Any Pontiac G8/Holden Commodore Owners???

[wrightme43]

Outstanding vehicle, projects quiet compentence with a bit of upscale apeal.

Based on the camry chassis, and highlander chassis. Very quiet, very well made, very safe, and looks damn good doing it. Easy to get into and out of for women, easy to see out of as you drive, just a top notch vehicle.

Lexus Certified Pre-Owned - Model Library RX 350 AWD RX 350 FWD 2007

 

[Hellgate]

Great suggestions everyone. I'll admit I forgot about a used Infinity, very, very good car.

We were looking on line today and there are SCREAMING deals. I can get a VW CC (the redesigned Passat - looks like an MB CLS 550) in a lease for $299. WOW! I am a German car nut BTW. Toyota has new Camrys for $249 a month for 36 months.

Normally I drive a car for at least 65,000 miles, my 85 VW Golf was driven for 135,000 miles and my '83 BMW 528e (what a great car) for 185,000 miles (four trips from Denver to Austin will do that). But the lease provides me with a known cost for the next three years and with the business starting that is important. Cash flow, cash flow, cash flow.

Here's a bazar thing...my GMC has APPRECIATED! $10,000 in the last 4 months! Yes, really. When gas was $4.00 a gallon it was worth $18,500 (that is a $39,500 truck) now that gas is $1.69 it is worth $28,500 retail.

I think I may go talk to Mr. VW and see what he can do for me and Mr. Toyota for my wife.

 

[wrightme43]

I like the passat alot. Only down side is parts availability but if you dont mind a occasional overnight wait for parts they are awesome.

The new camry is a sight. Underneath it looks like a thing where everything has its place. It just looks right. Sweet car.

 

[Hellgate]

I like the passat alot. Only down side is parts availability but if you dont mind a occasional overnight wait for parts they are awesome.

The new camry is a sight. Underneath it looks like a thing where everything has its place. It just looks right. Sweet car.

I do too. I had an '03 Passat Wagon that was chipped. It FLEW! My ex had an Audi A4 Quattro with the same motor. What great cars, very fun to drive and pretty reliable.

 

[wolfc70]

The northstar engine has a bad problem with permanent oil leaks. Some never leak, and some leak and can not be fixed no matter how many times you change the same gasket.

Just tossing it out.

:hijack: Is that due to no "oil pan"? I always wondered why the bottom end is just one solid cast piece of aluminum. IIRC, the bearing caps are part of the structural casting, making changing it a real challenge to reapir leaks. It looks like it would be a nightmare to get to seal properly.

 

[wolfc70]

I do too. I had an '03 Passat Wagon that was chipped. It FLEW! My ex had an Audi A4 Quattro with the same motor. What great cars, very fun to drive and pretty reliable.

My friend had a '02 passat 1.8t with the GIAC chip, wow that car was a total sleeper. VW parts can be lots of money though. The new 2.0T engine has had some issues in the past, mainly with fuel dilution due to the direct injection causing wear on the cam lobe for the high pressure pump. I believe VW corrected the problem in '07.

 

[Hellgate]

My friend had a '02 passat 1.8t with the GIAC chip, wow that car was a total sleeper. VW parts can be lots of money though. The new 2.0T engine has had some issues in the past, mainly with fuel dilution due to the direct injection causing wear on the cam lobe for the high pressure pump. I believe VW corrected the problem in '07.

That is true. VW also sent another notice out and it boiled down to using good oil and following the recommended oil change interval. If the interval was not followed and/or poor quality oil was used sludge could form and block oil passages. VW/Audi parts can be expensive, always have been, even in the Bug days but in this case it would be under full warranty and full recommended service for the period of the lease. Not a bad deal for $299.

On a side note, the VW/Audi motor is one of the best motors to hot-rod; it is very easy to make 250 to 275 reliable HP. I love it when its on boost!

 

[Cuba]

I've had 2 late 90's Cadillac STS's and both went through about a quart of oil between changes. Well okay it was the same engine/transmission in both but the point remains- this was never a big issue though, just something you got used to. Some people freak out like their car is worthless if it leaks a little oil. Some spend $2 every once in a while.

A family member has had an 01 passat wagon since new and that thing breaks down every 6 months like clockwork. It just won't start some mornings, charging it doesn't work. It's an electrical problem of some kind but I don't know what exactly. They've taken it to numerous places and never had the problem actually solved. This could be an isolated example but I'm just saying, that's my experience with them.

There are a TON of great cars for sale cheap right now, I just wish I was in the market.

 

[bcityroller]

I had a 03 Passat W8 wagon with a 6 spd for a while. Really nice car, great to drive, loads of grunt, etc. I was even willing to deal with the extra German car service/cost until I had to do it at the local dealership - even routine service seemed to leave me out of a car overnight. If it hadn't had been for them I'd prolly still have it.

On a side note, don't buy your wife an Audi otherwise she'll refuse to drive/buy anything else. Don't ask me how I know :banghead:

 

[Cuba]

I had a 03 Passat W8 wagon with a 6 spd for a while. Really nice car, great to drive, loads of grunt, etc. I was even willing to deal with the extra German car service/cost until I had to do it at the local dealership - even routine service seemed to leave me out of a car overnight. If it hadn't had been for them I'd prolly still have it.

On a side note, don't buy your wife an Audi otherwise she'll refuse to drive/buy anything else. Don't ask me how I know :banghead:

My good friend and riding buddy is an accomplished audi/vw mechanic who was the first American authorized to work on the W8 passat engine years ago when it was still a prototype vehicle. He completed the work on it, then wrecked it that night and is still paying it off. He said it was a great car, very fast.:thumbup:

 

[Capo79]

Pete, I work for Holden, and I have 2 Holdens parked in my garage, (mind you, one of them is an imported Opel Astra). No trouble at all with my cars, I love them...

Would never think I'd run into someone on this forum that also own an Astra:thumbup: The car hasn't let me down so far (knock on wood!). It's the 2.0 turbo estate (caravan) I've got. Goes quite well too

Regarding US made cars: I think a lot of the quality problems US car customers experience have something to do with the production line itself. As far as I know, quite a few of the factories have really old production techniques and therefore the tolerance limits in any component are also higher. But that's just my thoughts:ban:

 

[sweber_7]

If i had to buy a new car today it would either be a Volvo C30 or a mazda SPEED3. The C30 has a 5 cylinder turbocharged engine and starts at about $23,000. The Mazda is one of the nicest car i've seen in a very long time.

 

[wolfc70]

I had a 03 Passat W8 wagon with a 6 spd for a while. Really nice car, great to drive, loads of grunt, etc. I was even willing to deal with the extra German car service/cost until I had to do it at the local dealership - even routine service seemed to leave me out of a car overnight. If it hadn't had been for them I'd prolly still have it.

On a side note, don't buy your wife an Audi otherwise she'll refuse to drive/buy anything else. Don't ask me how I know :banghead:

Talk about a rare car, W8, six speed and a Variant to boot. I think only like 70 some equipped like that were sold in the USA. Trust me, I looked for a used one, I only found automatics. The W8 is a great motor, until you reach 100,000 miles, VW recommends replacing the timing chain, o2 sensors and a host of other stuff. Since the engine has to be pulled out of the car to change the chain and o2 sensors, it is like a $3000 project. So I got scared away from the W8.

When my Nissan Altima died, I bought a nice low mileage '03 Passat. Well i quickly found out why it was so cheap. It turns out the previous owner did not believe in oil changes. Owning it two days, the low oil pressure light and warning came on. Took it back to the car lot (not a VW dealer) and had them test the oil pressure, 5 psi at hot idle and 15 psi at 3000 rpm. The car had undergone a dealer sludge treatment a year before, but they never replaced the oil pump. Since the car lot only wanted to replace the pump and not check the cams for wear (lifters were making noise when warm, along with the cam chain adjuster), I told them to buy it back. They refused at first, but slowly came around to the idea of getting me out of there, I think they knew I would be a PITA until the car was perfect. So I bought a clean used '03 Saturn L300 with the English built V6. This car has had its share of teething problems too, though none as bad as oil pressure issues. If an Accord or Camry had been in my price range and had less than 100k on it, I would have bought it. A B6 Passat is a nice car, too bad VW had no lease specials when I was shopping. Time for me to get a higher paying job!!

 

[bcityroller]

Talk about a rare car, W8, six speed and a Variant to boot. I think only like 70 some equipped like that were sold in the USA. Trust me, I looked for a used one, I only found automatics. The W8 is a great motor, until you reach 100,000 miles, VW recommends replacing the timing chain, o2 sensors and a host of other stuff. Since the engine has to be pulled out of the car to change the chain and o2 sensors, it is like a $3000 project. So I got scared away from the W8.
(

It was rare - I had estimated <200 in the US over the two years they sold them. It was one of those things that when it popped up for sale, used and within driving distance I just wanted it. When I sold, someone flew from CO to MA and drove it back.
And yes, it was an expensive car to maintain - you had to disassemble parts of the intake manifold to change the plugs which were due at 40k. Guess that's what happens when you cram a 4L 8-cyl into a space most normally occupied by a 1.8L 4. It was also a true sleeper - I totally stunned a hotted-up GTI on the highway one-day. Don't think he expected my wagon to pull on him at triple-digit speeds - that was fun.

 

[Capo79]

If i had to buy a new car today it would either be a Volvo C30 or a mazda SPEED3. The C30 has a 5 cylinder turbocharged engine and starts at about $23,000. The Mazda is one of the nicest car i've seen in a very long time.

Of all European car makers, Volvo is one of those with most faults and flaws. And the C30 along with the XC90 and V50 are those from Volvo that has the most. It's owned by Ford, you know........

The five cyl engine is sweet, though. Lots of torque.

 

[wolfc70]

Of all European car makers, Volvo is one of those with most faults and flaws. And the C30 along with the XC90 and V50 are those from Volvo that has the most. It's owned by Ford, you know........

The five cyl engine is sweet, though. Lots of torque.

Here in the USA, Volvo is one of the better European brands. My cousin worked for a foreign car place that specialized in European cars. He always recommended Volvo over Saab, MB, Jaguar, Audi/VW, and yes even BMW. Mainly due to the robust nature of the Volvo engines, he said you never see a mechanical failure in a Volvo. Granted they still had some quirky issues, but nothing as bad as some of the other brands. Volvo uses a higher quality rubber and plastic than most European companies, so you will have less issues with vacuum leaks and PCV issues. CV boots and suspension bushings seem to last longer on Volvo's too. But then again if you do a lease, most of this stuff is moot, you will have a warranty! A good thing is that the days of European cars being know for poor air conditioning, constant overheating, and bad electronic systems are now, for the most part, in the past.

 

[wrightme43]

This is just me, if I had my choice of new cars, Lexus, Toyota, Honda, Acura are at the top of my list.

I dont so I have a fz6 and a craptastic 90 celica 5 speed with 225,000 miles on it. It still works fine. Beat all to hell but still works fine.

 

[bcityroller]

This is just me, if I had my choice of new cars, Lexus, Toyota, Honda, Acura are at the top of my list.

That's a good thought - I haven't seen much mention of the Acura TL and RL in this thread. Both very nice, reliable and not too flashy - not very different in size at the end of the day. The TL would be slightly cheaper for a given year/mileage but not much and the RL is their flagship after all.

One thing I I'll never understand though is why Honda/Acura still have hinges that swing into the trunk vs the folding hinges like everyone else. It just pisses me off - and yes I am weird about stuff like that. On the Acura'a they at least hide them from you and box them in so you can't crush your stuff.

 

[Hellgate]

Would never think I'd run into someone on this forum that also own an Astra:thumbup: The car hasn't let me down so far (knock on wood!). It's the 2.0 turbo estate (caravan) I've got. Goes quite well too

Regarding US made cars: I think a lot of the quality problems US car customers experience have something to do with the production line itself. As far as I know, quite a few of the factories have really old production techniques and therefore the tolerance limits in any component are also higher. But that's just my thoughts:ban:

The majority of the factories are newer and have excellent quality coming off the line. ie: number of defects per unit is very, very low. The problem with older American cars, say 4 to 5 years and older, is the quality of the components themselves can be poor, or, if a problem is identified the part is not redesigned tp solve the problem. The American car makers, really every car maker except for maybe the exotics, all use what is called the Toyota model for building. Toyota was taught how to build like that from Demming after WWII, an American!

For more read, "The Goal", by Eli Goldratt.

 

[wolfc70]

Toyota was taught how to build like that from Demming after WWII, an American!

For more read, "The Goal", by Eli Goldratt.

And to think that American companies laughed W. Edwards Deming pretty much out of the country!! It took 30 some years for Xerox to finally use his management plan in the 1980's and give Deming the recognition he deserved.

I just got done looking at my bosses loaner car, an '09 Lincoln MKS. Wow Ford is on a roll, very nice car, world class interior, overall a very nice design. Between the MKS and the new '10 Fusion, Ford may be the sole survivor of the Domestics.