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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)
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2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
http://www.autonews.com/article/20111031/CHEVY100/310319917/why-did-gm-water-down-its-strongest-most-successful-brand?
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
The reason for going to the carwash was so it would be clean for the paintless dent removal guy.
It got a door ding and she has been miserable about it, so I got it fixed as a mother's day present.
The body shop was about a mile away so I dropped it off and walked back to work.
On the way there I saw a black Alfa convertible for sale, looked nice with a 6k asking price.
It didn't have the added on black ducktail.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Even in 1985, seven out of top ten selling cars were GM. In no particular order...Cavalier, Celebrity, Caprice/Impala, Cutlass Ciera, Cutlass Supreme, Delta 88, and Century. Ford just had the Escort and Tempo, while the lone import was the Sentra. So, not only did GM have a lot of hot sellers, they were also mostly profitable "bread and butter" cars...mid- and full-sized models, rather than just cheap cars that sold on volume, but brought in little to no profit.
Later in the 80's, when GM tried to make Buick/Olds/Pontiac more distinctive, that seems like it was when the problems really started, sales-wise, and it seemed like a downward spiral that could never be escaped. To be fair, Pontiac started to stumble in the 70's, when it became harder to sell cars based on performance, and by the early 80's, GM actually considered dropping the brand. In 1983, I think Pontiac only sold around 300K units, and was #6, behind Mercury. Just a few years before, they were good for a consistent 700-900K units. But in 1984 when they were reborn as the "performance" division again, sales took off, to something like 700K I believe.
But, by the late 80's, Ford and Mopar were stronger presences. And the imports were constantly improving, and branching into markets they'd never been in before, such as the midsized car market. In 1980, for example, nobody looking for a midsized car would have considered a Japanese import. No matter how good they might have been, quality-wise, a Japanese midsize just didn't exist...at least in the US market. But, by 1990, cars like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord were pretty much in range of something like a Taurus/Sable, Spirit/Acclaim, or Lumina. And, there's only been more overlap since those days.
Olds was the first to fall, probably because it tried harder to go against the imports, and also tried to shake off its old image with that "Not your Father's Oldsmobile". But, all it served to do was alienate a lot of its faithful buyers, who probably defected to Buick or Mercury, and a good deal of the demographic they were trying to win over either didn't fall for it, or tried it, was disappointed, and moved on.
Pontiac was a victim of the "Great Recession" re-org that also took out Saturn and Hummer, and I guess that's when they sold off SAAB as well, but at the rate they were going, it was only a matter of time before Pontiac folded. They were mostly down to rental car fodder by that time, and all the interesting stuff was low volume.
I have a feeling Buick would be gone as well by now, if it wasn't for their strong presence in the Chinese market.
I can remember it took around 11-12 years before the '82-83 Malibu became a rare sight around here. And the Mopar M-body was similar. The '94-96 Caprice also had a good run...in that case some police forces preferred to simply refurbish the old ones, rather than go with a Panther.
I think these days, with the proliferation of Charger Hemis and V-8 Caprices, and even the high-powered V-6 Taurus/Explorer, departments don't really miss the Crown Vic, like they did the Caprice.
I always thought GM had it all over Ford in that period, in the 'first impression' kind of things. But even a friend of mine, whose Dad was all about Cadillac (and Pontiac as a second car), talked his Dad into buying a new '85 LTD (Fox-based) wagon instead of a GM. They had traded in a well-worn '78 Pontiac Grand LeMans Safari. Despite the other stuff, I just could never stand that era of "LTD"--just screamed "Fairmont" to me.
I do think GM's paint quality got worse in the early eighties. I remember 'spider-webbing' on dark colors on the hood in that period.
The last GM cars I liked a lot were the intermediate RWD cars. I always thought the Fairmont and its ilk seemed like big small cars, while GM's seemed like small big cars.
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Mark Twain also said, "Those who don't use the internet are uninformed. Those who do use the internet are misinformed."
He may have been talking about newspapers but I got that quote off the internet.
So, it's not like she abandoned GM at the first sign of trouble. Heck, she gave them THREE chances in a row, and got burned! She didn't turn them away, they practically gave her no other choice!
As for dealership setups, around here I think they tend to combine Buick, Cadillac, and GMC. So, I guess that works for them. The dealer I bought my used Park Ave from, at the time, sold Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Hummer, SAAB, Saturn, and Cadillac! That must have been a mess, back in the day.
Obviously, I'm old-skool, but a young fashion-plate guy I used to work with bought a new '82 Prelude. I had never seen a car where the front seat actually touched the back seat, LOL. Plus, the antenna reminded me of a '48 Hudson, and not in a good way, LOL.
I used to joke that those '78-88 GM A/G bodies were so good that it took GM THREE different platforms to replace it! They started with the A-body (Celebrity et al) for 1982. The N-body (Grand Am/Somerset Regal/Calais) were originally supposed to be a second downsizing of the Grand Prix/Regal/Cutlass Supreme coupe, but once the fuel started flowing cheap and plentiful again, and these cars tended to sell well, GM held onto the RWD models, and repositioned the N-body as an import fighter. It wasn't until the GM10/W-body of 1988, that the old RWD intermediates were replaced for good. And even then, Chevy and Olds held onto their Monte Carlo and Cutlass Supreme for about 3 months of the 1988 model year.
Yeah, no one in the 'States could find anything to goof on British cars of that period, LOL.
I'll admit to generally not being a fan of enormous cars though.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
On the floor of the VW dealer. Big sign, "not for sale". Might be the last brand new one in existence.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Speaking of Crown Vics, my local PD has some too.
Here's another glimpse into that age in Blighty:
One highlight, the car at 8:50, a landmark and always interesting to see reaction to it when it was a new design.
The Honda Quintet is something I never heard of or saw previously. Nor was an onboard computer built by Smiths! OTOH a British anti-theft device designed to cut off the electrical circuits seems a natural - must have been a Lucas subsidiary! I felt bad for poor Jan, one of the hostesses, who was the subject of far too much groping from the male entertainers interviewed. Charming lady though who out up with it with grace, glad that sort of thing is no longer acceptable.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
I saw a GMC Syclone and 70s Scout in traffic this morning, both were immaculate. An older woman was driving the scout, which made it seem that much cooler.
More malaise era material from across the pond - maybe things weren't all bad over here?
Most of the cars I find desirable would have been insanely expensive. I guess this is one reason there was demand for the lower line MBs at the time, a little stodgy but solid.
In NA at least the emasculated V8s still had torque, and design themes were often pimptastic, but the cars were comfortable.
Still, I guess when you figure that simply owning a car is considered more of a luxury in the UK than it is here in the United States, and was probably even moreso back in the 70's, these things were still considered expensive.
Does the UK tax cars based on displacement, as well? I believe Japan does, and that's one reason why a domestic car, no matter how fuel efficient it might actually be, could still end up being extremely cost-prohibitive to own.
Ironically the only test car in their lineup that I wouldn't want is the Mustang II. Seemed to be their "pick" of that Ugly American dog and pony show.
I was amazed at some of the roads the tour driver could whip a bus down though.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
There's a new resident in the garage where I store the fintail, guess what kind of car it is:
Car on the right is the 64 Pontiac convertible that seems to never move.
Also saw a late 70s Ranchero today, looked to be in excellent condition, and actually hauling a lawn debris trailer - working harder than many behemoth modern trucks. Soon after saw a nicely kept final generation El Camino.
An unusual sighting is this pair of old Fords, with For Sale signs in the window (no prices). I assume the one on the right is a 60, and the left maybe around a 55. I've seen the one on the left parked there often over the past few years . These are sitting out in a very nice neighborhood - the charming 20s era cape cod style house they belong to zillows at around 3.5MM.
Are these just both heavy models, or could the one on the left maybe be a 4x4?
I always thought the '57-60 style of Ford truck had a really modern, ahead-of-its time look about it when it first came out, with that broad, flat hood and more squared-off lines. I guess it must have caused quite a stir too, because Dodge, and to a lesser degree GM, seemed like they tried to square off some, raise the fenders, and flatten the hood.