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balthazar

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Everything posted by balthazar

  1. balthazar
    Well, maybe alfa & fiat.
  2. balthazar
    Well, fiat has zero name value in the U.S., so perhaps that evens out. People never "move up" within one brand, that's marketing fantasy spun to support additional models in segments outside the brand's established arena.
  3. balthazar
    '54 Bel Air, light blue, up on a lift in a service bay late model Charger, all black, black rims, heavily tinted glass... but dual chrome dummy spots. Why? Wasn't a cop- had an aftermarket flying deck spoiler, too.
  4. balthazar
    ^ If I go that way on currently-owned vehicles, my number is 47.8 (tho only the 10-yr old job is registered). Of the 22 vehicles I've owned, the average model year is 1965.
  5. balthazar
    Further, the last time an F1 car ran the track, in 1976, it posted a time of 7:10.8. No doubt he was slowed down worrying about 'putting the power down' in his RWD-only car.
  6. balthazar
    A bit ashamed to report I am only at 10 yrs old on my DD. In the past It's been 29 and 28. Still hopefully on track to add a 74 yr old vehicle to the road this year.
  7. balthazar
    According to nurburinglaptimes, the '12 Corvette ZR1 posted a 7:19.63, and the '13 nissan GTR (AWD) posted a 7:19.10. It's getting the power down totally on par with AWD (which is I assume your implication). No worries.
  8. balthazar
    For the people who buy these above-mentioned cars, they have neither knowledge or a care which wheels are driving. It's NOT a selling point for 98% of sales of any of them- volvo, acura, mercedes or BMW. We are YET AGAIN brought back to Daimler's newest & highest-hope product- the FWD CLA.
  9. balthazar
    ^ I think that last part is absolutely true. s-class's just float thru traffic; they're never pushed. FWD could allow a nearly flat rear floor for Corporate CEOs to jello-wrestle in the back.
  10. balthazar
    They're not setting any benchmarks with the CLA, that's for sure.
  11. balthazar
    >>...except for who really cares about competing with anything Lincoln makes.<< Mercedes feels it's justifiable to build vehicles that sell only 2-300 units/mth (g-class SUV); that's less than HALF on any Lincoln SUV. NOT at all saying they're direct competitors but a lux SUV sales is a sale and some consumers don't bother to adhere to the tight segments we go by. Sometimes functionality trumps other criteria, and these pretty much all do the same thing- sit the occupants up higher than a sedan. Mercedes & BMW dismissed the CTS when it came out, and it's a major segment player now. There's not much expense in studying your opposition, even if enthusiasts believe it's well below your level.
  12. balthazar
    sales?? Who cares about sales volume in the luxury segment..... oh yea, almost forgot; it's Daimler's El Numero Uno / Prime Directive. Too bad Daimler has no volume brand they can maintain the exclusivity of their MB brand; that ship sailed many years ago! Now they slog it out in dollar store parking lots, the mainstream brand for those with luxury aspirations. ATS should be the benchmark for their next c-class development, as far as driving, steering, braking, handling goes, not BMW. >>Mercedes isn't using an engine from 20 years ago<< ... but they are using an SUV from 40 years ago.
  13. balthazar

    Sleep

    balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in The Lounge

    I moved a LeBaron convert (top down) today, but only about a tenth of a mile. Didn't do much for me, I must say.
  14. balthazar

    Sleep

    balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in The Lounge

    My problem is I dislike sleeping. I get right about 5.5 - 6 hrs/night, and that's too much. I got &#036;h&#33; to do. Back issues are another issue- my mattress is only a few months old, my back situation is not due to the mattress. Doesn't keep me awake- I sleep like stone. I hear many folk sleep less as they get older- I am looking forward to that.
  15. balthazar
    3-series went soft & numb, not a good target. Besides, if the c-class is THAT FANTASTIC, no prospective buyer would ever turn a fresh one up. What's up with MB allowing the C to languish for 7 years?? That's W-Body territory, no?
  16. balthazar
    CLA cannibalizing sales from the c-class?
  17. balthazar
    Why cannot people put flowers in the trunks of their 'regular' cars; they theoretically have to buy a MINI 4-dr "pickup"?? The brand is beyond tired, unwilling to advance stylistically. - - - - - Ummm... question. Why oh why is BMW calling this a "hardtop" ??
  18. balthazar
    Looks like the vast bulk of car sales is repackaged VW-engined jobs.
  19. balthazar
    Sounds like public road work. Who agreed to that? The people that hired them (but aren't paying them).
  20. balthazar
    Idle sounds very good, but the revving sounds a bit tinny, almost like it's fighting to exhale. I'm not a big fan of the 'thin' exhaust note. Disclaimer: just had a ride in a 502 '55 Bel Air with Flowmaster 40s/ no tails on it this afternoon; my judgement might be momentarily skewed.
  21. balthazar
    Pace cars are a neat historical footnote, but the positions are bought as opposed to 'earned'. Maybe at some point way back this was not the case.
  22. balthazar
    '63 Impala 2-dr hardtop, white over yellow, minty, parked '67 Nova 2-dr hardtop, deep red, howling down back country road '68 Ford Torino 2-dr fastback, dark blue I think, burbling down back road.
  23. balthazar
    No one knows what platforms are under what vehicles besides a handful of internet wackos.
  24. balthazar
    In general this goes end-around the problem. We're talking about tax rates & methods in order to fund infrastructure, but it is those on control of collection/distribution that are the problem. 75 billion isn't enough but they're pulling money out to pay for other projects??? THERE'S your problem area. When Joe Blow takes money that doesn't belong to him, its larceny or embezzlement. When politicians do it, taxes have to be increased. Lawlessness, or at least from common sense & stated purpose.
  25. balthazar
    >>"My thought is that the gas tax would drop by a similar amount to what could be expected to be recouped via the mileage based tax..."<< Don't hold your breath.
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