oldshurst442

It does not matter how much chargers cost to buy and install. Part of the experience of owning an EV. One shot deal expense. A Chevrolet Bolt is still a 37 000 dollar car. If one is to cry even for a 2000 dollar expense, then a Chevrolet Bolt, or any 37 000 dollar car may not be for that person. Maybe Chevrolet's Sonic/Spark is the right vehicle choice. The Leaf may come in at a cheaper price, same thoughts I have for the Leaf concerning this. A charger that even costs 2000 dollars, is just a 5-7% of the car's purchase price. Like opting to buy a regular car, but opting for a $2000 trim package because of better radio, or safety package or body panel enhancements like plastic body panel cladding how Pontiac charged you literally that much (2000 dollars Canadian) over the base SE Grand Am to upgrade to a Grand Am GT. At least a 2000 dollar charger makes your life owning an EV that much easier. But its funny, when talking about a gasoline powered car, nobody talks about the approx. 3000- 5000 mile oil change intervals you must do on it. At Pep Boys (I just googled) it says 34.99 for regular oil or 21.99 with a groupon coupon. For cheap oil... At a dealership, I imagine the price is a lot more. At 100 000 mile ownership at approximately every 5000 miles at 30 dollars a pop, that would be 600 dollars in oil for just about half the vehicles ownership. Now, I just used two comparisons that are apples to oranges to one another, but it gives you a scope of how car ownership has extra "fees" that must be paid to maintain and use your car with ease... One could opt NOT to buy a charger, but installing one at home makes EV ownership well worth the price...of ditching gasoline powered cars forever. THAT is how of little importance is of ponying up that 2000 dollars for a home charger and how valuable and how far that 2000 dollars gets you. Id say much much farther than a better satnav system or plastic body panels for your Pontiac goes...

All this sounds good and all, but you need a city where the lights are actually synchronized. Montreal and the entire province of Quebec does not follow this kind of...um...witchcraft. Why make life easier for us drivers? Also, Montreal is seeing all kinds of roads closures and detours due to construction and repair sites. This will be a thing for the next 10-15 years. Yipee!!! But yeah, could be a good little technology, if it doesnt distract the driver...

10 000 plus horsepower. WOW! Unfortunately, NHRA does not sponsor anything in and around Montreal anymore. We do have the Formula One race. We did have the E-Formule One race. 1 year and done. But the Monster Trucks come each and every year!!! Sometimes twice a year. I wish our new mayor did not cancel the E-Formula Race. But the race was on our streets as the race sponsors wanted it that way and many people wanting to live...and breathe on our summer streets, just plainly got annoyed at the whole thing. Plus it was expensive so the old mayor lost his election because of that race. At least our new mayor, she is a she, quite cute too, at least she wants to extend our subway system AND she also wants our Expos back, like the previous mayor, so its all up to the Tampa Bay Rays to decide if they are going to build a new stadium or not. Because if not, the Expos are back in Montreal within 2-3 years. Yes..Rays will be moving to Montreal. 2 weeks ago, the future owners of the Expos just secured land to build a stadium in the dowtown core. If not the Tampa Bay Rays, then when MLB will expand. That will be in the next 5-10 years. Anyway...back to EV drag racing.

Oh... Got it! Then Casa's post sums it up quite nicely for me!

Ive been to several Monster Truck events at our Big O. Ex-home of my beloved Expos, and sure, the sounds are intoxicating. Im sure top fuel and funny car drag racers make similar loud noises as I never saw top fuel or funny cars racing. I dont doubt anybody for their love for loud pistons firing all their cylinders. In fact, I remember visiting my dad's work several times as a young kid, Canadair, and I remember listening to those CL-215 water bombers start-up and I remember enjoying those sounds too. And the smells. I love the smell of gasoline. I used to remember the old muscles cars driving past me as a youngster and I used to love the smell of leaded gasoline passing me by. I do not know how fast an electric motor could turn (in a car). I do not know how much power an electric motor could achieve (in a car), but I do know that a funny car/top fuel racer can produce easily 7000 horsepower and just as much ft/lbs of torque. I know I said rocket fuel in the post above, I was exaggerating, but what they use as fuel and how much power these things make...well...another exaggeration, well, with that type of combustion and those power numbers, we could go to the moon with funny cars and top fuel racers. Not an exaggeration, but I heard somewhere that they do accelerate like a rocket leaving our airspace. THAT is awesome. I agree, that EVs will get there someday. All the EVs need is the time and the billions of dollars invested in perfecting the powertrains just like their petrol fueled cousins did for the last 50-60 years...100 years.

Yeah. I thought so! Anyway, my thoughts still stand. GM's partnership with Chinese automotive brands, like SAIC, well, I do not think they produce good stuff. I googled some of their stuff and even if the quality is up to snuff, which I dont think it to be true, they arent really appealing anyway. Their SUVs are very derivative looking and their cars look like cheap knock-offs of VWs and/or Hondas... I think they own MG automobiles...of former English decent...and some other cars look like MG cars of the 1990s...YIKES!!! While EVs are important to the Chinese market, GM is engineering their own platforms, and with Rivian, they may not need Chinese platformed EVs for Buick...although good to ease up on the EV costs, but not necessary to use. Selling EVs in China is a whole different discussion though.

Garlits? THE Don Garlits? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Garlits He said in that video that we know the planet is going green. He also said a fool would realize top fuel drag and funny car in the present configuration cant go on. 50-60 thousand dollars to make one run. It may be exciting to watch, but it aint sustainable. And THE Don Garlits is promoting electrics? In 2014? Wow! And I thought the the only way to do a drag race was with gasoline or rocket fuel... But I just realized....even if I havent gone to a drag strip in like 25 years and only twice in my life at that... I realized that although the sounds are great...the thrill aint about the sounds... Its actually the thrill of the fight...er....race itself...to see who crossed the line first or fastest... When we were young, we dragged raced with pods that had gravity as fuel. And the only sound we heard from our racing pods was squeeky wheels if we forgot to oil them up... Bet the EV haterz forgot about that, huh? Oh well...if electric drag racing is good enough for Don Garlits, then EV drag racing is good enough for me!!!

Chinese Buicks? Well, if anything, the Chinese admiration for Buick should be considered a positive for us North American Buick admirers as its the Chinese consumer that has kept Buick's iconic brand image alive. But, is GM suggesting to rebadge GM's Chinese automotive partners' vehicles and peddle them as Buicks over here? (correct me if Im wrong but the Chinese Buick sedans are what we got over here too, non? The Velite was the Verano which begat the convertible which is the Chevy Cruze anyway which had its bones be engineered by Opel...the Regal and Lacrosse are on the Epsilon 2 platform...again, Opel which the Lacrosse will die and possibly the Impala too) SHYTE! THAT is even WORSE than Opel sourced Buicks! At least Opel was part of the GM umbrella. Since 1929! Opel had a helping hand in several successful GM engineering demands over the decades...the thing is, Opel was as much a GM brand as Pontiac was. Nope! I do NOT approve of this! I smell 1980s and 1990s Buick FWD mediocre redundancy repeating itself. Buick Skyhawk of the 1970s and Buick Somerset of the 1980s and Buick Skylark of the 1990s... *SIGH*

The REAL question is how many 60 000 dollar priced vehicles (and over..but not less than 60 000)does Mercedes Benz really sell. (Not city buses and Freightliner 18 wheelers) But honest to goodness 60 000 dollar REAL luxury cars and SUVs. Because we DO know that Cadillac is at the 400 000 unit level. OK...minus a few ATS cars...Cadillac at 350 000. Not that real luxury cars should be measured by how many units sold...but since our resident M-B fan likes to hear his own voice on this, Im curious...

You know that "entry level" luxury is an oxymoron, right? You know that is not a thing, right? Like...even if the word "luxury" is in the phrase "entry level luxury", you know that is not real luxury, right? What Mercedes sells is zircon to folk. So a better way of putting that is Mercedes Benz has fooled millions into buying zircon. I hope you also know and understand that Chevy also sells a ton of "entry level" price tagged vehicles. Or as you put it...luxury priced... Because if you tally up all the HD Silverados and Tahoes and Suburbans, Chevy actually sells MORE of those 3 than what all of Mercedes sells... I wouldnt be tooting that too loudly, buddy. That Mercedes sells lots and lots of C Class and A class cars and YOU try pass those as 1%er vehicles...

I just got a crazy idea. Instead of creating dumb ass commercials trying to convince that Buicks are not for old people, why doesnt Buick build cars and CUVs tht are NOT for old people. Because even if the Cascada was a convertible, it sure looked and smelled like moth balls, if you know what I mean. I dont get it. Even in China, Buick should have at least attempted to bring back the Riviera nameplate... It would have been better if Buick actually gave the Chinese and the Americans a bloody Riviera... There is soooo much youthful exuberance in that design that no no words need to be spoken to tell people what Buick is all about... It even out-Musks Elon Musk by making bolder doors... Its even a Hybrid... The one in 2007 was similar and just as jaw dropping gorgeous. And in my honest opinion, This next one works better as a Buick than it did a Chevrolet...a cop car Chevrolet at that... I mean, its a Buick therefore a high price tag would not have caused a heart attack because Buick. Park Avenue at that... And the Chevy SS was different enough in the looks department that Chevy wouldnt be afarid to advertise the SS and sell some copies to make...you know...money... What were they afraid of with the Park Avenue? That it was the 1st generation Zeta platform? That didnt stop Pontiac in getting the G8 nor did it not phase the Chinese that bought the Park Avenue by the ton. Its not as if Buick had such an incredible image in America back then that the Zeta Park Avenue would be an embarrassment. Au contraire, it was light years ahead of what Buick was peddling back then. The Lucerne was just a re-badged Olds Aurora that was uglier...and had grandpa driving characteristics as opposed to the Aurora and especially to the even sportier Pontiac Bonneville. Its a bloody shame that Pontiac, Oldsmobile and now Buick have been mismanaged to oblivion.

Yeah! No kidding! But it somehow worked. But Buick had mojo. The engineers built Buick motors that were beasts. The stylists gave Buick some pizzazz. Ditto for Pontiac. What happened? Why did it go all to hell? HOW did they let it all go to hell? WHY did they let it all go to hell?

I thought Buick was unto something just before the bankruptcy with the Buick Enclave and then right after the bankruptcy when Buick had a great car in the new Lacrosse and then the little Verano and Encore. I thought Buick was gonna push through and BE something. But I forgot to acknowledge that Buick, really had no brand identity to make me believe that they would succeed. What is Buick's brand identity? What has Buick's brand identity been since the 1980s? They produced the Grand National and the GNX which were awesome cool rides. but why did they even do that? Those GNs did not fit with anything they had. It did put them on the map, I guess, but Buick never followed through with anything remotely close to being sporty after that. They had the Reatta, which was cool, but it took another 25 years to get another convertible in their stable. And both convertibles lasted 3 years each... What were they producing in the 1990s that gave them a brand identity? NOTHING! When Oldsmobile died, Saturn kinda took they place, but not really. Saturn's initial brand identity was scrapped in favour of imitating Oldsmobile's new found resurgence in being a foreign brand fighter, which was technically Saturn's thing too, but Oldsmobile was the one that had any real steam going forward and GM just killed them. Screwing up Saturn in the process too. But Buick? What WAS Buick's brand identity. Oldsmobile and Saturn went away and it seems like GM tried to get Buick to start where Oldsmobile left off. But with NO clear direction... Saturn got Opel's in the end, so Buick peddled Opels unto Buick when Saturn went away... OK...but Buick NEVER had a CLEAR AND CONCISE direction to follow. So I ask again. What is Buick's raison d'etre in North America? Why should I buy a Buick anything over its competition? And THAT competition INCLUDES Chevrolet and Cadillac and GMC... PS: If Buick goes away in North America, and it just might as Buick is not distinguished enough to stand out as a brand that someone might be proud of owning...what a sad state of affairs for the conglomerate that is called "General" Motors. General Motors used to mean something. It meant Chevrolet. (visions of Bel Airs, Impalas and Corvettes) It meant Pontiac. (visions of Bonnevilles and Grand Prixs and GTOs and Trans Ams) It meant Oldsmobile (visions of the Rocket 88 and Cutlass) it meant Buick ( Doctor's cars. THE Roadmaster. The Rat Pack Riviera) it meant Cadillac (THE STANDARD OF THE WORLD) We are now gonna be reduced to Chevy and Cadillac... Nah, I dont include GMC in this as I get visions of Chevrolet rebranded trucks. In other words, I think of Chevrolet when I think of GMC... ITS PITIFUL!!!

I didnt even think about that angle. Thanks for the insight.

There is a yuuuuuge difference between that Chevy's face ^^^ and the modern one!

Finally! GM has re-entered the Europen market! Maybe this bike could help with Cadillac sales over there!

I might have missed the point you were trying to make. Please explain. Slowly if you can. My brain sometimes lags...

There is nothing wrong with taking a peek...but its pathetic trying to mask a tiny penis with strong "fake" masculinity... coocoo!! Made you look!!!

I dont see the resemblance myself, about that green cartoon character and the Rivian truck, but... the Rivian truck makes me think about a Star Wars Rogue One robot for whatever reason. K-2SO I do not like the looks of the Rivian truck too much. I think the vertical, race car track like accent LED lighting around the 4 circle LED lights look bizarre and out of place to the otherwise horizontal lines it has on its fascia. That contrast does not mesh well together in my opinion. But...because it looks different and unique to other front ends in the car biz, I think its a fantastic way to establish brand identity. Besides, it aint worse than this monstrosity The Rivian truck just looks geeky and may say that the owner is awkward socially. At least it does not scream out loud that the owner of a Silverado HD truck has a tiny penis!

I take it you dont like the Matrix/Vibe LOL Listen, Pontiac was trying to be all Fast and the Furious back then BEFORE their even was Fast and the Furious. Pontiac's versions of the Quad 4 were usually the ones with slightly more horspower ratings (an earthshattering 5 horsepower more...) and were the fastest in performance of all the FWD Quad 4 vehicles. Including the Beretta GTZ or the Calais 442 or the Achieva Quad 4...The Pontiac Grand Am GTs with the Quad 4 were always the hottest versions. Oldsmobile and Pontiac understood the 4 cylinder tuner movement in the late 1980s and 1990s. But 'twas Pontiac that really tried to push the performance and excitement buttons on its cars. Pontiac was fast and the furious rice before anybody else was with their plastic cladding body panels and body kits in the mid to late 1980s. They were fast and the furious before they tried to be BMW... So I get the reasons behind the Vibe. And I applaud it. Its just that they SHOULD have pushed the Fast and the Furious buttons a LOT harder like they did with the Pontiac Grand Am GT Quad 4 a decade earlier... Including offering a 220-250 horsepower AWD, RAm Air hood, plastic body cladding VIBE GT-R for the young Fast and The Furious rebels to buy it. Toyota did that through TRD for their Matrix, but I dont think an engine upgrade was involved. Just ricey parts. Pontiac though is famous for showhorning bigger, badder engines in their more tamer offerings... Tempest to GTO anyone? OK...back to the Cadillac. I agree!

Yeah...but coudnt GM just shoehorn the ecotec? NUMMI was a GM/Toyota plant. Joint venture and I do understand that fact . But surely GM could have made arrangements to get an ecotec under there somewhere. Ecotecs were not specialty engines. They were the corporate 4 cylinder engine. Cheap to mass produce so GM could have showhorned the supercharged engine ANYWHERE... I understand what that implies....MONEY... But...this is why NOW we know why Pontiac is no longer with us and why all Pontiac had in their showrooms were FWD appliance filler redundancy... PS: I couldnt care less what Toyota done or not. PSS: Toyota rode that wave though with THEIR Matrix through TRD...

Yes. With Corolla bones. But it was still a cool little hatch. Toyota or not. Pontiac sibling or not. The tuner crowd took to them The Vibe and Matrix were offered with AWD. Now...remember, the Fast and The Furious movies are coming out at this time. Deep pride for Japanese performance on small hatches. 4 cylinders are being tuned like crazy...since the 1990s and in the early 2000s it was at a red hot peak. Pontiac has got a very tune-able ecotec at this time. Supercharged and turbo versions were offered on that engine. Tuners got 1000 horsepower with them. AWD was offered in the Vibe... The Vibe, like you said...IS A TOYOTA... The Fast and Furious movie star...IS A TOYOTA... Pontiac missed out on that BIG TIME!!! It gave us a very ricey yet very Fast and the Furiousy concept... JapaneseSportCars.com it says on that pic THAT is how Pontiac missed out...

We cant erase our past mistakes. Only learn from them and to NEVER repeat them. That goes for ALL humanity in all of its colours and cultures.

I was fine with the Vibe. It was a cool little hatchback that was a pre-cursor to the small hatch morphing into small CUV that we have today. This is the Vibe that should have been made as an option though A Vibe GT-R as a concept to introduce the Vibe. Ram Air induction. 190 horsepower versus the 180 we got ...19 inch wheels, eibach suspension...on the concept. It should have been built and given to us as an option with the supercharged ecotec that was in the Saturn Ion Red Line and the Cobalt SS. A turbo version would be also viable. This was in 2003. When Pontiac just lost its Firebird. A Vibe like that could have eased the pain a little bit for losing the Firebird. Then the GTO came along. But Pontiac would have had two performance machines in the showroom instead of 1 obscure one. Chevy and Saturn got that supercharged ecotec... Fine for Chevy, but Pontiac was the brand that built excitement. Saturn was just your different kind of company... So just like that... GM screws up two of their brands images...