Hi - I'm the guy that started this thread. Just wanted to fill in some detail; first, the $1300 was not just for the cupholder lid - they told me it was that whole section of the console, they couldn't sell me just the lid because of the need to match the wood grain (but is it real wood? - sure feels like plastic to me). Second, I've learned long ago with toy cars to go right to the club for advice, and this club is one of the best! In my case RippyPartsDept and CCClarke came right back with the info I needed to get into the console without damaging it, and once I could see the problem it was a relatively easy fix. As I said earlier I managed to "build" a replacement hinge but I'm sure I would have been able to get one from salvage or, who knows, maybe GMPartsDirect has something less than the whole console available.
I've had the car about 7 months now; it was older and higher mileage (2006 with 26,000 miles) than I usually buy, but I jumped on it because I got it from Alice Cooper (yeah, THE Alice Cooper). It was his personal car and I got him to autograph the visor. It was a little scary at first, some electrical issues (as in completely dead after sitting every three days) but I've got it sorted out now and love the car - in fact I'm getting ready to have some custom paint done on it.
Bottom line, don't be afraid of toy cars. Just be smart, try to buy 'em when that depreciation curve goes almost flat (which it does with most high-end cars), but still young enough to be uber-cool and not have age-related problems, AND look for something unusual. I've been doing exactly that for over 40 years; my first car, back when all my friends were looking for hot rods, was a 1961 Cadillac convertible; I found one of 600 that was built with leather buckets and a console (yes, factory buckets and console in a Cadillac in 1961). It was four years old when I got it, and I would kill to have it back - of course it started to show rust after another couple of years, but I sold it for almost exactly what I had paid for it because it was so attractive and unusual.
OK, have to tell you about my most recent Cadillac adventure. Long story, but I found a virtually new 2006 CTS languishing at a Caddie dealer in Ohio that had been custom built for Sir Paul McCartney. He had donated it to a charity who consigned it to the Barrett-Jackson auto auction, and they sold it to someone for $102,500 (don't believe me? Here's a link to the auction video; it's a blast to watch for any Caddie enthusiast):
http://www.hulu.com/watch/47594/barrett-jackson-life-on-the-block-rock-on?c=1570:1926
(Sorry, can't seem to paste a link into this forum - just copy and paste into your browser.)
I negotiated for months with the dealer who ended up with it, bought the car, drove it for four years, and then sold it last May to the Hollywood Star Cars Museum in Gatlinburg TN, for significantly more than I paid for it. Check it out; it's still on the front page of their web site, right next to the Batmobile!
http://www.starcarstn.com/ (Be sure to hit the "MORE INFO" button under the photo of the car.)
I love this hobby. I can't afford a house that will blow everybody away but I'm usually driving a car that makes 'em wonder who the hell I am, and like I said if you're smart about it it won't cost you much if anything more than a "normal" car.