Well, I did it. I purchased a vehicle from a Mega Dealer on Ebay, sight unseen. I thought the price was right, and the miles were more than acceptable, and it will be used as a replacement for the UDMobile (A 1983 Chevrolet Camper Van) to tow the Corvair and the Boat. So, what’s the real story? Make the jump to find out.
A while ago I wrote a pretty scathing review of the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Clones that appeared not only here, but on Automotive Traveler as well. I knew this was going to come back and haunt me one day, and today is the day. So what did I purchase? This……..
Yes, stop laughing, it’s a 2004 GMC Envoy XUV, you know, the one with the Studebaker Wagonaire style sliding roof. The truck has only 45,000 miles on the odometer, and it had the Atlas inline six-cylinder engine. So, what drew me to this particular truck? Well, I didn’t need all the electronic buttons a lot of these came with, and I’m not a fan of Leather Interiors, and this thing didn’t have either. It does have the base AM FM CD, Power Windows, Mirrors, Locks, Keyless, and adjustable drivers seat. It does have a tow package. And it’s not a 4X4! It’s perfect for the dog, has room for 4 other adults, and I can throw just about anything in the rear without worrying about the floors because it is suppose to be a washable cargo bay.
I thought $11,000 was very reasonable, and you don’t see a lot of these around anymore, at least not in this condition. The Chrome rims will be replaced with some flat black steelies soon enough and it will get minimal usage, at least until the Minivan dies, which isn’t likely. Will there be any upgrades to the “Red Submarine” as I will be calling it? You never know.
But I want to know what the other Hoons think about my decision to throw all of my convictions out the window, and purchase a vehicle that I trashed only a few months ago….
I Purchased a Car Listed on Ebay; And That's Not The Real Story!
About
-
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I've had 2 TrailBlazers (an '02 LT1 and my current '08 LT3), and have loved them both dearly. You will soon find that the GMT360 doesn't deserve all the guff it gets from the auto rags and all other people that have never actually had to drop their own money on one. It's primitive in many ways, but it's a damn truck for Pete's sake, and it does a lot of things quite well. I won't give you any crap, UD, I'll just say that you made a wise choice, and welcome to the TrailVoy brotherhood.
-
I loves me a big girl with a lot of weight up top, if you know what I'm saying…
If you don't I'm saying that is a big truck that has been made extra top heavy by the sliding roof. I like it, because it will, in 25 years, be one of those "I can't believe they actually built it" type of vehicles.
May it serve you well. -
Your decision makes you human. Welcome to the club!
-
No grief, but I agree with Feds_II, I can't believe that they built it. It's like the mid-gate on an Avalanche, it seems like a good idea, and it certainly helps justify the original purchase, but I've never seen either feature actually used.
-
I have. At the feed store, I saw a guy loading bales of hay into his Cadillac Avacalade, with the bulkead pushed forward. The truck was actually dirty and had Arizona Pinstriping, so it clearly gets used as a truck around the ranch. Real shocker, huh?
-
-
The wife's car is an '04 TrailBlazer LT that we bought new with all the family employee discounts (before everyone got them), rebates, and coupons. It has served us well now for almost 6 years and over 85k miles. The only mechanical issue was a bad water pump and fan clutch. One cause the other to go bad, not sure which one went first. Ours has the 4.2L.
The extended wheelbase versions seem a little unwieldy and don't look as good to me, but if that fits your needs great. I don't think I have ever seem one of these without the tow package. I have been amazed at how much stuff we can cram in it. I consider these the modern equivalent of a 1970s Chevy Malibu Station wagon. It will hold about as much if not more stuff, has more power, gets better gas mileage, and probably even handles better.
I bought my E30 off of ebay, sort of. I found it advertised at a local dealer there. Went by to take a look at it with the intention of bidding on it. Left without my Z-28 convertible, but with a pretty decent E30 and a check. Couldn't have done the trade in on ebay. -
got to say i dont think i have even seen one of these in the flesh.
-
2-wheel drive or all? I think this will last, suit your needs and qualify for that quirky car in the car-hold.
-
Was gonna say "let he who has no auto-hypocrisy cast the first stone", but I don't see much stone throwin' round these parts.
Here's to a (pundit) crappy car serving well for many a year!-
Exactly… No stones thrown here, or the stone thrower will quickly find themselves deluged with boulders.
-
-
Welcome to the TrailVoy club. I love my '02 4200 inline six 4×4….Today though it is giving me fits but because of my own doing. I nailed a Muskrat hole in the marsh and after getting on pavement heard the tell tale hum of a Hub Assembly. It lasted 200 miles and today I can tell the bearing is coming apart. 20 minutes of work and it will be back on the road.
-
I hope you get to use the retractable roof thing as it was intended. I've seen a few of these XUV's around, but have never seen one actually carrying something big enough to require the roof to be retracted. I thought it was an awesome idea, especially combined with the "hose out" cargo area.
Keep us Hoons updated on how it treats ya…. I think you made a good purchase! -
No worries. This doesn't affect your credibility in the least.
-
I have never found any of these series of SUV's very attractive. But you had me at black steelies.
I too like the roof but have never actually seen one in use. I would certainly crack it open when driving around for no good reason at all other than some open air circulation.
Sounds like everyone that has/had one of these liked them a lot so good purchase, sir. -
I rented one of these a few years back. I thought the feature where you turn the key to start and release it, and it keeps cranking until it starts, was silly, and fun, and would probably cause problems if something went wrong. The other thing that was striking on that particular car was that it had manually adjustable mirrors. you know, roll down the windows and push on the glass like the old days. This on a rental car that has a different driver every day! I didn't even know they still made mirrors like that, let alone offered them on something as "upscale" as an SUV. The cornering was a bit vague, but the ride was quiet and comfortable. I faulted it at the time for not offering enough for the price. And I still agree with that when buying new.
But for what you paid – you got a heck of a deal! We need a follow up pic with the black steelies!-
Some of these had robo-mirrors: put it in reverse, and the side mirrors adjust to show you the curb. Handy when parallel parking.
-
I thought they were a damn good value, so long as you refused to pay sticker. Even at the sticker price of mine it offered a lot of kit. Heated/power leather seats, sunroof, Bose audio, polished 18" rims, and all kinds of other stuff. $33k list wasn't bad, but I got it for well under $30k after discounts and such.
-
-
Next announcement: UD's starting a palm tree delivery business.
Congrats on the purchase. The GMT360 may well set the record for the largest gap between auto media perception and customer satisfaction.
That, or the Merkur XR4Ti (but in the other direction). -
1) I want to see a picture of you hauling a grandfather clock around in XUV, like the ads showed at the time
2) Don't drive it past 5.5/10ths, I had a coworker who was driving around 6.5/10ths in one and the top heavy nature of the lwb beast combined to flip it. Almost lost his arm
3) Should have purchased a 9-7x-
If he went over, he was already at 10+, I think.
-
-
"Judge not lest ye be judged"
Who am I to criticize your purchase? We have a Town & Country at home. -
So are you going to collect 4 more spare tires/wheels for your black steelies? I'm pretty sure these come with a full size spare that is a dimensional match for the tires it came with. If you got 16" wheels your spare is 16", if you got the optional 17" wheels you get a 17" wheel. Of course the spare is mounted on the black steelie like you want.
-
Corvair? Are you a member of the Houston club? Did you make it to H.O.T. last month? I couldn't make it.
-
I don't fault you one bit. I like these trucks. The sliding roof seems useful, and I really like the fact that it has a straight six, which should meant that it'll be easy to work on, if it comes to that. Reading the comments, it seems like these go pretty long with no problems. Enjoy your new ride, I know I would.
-
Nothing to be ashamed of, man. I kinda like the GMT360s, particularly the Bravada or the LS2-powered Trailblazer SS/Saab 9-7X Aero, though I'd also love to find a '65 Biscayne or something to drop an Atlas six into.
-
my friend's SS HAULS. Hes not really a car guy but I realllly enjoyed him putting that haughty RAM-douche in his place after the greenlight.
-
-
The XUV was clearly not The Next Big Thing, as the Wagonaire wasn't either, but if it works for you, go for it. Looks like a work truck that you won't be embarrassed to be seen in, and that's a good combo.
I was thinking this was going to be in part about buying a late model used car on eBay sight unseen. It happens the 2005 Town Car I bought last July came from the same eBay dealer (I recognize the setting of the photos). Their price was equal or better than what I could get from any local dealer (and the local selection of TC's was crappy in the extreme), the transaction was extremely painless, they arranged the shipping, the car arrived 3 days sooner than expected, and the car was beautiful and exactly as represented. Can anyone say that every one of their deals will be perfect? Of course not. But overall it was the one of the best car buying experiences I have had.-
I should mention the one thing that did not go as expected on my Town Car purchase but it was not the seller's fault. Because they arranged the shipping, the shipping charge was on the bill of sale. As a result, I had to pay sales tax on the shipping cost because the State of Georgia considered it a taxable "delivery charge" same as with a new car. There was no talking them out of it; it was pay up or not get a tag. So, word to the wise, check your state's laws and if this is a problem arrange the shippping separately.
-
-
Well good for you. I really liked that straight 6. I wish you many happy-hooning miles with your new toy.
-
Wednesday, as I was driving home from work, I saw an Envoy XUV ahead of me and was thinking it looked especially clean for a car of this vintage. It then pulled off the road and into Texas Direct's old facility, where I often notice the transporters loading and unloading. It is fairly likely this is the same vehicle, judging by the setting of the second picture above.
Enjoy! -
Ugh. To each his own, but I must applaud the hypocrisy
-
I like your blog – great effort!
-
We have a confession to make. We’ve been smitten with this car since first stumbling across it on Fantasy Junction earlier this year. The 1953 Siata 208S you see above is one of 35 ever created, and this particular example has an unmatched ownership pedigree. Its first owner was none other than Cool himself, Steve McQueen. If that’s not enough to send your eyebrows to your hairline, have a listen to the little roadsters specs. Under the hood you’ll find a Fiat 2.3-liter V8 that has been reworked to produce around 137 horsepower at the rear wheels. There’s no word on how much the thing weighs, but we’re guessing the figure is somewhere between packing peanuts and meringue. Pure. Driving. Joy.
-
Great stuff from you, man. Ive read your stuff before and your just too awesome.
I love what you’ve got here, love what your saying and the way you say it.
You make it entertaining and you still manage to keep it smart. I cant wait to read more from you. this is really a great
bobLocksmith in Charlotte NC
Locksmith in Jacksonville FL
Charlotte Locksmith
Fort mill Locksmith
waxhaw Locksmith
Fort Mill Locksmith
![damnelantra™[!] Avatar](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/3da80b98652d08760de4151090db3364?s=40&d=mm&r=g){kind=avatar}
Leave a Reply