Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

abacomike

PF_Flyer said:

I figure if you can make it to 92, you can do whatever the heck you want.

Exactly, you made it and have earned the right to ENJOY!

No question about that!  Whatever makes him happy at this stage of his life, I want to expose him to It.

jayrider

abacomike said:

PF_Flyer said:

stickguy said:

I figure if you can make it to 92, you can do whatever the heck you want.

Exactly, you made it and have earned the right to ENJOY!

No question about that!  Whatever makes him happy at this stage of his life, I want to expose him to It.

Next time he goes to the Doctor, have them check him for Hollow Leg Syndrome.

abacomike

@jayrider‌ said:

"Next time he goes to the Doctor, havethem check him for Hollow Leg  Syndrome"

Every time one we go to the doctor, the doctor spends 10 minutes with Dad and 30 minutes with me.  I'm the sick one - he's as healthy as a 20 year old.  Unfortunately his dementia, lack of good hearing and blindness is keeping him from truly enjoying his last years.  But physically, he is a youngster.

driver100

abacomike said:

@jayrider‌ said:

"Next time he goes to the Doctor, havethem check him for Hollow Leg  Syndrome"

Every time one we go to the doctor, the doctor spends 10 minutes with Dad and 30 minutes with me.  I'm the sick one - he's as healthy as a 20 year old.  Unfortunately his dementia, lack of good hearing and blindness is keeping him from truly enjoying his last years.  But physically, he is a youngster.

He sure knows what he wants when it comes to food. That's a great story, you should submit it to AARP.......nice to see a 92 year old man get so much enjoyment.

Unfortunately, his son, not so much, but, it must have been a thrill to see Dad enjoying himself so much.

abacomike

@driver100‌

Yes it's good to see him enjoying himself.  Unfortunately, by tomorrow, he will have forgotten most of what he experienced.  We go day by day hoping he'll remember some of the things I try to get him to experience.

It's so sad - living to be 92 years old but not able to remember things from one day to the next or see much of anything or even hear most of what is being said around him despite having good hearing aids.

But I keep trying my best to get him out of the house.

stickguy

Mike, with everything else you have to deal with, you must be a saint to be doing this for your dad. Has to be exhausting.

Good thing you find a way to treat yourself to a new car every so often!

abacomike

stickguy said:

Mike, with everything else you have to deal with, you must be a saint to be doing this for your dad. Has to be exhausting. Good thing you find a way to treat yourself to a new car every so often!

EVERY SO OFTEN?  You've got to be kidding!!!  Once every 3 years is every so often.  With me, it's usually months.  Although, I must pat myself on my back - I had the CLS 550 for over a year.  Nearly a record.   

driver100

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Yes it's good to see him enjoying himself.  Unfortunately, by tomorrow, he will have forgotten most of what he experienced.  We go day by day hoping he'll remember some of the things I try to get him to experience.

It's so sad - living to be 92 years old but not able to remember things from one day to the next or see much of anything or even hear most of what is being said around him despite having good hearing aids.

But I keep trying my best to get him out of the house.

Did your Dad notice you had a new car? Was it easier for him to get in and out of the E400?
How did you like day 2 in the car?

We went for a one hour drive to historic Plant City today. Nice ride in the country. The radio has terrific sound and clarity. There were a few songs they played and for the first time I could make out words I never heard in the song before. Louie Louie sounded very clear....I could make out almost every word...still not sure what it all means.

I sure loved driving along the country roads at 60 mph....I felt I was one with my car. I really enjoyed SPORT mode too....gas was $2.42 so I thought I would treat myself.

stickguy

you guys are really making me want a M-B next. Will have to give them a good once over at the car show next month. especially the new C. I always loved the design on the outgoing C class.

abacomike

driver100 said:

@driver100‌

Yes it's good to see him enjoying himself.  Unfortunately, by tomorrow, he will have forgotten most of what he experienced.  We go day by day hoping he'll remember some of the things I try to get him to experience.

It's so sad - living to be 92 years old but not able to remember things from one day to the next or see much of anything or even hear most of what is being said around him despite having good hearing aids.

But I keep trying my best to get him out of the house.

Did your Dad notice you had a new car? Was it easier for him to get in and out of the E400? How did you like day 2 in the car? We went for a one hour drive to historic Plant City today. Nice ride in the country. The radio has terrific sound and clarity. There were a few songs they played and for the first time I could make out words I never heard in the song before. Louie Louie sounded very clear....I could make out almost every word...still not sure what it all means. I sure loved driving along the country roads at 60 mph....I felt I was one with my car. I really enjoyed SPORT mode too....gas was $2.42 so I thought I would treat myself.

Yes, he likes it better because of the ease of getting in and out with less effort.  I love it - but getting used to the car steering itself in cruise control with the Distronic Plus engaged is going to take some getting used to.  It uses the cameras and sensors to keep the car centered in the lane.

What I love is the overhead view of the 360 degree camera image of the car using park assist.  It shows the parking stripes and cars around you as I pull in to my parking space.  No more parking crooked for me - it's a phenomenal technology.

I miss only one thing from the CLS - the growl of the 8 cyl engine.

stickguy

Mike, notice the smiley face. I know the difference between often and all the time!

abacomike

stickguy said:

Mike, notice the smiley face. I know the difference between often and all the time!

LOL  

driver100

stickguy said:

you guys are really making me want a M-B next. Will have to give them a good once over at the car show next month. especially the new C. I always loved the design on the outgoing C class.

Driving an MB is a unique experience. They get everything right, and the car is as quiet and smooth as possible, but you aren't isolated from the driving experience.

I've told this before, my wife had our 95 Volvo in for service, and she walked across the road to the MB dealer, took out a used MB, and said she had to have one...didn't care if it was used or not. Fortunately MB came out with a new C Class that started in the low $30k range. We got a 99 and it opened our eyes to what a unique driving experience an MB can be.

The 2015 C is nice, but I actually like the 2014 a bit more. I would love to do a Mike, and trade in the A4 for a 2014 C Class, but, now that we've blown $1000 on the transmission I would like to get 2 more years out of it.

PF_Flyer

Hey, it's almost Christmas. You never know what kind of car Santa might bring!

Anyone ever really give or get the car in the driveway with the bow on it??

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Yes it's good to see him enjoying himself.  Unfortunately, by tomorrow, he will have forgotten most of what he experienced.  We go day by day hoping he'll remember some of the things I try to get him to experience.

It's so sad - living to be 92 years old but not able to remember things from one day to the next or see much of anything or even hear most of what is being said around him despite having good hearing aids.

But I keep trying my best to get him out of the house.

Did your Dad notice you had a new car? Was it easier for him to get in and out of the E400?
How did you like day 2 in the car?

We went for a one hour drive to historic Plant City today. Nice ride in the country. The radio has terrific sound and clarity. There were a few songs they played and for the first time I could make out words I never heard in the song before. Louie Louie sounded very clear....I could make out almost every word...still not sure what it all means.

I sure loved driving along the country roads at 60 mph....I felt I was one with my car. I really enjoyed SPORT mode too....gas was $2.42 so I thought I would treat myself.

I miss only one thing from the CLS - the growl of the 8 cyl engine.

Boys will be boys. I get a nice growl in SPORT mode. Of course it won't be the same, and the difference in power will be noticeable. But, the E400 really has enough power for almost everyone's driving needs. My wife complained about going from 300 hp in the 335 to 240 in the A4, but, now it is really a moot point.......we forget pretty quickly and get used to the new reality. 330 hp should be enough for most people.

driver100

PF_Flyer said:

Hey, it's almost Christmas. You never know what kind of car Santa might bring!

Anyone ever really give or get the car in the driveway with the bow on it??

I don't think that would happen very often in real life - probably just in commercials and movies. Most couples look at cars together, talk about financing, and make a decision together. Buying a car (a major purchase) shouldn't be done unilaterally.

I do have a friend who's ex-wife was driving home from work one day. Her car broke down and she walked across the street and bought a brand new Dodge Shadow.


Unfortunately, buying the car without his knowledge was the last straw.

abacomike

PF_Flyer said:

Hey, it's almost Christmas. You never know what kind of car Santa might bring! Anyone ever really give or get the car in the driveway with the bow on it??

Yes, I had a Pontiac dealer deliver 2 brand new Grand Prix's (his and hers) to the house on Christmas Eve wrapped in red ribbons.  They took the trades back with them.

When I was in the car business, many times I had to have cars delivered to homes on Christmas Eve with ribbons and bows.  That's why we kept a nice supply of them on hand during December.  It's much more common than one would think.

imidazol97

Saw this holidays youtube and thought it's cute. I question the logic of the Ford folks who used it advertising on a Malibu forum.

Click on picture for youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qxx6fEc9gE

qbrozen

hmmm... i click and it just goes black.

edit: ah, never mind. browser issue, it seems.

abacomike

@driver100 said:

"Boys will be boys. I get a nice growl in SPORT mode."

Are you sure that "growl" you hear isn't your wife giving you audio warnings about your speed?

abacomike

@driver100‌

Driver, I put the car in "sport mode" for the trip up to take Dad walking at the mall this morning, and I noticed that at 65 mph, the car did not reached 6th gear or 7th gear, but remained in 5th gear all the way up the Turnpike. What a waste of gasoline, driver. The car reacts more like a stick shift car, I will admit, but as for handling and cornering, the difference is hardly noticeable to me.

Mr_Shiftright

Looks like a long day in Hell to me----LOL!

qbrozen said:

hmmm... i click and it just goes black.

edit: ah, never mind. browser issue, it seems.

Mr_Shiftright

Mr_Shiftright said:

Looks like a long day in Hell to me----LOL!

Oh, yeah, roomful of sugar-fueled children, incited to riot by in-laws. Nice.

qbrozen said:

hmmm... i click and it just goes black.

edit: ah, never mind. browser issue, it seems.

isellhondas

Mike, that sounded like a WONDERFUL buffet!

I wouldn't have been able to eat a third of what your dad managed to polish off!

houdini1

We don't talk much about our reading preferences here, but I just finished an excellent debut author's book by Andy Weir called "The Martian". 5 stars all the way. It is currently being made into a film that will be released in Nov., 2015, with Matt Damon in the starring role. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it. Very uplifting.

Michaell

houdini1 said:

We don't talk much about our reading preferences here, but I just finished an excellent debut author's book by Andy Weir called "The Martian". 5 stars all the way. It is currently being made into a film that will be released in Nov., 2015, with Matt Damon in the starring role. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it. Very uplifting.

houdini - I'm not much into fiction lately (though I am reading the latest "Tom Clancy" novel at the moment), but my library card has been working overtime.

Latest book is called "The Glass Cage" by Nicholas Carr. Discusses the role of automation in our lives and in society. Very eye-opening.

imidazol97

Growl?

On a recent outing to the computer store near Cincinnati, on I75 a Maserati was changing lanes to
zoom around various cars in medium traffic. It was clear the driver was hitting the fuel harder than needed just to hear that growl from the engine. It really sounded good.

The sound brought back memories from the cars of my youth. It was fun watching and listening to the growl even with my windows up as he gave it a workout on the 4 (may have been 5) lanes. Then the Maserati driver was off at about 80 mph in the 65-zoned interstate.

imidazol97

Books:

John Grisham's book Gray Mountain released in October was my last good read. I love the way certain authors weave things; he is good at that.

I don't like the political statements that more and more authors seem to be using within their books. It's like they think the way the minds of the Hollywood IQ 80 folks do who think their notoriety means they can preach to the "other" folks. The weaving has even happened in my one TV series show that I like, "The Good Wife." They bring in political folks for cameo spots.

I enjoy that the novel weaves in lots of scientific information about strip mining and about the societal impact it has on the coal country folks, however.

roadburner

I've been on a legal/ detective kick for the past year or so. I started with Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander novels, segued into Ian Rankin's John Rebus series, moved on to Michael Connelly's Mickey Haller("The Lincoln Lawyer") books, and am currently finishing up Connelly's Harry Bosch series.

The opening lines of Connelly's The Brass Verdict present one of the most accurate descriptions of the criminal justice system I have ever read:

Everybody lies.

Cops lie. Lawyers lie. Witnesses lie. The victims lie.

A trial is a contest of lies. And everybody in the courtroom knows this. The judge knows this. Even the jury knows this. They come into the building knowing they will be lied to. They take their seats in the box and agree to be lied to.

The trick if you are sitting at the defense table is to be patient. To wait. Not for any lie. But for the one you can grab onto and forge like hot iron into a sharpened blade. You then use that blade to rip the case open and spill its guts out on the floor.

That’s my job, to forge the blade. To sharpen it. To use it without mercy or conscience. To be the truth in a place where everybody lies.

robr2

I read a book about every 10 days or so. I just finished "Follow the Money" by Steve Boggan. It's a non-fiction tale of the author following a ten dollar bill around the United States for 30 days. He writes about the people he meets and the places he goes as he follows the bill.

Before that was "How Star Wars Conquered the Universe." Again, non-fiction. It chronicles the history of Star Wars from Lucas' gleam to the juggernaut the franchise is today.

driver100

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Driver, I put the car in "sport mode" for the trip up to take Dad walking at the mall this morning, and I noticed that at 65 mph, the car did not reached 6th gear or 7th gear, but remained in 5th gear all the way up the Turnpike. What a waste of gasoline, driver. The car reacts more like a stick shift car, I will admit, but as for handling and cornering, the difference is hardly noticeable to me.

I drive in Economy mode 90% of the time. I just shift into Sport mode if I need a fast gettaway from a light, or to get onto a highway. Economy will do the job, but sport insures I can do it.

Occassionally I treat myself to a drive in sport mode. The difference isn't nearly as great as it was in the bmw, but I like the firmir steering and the slightly more responsiveness of the engine. With gas at less than $2.50 a gallon (for regular) I don't care about the extra mileage. I think I get 3 or 4 miles to the gallon less in Sport....it's cheap entertainment.

driver100

robr2 said:

I read a book about every 10 days or so. I just finished "Follow the Money" by Steve Boggan. It's a non-fiction tale of the author following a ten dollar bill around the United States for 30 days. He writes about the people he meets and the places he goes as he follows the bill.

Before that was "How Star Wars Conquered the Universe." Again, non-fiction. It chronicles the history of Star Wars from Lucas' gleam to the juggernaut the franchise is today.

Having been in the book business for about 35 years I read a fair bit...almost all fiction. I read a book every 2 weeks, my wife reads 2 or 3 a week.

The last book I read was really good, Suspect by Robert Crais. It was about a police dog who is with his alpha leader, and Robert Crais tells part of the story from the dogs perspective. You get an idea of the thinking process of the dog through the dogs brain. Lots of good facts about dogs too......if the dog has someone's scent...he could find it if there is one drop of urine in a swimming pool.

It amazes me how many good authors there are.....I would have no idea how to make an interesting story.

driver100

roadburner said:

I've been on a legal/ detective kick for the past year or so. I started with Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander novels, segued into Ian Rankin's John Rebus series, moved on to Michael Connelly's Mickey Haller("The Lincoln Lawyer") books, and am currently finishing up Connelly's Harry Bosch series.

The opening lines of Connelly's The Brass Verdict present one of the most accurate descriptions of the criminal justice system I have ever read:

Everybody lies.

Cops lie. Lawyers lie. Witnesses lie. The victims lie.

A trial is a contest of lies. And everybody in the courtroom knows this. The judge knows this. Even the jury knows this. They come into the building knowing they will be lied to. They take their seats in the box and agree to be lied to.

The trick if you are sitting at the defense table is to be patient. To wait. Not for any lie. But for the one you can grab onto and forge like hot iron into a sharpened blade. You then use that blade to rip the case open and spill its guts out on the floor.

That’s my job, to forge the blade. To sharpen it. To use it without mercy or conscience. To be the truth in a place where everybody lies.

I like Connelly too, especially the Lincoln Lawyer series. I remember that quote too....everyone lies in court. I like legal thrillers and currently I am reading John Lescroats Damage. I also like Richard North Patterson, you get to learn some of the tricks lawyers use in the courtroom.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

Books:

John Grisham's book Gray Mountain released in October was my last good read. I love the way certain authors weave things; he is good at that.

I don't like the political statements that more and more authors seem to be using within their books. It's like they think the way the minds of the Hollywood IQ 80 folks do who think their notoriety means they can preach to the "other" folks. The weaving has even happened in my one TV series show that I like, "The Good Wife." They bring in political folks for cameo spots.

I enjoy that the novel weaves in lots of scientific information about strip mining and about the societal impact it has on the coal country folks, however.

The "Good Wife" is incredibly good, and wins awards which is an amazing feat for a regular TV network in this day and age. I don't find they have a particular political agenda, they just show the politicians for the scumbags that they often are. Not all, but a lot are....and in the GW, these people are pretty realistic.

abacomike

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Driver, I put the car in "sport mode" for the trip up to take Dad walking at the mall this morning, and I noticed that at 65 mph, the car did not reached 6th gear or 7th gear, but remained in 5th gear all the way up the Turnpike. What a waste of gasoline, driver. The car reacts more like a stick shift car, I will admit, but as for handling and cornering, the difference is hardly noticeable to me.

I drive in Economy mode 90% of the time. I just shift into Sport mode if I need a fast gettaway from a light, or to get onto a highway. Economy will do the job, but sport insures I can do it.

Occassionally I treat myself to a drive in sport mode. The difference isn't nearly as great as it was in the bmw, but I like the firmir steering and the slightly more responsiveness of the engine. With gas at less than $2.50 a gallon (for regular) I don't care about the extra mileage. I think I get 3 or 4 miles to the gallon less in Sport....it's cheap entertainment.

I just got back from the dealership where they put on my new 19" wheels and "correct" sized tires. They are very, very low profile, but the difference in handling and cornering and ride is significant. Took the Turnpike home and the car drove much like my CLS 550 did. Driver, if you want a sportier feel to the ride and handling. all you have to do is put on a set of 19" wheels and summer performance tires - it sure does the trick.

The dealership sure came through for me - the final cost to me for 4-$600 wheels and 4-$320 tires (approximate as they are staggered front and back sizes) including balancing, mounting, programming the tire pressure sensors, etc., was $1290 OTD. That was terrific of them to come through for me like that. And when it comes time to trade the car in, I can take those wheels and tires with me to the next car.

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Driver, I put the car in "sport mode" for the trip up to take Dad walking at the mall this morning, and I noticed that at 65 mph, the car did not reached 6th gear or 7th gear, but remained in 5th gear all the way up the Turnpike. What a waste of gasoline, driver. The car reacts more like a stick shift car, I will admit, but as for handling and cornering, the difference is hardly noticeable to me.

I drive in Economy mode 90% of the time. I just shift into Sport mode if I need a fast gettaway from a light, or to get onto a highway. Economy will do the job, but sport insures I can do it.

Occassionally I treat myself to a drive in sport mode. The difference isn't nearly as great as it was in the bmw, but I like the firmir steering and the slightly more responsiveness of the engine. With gas at less than $2.50 a gallon (for regular) I don't care about the extra mileage. I think I get 3 or 4 miles to the gallon less in Sport....it's cheap entertainment.

The dealership sure came through for me - the final cost to me for 4-$600 wheels and 4-$320 tires (approximate as they are staggered front and back sizes) including balancing, mounting, programming the tire pressure sensors, etc., was $1290 OTD. That was terrific of them to come through for me like that. And when it comes time to trade the car in, I can take those wheels and tires with me to the next car.

If you can get me the same deal...$1290 then I am in.

Just joking though, I want and need all season tires and don't want the inconvenience of fast wearing low profiles. If I don't know the difference it won't bother me....I like what I have.

explorerx4

I've read all the Michael Connelly books, except 'The Burning Room', which have not started yet.
Right now I've started Havana Bay, not a new book, but I like the different perspective of Cubans/Russians in the book.
I'm looking for a series to replace Connelly, although I may just read them again. He has a great way of hooking you right from the beginning.

fezo

David Baldacci writes some good stuff. Tend to have different series - Camel Club, King and Maxwell... Daniel Silva is great if you like spy espionage stuff. If you want to learn history and geography of New York while reading a decent murder mystery try Linda Fairstein.

imidazol97

explorerx4 said:

I've read all the Michael Connelly books, except 'The Burning Room', which have not started yet.
Right now I've started Havana Bay, not a new book, but I like the different perspective of Cubans/Russians in the book.
I'm looking for a series to replace Connelly, although I may just read them again. He has a great way of hooking you right from the beginning.

I just read "The Burning Room." I love Harry Bosch stories.

robr2

You might want to try the Joe DeMarco series by Mike Lawson. DeMarco is an attorney that works for Congress (well one congressman) off the books.

Brad Meltzer writes some great books as well.

explorerx4

@imidazol97, Don't forget about Terry McCaleb. Blood Work was a big hit, made into a movie.

graphicguy

Go to authors...Elmore Leonard (passed away).....Dan Brown and John Irving (both very alive).

abacomike

@driver100‌

Just got off the phone with my twin brother.  He is currently negotiating a deal with his Mercedes Dealer in Jacksonville for an E400 with an MSRP of close to $71,200, with the 19" wheels and tires I just had put on.  Strangely enough, he's getting the same color and interior as mine.  He usually buys CL's and SL's, not E's.  So I was very surprised he was going into an E400.  He said with his back problems, the E is the best choice with the 330 hp V6.

Wow - I guess we are identical twins after all!

nelsonf

I was wondering about "The Martian" when I read the description of it. It sounded a little goofy, but I downloaded it anyway, and really liked it.

I thought it would make a good movie while I was reading it. I can totally see Matt Damon in the lead role.

fezo

My brother is a huge Elmore Leonard fan. Likely still in mourning...

houdini1

One of my favs. is "Dead Solid Perfect" by Dan Jenkins. I think it was written about 40 years ago, but if you like golf, you will laugh yourself silly. It was also made into a very bad movie.

driver100

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Just got off the phone with my twin brother.  He is currently negotiating a deal with his Mercedes Dealer in Jacksonville for an E400 with an MSRP of close to $71,200, with the 19" wheels and tires I just had put on.  Strangely enough, he's getting the same color and interior as mine.  He usually buys CL's and SL's, not E's.  So I was very surprised he was going into an E400.  He said with his back problems, the E is the best choice with the 330 hp V6.

Wow - I guess we are identical twins after all!

Identical twins is right...now with matching cars!

We have a friend with a 1986 Chev Caprice Station Wagon. A few weeks later his next door neighbour....who he isn't crazy about, brought over his brand new car.......an identical Chev Caprice Wagon, even the same color!. Our friend was angry about it and never forgave him.


*I find the seats in the E are so comfortable....I couldn't imagine any car being more comfortable. I hope your brother loves his E too! Hope he gets it sooner than you did!
.

abacomike

Just got back from taking our morning constitutional (walk) at Boca Town Center. On the way back, we stopped at Costco to get some cheese, bagels, eggs, etc., but the place was so jammed, I could not find a parking space. So I went over to the gas pumps and after a 5 minute wait, I filled the car up with Premium Unleaded Gasoline for $277.9 per gallon. All the competing gas stations in the area are selling premium for $302.9 - $329.9. I cannot remember the last time I paid so little for a gallon of premium unleaded gasoline. I sure hope this continues for awhile.

graphicguy

fezo said:

My brother is a huge Elmore Leonard fan. Likely still in mourning...

Fezo...He was a prolific writer. I've read most, but not all of his novels. Some of his books were turned into TV shows and movies, the most recent, Justified.

Favorite movies made from his novels...Jackie Brown, Out of Sight, 3:10 to Yuma....a bunch of others.

Quality stuff but not for the prim and proper. If you like him, like you're brother and me, you can't get enough.

bwia

Value Proposition

Yesterday, I dropped by a Cadillac dealership to look at the CTS and other Cadillac offerings. Although the CTS is a nice looking sedan it is much too expensive for its pretensions. The value proposition is with the Buick LaCrosse which is $25,000 less for a comparably equipped vehicle.

A nicely equipped V-6, 304 hp LaCrosse Premium II with navigation and all the desirable options stickers for about $40,895. A comparably equipped CTS is $65,765. Yes, I know the CTS is rear-wheel drive and has real wood instead of simulated wood for the Buick but I can't see how Cadillac can justify that price premium. Oops, I forgot maybe it is probably for the knee airbags and magnetic ride control.

By the way, the dealership lot was loaded with Escalades, SRX and ATS but few CTS and XTS. Obviously, the smart money is on the SUVs with the CTS being the halo car.

Multi-brand automobile marketing is a tricky business. How do you differentiate one brand from another when the differences in size, quality and refinement are infinitesimal? For GM, the CTS, LaCrosse and Impala are basically the same animal with different stripes. Even the leather in the LaCrosse is more supple than the CTS. Go figure.