What did GM do wrong with our cars?

[Sabrewings]

you are aware that 3800's are capable of going >300,000 miles right?

So are many other engines.

i kinda disagree with everyone saying its old technology. they used these engines through 2008... using that reasoning, LSx's are old technology too since they were developed in 1997, yet they are still going strong and still make gobs of power, can handle tons of boost in stock form, all while retaining reliability.

The LS4, LS6, LS9, LS7, LS3, etc have so little in common with the LS1, they're practically new engines. Sure, they're in the same V8 family, but that doesn't mean they are largely unchanged. The 3800 II/III were largely unchanged from 1996.

but keep in mind that gm is VERY conservative with their tunes, in just about every vehicle. you can easily pick up 30whp from an ls car just from a tune.

And I can get 40WHP from a Stage 1 tune on my 4-banger. All manufacturers are conservative with their tunes. It promotes reliability.

The 3800 was great back when it was the "new" hotness. It was on the top ten engines of the 20th century list, and in the top ten engines for three years in a row in the 90s. It's known as being a trusty workhorse, but not as being a power house. It's been a decade. Things change, and they're changing faster every year. GM is getting over 300 horses from a 3.6L N/A DI V6. That is the new par for the course, so to speak. The 3800 can't keep up with that, and it is indeed old technology.