Locks Early Pontiac

Thanks for visiting our site!
Locks Early Pontiac
Checkout Ebay Auctions For The Cheapest Prices

Check out Amazon:

Featured Article :

During the early part of this decade Toyota was examining its vehicle line up and the decision was made to build a car to entice young people who were looking for something that was small, fun to drive, and affordable. While the Corolla served faithfully in this capacity, Toyota needed something that spoke excitement. The Corolla just wasn't that kind of a car and something radically different was needed. Enter the Matrix. Based on the Corolla platform, the Matrix does what no Corolla can do: turn heads. Let's take a look at this sporty compact and see how the 2006 model stacks up.

In 2003, the Matrix was introduced to the North American market. Built in California as a joint venture with General Motors - the Pontiac Vibe is its twin - the Matrix is aimed toward budget conscious young people who want a car that makes a statement. To save money, the Corolla frame was used, but the Matrix stands some 3 inches taller and is 8 inches shorter than its Toyota sibling. The roof line on the Matrix is completely different too as it slopes from front to back and ends in a wedge, giving the car somewhat of a wagon look to it. This rakish appearance is what gives the Matrix its unique look as well as an extra bit of room for people and their stuff. Indeed, both driver and front passenger sit higher up, much like in a small SUV or as in a car like Chrysler's PT Cruiser. With four doors and a rear lift gate, the Matrix acts more like a wagon, but its sleek exterior easily refutes that fact.

Motorists have a choice between front wheel drive and a four wheel drive versions of the car, something not offered on the Corolla. The standard motor for the Matrix is a 1.8-liter DOHC 16-valve VVT-I 4-cylinder engine. Mated to a five speed manual transmission, the engine turns out a respectable 126hp. For more power, there is also a higher tuned version of the same engine delivering 164hp. It gets paired with a six speed manual transmission. Four wheel drive versions of the Matrix come equipped with a 4-wheel anti-lock brake system [ABS] which is optional on 2WD models.

Gas mileage for the Matrix makes the car a motorist's dream. At 30 mpg city and 36 mpg highway, the front wheel drive version of the car produces some of the best results of any non-hybrid car sold in North America. A 13 gallon fuel tank makes 400 mile trips a possibility on just one tank of gas; this is particularly good for the student who has to drive back and forth between college campus and home.

Unlike many cars of its size, the aftermarket crowd has produced a wide variety of products to help Matrix owners customize their vehicles. Hood protectors, tail light covers, polymer air dams, fog lights, hood scoops and vents, mud flaps, and paintable window covers are some of the Toyota parts and accessories pitched to youth, who are the primary owners of the Matrix.

MSRP starts at US$15,110 [CDN$17,200] with a top of the line Matrix topping out at just under US$20K to about CDN$25K.

For the entire North American market, Toyota sells nearly 100,000 Matrix' per year. Not bad for a car whose origins are fairly simple but whose heart is truly sporty and youth minded.

Copyright 2005 -- Matt Keegan is a contributing writer for Auto Parts Canada, a wholesaler of fine Toyota parts and Toyota accessories for your Toyota truck, van, SUV, or passenger car.

A Preview of the Saturn Sky

Somebody at General Motors must love Saturn. One hundred year old Oldsmobile was killed off in favor of bringing the Saturn brand in-house. Up until the early part of this decade, Saturn was a separate automaker, wholly owned by GM. Now, as a bonafide GM division, the Saturn line is finally getting some much needed new models including the Sky roadster, the focus of this preview.

In the early 1990s, dent resistant polymer cars with the "S" designation began to roll of a factory line of a new plant located in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Several things were unusual about the project. The first was the company: Saturn. As a wholly owned but separately managed GM company, the Saturn initially escaped GM's often overbearing culture and began to produce cars on its own far removed from Detroit. The second unusual point about the company was the cars itself: compact, import-fighting models designed to withstand the onslaught from Japan of low priced, high quality cars.  Available in coupe, sedan, and wagon the cars quickly caught on in part for their engineering as well as for their "no hassle, no haggle" pricing. The sticker price on the car was the price customers paid, making a visit to the Saturn show room a pleasure and not a chore.

As time has passed, the S series grew old and was replaced by the compact ION series. In addition, a midsized sedan and wagon, the L series, briefly served as the "larger" car in Saturn's extremely limited line up beginning in the late 1990s. The L series, based on an Opel platform, was retired in 2004 and replaced by a 7 passenger crossover vehicle, the RELAY. In addition, Saturn had introduced an SUV, the VUE, which is still in production today.

All of this translates into a limited line up, too limited in fact to compete successfully with other car lines. Enter the Saturn Sky.

The Saturn Sky, much like the already introduced Pontiac Solstice is a two seat roadster. Based on GM's new Delta series platform, the Sky, which will officially make its debut next spring as a 2007 model does something that no other Saturn has ever done: generate excitement.

Similar in size and looks to Honda's S2000 Roadster, the Sky will come equipped with 18 inch alloy wheels, a manually operated soft top, a reverse opening clamshell hood, leather bucket seats, and four wheel anti-locking brakes. Standard engine will be a 2.4 170hp I4 paired with either a 5 speed manual or 5 speed automatic transmission.

Prices for the new Sky should come in at several thousand dollars higher than the Pontiac Solstice as the Sky is targeted and equipped slightly upmarket. MSRP starting around 25 thousand dollars is likely; only 10-12,000 models will be produced annually.

Other models are being planned for Saturn, but the Sky represents a fresh departure from what has long been perceived by many as a staid moniker. Judging by many published reports, the Sky is a step in the right direction and we can only hope that the other new models planned for Saturn generate at least half the hype of the Sky.

About the Author

To learn about canine glaucoma and canine leukemia, visit the Canine Symptoms website.

My 2007 Pontiac G6 radio has a slight problem?

I bought my car back in early March and it's only been recently that it's been acting up.

Sometimes when I start my car, the radio takes a few seconds to turn on. It'll sit there, dark and no music will come out of the speakers. Then it'll just come on like it had been on the whole time. It's only done this 3 or 4 times and it hasn't been consistant with how I start my car up.

Another time, I turned my car on and the radio was on a completely different station than when I left it. I had been listening to a CD when I turned it off and when I got in, it was on FM radio 2. No one messed with my car because the windows were up and the car locked.

What's going on with my car? Is it serious?

Under warranty get it to a dealership soon. They might have had a car with the same complaint.

Community calendar, Oct. 3
Concerts

Thanks for visiting!