SteveSonic
New member
What with my 26 mile commute, gas prices rising again (and the Middle East looking worse by the day), my historic auto racing program stalled, and a complaining family pushing me ... I needed to sell my excellent 2004 Durango Hemi SLT Limited race car tow vehicle. I wanted sporty, fun, and fuel efficient all in one package, and the family all wanted to 'buy United States,' so all fingers pointed to the Sonic.
Saturday we closed a deal on an LTZ Turbo 6-speed Hatchback w/Sunroof in Inferno Orange Metallic. While IOM was not our first color choice, everybody knows that there are very few of the LTZ Turbo HB-SR cars sitting on dealer lots. East of the Ohio River there are about four of them right now. And dealers aren't willing to exchange them unless another Turbo HB is offered (a different color being the only difference between the cars) and trucking the exchange car is demanded (to not put mileage on a new car).
So I drove the Durango 120 miles to the nearest LTZ Turbo HB-SR near me .. in Norfolk, VA. This was all a gamble, because I was adding 240+ miles on my Durango and I didn't know what the final car/trade $$$ would be. I was buying the Sonic using the GM Military Incentive program so the price of the car was "fixed." I negotiated $1000 more over their initial Durango trade value and the deal was done. We got 41 mpg (so said the DIC) on the drive home with it.
I'm going to add the sharkfin antenna and an Ultragauge in the near term; and CAI, exhaust, and tune in the far term. The mods are for fuel economy, ostensibly, but maybe for some autocrossing on the side. I'm not big on all the chrome bits Chevy added, so blackout or body-matched painting is likely to happen. LED interior lighting looks like a winner, too.
I look forward to driving a stick instead of a slushbox; trying to hypermile over 50 mpg; tossing the car once in a while (maybe some race track time??), and building friendships in the Sonic community.
Steve Church
Richmond, VA area
Saturday we closed a deal on an LTZ Turbo 6-speed Hatchback w/Sunroof in Inferno Orange Metallic. While IOM was not our first color choice, everybody knows that there are very few of the LTZ Turbo HB-SR cars sitting on dealer lots. East of the Ohio River there are about four of them right now. And dealers aren't willing to exchange them unless another Turbo HB is offered (a different color being the only difference between the cars) and trucking the exchange car is demanded (to not put mileage on a new car).
So I drove the Durango 120 miles to the nearest LTZ Turbo HB-SR near me .. in Norfolk, VA. This was all a gamble, because I was adding 240+ miles on my Durango and I didn't know what the final car/trade $$$ would be. I was buying the Sonic using the GM Military Incentive program so the price of the car was "fixed." I negotiated $1000 more over their initial Durango trade value and the deal was done. We got 41 mpg (so said the DIC) on the drive home with it.
I'm going to add the sharkfin antenna and an Ultragauge in the near term; and CAI, exhaust, and tune in the far term. The mods are for fuel economy, ostensibly, but maybe for some autocrossing on the side. I'm not big on all the chrome bits Chevy added, so blackout or body-matched painting is likely to happen. LED interior lighting looks like a winner, too.
I look forward to driving a stick instead of a slushbox; trying to hypermile over 50 mpg; tossing the car once in a while (maybe some race track time??), and building friendships in the Sonic community.
Steve Church
Richmond, VA area
