Croc

Yup, and many people move out here from elsewhere because people tend to agglomerate in areas according to shared culture, mentality and values. Hell, back in Indiana I was very "California," though I just didn't know it. The only real "assimilation" I have undergone regards speech vocabulary/accent/patterns and social norms--not that the latter was hard to do as I found the midwest "nosiness"--oops "friendliness"--to be very irritating and rude my whole life. The irony of being called out by "da Borgermeister Meisterborger" certainly is not lost on me.

Exactly. Except that I don't really understand why GM went the route it did with European distribution when it already has dealership networks with Opel and SAAB. Why have a middle man, a middle man that is PAID to distribute the cars. It seems like unnecessary spending on GM's part, and as we are finding out, GM is caught outside with its pants down, so to speak. I would definitely be interested in knowing the logical, rational thought process leading to the decision to have a middle man involved in Cadillac Europe. And for those who need it spelled out, my point is that GM really needs to THINK THINGS THROUGH a lot more with its operations, in the US and in Europe. Whether it is a lackadaisical approach to product planning (Cimarron, Catera, STS) or poorly thought-out (at least in hindsight) distribution agreements, GM has chronically made similar blunders seemingly without learning the necessary take-aways each time for the past 30 years. It's irresponsible to the shareholders, is dangerous for the company, and frankly illogical since the result is hemorraging cash and failure to turn a profit--which is the sole raison d'etre of being a "business" in the first place. Seriously, look at the top banner--"GM's Biggest Fans and Toughest Critics." I really shouldn't have to defend myself on my record as a poster here because everyone on this site can look back and see that while I do not mince words on GM's blunders, I also do not hold back on any praise that they deserve when they knock something out of the park. My point of view, though, is that for the future of the company and brands that I love, GM really needs to fix a lot of the internal disorganization that has lead to the fact that the homeruns are dwarfed by the boondoggles, and the future of the company is in serious jeopardy. GM is not taking their current situation seriously enough IMO, and they clearly never took their past crises seriously enough to make changes in the organization to prevent recurrences. That is majorly frustrating and infuriating, both as a consumer and as a shareholder.

I wouldn't call her a champion...if she's as crazy in person as she sounds on here, then wouldn't she likely come off as a fool to anyone thinking about cars? I think it would hurt GM sales if anything.

Cannot disagree here.

You haven't seen me, and yes, I am very "California." It's crazy how quickly I assimilated.

Man, it's just so true. You're right, you're all right--Cadillac hasn't halfassed a single vehicle since the Cimarron. Every single model has been a gift to humanity. Like these fine examples: Look guys, Cadillac is my favorite car brand, ever. But I will not become a and simply because the fact of the matter is that Cadillac is STILL failing to deliver. The CTS is fantastic, but where's everything else?

Honestly, I have a hard time fathoming how someone is simply incapable of discerning the difference between a tiny compact and a large coupe. Especially when the profiles aren't even close to being the same, no similarities in character lines, grilles, taillights, etc. I just don't get it.

That really says a lot more about the people you run with than it does about the car. Either that, or Californians are just smarter people in general since we were able to rise above the unwashed masses and discern that GTO =/= Cavalier...because, omygod, it's like sooooooooooo hard to do? For volume models. Not niche vehicles.

Let me get this straight...you're countering his claim of ugly bucktooth beaver Grand Prix with "Your GT f@#kING O looks like a chubby Cavalier"? I just want to make sure I am really interpreting this correctly.

Dude, FIREBIRD. Hardtop v. T-Top.....T-Top FTW!

Yes, because Cheers and Gears is like the biggest provider of car news in the world and EVERYONE takes our threads as the gospel truth. OK, Josh. I will never understand you "let's just forget about the unpleasant past" people; that's what's been killing GM--forgetting the uncomfortable past and dooming themselves to repeat it.

Is that photo an official Cadillac marketing photo? It kinda looks like it, yet the front passenger door isn't the same shade of $h! as the rest of the car.

I WILL NEVER FORGET!

I kinda like the idea of a hoodie cannon--it's almost like twisted charity...you get a free hoodie, but you might die getting it. Love it. PS Target a bunch of Hoosiers because for some reason this past winter they were reliving 1997 with their black North Face jackets with khaki pants...on a night out at the bars and clubs. WTF

Somewhere around 1/2 English, 1/4 Irish and 1/4 German. So I'm white and pale, whoohoo

ARE YOU STILL HUNGOVER??

Not really. There are federal laws about marijuana, and let me tell you that hasn't stopped anything/anybody in California. The pot clubs are open to anyone, medical or non-medical reasons--you just have to show your driver's license and you're put in the system--which is why I will let some of my acquaintances do that, but would never do it myself. Anyway, so the FDA does something--let's assume that it actually happens. Then what? Plenty of lawsuits. Every judge would have to be in on the conspiracy for this to fly, and the probabilities are infinitessimal.

No, not at all. What you fail to take into account is that the mentality out here is very likely completely different than the mentality in your locale. See, out here, there is a very large sustainable movement. Farmer's markets are growing in number; the health-conscious love the organic meat and produce, and the eco-conscious love that the food they buy wasn't flown in from Chile or El Salvadore on airplanes that spewed greenhouse gasses into the most vulnerable layer of ozone. Even local business interests are thrilled, as the Santa Monica Farmer's Market brings many people to the Third Street Promenade and its shops and restaurants. Just adjacent to the Miracle Mile District is The Grove at Farmers Market, developed by Caruso Affiliates, which is a popular outdoor mall that, as the name suggests, contains a farmer's market--an extremely popular farmer's market--that drives a lot of retail traffic in the area. As a result of the popularity of both of these farmer's markets--and trust me there are many, many more than just these two--I can't really see how anyone could possibly take them away. Business interests love them, health nuts love them, greenies love them...and therefore the politicians love them. Any politician who tries to remove them would be recalled--look up Gray Davis if you think Californians are politically complacent. Furthermore, the populist-era governmental structure essentially prevents Los Angeles from eliminating them; the mayor has very little power, but the city council does...except that the councilmembers focus on their little feifdoms and generally vote on issues in one district the same way as the representative for that district does. Since farmer's markets are in almost every district, all the separately-elected councilmembers would have to be in on this big grand conspiracy in order to ban the markets, and so would all the judges in California because the resulting lawsuits of such an act would flood the legal system. Then, the conspiracy would have to squash any and all voter referendums and constitutional changes (state constitution) proposed by the outraged greenies, health nuts, Hollywood celebrities, etc. that would likely pass handily. Of course, this would be never-ending until the legislation were revoked as all the people "not paying attention" as you refer to them would realize after it is "too late" what the grand scheme is...and it really wouldn't be too late as a simple citizen-initiated referrendum on the ballot would reinstate local farmers markets, thusly blowing a hole in your cute little "theory." So please, tell me how deep my head is in the sand--I've just delineated the social, economic, environmental, and political reasons why your paranoid delusion will not happen in Los Angeles, nullifying your little "theory."

Wrong. Not in California, which is where I live. It would not happen under any circumstances. No way in hell. As I said, at the very least, I won't be affected out here, and by default the entire premise is false since the whole world's food supply would clearly include anything grown in CA.

Happy birthday Northie!!

This will be my next car, so you keep your mouth shut! LOL

But if you think things through logically, then you realize how ridiculous the whole thing sounds--it's straight out of a Hollywood script. I mean, here in California there is a large movement toward locally-grown, organic produce made by real farmers that is sold in local farmer's markets. No conglomerate/agency is going to be able to take that over--there is just no way it would fly under any circumstances. Therefore, they cannot control the world's supply of food. At the very, very least, I know I will not be affected in LA. Maybe other states will "sell out" and reap what they sow, but I know with certainty that I will not be affected--therefore I do not care.

Riiiiiiiiiiight. What are they going to do, buy up every farmer's market across the US? Please.

I just think the name "ChromaFlair" is really, really outdated and "gee-whiz" sounding. Cue the 1950s TV announcer: "NOW! with CHROMAFLAIR!!"