GMTruckGuy74

Congrats on the GMC purchase/order ocnblu... you know you have my seal of approval on this one! Please keep us informed of it's progress, and promise us that you'll take many, many, many pictures when it arrives. The SKY would be in trouble if a SPORTSIDE BED option returns for teh GMT-900 pickups. I could really dig a 2007 Sierra Regular Cab Sportside Bed Z71 4wd (assuming the bed design looks good). I sure do hope GM brings this option back.

That has to be the XE model - no steering wheel audio controls and cloth seats. Not bad though. Can't wait to really sit in one and check it all out (I breifly sat in one in November!).

Franz von Holzhausen is credited witht he design of the two cars, but he bailed GM before they went to production. I believe that she is the team leader for the SKY. I'll have to get out the magazine and re-read the article. She had a lot of influence with the SKY in the desgn process; btw, she was the one pictured in the 2005 Saturn brochure in the design studio with the clay SKY and SKY drawings visible. I wish I had that scanned to show here.

Wow... I gotta say that I'm happy to be a Saturn owner twice

This picture is in the current "Saturn Signatures" magazine; the lady is the lead designer for the SKY. Click on the link below to see what I'm talking about. Look to her left and you'll see what I'm talking about - a yellow, Hummer-looking concept vehicle. http://www.skyroadster.com/forums/attachme...54&d=1165389800 Is that old news that I missed, or is this a first time showing? I'm sure it's just some design exercise.

Well, I'm a public school teacher, so there's no parties for us unless the teachers themselves get together. And that's exactly what the Business Education Department does - we usually just bring in snacks and enjoy talking and gossiping, but this year I encouraged us to go out to dinner. This way we get away from school and can have more fun! Now on the otherhand, my wife works for a pharmecutical company and they go overboard for their company party (this year's is next Saturday, the 16th). Two years ago it was held in NYC, with a big dinner cruise, fireworks show by the Statue of Liberty, "afterhours" party and breakfast in the morning - oh, that stuff and the hotel rooms at the Times Square Marriott & parking were all covered by her company! Last year's was in Philly and was similar. This year they're cutting back and holding it in East Brunswick at the Hilton (exit 9 of the NJ turnpike). Again, hotel rooms, cocktail hour, dinner, entertainment, afterhour party and breakfast are included, and whatever parting gift they decide to give (sometimes it's coffee mugs, other times chocolate). That is in addition to a really fancy gift basket that gets shipped directly to each employee's house. I told her that she needs to pass on a note to upper management that a monetary bonus in lieu of the big ol' party would be appreciated by the employees (and their spouses!) more. Again, they go overboard! She gets all of this while I, the public servant, gets nothing! Ain't life grand?

Yes, those wheels are the new five-spoked steel rims with the plastic wheelcovers, but chromed - just like caddycruiser stated already. I wasn't sure if I was really going to like them (always had aluminum rims on all my vehicles), but they definitely look nice with the dark blue. And since it's a leased car, I won't be changing them out (that thought crossed my mind right before taking delivery).As for 3500 V6 in the XE, I don't think it's a dog off the line. I drove a 2004 Malibu LT with that engine (200 hp) for 3 years prior to the AURA and that was one of the things I liked about the car (and that engine was completely trouble-free for the 43K+ miles I had it). The upgraded 3500 with 224 hp feels more powerful to me. The interior is very quiet, so I haven't heard the engine yet (I'm sure when the windows are down in the warmer weather I'll notice the sound). Again, this car continues to impress me everytime I drive it. I don't have it with me today, and by the time the wife gets home with it, it will be too dark to get interior pictures. But I will do it soon and post them here ASAP.

I like the original Saturn logo, and don't see a need for it to be changed. Even though you say the cars from '91-'06 are crappy (remember, the SKY & AURA are '07s), they sold a lot of them and many older Saturn owners are very proud of their cars. Update it if needed, but I don't think a whole new design is needed. As for changes, GM's done too many already. First they update the styling of many of the brand logos, then they get rid of actual names for alphanumerics, and now you suggest this. I think loyal GM enthusiasts won't be able to recognize GM in 10 years if they keep changing everything!!!

Good luck with this Ocn... your Colorado is very nice, but I think you'll be happier in a full-sizer again. Plus you choose GMC, so you know you're getting my on this one! Definitely keep us posted on what happens. Btw, I snuck into the local Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealership yesterday to grab the all-new 2007 Sierra and 2007 Acadia brochures. Only one regular cab Sierra pictured in the entire booklet, and not even a good shot at that (at least it was pictured in the dark blue ). I was thinking we'd get the OUTLOOK when the Envoy lease expires in 2008, especially because of the other two Saturns in the driveway, but the pictures of the Acadia in its brochure definitely have caught my attention. It will be a tough choice come summer of 2008 (this time, we're looking to buy rather than lease - family duty (trips, short & long) will be its primary responsibility). Ocn, I will say that if you end up getting the all-new 2007 Sierra, I will be jealous!

Those rims, or a design 99% like them, are available for the SKY through GM Accessories. Too bad they're 18" rims and my XE has 17"ers, otherwise I would have gotten them for my AURA.

moltar, the first HW Camaro Concept car I bought was at a TARGET; however, they only had the one available. The three K-marts I went to had tons of them. So now you know where they all are if you can't find them at Wal-mart or TARGET!!!

Surprisingly, I've found the HW Camaro Concept car at the three most local K-marts I've been to this week. I'm not sure though if my Camaro's have clear glass or the blue glass - I haven't looked at them that much since I picked up 3 of them over the weekend.

Well, a small update... I dropped the SKY off to the dealership Wednesday afternoon and it was going to be flatbed trucked to the body shop Thuesday morning. My dealership, and the respective body shop, were unable to give me an esitmate because GM has not issued the 2007 labor rates (or so they told me). Basically they were going to work with the amount my insurance company came up with. I received their esitmate in the mail Monday and faxed it to the dealership Tuesday. The good thing doing that is that Tuesday the Service Manager went to the Parts Dept and ordered everything I needed. They figure 2-3 weeks and I should have it back, "better than new" they say. I would really like it back for Dec. 23 (my bday), as I planned a nice little get-away for a few hours with it prior to the accident. Ocn, do you have a fax # you could give me so I can send you the esitmate? I'd like a short explanation of what they're going to do to my "baby". The service manager was going to go over it, but my dad was there to pick me up and he kind of rushed me out to beat the traffic.

The short answer - NO WAY!!!!

Thanks for the comments so far. Almost 600 miles and no real complaints (I'm not too thrilled with the non leather-wrapped steering wheel, although I'm getting use to it more every time I drive the AURA). Anyway, snapped a few more pictures that I wanted to share. Enjoy!

Here is my submission:

I have to agree 100% with you here caddycruiser. My AURA XE doesn't have the leather-wrapped steering wheel or shifter knob because it doesn't have the leather interior option (it's the same with the XR without leather). I think with the AURA, Saturn/GM should have made an exception and included the leather-wrapped steering wheel as standard equipment. As nice as the interior is, the non leather-wrapped steering wheel looks & feels cheap. I don't miss the sunroof, I'm okay without the leather seats, but the cheapy steering wheel is a turn off for me. Today as I was driving my 15-month old to his doctor's appointment, I was thinking that I might start searching for a totalled SKY to grab the leather steering wheel out of and get it installed in my AURA.

Well, my initial reaction when I saw it yesterday was that I didn't like it. I let it settle for the last 24+ hours and after seeing the silver one in ssthriller's post, I can say I like it more today. After buying a SKY this past spring and an AURA recently, I can say that the OUTLOOK is more my style than the new VUE; with that said, I'd say I could see my wife wanting it more than me.

Drew, sorry to hear about your accident. Route 1 is a bitch! When I use to drive Route 1 North from Lawrenceville to New Brunswick for a little over a year, I could count on at least one accident every day. I myself almost got into one once with my Sonoma, but the grace of God saved me (too bad for the Cavlaier behind me, b/c the car behind him didn't stop in time). I wish you all the best with getting the CTS repaired and back on the road soon (btw, I hope you're not using Colonial Cadillac in Trenton?).

Well, I wouldn't say that I hated my '04 Malibu, but it was close enough. And while stupid little things happened to it to cause minor damage, your theory doesn't work entirely. Now I told my wife the morning of the wedding we were to attend that we should take the Malibu, but she said we never go out together in the SKY. What happens a couple of hours later? BAM! Nice car hit. Maybe I should start buying Fords???

I like how this man thinks! Before I left the AACA Fall Show in Hershey this past October, I had to make the required stop at the vistors center to stock up on some Hershey's candy for the family. While walking back to my Envoy, I noticed what at first was 3 SSR's coming around the bend with a purple-colored one leading... then four more behind them, then another five or six - must have been almost 20 that drove by me, ranging from stock to modded (one had an awesome custom paint job). I just stood there in awe as they drove by, with the last SSR driver waving. I love my SKY, but if the SSR was priced right I might just have opted for one of those as my toy (seems more fitting, doesn't it, with me being a GM-truck fan and all?). The wife never liked them much ("too retro-looking", she said) and while I could have gotten a good deal on a leftover 2005 silver SSR as I placed my SKY order, I just couldn't give up on the SKY at this point (loaded SKY for $27K, leftover SSR without chrome pkg for $32K). I still drool at the site of one and wish they could have been marketed & priced better. And I'll never forget my drive-time in a black one at the Philly ASIM in June of '04.

Fixed it. But hey, anyone that wants to give me a gift car is more than welcome to send me an e-mail!!

I was wondering about that too Ocn... there were none in my AURA when I took delivery last week (not counting the wife), so I figured it must be part of the Red Tag Sale (which started after I took delivery).

You see, I'd like to say that I have a "good wife" because she has allowed me to select the fleet of cars occupying our garage/driveway (trust me, she still hasn't let up on getting a Volvo or Lexus), but the fact that I only have one auto-related poster hanging up in the house and she won't let me hang or display anything else, takes her out of the running in my book. Congrats on the wife letting you use the counter. I'm lucky to leave a car magazine out of place in the living room!!!!

Oh, where do I begin? Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday! The wife and I started to decorate the house today (we don't go overboard - no Chevy Chase/Christmas Vacation here!), and I'll add some decorative lighting outside tomorrow. Christmas music has been playing on one Philly radio station since Nov. 1 and I've been moderately listening to it, but that will change over this weekend. I just got my 20 or so Christmas CDs out & ready to take with me on the road and into work. As for my favorite songs, there's a version of "Jingle Bells" by Frank Sinatra that I really like and can't find on CD or on Itunes, but here's a "small" list: White Christmas - The Drifters The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) - Alvin & The Chipmunks Someday at Christmas - Stevie Wonder The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole Christmas Time - Ray Charles Blue Holiday - The Shirelles A Marshmallow World - Dean Martin The Christmas Waltz - Frank Sinatra Kissin' By The Mistletoe - Aretha Franklin Parade of the Wooden Soldiers - Harry Connick, Jr. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Mariah Carey Trust me, this is just a small sampling of the songs I really, really like to hear during the holiday season. I'm not kidding when I say I have at least 20 CDs on just Christmas music!!!