Hello! My name is Andy, and I'm glad and proud to be a new member of GMForum. Nearly every car our family has owned has been a General Motors product, and although at times I curse the engineers for some of the more foolish things they've done, I have always been quite proud to be a true "GM Nut."

I started off with a 1983 Olds Omega Brougham, 2.8L carb., this was the "spare" car in the family, and it became mine when I graduated high school. I took the car from 116,000 miles to 209,000 miles, when she sadly met her demise in Lebanon when I tried to "move" a tree. Obviously, the tree won.

My next car was a 1994 Geo Tracker 4x4 soft top, while technically it was a Suzuki, Geo was owned by GM, so I guess it counts. I had the base model 8-valve engine, automatic tranny, and it was truly a blast to drive that baby sport-ute. I was involved in an accident because a girl in her dad'* 94 Eagle Summit spun out on black ice... Trackers aren't exactly known for their durability in accidents. The engine was pushed back on the frame rails, and the drivetrain got jammed into 4WD, and sadly, was considered to be a total loss.

Next, it was a 1995 Ford Escort I was purchasing from a friend, who later screwed me over and took the car back. So I wasted money making payments on the car... As far as Fords go, there are few I would personally own (NEVER a Taurus/Windstar!). And on to another...

Next, my father "generously" gave me his 85 Chevy *-10 Blazer, which was on its second 2.8L carb. motor and fifth transmission. I sold it at 235,000 miles... One of those "curse the GM engineers" moments - the 2.8L was way too underpowered for a 4WD automatic.

Next, I owned 2 1991 *-10 Blazers with the 4.3L V6. Those suckers were real workhorses, and I loved them to pieces.

I also purchased a 1984 Buick Skylark 2.8L carb. (sense a pattern here?), which I drove for a while until the transmission started acting up, and then I traded it in for my baby...

1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 3800 Series II. Bought it with 27,000 miles on it, and my mother is still driving it with 193,000 miles. The car still runs like it did the day I got it, the transmission still shifts smoothly, and has required little maintenance.

In the meantime, I got a fantastic deal on a 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier VL coupe. Yup, the absolute base model, 2.2L 5-speed. I got it for $400 with 77,000 miles, and a Corolla tried to drive through my passenger door at 235,000 miles. After the Corolla spun me around, he got rear-ended by a Jetta. Amazingly, my Cavalier was the only vehicle that could be driven home. And, believe it or not, I was still on the original clutch, engine, and tranny. I swear by the Cavaliers, that car has been the absolute best as far as maintenance and reliability. This car was assembled in a Canadian plant, not the Mexican plant (they used two different wheel cylinders on the rear brakes). I even dressed up the Cavvie by putting Citation X-11 rims on it, which looked fantastic!

Next, I had a 1988 Olds Cutlass Ciera 2.8 Multiport, made in a Canada plant, which I got for free and did a lot of work on to make it run perfectly. Had it on the road for five months, and a drunk driver running from the cops did a hit-and-run into my front driver fender in his buddy'* Infinity between 80-100 mph, and he then took off on foot. I spent 3 hours unconscious, and two days in the hospital, and then...

Hurricane Irene rolled through, and while chatting with my next door neighbor a week later, he offered me a car for $200 - my current baby, a 1987 Buick LeSabre Custom 3.8L, with only 110,000 miles (transmission and radiator changed at 75k). You bet your booty I jumped on that car, and I'm the fifth adult owner. Yeah, she has a few issues, but I love the feeling of driving a tank, made of REAL steel, from the Fleet, MI assembly line.

Then, a former co-worker ended up in the hospital and will no longer be able to drive. He gave me his 1995 Mitsubishi Mighty Max 2wd 5-sp with 125,000 miles. That'* my current project, to get the truck up and running so I can keep the mileage down on the LeSabre.

Anyhow, thanks for letting me introduce myself, even though my personal history is quite long as far as GMs are concerned, I want everyone to know that, given the choice, I will gladly drive a GM product over any other manufacturer.

Also, feel free to drop me a line with any questions regarding diagnosis, as I have a very high success rate at diagnosing car issues.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!
--Andy

Wow, that'* quite a few cars you had there Andy. What'* with the 4 bangers??? LOL....and I thought for sure you were going to say you use to own a Citation too!(I did too).

Anyhoo, welcome to the forum Andy. Pull up a chair, grab a cold one and feel free to peruse the forums. I'm sure you will find quite a bit of information on the 3800.

welcome, very interesting story. probably seems familiar to most. my first car was a escort but it was a 85 my mom gave me after it was well used.

Nice introduction Andy, welcome to the forums!

Welcome! Got any pics of your rides, past and present?

Welcome aboard.

Welcome aboard, fellow CT resident. I assume the living cars made it through Sandy without a problem, right?