Hello, fellow GMInsiders!
Well, it's getting close to time to replace my Bonneville. She's had a good run, but due to college/apartment living wasn't garaged most of her life and it's showing now... paint starting to peel off the top of the car. Little things here and there. I'm pretty heavily leaning toward a G8. If you want to read why, read on. If you want to get to the point, feel free to skip the next few paragraphs
=== BEGIN STORY ===
Last year, I drove a new Dodge Charger (SXT and R/T) & a new Impala (SS). I forget exactly when I was at Carmax last, but at that point I drove a G35 Sedan (previous gen), BMW 330 sedan, Mustang, & GTO.
When I drove the Charger, it was pretty nice - quick and all that. But I don't really like the way Dodge interiors look. All I remember is huge tan plastic. The seats were reasonably comfortable. Reliability is a little bit of a concern, but they have the warranty. But what really got me is that I was HAPPY to get back into the Bonneville. I think that's a bad sign...
The Impala drove good. Didn't seem as fast as the Charger. Back seat headroom is terrible for the size car (I'm 6'2"). AFM is nice. Upside of this car is the possibility of getting a deal on a slightly used one, but drives a little too much like my Bonneville, which is "old".
The Carmax trip was a little while ago, but I remember thinking that the most comfortable and fun car to drive, by far, was the GTO. But it's a coupe, ditto for GTO (really need a sedan). The BMW was actually very unimpressive (although it was a little older than the others). And apparently, Nissan/Infiniti seats aren't designed for my... frame. (Not that I have a huge arse, but the seats were just too huggy or something).
=== END STORY ===
The end result of the STORY was that I was basically left wanting a 4 door GTO. A fairly large, fun, V8 sedan. So, now that the G8 is finally here, that's definitely on my list. I drove one a few weeks ago (G8 GT, white hot) and enjoyed it. It didn't have any options, which is just fine. I wish I could rent one for a trip - I have back issues!
Anyway, I'd like to test drive a few different vehicles again before I decide for sure (suggestions welcome), but assuming I end up deciding on an a G8 I need to decide whether to try to find a 2008 in the color I like without options I don't want or just try to "order" a 2009. I'm not in a huge hurry, but I'm just curious what everyone's thoughts are about whether it's better to wait for the second model year for reliability, or what exact things I'll be getting that I wouldn't get in an '08 (bluetooth?)
Thx!
