Opinion

Hello all, First, I am still alive. I have been battling health issues since around the 4th of July and the doctors just NOW decided to draw blood which kinda frustrates me. Hopefully I will start feeling better once they figure out what is wrong with me. Now to all the mods out there, what is to follow please move if you deem it appropriate for GM to see because I am very upset right now. I have been a NASCAR fan since 1993. I was immediately drawn to the number 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet that Dale Earnhardt drove because of the sponsor, the number and the color of the car. I was an Earnhardt fan after that and I still proudly display a Goodwrench/Earnhardt licence pla…

The news came during dinner last Monday. My mother asked if I would be able to take any time off of work, and I said that I might be able to if the circumstances were considered important. She revealed that my grandfather, her dad passed away that afternoon. It wasn’t from COVID-19, but other complications that had put in him the hospital since early June. After dinner, I needed some time and space to begin processing the news. So I grabbed the keys to my car and went for a drive. The past few months have been difficult for all of us in varying degrees with COVID-19. Many places going on lockdown have caused massive disruptions to how we work, travel, and interact wi…

G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com My CT6 & XT5 Personal Experience So this is my experience after spending 1hr, 30 min with both a brand new XT5 and CT6 from Doug's Cadillac in North Seattle. This is my home dealership and they have always taken care of me. We finally have gotten the new CT6 and XT5 into the Greater Seattle area. Brad my sales rep called me up thursday afternoon to inform me they had 3 of the CT6 and 3 of the XT5 that got delivered that day and would be ready for driving friday. I called my parents and wife to see if they wanted to go check them out and of course they did. So at 2pm friday afternoon, m…

C&D published the following story about the 70's special edition trucks. Some are just so funny as I never heard or saw them, others are clearly not PC in today's world and others are just funny as heck. What was marketing thinking? A special set of stickers makes the truck better than the default truck of the same package? Some will like certain models just like me. I actually like the GMC Diablo, which really is just an rebadge El Camino. Never knew that the Chevy Luv truck was sold in 77 as a Mighty Mike version, but nothing better other than a 10hp bump in the engine. Seems all the domestic makers went through a clearly Indian theme on blazers, broncos and th…

Today was a sad day those who consider themselves fans of the automobile and/or public radio as word came that Tom Magliozzi, one of the co-hosts NPR’s Car Talk passed away at age 77 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. When I first saw the news, I began to feel very sad and sat in my chair for a few moments reflecting on some of my favorite moments of Car Talk. One of the key thoughts that hit me as I was sitting down was feeling bad for this person I had never even met. But the fact I was feeling this way made me realize a key aspect of what made Car Talk so special. Whenever you tuned in to Car Talk and listened to Ray and Tom banter on about someone's ca…

In the coming months, one of the most anticipated and important vehicles will begin rolling off the production line. The Tesla Model 3 has a lot riding on it as there are over 370,000 pre-orders for the upcoming entry-level model. This is the vehicle that can either make or break the company. So it seems quite interesting that Tesla is trying to pull attention away from this important model. During Tesla’s first-quarter earnings call, CEO Elon Musk expressed dismay at the lack of attention given to their flagship sedan, the Model S. "We have seen some impact of Model S orders as a function of people being confused" that Model 3 is the upgrade to Model S, Musk s…

Posted 02 August 2016 - 12:08 PM G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com Rip Off or Compliment? Today MSN Auto asked and posted the following pictures on what people thought about one OEM auto company copying another OEM Auto company. This is very common in China where independent Chinese auto companies pretty much buy and clone every part in a established brand and sell it with no recourse or intellectual protection from the government for the name brands in comparison to markets like Europe and the US. 69 Mustang versus 73 Toyota Celica Bentley versus Lincoln Hummer Versus Dongfeng who still makes this Hummer rip…

Last week saw the PSA Group (parent company of Citroen and Peugeot) purchasing Opel and Vauxhall from General Motors for $2.3 billion. This move would make the PSA Group the second-largest automaker in Europe. We already know some of the plans that PSA Group has for their new brands such as setting operating profit targets of 2 percent in 2020 (jumps to 6 percent by 2026) and the next-generation Opel/Vauxhall Corsa being the first new product developed with PSA. But as we alluded to in the original news story, there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered such as possible job cuts or what happens to Buick and Holden as they share products with Opel. I have been doin…

Is Wagon the New SUV? By Bimmer325 Contrary to popular belief, the majority of SUV’s rarely venture beyond regional highways or even the local Home Depot. While SUV owners adore the style and space their vehicles possess, off-road prowess is normally of little concern. Until now, inefficient fuel-economy and even the sheer lack of maneuverability that these vehicles present have had little effect on style-conscious consumers. However, the current trend toward rising gas-prices and a social-stigma that grows further against the SUV each day now threaten to limit the once mass-appeal of SUVs. At the same, more suitable options are emerging both from a segment that…

The New Tundra: Success or Strike 3? -Variance February 11, 2006 Image: Toyota/Lexus/Scion Pressroom The Toyota Camry is the best-selling car in America. It has been thanks to its reputation for being impeccably reliable, styling that’s not unpleasing to the eye (but not particularly thrilling to look at) and being basically just a good Average Joe car. The 2007 Camry with its (slightly) bolder styling, increased power and available hybrid powertrain will likely allow the Camry to keep its best-seller crown. But I’m not here to talk about the Camry. I’m writing this to reflect on Toyota’s full-size pickup, the Tundra, which has been everything but a best-seller. …

So I was looking over Chevy's website a while ago, especially the page about the Trailblazer SS. Now I think that everybody realizes that the Trailblazer SS is about the best SS you can get currently, with RWD and the Corvette V-8 and such. Over base price, the TB SS costs an extra $6275, plus tax. For what it gives you, it is an incredible deal, making it (in my opinion) a true SS. However, the other SS's don't fare so well. For a Malibu SS, which upgrades you from an 144 hp ecotec to a 240 hp 3.9L V-6, it costs $6255, or basically the same amount as the TB SS. Wouldn't it just be a lot easier to put in the Solstice GXP's turbo for the same amount that it is in t…

G. David Felt Alternative Fuels & Propulsion writer www.CheersandGears.com Outrageous SUVs Since the death of Hummer and Fords original Expedition suv that tree huggers called the Exxon Valdez many have thought we finally left the crazy SUVs behind. In reality we only moved them up stream to the 1% class and the Enterprise Business that could justify spending the money on a vehicle that could go anywhere on planet earth. The SUV craze has changed into a watered down CUV craze. Most drivers never took them off road so a more road comfy awd cuv has become the 21st century craze. Yet here in the 21st century we still have hard core SUVs that are so capable, crazy…

This year's Los Angeles Auto Show proved to be much better than first expected. When the news hit back in October of some the vehicles that were to debut, the show's organizers listed the Buick LaCrosse and Nissan Sentra as the big stars. Oh dear, this year's show was going to be a snoozefest. But as we saw in the past week, the LA showed proved to be exciting. There were a number of surprises, along with vehicles that stole the show. Of course, there were the vehicles that maybe should have passed on LA Auto Show. It is that time to grade the vehicles and find out which ones are the top of the class and which ones need to head to detention. Alfa Romeo Giulia …

The Subtleties of Car Magazines By Mystik Intro For the better part of these past few years, GM and its domestic counterparts have been at the forefront of media attack. They’re vehicles have been deemed underwhelming, and paling in comparison to those from import manufacturers. From the lowly Cobalt, to the muscular H3 to the sporty Solstice, each one of these vehicles, although a great improvement over previous iterations, were all reduced to a failure in comparison to they’re Asian counterparts. So it does seem that these Asian cars are the darlings of the automotive media, and should bear the right to put at the forefront of car news…right? Magazine Buyers Luck…

I have read stuff all across the board about GM as of late. My turn to rant, this is my first offical rant... Let the fun begin. What is GM thinking buy Chrysler? Seriously they have enough of their 'own' stuff to work on!-Why do people keep pushing the RWD DTS and Lucerne for the next redesign? Do people not understand that FWD suits the buyers of these vehicles just fine and could be pissing sales down the toilet? I hope they do Toyota manages okay with not one US badged RWD Toyota car! That should say something! Get a new platform going and get to WORK!-Why is GM so slow to putting 5/6spd. automatics in cars, I understand the production problem but no reason the Im…

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In an article in the Sunday, March 25, 2007 edition of Parade supplement the is a column called, "Intelligence Report" written by Lyric Wallwork Winik (it says), and alleges to be a report from abroad. It says, "Europe: "No" to foreign cars Americans have embraced Japanese cars to the point where U.S. automakers like Ford and General Motors are fighting for their lives. Not the Europeans. Most show great loyalty to their own nationalities when it comes to buying a new set of wheels. In Germany, the 10 best-selling cars are all German. In France, nine of the top ten are French-made. Three of the five most-popular cars in Italy are made by Fiat, an Italian firm. And in…

First let me explain myself. I have been gone for the past two weeks on a trip to Oregon and Northern Cali. We saw the coast and the Redwoods. I am still getting my photos from the trip onto the pc total of 2,500 photos! Its me keep in mind. I will be posting some of the rentals I saw mostly GM but there were a few things that stuck out... Some lucky bastards got to rent Impala SS's thats right a 303hp rental car, for the price of renting a regular LS model. To the company it is still an Impala lol. I also saw just one rental Grand Prix GXP. But for my tally. Will start off with GM stuff. These are bar coded rentals, not people that own or lease "there" own car. …

Fleet: The Other “F” Word -Variance May 3, 2006 Fleet sales have been a part of the automotive sales industry for some time. Typically, fleet sales are defined as car sales to companies rather than individual consumers. Rental car companies like Enterprise, Thrifty, etc. are usually the first things that come to mind when people talk about fleet sales. Some cars (more than others) are sold by automakers to fleet companies to contribute to their bottom line. In fact, Hyundai recently announced they were going to increase their sales to fleets in Europe to aid in the company’s growth. Now, some people will say things along the lines of fleet sales don’t count or they …

Many folks have chosen buying, over leasing an auto over the last few decades. Be it for company write off or due to wanting to just be in the latest technology every three years, leasing was for a smaller select group of people as most folks buying an internal combustion or hybrid auto looked to maximize the purchase by owning the auto long-term. Let's first take a look at the average life of an auto in the U.S., depending on your resource the average life of an auto in the U.S. is 16.58 years for the average auto, but some are done after only 12 years and some last 20 years. The full list of the 75 longest lasting models in the USA is here. Acura MDX on ave…

I'm tired of seeing where you think the market is, why don't you show me where you want to take it?