oldshurst442

Bump...because...why the hell not?

Just for the record.... 'Twas the Japanese that showed the world how to build reliable luxury and exotic cars... Lexus and Acura (Toyota and Honda respectively) lead the way. German cars to this day, are horrid. Always were. Casa earlier eluded to something. Cadillac lost some sales to horrid failure of technologies...V8-6-4 did no favors to the brand. Also, and more importantly, was the shift of changing definitions of what a then modern view of luxury was...the sport oriented luxury sedan. Acura Legend paved the way with BMW and its 3 Series. No...not even the 5 Series in the 1980s was a hit. It took the E39 5 Series in the MID-1990s to get acknowledgement. The early 1990s FWD Cadillac STS was a bigger hit than the E34 BMW 5 Series. Audi had better traction going forward than BMW but a 1980s pedal acceleration problem cut their momentum forward. Mercedes Benz....in the 1980s, was starting to become a luxury car brand again, but even Cadillac in the 1980s had a bigger following. What Cadillac failed to do was promote the RIGHT vehicles for that changing perception... They promoted the Allante to compete in an area where Mercedes Benz just dominated....the R129 SL 500 of 1989 was a brand new SL series car, and Mercedes Benz to this day NEVER turned back...and Cadillac had the Allante to do battle with... The Allante was a fine car, and a fine car to do battle with the 1970s R102 SL car...a couple of steps behind for Cadillac me thinks... Cadillac also went to battle with the RWD Fleetwood when people already had enough of this type of car. People wanted the FWD STS rather than the Fleetwood. Cadillac made the Eldorado....which was not exactly what people were looking for. Cadillac did the Catera...in the same way the Germans did their own luxury RWD cars, in their own home market, but low and behold, dumb Americans only saw the BS with Cadillac, and NOT with the German brands... And today...ironically, people want Cadillac to do Fleetwood type cars again, but without the floaty ride...as seen how popular the Escalade is...as seen how well perceived the Ciel and El Miraj concepts were received WORLDWIDE... Ill add this... It seems to me that most people cannot fathom a small Cadillac. Cadillacs are supposed to be as big as Texas... Anyways, yet another rant was had by me...hope you enjoyed it!

With these choices, and people knowing me would figure that this would be an easy choice for me to make. But it aint easy. On one hand, its between my all time favorite Vette... and the other hand.. its quite an attractive Mercedes Benz SL550. Not the AMG version, but quite the machine non-the-less. After many hours deliberating in the war room, mainly the bathroom....a locked bathroom door fantasizing about that wink....(not really just a joke....but the scenarios about how I came in contact with the cars is most absolutely true!!! Including another well timed song being played!!!) I have concluded that the 1959/1960 Vette shall be my choice The M-B SL550 just screams "beautiful trophy wife transportation" to me! Any M-B SL convertible actually... Ill play a little clip that stars the choice I made.

So, after work today, I was looking to see for a batting helmet with a cage for my daughter and a baseball bat for my son. The girls softball league this year requires a batting helmet with a cage while my son out grew his baseball bat. In April, I bought my daughter her very own softball bat...anyhoo, going in and out of various sports stores in my area to see who has what and what deals could be had before I collect my little rug rats after school to make the purchases with them....I finally do the last sports store. I get out of that sports store to finally head on home to pick them up when out of nowhere a fire red 1959/1960 Corvette sneaks up on me like a UFO and disappears in the horizon as fast as it appeared. The Vette driver wasnt going fast, its just that the path he chose was one where I couldnt follow and the traffic flow was in his favor. I did get a glimpse of it to know it was a show piece. What a beauty!!! OK...I get the kids and we are on our way to baseball & softball heaven. "If you buy it, they will hit homeruns!" $135 CDN later and we are heading home. OK...traffic. What was supposed to be a 5-10 minute drive ended up being a 45 minute pisser. An idiot in a Chevy Avalanche rear ended a Pontiac Transport. So, to soothe the nerves of all of us, I play some music. Im in my wife's Fusion as its nice and clean while my Acura sits its turn to be washed again...I got the USB key thing going on and half way through this song: A very nice lady in her 30s pulls up next to me in this beauty. Exactly like this. Her top was up, I wished her top was down...and I dont mean the car either!!!! She was a beautiful girl. I smiled at her while at the same time I was trying to make my kids forget about the swear words they just heard on that song... So I said..."Hey kids look at that nice car, isnt she beautiful!" Well....the nice lady heard me say that so she laughed and winked at me... That made my day.... So...As Im typing this, my damned kids are still up so I cant put the moves on their mother!!! Anyway...what would you folk choose to ride in?

This could be joined with my point of view to really answer that triple dog dare. Along with Hyper's suggestion of producing a profitable CT6 and XT5. They took a step forward with the RWD SRX going FWD and Lexus competitor and hopefully dont ever change the formula of the XT5 which is a direct successor to the FWD SRX... The 1st and 2nd gen CTS created its totally own niche that had a following. One might even say BMW followed in Cadillac's footsteps by producing a larger 3 Series to be in that sweet spot... Could one say that BMW followed Cadillac's footsteps? Wow...what a doozy opinion that is???!!! Is that blasphemous to say if one was a BMW fanboy? I dont think so!!! Well, maybe Cadillac should STOP selling itself short and not play follow the leader and have faith in itself. Cadillac, when they take the 1 step forward, it really is a giant leap forward. They should realize that they actually take the lead in the dance they are having with the competition and stick to THEIR formula of success... The CTS, by being clever or by accident, invented the 'tweener niche of BMW 3 & 5 Series... They should have NEVER abandoned it.... Well, the CT6 is doing the same...by being a 'tweener in of short wheel base form S Class/7 Series by being the only one to be in this niche in North America. And its a REAL and BETTER sports sedan in this league whether M-B, BMW and Audi EVER bring their short wheelbase fullsizers to North America. The CT6 is re-writing the text book of how its done in this segment. They should only NURTURE it and make it grow from here on out, NOT let it rot on the vine, or abandon it... The STS commercial: All they had to do was really work at it... Not abandon it and abandon what the 1st and 2nd CTS did and leave it to the 3rd generation CTS to pick up where the STS left off and create another car to replace the CTS, because the CTS replaces the STS and the CT6 replaces the XTS which replaced the DTS which kinda took the Fleetwood's place but it really was the Escalade that took the Fleetwood's place...and the STS was really not that far off to begin with to go into this stupid spiral...

I dare Cadillac to STOP taking 1 step forward 2 steps back! Example: Created a buzz with the FWD STS back in the early 1990s. Made a worthy successor in that 2nd generation FWD STS. Created a mess with the RWD Opel Omega Catera. Decided to do a brand new Arts and Science CTS to replace Catera and finally realized that maybe Cadillac should be RWD. Great start. Escalade also debuts in a rocky start but gets improved by leaps and bounds each and every generation. Marketing for the Escalade is stupendously good excellent. STS also goes RWD. Cadillac now has 2 pretty good RWD sedans that are rough around the edges but great to begin a come back along with a SUV that quickly dominates the competition Leaves the STS to rot on the vine. Cancels it. Only to return to this segment a decade later with a new name, a name that once was beneath the STS in hierarchy. Which was needless because the STS DID have pretty good name recognition, because the FWD version was actually a positive one for Cadillac. Ironically, the RWD STS soured the people because of a lack of execution and left to rot. Maybe the development money for the Evoq concept becoming a reality as the XLR should NOT have been spent (because that car also turned out to be a dud) and spent on improving a 2nd generation RWD STS along side the CTS instead of canceling it altogether. We would have had what we have today in 2016 (ATS,CTS,CT6) a DECADE EARLIER with (CTS, STS and DTS but a DTS in RWD form) Creates another big buzz with a second generation CTS. Finds a sweet spot as a 'tweener to the German sedan competitiors. BMW adjusts their line-up to compete in that sweet spot as they grow in size their vaunted 3 Series..(yeah, bet you nobody thinks it that way!!!!!) and creates another model to replace the 3 Series spot.....successfully, unlike Cadillac. Cadillac abandons that sweet spot and grows in size the CTS to compete with bigger cars, makes a smaller car with a new name confusing the crap out of its customer base..... (Aint hindsight a beautiful thing though? Its easy to Monday Morning Quarterback, especially when sitting on a sofa, eating chips and playing with the internet)

If not the El Dorado, then the El Miraj. For presumably for you and him and most definitely me. But, there has been many missteps in the product portfolio the last decade. And yes, we shall go back a decade. We have to. Maybe a M-B CLS is not selling like Camrys, but its a product that gives recognition to the brand. Maybe a M-B CLA is cheap and crappy in Cimarron proportions, but it gives M-B the volume sales to pad the pockets. Maybe a GLK was ugly as sin, and cheap in Cimarron proportions but it paved the way for the GLC. and I could go on....but Ill stick to these 3, as these are all new models fro M-B and the oldest is just a tad older than a decade. The other two are barely 8 years old....and all 3 are all household names.... In a decade's time, could we actually think of M-B WITHOUT a CLS, GLC and CLA? Now...we will do Cadillac What new awe-inspiring product has Cadillac brought out the last decade that blew people's minds like the CLS to draw attention to the brand? What new entry level bullshyte car has Cadillac brought out the last decade to pad the coffers like the CLA has done? What new CUV has Cadillac got....OK....the SRX which has become the XT5...... But... CTS coupe....FAILURE ELR....FAILURE XLR.....FAILURE AWESOME CONCEPTS THAT WOULD HAVE TURNED THE SHIP AROUND.... CIEL EL MIRAJ Cadillac V16.... Sure....lack of money that GM did not have hence the bankruptcy.... But...please EL K.... Dont say that there hasnt been any missteps. The ELR was money thrown down the loo. The CTS coupe should have had a successor... It was bold, ugly, but bold. Cadillac should have continued maybe with a 4 door coupe CTS on this new CTS platform.... Take another bloody chance! PDL feels like there are many that are HUNGRY for a "REAL" Cadillac... I feel the same way.... The CT6....restrained.... maybe for good reasons....but its a big Cadillac car. Big Cadillac cars could never "take it too far".... In fact, that is what big Cadillacs SHOULD be doing....taking it too far! The ELR and the CTS coupe are small cars....

Me too Drew. Im sorry. That was trolling on my part. Trolling the anti-Continental sentiment.... The only thing I agree with PDL is the stupidity of alphanumerics. But like Balthy said in the Cadillac thread....we should give the average consumer some credit. Sorry to derail once again, I felt I needed to respond to this. To accept responsibility for derailing. To man-up. Back to the Continental.

The only thing that I ended up doing is washing my wife's car. No waxing... Yeah, thanx Balthy...and MR DFELT....there is no shame in any kind of car crazy endeavor. I could say: "I wish I could be more like you, Balthy, and do some manual work on cars as a hobby" But that would be a misleading statement, as nothing is stopping me from doing what you are doing.... Space. Space and weather. Those would be my restraints. I dont have the garage and the weather does not collaborate with this hobby. There are more colder months than there are warm ones for me to justify the insanity you indulge yourself in. Maybe one day, when I amass enough cash to make a break from this nice, but cold home I call Quebec, Canada.

Well...at least the Continental has got some name recognition. Unlike the Cadillac CT whatever # it has.... http://www.autoextremist.com/ http://www.autoextremist.com/on-the-table1/?currentPage=2 Hey....dont shoot the messenger, Im only saying what others are thinking!

Yet....there are people out there who are hungry for Cadillac to be Cadillac. Peter De Lorenzo has targeted his latest rant at Cadillac. He touches up on certain topics we discussed.... This is a paragraph or two from his latest rant: http://www.autoextremist.com/ The bold part was of my concern last week... The dealership question. A stand alone dealership is most definitely a must. And it has to be a luxurious one where the sales staff are real PROFESSIONALS and NOT like used car guys... The product portfolio should be the PRIMARY focus though. And in my eyes, ATS and sub-ATS vehicles should NOT be the focus either... Yes, some volume cars are needed...my thought process still remains that JDN needs to push cars that people ASSOCIATE Cadillac with....with REAL names.... Peter De Lorenzo brings up another point....name recognition...... Who the phoque knows what a CT6 is? Who the phoque will care actually? But....give the people a Ciel and an El Miraj (with those names!), and problems of perception might actually go away... Like Peter De Lorenzo says...the only Cadillac car that is a GRAND SLAM is neither a small, nimble Euro fighting machine nor has an Alphanumeric name.... Food for thought, And it happens to be the same message I keep pluggin' since I first posted this thread... Are you still reading this, Casa? Because I havent changed my stance and low and behold, Ive got a dedicated blow hard that has a weekly blog, who actually shares some of my thought processes... PS: my clown suit has been washed and pressed and ready for you to wear...

Tomorrow I might wax one of my cars... Its been chilly lately so Im stalling... I just felt like sharing this with you. I feel shame sometimes that you actually get your hands dirty with car stuff while the most dirty my hands get doing car guy stuff is smelling like gasoline when I fill 'er up... OH....I do check my oil from time to time and I do top off the windshield washer fluid.....so there is that. Not exactly hard core stuff like you, but...if I do end up waxing a car, Ill probably feel less shame. Im always tuning in here for the updates! Great Job!

I see that Fisker has got a new attituuuuuude! Using BMW powertrains and charging systems and being built in California.... Its a shame about the BMW part....but she is still a stunner! Id order two of these.... One from Bob Lutz.... And the other, Id try and Frankenstein the upcoming Tesla Model S P100D powertrain in it...or...I see that a Model X is closer to the Karma's wheelbase....

Congratulations, Brother!! Glad to know it wasn't some personal/family illness/issue.. Must just be the pessimist in me thinking if somebody is missing it is because of a problem not a promotion.. Oh and other benefits, 3 - 4 days a week work from home will be nice, as will the shift from 80% - 90% travel to 10% travel.... My last scheduled trip ends on June 4th and then I get to work in my PJs most days. That totally rocks! I dont think Id ever be able to get any job done if I was working from home. Its awesome that Drew gets to do that....its just that Im the type of guy that NEEDS to LEAVE the house to go to work. If I stay home, in PJs, then its a day off....its a clean and wax the car day, its stay home and watch Star Wars or Good Fellas or The Terminator for the millionth time or just post at Cheers and Gears the whole day...its called laziness. However, I put on my restaurant uniform on, I leave the house, I get to the store, and Im a work-a-holic....unless a bunch of car guys walk-in with the whatever prized toy they arrive in and I chit chat the day/night away...

Drew....how the hell have you been??!!!! Fine I see!!!! GREAT NEWS about your new position and pay!

This one's for you, olds! We posted our version of Light My Fire today. https://www.reverbnation.com/kingsoftherevolution1/song/25803216-light-my-fire-the-doors Dude....that is just as good as it gets!!!! Almost like the original. You guys ROCK! Got the vibe down PERFECTLY! I like! Ill be honest though, I did not listen to Remedy. Its because I aint familiar with the Black Crowes.

Buick Verano Buick Encore and now the Buick Envision.... Based on the last two made for Chinese market and sold here in North America a year later were actually big hits for Buick. Yeah that's right! The Verano in China called the Excelle was engineered for China....and so was the Opel Mokka/Buick Encore. (the Encore was also made for Europe in mind....but it is built in 2 Asian countries and in 1 European one...) I think this latest Buick product will follow in the footsteps of the cars I just mentioned...which is sales success. Ive got past history on my side....and that is what Im basing my opinion on...

I upvoted you on that....because its actually closer to the truth than some of us want to admit...

I dont know where these are...and these are Zeta Camaros...true..... And....maybe the showroom floor aint shared...because even in Canada...Cadillac is alone on one side while GMC, Buick and Chevrolet is on the other side, this EXTERIOR scene is all too common even in 2016.. The dealership near my home has the Cadillac area completely to the left in the middle is Mr. Goodwrench and to the right is Chevy, Buick and GMC. And the front of the parking lot is where the inventory is located, not the back of the dealership.... OK....remember I said there was a clearance sale of the ATS? OK...there were 3 ATS cars in front of the Cadillac area...there was 1 Impala and 1 new Volt with a Silverado in front of the Chevy area....but like in the photos above...there was 1 new Camaro SS and 1 Malibu Premium IN FRONT of the ATS in the client parking spot...yes...they were for sale...not demos....inventory for sale! Note....that photo is an older one....a couple of years ago when Cadillac did share that space with Buick and GMC.... Today though, Cadillac is alone...Buick and GMC are in the Chevy side of the dealership....but the signage remains the same... But...it dont matter when the dealership general manager sticks Chevy cars OUTSIDE the building in the Cadillac area....

I LOVE those!!!! Those for me would be....mid 80s... Early 1980s: Like its, totally yuk.

LOL!!! I like this model T-Bird. Better than any other T-Bird from the 1970s and early 1980s in my opinion. OK...Ill admit...this last T-Bird is no Adonis, but a million times better than the Disco Queen T-Birds.

Red headed Italian girl...and not existing? I show you 2.... One is a curvy model....of 1950/1960s vintage... Sex Symbol. OK...not a real redhead.... This model of 1980s vintage was a real redhead and a sex symbol as well... The name says it all.... You gotta work with me here, bro....

And hence my thought process with an ATS does not make me wanna belt out loud Sliiiiiiiiick Black Caaaaaadillac with solid gold hubcaps....making me feel like a king, and hence why I made this thread to see who else may have this doubt about Cadillac...if not the whole brand, at least for just that one model, the ATS. It is quite sad, for a Cadillac enthusiast, to see an equivalent Mercedes Benz product....at least in price if not in quality, to outsell the ATS... It is also quite sad to see a similar priced Chevrolet on the same lot as said Cadillac product. It wouldnt be so bad had Cadillac been stand alone....but to share the same dealership and to have a lesser brand within the same family compete with you on price defeats the purpose of being top tier 1 luxury. The Buick dilemma is less with the Envision and XT5, because the price of entry is higher and Buick is premium as opposed to Chevy being....gulp....MAINSTREAM and CHEAP....when a Sonic costs $12 000 CDN or so....to have a Chevrolet Malibu Premium touch ATS price tag....to have a Chevrolet alpha platformed brother to cost AS MUCH as the ATS.... Like I said...Cadillac sells the ATS alone in its OWN dealership, not so bad....but to have Chevrolet there.... The ATS besides a Malibu....and the ATS just looks like yet another ho-hum compact car.... RWD? Big PHOQUING deal!!!!! The CLA from M-B proves it to the ATS that RWD is NO BIG DEAL!!! Besides....although I have a hard time accepting the Camaro....the Camaro is a stunner.... The Camaro V8 is actually a BETTER machine than the ATS no matter what engine resides in the ATS....and the kicker, other than the ATS-V TTV6, the Camaro enjoys the SAME engines...BUT....between "V" and "SS", the "SS" has the more prestigious engine.... Proof? The bigger brother CTS-V has got it under its hood.... And the Camaro will gain better versions too.... Different target market you say? I say PHOOEY!!!! Cadillac, JDN better figure out what direction they need to steer Cadillac in, and yes he is only starting....but as of 2016.....I aint singing SLIIIIIIICK BLACK CAAAAAAADILLAC..... I more in tune to singing.... And Lord knows I DONT WANT TO DO THAT!!!!!

I could read the headlines now.... Im gonna kiss my wife like this if any one of the G3 goes under! Yup...Ill travel to Times Square, NYC, with a sailor's uniform and plant a big wet one on her in this exact same way! We will fight them on the beaches.... I smell sweet victory with this...if true...maybe this is what Cadillac and Lincoln need to get some of that trust back from some of the American public.

Well....I dont really care how big one is over the other.... It DOES make sense though.... Buick needs to carve out its own niche....and destiny. Cadillac too. Both brands need to be in this segment. The thing is...both vehicles are very very different in style and in nature... So...both COULD co-exist without the internal competition effect...