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Comments
I think the El Camino would be a good
retro. Much better than SSR.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I think the El Camino would be a good
retro. Much better than SSR.
Excellent choice! Utility as well as retro looks.
If I build it like Johnny Cash did it would cost $100,000 and would have NO warranty. If I built it it may never run either.
They do have a twist on the retro. The new Camaro is a Mack truck in width, has those awful high doors like a 350Z, and bling-bling wagon wheel sized rims. What more could the image is everything car buyer want? Oh yeah, a couple of tons in weight, no doubt.
-Loren
Also, if you built it like Johnny Cash did, I imagine the headlights would be really a sight, with two on the left and one on the right, and down at the courthouse they wouldn't laugh, 'cuz the title work would take the the whole staff... :P
Just kidding. When you own a GM car, over time you either acquire a sense of humor about them, or live in constant despair. Been there, done that. Kinda like the CTS, and Lucerne, in a way. Ya never know, could try another GM car. Heck the fourth time is a charm. The new cars are not as bad as the mid-70's to 2000. Well I hope not anyway. Some of the new stuff looks more solid and ready to compete with the Japan/Korea and German cars now. Could give it a go. You can always make new friends that way. You know, all the people at service become your good old friends after the numerous visits.
Seriously, the upper class stuff now a GM is starting to look much better than the stuff produced during the dark ages of the domestic car market.
-Loren
One thing about the 07 Camry. I was not a big fan, when the first one went by me on the highway I thought.....what have they done!
And although I agree it looks like a wharthog, it does grow on you a bit. I saw one parked and it does have a few things going for it.
I still think they should make 2 versions though for the senior/conservative crowd who liked the pleasing smooth no nonsense lines in the last version, and this new one to attract younger buyers...which is what they are trying to do...and IMO it will do that.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Haaaa. I started to write that but figured someone would think I was being a wise crack Toyo owner. I assume he's talking of the spare on the ground, not the bumper. Although a lot of Caddie's I see look better with the Continental bumper (kidding)
I'm guessing by "donut" he meant those compact temporary spares, and that a car costing $40K or more should come with a standard-sized spare and NOT a donut.
Will a full-sized spare fit in the compartment on a newer RWD Caddy though? I know they're putting the spare under the trunk floor these days on RWD cars instead of just throwing them in the trunk itself, but often with RWD there are still space concerns. Or FWD too, because the more space you need for a full-sized tire, the less you have available for luggage space, as they'd have to raise the trunk floor.
Really? I feel like I've been living in paradise for the last 25 years since purchasing my first GM car. If I have a bad day at work or home, I can alway take a ride in my Cadillac or Buick, put a few cool tunes on the stereo, and all my cares melt away.
I took a quick look at lux cars and see what they used.
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/nvc/edmunds/VehicleComparison;jsessionid=GGxPVnJkklJ- CL3TvZ4xJyDCmw5nlQhgFgtDwVtTphynnLSz35Xhp!1949851225?styleid=100509388&styleid=1- 00548788&styleid=100528413&styleid=100507856&styleid=100521414&maxvehicles=5&ref- id=&op=3&tab=features
The 430, 5 and M45 all have donuts. A6 has matching road wheel
Exactly, good simple styling will always look good. 10 or 20 year old MB's, BMW's, Saab's, Jaguars will look good, because Europeans know how to style a car so it doesn't go out of style. Asia is a close second, with clean sensible styles that maintain there looks over the long haul. Only American cars had fins, excess chrome, vinyl rooves, spoke wheels (for decoration), landau roof, opera windows, continental kits (actual wheel on the rear bumper), fender skirts. These things work for awhile, but they get dated, and you have to buy a new one so you feel your car is up to date.
Good sensible style will look good in 20 years.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I think the donut is the little tire you put on when you get a flat!
That would look silly on a Caddie, and why not just put regular spares back in. I know they save space and weight, but give me a break, if i am in the middle of nowhere it is nice to have a real tire.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Without going out to look at the manual, the last time I used one I believe top speed on a donut was 60 MPH and I believe there was a limited number of miles to go on it. Unfortunately, I had a flat tire, put the donut on, and had to go faster than the recommended or miss my flight.
Would rather of had the real thing. The next problem is if you are a long ways out, you have to find a tire place who has the same tires as your other 3. Then you usually pay top dollar because you can't shop around. No, give me the good old real tire.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Anyway I thought the point of the HHR was a "retro" Suburban as not to try to copy the PT.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
And a Mid-Engine Corvair would be nice, as well as, the Nova, which could also be the chassis for the Camaro.
-Loren
-Loren
-Loren
-Loren
Not sure about fake wood (that's what I didn't like on the Avalon and Camry XLE) but on my Infiniti FX45 I liked having heavy brushed aluminum trim rather than the silver plastic on most all cars that don't have the fake wood. I understand this is a $30,000 car and not a $50,000 car but with about $1000 in optional trim and sound proofing, which I would rather have than a sunroof) then many midsize cars could indeed pass as a base luxury car.
I do think it should be a crime to use plastic wood on an $60,000 SUV. Plastic wood is an imitation wood. If I want to say this is an imitation luxury car then I would use plastic. For 60 large it better be real (wood, carbon fiber or aluminum)
And Caddy and Buick are fine. Don't you ever try anything different like a German, Japan, or Korean make of car?
-Loren
Loren
I think an HHR two door truck convertible would be a hot ticket. Perhaps with a removable back seat (no topover it). OK that part would never fly.
Here is what comes to mind to make it happen:
Two rear quarter tools (very,very expensive)
rear fascia tool ($1,000,000 in tools)
new roof (very, very expensive)
new rear side glass
new rear hatch glass
new rear hatch door and all internals
new rear bumper workings
new rear taillights
new rear floor pan (very, very expensive)
new gas tank
up gaged wheels (for increased carrying capacity)
new rear 2nd row seat
new rear 3rd row seat
new rear interior side trim
new rear interior garnish trim
new carpet
Inerior sound proofing parts
rear curtain air bags
rear hatch interior trim
rear hatch interior garnish trim
New spare tire placement
New muffler/exhaust
All the engineering expense for the above
All the development and testing
All the safety tests!(big one here)
Seriously though you make a very good and valid point.
Well, taste is individual. I think the new Camry is miles better than the previous one in looks.
They seem to actual prefer building several mediocre brand-killing models, rather than creating one bona fide good one. Very odd, perhaps losing market share is part of the new strategy?
It would be nice if your question was posed at the next shareholders meeting, and that this question received a forthright answer. (And no, "Impala and Malibu are world class sedans" would not be an acceptable answer.)
- world class 4 cyl engine (need to design one)
- style it to be awesome looking
- put an Audi-level interior in it
- independent suspension, great handling and steering
- you could offer it at trim levels that really mean something, and charge premiums for nav, Bose, etc.
Make it so good that the automotive press is *shocked*! CU, R&T, C&D, Edmunds - think of the buzz this car would get! A GM sedan equal to or better than Accord, Camry! Even if GM lost money on every one, think of the prestige rebuilding that would occur! You couldn't BUY that kind of advertising (Motherhood, Baseball, Apple Pie, Chevrolet!) any other way. Hyundai appears to be using this approach to some degree.
Wouldn't a world-class car be the best advertising of all?
How much longer can GM afford to not realize that the current strategy is losing them market share big time?
How would you rank the base CTS and second to base Lucerne models of cars? Close? I still think CTS needs standard telescopic steering columns and standard lumbar support for their seating. Other than that, it is pretty fair package. Not all the goodies of the Azera, but it is RWD and a Cadillac. Oh yeah, Art & Science Style. Can't find that anywhere else. That edgy, and a bit strange in some ways styling is a great classic look, I hope they do not ruin by toning it down any.
Lucerne got the DTS chassis. Blessing or curse??? What happened to Oldsmobile after the Aurora project went Cadillac to Olds? Oh no, not an omen?
-Loren
And the Bel Air's windshield/A-pillar was more 50's Mopar than it was 50's GM. And that beltline toward the rear is more of the 1965 GM "Coke Bottle" look than it is the '55-57 beltline dip. At least with something like the new Mustang, the (hopefully) upcoming Challenger, and even the HHR, you can look at them and tell what the stylists were striving for. I just couldn't see that with the Bel Air though. If you stripped all the nameplates off of it, and didn't tell me what it was supposed to ape, I never would have guessed it.
I also can't believe some will stereotype Escalade drivers as all being drug dealers. :mad: I know plenty of good folks that drive Escalades, that are very far from drug dealers. :mad:
Rocky
geo9, once again tell your cousin to keep his head-up.
Rocky
P.S.
If it makes you feel any better about 6-months ago I stuck my application in at Toyota, and they just finally responded to me. I'm not qualified. :surprise:
LOL
http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060606/AUTO01/606060347
Rocky
In GM I can name a couple and usually it is done to cover a product planning error (and do not always blame the guys in that department-ususally upper management says to spend their money elsewhere) or "unseen" change in the market.
For GM I see these vehicles as badge engineered today:
torrent / Equinox-done to give Pontiac/GMC dealers a small crossover SUV.
Cobalt / Pursuit (2 door only)-Mistake on GM's part not to give Pontiac a small 2 seater-product planning error!!
Large trucks-GM has been getting away with this one for years having both a Chevrolet and GMC look the same. I dunno, it seems to work anyway.
Saab/Rainier -standalone Saab dealers in trouble as we all know. GM tried to do something about it.
Now the above are what I would call badge engineered (even though it is much more than just badges). I cannot think of any others. As far as costs the changes could be done with a small team and a minimal controllable budget. Expense is when you start messing with black metal and major sheet metal/interior revisions. These are majors.
I think the reason GM has all the marques has been discussed here plenty of times. GM probably wishes they had a few less brands but really hard to kill one once you have them. Saab is doing well in Europe now and maybe it should go anyway. Hummer is making boat loads of money and bringing in non GM buyers. Cadillac is doing well. Chevrolet is selling trucks and has 2 cars in the top 10. GMC is selling boatloads of profitable trucks. Saturn seems to be getting its act together. About the only two that could go are Pontiac and Buick and there is not much left to them anymore anyway.
Let the dirt fly!
Buick will have some hot cars. I'm starting to see alot of Lucernes and LaCrosses down here. Once Buick goes to RWD and offers a little bit more in performance and a 6-speed automatic it will take off. Pontiac needs to be "over-hualed" and the G8 Sedan should help save them ONLY if GM does it right. What I mean is it needs to be less Charger like and more Acura TL-ish/Lexus IS-350-ish with a Big V-8
Rocky
I have had a loaded silver Camry Hybrid (leather, Nav, Roof etc) for one week now. I traded in a 2004 Cadillac CTS-V and have been enjoying my new performance vehicle very much. I have 315 miles and am just now at a half tank. (That is a new experience). The 405 HP in the Caddy was fun on the rare occasions you could get away from traffic and actually use it but it was by far a more crude interpretation of an automobile than this Camry.
And you guys thought I was not thinking rational when I traded in my Infiniti FX45 for a hybrid.
PS: Never send a ferret to do a weasels job (Is that your company slogan?)
By the way, I have tried the others. I've had enough experience with VW to stay away. I've seriously considered a Mercedes S-Class, but maintenance and repair costs as well as my brother-in-law's experience with his 2000 S430 have frightened me off.
I've come close to buying a Lexus LS430. I drove the car expecting it to be a quantum leap over my cars due to the hype, and what was it like? It felt exactly like a Buick!
My only experience with Korean cars is my brother's 2000 and 2005 Hyundai Sonatas. He seems happy with them. However, Hyundai managed to upset both of us when they started copying existing Japanese designs! Who wants an imitation Accord?
Even prepaid cell phones have badge-engineered a competitor for themselves on the shelves at Walmart et al to compete with Virgin and whatever others are the choices there on the rack.
Look at PG with the choices in various household products, specifically laundry soaps on the shelve competing with themselves but garnering more total market vs the foreign brands on the shelves. Just selling Tide wouldn't have gained as much market share for PG as this method that's worked for decades.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,