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G. David Felt

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Everything posted by G. David Felt

  1. G. David Felt
    What the heck is that?
  2. G. David Felt
    Semantically you are not incorrect, that he did not say it. But let us be honest, given Encore is Gamma based, unless Alpha can shrink to that size, I do not see it coming on an Alpha platform. When car manufacturers talk size, they almost always mean interior volume and never exterior size. That's why the SRX competes with the GLK and X3 rather than the M-Class and X5. The Encore has such a small exterior footprint due to very efficient packaging, but that also makes it more upright and stubby. I'm a bit biased, but I think Buick pulled it off.. I do not think Cadillac could. The same volume interior in a car that adhere's to Cadillac's recent "longer, lower, wider" mantra isn't going to fit on a Gama platform vehicle. Encore has a 100.6 inch wheelbase, Cadillac ATS has a 109.3 inch wheelbase. That alone is a switch from FWD to RWD right there. You don't think alpha can go down that small? This has the same wheelbase as the ATS. Dude that is a 9-inch difference in wheelbase. That is long. 7-er SWB and 5-er 4-inch between them, since they are essentially platform mates. I can see a 3 to 4 inch drop but 10% is pushing it. Another note, CTS on the other end of the spectrum has another 6 inches added to the platform. So a 15-inch difference between smallest wheelbase and longest wheelbase vehicles on the same platform (there might even be a stretched CTS) is not good for structural rigidity or may cause porky smaller cars. Furthermore, structurally, I do not think alpha can go that small, unless I am wrong. Even Camaro vs. Caprice is an 8-inch difference and Zeta had to be cut to accommodate the Camaro, which led to an inherently heavy car Z, that is why they make cutting torches. Everything can be cut down or stretched. Just as I said they need a GMC Terrain size CUV in RWD/AWD and someone says that is the SRX. Yet while interior room might be similar, exterior the SRX seems to be to much more bloated. If GM is wanting to maximize platforms but keep things distinct, I see no problem with taking the Terrain / Acadia and giving it new sheet metal to match Cadillac design language and just make them AWD only.
  3. G. David Felt
    Auto is nice, but not my cup of tea. This is what I figure you get when you take a biologist who ended up working in the auto industry and cross bred their ideas. An ugly plain Jane of a bug eyed auto. Over all while fit and finish look to be as expected to a high level, their design language just does nothing for me both external and internal. Just Blah, no big deal and will be forgotten in a few years.
  4. G. David Felt
    Mitsu needs to move the auto's in a radical direction with technology, style, MPG and Quality to really get back into the market as a competitor. Otherwise just fold up and go home.
  5. G. David Felt
    One who loves to support America, I do tend to spend a bit more for my tools. Example is Craftmen Professional with the lifetime warranty are Made in the USA but the rest of their product line is China made and comes only with 1yr warranty or no warranty. I know people love the tools that Home Depot and Lowes sell, but they are all Made in Chine. I would rather search out and find a USA supplier. One Important lesson that my dad taught me growing up. Your Tools / Kit will always grow as you should always buy the right tool for the job. Yes it would be great to spend thousands of dollars for Professional grade, USA built, Lifetime warranty tools such as; S&K Pro Tools Or Craftsman Pro Tools I have only known a few people who went to trade school and are mechanics as a career who did this. It is the cheapest way if you can swing the purchase as the 540 tool kit ends up costing $2.28 per tool. Yet like some have mentioned here, you can start off with a basic Standard and Metric set and as you need a specific tool, buy a quality one that will get the job done and last. Do not pass on saturday markets. I have found many worthy used tools that were lifetime warranty such as craftsman and was able to buy it cheap, use it and eventually I did go and get it replaced with a new lifetime warranty part. One Last Comment, Many people throw their tools around and just get the job done and put it away as is. If you take the time to always wipe off and clean up the tools, place them back in their proper spot in your tool box or chest, you will always know where they are and that they are clean and ready to be used. No one really likes to grab greasy dirty tools.
  6. G. David Felt
    Nice write up. Good info for a person considering buying it. Loved to see that they dumped their nav for a quality system that Garmin makes. While I would love a dark brown two tone interior, I have to agree that what they offer is more than most out there. In regards to the shifter, this throw back to a automatic shifter that is supposed to pretend to be a Hurst Manual shifter is just dead already. Let the electronics do their job and enjoy the 8 speed auto. Go to the rotary knob and free up the center space for other uses. I am so tired of the center shifters that are just in the way. Go to a knob, put it back on the tree with the steering wheel. Automatics will never be equal to the manual. Plus with paddles, use the electronics to give a F1 driving experience and dump the old manual thinking in an Automatic box.
  7. G. David Felt
    They do not know how to truly build luxury. Just look at all the long in the tooth so called new models with excessive plastic interiors.
  8. G. David Felt
    RWD/AWD Terrain size CUV would be the perfect Luxury entry model for Cadillac. Have it in a 2L Turbo, V6, Diesel and CNG. It would truly be a global auto.
  9. G. David Felt
    Loooonnnnnnggggggg Sllllllllloooooowwwwww Deeeeeeaaaaattttthhhhhh
  10. G. David Felt
    GMC Terrain size would be the proper CUV AWD Diesel GM needs for Europe & the US.
  11. G. David Felt
    First of the reports to come out on the new F150 say that due to the Aluminum panels and that less than 10% of body shops can deal with Aluminum that the insurance cost will be at least 10% higher! http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/post--2015-ford-f-150-repairs-will-cost-more-at-body-shop Interesting, I wonder if this figure will higher as they head to the body shop.
  12. G. David Felt
    Even the 2015 concept they showed of the camry is no better than the current ugly mug of the 2015 camry. These auto's are just the most boring bland ugly appliance you can get out in the market place today.
  13. G. David Felt
    Glad to see you pop your butt back in here. Hopefully you will grace us with some wonderful drawing of an ATS variation. Course I would love to see an ATS Ute drawing.
  14. G. David Felt
    Some lovely amazing auto's. More amazing is that what took 4-6 years to bring to market is now taking about 18-24 months. Technology has helped in many ways. I wonder what the shortest time to market auto out there is? From concept to built for sale? So my other question is engines in this era. We had 500 cubic inch monsters, would be great to see how the 70's oil crunch affected size. A chart showing the most common engines by size and HP from 1970 to 1979. Cool way to see how things changed.
  15. G. David Felt
    Guess different parts of the country as here in Washington they are Less attentive due to distractions but very aggressive in driving. Aggressive less attentive drivers that I have seen.
  16. G. David Felt
    After reviewing the pictures my initial impression is UNDERWHELMED! First off this is NOT a competitor to Cadillac, Mercedes, Audi, BMW in my opinion even though Ford thinks so. It is more in line to compete with GMC Yukon Denali, Lexus and Infinity where you see clearly a re-badge of their entry level full size SUV. The clipped on Lincoln nose is not enough to make it stand out from the Ford version. While the nose is new, the back side is dated looking to me. I do not see this as fresh and 21st century. Sad part is that it needs a V8, yes their V6 has more HP / Torque but it is still non competitive with the rest. I am not sold that the V6 engines will hold up in the long haul for these 10,000lb SUV's. Interior is a disappointment to me as I see the cheap plastic FORD interior with a few leather and wood pieces put on to say this is luxury but still comes off as a cheap attempt to save as much money while charging people high prices. The dash does not flow for me but looks like a Ford HD truck, Chunky, Blocky and cut up. The interior says ISOLATION from each other. Reminds me of a cubical farm at the office. Does not come across as luxury to relaxe and enjoy as you haul, tow and move people around on road trips. This version reminds me of the Old GM where you can clearly tell the Bean Counters dictated what could and could not be done in the auto. I have to give this a D for effort that falls way short of bringing out a true luxury competitor.
  17. G. David Felt
    Personally I think it is RIGHT AS RAIN to kill a coupe of the Malibu. Now to give folks some Variety of Spice, Buick GNX Chevy Monte Carlo SS These are two Coupes I do believe GM needs to build. They would bring in buyers and youth that would be happy with a V6 TT version on 6sp manual or 8sp auto. This would be below the Camero V8 Powered monsters.
  18. G. David Felt
    ATS Ute would be cool to see!
  19. G. David Felt
    Let's not forget that when it comes to Insurance on Auto's the GREAT WHITE LIE that WOMAN are better Drivers. I have seen more woman drivers have accidents and speeding far more than guys and that is due to the increase nature of them driving so the Auto Insurance needs to stop giving them lower rates compared to guys. Perfect example is my Daughter and son both on my family policy with Ameriprise pays half of the rate my son pays and yet he has a better driving record. Yes one of the two accidents she has been in was not her fault but they both are on the record when I called and she still pays half of what her brother pays and they have the same identical insurance plan. Blackmail Extortion that is Government approved and forced upon us.
  20. G. David Felt
    Yet based on so many people comments here on this Forum, rich people never look under the hood nor do they even know what propels their auto forward, so a proper performance from a V6 TT or Supercharged would be fine. It sure has not hurt Jaguar or any other luxury maker that has scaled down their car engine size.
  21. G. David Felt
    Didn't look at the 3, but the 4 certainly has one: RE: Cloud storage--great in theory, until you remember that an internet outage, server glitch, or hacker attack can render you without your music. You also give up ownership rights to the Cloud operator, in many cases. No thanks. I buy the music, I want the content, and I want to still have access to the content even in the event of a technological failure. Plus, with all the drama about the NSA having backdoor access to Cloud services, I really don't want the government knowing I actually paid for Heidi Montag's debut album...whoops, cat's out of the bag on that one now! Interesting as I did not look at the M4, figured what they did to the M3 4 door would be the same for the 2 door M4 coupe. Interesting that they have different seats with the fold down arm rest. I still believe that CD players will be gone in 2 years or so, I have not seen a single new car model that has a cassette deck. Those have been gone for a long time as far as I have seen. The ATS has Multiple USB ports especially in the center arm rest console that allows charging but also ease of plugging in your USB thumb drive and loading music onto the built in 40GB storage of the NAV/Stereo unit. This is far easier and more reliable than a CD player. Yes it requires you to prep by stripping your music off the CD and onto the thumb drive, but you will get better reliable playback. I understand the points you are making, but I also feel you are wanting to keep things status quo in a business that is clearly moving forward fast. I do see how a center fold down arm rest with pass through to the trunk would add versatility to the car. Then all I drive due to my Shrek size is full size SUV's. So space is never lacking when it comes to carry something.
  22. G. David Felt
    Interesting as not much to see in the Heavy Cladding, but it is interesting to see that dual tipped single muffler exhaust. Big Car for sure.
  23. G. David Felt
    Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep is off the table for this 6'6" tall man if it has a sun roof. Amazing that they lower the roof line by almost 3" so for me I can actually drive in comfort my son's Jeep Patriot as he does not have the sun roof. Yet when he tested it with a sun roof I could not drive it due to the lack of head room. Lucky me he does not care for sun roofs so he saved the money from the sun roof and got a trail rated version instead and it has been a great auto for him.
  24. G. David Felt
    So besides having bulbs that can be replacements for old style bulbs that use more power. Will it also have new replacement tail light and Front head light assemblies? What about other marker lights or Cyclops Break light replacements? Example is my 94 GMC Suburban Cyclop lights has had the outer coating worn off due to age and elements. I want to replace it with a nice new bright one. LED would be perfect. Also those side to side blinker lights that go on the bumper or just under the tail gate of a full size truck. Just interested in what all will be in the catalog. Thanks for giving us a heads up.
  25. G. David Felt
    ENCORE I would totally agree with this statement. I also in thinking about it agree with Balthazar that Cadillac does not need to go below the ATS segment. Leave it for Buick.
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