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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)
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I see that 2012 is a US built car. Does it have real nav?
You can get nav in them.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
It does seem like a lot of car for the money. Kinda makes me question whether the 2013 Mailbu is worth it, when this seems like a lot more car for not much more money/
The nav is an option. Onstar turn by turn is not the same thing.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
I've heard both mechanics and body people essentially say the same is true of modern German cars, using variations on the wording. For example, I've been told that changing the timing belt on our '07 A4 2.0T requires removing the engine. A body shop person gave me comparable examples for body repairs. Fortunately, the new 2.0T uses a timing chain, which generally doesn't require replacement, instead of a belt.
Now, German cars have a reputation for better driving dynamics than their Japanese counterparts. For a long time I've wondered whether complex, high repair cost designs are essential for achieving this positive differentiation, or is it truly a fetish? As for body designs, in my opinion German cars tend to age better, style wise, than their Japanese counterparts. Is difficult and expensive-to-repair essential to achieve this result too?
I remember at one time, the wagon was set to come here....looks like that didn't happen.
Something else to consider, is how it would compare to the Koreans, who offer nice turbo sedans for around the same money. I bet it does offer some value over the Malibu, current one especially anyway.
Would be cool to get the souped up AWD variant seen in Europe, but I guess that would get pricer than the market might bear.
I do think Germans like to see how many pieces they can use to make a whole, and surprise people with it. The big upmarket German 3 usually understand solid styling, anyway. You gotta pay to play.
Good point, but I think that, if the gearing was quick enough, and the transmission had enough gears, that it would be okay as long as it wasn't lugging the drivetrain. Besides, if you take a modern Altima, Accord, or Camry and load it up with 4 beefy passengers, total weight is probably about the same as a '76 Regal or whatever with just the driver.
My old car book lists the base weight of a '76 Regal with the V-6 at 3866 lb. I think the current Regal, or Malibu, is almost that much! Now granted, that 3866 lb is without a/c, and so forth, so I'd imagine that most of them were around 4,000 lb.
Overwhelming evidence isn't it? For the price of a starter home in 1977 one of the most exotic sedans in the world could deliver comparable performance to a Cadillac CTS today. Too bad that 6.9 blend included the reliability drek commensurate with exotic 70s German hi-tech. Modern car performance/efficiency available across the board today is so much better because the on-board computer technology is so much better.
Just a short flight from London to Mulhouse, and back from Stuttgart, and I won't even need a car as both the out of town museums are within an hour or so on the train from Stuttgart, so I can also concentrate on the German beer, another interest...
Sure you could equip one of those 69 Impalas with a 427 and a 4 speed...but the true performance GM enthusiasts wouldnt go that route to begin with. They would opt for an A or F body.
It was also the year that marked the significant hp drop. Considerably lower compression ratios and the ability to run on low to no lead fuel. Emission controls were becoming more common through the first half of the 70s...with the most notable coming in 75 with the catalytic converter.
Other contributing factors along the way was the trend towards fuel friendly carb adjustments, and lower axle ratios.
Not quite such a short flight for me, and after I am done in Stuttgart I'll have car, to enjoy roads where people know how to drive.
Obscure cars this morning - Vanagon Syncro, early Mazda 929 not using all cylinders, a couple of very clean looking old big Broncos.
I tried in Firefox to see if there was a button the IE8 wasn't showing. No luck there.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
For the price of a Corolla, you could have a show quality 6.9. For the price of a nice Camry, you could have a pristine 6.3. An immaculate 108, 126, or even a fintail might cost as much as a bottom of the line Rio. And late model cars can be priced the same way as they depreciate so sharply. My 10 year old E55 is a lot classier and cooler than anything new that could be had for the money. Maintenance can be dear, but nothing in life is free. If one shops smart, buys the best car they can afford, and puts money aside for needs - they can have a small slice of cake and eat it too, anyway :shades:
SnapFish set a cookie on your computer. Try clearing all your cookies, which will clear auto logons as well, by IE, Tools, Internet Options, Delete. Then you'll get what a new computer logging on will see.
I have bad memories of Snapfish from somewhere long ago and I won't give them anything in the way of information. So I won't log on even though I may have an old, out-dated logon ID.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
1. A '67 Malibu station wagon, faded black (or black primer), running around in a business park, looked like it was doing errands. Looked bone-stock.
2. A '71 Fury III 4-door sedan, also black but shiny, decent chrome, didn't see any rust, looked like you dad's car after he had it 6-7 years. You never see Fuselage cars around here so this was a nice surprise.
Up here in the rust belt it's unusual to see cars like these used as daily drivers.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
We keep the annual mileage of our A4 below 10,000. If we need to drive more we put the miles on our '99 TL (essentially a nicer version of the Honda EX-L V6) or '88 Z, both of which are low maintenance and 90% depreciated. We maintain all of our cars well.
By the way, we can well afford new cars, but are neither bitten by the "gotta have" bug nor a need to impress anyone. Our neighbors and friends tend to feel similarly. It's a matter of priorities.
I find new cars tough to defend unless they are maybe in a heavily subsidized lease. Cars have become so good, that being "new" isn't the only way to have something both nice and reliable.
Notice in the caption, 300 in concours judging and another 900 for display.
No wonder we were overwhelmed.
Honoree Sir Stirling
I must admit I quite like driving in mainland Europe, even with the usual problems of being on the wrong side of the road by our standards, although my experience is generally in Italy, which seems to be governed by the principle that you can do whatever you like, regardless of the rules, so it is a little less controlled than Germany. (I'm not even sure everybody in Italy does drive on the right, certainly they don't seem too bothered in towns, or on scooters etc.)
If you are going further north you could try The Hague, in Holland - there is a new museum there which is said to be very good, but I haven't been there myself yet.
Have you been to Schlumpf before ? I have been looking forward to going there for ages, and it looks great so I must admit that is the initial reason I am going at all - the Stuttgart region is so close though that it would be crazy not to do that at the same time.
If it' had AC, a short-shift kit and tighter steering, it would be about perfect.
I haven't been to Schlumpf yet. I'll be in Mulhouse for 2 nights, so I will have ample time to look around. Then off to Switzerland and Austria for a few days before I head home. No plans to go as far as wild Italy, and I'll probably just touch Netherlands and Belgium to add to my country total. I might also hit the Opel museum if I have time.
I spent several days in Stuttgart a few years ago - I found it to be comfortable - not too big, but big enough to have every amenity, good transit, and of course the local car culture.
Regards:
Oldbearcat
Pics from the 2012 Kirkland Concours...and a few pics from the LeMay Museum (I didn't have enough time to give it a proper look-over). Lots of varied stuff, something for everyone - everything from mundane early postwar cars to seven figure monsters.
I did manage to see 300TD on the back.
Even when I sped up to 80 to try to check it out a bit closer, it was still pulling away, so I just backed down to 70 again.
I did some research and think it was a W123 series.
The accelerator must have been matted to the floor!
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Yesterday, I was on a motorway west of Heathrow (in the everyday Alfa) and saw a somewhat more modern classic - a Bugatti Veyron. It was going in the opposite direction so I didn't get a long look at it, but its not something you would expect to see everyday....
It doesn't count if you drove past an Acura dealer!