BigPontiac

What if they reconsidered bringing over the G8 SportWagon?

Quick search I did showed it as a separate company, though that could have changed. GMAC and OnStar also showed as separate like SAAB USA. The following Saturn Fans link recounts the Wall Street Journal article I read that mentioned the idea.

Or because Saturn Corporation can be shutdown independently of General Motors Corporation, whereas the "brands" don't necessarily have that option. Put Saturn into bankruptcy, lose the dealers, redeploy the Opel product to other North American brands with a larger dealer network.

Bill Perry - Heaven in a Pontiac

Link to Article Matt Dillon arrested for speeding in Vermont Wed Dec 31, 11:41 am ET BOSTON (Reuters) – Hollywood actor Matt Dillon was arrested and charged with driving at an excessive speed after police clocked him traveling at 106 miles per hour on a Vermont interstate highway. The star of the 2004 movie "Crash" was pulled over at about 10 p.m. on Tuesday in the town of Newbury after he was caught on police radar traveling north at high speed in a rented 2009 Chevrolet Impala, said Vermont State Police Sgt. Tara Thomas. The New York-based 44-year-old actor is scheduled to appear in Vermont's Orange County Court on January 21. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of three months in jail and a $300 fine. Dillon began his acting career when he was discovered in the halls of his New Rochelle, New York, junior high school while skipping class. The former teen idol has worked for such acclaimed directors as Francis Ford Coppola and Gus Van Sant. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Crash". (Reporting by Jason Szep, Editing by Sandra Maler)

You could set up RSS feeds on GM related topics from sites like Autoblog, Insideline, etc to automate a lot of the manual posting and keep the front page fresh. Just a thought.

Here's my list based on my 2000 Sierra, and the 2001, 2004, and 2006s owned by friends. All are 5.3, 4sp. Defrosting element in the heated mirrors Blower motor for HVAC Control Settings for HVAC (dual zone climate control) Steering Shaft (TSB) Propeller shaft/slip joint (TSB) Electric 4WD Switch Stereo Speakers Rear defroster elements Tailgate cables (may be non-issue on a 2006) Axle seals and CV boots related to front axle/transfer case (driver's side tends to go first)

Interesting article about this in the paper and the dealer's relationship to GM. Also that 30 dealerships had closed their doors this year. Article

Autoblog has some "live" pics up too -- 2010 Equinox

I just got this e-mail from my local GMC dealer, which acquired Pontiac a few years ago and also had 2 Saturn stores (both closed). I just got an oil change there a few weeks ago! December 19, 2008 To Our Valued Customers: We regret to inform you that on December 19, 2008, Tony March Buick, Inc., dba Tony March Buick-Pontiac-GMC AND Saturn of Hartford closed their doors. These dealerships have proudly served the community for many years, and the decision to close was not an easy one. We deeply value the relationship we have with all of our customers, and we realize this may be an inconvenience for some of you. Please accept our apologies for having to make this difficult decision that affects you. In an effort to ensure you receive the service and support you deserve as a valuable member of the GM family, please check out www.gm.com for a list of all the dealerships in the area that may able to serve you. Click on “GM Vehicles” and type in your zip code. Each one on the list is fully staffed with factory trained GM Goodwrench technicians and service personnel who are eager to start a new relationship with you and provide the same great service you have come to expect from your General Motors dealer. In addition, these dealers can also provide assistance if you are in the market for a new car or truck. Buick, Pontiac, GMC and Saturn all have some of the finest vehicles on the road, and they are currently providing some outstanding purchase and lease incentives. Please feel free to contact any of the dealers on the GM website for your sales and service needs. Hopefully you will feel right at home! Again, please accept our sincere apologies for this inconvenience. Your satisfaction is always of the utmost importance to us. Yours truly, Tony March, President Tony March Buick, Inc.

Link to Article

I'd pick a Buick project: Link

It's the same color as dust and pollen which makes it look clean most of the time One of these days I need to post the "building of" in the Project Car Chronicles section...

Yes, Mayfair (lighter variation) with black top/interior. My exhaust was a stock patterned repro that we aluminum coated, but it tucks up under the rear valance more than the green car's pipes, which also seems to be visually working against it. The rear clearance issue comes into play with trailering or flatbeds...the rear overhang behind the wheels is so long, it'll drag the gas tank if it sits too low. Happened to be a few times before mine was restored. In theory that particular car could have the rear air adjustable shock option, but the other details that are "off" make me think they just used the wrong springs. He's also missing the "Bonneville" badging on either the lower front fender or the back of the rear quarter.

Not the best angle, but all I could find quickly. Here's mine with stock ride height for comparison:

I put new springs on mine when it was restored and it doesn't ride nearly that high! The paint mismatch implies that it's had work done on the quarters...plus the incorrect respraying of the 8-lugs. That's not a factory spec resto.

Well, if GM has the option to put Saturn into bankruptcy due to it's corporate structure, they could possibly eliminate 1 brand, 5 nameplates and all the Standalone dealerships. Sounds like a good start to me.

GM may have a way to shed the Saturn brand. From the WSJ Online: Link to Article

GM's Fastlane Blog had a blurb posted about patents today. Link: GM Leads the Way in Fueling Innovation

I was thinking just straight labor -- no new parts, repainting, etc -- just take all the bags labeled in Russian or whatever and just assemble the car and sell it.

Here's the Lutz interview from earlier today: LINK

I still think you should assemble the Jag more to reduce the intimidation factor (without worrying about restoration) and sell it to finance the projects you like more...

So, what color are you going to paint it while you're finishing it :AH-HA_wink:

Feel free to contact Chris Dodd directly and tell him what you think: http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/3128&cat=Opinion

Link to Article AP The lessons of the 1979 Chrysler loan guarantee Sunday November 23, 11:34 am ET By Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer Chrysler's 1979 loan guarantee offers lessons for troubled US automakers WASHINGTON (AP) -- When Chrysler teetered on the brink of bankruptcy in 1979, the automaker spent months building support for a $1.5 billion loan guarantee that helped save the company and tens of thousands of jobs. Nearly 30 years later, the U.S. auto industry is getting only weeks to make its case. Still, the Chrysler chapter offers lessons to the executives of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC -- the private equity successor to the old Chrysler Corp. -- as well as the United Auto Workers union as they try to win support in Congress for a stalled $25 billion rescue plan. Chrysler's predecessor secured the loan guarantees because labor, management and other stakeholders all made concessions, analysts and lawmakers said. The company also benefited from the salesmanship of its chairman, Lee Iacocca, as well as a broad coalition of supporters and a more dominant hold of the domestic auto market. "The loan guarantee wasn't just handed to them on a silver platter," said Charles Hyde, author of "Riding the Roller Coaster: A History of the Chrysler Corporation." Contrast that to the two days of high-profile hearings this past week when automakers stumbled and congressional leaders told them to come back after Thanksgiving with a better case. Detroit's chief executives arrived aboard private jets, denied culpability for the jam their companies are in and blamed their problems on the economic downturn. The UAW said it had already taken wage and benefit concessions in 2007 and declined to endorse new givebacks. "We're asking the taxpayers to throw money in. We're not asking management to do anything," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who supported the Chrysler deal as a House member. "We're not asking unions to do anything and we aren't asking government to do anything except throw the money in. We aren't undoing a lot of the reasons why they're in trouble." Chrysler's efforts in 1979 did not get off to a fast start, either. Struggling with its largest-ever quarterly loss, a fleet of inefficient cars and high gas prices, chairman John Riccardo appealed to the Carter administration that July for $1 billion to stabilize the company and protect its 250,000 workers. Hyde, a Wayne State University history professor, said many people forget that Chrysler was forced to come up with $2 billion in concessions from unions, white-collar employees, dealers, suppliers and banks as part of the deal. State and local governments connected to plants provided tax concessions and Chrysler was required to adhere to tight government supervision after they received the loans. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., who helped write the 1979 legislation with the late Sen. Paul Tsongas, D-Mass., remembered that UAW president Douglas Fraser told him that his union "never made concessions -- never" and Chrysler's leaders were "equally cavalier about it." But Lugar said Congress approached the Chrysler loans "pragmatically -- that there would need to be substantial changes in the offerings by Chrysler, likewise substantial changes in the labor agreement with the UAW." Riccardo announced his resignation in September and was replaced by Iacocca, a master salesman who introduced the wildly popular Ford Mustang in the 1960s. Iacocca agreed to work for a $1 a year until Chrysler turned a profit. He traveled between Detroit and Washington on commercial airlines. "You don't fly around on your private jet when you're asking the government for a big loan," said Reginald Stuart, who covered the 1979 rescue as The New York Times' Detroit bureau chief and wrote a book about it. Iacocca teamed with then-Detroit Mayor Coleman Young to make the case for the loans. Together, they served as a "one-two punch," Stuart said in an interview, bringing in the Urban League and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to their cause and organizing a grass-roots campaign by business and city leaders, dealerships, auto suppliers and others. Four days before Christmas, Congress passed the bill, providing Chrysler a $1.5 billion loan guarantee -- 50 percent more than the company originally sought. Signed by President Jimmy Carter in January 1980, the legislation gave the government broad oversight of the company and an ownership stake. Chrysler avoided bankruptcy and went to develop its highly successful fuel-efficient K-cars. Chrysler eventually drew down $1.2 billion in loans and repaid them within three years, seven years early. Chrysler turned a profit in 1982 and the government made $311 million in the sale of stock warrants and another $25 million in loan guarantee fees. "We at Chrysler borrow money the old-fashioned way," Iacocca said later. "We pay it back." Former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, as a congressman, spent five months helping steer the Chrysler loan guarantees through the House. "They don't have this kind of time now, in my opinion," he said. He said the car makers now need to present an operating plan that shows they can return to profitability in the next three to five years. "It's going to be very hard to help them if it appears that all it's going to do is let them limp along until we get an upturn in the economy." U.S. automakers also face a different sales reality now. None of the Japanese companies had started building cars in the United States in 1979 and Detroit's automakers held more than three-fourths of the market. Cars carrying foreign nameplates represented 49 percent of U.S. sales last year and Toyota is on the NASCAR circuit. Now, Hyde says, "The minute you leave Detroit, most of the rest of the county says, 'We're not against the auto industry, we're only against those backward Detroit companies.'"