oldshurst442

The 'Ring is now 100% Russian though...or 99% (like I give a flying #^$% what the real percentage is) http://www.autoblog.com/2016/04/27/russian-billionaire-acquires-99-percent-nurburgring-stake/ The fun is over.... Why?

Ahhnold was awesome when he did the Conan movies! He still holds the record for largest chest!!! Former gym rat myself. I lifted weights to get a stronger body and faster legs to continue to play baseball and hockey to dominate my rivals. I since have stopped playing sports and weight training. I since have lost some of my muscle mass and cuts. However, my chest is still imposing and y legs are rock solid. My quads are no longer cut but hard. I still have my calves... I would say I still solid but with a tiny amount of m id-aged belly fat and love handles. Last year at this time Id say I was 15 lbs over my ideal weight, all around my belly and waist. This year, maybe only 5 lbs. My kids and I have already been hitting the baseball spring training for this up coming season, I help them...so I think Ill lose that crappy 5 lbs... But Ill probably gain it back when summer is over.... 5'6" tall. Weight about 170 lbs. Id like to be 165, but like I said, I still have my muscles, Im a tad less bulky than I was in my 20s, but it seems like I got wider at the shoulders as tie went on, hence why Im at the same weight I was in my 20s...with less muscle mass. Last year...I hit 185 lbs. But all at my belly area. I hated that!

Why put wear and tear on your own car? Especially when your own tires are nearing the end. Like Rougeriver suggested, putting strain on really worn tires and unkind surprises might happen, knock on wood. Use up the rest of the life of the tires in your home area....and by that time, winter will be just around the corner and invest in whatever tire you need for when winter is upon us. In the meantime, like Suave suggested, enjoy somebody else's ride...and $250 + $100 in fuel does not sound like a bad deal to me. (fuel costs are a moot point anyway...because your car or Hertz's car, fuel is needed either way. Whatever happens on your trip, food and/or beverage spillage inside the car, bug crap on the front of the car, stones chips on the windshield and hood, etc...$250 including insurance sounds like its worth it... With that being said, I usually take my own cars on a family car vacation. I dont put a lot mileage on my cars because my daily driving needs are no big thing, really. My restaurant is close to my home, so adding miles kilometers (where I come from ) to the car on long family trips is an exciting thing for us. So maybe, there is that for you too. For the memories. We look forward to making family memories with our own car by taking vacations with it... Family memories are PRICELESS!

I agree with you on this... There are certain brands that could pull off alphanumerics. There are others that need real names because real names evoke emotions... Even if the real names are fake.... The Germans do well with alphanumerics... They have a history with it. Also...numbers with letters evoke engineering stuff...and THAT is what the German brands want to be known as... "Engineered Like No Other" "The Ultimate Driving Machine" Cadillac on the other hand... America, Americans, Cadillac...is a state of being.... Numbers are cold... Numbers are the EXACT opposite of what Cadillac and America represent... Rebellion, Freedom, Anger, Joy, Opportunity, Industrious, Wealth, Arrogance Grandeur... THIS is what America and Cadillac are all about... Eldorado (Freedom and Wealth and Arrogance and Joy and Grandeur) El Miraj ( Ciel (Opportunity and Grandeur as in the sky is the limit and quite possibly Joy) Evoq (Arrogance) Seville, DeVille (Wealth) Coupe DeVille (Arrogance...the French are known for their arrogance too...and coupe is a French word and so is DeVille and Cadillac was a french dude) Fleetwood (grandeur and style-think of Fleetwood, England) These alphanumerics for Cadillac are killing me.

Well alrighty then!!!!! Like I said, Im gonna make all my threads a HOT TOPIC here on out!!!! So, instead of saying my thread bombed....Ill say it was DA BOMB!!!! Im at the work computer, I cant post pics and memes.... The little yellow guys do a great job!

Yeah, Frisky.... My "fun" thread also bombed. Thanx for posting in it anyway.... And thanx to Drew and Mr. DFELT as well for posting in it too! And CCAP and Mr. FordCosworth! Hey El K... Thinking of you always.... because of what is happening at Fort McMurray. Terrible....I feel soooo bad!

Ill make this a hot topic myself if I have to!!!

bump again, so I can get it to the hot topic section!

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...