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balthazar

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Everything posted by balthazar

  1. balthazar
    You do NOT agree. Tiny crossovers is NOT where Cadillac should be going, at the very least because and Cadillac isn't AND because everyone wants them to stop saying See what you did there??
  2. balthazar
    http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/04/21/mercedes-benz-parent-daimler-launches-emissions-probe/83361108/
  3. balthazar
    Who is this demographic that is looking for a slightly smaller, slightly cheaper ATS @ Cadillac, exactly? A billion dollars spent to develop this model that's a shave & a haircut smaller- there's simply no point to it. Same demographic that buys the CLA... but later finds out its a POS.. Same buyer who will buy a 1 series or 2 series. And I doubt big time that it costs a billion$$ to develop the model.. Again.. when the newer ATS (CT3) will be a tad larger on the inside. I would also point out that while my preference is the Alpha platform be used.. I would have zero objection to a Dx vehicle that was a hatch or hybrid OK… that's your take. Mine is, there's no business case to bring out another sedan on the SAME PLATFORM as the ATS. I mean, hello? And this is coming from someone who doesn't place all that much significance in what platform is under a vehicle. CLA is moving copies (based on whoring out the badge), but the 1-2 series @ BMW is struggling. But a FWD hatchback Cadillac??????????????????? What sort of sales analysis threads am I going to be reading there?? It's not where Cadillac came from, it's not where they need to go. The whole 'must match the German's catalogs' mindset has to die but some folks just won't let it go.
  4. balthazar
    Who is this demographic that is looking for a slightly smaller, slightly cheaper ATS @ Cadillac, exactly? A billion dollars spent to develop this model that's a shave & a haircut smaller- there's simply no point to it.
  5. balthazar
    Some people sure wear false fronts. And by that I don't mean padded bras. - - - - - - I had the opportunity to buy this before it went on the market, but the asking price of $15K was not in my discretionary budget at the time : Here's one of the pics I took from where it was parked with a bunch of other rare vintage FoMoCos in a long, dirt-floored lean-to : It is either 1 of 2 built, or 1 of 1.
  6. balthazar
    • Mounted a 3rd headlight… in the center of the roof. It seems befitting of a commercial truck. Yes, it will be operable. Had to check that the truck will get out the garage door- got about 5 inches to spare. • Installed the last rear drum/ bearings/ rims. Rear tires on that side were pretty low on pressure, like just about nothing… but they're so stiff, you'd never know it. This task completed, the truck sits on all 6 tires… on the ground again. • Made new radiator pipes. There are steel pipes between the water outlets on each cylinder head and the twin ports on the radiator. The old ones were too rusty and a set I had a muffler shop punch-bend were crude beyond acceptability.
  7. balthazar
    Firstly, I have to separate Cadillac of today in today's market with Cadillac of 'yore', of which I am more familiar with ('60s and earlier). I don't have a real issue with the ATS- it's a nice, competent model line. But I am unflinchingly against anything smaller than the ATS, Johan is dead wrong on this front. Grow the core models (ATS, CTS, CT6, XT5, E); that's where the money needs to go. The sub-ATS will be the end of Johan's employment @ Cadillac.
  8. balthazar
  9. balthazar
    WTF is an "SVR"?
  10. balthazar
    Go look at the pics again. It's like Daimler was trying to make them as similar as possible from the front, and just jiggled a few lines. Like they had an hour to finalize the Scoupe's nose. I can't think of another brand that intentionally makes the buyers of $100K models look like they're driving a $30K model. It's not the styling per say, it's that they look so staggeringly identical coming at you.
  11. balthazar
    Nothing much… from that angle. Now ask "What's wrong with the top-line premium model getting the small/cheap car styling?" and see if it strikes you another way.
  12. balthazar
    Crappy cell pic of driver's floorboards. On an earlier page I showed how I fabricated these, here finally they are fitted with the surrounding steel plates that cover the opening for the steering column, brake & clutch pedals. Some heavy jute material in the hole around each keeps the pedals from wobbling too much. With these in place, the last smidge of wiring can be done: connecting to the dimmer button, determining which click gives me high beams, then wiring the high beam indicator light accordingly.
  13. balthazar
    An A3 isn't a TT, the comparison is between the entry-level model and one of the priciest. AKA; CLA is to A3. A TT starts @ $44K. Coupe, sedan, squashed sedan calling itself a 'coupe'… these are immaterial to my point of the same front fascia. The body behind the front fascia doesn't enter into it. Audi does a much better job at model tier delineation than MB does.
  14. balthazar
    A 'grille' -just like 'scoop'- is a general term rather than an evaluation of functionality. Model S has the very obvious appearance of a grille all along. The minor MCE is not bad here, reinforces the 'electric' of the car (but the model 3 needs rhinoplasty).
  15. balthazar
    A 5-yr old would know these are 2 different cars : No where near the identical appearance of the MB CLA & S. Not the same thing, remotely.
  16. balthazar
    I don't get it RE the CLA <> Scoupe. No effort there. 'One song, I sing it all day long'. 'Hey, he just bought a brand new mercedes CLA…whoops!, it's an S-class coupe! My bad, yo!'
  17. balthazar
    Let's take a look at this knucklehead claim : Now; my claim that MB just recycles the same nose : You cannot tell them apart without seeing the side/ reading the rear. It's WEAK.
  18. balthazar
    Such a shame that Cadillac does not have a full size convertible. The Ocean Drive concept showed the possibility of a full size convertible and Mercedes delivered one. Ocean Drive concept came out TEN YEARS ago. And this isn't that; yet another concept car mercedes won't build.
  19. balthazar
    Maybe Chevy should put the Spark's nose on the next generation Corvette.
  20. balthazar
    From Croatia, electric super car. 0-100 KPH : 2.6 sec. Claimed to go at least 300 KPH (186MPH). Quite refined for this segment. Interesting body sculpting. We'll see if anything comes of the venture... http://www.designboom.com/technology/rimac-concept_one-geneva-motor-show-2016-02-25-2016/
  21. balthazar
    Such a shame they glued the same nose from their ratty $30K FWD sedan on this, it should have unique design for the price. How about something from one of MB's many concepts they never produce? Rear end is hella bland, but they did one thing right: a flush trunk lid.
  22. balthazar
    Suave- thanks for the Tesla quote; cleared the issue up for me. Not "affordable"… but 'relatively affordable for a Tesla'. HUGE difference when the other cars start @ $70K and $80K.
  23. balthazar
    Let's establish this right now: • Tesla is bringing out a "Model 3" 4-dr sedan. • It is being marketed (up thru April of 2015) as "an affordable family sedan". • Projected range is 215 miles. • Projected price is $35K but Tesla has said most will be around $42K. All subject to change, and all details beyond that are unknown. - - - - - Will be interesting to revisit this outline in 2018 when they start hitting the stores.
  24. balthazar
    In that Chevy is not pushing any sort of pre-order system for the Bolt, I don't acknowledge that claim as fact. Seems likely, tho. The point remains; Tesla has all along been calling this an "affordable" car. $50K (or $42K for that matter), for a GREAT many people, is NOT what they would term "affordable". In fact the government cut-off for 'luxury' car is $40K, IIRC. The EV rebate talk is mainstream & you cannot say no one cares about that carrot. Hell, on another forum talking about the 3, one insufferable idiot who loves to brag on how he spends money and has hypocritically bagged on Cadillac buyers as 'value shoppers', had a post expressing how he figured he was well in line for the rebate even tho he was around the 100,000th reservation. He erroneously thought it went by model rather than manufacturer. Oops.
  25. balthazar
    Then that's all the Bolt needs. - - - - - We have very little to decide whether the Bolt & 3 will get regularly cross-shopped. Right now all we have between the 2 (since we know next to nothing about the Model 3) is the highly hyped 200-mile electric power plant. Same range, one has better performance, the other has better utility. However, the Model 3 isn't -so far- being marketed as a 'sports sedan', but first & foremost as an "affordable, economical family sedan". How does it stack up? • It's very likely that the Bolt will see full rebates for a while, but NO model 3s will see the full amount. My look-see says only a minor percentage will see the 25% rebate. To what percentage of those making a reservation this is significant to, is unknown. • Tesla's SOP of offering 'full boat' model initially is likely to have the car costing closer to $50K than the Bolt's $30K (with rebate). Musk has said $42K but the numbers always seem to go up rather than sticking to earlier PR. The price difference may very well be huge. In two cars first to market with a distinctive attribute (electric power), and both being marketed as "affordable"… one is much more so than the other, and it should have every bit of a year's head start. That leaves the 2nd car as a year behind and at least $15K more expensive. That is it's uphill battle, never mind the uncertainties of how the actual car will be.
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