Croc

No, I don't think that was even a large saki. It was just for me as my friend drove. Really cool restaurant, though. It's a converted warehouse with art on the walls, exposed brick and track lights. The tables and chairs are made out of corrugated cardboard though...really fascinating.

Done that. Quite an experience! Anyone in the LA area, I highly recommend this little place tucked in a back alley near Mission. It's called R23 and it has the best sushi I've ever had. It's crazy expensive though...I spent over $100 that night just on myself and I only ordered 2 hand rolls and 1 sliced up maki, some saki, and red bean ice cream.

I LOVE Asian food. Viet is my least favorite at this point, but it's also the cuisine I've had the least experience with. I love authentic Chinese and Korean...and Japanese is pretty good. I don't like Indian though.

No argument from me. That guage cluster looks so incredibly dated. Other than the "BVLGARI" nothing about it is remotely luxurious.

Buying THAT for your brother is just all kinds of effed-up. Haha

I wouldn't classify the interior as "terrible" at all. The design just hasn't aged well. There are quite a few high-cost, high-quality pieces in there, but the overall design theme isn't as luxurious as it needs to be. As for the exterior, it still turns heads. I don't think the exterior needs much of a refresh at all. I'd update the headlights to look more like those on the CTS and I'd do the same to the taillights. I'd redesign the rear decklid to remove the insert and clean up the reverse lights, but overall I'm happy with the exterior design.

No, but sales of the V6 Cadillac would be virtually nill unless priced around the $50k mark. Why get the V6 Cadillac @ $60k when the V8 Corvette bases at $47k? Convertible or not, that would not be a big enough incentive for most buyers.

No, I just overheard. Seriously, it's just somewhat astounding that you think the XLR would be helped by your proposal--you've been posting on this site a long time and IMO should know the market better. A "unique engine" that would set Cadillac apart in a good way would be a 10 or 12 cylinder. Look at the Colorado/Canyon. They offered I5s when everyone else had 6s. Not the only reason, but a good component of why those flopped. Also...why the hell would someone buy a $65k V6 XLR when they could get a V8 Corvette starting in the mid-$40s? "For the luxury" isn't a valid answer.

+1

Yes, smartass, I have been privy to them.

I would actually recommend the 2008 Sierra 1500 Crew Cab Short Box 4WD SLT 4SA. That way you can get the Active Fuel Management and its 1mpg bump. I'm not 100%, but I think you can get almost everything on this trim as on the Denali.

Dude, Northie's right on just about everything. A V6 XLR with your suggested pricing is a TERRIBLE idea. Luxury buyers, and especially luxury SPORT buyers, don't give a rat's ass about economy or value; they care about having something better than everyone else. Bonus points for "better" styling and power. Country club conversation: Richie Rich: New ride? Frugal Frank: Yea! A brand new Cadillac XLR! I love it! RR: It looks pretty nice...so, what kinda power you get out of it? FF: Well, it's a 6, but it moves well and its more economic. RR: Whoa buddy...a SIX? *Hushed* Are you guys doing alright? I mean the economy is in the can, but I never thought you'd be making sacrifices...

Misleading topic title; it really sounds like it should be "Indian company reportedly in talks to buy Jeep from Chrysler." That said, if Jeep is to be sold off, it should be to GM. Reunite the two brands again. GM arguably makes the best SUVs in the industry, and it would be a natural fit. Then HUMMER can go back to being a model instead of a brand. I almost wonder the viability of GM somehow acquiring AM General--it would certainly be helpful with regards to supplying the government with military vehicles and trucks. I know that Renco inked a deal for AM General back in 2003 (I think) for about $1B.

Thanks. I didn't think they were based on the W.

The late-90s were on the U-body...was that based on the W? I looked back online and found that the original dustbuster design received between 3 and 5 stars for its front and side crash tests (both varied within a star depending on the year). I wouldn't say the originals were THAT unsafe, but the U-bodies definitely were structurally-deficient.

Yea, it's pretty hard to sell a vehicle to parents with kids when there's a good chance mommy will die.

Drug-addled or not, Winehouse deserved that win. Her talent is incredible. I'm also a fan of Swift.

Pulling out is not worth it for the dealership buyouts and "badwill" it would generate among the fanatically-devoted SAAB fans. SAAB looks like it will have a competitive lineup with a few additions in the next couple years, and to be quite honest, none of their current offerings suck. The 9-5 is average, but it is also ancient. The 9-3 lineup is phenomenally good. The 9-7X is the best of the GMT-360s. If SAAB can get a crossover (one is planned) and a smaller vehicle, then the lineup will be competitive. The 9-5 is scheduled for a redesign soon anyway, yes? SAAB is an "opportunity" brand and I think if SAAB and Saturn dealerships were paired up, the pairing would benefit both brands by expanding their markets. SAAB just has a terrible dealer presence, so you can't blame them for pretty low sales.

In those regards, yes, but I'm speaking from a marketing standpoint: Saturn and SAAB could conceivably share a showroom. The decor for the brands are very complimentary. Put a SAAB in a "Sharper Image" Cadillac showroom and it will look a bit out of place.

Frankly, I think the dustbuster vans were competitive enough design-wise, but the reliability is what failed them.

You should have linked to the Youtube video instead of just taking the captions. The video is hilarious.

Good idea, poor execution. Cadillac should be exclusive or just paired with HUMMER (HUMMER was initially offered only to Cadillac dealerships). SAAB and Saturn should be paired up. With Saturn's transition to Euro-style vehicles, it would be the perfect compliment for SAAB. Both brands could benefit by having a Scandinavean dealership design theme with clean, modern, European decor. SAAB and Cadillac have nothing in common. Cadillac dealerships selling HUMMER already have exclusive showrooms, and that should continue. One dealership, two showrooms separated by the service department.

Uhhh how is calling a hatchback a 3-dr a "politically-correct" statement?? Saying "hatchback" will not cause you to be viewed as a bigot.

Agree to disagree. To me, though, "badge-engineered" and "brand-engineered" are significantly different. Yes, but the damage was done, and the tepid refresh came when a full redesign should have; Sable and Taurus were completely irrelevant. Had Ford taken the same expense in not sharing sheetmetal but drew on two distinctly different design themes, the less-radical design of the two would have sold much better and Ford would probably be in a much better cash flow situation today.

I think we're really arguing on semantics here. You and a few others are using "badge engineered" as "two vehicles that are for all practical purposes the same, but have different badges." When I use "badge engineered," my usage is a little more specific: "two vehicles that appear to be nearly identical." The difference is subtle; the best example I can think of are the 1996 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. Here are two vehicles that were targeted to THE EXACT SAME BUYER, used two variations of THE EXACT SAME DESIGN THEME, and were (rightfully, IMO) accused as "badge-engineered" even though when you look at them side-by-side, they share almost no exterior sheetmetal. Ford went to great lengths to differentiate the two from a "shared parts" standpoint; the Taurus had an ovoid rear windshield that reportedly consumed buco bucks in engineering work. Completely different front and rear ends. Differing greenhouses. I think the front doors were the same, and the hoods were. BUT COULD ANYONE REALLY TELL? NO!! When you design two vehicles as two variations of the same design theme (in this example, "Jellybean" and "Extreme, No-Edges-Allowed Jellybean") that are targeted to the exact same buyer (parent who likes rounded corners vs. parent who is OBSESSED with roundness), you will be accused of "badge-engineering" even when virtually none of the sheetmetal (if any) is shared. The GMT-800 trucks and most of their predecessors WERE badge-engineered in the truest sense: the only real difference between them was that the Chevrolet got Chevrolet badging and a bar across the grille, while the GMC did not. But with the GMT-900s, a consumer can take one look at the front and see it's a different vehicle. Take a quick look at the back and it's 50/50 if they realize the main difference (blacked out D-pillar on Yukon, but that gives the illusion of a more panoramic greenhouse), but though they can't quite put their finger on it, they'll say the Yukon looks "cleaner" or "neater" (no giant logo on the center of the liftgate). And because I feel like it, here are some pictures for any of you who get hot looking at ovals and rounded corners: Proof that it's the QUALITY of changes made, not necessarily the QUANTITY of them.