well, after much deliberation and soul searching, I ordered my new car yesterday. Well, ordered might not be the right term... had the dealer do a search and find it. It's a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze LT1 with the RS Package in Crystal Red Tintcoat.

It's got everything but the automatic transmission. 1.4L Turbo/6speed manual.
Going to take me a week or so to work out the financing, but they are going to give me $7800 for my Cobalt, $500 rebate on the Cruze, $500 GM loyalty and I forget the discount for being an International Paper lackey.

sticker on the car is $21,850

Basically... this car:




Oh, I almost forgot... I drove a 2013 Dodge Dart Rallye yesterday afternoon. The Chevrolet dealer my brother works is owned by the same guy that owns a Dodge dealership down the road. The salesman work at both stores, so the car got mentioned and a test drive was arranged.

Overall, the workmanship of the Dart is LIGHT YEARS ahead of the Neon and Caliber. Car felt tight, solid, quick. BUT, it did feel heavier than the Cruze or Fiesta. The Rallye package I drove was the 1.4L Turbo/6 speed Multiair engine. I could definitely tell that it was more an economy car than the R/T that was coming down the pike. Oddly enough, though, my mom has a Cruze Eco with a 1.4L turbo/6speed automatic and that engine felt gutsier than the Dodge did. Still, the styling, interior and instrument panel is what is going to sell the Dart. If they had an R/T model on the floor and let me drive it, I might've come home with one. One thing that's funny is that I was not aware that the Dart was built on an Alfa Romeo chassis? (i didn't know A-R was part of Fiat either until this morning).

So anyways, try out the Dart if you get a chance to.

Sweet........ Happy motoring my friend.

My fiancee just got a new Cruze, she loves it.

Posted by CDSbigsby My fiancee just got a new Cruze, she loves it.

my mom has had her Cruze Eco a year and has had ZERO trouble with it. Everytime I drive it, I keep looking for squeaks, rattles, stupid shit, but even as an Eco, it's a tight little car.

i really liked that Golf GTi from a couple of months ago, but it's hard trading a Chevrolet at a Volkswagen dealer. The incentives and rebates aren't there. I mean, my car books for (hold on...) about $7k because of the mileage. Other than that, the car is spotless inside and out. How many people do you know that wax under the hood, the door jams and the trunk jams? It doesn't matter trading in, though.

I'm glad you were impressed with the Dart!

And congrats on the Cruze...I knew you would not drive a VW

Posted by Agent Skelly I knew you would not drive a VW

I would've liked to have seen it, though...

Regardless, congrats on the new car!

Posted by Samurai i really liked that Golf GTi from a couple of months ago, but it's hard trading a Chevrolet at a Volkswagen dealer. The incentives and rebates aren't there. I mean, my car books for (hold on...) about $7k because of the mileage. Other than that, the car is spotless inside and out. How many people do you know that wax under the hood, the door jams and the trunk jams? It doesn't matter trading in, though.

This I can understand, honestly, anything we get traded in on our lot that's North American just goes straight to auction, they don't even bother trying to re-sell. Not even the Daytona edition Dodge Charger we had traded in on a CC- straight to the auction block.

One of the Mopar dealers here is owned by the same owner of a VW dealer and he solves that problem by trading inventory.

i get a chuckle out of my former pontiac dealer, he hawks KIA's now, but look at his lot, the used car inventory is out in front (new in back) and its all pontiacs, buicks and GMC's

Posted by nostra-YOUPPI! i get a chuckle out of my former pontiac dealer, he hawks KIA's now, but look at his lot, the used car inventory is out in front (new in back) and its all pontiacs, buicks and GMC's

remember Bill Santa in Plattsburgh? He lost his GM franchise and started selling Daewoo's? That lasted not even a year and he was done. Unfortunately, it's a walgreens now.

Posted by Samurai remember Bill Santa in Plattsburgh? He lost his GM franchise and started selling Daewoo's? That lasted not even a year and he was done. Unfortunately, it's a walgreens now.

hes still got WIRY though, my old pontiac dealer moved out of his boat anchor of a GM building, moved into a modest former toyota dealer, after 3 years has knocked down the showroom and built bigger and better. So as much as i hate that hes selling KIA's im glad he has maintained and grown his business. They were good guys.

plattsburgh was over dealered, Bill McBride chevy, Drew Buick, Knight caddy/olds and bill santa pontiac. At least up here Pontiac/buick were always together and Chev Olds were always together. we didnt have these wierd Chevy pontiac caddy geo mixes.

Posted by nostra-YOUPPI! hes still got WIRY though, my old pontiac dealer moved out of his boat anchor of a GM building, moved into a modest former toyota dealer, after 3 years has knocked down the showroom and built bigger and better. So as much as i hate that hes selling KIA's im glad he has maintained and grown his business. They were good guys. plattsburgh was over dealered, Bill McBride chevy, Drew Buick, Knight caddy/olds and bill santa pontiac. At least up here Pontiac/buick were always together and Chev Olds were always together. we didnt have these wierd Chevy pontiac caddy geo mixes.

it's still over-dealered! there's Della Honda, Della Suzuki, Garvey Hyundai, Plattsburgh Ford, Durocher Kia, Durocher Toyota/Scion, Garrand's Nissan, Della Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep, Knight GMC Buick, Bill McBride Chevrolet/Subaru... and then, in that immediate area is Dannemora Ford, Riley Ford in Chazy, and Parker Chevrolet in Champlain!

is key still in keesville?

i was meaning gm though, 4 gm dealers in the p burger!
i remember when they had 2 ford dealers too, durocher and cumberland.

I remember my Uncle Peter (who I am surprised has never crossed paths with Samarai) used to buy all his cars from Plattsburgh; the reason why according to him was the fact all the salesmen were pushovers.

Posted by nostra-YOUPPI! is key still in keesville? i was meaning gm though, 4 gm dealers in the p burger! i remember when they had 2 ford dealers too, durocher and cumberland.

nope... C Wayne got forced out of Elizabethtown he bought what was Key. They're closed now.

i remember before knight moved into drew buicks building they were in a shitty assed barn, im surprised GM doesnt apply the standards down there like they have been up here to the dealer buildings

Posted by nostra-YOUPPI! i remember before knight moved into drew buicks building they were in a shitty assed barn, im surprised GM doesnt apply the standards down there like they have been up here to the dealer buildings

GM has told the dealership where my brother works that the Napa joined to them has to go.

my pontiac dealer in 2007 spent a pantload to tear down the showroom (butler building like bill mcbride) and built a 1.5 story showroom, plus a 3 lane drive thru. meanwhile the ghetto chevy dealer on the other side of town is only renovating now to the new look. i even know of one dealer that was revoked DURING renovations to the new norms

Posted by nostra-YOUPPI! my pontiac dealer in 2007 spent a pantload to tear down the showroom (butler building like bill mcbride) and built a 1.5 story showroom, plus a 3 lane drive thru. meanwhile the ghetto chevy dealer on the other side of town is only renovating now to the new look. i even know of one dealer that was revoked DURING renovations to the new norms

the outfit my brother works for is kind of funny... they're a 5-star Chrysler/Dodge dealer and have been a pentastar dealer since they started building the fucking things. Their showroom/service area is excellent, but their lot sucks. Where my brother works, Adirondack Chevrolet/Buick, has a roomy lot, but an old building. It's slowly getting renovated, but the whole 2008 fiasco really put a hurt on plans for the remodel.

chrysler dealer design has me baffled, early 2000's they were building these nice buildings, big windows, red and blue brick, now they are uglifying them, all beige stucco (same color GM was using 10 years ago) comes in handy for all the closed GM dealers up here that have become chryslers they take the pylon vestibule off and put the ugly ass chrysler arch in. the gm dealers now are keeping the same shape but covering the ugly ass stucco with enameled metal, and adding the buick arch thing