balthazar
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Everything posted by balthazar
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Not getting the concept of a 'street racer' car with giant, blingy, chromed grilles. It's pretty bad- if this is the future -in any degree- of BMW design, they've got big problems.
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Been listening to a lot of… I don't know the sub-sub-genres well, I just bundle it all under 'ambient'. To wit.
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All there, decent & solid, body & interior solid, does need some stuff done. '69 455 is out & apart, 4-spd turned out to be a Saginaw instead of a Muncie. Here she is upon purchase.
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I don't know that I have a top favorite. The '57 Pontiac Super Chief coupe & '57 DeSoto Adventurer coupe have been in my top 5 for years… tho ultimately I would prefer a full boat custom car of my own design. oldshurst442 : I have a possible dream maker for you; I have a '72 442 I'd like to sell. Let's talk…
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I could drive this just about forever :
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A personal favor / request : PLEASE try to NOT make it a habit of mass quoting image chains.
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Recall all the allocates given Pontiac for 'trying' (Aztek)? I'm with dfelt; not in the least visually aspirational, IMO.
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^ Aaaaaaaaaaaannd this week's Trivia Tuesday is all wrapped up! Z-06, you are correct on your 3 answers. A Bologna sandwich is on the way to you via Fed Ex Ground. - - - - - #2 is the 1939 prototype design by German engineer Karl Schlor. It was wind tunnel-tested at .18 cd. It's whereabouts / fate is unknown. The Seagrave is a very interesting project IMO, coming from the fire truck manufacturer Seagrave. I've often wondered if there would be any business case advantages for a HD manufacturer to build a (in this case: very) light duty auto. - - - - - See you next Tuesday!
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Tried a total of 3 old time hardware stores hoping for some old stock… but I knew things were bad when the aforementioned 98-yr old store didn't have them (they are really good). 9/16-in carriage bolts are OUT of production- they jump from 1/2-in (usually the largest anyone carries) to the rare 5/8-in. One store owner today told me "…if they even ever made them." I'll be hurrying back over there to be called 'stoopid' real soon. I have a line on some used bolts from another old Ford trucker online...
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3.) Ocnblu was coy, and §§ was specific, so you two can share the trophy. '63 Corvette reimaged by Pinninfarina & called the Corvette Rodine. The rest of you keep digging.
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Being a Canuck has no bearing on your posting an implied current day sales tactic that in fact is (obviously) a complete spoof ad that was NEVER a sales tactic in 1968 OR today. The bottom line is there is never a singular cause for a given performance (sales) result in the auto industry, just like the "best" product in a given vehicle segment is still surrounded by competing models from other manufacturers. While some critics claim Cadillac is too often trying to pedal a 'value' business model in selling their cars…. these same critics frequently point to much lower lease rates by other brands, missing the point completely that lower lease rates are without question, pandering to value-minded shoppers. Again- there's no singular cause in an industry as complex as the auto industry. -
Well which is it? Is a 'stand alone dealer network' crucial (Cadillac) or isn't it (Acura)? BTW- You HAVE to know the above linked Ralph Williams ad wasn't an actual, broadcast advertisement, right?
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Point is, do you want to pay for a wealthy car dealer's showroom trappings? Does this make you feel you've had a 'luxury experience'? In what other mass-production consumer good does one weight the sales outlet so heavily (and I've seen no evidence any of Cadillac's competition's buyers weight it heavily at all)? If -say- the German semi-lux brand buyers didn't value 'value', the sales-leading S-class wouldn't be seeing such high incentives to move the metal/plastic. It's an illusion.
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The 'buying experience / dealership' thing is overrated, IMO. Sure, you want a decent, modern facility, but the 'buying experience' is so insanely brief vs. the ownership time span (even the 3 yr lease), that it is CUSTOMER SERVICE that is paramount, not the potted plants. Then again, I personally don't harken to the whole 'snooty nose' fakery thing, either. I look for one thing; a good deal. I walk into a $20,000,000 dealership and I KNOW I'm not getting one there.
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Jaguar News: Jaguar Considers A Smaller Crossover
balthazar replied to William Maley's topic in Jaguar
Jaguar has no customers in the U.S., they need to fix what's vastly wrong with the existing cars and their image, never mind 2 or 3 new crossovers. -
Can you identify these oddball cars in this week's Trivia Tuesday? Identify these, if you please! 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) View full article
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Can you identify these oddball cars in this week's Trivia Tuesday? Identify these, if you please! 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) -
As per policy, I defer to information that supersedes that which I have found. Source I had stated the first automotive fuel gauge was 1922… but in hindsight that sounds WAY too late. As to #3, there was the : '88' 'DeLuxe 88' 'Delta 88' 'Dynamic 88' 'Delmont 88' 'Rocket 88' 'Golden Rocket 88' 'Futuramic 88' 'Jetstar 88' 'Super 88' There were other permiations...
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They barely sell 1000 /mnth now with multiple models. XE isn't going to reach anywhere near 1000/mn- there's just no "wow factor" and no one is clamoring for any more Jags. Niche brand, not competition.
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Jag XE is competition for nobody; no one buys Jags in this country.
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Went to Fastenal, HD truck repair shop, 98-yr old hardware store & big lumber yard, apparently 9/16-in carriage bolts are no longer readily available. 2 of the 3 from the front bumper are usable, the 3rd is not. Going to try another decades-old hardware store tomm, and check online tonight. I'm kind of surprised I don't have any in my hardware collection, but I do not. This is just like the brake line fittings I was looking for last fall… fun with 75 yr old vehicles!
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We've been over this : if the S-class weren't overpriced, it wouldn't need heavy incentives. Last gen was sometimes hitting $15 grand off sticker. ATS physically doesn't need anything glaring or major, it's not the product that's deficient. There's also no wow factor from the germans in this segment.
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Yesterday I installed the passenger rear bearings, fully & freshly greased, the brake drum & the axle shaft. After fiddling with the shoe adjustments, it seems to spin fine. The shoes probably need to just get reacquainted with the drums MOVING past them again. Scrubbed 2 rear tires up. Also attempted to loosen the front bumper brackets & level the bumper. Had some success, but still not quite perfect. Then I promptly undid the bumper… well; 2 of the 3 bolts- the 3rd is too heavily rusted & I'm going to have to cut it off. Will use galvanized carriage bolts, unfortunately new… unless I decide to run it sans bumper. Hmmm... Also, poking around on my 'COE shelves' revealed a straight inner crossmember (that the grille latches to) and a 'chin' piece that hangs from it and continues the sheet metal lines from the grille. I'd have to cut & weld the crossmember in… but I likely will since the one on the truck is badly tweaked & rattled around, making latching the grille improbable at best. Imagine my joy if I run over my own $800 grille on my maiden voyage. Ordered a 1960s wiring 'how-to' book, which should be the perfect speed for this truck… as sniffing around for wiring advice has not been helpful as far as boosting confidence. You'd think converting tail lights to integral blinkers info would be easily found online… but apparently not.
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Tesla Introduces A New Base Model S With More Range, AWD
balthazar replied to William Maley's topic in Tesla
^ How do you quantify "wildly successful"? Test reviews & market acceptance are one thing, but not the only thing. How many more dozen year spans are investors willing to wait to see the company break out of the red? Is it even one more span? This is why the model 3 is so tremendously important. I would tend to agree that much cross shopping is unlikely between the 3 and the Bolt, but I'll hold final judgement to see how both products come out of the factory door first. One thing is very likely- the model 3 certainly won't be 'just a smaller Model S'. -
Jeep News: Jeep Planning A Competitor to the Range Rover
balthazar replied to William Maley's topic in Jeep
Terrible build quality & engineering do not a luxury experience make. Range Rover has consistently been on the bottom of quality lists, and for years; JLR seems unwilling to address the problem. No doubt there are many who are fed up with poor reliability of RR and would readily look at a top shelf JGC as a fresh alternative.
