oldshurst442

Like in this post here... I got downvoted...without any explanation... Oh I get it...the person did not like that message I made... The thing is...IT WAS A SINCERE POST ABOUT THE TRUTH of WHAT I DID... HONESTY does NOT garner ANY respect? Just that this person does not like the fact that I downvoted a certain poster in the recent past... Doesnt THAT put the person that downvoted me for THIS post in the same category as his downvoted logic? Or is it because this person does not like to discuss things because THAT was the other aprt of the message I made... Id like to know and discuss with this person on how ihs thought process works???!!! I get it though...this person is too chicken shyte hiding behind a downvote to express his/her thoughts... Not me...I let it flow...

I dont like downvotes if one is gonna downvote without actually explaining to the poster why he/she downvoted... I know it aint "mandatory", but to me its childish when someone downvotes...by demonstrating he/she doest like this post...but offers no reasons as to why... I equate that as modern society self importance...as a spoiled brat society whining all the time to get their way...stomping their feet...and throwing hissy fits...and I do mean the adults...not the toddlers... This is what I mean Downvoting poster: (in a whiny voice) "I dont like what you said" , (in an even more whinier voice but in a condescending kinda way as well) "so Im gonna down vote you" TSK TSK TSK!!! Oldshurst: OK...so I got a downvote because he/she, whomever it is, dont like what I said...Why? WTF is it that he/she dont like about my post? Who the hell disagrees with something without explaining him/herself? He/she dont like the fact that I dont like green cars? (subjective) or is it because I made a mistake regarding facts? Or could it be that HE/SHE is mistaken by the facts? We will NEVER know because downvoting seems like the easy thing to do...

I was born in 1973... So Malibu for me is a sucky nameplate... This is my first memory of a Malibu... and although I always thought they looked cool... THIS is the model I will ALWAYS associate Malibu with... Ugly and cheap. This was a cheap and smaller knock-off of bigger brother Caprice/Bel Air/Impala... The square boxy look of the B-Body looked handsome and chic...this looked clumsy. and then no more Malibu...I learned about the Chevelle/Malibu of mid 1960s muscle car fame and was quite excited by the nameplate...only to be disappointed again with the arrival of this mess... Only to have a badge engineered Cutlass spoil it some more for me for that platform and the name Malibu...because I never once believed this was an "Oldsmobile Cutlass"... Plus...knowing that the Alero/Grand Am was on that same but improved platform and were much much better cars...the Malibu name plate just continued to leave me with a sour taste in my mouth... And then this one comes along and its like WTF???!!! But the last three iterations are not bad...but they arent great...albeit a helluva lot better than every single Malibu since 1978... This new one promises to be a looker and a better car all around including quality, fit and finish and performance in handling, acceleration and driving enthusiasm... So for me...although the nameplate is just crap in my eyes...I dont see a negative if GM/Chevy wants to use it...its a good nameplate...it fits Chevrolet...(and not because its a crappy nameplate therfore Chevrolet is crappy...if that is what you folk understood...its a good nameplate because Malibu is a nice honest name about a nice honest place that befits a nice honest car company...)

OK...I think I got it...because I dont do trucks...so bare with me... Take this exact same truck...powertrain and looks...(yes....SRT-10 ) But we use the Quad Cab and we make it into an Avalanche...we keep the Ram's V10, hood, front clip, headlights and front fenders, and we mate that unto a Chevy Avalanche GMT 900 body.... Frame? Whatever frame is better suited to accommodate that V10... With Ford F150 aluminium panels...for lighter weight...to go even faster... There...I took traits from all three Domestic trucks...and Im quite happy with the result... (that is me being all smug about it!)

Yeah...its the Nismo I think. I couldnt find a decent side profile pic of a regular trimmed production Maxima. And I was desperate to show some sort of proof as to why I think the way I do...so...Voila! Nismo concept it is.

I remember a Honda Civic when it was sooooo small, it would have probably fit between the front and back wheels of this 2016 version. Also, the side profile reminds me of the side profile of a Nissan Maxima And my final thoughts... I never really liked a Honda Civic...ever.

I wanted to guess Albertans... Quebecois...yeah, Ive heard quite a few tell me that Arizona is the place to be...dry weather...no humidity. The St-Lawrence Valley, very humid. I will swing by your way one these days...Barret-Jackson is but one thing that I wanna experience. Its the Old West that I really wanna see and feel. Fort Sumner NM, Okay Corral Az. and all that jazz....

migration... yeah...its almost that sad time of the year around here where the birds fly south... But...Football and Hockey season is almost here...and THAT alone is worth the leaves changing colour, the ghosts and goblins asking for candy and the birds leaving for a warmer climate. Don't forget half of your fellow Canadians migrating to my neck of the woods (Phoenix, AZ) over the next month or so. Makes the "wonderful" traffic here that much more fun. From what part of Canada? Because Quebecois go to Florida starting from November.

Just re-hashing the same post that I made over at the XT5 thread. But still relevant for the Escalase V. I came across this pic...maybe Dubai IS the place for the 'Slade V to debut Nothing says prestige in 2015 as having a couple of star studded press shots with Sheikhs around your car....

I change my mind. I came across this pic...maybe Dubai IS the place for the T5 to debut. Nothing says prestige in 2015 as having a couple of star studded press shots with Sheikhs around your car....

I was thinking about that....about globalization. In my opinion, the Escalade V seems like a better fit for Dubai and Paris for the XT5. Why? These Middle Eastern guys love their hugely arrogant vehicles that just guzzle that oil of theirs, and an Escalade V is just that... Paris for the XT5... The XT5 ....c'est mignon...its cute...and Europeans like small and cute. But in retrospect...Dubai is just fine...Im just making stupid small talk.

Id do Geneva and Moscow before Dubai and LA.. You want to have international diplomats take a look at this thing. I bet the Russian Mafia would be LOVE this thing too...

About the XT5... I wonder why Dubai? Is it because Cadillac thinks the XT5 will make a splash with the rich Sheikh soccer moms? Somehow I dont think the Sheikhs, soccer moms or otherwise will give a damn about the XT5 in Dubai, not when the Bentley Bentayga and the Escalade V are a-coming. I know, I know...exposure. I still think NYC or Detroit or LA would have been a better entrance....maybe even Geneva or Paris ahead of Dubai.

Stacy's mom has got it goin' on. The problem is that Stacy's mom is actually driving a Mercedes-Benz in the original music video... It dont matter if Cadillac paid money to feature a dark haired Stacy's mom to drive a SRX... The ORIGINAL Stacy's mom is Rachel Hunter driving a Mercedes Benz...possible in Beverly Hills...where else? But she belongs to this guy though...

I erased what I wrote...because I aint wasting no more time on this kinda shyte...

Ill tackle SMK this way! Damned right FWD!!! GM and Cadillac have been doing THAT since the 1960s!!! No biggie for Cadillac... Its just another day pumping out style...

Im sorry...I was thinking about what I had for supper again... because after seeing this ugly POS...this is what happened to that tasty steak I had...

And a company that is not tied down by marketing "geniuses" selling marketing catch phrases...

The corvette is a 55k car. The z06 isn't. Same with a Camaro SS and z/28. That's like the c250 and a c63. Base vs top of the line performance model. It would be like saying C Classes should be 40-60k then they throw out a 100k version. Yup... I wonder why the AMG C Class is that much higher in price over the mainstream C Class? The Z06 is exotic level engineering... Directed @ SMK: Or is it because you cant fathom American cars with exotic levels of engineering and performance that you have to be critical and sarcastic about them? I know you mentioned that a Corvette is the best sports car south of $100 000, so you do recognize the performance and value that represents a Corvette, especially at that price point where the Z06 sells at, but dig a little deeper and start actually understanding what that actually means what a Z06 competes with.... For sure some of the other exotics might have a better fit and finish...or nice, blemish free cow hide because of the cows that are used are not fenced in and the leather is worked on a bit more....the price difference reflects that... But a Corvette was never intended to be a snooty high classed car. Sure the Z06 reaches a price where one could consider it to be a snooty high classed car...and some people only denounce it because of bias and badge snobbery........but all that technology that the Corvette packs does come at a price...going fast and speed and cornering with state of the art technology does not come cheap. It costs money to develop and to manufacture....you got to pay to play.... Besides...BASE Corvettes were really never that affordable to begin with...Its not as if base Corvettes in history cost as much as Biscaynes or Chevy IIs or Novas or Vegas or Cavaliers or Sonics...and the highest of the trims were always out of reach into a price range deemed more for a Cadillac rather than a Chevy... Nothing has changed since 1953... From the prices, to the state of the art technology used for the cars, to the image portrayed, to the execution and layout... But I guess, its 'funner' for you to also keep a certain image of your internet self to continue posting the way you do concerning Cadillac and Corvettes to rile up some of the other posters in here. I say great job...but the irony it seems, that you want to portray some sort of sophistication by liking M-B to distance yourself with Cadillac and Corvette because somehow its beneath you to like those cars, yet the way your posting style is, reflects YOUR redneck nature... You could take away the girl from the village but you cant take the village outta of the girl.

SMK Why must you back hand an insult like that? About the Corvette still having 'redneck' muscle... And about the Corvette not being as cool as As with Porsche 911, and a couple of other cars out there, the Corvette and its engineers, marketing and stylist folk know EXACTLY what the Corvette is and always was all about and they are happy to give us exactly what we EXPECT the Corvette to be... The Corvette aint trying to be anything else...other than be itself...which is a Corvette... And its refreshing to see that at least one iconic brand....as with a Porsche 911, will NEVER change its image.... The C7 is a genuine Corvette in looks and execution....its GREAT!!!! Trust me....the Corvette has enough loyal following across the planet, it doesnt care what you think about it....and quite frankly...Im kinda happy you find it 'beneath you' to enjoy the Vette's looks. You could keep your stuffy stiff upper lip Aston Martin...and M-B.... I STICK TO THE HIGH EMOTIONS OF A CORVETTE. Like Casa says.... being American is an attitude, and the Corvette fits that profile to a tee....and although Im Canadian, I happen to be Greek....being Greek is like being an American too......multiplied by 1000... We Greeks got attitude, we got moxy, we got drama and we got style...and we do all of that in extreme...and we aint afraid to show it...we even got a name for it...KEFI... Believe me, life is soooooooo more enjoyable to live when you let loose.... Everything the Corvette embodies....and THAT is what makes it cool....

PS: to Hyper. I enjoyed this conversation quite much. Looking forward to see your next match. Either to continue this discussion or the next one discussion we might have in the very near future. There is nothing more to add, as we pretty much did meet in the middle...even if here was only 2 responses made... I think even if we are not exactly in the middle...we could get there very easily... PS: The top part of my response seems aggressive...its not intended to be...and THAT is where we may not be exactly in the middle...but like I said...it wont be too hard to come to some sort of an agreement.

Bud I'm talking present history not 60-100 years ago Hell if you want to play that game Fiat was a major power in performance and racing 100 years ago too. of course you are...that is classic argument when someone does not have anything else to say... YOU are the one to say that Alfa is dead....I am the one to say that Alfa still has mojo left in her... Cadillac is down and out...doesnt stop GM from thrwoing BILLIONS trying to revive the Standard of the World....which coincidentally WAS the same 100 years ago when Fiat and Alfa was racing...its funnt that you dont seem to have that double standard regarding Cadillac... I speak of the 70's and later where Alfa struggled with their lines. They did have some bright spots with the sports cars but their sedans were just odd unreliable rusting vehicles that appeal to a small segment like Saab did for oh so many years. All manufacturers have had missteps. Cadillac started going downhill in the same time frame...albeit it was less noticeable...it was very apparent though in the 1990s...but that decent started in the 1970s...need I remind you of the 8-6-4 or the Allante or the Cimarron...or the Fleetwood Brougham of the mid 1990s that was sooooo outta place and outta touch? Or the Caddy that Zigs? Yet somehow...we are harsh on Alfa... Cadillac has yet to build a car on the level of the VW Phaeton...or the Alfa Romeo 8C and the 4C...OK...the current CTS-V DOES count for something... FYI Ferrari is not Alfa and Alfa is not Ferrari. If you dont think that....then maybe you should school yourself if you dont want me to do it for you...he was not only a race car driver for Alfa... And where do you think he learned to fabricate engines and car bodies and how to manufacture them? And who do you think was Alfa's chief for racing? FYI....I said in sooooooo many ways....Alfa is Ferrari and Ferrai is Alfa...that implies things...and without going into Enzo's life history along with Alfa 's history...it should be understood quite easily by us car guys that are supposedly in the know... The fact is even with the right guy most people avoid Italian cars other than Ferrari like the plague. OK...I believe that...but I also said the right marketing guy too...just ask BMW what marketing can do for you. GM could use a few pointers here also... Alfa has no where the fan base or trust of the other makes out there. Alfa in America is like Cadillac in Europe. They have a lot of work to do and they will have to do a lot to earn the trust of the customer again. Maybe I talked too fast about your thoughts on Cadillac, maybe not, but at least you acknowledge Cadillac is not in a rosy place just yet...but that is the thing...GM has thrown BILLIONS only to throw MORE BILLIONS to right the ship...I get it...Alfa does not enjoy that kind of money...and its doing it as of know on the backs of MOPAR. Jeep,Dodge and Chrysler... I happen to be on a certain same level as Sergio regarding Alfa...I still believ in the fire that Alfa has got...and Im basing it on the fact that the 8C and the 4C has garnered international lust from people...like Cadillac, with the Ciel and the El Miraj....people are SALIVATED on the thought of exotic Alfas... Second Sergio is not going to put an American in charge of Alfa. Ralph I agree would be a good choice but it's not going to happen. I dont think that will happen either... I dont think Alfa will EVER reach 400 000 units... What I meant to say by Alfa saving FCA is that if Sergio was smart...but he aint...he is something like a used car salesman...if FCA structured their business model like GM's. then Alfa could be used like Cadillac in where high technology and ultra state of the art platforms are given to Alfa...then trickled down to the mainstream brands...llike GM is doing wit Alpha platform ATS/CTS unto the Camaro. And the magnetic shocks from Corvette/Cadillac unto Camaro and possibly Buick etc... Use Chrysler in some sort of Buick/high end Chevy kind of a way...classy yet affordable... Dodge in some sort of Chevy kind of a way...with a twist...sporty oriented Jeep doing Jeep things and Ram doing Ram things Alfa being Cadillac...EXACTLY like Cadillac...the thing is...Cadillac is going where Alfa used to be...its Alfa's thing what Cadillac is doing now...all Alfa has to do...is just revisit their OWN past...its Cadillac that is in a tougher position, because Cadillac is still new to this sports sedan/car thing... If you want to increase sales America is your best bet for larger volumes. Europe is struggling sales wise and Italy has a very stagnate economy. The Germans are not going to buy and the rest of Europe is small. Sergio expects American sales are going to be only 150,000 and that is more than twice what we had last year. Very optimistic at best. America is best bet for MOPAR to succeed and have volume...Europe is where FIAT needs to succeed. THAT means Fiat has to put on the pants...I would lose Fiat and convert Alfa into a BMW like role in Europe where Alfa could be both mainstream and luxury while Alfa remains luxury in North America...and it aint that hard for Alfa to do...as Alfa made econobox and mainstream vehicles in the past and continues to do so actually... Jeep has enough clout in Europe to do the SUV thing in Europe...maybe more so than any Fiat or Alfa if FCA is tinkering with the idea to do Alfa and/or Fiat SUVs and CUVs.... But lets not kid ourselves...Sergio wont kill off yet another Italian brand... Italy also gave us the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Mussolini, Gambino, Caligula, Costa Concordia and Pontius Pilot. The true Roots of the Pizza came from Greece and the Italians just added the Tomato sauce, other toppings and meat. Point very well taken certain Italian mishaps...including the humans you posted...yeah...mishaps...and I deserved that cheeky response back... As for the Pizza thing...thanx....it IS a Greek thing...not too many people recognize that...so I just dont argue that point...I keep it to myself and I just celebrate that fact with my fellow Greek....um...paisans Oh and the three actors are Americans form Italian decent not Italians. Us Greeks and Italians...we dont say we are of Greek or Italian decent... We simply say...we are Greek...or Italian. The blood...in my case...its pure Greek. Sure....born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Proud to be a Quebecois...even prouder to be Canadian...Im still GREEK!!!

Well, YOU mean Dodge Charger Daytona, the model. I meant the '63 Pontiac LeMans Super Duty car that raced at Daytona (among other race courses). This car, #50, was a real monster : Lapping Ferrari's… OK then...Im glad I set you straight!!!

Alfa is a tad more than a...SAAB Founded in 1910... Not the first automotive company...but amongst the first....whether by European standards...or American.... That following you were talking about, here it is, its because of these, even before America dreamt of racing cars....yeah...before the Hot Rod scene... Is that a Ferrari prancing horse I see on the 8C-35? Well, in sooooo many ways....Enzo is connected to Alfa...in soooo many ways...Alfa Romeo is Ferrari and Ferrari is Alfa Romeo... Alfa Romeo is also an identity of an entire people and their nation...sure....you could argue that about SAAB...but Alfa Romeo goes deeper...and the Alfa Romeos and Enzo being involved with the cars that raced the 1000 Miglia...yeah...another Italian affair...have made a modern Italy very proud...more so than SAAB.... SAAB's fighter jets are another story...but we are talking about the automotive aspect....not the company part... That GTV....also playes a HUUUUUGE role in that cult following you speak of... Named after my home town... The Montreal is gaining real steam in the lust department as of late...values are going up...other than the quirky SAAB lovers, no others regard SAAB as automotive art...Alfa Romeo on the other hand...well...I just posted 4 different cars....trust me...Alfa Romeo has many many more that people care about deeply... And NO! Alfa Romeo is NOT a dead brand...Alfa Romeo has enough mojo left in her to rival anybody....Cadillac, BMW, M-B....anybody! Its just that Alfa Romeo needs the right car guy, with the right marketing guy, with the right accounting guy to make it all work... Sergio is not that guy....at least Ralph Gilles is on the right team....but he bleeds MOPAR....and that is fine with me...but if Sergio is smart, he might let Ralph have some input on Alpha... And yes...Alfa could be THAT company to save FCA....it sure as hell aint Dodge or Chrysler...Europeans dont know of Dodge or Chrysler....all they know about those brands is the muscle car Dukes of Hazard Charger stuff along with the Steve McQueen bad guy Charger stuff....However, us North Americans know a tad more about Alfas....albeit....some of us are real biased against Alfa....just because they are not American... Let me remind you that many nice American things are of Italian decent....PIZZA is one of them... Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino and Joe Dimaggio are another!

You mean Plymouth...Plymouth Daytona. But I CERTAINLY SEE where you are coming from....regarding SMK... Freudian slip...as you must be working on your 389... I wanted to go into a spiel regarding his eralier comments about M-B and ABS brakes and all that jazz....but it aint worth my time... The only thing I will say...is that SMK shoudnt try to argue who made bigger contributions to automotive tech because he will find out that GM wins that argument...not by a landslide....but with an earthquake shattering, 10.0 on the Richter scale, California in the Pacific, landslide... Let me remind him...that the highway barriers that protect his a$$ from falling unto the other side or the actual plastic test dummies, all generations... that help conduct all those crash tests... are of GM investments in safety....ABS brakes and airbags...were tested upon the same time as M-B and Volvo...safety seat belts...at the same time with Volvo... And the usual automatic transmission and automatic car starter....Im tired of saying the same things over and over again...its cliche at this point in time...automatic transmissions and auto starters.... You want modern times? Radar in the nose of a car to detect things in front of you during low visibility... On Star... Yeah...satellite communication and diagnostics in the car with you using a bloody phone...and now with smart phones...it has gotten a lot easier... Looks like I did waste my time with him...