigue was a great car! I did a lot of durability testing on it a at GM's Desert Proving Grounds years back. Attractive, comfortable, and strangely it had a VERY similar ride to a Toyota Camary in my opinion. I was VERY impressed with it. Kind of a best kept secret. At least you got to experience it. At the time I felt that Olds have the nicest line of vehicles of the whole GM lot, except nobody noticed, even GM it appears. And this is coming from someone who was completely indifferent to the Oldsmoble division, but after driving everything GM had at the time, the Olds models seems to the cars that would have made the best everyday drivers. Glad to see what I saw during the Intrigue's testing held true in the real world, at least for you.

 

I don't know what GM has been thinking the last few years. I think it was still a MAJOR error dumping the firebird and camaro line. Left the door wide open for ford mustangs, I mean what else will you buy?
In fact I will continue buying OLDER GM vehicles but I don't see myself getting any more new cars from them. They have lost a customer with me.

 

The ironic thing is that most of the Buicks have sister products built off of the same platform, some on the very same assembly lines, that are sold under different GM brand names. Now that GM engines are corporate and the platforms are going that way, you have to question what is the distinction that Buick holds over the other GM brands that makes BUICK the leaders in the JD Powers survery???? A trim package ??? :confused:

I'm often very suspicious of how these surveys are performed. :skep:

...as to the skepticism about corporate America :iagree: . I think even including the mention of the word "America" is giving way too much credit to where it isn't due. The trend in plant closings, job losses, and corporate rip-offs where the CEO's are walking away with $ millions upon millions in bonuses and golden parachutes while the average worker walks away with no job and his retirement raided, outright disgusts me. If this is what corporate "America" is it's :bs .

I hope this mode of running our businesses changes before it's too late. :rant:


[Modified by LemansBlue68, 4:38 PM 4/28/2004]

 

A few years ago we were looking for a driver for my wife. We had (and still have) a '70 Buick GS455 as a good-weather daily driver. It was an automatic and my wife wanted a 4 speed car. We answered an ad for a '70 442 4 speed. Turned out to be a legit W-30. When the owner started it up you couldn't help but having a big s---eating grin from the sound. That engine came with a cam with 244/244 deg @.050 on a 110 deg LCA. Rumpty-rump right from the factory. The owner took my wife for a test ride while I waited at the garage. She was sold. We've enjoyed it ever since. Great car, always fells good to ride in it. That's all I do is ride - she won't let me drive it. And, to think I lent her my Corvette for a while before we were married... doesn't sound fair, does it?


[Modified by '69CoupeDude, 7:59 PM 4/28/2004]

 

I dont see what GM is doing. Dropping the fbody line then bringing out a GTO? To me the GTO is boring, it looks like a family sedan. The fbodys had that killer look that would make your heart skip a beat. Especially the ram air versions. Just agressively mean looking cars. GTO is boring. :sad:

 

I have a 98 Intigue and it is probably the best car I have ever owned for relability and comfort and guess what it is fairly quick also.
Sorry to see Oldsmobile go....
:steering:

 

442- 400c.i.+ 4bl + 2 exhausts.
Some 442 also got a rear sway bar.
The issue w/ the Chevy engines in the Olds was evidently the Olds owners were not getting the engine & parts serviced at the Olds dealers. GM having spent many decades marketing "move up" Chevy, Pontiac, Olds, Buick, Cadillac evidently decided not to tell them they had the best engine & just paid them off about $500. Both Chrysler & Ford put the same engines in all.
One year Chevy, Pontiac, Olds & Buick all brought out different 350s.

When GM stopped making the full size RWD Chevy sold to practically all police depts. in the country that was a bad sign. Discontinuing the Camaro/Firebird was really bad.

 

Buick should have been the division to go! They killed Olds right in the middle of their turnaround! GM has some of the worst decision makers in the industry. The Olds Alero, Intrigue, and Arurora were some of the better cars comming out of GM. I knew import buyers in California who were buying Oldsmobiles (wer'e talking young fresh out of college buyers.) Pontiac has taken a major backward step in styling with their new models, Chevy is adrift, and Cadillac has all the money to fund ugly styled autos in today's GM. I hate the new Chevy Truck styling and will continue to buy GMC trucks because of that (my neighbor owns the local Checvy dealer and I won't buy that ugly truck no matter how good the deal is!) Watch out GM in the truck department, Nissan is making inroads into your business!

 

This may be an un-American thing to say, but I relly like the new Nissan trucks! If I were in the market for a truck, they would be the first ones I'd consider. Nissan builds great engines too. Every time I drive my maxima find some point where I need to redline it. It is now 10 years old, 140,000 miles, and runs like new and doesn't leak or burn oil. I can only imagine how there V8 must feel.

So what tuner is going to be first to stuff that V8 into a 350z? -I guess that is too American of a thing to do ;) ex. the Monster Miata.

~Jay

 

My father bought one of the last Aurora's and then is giving it to my son in a couple of years. Sad to see such a venerable nameplate go.

 

'Tis sad to see a 100 year old marque slide beneath the waves. I have owned a '50, '57, '66 Cutlass, '79 Cutlass, '86 Ciera, and '86 Delta over the years. Olds' ruled until they lost their purpose of being the upscale hot rod. Pontiac is in that same category, but they messed up by bringing back the GTO as a Grand Am look alike.

 

My 67 442 was a teriffic car.
I embarassed a friend in his 67 Vette coupe so much that he bought a Shelby Mustang. Then I outran the Shelby!

 

Sad to see the Olds nameplate going away.
Those who think it should have been the Buick line forget it!
Buicks sell well in the NYC metro.
Seems that's what 99% of senior citizens drive in NJ.
South Jersey has plenty of retirement communities and that's all you see...Buicks!
In my Corvette club we have a member who owns a Buick dealer.
He's pissed GM hasn't produced a Buick model that appeals to younger people.
Seems Tiger Wood ads hasn't helped to bring in younger buyers as hoped.


[Modified by 69er, 7:09 AM 5/1/2004]