The previous posters' message about V8 powered Corvette owners not caring about the air we all breathe, etc is highly accurate in what I have seen myself. But then I've always felt that many consumers in this category are lacking a little more than just horsepower.... if some might get my meaning....

The dealers have always (and I mean always) been a poor source of information on absolutely anything regarding their vehicles - other than what they can "put you in today". I've dropped some notes about this in past postings, as their best sales tactics are usually the main concern and focus of any brand dealer.

The message regarding the statements located in an operators manual are interesting to me, as if I followed every indication in an operators manual - I would have run into much trouble in a variety of vehicles that I've owned. I read these as "suggestions" and take them with a grain of salt, as these are written by the folks that would love you to purchase a new car from them as often as possible until the end of time.

Examples:

The service reminders in a brand new 99 Buick Regal GS supercharged (29mpg hwy loaded to capacity and 240HP) recommended a 5,000 mile interval for every oil change (normal non-synthetic oil) and was further programmed into the "adaptive" service minder function of the dash display. Yet on a road trip across the US, I checked the oil at 3,900 miles while filling the tank and noticed I was 2 quarts below full on flat ground and the oil was dark. The dash told me I had 2,200 miles to go to the next adjusted oil change.
I promptly drove it to the nearest Buick dealership, had the oil changed and had the engine checked for signs of leakage - there were none. In the words of the service manager, it was "perfectly normal" for an engine to consume oil without leaking it (Hack!). Incidentally this car never made it to the second oil change with us - I traded it in on an import after we returned home. Waiting until 5,000 miles would most likely have caused the new engine to seize or damage itself, and there was no indicator light that told it was low on oil either (3 of the 5 US quarts left). Imagine if I waited until the fancy pants dash display indicated I should change it @ 6,100 miles as Buick recommended.

A further example would be trying to find the service interval for flushing power steering and brake fluids on almost any vehicle (other than high-end imports). This interval is absent from almost every operators manual (and repair manual) ever written, and yet is highly important to the safe operation of these systems. Change these fluids every 3 years/ 30,000 miles and you will most likely never have serious problems related to brake leaks, pump and rack failures, etc unless they were faulty or cheaply equipped. I offer up my 1995 Dodge Neon Highline I recently sold to a friend with 110,000 miles and the original power steering, ABS master cylinder, calipers, lines, etc. Water intrusion in these systems is normal, and not mentioned or discussed by the manufacturer until they can sell you something.

And lastly, please do not listen to the manufacturers regarding tire pressures - this is optimized to a nice soft, comfy ride out of the compromise (cheap as possible) tires and components they equipped your car with. My 2005 Scion would like me to run my 205/45R17 stock tires at 29psi as specified on the doorframe sticker. When was the last time anyone got optimum mpg or performance at 29psi - it can't happen. I have them at 32 psi for traction in the winter, and will increase that to about 34-36 psi once summer hits again.

Thanks again for everyone's input - and please remember not to believe everything you read in the manual. This is like asking a bartender how many drinks you should have