Truth be told, the Avalanche fits most folks needs BETTER than a Silverado, but sometimes folks get into a numbers game when looking at the specs vice what a vehicle will actually be used for. I thought they were sort of a gimmick when they came out, but I was very surprised when I actually looked at one seriously.

The Avalanche was more attractive for me (us) vs a Suburban because it has far more utility and flexibility. A suburban would have been nice (looked at them very hard in fact) but the AV won hands down.

As for the comparison between them and a Silverado/Sierra, the AV offers a better ride and again more flexibility. We are like most families and home owners where we need the option of using the vehicle as a pick-up on a regular basis as well as a family hauler. We have fairly light towing requirements which the AV more than handles and with the mid-gate down I can put longer stuff in than I could with a Silverado.

If our '04 was wrecked/totaled/whatever and I had to buy something new, it would be replaced with another Avalanche without hesitation. It is a great product that is a little different and has proven to be a lot of fun!

 

I would have to agree that a majority of the people buying crew cab Silverados could just as easily be in an Avalanche. I see the value in them, and if it was me I would take one in a heartbeat, but alot of people seem to just settle on the Silverado without a second thought.

 

I hear what you're saying, and you're probably right about the increased sales due to incentives, etc. I think for the YEAR, the sales are down, right?

I guess the timing just seemed ironic ..... announce that they're shutting down the 3rd shift due to poor sales, and a couple days later, find out that sales went UP!?

 

I don't know if the animosity between GM and the CAW is any worse than GM and the UAW, although Hargrove is undoubtedly a worldclass idiot who probably doesn't make things better for his constituents in the long run.

Perhaps more importantly, this is a contract year in the US so it wouldn't help GM's cause to layoff Americans while keeping Oshawa going at full capacity.

 

Changes in production schedules must be made far in advance of actual showroom sales. My guess is that GM sees worse days ahead in the truck market.