Are all new G6's Rattle Traps or just my POS?

[goblue]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

That should NEVER be OK for "some people."
It's NEVER OK for a single GM car to be non-competitive with the competition!!
What kind of **** attitude is THAT!!!

I expected more from the G6.
And problems arose a few months after ownership. I expected better construction, aside from external panel fits. I expected better fuel economy. I expected better driving performance at non-highway speeds. I expected far more because I had believe GM had changed.

So as more and more people figure out that they really won't settle for something less, they move on to different cars. And GM makes the same old crap.

No wonder GM is in this mess.

"Fool" is the right word. And I was foolish to believe GM had changed in 2005. And I was foolish to purchase the G6. I just wanted a cheap, simple car to tool around the City. It was a mistake.

Like I said, the best of old GM - same old GM midsize crap. However, it comes at quite a discount over an Accord.

I've lived in many places - and one thing you realize is there is a huge part of America thats OK with drinking cheap beer, buying clothes at Wal Mart, or buying big homes built like crap just to "get more for a buck." Thats how many view the G6 - more car for the buck. And thats not the attitude is SF. Thats probably why I don't remember ever seeing G6s in garages around here, but there are now 2 new Malibus on my street alone, one garaged.

Now, there's problems with the less for more argument, resale is one. And it sure isn't great for GM to be known as a discount car builder. But, they figured it out and the new midsize cars are certainly competitive.

To the other posters, sure - they've made some improvements. They realized that the 3500 / 4 spd wouldn't cut it, and then realized the 3900 isn't what people really wanted, and added the option of a class competitive powertrain, but for 2009 GM will still sell 4 speeds with the 4 cylinder. And GM never really addressed what is certainly the worst interior in the entire midsize class, including Hyundai and Kia!

[LAMRONH]

Originally Posted by goblue

Like I said, the best of old GM - same old GM midsize crap. However, it comes at quite a discount over an Accord.

I've lived in many places - and one thing you realize is there is a huge part of America thats OK with drinking cheap beer, buying clothes at Wal Mart, or buying big homes built like crap just to "get more for a buck." Thats how many view the G6 - more car for the buck. And thats not the attitude is SF. Thats probably why I don't remember ever seeing G6s in garages around here, but there are now 2 new Malibus on my street alone, one garaged.

Now, there's problems with the less for more argument, resale is one. And it sure isn't great for GM to be known as a discount car builder. But, they figured it out and the new midsize cars are certainly competitive.

To the other posters, sure - they've made some improvements. They realized that the 3500 / 4 spd wouldn't cut it, and then realized the 3900 isn't what people really wanted, and added the option of a class competitive powertrain, but for 2009 GM will still sell 4 speeds with the 4 cylinder. And GM never really addressed what is certainly the worst interior in the entire midsize class, including Hyundai and Kia!

Interesting discussion.
First, let me put my biases up front. I haven't driven a G6, and I wouldn't.
I never liked its looks, IMO it's just flat out funny looking. I never liked its name, GM's idiot policy of renaming car lines in the hope that folks will just forget past models (why?) as if they never existed is simply stupid.

If I were buying a Poncho of this size class I'd buy a Grand Prix. Which I would probably not buy because of its cramped interior.
Nonetheless, the GP V8 and GP supercharged that I did drive about 18 months ago were nice drivers. But how did they make such a big outside so small inside?

I went to TrueDelta and checked out Michael's impressions. While he didn't remark on the car being a rattletrap, he did say the seats were poor, the shifter was primitive, the electric steering unconvincing, and the brakes touchy. http://www.epinions.com/content_195895725700

I'm assuming folks test drive before they buy. Cars that lack a goodness of fit, as that sounds like it does, are not cars I consider for convenient monthly payments or cash outlays.

I guess, GoBlue, you refer to the SF attitude. As I've mentioned previously, when I first landed my UFO in SF in the 60s I was amazed at the preponderance of furrin metal on the roads. I'd come from MoTown, where domestic carriages made up about 98% of the iron horses. So for whatever reason, SF has always shied away from the Shrinking3. Today it's just more of the same. But SF is IMO more a foreign land than American territory.

As for the Wal Mart analogy, that doesn't work because Wal Mart is huge and growing and GM is less-huge and shrinking.

As FenwickHockey remarked, in mass production there are always a few standouts at both ends of the bell curve. In a daily production run, there will be a number of cars that come together perfectly, that outaccelerate their bretheren and that never need adjusting. And there will be some on the other end of the scale. The parts don't mesh.

While I've not had a rattling car despite numerous purchases over the years, I guess a few out-of-spec vehicles will have something loose that can't be fixed without major disassembly-reassembly. And some poor suckah ends up with them.

As for the KIA/Hyundaiiii!!, read your road tests or go test a couple. They are not the redheaded stepchildren of the auto world any longer. A CD sedan comparo put the Optima above the demi-god Camry for interior points. KIAs are well put together, at least my Spectra is.

No one will change their opinions, but it's been fun writing this.

[lam]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

That should NEVER be OK for "some people."
It's NEVER OK for a single GM car to be non-competitive with the competition!!
What kind of **** attitude is THAT!!!

I expected more from the G6.
And problems arose a few months after ownership. I expected better construction, aside from external panel fits. I expected better fuel economy. I expected better driving performance at non-highway speeds. I expected far more because I had believe GM had changed.

So as more and more people figure out that they really won't settle for something less, they move on to different cars. And GM makes the same old crap.

No wonder GM is in this mess.

"Fool" is the right word. And I was foolish to believe GM had changed in 2005. And I was foolish to purchase the G6. I just wanted a cheap, simple car to tool around the City. It was a mistake.

Let for some reason , you like Ron Zarella, when the Pontiac G6 is a Ron Zarella product.

[ptviperz]

Originally Posted by LAMRONH

As for the Wal Mart analogy, that doesn't work because Wal Mart is huge and growing and GM is less-huge and shrinking

I thought I read where Walmart was very stagnant on growth. I know I'd never put a foot in a Walmart. I don't know anyone that would.

[goblue]

Originally Posted by LAMRONH

Interesting discussion.
First, let me put my biases up front. I haven't driven a G6, and I wouldn't.
I never liked its looks, IMO it's just flat out funny looking. I never liked its name, GM's idiot policy of renaming car lines in the hope that folks will just forget past models (why?) as if they never existed is simply stupid.

If I were buying a Poncho of this size class I'd buy a Grand Prix. Which I would probably not buy because of its cramped interior.
Nonetheless, the GP V8 and GP supercharged that I did drive about 18 months ago were nice drivers. But how did they make such a big outside so small inside?

I went to TrueDelta and checked out Michael's impressions. While he didn't remark on the car being a rattletrap, he did say the seats were poor, the shifter was primitive, the electric steering unconvincing, and the brakes touchy. http://www.epinions.com/content_195895725700

I'm assuming folks test drive before they buy. Cars that lack a goodness of fit, as that sounds like it does, are not cars I consider for convenient monthly payments or cash outlays.

I guess, GoBlue, you refer to the SF attitude. As I've mentioned previously, when I first landed my UFO in SF in the 60s I was amazed at the preponderance of furrin metal on the roads. I'd come from MoTown, where domestic carriages made up about 98% of the iron horses. So for whatever reason, SF has always shied away from the Shrinking3. Today it's just more of the same. But SF is IMO more a foreign land than American territory.

As for the Wal Mart analogy, that doesn't work because Wal Mart is huge and growing and GM is less-huge and shrinking.

As FenwickHockey remarked, in mass production there are always a few standouts at both ends of the bell curve. In a daily production run, there will be a number of cars that come together perfectly, that outaccelerate their bretheren and that never need adjusting. And there will be some on the other end of the scale. The parts don't mesh.

While I've not had a rattling car despite numerous purchases over the years, I guess a few out-of-spec vehicles will have something loose that can't be fixed without major disassembly-reassembly. And some poor suckah ends up with them.

As for the KIA/Hyundaiiii!!, read your road tests or go test a couple. They are not the redheaded stepchildren of the auto world any longer. A CD sedan comparo put the Optima above the demi-god Camry for interior points. KIAs are well put together, at least my Spectra is.

No one will change their opinions, but it's been fun writing this.

By Wal-Mart, I mean buying low quality goods for cheap prices, and by quality, I don't mean reliability - the G6 is reliable, its just built from low quality / cheap design parts.

SF buys a lot of imports for two reasons, first - it has a large immigrant population that caused early adopters / critical mass and second California leads the nation in lack of national pride. Those criteria allowed it to become common, GM's mistakes in the 80s allowed it to develop a reputation, and now buying American out here carries with it the perception of being dumb.

Kia and Hyundai have improved but still have interiors (my biggest gripe with the G6) that are still at the bottom of the class, with the G6 wallowing in last place. Not only is it cheap, hard, thin plastic prone to rattles it doesn't lock together well, looks worse and is devoid of any style.

[DarkRaider]

I had an 05 G6 GT with panaromic roof, the only issue I had was the clunking noise of the steering column shaft, which was replaced 2x underwarranty($200 fix).

Drove about 50k miles on it, no issues other than that. Solid car, exterior is nice,with the 17" chrome and panaromic roof makes it nice. Interior is not that great, but overall, excellent car for the money

[member12]

Originally Posted by ScottS

Are all new G6's Rattle Traps or just my POS?

Yes. All Pontiacs actually.

[AndrewGS]

My sister loves hers. No rattles at 20,000 or so miles, but when I'm driving it or sitting in the front passenger's seat the console squeaks because my leg puts pressure on it.

[LAMRONH]

Originally Posted by goblue

By Wal-Mart, I mean buying low quality goods for cheap prices, and by quality, I don't mean reliability - the G6 is reliable, its just built from low quality / cheap design parts.

SF buys a lot of imports for two reasons, first - it has a large immigrant population that caused early adopters / critical mass and second California leads the nation in lack of national pride. Those criteria allowed it to become common, GM's mistakes in the 80s allowed it to develop a reputation, and now buying American out here carries with it the perception of being dumb.

Kia and Hyundai have improved but still have interiors (my biggest gripe with the G6) that are still at the bottom of the class, with the G6 wallowing in last place. Not only is it cheap, hard, thin plastic prone to rattles it doesn't lock together well, looks worse and is devoid of any style.

To answer the OP, the consensus here appears to be: No, just your POS and one other!

goblue, you should visit a Hyundaiii! or KIA showroom and sit in the bottom of the class. As I mentioned, it's not just me but car and consumer mags that rate the interiors well above the low man on the totem pole.