You have to take what these magazines write with a grain of salt. If you ask any auto technician or any former GM owner, they will tell you that the 3800 engine is one of the best around, and gets better almost every year. Yes, the day will come probably soon when GM will have to retire the 3.8 due to increasing emissions and fuel economy standards. But, it's pretty remarkable that as old as the design is, it still meets todays standards for emissions. In fact, the GP is meeting the requirements of being a LEV (low emission vehicle). Trust me, any car with a 3800 engine does not need to be worried about until close to 200,000 miles. The magazines just like everything that is new and flashy, but notice that they never rate reliability or serviceability? This is where the 3.8 really shines. PS- it was rated one of the Ten Best Engines of all time by Ward's Auto World recently. I dropped my Car and Driver subscription years ago!!