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In reality, Smart is much more aligned now with MB than it was originally. Smart was always a stand alone company and Smart USA was a Penske venture. In 2011, MB took over Smart distribution in America. The 21 Smart stores not affiliated with an MB dealership were closed. MB did so because they needed Smart to meet 2016 CAFE standards and to bring Smart under the Daimler wing worldwide.
Today Smarts can only be bought in an MB store.
Now how is bringing over a bunch of small Opel products that are at best blah and mediocre in Europe going to spell a great growth opportunity for Buick in NA?
The Opels being sold under the Buick brand aren't going to be exactly the same as the ones in Europe. The Mokka and Encore are about 90% the same. The goals are to reduce development costs for both Buick and Opel and to offer a product between Chevrolet and Cadillac which are both European brands now. GM is trying to move Opel upscale and yes it's not working yet in Europe but that's because it's never been considered an upscale brand. But that doesn't preclude offering those upscale Opels in North America as a Buick.
Keep in mind that the vast majority of the buying public doesn't know that Buick and Opel are sharing products and that Opel has only recently gone upscale. It's just like the vast majority of MB buyers have no idea their E class is sold as a plebeian taxi in Europe and the A class is a top seller.
Mine has carpet, a cloth 40/20/40 seat. And it has a hitch, but I don't know anything about classes. Anyway, out the door with tax, tags, everything, mine was only $20,751. I think the MSRP on the window sticker was around $26,000.
What is the US/Canada exchange rate these days? I didn't think there was much difference. I went to Canada's Wonderland and Toronto last year, and I don't remember prices seeming that radically different.
But for comparisons:
That truck here starts at 19995. and you think gee that's not too bad, but that is a stripper. It has the 4.7? V8 (less than the 3.6 V6). Has the 6 speed...or is it even still the 4 speed? I forget. Steel wheels, short box, rubber floor, wind up windows. There is even a big hit going to the 8 sp from the 6 with the V6.
So here the (and I'm going by memory so don't hold me exactly to the #s but I'm not too far off I don't think) the 4x4 upgrade was around 4200. extended 5600. V6 about 2000. The Hemi MDS was about a 3000+ hit. So when you factor in the best engine, best tranny combo (that 8 speed is expensive but worth it I think, especially with the Pentastar V6) etc, and add in 4x4, the price jumps quick. That's sorta my point, to get a nicely equipped truck the thing is going to be well on the plus side of 40 large. And 50k plus for 'really' nicely equipped. Here anyway..
It'd be interesting to compare your mpg to his 4x4 8 sp extended. What are you getting, interpreting dieselone's figures?
BTW, that truck i spec'd only had the 17x7 rims. I am not a big wheel fan.
I found the entire episode quite humorous...
$1US = $1.04CDN .. so, very close to par.
But, the taxes do kill you.
Just checked the Chevy websites in the US and Canada. Base price Cruze in Canada is $14,995, while in the US it's $17,995. Not certain that the spec levels are exactly the same - in Canada there is an LS 1SA and an LS 1SB, while in the US it's just the LS.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
What was it I priced just the other day...a new Accord I think, and they wanted over 300 bucks for lousy block heater!
That Class IV hitch on the Ram was something like 700. or something..ridiculous..
When comparing a base GLK here vs yours in the US I found out the US is far better equipped.
I am surprised tho that your base Cruze is 18k. Are you sure? That almost sounds like it might be a base price for the 1.4 turbo which is far from base.
I guess if one were to rationalize to save their sanity, I suppose every dollar extra we pay here compared to the US goes to health care eventually. (well...and of course there are those govt pension pkgs) And even that is getting more and more user-fee based and yet none of our other expenses (like cars, electronics and anything else that has a sales tax put on it) are any more affordable because of it.
All those things lead to better faster braking and safety after all.
Particularly if I had a Porsche, even if it is a big beast like the Cayenne.
That guy should just buy a RAV 4 and call it a day.
Classy, thank you.
How many people reading Edmunds here know friends, neighbors, relatives who are office workers or similar, drive pickups and only rarely use the function of the pickup bed. Sure, there are farmers, ranchers, people in the trades who REALLY need the pickup bed. But, how many people buy pickups and could really get their occasional hauling needs be better accomplished by a suv, crossover or mini-van.
Somehow, the pickup has been glorified by tv advertisements in recent years. In years past, pickups as transportation, NOT utility and functionality for jobs, were considered stupid and to be shunned.
Last summer I re-sodded part of my lawn. The squares of St Augustine grass are pretty heavy, you can't really fill up your truck bed without breaking the springs on a half ton pickup. On my second trip to pickup more grass, I was waiting in line to have the grass loaded, and the guy in front of me was in an SUV. I really don't remember the make / model, but it was foreign, fairly new, and rather expensive looking.
The guy was having grass sod loaded into the back of his SUV, and I remember wondering why in the h*ll he was trashing out his expensive vehicle in that way. The place I was buying from does offer delivery (which isn't that expensive), and Craigslist is full of guys with pickups offering to pickup and deliver anything your heart desires.
I sure as h*ll wouldn't want to buy that SUV on the used market.
In years past, pickups as transportation, NOT utility and functionality for jobs, were considered stupid and to be shunned.
What part of the world are you from, New York City? You must me a "Da*ned Yankee" to be talking that way!
On 2nd thought, I should probably explain that last remark. There is a very old joke here in the south about people growing up thinking that "Da*ned Yankee" was one word, not two.
I figure what's the point of owning something if you're afraid to use it? Maybe I'd care more if I didn't drive them forever but even then I'd probably have a pristine car and wind up smacking a deer.
Hay or straw?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I spent 10 days in a straw bale house last month; you'd think I'd learn the difference by now.
I was curious if you were feedin' or beddin' something. Straw is nastier because it pulls out easily from the packed slabs. And sticks in places.
I used my Buick pickup truck to bring a bale home from a local garden center. They didn't have plastic bag to put it; just used a sheet of plastic. I had to take everything out of trunk including the pad eventually to get rid of the straw pieces.
Love those big trunks on my US GM Buicks.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Long story short, they had taken it over. Chewed wires, plugged the HVAC, and I even flushed out unibody maggots and dead baby mice from the rocker panel unibody area after I had pulled all the plastic drain plugs. I suspect that they had nested too close to an exhaust heat maybe? And roasted them, hence the maggots etc. It was mind blowing and I felt sick until a friend said that it was likely an insurance deal. Thank goodness I had comprehensive or I would have been totally scre...
The reason they got such a head start that year was I literally rode the bike all summer and hadn't even started the car for about 2 mo. Right this very minute, I have an electronic rodent device screeching inside the car. It puts out a whopping 150 db (a guess). I also have traps set up on top of the valve cover, and two inside. I also now have a routine of baiting OJ cartons in my wood piles and all around the house. Unloading the car of groceries this time of year (anytime after 4pm) has to be done with foot-kick-the-door closed on each trip. As the temp drops, their brazenness is not to be believed.
The previous car to that was the Matrix and they tried to nest in the HVAC but I got on top of it right away and was lucky in that in that particular car the air intake is in ONE central location which i was able to silicone off with screening. To this day, any car I consider, I wonder how central the HVAC air intake is, so that it is more easily addressed.
This might sound pretty out there, but trust me, you don't know the horror till you live it. They are the dirtiest, stinkiest, disease carrying varmints on the face of the earth..
We're a degree north of you, so we're safe, lol.
The old family VW Bus moved a goat for a friend one time. Worst issue I ever had was spilling some grits under the back seat of the Tercel and they fermented nicely when spring came.
Makes you want to buy one of those Kias that those cute hamsters advertise eh?
There's a billboard near hear that says you're now half way to the north pole..
I used to have grits with breakfast when I truck all down through the eastern seaboard. You can't find grits up here. Anywhere. All these years and I am still not sure what they are, haha, but I assume carbs of some sort.
In auto news, there really isn't much. All the reporters must be in Frankfurt at the auto show.
Even though it's a far cry between a half-ton pickup and a big rig, as kids we still thought a pickup was a lot cooler than a car.
Then, in the late 70's with downsizing and such, big blocks started to get phased out in cars, but they held on for awhile longer in trucks, and that added to their mystique with many buyers. When the mid 80's rolled around and GM shrunk most of its big cars down to mere midsizers, and gas got cheap and plentiful again, I think that's when trucks really took off. And, whenever country music started to go mainstream, that was an influence.
With me, I think it's in my blood, as well. Grandmom and Granddad always had a car and a truck. But then, Granddad actually WAS a farmer! Or, worked on a government farm, at least. But, he was always hauling or towing something, and they also used it for camping. His first "truck" was actually a 1939 Plymouth that he cut body off aft of the B-pillar, and built a truck bed, sort of Beverly Hillbillies style.
And what about all of the people here on the forums who refer to their $50,000, imported, car chassis SUV as a "truck"?
Yes, I admit it, that one bothers me. If it doesn't have, at the very least, an open bed in the back, how can it possibly be a "truck"?
There are non truck-like SUVs (think Volvo, BMW) then there are some others which do have truck-like similarities. Some are either a blessing or a curse, but here are a few: blessings listed first..
- more ground clearance
- tall sit-up-and-beg-leg-drop-to-the-floor type seating position (due to my bad spine, this is a reason...but far from the only one, I am considering going back to truck if I can find one economical enough)
- view-down-the-road visibility due to the higher seating position
- extra cargo ability
- often the AWD/4x4 association
- high step in ingress/egress
- higher CoG
- high load floors
All truck-like..
But I recall the advertisements change in the 90s, or so. I recall that Truck ads started showing successful your women using _their_ pickup truck to go out on the town to restaurants, night clubs, or such. It was about that same time that a coworker of mine bought a fully loaded, leather seats, power everything diesel manual shift Silverado. It was like the front seat of a premium vehicle. So trucks were no longer work cages with dirt on the floor and tool belts hanging over the seat backs. They were alternatives for cars.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Kinda like doing yard work in a 3 piece suit. It may look nice, but it does not help get the job done and sure wastes a lot of money.
:confuse:
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
This survey must of cost all of $1000 to complete. They surveyed only 4200 consumers to cover every make and model. I would guess that Consumer reports receives that many responses on the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry alone.
I would say the survery is very close to being worthless.
California new car dealers claim Tesla violates advertising laws
The comments are pretty amusing, too.
One thing about Elon, his pockets are as deep as NADA and the rest.
Lotsa pixie dust.
I objected to one thing in the calculator that wasn't mentioned--that the cost of a KwH was .11 cents. Not in my town.
-The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is an economic indicator that measures the satisfaction of consumers across the U.S. economy. It is produced by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, a private company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The ACSI interviews about 80,000 Americans annually and asks about their satisfaction with the goods and services they have consumed. Potential respondents are screened prior to interviewing to guarantee inclusion of customers of a wide range of business-to-consumer products and services, including durable goods, services, non-durable goods, local government services, federal government services, and so forth. Results from data collection and analyses are released to the public throughout each calendar year. ACSI data has been used by academic researchers, corporations, government agencies, market analysts and investors, industry trade associations, and consumers.-
It valued fueling time at $100/hr. Seriously. It's hard to tell who is worse, the old school dealer lobby, or the creative accounting (lies) of the upstart who is still dependent on the top few receiving tax breaks for their toys.
Well, for those who can afford a Tesla, $100/hr (that's $200K/year salary) might be a reasonable approximation of the average owner's salary.
Of course society is segmented. Most rich people in the US actually earned it rather than got it from daddy. I figure there are the top 1% who skim off a bunch of value, then there are the top 10% (or the next 9%) - somewhat less treacherous, they might not be multi-millionaires, but they can still afford high end cars and go on expensive trips. Most of the people can't do that, either.