The dreaded and awful thing happened to me yesterday. As everyone knows, I am a BIG Las Vegas fan and visit Las Vegas quite frequently. I almost always drive to Las Vegas since it is only a short 260 miles from Orange County, California. Plus I like to casino hop and I hate taking taxis or shuttles to various hotel/casinos.

I own a 1997 GMC Jimmy SLT 2 wheel drive sport utility vehicle. I wrote a review in December 1999 about my truck BUT I raved about its styling, engine and comforts. When I bought my GMC truck the salesman was very pushy about buying GMC's extended warranty. He kept saying I would be sorry if I didn't purchase one. Of course, I had to question why this clown was pushing this unnecessary piece of warranty on me.

GMC EXTENDED WARRANTY

My coverage covered everything including the power train for up to 100,000 miles or 5 years whichever comes first. It added $550 to the price tag so I said, let's go for it.

I had a bad experience with a 1990 Jeep Cherokee LTD 4X4 where the Chrysler Corporation gave me nothing but headaches. Chrysler never honored their warranty so I bailed and bought a Honda.

Knowing how automobile companies like to stick it to the customer, I decided it was cheap insurance for a product that Consumer Reports™ often rated well below Ford and Dodge trucks in service problems/defects. As a matter of fact, Consumer Reports did not recommend this truck!

THE BACKGROUND

While in Barstow, California (this is a desert community in the Mojave Desert), I noticed my truck was acting very strangely. It was 105 degrees on Wednesday July 19th in Barstow. We stopped to eat at Denny's near the Barstow Outlet. When I stopped at a stop sign, I had to push way down on the gas pedal to get the truck to move. It was like it wasn't getting enough gasoline. I arrived home about an hour and half later in Orange County, California intact.

I unloaded my luggage and Coleman™ cooler then took a short nap. Later in the afternoon I was going to do some errands like grocery shopping, dry cleaners, wash the truck of road kill (dead insects on my windshield), etc. I stopped at a red light and my truck wouldn't go into gear! The engine operated normally BUT I couldn't get the truck to go into reverse, drive, 1st, 2nd or 3rd gears. It shifted into gear but would not engage.

My GMC Jimmy has 48,300 miles on it. It is driven 50% on the freeways and 50% on city streets. I religiously take my truck in every 3,000 miles for oil changes and general inspections (all performed by GMC dealerships). The tires are rotated according to GMC's specifications.

GMC ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE (800) 462-8782

Overall, I am very impressed with GMC Roadside Assistance. They are faster than the Automobile Club of Southern California in getting a tow truck out to you. I give GMC high marks for this service!

Here's a brief synopsis of my telephone call to GMC Roadside Assistance:

GMC: Are you in a safe location?
Me: Yes
GMC: What can I do for you?
Me: My truck won't go into gear.
GMC: Let me transfer you to a representative . . .

Me: Come on, I don't have all day, 'ya know! (Wait time was 2 minutes 13 seconds . . .)
GMC: Do you have your vehicle VIN number?
Me: Yes, its 1GSK . . . .
GMC: OK, now you said your truck won't go into gear. I'll have a tow truck out in 45 minutes.
Me: Great!

Tow Truck Diver: Hey, you gotta firmly depress the brake pedal to disengage the shift selector. (The tow truck driver got it to go into drive. But I told him it will fail after a mile. He didn't believe me and said to call him when and if I get stuck again.)
Me: OK.

Several minutes later -

Me: Hey, my truck is stuck in the middle of early morning rush hour! I told your tow truck guy it was going to fail BUT he didn't believe me!
GMC: Hold on sir, I'll dispatch a tow truck driver again.
GMC: Are you in a safe place?
Me: NO! I am in an embarrassing position blocking traffic and making a spectacle of myself!
<Thirty minutes have passed and everybody in town, it seems, has passed by my broken down SUV>
Tow Truck Driver: I'll get your truck going.
Me: Yeah, I'd like to see you do that trick. (He gets into my truck and . . . )
Tow Truck Driver: Well, you are right. It won't go into gear.
Me: My God, you must be a rocket scientist! I could have told you that Sherlock!

AT THE GMC DEALERSHIP

My service advisor immediately told me the transmission appears to have been blown and that I was lucky it made it 110 miles from the desert to my home in Orange County. He said GMC may or may not cover this repair. I asked him why not? I didn't abuse my truck and it was only three years old.

Why in God's name did my salesman sell me this piece of worthless paper if GMC doesn't intend to honor its commitment? Believe me, GMC will honor this warranty because I did not abuse my truck. Why would I spend $31,000 on a product only to abuse it? It doesn't make sense.

I asked further, how much a transmission job would cost if I was forced to pay, he replied, "Oh, about $2,800". My jaws dropped like an anvil to the ground! Geez, whose Ferrari am I financing? OK, call me if GMC will not cover it.

OTHER PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD WITH MY GMC JIMMY

• CD player decided to quit playing CD's. GMC replaced this at no charge.
• Hand release brake broke. It would not let me release the brake - thus I couldn't put the vehicle into drive. GMC Roadside came out within several minutes and did a quickie repair.
• ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System) - Occasionally, the ABS kicks in too soon. I told my dealer about this problem BUT they tell me this is normal. Does a loud noise like a Tyrannosaurus Rex is right under your vehicle sound normal? Not to me!

I STILL LOVE MY GMC JIMMY!

I feel my problems are small in comparison to other safety issues. Yes, I would be awfully upset if I was stuck out in Barstow or Baker, California (Mojave Desert) with small children. Several years ago General Motors was tied up in court litigation about their ABS (Anti-Lock Braking Systems) failing to work when people did panic braking (jamming on the brakes). When I bought my Jimmy brand new, my dealership gave me a video to watch about the ABS brakes but I am fully aware of this feature, its capabilities and what it can and cannot do.

• Now you know why it is important to carry one gallon of water for every member in your vehicle. If you are unlucky and your vehicle decides to die on you in the middle of the desert, you will dehydrate really fast!

Overall, I feel the GMC Jimmy is a reliable vehicle. Like all man-made products you have to expect break downs at inopportune times. I won't hesitate buying another GMC truck again. My only wish is that General Motors engineers design these parts to last.

Addendum July 28, 2000 As promised, here is the results of my auto repair. My GMC dealer called me on Tuesday to pick up my truck. GMC covered all repairs involved and even paid for my loaner car!

• I received a brand new transmission which is running smoother than the day I drove it off the lot!
• My brakes were out of adjustment. My brakes are very quiet now!

Total outlay in cost on my part: $20.00 for gas - That's it! GMC covered all repairs involved!

Can you guess which brand of truck I will most likely buy when my current truck hits 70,000 miles? Yes! A GMC!