Posted by TheVicariousVadder They call it a "Sports Sedan." How about a RWD car from a major* automaker with a large 4 cylinder engine for under $18,000 new? *Kia, Hyundai, etc excluded.

Hmmm... V6 is about as small as it gets.

I'm old enough to remember Camaros and Firebirds that came through the 2.5L 4cylinder... 0-60mph was somewhere in the vicinity of three days... downhill... with a tailwind. I remember Mustangs when it was either the 5-liter or the anemic 2.3L OHC Lima engine. With the 5-speed, they were barely ok. With the automatic, the seasons moved faster. Do any of you remember when Camaros/Firebirds came through with the horrible 4.4L V8 (267cid) as a credit option? What a boat anchor! Or when Ford dropped the 302 in 80 and 81, substituting it with the weak-kneed 255cid V8 (4.2L)? Dark dark dark days to be a ponycar guy.


(as a post, I drove the Genesis when it came out [the coupe of course] and i didn't care for it. Great styling, just not really what I was looking for and for the price, the Camaro, Mustang and even Challenger were a better deal.... but hey, buy what you want.)

Posted by Samurai Hmmm... V6 is about as small as it gets.

The Silvia comes to mind.

The thing is in that price segment for domestic cars, people want FWD.

Posted by TheVicariousVadder The Silvia comes to mind.

can you buy a 2011 Nissan Silvia in North America?

Posted by Samurai Do any of you remember when Camaros/Firebirds came through with the horrible 4.4L V8 (267cid) as a credit option?

I had one in a '79 Monte Carlo. I don't remember them in camaros though...

Posted by Agent Skelly So the Charger is considered a sports car? By that logic, a VW Jetta is considered a station wagon!

Fail.

Posted by DelbertGrady I had one in a '79 Monte Carlo. I don't remember them in camaros though...

it was a credit option on the Z28 in 82 and early 83 as there was some shortage or something with the 305 TBI engines.
a friend of mine had an 82 Camaro coupe with the 4.4L in it.
i helped my friend Matt changed the cam in his 82 Impala with that 267 in it... when we pulled the cam out, the lobes were so far gone, they looked like just another set of cam bearings.

Posted by Samurai 16.) electric windows aren't that much of a drag and anyone from the northern frozen arctic wastes of the northeast knows that life with manual crank windows isn't all sweetness and light.

Just thought of this as I was on the phone with the Chevy dealer for my Silverado... Driver's side window switch went out yesterday. $200 for the part because it's the whole effing switch unit in the drivers door (mirrors, door locks, passenger window switch).

The icing on the cake? You can't just buy the fucking switch and put it in. Apparently it has a module in it that has to be programmed by the dealer? Maybe a former GM tech (Bandi) can chime in on that...

Effing GM...

Posted by DelbertGrady Just thought of this as I was on the phone with the Chevy dealer for my Silverado... Driver's side window switch went out yesterday. $200 for the part because it's the whole effing switch unit in the drivers door (mirrors, door locks, passenger window switch). The icing on the cake? You can't just buy the fucking switch and put it in. Apparently it has a module in it that has to be programmed by the dealer? Maybe a former GM tech (Bandi) can chime in on that... Effing GM...

your dealer is fucking you.
there is no way that switch is $200. NO fucking way.
and i've never heard of a switch needing to be 'programmed'? horseshit.

Posted by Samurai your dealer is fucking you. there is no way that switch is $200. NO fucking way. and i've never heard of a switch needing to be 'programmed'? horseshit.

Just found one online for $135. Still some dough...

I called Dons Auto Mall here in Binghamton... used one is $65. I'm going that route. They don't seem to think it has to be programmed. Maybe that was BS by the dealer to get me to come in... but when the 4WD selector switch went bad, that definitely did need to be programmed. It's wasn't a plug and play kinda deal.

Posted by DelbertGrady Just found one online for $135. Still some dough... I called Dons Auto Mall here in Binghamton... used one is $65. I'm going that route. They don't seem to think it has to be programmed. Maybe that was BS by the dealer to get me to come in... but when the 4WD selector switch went bad, that definitely did need to be programmed. It's wasn't a plug and play kinda deal.

with the 4x4 switch, that's probably tied to the PCM. Bandi will correct me if I'm wrong, but some GM's have a Body Control Module as well and maybe that was what those shitheels were talking about, but my brother replaced the window switch on his 05 Tahoe a couple of weeks ago and 1)the switch was about $50 new and 2)it was yank the old one out, put the new one in... problem solved.

some dealers are just motherfuckers regardless of manufacturer.

Drivers door module... And yup, it needs to be programmed.

Posted by bandi Drivers door module... And yup, it needs to be programmed.

That is the biggest load of horseshit I have ever heard. I can absolutely believe it, though, as shit like that used to happen on my parents Venture and cost ridiculous to replace.

At least they got rid of that money pit. Not sure on the Equinox they replaced it with, however...

Posted by Archer At least they got rid of that money pit. Not sure on the Equinox they replaced it with, however...

Don't worry, Mike- it's not good either... and depending on the year, it's pretty much based on a Venture.

Posted by bandi Drivers door module... And yup, it needs to be programmed.

Update! It turns out a new unit would require programming. The junk yard unit I got, apparently, did not require it. Or I just got fucking lucky.

Damn thing still has to go in tonight though for a shitty 1-2 trans shit. Only 95k, elderly 1 owner miles on it! Hopefully it's something simple.

Must have come from a vehicle with the exact same options package... I tried just dropping one in a FailBlazer and it was not happy and I ended up having to program it.

Posted by bandi Don't worry, Mike- it's not good either... and depending on the year, it's pretty much based on a Venture.

2011. Damn thing had three recalls on it before it even rolled off the assembly line. Fail.

And the sad thing is they were looking closely at getting a RAV-4 as well... and were scared off by the whole "sudden acceleration thing". Aaaarrrrgh.

Posted by Archer 2011. Damn thing had three recalls on it before it even rolled off the assembly line. Fail.

Hahahah yes. I did many of those recalls. Fucking crap.

The direct fuel injection pump makes the engine sound like it has a bad knock, too.

Posted by bandi Hahahah yes. I did many of those recalls. Fucking crap. The direct fuel injection pump makes the engine sound like it has a bad knock, too.

my circle of friends has 3 uplanders and 2 montanas... take all the problems of the venture, add failing rear wiper motor pumps, 1811 codes on the transmission ALL THE TIME, and lets not forget the drive by wire accellerator...

Whats interesting with my old company before I left, we had an all GM Fleet; Impalas and Uplanders. What I noticed is that the offices that took care of the cars, they ran perfectly to 100,000 or so when we turn them in for new ones. However, the offices that treated them like shit, they had all the well known chronic issues that you guys are describing here especially on the Uplanders.