oldshurst442

GMC is a toughie! NO! Id keep GMC only because all that is gold in today's automotive landscape is CUVs and SUVs and GMC is EXACTLY THAT! A brand that SPECIALIZES in CUVs and SUVs so Id give GMC more SPECIALIZED CUV and SUV products! I HATE the BMW X6...But if I was Mary Barra, Cadillac would be on its 2nd generation BMW X6 and GMC on its 3rd...

Im gonna steer the conversation in different direction. Not because I want to, but because I had a conversation with @dfelt in the wagon only Regal thread and I philosophized this opinion somehow and I feel it became relevant for this thread... So for better or worse...my opinion somehow became this about GM's downsizing as of late: From this thought: I went to this thought:

To tell you the truth, I wont mind if GM kills off Buick...in North America, and never really replaces it other than with Cadillac and Chevrolet. GM seems to be downsizing quite a bit, with announcements of even killing off low selling products and segments and leaving Europe as of now. And I see and understand that vision. Chevy wants to kill off small Segment A and B cars? No problem as Cadillac seems to want to embrace those segments.. It aint a problem as it seems sheeple prefer the badge on the front of the car.Is it really a death knell if BMW, AUDI and Mercedes are doing it? It was in the 1980s, this aint 1980 anymore....2017 folk dont seem to mind this....adapt or die....and its working for the Germans so far.... If the pendulum seems to going against this sometime in the future, dont miss the negative trend and adjust back....EVOLVE to the CURRENT TRENDS is the answer... So GM gets to sell small cars with Cadillac in North America if Cadillac gets that done right, because it seems that GM has NEVER been able to sell small cars properly... go GLOBAL with Cadillac with the small cars as well, and be like BMW, AUDI and Mercedes GLOBALLY with the small cars...and also have Chinese small Buicks too GLOBALLY..... Chevrolet does everything else in North America like FoMoCo does with....Ford. Except that FoMoCo does small cars real good in ANY market... Except that FoMoCo is missing the middle luxury segment. Platinum Fords are good, and Lincoln suffers for it! So does GM as I think Buick is heading for a downward spiral. But Cadillac might have a leg up on both Buick and Lincoln in North America... Interesting times going forward... (ILL USE THIS SAME POST IN THE OTHER GM THREAD REGARDING OPEL OR GM DOWNSIZING)

I agree and that is why General Motors better start differentiating China's product lines with ours. Which includes Cadillac as well as Buick... Cadillac could benefit having some Chinese elements but not really as the CT6 gets criticized for being tooo conservative especially in the rear... Buick will NEVER take off in North America if alls we get is just Chinese flavoured Buicks going forward, especially when Opel is no longer part of GM... THAT is what Buick NEEDS in North America. A dose of cocaine, whiskey and hookers in their product line-up and in their advertising campaigns! Meaning, they need to spice things up! Stop being boring and conservative. Buick got a sign of life in North America when the Enclave was a new SEXΥ product that was luxurious. The Lacrosse broke away from its W-Body crapiness and the Encore entered a brave new SEXY segment. The Verano had some success because it too, had a little sexiness to it! The Regal just never took off. Small rear interior room that the Lacrosse answered for if someone wanted more space and the Verano and Encore answered for similar space for LESS money! Not because it wasnt a sexy car! Here is a thought. Maybe Buick could do its Buick magic in China being all conservative and such and GM just rebranding Buick as Oldsmobile here in North America while having no strings attached for having two different images for different markets for one brand. No need to create new body panels, just a different name... Oldsmobile (or Pontiac for that matter) could be that sexy and aggressive image North Americans crave and Buick could be that conservative luxury image they crave... Oldsmobile AND Pontiac had life in them when they died, and both were starting to hone in their AGGRESSIVE but FOCUSED marketing plans and product lines.... Buick seems to stagnate in North America because there is no CLEAR North American plan.

I hear ya and I agree with ya!!! Active lifestyle???!!! Marketing mumbo jumbo that feeds into the sheeples' wannabe fantasies. HEY!!! THAT IS HOW ONE SELLS STUFF!!! THAT IS MARKETING 101!!! Well..BUICK better start having one amazing marketing and advertising campaign if they want this thing to have a chance because "This aint your father's Oldsmobile Buick" crap they got going on now for the last 2-3 years wont cut it!!! We just figured out one component for it to be successful.. Buick has to create a buzz for it!!!

I failed to see that side of the argument regarding the Cadillac or any other wagon. Did the Dodge Magnum fail for that reason too? Probably not. Image is still a factor, and the Buick Roadmaster of the 1990s failed on that part because it sure wasnt the lack of space. That beast had more passenger space and more luggage space volume than Chevy Suburbans. To most it was ugly though and the 'Burban was not so aesthetics is also a factor... Like I said, Im glad Im in the restaurant business.... Im basing my opinion on the reasons that wagons are frowned upon in North America still in 2017 and because Buick is still not a hot item in North America especially the Regal nameplate. I hope I am wrong and an opposite field hit could be achieved.

You see, its tough deciding on the fate of car sedan style wagons in the USA... Macho AWD wagons is a hit or a miss... Subaru has honed in their rallye/offroad image... Audi seems to be concentrating their image elsewhere... Buick does not have either luxury... But Cadillac failed in the wagon segment a few years back, and so has Dodge...and BMW, Mercedes and Vol vo dont seem to sell that many wagons either (because Buick it seems to me will market this as a simple wagon)... So, because Buick has no prior image regarding wagons and Buick is in the middle of re-inventing itself more or less successfully, is this to Buick's favour or is it a detriment? I dont think this move will be a successful one, but then again, Regal sales are nothing anyway and so are sedan sales it seems, might as well try to hit a very outside pitch, an opposite field single might be had...

I dont know about this move. Im sure glad I sell hot dogs and hamburgers and not in charge of automobile company portfolio line-ups ... a. sedans sales are going bust. b. CUV/SUV sales are going through the roof faster than the SUV crazed 1990s. c. wagons still dont sell well States side d. just because CUVs/SUVs have hatch style rear ends and leave the showroom floor faster than Tesla Model S P100D ludicrous mode 0-60 times, it dont mean automobile sedan style wagons will do the same... So I understand the move. What I dont understand is the North American automotive buyer's brain. @dfelt Yes, if Buick is to succeed with this, Buick needs to do it like that AMC Eagle. What I wanna know is: Is Audi and Subaru successful selling their Allroad and Outback in the USA? Especially compared to their CUV counterparts such as the Q3 and Q5 and Forester and Crosstrek.

I love the Beach Boys... But we lost another legend today. A song that the Beach Boys took and made a career out of. RIP Chuck Berry. You are one of the reasons why I LOVE Rock-N-Roll soooo much!

WRONG!!! Remember this iconic moment? Well...Pakistan knew about Ben Laden's whereabouts...since the runt was hiding there, yet Pakistan did not divulge anything nor did they know about this raid for fear of Pakistan warning him... And the US had to ditch a new technology heli in haste... because Pakistan aint exctly on the up and up about shyte...and many terrorists have Pakistan as their ally even if they arent necessarily Pakistani themselves... Its good that you have your opinion...keep it...it serves you well...

Oh yeah! Now I picture it! Not hard to picture it as its the out going model. I thought you was talking about the 2005 version. Well, good luck to you in finding a nice one for your wifey!

That is the one with the V8? I see Frisky getting one of these shortly... Ill remember this convo when in the next 2-3-4 months from now, you will be asking us to guess what car you just bought...

Take 2... As cushy seats from the 1970s with huge cubic inched engines did not pass... The irony of sears like these not coming back in vogue... It seems the Chinese want these...that pillow reminds me of that Cadillac pillow pic I posted...on a new M-B SClass Mayback... Chinese grandmas must have demanded that... Lincoln's new Continental for Chinese market...very 1970s Cadillac blue velour interior...like the pic I posted...hmmm. Since the luxo market is dictated by Chinese standards, I think seats similar to those grandma cars will be in style again... But obviously I was wrong...well...these modern versions have better side support for the semantics arguments... (and you wonder why I get pissy sometimes???!!!)

Yup.... Thanx for repeating what Ive said waaaay before you did. That would be 2-3 things so far... So...about that ban...because, like you said...a terror suspect can come from anywhere, like I said waaaaaay before you just did just now...when I dismiss the ban, yet you accept it, at least that is how I interpreted it, how does the ban work effectively against terrorists? A small price to pay to screw innocent people I suppose! Ignore me...its all good. I get the satisfaction that I beat you to the punch each and every time. Its all good that we both say the same thing, its just that we both interpret the info opposite. It is your right to do so as its mine. Its the condescending nature that Surreal and I take offense to...so yeah...it would be an insult. But hey...you and I interpret your condescending ways differently too. You may not think its condescending and I think it is... Oh well, its just the internet anyway...

It was a general rant, therefore accuracy was not the focal point and yes, those pics were from 1975 and 1976 Fleetwoods...but...I was referring to the 1986-1990 Fleetwood that indeed had a 305. Upon further inspection...I found out it was more of a 307. Oldsmobile Rocket 307 that I was referring to. So as to make my rant more accurate...here goes. Not posting the D'Elegance interior either as to not get scolded again. 140 or 150HP in all its glory... Now...the cars...even with 500 cubic inches..were not meant to corner...they were boulevard cruisers..I dont remember anybody clenching steering wheels and complaining about how the seats were not holding you in place back then...I do remember those drivers cruising nice and slow. Young or old. The dudes that wanted to go fast bought Trans Ams. Young or old. I remember BMW yuppies praising bucket seats boasting about how sporty the cars were... Funny, I drove a 1985 Olds Delta 88 with those plushy seats like the first pics I posted for a couple of years and I never once yearned for bucket seats...and I never once had to use my knee on the door. What makes it funny is I do that with the bucket seat modern Fusion I drive on occasion... I think the Olds was the last true bench seated car I owned and I miss those seats dearly.

well....with 55mph highway speed limits and cars like that Caddy with 305 cubic inch V8s producing at the best of times 180 horsies barely being able to achieve these speed limits anyhow...there was hardly a need to brace yourself that way...sure, the cars didnt take to curves all that well either...and floated on the concrete to make things worse for what you are talking about...but then again if in America most of the time we drive on straight roads...was there a need to really strap ourselves in like we are Gilles Villeneuve? Ill be taking a page out of your book...like how you say about RWD cars in snow... For ever American car seats were like living room sofas for the road.. I guess you are right...whatever you say goes...like...all the time...you know best...father.

I dont like the way this looks. With the above pic as reference... the fastback angle and look to the regular Corvette aint changed. Just unnecessary additions of glass and carbon fibre pieces... About those rear lights... I visited the Montreal Auto Show last week...I fell in love with the Corvette Z06 again because of those rear lights and the way the back looks....very menacing and purposeful the back end is. And pictures dont do this angle any justice. In person its just plain AWESOME!

Why cant cars go back to this?

The thing with terrorists is: They all have different backrounds. They all come from different countries. To boot, some are born in WESTERN countries in the MODERN era of the "Ancient" code. France has home grown terrorists coming out of their wazoo. Their problems are from their dealings with Algieria and Morocco and Lybia and several other African countries where Islam is dominant and France did not want to let go of their Empire...something that they needed to compete with in this little saying...The sun never sets on the Union Jack or something or other... They all fight together, supposedly, but they all fight with truly different agendas as each and every Jihad and Fatwa terrorist act in the name of Allah since the 1960s is for a different reason and not one reason is the same... Every crooked Imam and every Terrorist Leader has his own monetary reason to brainwash young Muslims... Saudi Arabia.... PLEASE... The biggest act of terrorism on US soil was masterminded by a Saudi.. And If Im not mistaken, many other Saudis have tried to hurt America... Legend be told, the CIA trained him to fight the Commies... I did not see Saudi Arabia as one of the banned countries either. Surreal says it like it is: And he is still holding back reality! Anybody else that does not see it that way, is....NAIVE! The American dollar was backed by GOLD. It was decided that BLACK GOLD was the NEW GOLD so America signed a deal with certain Arab countries to use their BLACK GOLD while those countries used the American Green Back as the measuring stick currency. Puppet governments and sabotage and lies and spies ensured the Middle East would NEVER be stable, other WESTERN countries were jealous of that American deal and more puppet governments and sabotage and lies and spies happened... This ban...just hurts the INNOCENT people! This ban...is window dressing... This ban, makes America look bad, and it gives another deranged lunatic from a country that is NOT BANNED to have a go on innocent American lives since this ban all it says is that ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS because this BAN affects INNOCENT PEOPLE from THESE BANNED COUNTRIES.. KELLYANNE CONWAY did say it was a small price to pay...

Sorry dude if I blew a gasket... Im a tad edgy with all this and Im also out for blood with hypocritical thoughts... With that being said, I RESPECT @Frisky Dingo a lot for him being genuine with me. Ill rustle some feathers later....for now....let us have some fun with it all!

I gave you a carrot to chew on...yet this is your response back... Check this out, my message to you-hoo-hoo If you don't care, don't dont read, don't comment. Pretty simple. (that was easy as 1-2-3 as well as a copy and paste response) 3 little pony cars are not sellin' in January...Dont worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing will be alright... Maybe that is why for next year, the Chally gets AWD? Hey...I make conversation here... Some of us cant handle my heat..too damn bad! Many choose to ignore me when the heat gets too hot....they leave the kitchen...I stay and continue cooking!

sarcasm much? Listen, I don't mean to rustle feathers like I do, but I DEEPLY CARE ABOUT THE USA AS MUCH AS YOU GUYS DO... Believe me or not. My dad fought in Korea from 1950-1952 under the USAAF. He was a Staff Sargent. He had dual citizenship. I may not be American, but Id gladly call the US my second or third home. 1. Canada 2a. Greece 2b. USA I don't appreciate when I give my two cents and someome calls me a lefty... I don't appreciate when I own a restaurant, and someome says Im a liberal... 1a. Im a Canadian. 1b. We don't divide ourselves that way. French versus English..sure...we kinda stopped doing that though. And if the English and French could get along in Canada, so could Americans amongst themselves...if you guys choose to do so... 2. if you feel junkies, low lives, criminals, corporate shills etc... are wrecking your country...FIGHT FOR YOUR COUNTRY BACK!!! INSTEAD OF FINDING IDIOTIC NUANCES OF WHERE PEOPLE SHOULD PISS, OR IF WOMEN ARE ALLOWED TO BREAST FEED IN PUBLIC OR IF GAYS SHOULD ALLOWED TO BE MARRIED OR IF A_HOLE BUSINESS OWNERS ARE ALLOWED TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANYBODY...FIGHT FOR WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR COUNTRY AND START MAKING IT RIGHT AGAIN! Kellyanne Conway...small price to pay... WHAT? You think that is the American way of doing things? Is that what YOUR Constitutional rights tells you how to act? DID MY DAD FIGHT FOR A LOST CAUSE IN KOREA? OR ANY OTHER AMERICAN SOLDIER ESPECIALLY WARS THAT WERE FOUGHT BETWEEN 1939 (1941 for the US)-1945? Boy...that is NOT the United Stated of America that I love dearly. Remember...I am of Greek decent. My momma was an immigrant to Canada in 1967. This ban touches me in more ways than you think! The United States of America ACCEPTED a Greek that was soon to become my uncle. He was born in the US but his dad came to America from Greece. The United Stated of America accepted my aunt, born in Canada, Greek parents... They married. Had children. Yes I have American cousins, that are Greek. Italians, Jews, Chinese, Spanish, Dutch, Germans...all have similar stories! THIS IS HOW AMERICA BECAME GREAT!!! Just because some of you are afraid of immigrants of different backrounds, and support Trump like behavior, it don't mean I, as a Canadian, wont fight for what I KNOW to be right... If you feel criminals and junkies are ruining it for everybody...DEMAND YOUR POLITICIANS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT... If YOUR POLITICIANS ARE BOUGHT...GET THEM OUT... DONT VOTE IN A GUY THAT IS THE VERY EMBODIMENT OF THAT! INSTEAD OF YELLING AT IMMIGRANTS...TAKE CHARGE OF WHAT REALLY IS AILING YOUR COUNTRY! Remember...this ban was to keep out TERRORISTS...ALL IT DID WAS MAKE INNOCENT WORKING PEOPLE SUFFER... HOW THE PHOQUE WILL THAT BAN KEEP OUT TERRORISTS ANYWAY? THESE TERRORISTS LIE LOW.... JUST DUMB!

Yeah...Ill agree to that...pull out, stop funding, stop arming, stop sleeping with the Saudis and the Israelis... But the damage is done. The Middle East was always a war torn cesspool...but the West made sure it stays that way for millennia more... Like that Iranian dude in the video that Fap posted... He done nothin' wrong...nor his brother. Yet Mr. Trump thinks he solved a problem...he made a bad situation worse regarding American values in the Middle East... However Id like to talk about how he said he is a hard working guy...he even called himself American making houses for Americans... Tell me...would you rather a new immigrant that works hard like he does, or a good for nothing, low life scum criminal 5th generation American? Most immigrants immigrating to the US and Canada no matter where they are from, they are hard working folk.. Listen to the Quebec Premier video I posted again... These people HELP a country out...they contribute to taxes and society and culture as much as you and I...

Unfortunately Frisky...those Middle Eastern problems, the modern ones, not the ancient ones, the ones that arose at the dawn of the industrial revolution, were actually caused by the West. The United States of America was a factor in that....before WW2 and especially after WW2... 'Let them sort it out' is such a hypocritical thing to say... I dont want to say it, but I will...the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Russia and several other Western countries actually owe it to them to help them out and NOT to let them sort it out...

MONTREAL vigil after the Mosque murders yesrterday! Do Americans even care about how their country is torn apart? We Quebecois were shaken to our core with that horrible event. We looked ourselves in the eye and we dont like what we see... Quebecois are just as islamophobic as any other culture...yet this horrible event, we know it was wrong to let our hatred and fear get the best of us... Today, we stand together...muslims, French, English, and the rest of us... Yet...another school mass shooting happens in the US and alls I hear from politicians and other civililans, blaming blacks, whites, lefties, righties, constitutional rights are thrown around, semantic blaming, stupid statistics banning guns, NRA pro and anti arguments.... A big mess... Look yourselves in the mirror...its up to you folk to fix the shyte you have made and created. Immigrants could help build you up again..' But...shyte on them and on yourselves...that will certainly make things better.