balthazar

Looks dated, uninspired and unremarkable. Can't imagine anyone ponying up for this generica. And what's with the Buick VentiPorts (of sorts)?

Yea; I didn't get that claim, either, and I've been hanging out here for 11 years now.

'68 Olds 422 convert, med blue/ top down, factory stock, a stunner, rollin'.

You need to check Cadillac's production figures thruout the '70s. They tell the facts vs. your account. Seville was a clean gut-check to mercedes, who thought they had Cadillac right where they wanted them. It was quite a strong contender and got very good press, but by that same year I mentioned above, the 2nd gen veered off in another direction. Fact of the matter is, mercedes changed up their game from the '60s to the '80s to become a LOT more like Cadillac than the other way around. Clearly, they benchmarked. But Roger Smith's '80s sure made things easier for the Germans... Anyway, it's an incredible time to watch Cadillac, the ATS & CTS sure go miles to restore the established tradition @ Cadillac. Meanwhile the german twins are working hard on FWD 'value' cars.

You are right; styling is a matter of opinion... however, I was addressing market position, image & perception, esp vs. competition (like I stated), not merely my personal opinion of styling. RE valuation today- this is not an indication of Cadillac's product/image/etc, but a wider view of the eras in question. Look at a '55 mercedes S vs. a '65 S; the former is worth 5 times the latter. BMW is in the same boat- '50s stuff is just that highly valued. High retail for a '53 Eldorado is $225,000.

Cadillac's image / perception decline started in the later 1970s, not the '60s, and even then it was slight. Around the time the Seville came out there was an beginning undercurrent where you'd see criticism of product, and IMO it was justified in a number of areas. Plus, you started to hear a beginning positive undercurrent WRT Daimler & BMW (but not much- as these were not luxury cars at the time, but spartan 'sports sedans', to a degree they had little in the way of performance, but they showed a decent step up in handling). Where Cadillac fell of the cliff, screaming, began right about 1980, with the triple whammy of the GM diesel, the V8-6-4 and the C-car. But in the 1960s, Cadillac was still very much at the pinnacle overall. You can pick at that to a limited degree (discontinuation of the Eldo Brougham, discontinuation of the unique-bodied Eldorado) but the '67 E pretty much restored at least the later of those. IMO, by circa '73-74, the senior cars were looking a bit behind where things were going, but the '77 downsize was a home run at the time. DD- looking forward to the C&G take on the CTS!

Online bidding on a couple, BEFORE the auction even starts : '65 Impala 2-dr, 12 miles : $17,250 '64 Impala 2-dr, 0 miles : $22,500 '58 Chevy Cameo pickup, 1 mile : $26,000 '78 Corvette Indy Pace Car, 4 miles : $35,500

If someone feels there is a lack of timely news, that someone, I'm sure, is more than welcome to start posting said breaking news, rather than dipping into unrelated topics to complain.

Still pertinent news if one wanted to attend the auction, tho.

^ That's not my point, it's someone else's (see closing tag...)

'68 Buick Skylark convert, tan over brown, great shape, rollin'. '67 Mustang hardtop, brown primer, decent shape, smoky burnout pulling onto 4-lane highway. '65 Olds 442 hardtop, aqua, great shape, rollin'. '64 LeMans 2-dr hardtop, white, great shape, rollin'.

'I worry that those who are not rabid BMW fans will be confused by 'M Performance' and the true 'M' cars, and be disappointed at how the former cars fall short of the latter.' [/hyperV6]

A surprising number of people, even those that frequent auto forums, ALSO strongly believe higher numbers equate to "better"....

At farm auction today ~ '40 Ford HD with factory GarWood dump bed : '46-ish Ford with flat bed & factory Marmon-Harrington 4WD :

This just another name shuffle to makes things consistent for the noobs; the 1-series was a 2-dr, so it 'needs' to move to "2-series". It's not a new model, just rebadged.

^ OK, so they're the most profitable according to you. Great; very admirable from a business perspective. Why, then, bother with minivans & cargo vans & FWD appliances? Why bookend your catalog with business-case failures (smart/ maybach)? Stick to the core lines and make them the best, always the best, and after that, work on miraculous economy, too. Stop whoring your nameplate and cheapening your image.

I looked at the TC's specs on Ford's site (and they are small for me), but I really would like to check one out in person. I've driven an (extended, windowless, 2-seat) Econoline, and I could see how some would be turned away from such a large box. But IMO there's certainly a need for both.

It's pretty common : I've heard it about all my life, seen many products so dubbed. Google 'item caddy' and 10 million hits are returned. Surprised you've found it otherwise. Regardless, the name won't fly here due to it being a generations-old nickname for Cadillac. Surprising to me these mini-commercial vans are on what seems like a notable upswing... they are very limited in capacity. Of course, 'regular' passenger vehicles (short of SUVs) are too, so...

>>"Yes, like a carrier or container."<< Gee golly Mr Wizard, thanks for 'splainin' that termino-logdy. Many folk prolly never did done heard that wurd before; good 'splainin! >>"probably would need a different name for NA."<< really?

>>"With Smart confined to microcars and no other car divisions, they don't have a choice except to expand downward as far a volume."<< They DO have a choice- NOT to chase volume. Dipping into each & every segment under the sun does NOT improve your core lines nor help maintain your image. The idea that being a mass-market, mainstream product somehow is fitting for something that's supposed to be exclusive, doesn't work in the long run. And smart is only confined to what daimler decides it is. That lil' box should be pulling down 60 MPG, not low 30s. Build that and it raises sales & lessens the CAFE pressure on MB. >>"Also, small premium cars in theory will attract younger buyers, the way the 3-series attracted young professionals 20-30 years ago."<< Complete bunk, handily disproven by sales figures. Marketing fallacy. >>"It's also a side effect of the mainstreaming of all things 'premium'..even Apple is slumming these days w/ cheaper products. Consumers don't want cheap, stripped down cars anymore--they want their inexpensive cars loaded with modern cabin tech and preferably w/ a premium badge."<< Sure they do, which is why mercedees is talking in print ads about bragging how 'you spent only $29,900" for the CLA. Question is, what does it do to the badge when the 'street face' majority eventually turns to $29K cars? >>"Because car makers are successful with fewer sales? "<< Manufacturers are successful on PROFIT first & foremost. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/01/ferrari-reports-fewer-sales-more-profit/

The "Caddy".....?!

What's shameful is how wholey mercedes is chasing sales volume. But that breaks down w/ the 1 series--which has 2dr, 3dr, and 5dr models (though the 2dr models will soon be come the 2-series, I think), and the 6 series which has 2- and 4-dr models..Then there is the Audi scheme...where the odd and even don't correspond to the door count... It should "break down", and audi's "scheme" shouldn't correspond to doors.... because those 'methods' are idiotic. Lowest common denominator marketing.

Because people are becoming (automotively) more & more stupid, and apparently need to have everything spelled out for them ALA a Fisher Price learning toy. "Even numbers equals 2-doors, odd numbers equals 4 doors, and "i" means it's fuel injected."

What inner-city area is that big to hold all of the cars in one backyard? And not be messed with (vandalized) or robbed for parts/scrap? Newark. Neighborhood didn't seem that bad. 1971-73 Mustang convert, med brown roof over dark green body, great shape but hideous colors, and those FoMoCo pie-pan poverty caps. Parked & for sale. 1964 Buick Wildcat convert, black over white, excellent shape, Road Wheels, rolling.