Mac - Mom just bought her first GM in 55 years!!

[TrepMan]

Unfortunetly it was because she got hit 2 weeks ago and totaled her 2003 Ford ZX2. She's luckily fine and just a little sore/bruised, a full sized pickup (Migrant gardeners) hit her sideways in the front drivers fender about tore the car in half, but the airbags and seat belt did their job.



I'm out here in AZ with her for a few weeks and had the charge to help her get a new car. Problem is there are very few/none in her price and spec range - 2 door sporty coupe, no hatchbacks, 4 cylinder, decent gas mileage... idealy under $15 out the door!!



My dad was a Ford guy till he died (Lincoln Town car, Merc Grand Marqui, and all the way back to the 50's), but Ford does NOT make anything in her sytle since they discountued the ZX2, the 'Stang is too big and thirsty/expensive for what she wants, she puts on about 5k a year.



So we narrowed it down to - Saturn ION quad coupe, Chevy Cobalt, Honda Civic and Hyundai Tiburon. Honda no one has in stock and they want MORE then sticker, not in my lifetime!! Chevy was not near as nice as the Saturn, so she narrowed it on Tuesday to the Hyundai and the Saturn. Yesterday AM she went back to both dealers for prices, she REALY liked the looks of the Tiburon (very CUTE and sporty, in her words) but her boyfriend has the 4 door Ion she's been driving for 2 weeks and was confortable with it. Went to the Hyundai dealer first and she asked for his "walk out, cash, lowest price" and he hit her over $19k for the base 4 cylinder! Saturn actualy (last day of the month) dropped their local "extras", and since she didn't want to pay for allow wheels (I would have!!) they sold her a on the lot car w/out charging her for the upgraded wheels. She got a Lazer Blue Quad Coupe!



Oh and a free year of On Star, that was a deal sealer, I feel very comfortable leaving her next week with the car and On Star!

 

[Dewey Storie]

Ok Trep you come to AZ and don't even tell me ... btw I am in Chandler

 

[TrepMan]

Dewey - One of my best college buddies is in Chandler. This trip I don't have much free time working 5am to 3pm this week and next week, afternoon with the kids swimming and my mom helping around the house. We're going to the grand canyon this weekend. Wish I had time to fish and hang out!

 

[JAMES MOORE]

Two thumbs up: We've had our four door Saturn now for six years.48 thousand miles on her and averages 36 miles to the gallon. Low miles for the year but then the wife only drove it 1 mile to work and back. I'm driving it now, 50 miles a day to save on gas rather than drive the truck. It hasn't missed a beat with the only maintenance being the regular oil changes. The tires even still look brand new.

 

[TrepMan]

Fool - I'm on my 3rd, '92 SL2, '99 SL1 and 2002 SL2. You remember my perchant for wagons, I wish when they came out with the LW v-6 that they would have rated it to 2000+lbs and I would have bought one to tow my old Tracker.



I did look at the Sky, and agree with the press that the Sky seems a much better fit/finish/design/look from the Solstice.

 

[Tom Jones]

Got to love those great driving "migrant gardeners"! NOT!:angry::angry:

I'm sure they were fully insured. How do you say dumba$$ in spanish?

Maybe she can file a lawsiut against Vicente Fox.

Glad she is OK and that she bought the Tennessee-made Saturn!!

 

[Jack Long]

Hey Terp, Tell your Mom thanks, I work at Saturn here in Spring Hill, and we all wish her the best. Good luck with her new Ion. Later<>< <>< <>< <>< Jack

 

[TrepMan]

Tom - Luckily the truck was owned by a local american citizen, and she has engaged a lawyer to take this forward. I HATE lawyers but in this case with the details its the right thing to do.



Jack - Between us we now own 3 (her Ion, her boyfriends Ion and my SL2).



What stinks is when Dad passed away 3 years ago she bought the car she wanted (Ford ZX2) and its totaled and they don't make them anymore

 

[Larry Harp]

Trep, here's a great story about the father of a friend of mine who was also a Ford fanatic. The man was in the last stages of cancer and knew he didn't have long to live. He told my friend, " I don't want my last car ride on earth to be in a General Motors product. Please find a funeral home with a Lincoln hearse". Greg's dad passed away a week or two later and he started looking for a funeral home that had a Lincoln but all he could find were Caddilic hearses. Finally when all options failed he rented a Ford Club Wagon from Hertz or Avis and took the seats out and that became the old mans last ride.



Harpo

 

[Bill McElroy]

Trep,..tell you Mom THANX!!:wub: Every little bit helps!! I'm working on the 2008 Saturn VUE Hybrid program now.......just finished the 2007 Hybrid.



On Star ROCKS!!! I use the car-phone all the time...very cool!!

Carry on!!

Mac

 

[TrepMan]

Harpo - Thats a great story!! I could see my Dad doing the same thing, I could see him say "Fold the seats down on that black Tarus Wagon and cram me in there!!"

 

[Terry Hutchison]

Trep, give your Mom a thanks from me too. Glad she wasn't hurt badly.



Mac, so you're the one I need to blame! I'm a VUE Final Reprocess team leader and I've pretty much been the go-to mechanic on most of the Hybrids we've built so far. There's one engineer that I only see when we have hybrids coming, so when I see him I usually run off screaming.:lol: Actually, the validation builds have been going much better than I expected, very few problems for something that new. They say the Hybrid VUE is going to be the most cost effective hybrid out there. I'd kinda like to stay and see the thing into full production but I'm sailing off into retirement July 1. Hutch

 

[Bill McElroy]

Hutch,....Don't blame me,...I just make pictures of how to put the stuff together,....I don't design or engineer it!!..LOL. I feel the same pain you do!! I'll be glad when we go to production with it too.....then all the stuff I did WAAAYY in advance goes over to India for "maintenance and upkeep". I'm working on the 2008's now......and from what I've seen,..this global work sharing is going to be a REAL challenge!! It's being designed in Korea....engineered in the US and Canada.....and then it'll be mfgr'd in Mexico!!:blink::wacko:



I need to go fishing,.....atleast i know THAT won't be outsourced!!..LOL Congrat's on your pending retirement too.....can't even begin to tell you how jealous I am!!!



Carry on Podner's!!

Mac

 

[TrepMan]

Mac and Hutch - Now if you 2 can figure a way to get Saturn to increase the towing capacity of its cars/trucks (minus the re-badged Chevy Minivan). I'd love to see a nice rear/4 wheel drive mid-full sized station wagon to compete with the Dodge Magnum and tow 3500 lbs. Oh and don't give me this lack of ladder frame and front wheel drive stuff, GM/Saab have somehow figured out with the Saab 9-5 sedan and wagon is rated to tow 3500!!! I wish a 4 cylinder good gas mileage Saturn L or S series wagon (I know they don't make them anymore) or the Ion had that kind of capacity!!



That realy suprized me on the Saab towing capacity seems an anomoly in front drive unibody vehicles.

 

[Terry Hutchison]

Trep, I'm picking up a new '06 V6 Vue Saturday morning. Actually it's one of the 1200 hail damaged Saturns we had at the plant. Towing capacity is 3500 lbs. I'll just be pulling my Pro 17 until I can talk the boss into something a little more substantial. Funny thing is that the fwd V6 is rated slightly better fuel mileage than the fwd 4 cylinder. I don't think the 4 has any towing capacity. Mac would probably know more about this than I do but I've heard Saturn is coming out with a larger rwd V8 powered SUV. Hutch