balthazar

HEY! You cross-referenced, Camino! UNFAIR! Shop door is blocked by snow- I'd have to shovel. I could peer thru the window @ the B-59, but perhaps I'll take a nap instead. Dropped the plow truck off at the shop for a persistent 'check engine soon' light, got a 'loaner' circa '00 F-150 with a slow lift pump, a lifter tap, a misfire, and occasional drivetrain grinding, ABS light AND a 'check engine soon' light ! I had better get my well-worn but relatively-loved '90 GMC back before the next storm! That truck is like a favorite pair of jeans, worn in all the right places. Still dead tired from plowing all night Tuesday. Wife is in DE on work, so no present there, still waiting on numerous jobs to hit, no money coming in, tuition bills due, depressed. Then Camino goes and digs up my BD, like that number is a source of happiness.

Nearly $50 (regular price) for a set of wiper blades?? I don't think so.

What I don't care for is what would be Rust's petri dish: right there where the birdcage & frame come together. Does FG go in between there? Otherwise, a rotted birdcage would take mad time to get at & repair.

Saw this in a photo thread elsewhere- thought we would like to see the frame/birdcage (minus windshield frame) of a (here: '69) Vette :

"Volkswagon: duh car"

Are those 100% production car shots, or is 'snipping' to come? They're not bad stylistically.

Someone should put together a pic thread on interior wood/plood...

Oh come on; who are you going to trust on this one; me or wikipedia ? Regardless, I still don't see where Buick stated they equated to cylinder count- the claim certainly could still be assumption on the part of the writer.... but I haven't poured over every Lucerne press release, either. Buick may have decided to dumb it down for the masses and make it DUH-simple. I prefer that the VentiPorts don't go so obviously simplistic.... but asking for high(er) concepts from the general public generally doesn't get much traction. It's not a big deal either way.

And spoilers don't provide any downforce, either; they're just glued-on edges. I acknowledge the Lucerne/Lucerne Super 6/8 VentiPorts scenario, but unless Buick specifically stated that they equated to cylinder count, we're still assuming that's the 'definition'. Most upgrade models add 'more'- look at the M3, what are all those bulges & gills- they don't 'stand for' anything either- just gingerbread. Same thing. From 1 picture, I'm intriqued by the tortoise shell look of the Verano inserts, they're unique for sure, but would have to see them in person. Wood in modern cars is all a big joke anyway- none of it looks real because it's molded in impossible shapes and it all feels exactly like plastic. If there's zero tactile association, it might as well all BE plastic.

They were originally to denote the upper series from the lower series. Loads of V8-only LeSabres had 6 VPs, VPs never changed when the Skylark or Apollo or Park Avenue had both 6s and 8s. There are more examples. They're stylized air extractors; who ever told you they were supposed to 'stand for' something in a numerical sense ?

An insider (of unknown degree to me) on another board posts that the XTS will debut with the 3.0TT "pushing 400 hp". I just don't see anyone (well, maybe a few people) whining about cylinder count with that kind of power.

^ Not far off. Hum-drum goods that have noting to do with the celebrity's fame. Sometimes they're worth money because they are known (like Lennon's psychedelic Rolls), or they are smaller or personal enough to be easily collectible. A 19-foot Chrysler no one knew about isn't one of those. My brother bought an old (dead) actor's home. In the basement were 2 dark, wooden stalls- one a shower, the other a toilet. He wanted to clear it all out, so we demo'd it, including the toilet. Someone had put something in the bottom of the bowl, looked like concrete, but as we busted it up, we joked about selling the actor's turd on eBay. Turned out the house was a rebuild, after supposedly a jealous girlfriend burned down the original, and the actor never actually lived in his house (but it was his property for some years).

Yet both blow the 295 hp s-class out of contention, right?

^ They've NEVER stood for cylinder count.

Some GMT900s are CAFE-exempt (2500HD & 3500- not sure about 2500). Other GM trucks can increase the truck average via a 'C/K-1000' model, or GM just keeps increasing truck efficiency overall, which they have been. We 'don't got' ANY XTS yet, but what would be more significant is 'we got a 350-HP XTS'.

>>"...could take the No.1 spot in coupes from the BMW 3-Series"<< whatWHAT ??

Flex was 32K thru Nov '10- not traditional 'Ford-esque' volume, but pretty good for a wagon with no SUV/CUV overtones, IMO.

Escalade volume is not CAFE-significant. Besides, there's the image factor, and any guzzler charge can easily be absorbed by the Escalade sticker.

From design standpoint, it lack cohesiveness, fluidity & balance. The 'poor' comment is more subjective, yes. Verano shows far better harmony & flow from design/graphic & integration standards. Materials & fit/finish are other matters.

They shouldn't be in that it's a Cadillac... but you're prolly right.

Yet at the same time, invites legitimate criticism for being outdated- since FAR more people demand THE NEW!! than something unique. Besides, it's pretty much unique in that it's poor design left behind by the the rest. Kinda like the interior equivalent of the Panther cars.

Agreed on the wheel: looks nice as is, but should absolutely be exclusive.

If you like dated, pseudo-retro design with completely disharmonious shapes & lines, yes. Shouldn't that plood in front of the passenger be flipped around, so the point is toward the outside? You have: a chrome-edged vent to the left, then an amorphous untrimmed cutout around the gauges, then back to a third shape around the screen (with a last-minute bump-out for the hazard switch), this time with a recessed lip around it. The overall design is almost dizzying; everything is pointing this way & that.

But "to be fair", the A3 is $5K more than the Verano- shouldn't it's interior blow it away, period? It's not like successive generation interiors are leaps & bounds better than the previous ones, in general, and esp WRT audi. "Long in the tooth" describe audi interiors in general, but shouldn't be a crutch here.

^ God that's awful. Separate console & dash... still? I do like the 1970 horizontal dash, esp with the circular gauges behind a completely random-shaped cutout. Dash panel reminds me of this: Hazard lamps button afterthought, much? Nice retro '90 doorpanels, too. The more I see of audi interiors, the less there is to like.