Relay

We are considering a new Relay van. Does anyone have experience with them.

Also, I may be able to get one for wholesale through a GM employee/friend.
Does anyone know how to estimate wholesale price ? e.g. is MSRP say 30% over
wholesale ?

Sorry I don't know a thing about them, but of all the GMs in that line,
the Saturn has best looking front end, if it is possible!

James

Other than the grille and some minor trim, it's a "badge engineering" job,
identical to
1) Chevy Uplander (nee Venture)
2) Pontiac Montana SV6 (nee TranSport)

Looks like it took the place of the Silhouette as the (slightly) upscale
variant when GM euthanized Olds Division.

None of the siblings have a particularly good reputation as far as I can
tell.

"James1549" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Sorry I don't know a thing about them, but of all the GMs in that line,
> the Saturn has best looking front end, if it is possible!
>
> James
>

I would recommend against it. It is unreliable, and is in its first year of
a completely new design. I would hold off for a year or two.

....and a Toyota Sienna is very competitive in price.
"TheLastDonSC2" > wrote in message
lkaboutautos.com...
> I would recommend against it. It is unreliable, and is in its first year
of
> a completely new design. I would hold off for a year or two.
>

Honestly, right now you could get one for roughly $6500 off and 0%
financing at our dealership, because we cant get rid of them!!! They have
a good number of recalls already (alost positive it is 5) for only being
in production for 11 months... But can be had pretty cheap.... Hope it
helps.

Hardly a "new design", just a re-hash of the previous models, with a
nose-job meant to look more like an SUV and less like a "soccer-mom" van

"TheLastDonSC2" > wrote in message
lkaboutautos.com...
>I would recommend against it. It is unreliable, and is in its first year of
> a completely new design. I would hold off for a year or two.
>

In article >, ie
says...
> We are considering a new Relay van. Does anyone have experience with them.
>
> Also, I may be able to get one for wholesale through a GM employee/friend.
> Does anyone know how to estimate wholesale price ? e.g. is MSRP say 30% over
> wholesale ?
>
>
>

The new GM minivan design is much much safer than the previous platform.
However I say wait until the bean counters get fired and the engineers
throw out that POS FWD V6 3.5L and install the far superior powertrain
found in the Chevy Colorado.

-GM mid size truck-
3.5L I5 (inline 5, easy as hell to work on)
RWD
Horsepower: 220@5600
Torque: 225@2800
Final Drive Ratio: 3.42
Weight: 3783 lbs
MPG: 19 / 24


-GM mini van-
3.5L V6 (POS design, ie: about 2 hours to change the t-stat!)
FWD
Horsepower: 201@5600
Torque: 216@4000
Final Drive Ratio: 3.29
Weight: 4470 lbs
MPG: 18 / 25

Don't buy a Honda odessy, though. We're waiting patiently for the
transmission in ours to go *boom*, I put it at 80k miles. The one in my
mom's Acura just up and died at ~~40,000 miles (Mostly highway ones,
too). So much for "Honda Quality", even my dad's Chevy _Vega_ went
150,000 on it's origional transmission (automatic, 3 speed). Our '87
Chevy wagon got 225,000 out of that 'Piece of GM American built ****"
TH125C. You'd think the Amazing Honda would go forever. Nope, expect
to blow the automatic before 100,000 miles. Oh yeah, and the PCM needs
to be replaced with it too...

HIGHLY unlikely that the inline 5 would fit cross-ways into the van, and
that engine is hardly noted for its mechanical refinement. (an I-5 is
inherently out of balance, so even with balance shafts, the idle will 'lope'
and there will be unpleasant second-order vibration)

- and 700 lbs lighter and only gets 1 mpg more?

(maybe GM's embarrassed agreement with Honda to purchase 3.5L V6 (250 HP,
19/25 mpg for the Saturn Vue) should be extended to the full line)


"blah blah" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, ie
> says...
> > We are considering a new Relay van. Does anyone have experience with
them.
> >
> > Also, I may be able to get one for wholesale through a GM
employee/friend.
> > Does anyone know how to estimate wholesale price ? e.g. is MSRP say 30%
over
> > wholesale ?
> >
> >
> >
>
> The new GM minivan design is much much safer than the previous platform.
> However I say wait until the bean counters get fired and the engineers
> throw out that POS FWD V6 3.5L and install the far superior powertrain
> found in the Chevy Colorado.
>
> -GM mid size truck-
> 3.5L I5 (inline 5, easy as hell to work on)
> RWD
> Horsepower: 220@5600
> Torque: 225@2800
> Final Drive Ratio: 3.42
> Weight: 3783 lbs
> MPG: 19 / 24
>
>
> -GM mini van-
> 3.5L V6 (POS design, ie: about 2 hours to change the t-stat!)
> FWD
> Horsepower: 201@5600
> Torque: 216@4000
> Final Drive Ratio: 3.29
> Weight: 4470 lbs
> MPG: 18 / 25
>
>