oldshurst442

Hey assface! Yeah, YOU! Stop cutting your nose to spite your face! I just thought that saying would compliment "assface" nicely. Rest well Mr. DFELT!

I, for one, aint sad to see it go. Good riddance is what I say. Get lost! Scram! I, however, cant wait to see what the CT6 'e' version has to offer. And maybe from there, Cadillac could pick up the electric pieces and start fresh for an EV halo car sometime in the future. There are a couple of these roaming the streets near my home and restaurant, and I must admit, its striking to see in real life. Nice car it is, bad pricing and maybe even a tad bad execution. Oh well. Chalk it up to yet another modern Cadillac failure and quickly move on. There is no need to dwell on it as some great products are on the way. Just to add to more drama to my post, I wanna take the time to add, that although I like the ELR, I dont have any passion for it. I prefer the Allante over this. Strange but true!

Im saddened by this news about cancer. Beat the cancer, man. Beat it! Im also happy by this news that you have already took actions to defeat this cancer! Heal my friend. Rest and come back soon! I wish you well.

Hey Cletus http://www.cheersandgears.com/topic/85617-beautiful-cars-appreciation-thread/page-2 post #36 shows BLU's appreciation of the colonnade body style while post #37 shows my appreciation of the colonnade body style. Also, this is an attempt by me to introduce you to this thread so maybe you could post pics of what cars you deem beautiful so we could all appreciate them with you.

Yup. And why I mentioned commoditization in this thread? Because THAT is what is diluting the definitions of what luxury is all about. Luxury is being able to afford multiple cars. But that is more in tune to high standard of living in a given country... LUXURY, the real meaning of it...is something lavish, opulence, grandeur...something unattainable by the average joe. and because in some circles of our society, where real passion for the automobile is concerned is dwindling, we have people with some money commoditizing even the very definition of luxury. And in reality, it aint even relegated to just the automobile, its even creeping up in clothes, watches...everything...(I should mention marketing with commoditizing together) Michael Korrs watches are everywhere in my neck of the woods....selling for 400-500 dollars CDN a pop... WHAT THE PHOQUE DOES MICHAEL KORRS KNOW ABOUT WATCHES AND WATCH MAKING???!!! Anyway...I hope you guys understand my rant about why I dont like this idea of a Mercedes Benz PICK-UP truck borrowed by a Nissan platform as a REAL M-B product or as a luxury one at that! Id rather M-B make their own platform....I KNOW they are more than capable... Its just cheaper to do it this way...you know...COMMODITIZATION of the automobile...

Yup. Just, yup! Especially the part where Balthy talks about 'The Best or Nothing' cliché. I know how "luxury" is perceived by some folk, hence the dude in Mr. Cubical's neck of the woods who bought a Sprinter and added AMG badges on it...the same type of dudes that want Escalade conversions for their Chevy/GMC Express Vans... A badge simply does not translate to luxury. A FABRICATED image also does not translate into luxury... Somehow, the Mercedes marketing department did actually that and succeeded. They made this vehicle into a luxury car. Which is fine...yet let us not forget that M-B tested the waters of this SUV in less than luxurious situations...whoring themselves to product placement...but it worked....I somehow dont connect dirt and mud with luxury, but hey...silly me...what am I thinking? Its the modern take on luxury. Its funny, that is why I laugh at human stupidity for badge snobbishness...because the way we view luxury, ANYTHING can be luxury then...just say it in your commercials and BINGO...instant luxury. If Ancient Greeks felt this way, King Midas would have saved himself a lot of grief by wishing anything he touches to turn to gold... meaning, he would be content to just to have copper, because copper shines like gold, and many things in Ancient Greece was made of copper. Going back to what Balthy said: The Best or Nothing. Even in work horse European duties....is the Nissan truck really the best or nothing? Want more laughter? Chevy also has partnered with Nissan for a workhorse truck... Does this mean that Mercedes is on the same level as Chevy or as Cadillac? Maybe both, because Cadillac too, relies on a Chevy for a luxury vehicle... But....there lies the joke....the Chevy platform for a pick-up truck and SUV compared to the Nissan platform for a pick-up truck that M-B will use...well, its true for Chevrolet the cliché The Best or Nothing.... I fear what this world is turning into. I also fear about the commoditization of the automobile.

There are several movie references I could make here with endless amounts of pics, GIFs and youtube clips. PICS & GIFS & YOUTUBE CLIPS...OH MY! You see, there goes another one... I wont post any of them though, as maybe too much of a (good thing?) maybe too much? Ill just make one quote though: What people believe prevails over the truth. SOPHOCLES.

I think its because I have never equated pick-up trucks, SUVs, CUVs as status symbols. Even the Escalade. I have always view these vehicles as work vehicles, tools. Appliances for hard work. Blue collar stuff. The off-roading 4x4s as enthusiast toys. Sure...those can be status symbols, but not of the snobby kind. Because mud is the farthest to aristocracy in my mind. To each his own. I will continue to laugh at what this world and this society has become.

I guess its how one wants to view what this world is becoming.

That is what I was thinking.... I do find it a great idea for the work truck thing for Europe. Actually, I might even say its about bloody time! M-B produces some pretty mighty, hefty work horses for Europe and 3rd world countries. A European market knows how rugged those commercial trucks are. And deep rooted in European history going far back before WW2...so a light to medium pick-up truck to claim market share form Toyota Hilux, Mazda B2000, Nissan Navarro (which ironically underpins this new thing) and VW Amarok is a smart move... But...to offer this in North America would be quite silly and embarrassing in any which form. Hypocritical you are calling me because its OK for GM and GMC and Cadillac and Lincoln? Well...just like M-B has a deep rooted history for work and military trucks in Europe, as does GM with Chevy and GMC along with Ford in North America. Also...Lincoln and Cadillac no longer offer pick-up trucks, the Caddy EXT/Avalanche was sold as a SUV but one could argue it was a pick-up truck more than it was a SUV... Ford and GMC/Chevy has an image of blue collar people...selling a Denali to these people is akin to what M-B is in Europe...is contradictory to M-B's image in North America is what Im saying.

Sprinter vans aside, and other commercial stuff that Mercedes produces, is this pick-up truck a competitor to the Chevy Colorado work truck or is it a GMC Sierra Denali/Cadillac Escalade EXT type vehicle? Because as a commercial medium duty truck, it makes sense for Mercedes to do this, especially using a Nissan, but if this is to impress the blue bloods, it is asinine, especially using a Nissan platform. If they want to go the Lincoln Blackwood route, maybe a pure bespoke M-B chassis would be better suited... Whatever I says, not that Id be impressed with it either way. I am not a truck guy, I dont really care. But I got to laugh at the ridiculous rate Mercedes Benz wants to whore itself unto every possible real or imagined niche there is. Yes Ms. Temple, it is quite a silly and embarrassing idea, isn't it ???!!!

And CCAP...like I was sayin' Im surprised refs dont get hit more often... Lucic, former Bruin now LA King, punches ref accidentally in the mouth trying to punch another player... This happened yesterday. Lucic's firstgame back from a suspension no less...

You are not the only one to think this way CCAP. This was a post from me a while back concerning the Cascada. http://www.cheersandgears.com/topic/85635-buick-news-2016-buick-cascada-priced-at-33990/?hl=%2Bbuick+%2Bcascada "Sharp little car...very European in flavour. Why is it that Im thinking that this car is 20 years too late? Why is it that Im thinking that this car would have made an excellent Saturn...or even a nice early 2000s Oldsmobile but why is it that dont I like it has a 2016 Buick? When I heard news of this last year, I was happy for Buick, but fast forward a year later with viewing it with Buick clothes on instead of Opel clothes, and Im in the least bit interested and kinda disappointed in it... Maybe the Avenir is giving me thoughts of grandeur for Buick and maybe I need to settle down my expectations of Buick... Or maybe...Buick should start getting with the program a little bit faster with products that make us salivate...this wont make anybody salivate...even the aforementioned ladies between the ages of 40-50. Because even those ladies...they probably salivate thinking about driving around in Bimmers..." I even got a thumbs up on that post....so somebody approved what I said! That would be 2 for the price of 1 right there in 1 post!

Was I the only one that thought the Buick Avista with Opel badging would be the Opel GT? Guess I was wrong, huh? Do I like this thing? I dont know. Looks like a Hot Wheels toy. Part of me enjoys the youthful exuberance of if it. Part of me just says, man that thing looks dinky. Ill hold on to my opinion a little longer as I think I have a stick up my butt currently that prevents me from enjoying this car presently.

At the Montreal show, there was a lone GT350R. White with blue stripes. NOBODY was around it! I dont think anybody realized what it was. I think people just thought it was just a regular Mustang. I mean, sure it was locked and nobody could get in it, and no hoopla advertisements announcing it, but the regular Mustang and the Convertible had a considerable flock gathered around them... The GT350 was by itself far from the other Mustangs, which should have signaled the people in the know thsat something is up with this machine...but no. I was the only guy drooling over it for at least 10 minutes before another gear head asked me if it was indeed the GT350. After I confirmed to him that it was, he nodded, took a brief look at it..and he left, just like that, he left... What is even crazier, that cross check that Wideman gave the linesman. Pretty intense. Im amazed that refs dont get hit accidentally more often actually.

@ DFELT Thanx a million! Looks like I aint that crazy after all. Like BLU said...maybe Im scary, but not crazy! On the other hand, there is that.

Stop flip-flopping... its evident that Cadillac, in general, could use a bit of "Designo" type capabilities. Customization if U will.. for people who have an issue with certain palette choices. I'm of the opinion that JDN and Associates need to get on that aspect lickiety-split.. as it is a huge profit generator. Second.. Lexus did do its due diligence in "sweating the details," but Lexus was an upstart LUXURY brand.. Cadillac, tho still proving itself as a DESIRABLE brand to Millennials and GenX..has never lost the title of a luxury brand, it did, however, fall from its lofty position as preeminent luxury brand, or Standard of the World. It is looking to reclaim that. Problem is that now, the definition of luxury, or rather the respect of being luxury seems to come from desirability being measured more by sales than the price point people are interested in paying. Cadillac as an overall brand commands a price average that is almost on par with the current leader in luxury, but because its sales have been down, or not on the level of the Benz, BMW, or Lexus.. it is levied a bit of disrespect and second guessing on PRODUCT. As if to say the ATS, for instance, is not a great entry level luxo because its sales are not on par with the 3Series. Up until the 80s.. Cadillac was the leader in luxury hands down. Not Benz, not BMW, not even Rolls held the same capabilities as Cadillac mass selling while still retaining tier one status. They became complacent.. and also decadent, leading them to where they are now. Some wish to blame the Diesel debacle, 4-6-8, or the Cimmaron, but in reality Cadillac's biggest faux pax was not CHANGING to what they are now when they were most relevant. Had Cadillac made the changes they started making with the CTS in 2003, in 1983, or even 1993, they would currently be viewed as a real Benz/BMW competitor, and would still own the American market, and most likely China, with a real presence in Europe too. Why does Cadillac get such a chance??? Why are they being cheered on so much as they are??? Well.. an example of what I say lies in the past.. recent in fact. This Fleetwood interior, IMO outclassed the SClass and 745's.. in terms of LUXURY, but they had it on SPORT Seriously. Which do U see as more luxury.. more rich? Notice the contrasting of the Cadillac?? LOL To the New York Move JDN has recruited proper folk away from the competition and industries that cater to luxury people. It is an absolute necessity. One can not have a luxury brand run by NASCAR people. In other words, the same execs that run/ran Chevy/Holden/Pontiac.. can not run Cadillac. No way.. no how. They new recruits were also most likely also lured in by the attractiveness of rebuilding this storied brand. A Brand that has more automotivefirsts than I can think. Even in skeletal form, Cadillac now shows unbelievable potential. Six vehicles for sale, with only one having a variant (ATS Coupe) and they still manage to NOT be last in the luxury race, with ATPs that top the #1 selling luxo brand in the U.S., furthermore it managed to sell, just under, a smidge less than Audi, which has DOUBLE its line-up Yeah...Ill stop flip flopping. LOL! The customization of interior colours and materials would be a huge and much needed improvement, I agree! Like you said, not to mention a boost of money in the coffers. But the customization of the interior, I dont want that to happen right now. I want that to happen when they fix the dealership experience...when they perfect their sales staff along with the dealerships themselves. Which JDN has hinted many times that he will be on that fix soon enough. As for the Cimarron and the V8-6-4 killing Cadillac... Im with you on that thought. 'Twas not that that killed Cadillac's mojo. The idiots that ran GM and Cadillac at the time did not fully commit to the transformation that they themselves envisioned. The transformation came before 2003 with the CTS....it came even before 1997 with the Catera. Actually, it came by the way of the late 1980s Allante and the FWD STS Northstar of 1994. They had the 1992 and 1993 STS with that other V8, but the STS was really transformed with the Northstar. It did not matter if it was FWD. If they had introduced a RWD Euro oriented mid-sizer also in the ealry 1990s, like you said, we wouldnt have this conversation today. And the Fleetwood land yacht would probably still be here today, and it probably would have been the CT9 about a decade ago... About the the STS. I alwys felt the STS of the 1990s had a better interior of any German car of that same time frame. But unfortunately, many things conspired against the STS. One thing that did not help was every single American enthusiast car magazine such as Motor Trend, Road and Track and Car and Driver were drooling idiots over the German brands while self-hatin' on the American cars. But that is for another conversation.

Im flip flopping with this issue. Although I dont have a problem with it like I did earlier, Im still bewildered at the fact that Cadillac could have made that trim and airbag colour choice a better one, base trim level or not. Cadillac, to me, should give NOBODY ANY reason to criticize ANYTHING! There WILL be detractors no matter what...no matter how trivial a black plastic trim might be.... I understand that Reuss had a big fight over door handles...and this is a car that Ellinghaus and JDN had almost no control over as this car was already done by the time they were in charge....but going forward, trivial stuff like this needs to be eliminated. Lexus, correct me if Im wrong, went over and beyond with these types of details while undermining their price tags on their vehicles for a good 15 years...sweating out the details... THIS is an area where Im sure JDN understands very well. Im positive of the future for Cadillac in that regard. Hyper mentions the move to NYC. I also believe the move to NYC was because corporate still does not understand the importance of the little details.

OK...I see the point. Ill agree to the fact that the Intrigue's interior does lack depth, although that interior did have two tones, not enough to make a visual impact of the wow factor. On that particular CT6, there is enough brown accents with the leather and the wood that adding more brownish tints will look lackluster. Maybe the black route was the best way...

I was probably conceived with Zeus' juice. I aint being silly. Im proud of my daddy. So I plugging his supremacy...which is the lightning bolt...ELECTRICITY!!! Go Stamkos Go!!! The Lightning win the Stanley Cup! Its like Thunder, LIGHTNING! The love you will have for EVs one day WILL be Frightening!

Yet another 5 year update... And the 200 and Dart are done with....but no plans to replace them, because obviously 30 dollars a barrel of oil is surely a permanent thing...with no plans of any EVs either, because the Chevy Volt and Bolt and Prius and all the other Electric Hybrids are not what the future hold because that future is all about Trucks...SUVs too... Good... Now that Sergio has graced us with that info that Trucks are the future, with SUVs...I take it he is pushing for this its because its the money making machine that Chryco offers for his Italian brands... He might as well just kill off Dodge, since RAM is its own brand, kill of Chrysler as Jeep could inherited the Pacifica and call it the day...no more 5 year update updates every 2-3 weeks...

That is elegant, Casa. From the school of less is more. The FWD STS interiors from the 1990s all the way to the early 2000s were elegant, and the direction that Cadillac is taking now reminds me of that time. But with better materials and fit and finish. They are finally finishing what they started from when the STS was introduced in the early 1990s.

That aint cool. Its boring. I bet you somewhere on this planet, somebody already has done this... As much as I love LS swaps myself, its at a point where it aint special or unique anymore. LS swaps have been done to death. An electric conversion Suburban would be the shiznit though.... There arent many of those.... Festiva with Zeus juice flowing, now THAT is what I wanna see... Give the Bolt a run for its money.

Ill be the third to complain about that too. Is it that expensive to just nix that black plastic trim and make it the same beige colour like the surroundings? Oldsmobile had the right idea in the late 1990s to early 2000s.

So much anymore cars are totaled because of the cost involved. I do not think this will change much. I had a co worker with a large luxury car that was still derivable after the crash get totaled. The car was tweaked enough it was not worth fixing. He was ok with that as he is getting a brand new one. This is true for all types of consumer objects. It has been true for the last 20 years. And with some objects, 30-40 years. Cheaper to buy new to than to repair... Is that a good thing though? I aint an eco zealot, but one still has to wonder what in the world are we doing here?