balthazar

Drewster~ >>The Model-X wasn't a mistake. The excessively expensive frills they put on it were a mistake. It would have sold just as well, if not even a little better due to potentially lower price, with normal doors. Having normal doors could have knocked up to $10k (my personal estimate) off the price and allowed the vehicle to launch sooner changing nothing else about the vehicle. People buy $70k - $80k SUVs all day every day, and it would have been a hit. But the Model-X wasn't a mistake... it was a necessity.<< Model S, a far more upscale product than the Model X, starts @ $70K. Model X MSRP is not yet official, but sources are saying it'll start @ $132K. By that token, I can't imagine how a conventional-doored Model X would be $52K MORE ($132K - your $10K estimate for the doors) the vehicle than the Model S is. Or are the doors 'worth' closer to $50K, somehow? At the very least, mistake or not argument aside, the Model X is grossly overpriced for what it is. Or is Tesla trying to say the Model S has just been demoted to 2nd class & the X is the flagship? Model X is a necessary expansion of a 1-vehicle catalog, but it's wide of the mark on a number of factors, where the Model S got it right. Drewster~ >>The gas tax hasn't been raised in over 2 decades while fuel economy overall has improved... meaning you get much more miles of travel per tax paid than ever before. In your new truck, you pay about 0.7 cents per mile in fed gas taxes...<< Annual U.S. mileage has been constant over the last few years, about 3 trillion. But the state/local fuel tax rate was hugely adjusted in 2009, reducing what had been averaging $38B/yr, down to only $9B since 2009. Also, the federal mileage allowance for businesses, which was .36/mile in 2003, was raised to .55 in 2009 in answer to gas prices being solidly over $4/gal. However, tho gas prices now are lower than they've been in decades, the 2015 mileage allowance is higher than ever : .575/mile. Sure that helps the little guy (and major companies), but the flip side is Gov't is losing billions in revenue because they just can't react with any sort of timeliness.

Here ya go! http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/reviews/a27099/1982-delorean-dmc-12-road-test/ 0-60 : 10.9 secs 60-0 : 158' top speed : 109 MPH

Here's the first 'commercial' video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjJF5u0Ii_4 It's EXACTLY the same as 1982. - - - - - Is it too early to open another 'Domestic Independent' heading?

Searched by me, lowest of 6 '04 Vues is $3800 with 134K. Highest is $5995 with 76K. What's the story on the Dodge Nitro? Shares platform with a Jeep, correct?

2004 Vue, V6, AWD, zero damage externally, wheels painted flat black (factory?), interior looks mint. White outside, grey inside. Mileage unknown, asking $4900 OBO.

Nope. Already have a full on resto-mod in the works; a '59 Invicta coupe, about half done. That'll get fully finished/painted. This one would need thousands of $ of metalwork (where it's rotted, there's no patch panels being repro'd). Besides, I've really come to love the patina/condition it's in.

I think that's right- one of the reasons OEMs went to 12 volts is they could use thinner gauge wire. But I'm still learning the whole 'volts, amps' thing.

Sixteen is the best, but I found it 'shy' of where I would have liked to see it design-wise. Underhood tho; incredible!

Horn wiring complete. Has electric 6 volt fuel pump: wiring complete. Need to get master cylinder & front brake lines on & system bled so we can test the brake lights (hydraulic switch completes wiring circuit).

Got a few more bits RE the wiring checked off: • Engine-to-frame ground cable : nice chunky 0 gauge but some missing insulation. Taped the whole length, wire-wheeled the terminals clean, made clean ground spot on the frame, cleaned the nuts & washers, and reinstalled it tight. • Starter-to-magnetic starter switch cable : same deal. • cleaned contact area where horn mounts on frame rail & ran new wires from it. • freed & cleaned the battery hold-down hardware. There's only a few minor things left on the electrical list. Time to buy a new battery and test everything out for real. Was in PepBois for bulbs for a daily, for fun asked the counter guy if they had any 6-V car batteries. Of course, I wince as soon as they ask the year. Computer pop up list of model years quizzically only goes back to 1962 for batteries… when most cars went to 12 volt in '56. :shrug: 1940 pre-dates battery group numbers. Weee!

Time, they say, is fleeting. David Byrne :

"The Uncensored Confessions of a Trailer Camp Tramp" - - - - - Ever notice how similar the naming conventions are for trashy pulp novels and race horses?

It would only be a "rebadged Nissan". But beyond that, it's patently pathetic for MeRcEdEsBeNz to buy another OEM's chassis to build upon.

The folks against progress are those trying to claim Cadillac is intending CT6 buyers to go to the track merely because the CT6 has the segment's best chassis dynamics. Like Cadillac (and everyone else) should just be still peddling 1980s chassis/suspension technology because it's 'just fine'. Mercedes has a string of recent flops under it's belt and the truck market is extremely loyal. from the articles, they don't have a good grasp on the truck market in the U.S. at all. But once more I submit; "why buy a copy when yo can buy the original??"

Trying to process the concept that there are individual's who are vocally against engineering progress in luxury cars.

Too late for that; Daimler is focused on exploring every niche & perceived niche there is in high speed pursuit of revenue. I heard a sub-CLA is being talked about.

s-class sure is a old folk's car! Back to this truck thing- not sure who is looking to MB for a mid-sized, "rebadged nissan"- why "buy a copy when you can get the real thing" ?

It's not embarrassing to compete in a growing segment of trucks. It's embarrassing when your tagline is 'the best or nothing' and you buy your truck's chassis from a 2nd tier truck maker. As an EXTREMELY late newcomer to the truck segment, 'The Best or Nothing' should offer 'above & beyond' what the segment already does, otherwise; what does it bring to the table?

Well, which is it; your opinion or the truth?

I'm not on Pintrest, so I can't view the link, but in the pic above, all those '59s are styling exercises rather than publicly shown concepts; they differ in minor pre-production details/cues. In other words; they don't count as 'concepts that didn't make it'. Actually, NONE of those pic'd above were publicly shown concepts. The 'flip side', if we're 'counting' these, is that the 'best' manufacturers design a single model, the first time, and put it into production, without ever trying various treatments & ideas out. Doesn't sound like a great course of action IMO. In fact, I'll go one further. IMO. General Motors MORE OFTEN produces the BEST version of a given vehicle relative to all the styling variations that led up to it, moreso than any other OEM.

GM, traditionally, has had more brands to market concepts under, so this makes sense… but all brands do this. BMW has shown a formidable volume of concepts that never comes to light.

I've only ever seen combo sprinter / car dealerships. Local mega-brand MB dealer likes to line up 10 or 12 sprinters right up front, next to s- and e-class sedans. Can't tell if it's a luxury dealership or a rental truck lot. - - - - - THis is HILARIOUS. Moneybags Daimler is buying a nissan frame, not offering either a regular or ext cab, and there's NO V-8??? Have they even LOOKED at the truck segment?

I see 2 years of production, then it folds. I believe there is very very little demand for it, and no; the engine choices aren't a major factor.