GMTruckGuy74

Ninety Eight - it's greta having you posting again. I remember the accident claiming the '94 and your search that led you to the '95, but when did you get the '92 Toronado? Two Oldsmobiles now, huh! Lucky you. Is the '92 a Trofeo? A friend of mine neighbor had a dark blue '92 Toronado Trofeo and I lusted after that car. He got into a car accident in '94 and drove it a little while longer, than replaced it with something else. Later on he said he regretted getting rid of it - no other car was like his Trofeo. My only link to Oldsmobile was with my aunt, who purcahsed in early 1990 a leftover "dealer demo" 1989 98 Regency. This was special ordered for the G.M. at the dealership, and he didn't put a whole lot of miles on it (4 or 5 K). It had many more options than most Regency's of the time, and was similarly equipped to the Touring edition. She babied that car, only putting 27,000 miles on it at the time of her death in 2004. She always said that she'd give me the car in her will; unfortunately, she died of cancer and never made a will in time. Apparently though she wrote out her wishes and gave it to my cousin to follow through with; my cousin - to whom I got along with all my life - turned against the rest of the family and claimed all my aunt's stuff as hers, including the Oldsmobile. God only knows what my wacky cousin has done to that wonderful '89 98 Regency

Without revealing the new owner, do they have plans to drive it, show it, or store it? I'm hoping that it's well cared for with it's new owner.... what a piece of GM/Pontiac history! I've been tempted to sell the SKY, believe it or not (I think not having it for over a month mad me go crazy). But then I think, what else is out there that I can enjoy as much as the SKY? Nothing really - and I wouldn't even know what old car (more likely an old GMC) to choose. Then if it was really nice and rare, then I'd never want to risk driving it. So I'll stick with the SKY and enjoy more of it this year. Again, congrats on the sale of the Hawk, good luck with selling the rest of the fleet, and get ready to enjoy the thrill of the hunt for whatever will grace your driveway/garage in the near future.

Too bad it's on June 15th - I still have work until the 19th (assuming we have no snow days to make-up at the end of the year). Otherwise I would have suggested Sixty8 that you try to fill up your car with as many people as comfortable and that could financially afford to help with the costs and drive them all to the event.

I'll be honest, I just flipped through the Solstice chapters (99% of the book) to read only the SKY chapter for now. There are a ton of pictures though on the Solstice's development - at some point I'll go back and read the entire book Sorry, but you got my trivia question mixed up with Sixty8's trivia questions - he's the one dishing out the prizes. Tell you what, send me $34.95 + s&h, and I'll *send* you one of these books!!!

We have a WINNER: In the SKY chapter, the very first page shows a split clay model (two different versions of the front, one almost like production) with a backdrop that shows the words "Solstice T" (the T appearing similar to the GXP graphic) and the "Signal Redline". Two other clay model shots clearly show the emblem "Signal" on the back of the car, exactly where the SKY emblem would be placed on production models. Again, the chapter is very brief on the history of Saturn's Kappa, and it does not explain or even mention why the pictures shown of the clay models say "Signal". I have contacted the publisher about doing a SKY book, especially since they can focus more on the other SKY-related cars too (original 2002 SKY <ION-influenced> Concept, 2003 Vauhall VX Lightning centennial celebration Concept, 2004 Saturn Curve Concept, and the production 2008 Opel GT), but he stated in his reply that Saturn wasn't too interested (however, upon contacting Saturn, they stated they would love a book on the SKY but it was up to the publisher ). And I'm sure many people that bought the Solstice book would be more than willing to add a SKY book to their collection (I would if I owned a Solstice). Apparently the Curve was what Saturn's Kappa car was going to be, but Lutz wanted something more along the lines of the Solstice instead. Vauxhall's VX Lightning concept sealed the deal for Lutz - he wanted a production-oriented car designed from the VX for Saturn and voila - the SKY (Signal) was born. On a side note, I believe it was TED's page that called for the SIGNAL to be a hatchback or wagon as the replacement for the L-Series.

Nope, no one has gotten close to it yet. The picture I included is from the "Pontiac Solstice Book", where a very short chapter at the end of the book is dedicated to the SKY. Two clay models and artwork on the walls of the design studio clearly show a name Saturn was seriously considering for this car. HINT: The name has been discussed here on C&G in the past (>2 years); it was originally thought to be the name of the car to replace the L-Series.

During its development, what name was originally selected for Saturn's Kappa roadster before "SKY"?

Congrats camino on the sale of your Firehawk. Although I know you'll miss it, I'm sure there's something else out there with your name on it! :AH-HA_wink:

Wow ocnblu - that was fast! I hope that you find a buyer quickly for your Colorado. I'm sure your salesperson will get antsy come the end of the month (maybe by then he'll get the manager to come up on the trade offer???). Gotta swing back by the dealership and get some pics to post here - I'm dying to see the Sierra regular cab shortbed. My local GMC dealership only has one shortbed Crew Cab and two shortbed Extended Cabs in stock (same with the local Chevy dealers). No regular cabs spotted yet in my area.

Are those Charger headlights, or Charger-inspired designed headlights? At least that's the vibe I'm getting from them.

Balthazar, is the Corvette on display at the Kerbeck's Chevy dealership? If yes, next time I'm down there I'll have to stop by and see it.

Thanks Balthazar for solving the mystery! I wish the guy was selling that piece alone, as I would love to hang that on my garage wall at home! And yes, it looks big enough to fit on a truck. Sixty8, I thought the same as you in that the piece was from a COE truck. I knew it had to be a GM part, just wasn't sure which vehicle it was from (way off from a truck).

What is this from? Hey Sixty8, they have your '59 Buick:

I'm sure that there is a way, but maybe not for the bodyshop to do it. It may mean a lot of my own time and effort, even if have to take it down to Wilmington myself to get it done (thnak God it's less than an hours drive from where I live!). If that was the case, they should have never told me that the three stickers wouldn't be replaced. Again, two of the stickers are easy because they are put onto all SKYs and Solstices. The big PITA will be the manufacturer's sticker - and I don't even know if the bodyshop still has the old quarter panel to take it off of? I see a call about that issue being made today.

The saga continues... I get a call from the Service Manager Thursday afternoon (1/4) that my SKY is ready to go (they had a second dilemma with the rim <same as last time - wrong rim in the right box> but found the correct one at a nearby Saturn dealer and picked it up from them). I tell him that Saturday would be the earliest I could get there, he said "fine, I'll keep it parked inside so no one hits it out on the lot". I ask how it looks and he said "just like new". I got a funny feeling right then. Saturday arrives and we go to pickup the car around 11:00 AM. I get there and it's sitting all pretty (no more damage ) in the inside service customer area. My salesman comes out, greets us and walks with us over to the car. The wife and I then proceed to check over the work and find eight, that's right, eight things that aren't right with the car. They are as follows: 1. Left rear bumper (two big scratches from the girl's MC) - appraisal states bumper to be repainted & blended; they didn't do this and the two scratches were clearly visible. 2. Driver's side rear inner fender liner - new one that was installed was cracked and sticking out - VERY noticable. 3. Driver's front fender not aligned and sticking out - VERY noticable. 4. New weather stripping applied on top of the new quarter panel not secured and a big gap is very noticable - will probably cause leaks inside of the trunk. 5. Small scratch with red paint directly in the middle of the rear bumper. 6. Right rear bumper where the bumper cover meets the quarter panel at the rear of the wheel had paint damage and possibly more (wife saw this and complained about this). 7. Passenger's side rear inner fender liner - not properly reattached (I guess they removed the entire rear bumper to replace the driver's side rear quarter panel). 8. Factory-installed stickers (3 of them) missing - I specifically asked the service manager when I dropped the car off if new ones would be installed and was told YES - none of the three were there (the tire inflation guide, the sticker that includes the date the car was built, and some other factory sticker). I also noticed that the weatherstripping along the trunk lid edge was sticking way out and I have checked for this in the past and never noticed it. Don't know if it's a result of the bodywork done, but they'll check this out. All of this made me very mad. They had the car for over a month and came highly recommended. I could see one or two minor things that the dealer could fix, but now the car has to go back to the body shop. So who knows when it will be done now? The Service Manager is supposed to call me later this afternoon after speaking to the bodyshop. I'm pissed to say the very least. On a positive note, it was nice to see my car without the horrible body damage. Paint seems to blend nicely and the replaced body panels seem to fit correctly. It's the minor details that annoy me here. $4200 worth of work and this is how my car is returned to me???

Here's a couple of shots of the new Sierra's that my local Pontiac/GMC/Buick dealer has: White SLT Extended Cab 4WD: Steel Gray SLE-1 Crew Cab 4WD: Sport Red Metallic SLT Extend Cab 4WD: Now, for comparison's sake - 2007 all-new vs. 2007 Classic: 1/2 ton Classic SL (W/T) 1500 4wd vs. 1/2 ton All-New SLT 1500 4wd: 3/4 ton Classic 2500 HD SLT 4wd vs. 1/2 ton All-New SLT 1500 4wd: Enjoy!

I finally got to sit in the all new 2007 Sierra - a SLE1 Crew Cab 4WD - today and liked it a lot over the '99-'02 and '03-'07 Sierras. I must say you'll be getting one nice truck there ocn! And that color choice is a great one (Stealth Gray); I'm glad to see that GMC (& Chevy Trucks) have decided to keep it around, whereas the car lines have dropped it for '07. I can see it being a one-year only color on the all-new GMT-900s though Keep us informed.

That's a unique SKY Redline because of the color combo - Chillipepper Red with the two-tone Black & Red leather interior. You can only order that combo in Canada - not that there aren't a ton of US SKY owners that wouldn't have wanted to opt for those color choices (me included)

I just ordered my own copy, seems as if you have to go through www.Solsticestuff.com, Amazon.com (Amazon Marketplace) or through the publisher's own website (http://www.lammmorada.com) to order it. The cost - $34.95 + s&h. So far every Solstice owner that has bought or received this book has had nothing but good things to say about it. Only one chapter though on the SKY Thought I'd pass along this info, for anyone out there interested in reading about General Motors.

My parent's 2006 Pontiac G6 V6 sedan doesn't have the ABS either. They knew this before they signed off on the loan; my dad wanted the car regardless of ABS ("I've only been driving cars with ABS for about the last decade, what do you think I drove before that?") but my mom was concerned. She usually gets the newest car, however she let my dad have the G6 and she kept her '05 Saturn VUE AWD V6 with ABS!

Napco 4WD I'm sure you'd love to own it - heck, I'm sure you've driven it many, many times too. I'm envious of that fact! Placing this up for auction will definitely bring the town the most money for it, regardless of what the "new" owner has in store for it. Someone like me who has an appreication for the history and originallity of this GMC has two problems - no cash and no storage (well, I could move the wife's Envoy out of the garage!) . Getting it back to NJ wouldn't be a problem, as there are plenty of transportation companies out there to choose from (hey Sixty8, you and XP wanna take a ride for me?). While not my favorite year (1955 or 1956), this '59 GMC is a gem and would be a great vehicle to own. I wish you all the luck with getting as much as you can - GMCs are now being recognized for their rarity and auction/selling prices are starting to prove that (which is sad for me as I don't have the money to get one while they're still affordable). Mike, I ask again that when you put the GMC for sale on an auction site, please post the link so I can follow it's progress. Thanks for the info that you've shared here so far!

I find the Silverado to look very attractive in this picture:

Hey, it's a cheap ride, so if it can be made reliable, then go for it on that basis alone. However, if you want to drive something that you feel is cool and sporty, then try for the Buick T-Type. When I was 17 back in '92 and had my '78 Camaro in a friend's shop for some minor repairs, he lent me his '84 Olds Cutlass H/O for the day (good daily driver, needed work). I felt like a million dollars driving that car! Of course my parents also had an '83 Grand Prix LJ that I thought was cool too, so I think any of the G-body coupes are great. I say go for the Buick

All I can say is that I'm expecting the Hummer H4 to be GM's versionof the Jeep Wrangler (2-door).... and I better not be disappointed!

Well ocnblu, you'll be happy to know that: (1) last night I decided not to make an irrate call, rather I'd wait until afternoon and call to get an update; (2) I didn't have to bother making a call because at 7:45 AM the Service Manager called my cell & left a voicemail (can't take calls when I'm teaching class) to let me know that he was on vacation last week and was sorry that I received the call that I got and that my car was returned from the bodyshop Friday. So the good news is that my car is 98% finished and will be ready VERY soon for me to pick it up. The bad news is that GM/Saturn Parts sent the wrong rim (either painted or polished, not chromed) in the correct box. They recognized this Friday and ordered the correct rim to be overnighted. He is hoping it arrives today so they can mount the new tire onto the rim, balance the tire and adjust the rear suspension. Then my car will be ready for me to pickup. He stated he'd call either way this afternoon with an update. I have some work to get done before my day ends at 3:00, so if I don't hear from him by then I'll call on my way home. Thanks for being the "voice of reason"!