Be assured, red herring make a sort of sloppy flapping sound. But

This is actually exactly what happened.  I left the car there yesterday
(wednesday) morning.  They tried the car later yesterday afternoon...of
course, it didn't show signs of the problem then.  So they called and agreed
to keep the car until this morning to test it again.

I will post their results.

- tex

I let the dealer know the problem was intermittent and that it seemed to
affect the car only when it was cold (first thing in the morning, when left
overnight).

Thankfully, my dealer's service department was very attentive and they
insisted on keeping the car overnight to check the car in the morning.  I
had had the car in previously and this was one issue (amongst several) that
they couldn't replicate even though I had told them about it.  So I got the
car back and I paid more attention to when the noise occurred (cold/in the
morning).  So I had more direct evidence for them to work with the the next
time I brought it in.

Towed?  Wow...the noises my car was having were definitely not enough to
prevent me from driving it, more or less just very annoying.

Thankfully no...I had two minor problems with the SID (an anti-theft warning
and an onstar warning).

I had problems with the brakes...they were squeaking and grinding pretty
bad.

Other issues I've detailed in prior posts.

I think the key is be sure you hold the dealer accountable for the problems
your car is having but of course, always do so in a productive manner.  By
that, I mean, be your own savvy "detective".  Your actual mechanic/dealer
can't be with you in your car at all times, so it's all the more important
that you attempt to discover where the problem is first.  This is especially
true when a problem is intermittent or occurs under subtle conditions.
These types of problem can be very tricky to diagnose, even for seasoned
technicians.

In short, I agree with you about your concern of the quality of manufacture.
My first couple months with this car have not been the best experience.
It's too bad, because I really wanted to like this car from the get-go.
However, I was _very_ fortunate to have purchased my car from a very
reputable dealership.  They have more than lived up to their reputation.  In
two visits they fixed all the little/annoying problems with the car (all
warranty covered of course).  Now I will grant you, given this car's very
young age, it shouldn't have had any of these problems at all.

Now, with the exception of one very minor issue, a broken undercarriage
clip, (which can wait til the next oil change), I'm much happier with the
car.

Actually, speaking of this broken undercarriage clip, has anyone else
noticed the half-dozen or so cables/wires fastened/clipped to the bottom of
the 9^3?  This seems like a poor design decision to place these so exposed
to road elements.  It seems as though they should be better
protected/encased in a metal housing of sorts.  They instead have a handfull
of cheap plastic clips holding them down, affording them little if any
protection (from elements and even sabotage).  Is this really a standard,
accepted method to bring cables from the cabin to the rear of a vehicle?

- tex