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Everything posted by balthazar
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That pic of the citroen alone isn't showing me anything of any appeal. Camino- at issue for me is the ease of service for modern stuff- not user friendly (or cheap). Getting involved with the planned obsolescence & the electronics of the '80s and later is not an aspirational aspect.
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^ How did Metallica slip in there ?? One project that has never lost it's interest for me is genealogy. Tho 'off & on again' due to available leads, I have plugged away at it for about 15 years now. Just last night I was plugging names into findagrave.com- found info on a half dozen or so. Also made a few contacts via facebook. Right now it's 54 pages long in a flow-chart style. Never counted the whole tally, but the largest branch runs 22 pages and has 427 names in it.
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I hated the Riv concept from a few years ago. Proportions were excellent, detailing was horrible. >>"Buick to move ahead it needs to set a future path just as the 63 did in it's own time. There are times to remember and a time to move ahead. Now is the time to move ahead. "<< Now is NOT the time to blend in with the generic modern. There is no 'forward' in design- you're already looking at it. It is time for excellent, timeless, expressive design, and that's simply not found among the me-too, LED-strip, homogenized approach of The Current. Heritage is about the only bastion left for inspiration; legislation has crushed most of the others.
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If I could lay my hands on a disposable chunk of change, I'd rather get a quick resto-mod on a mid-'60s full-size car: in-dash A/C, overdrive trans, original motor, upgraded drums, modern tunes, done. Stock body, radials, minor tweaks toward efficiency, but not much. V-8, RWD, TONS of room, both passenger & cargo- can't beat it with a modern car. Cheaper than new, less to break, cheaper to keep, difference pays for fuel for a decade or more. Challenger is a hot ride (still haven't sat in one or seen one up close), but being I'm not single, it's not a consideration (that, and price).
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Thanks to all. Nope- NOT the oldest regular on here! {whew!} As to a number; I'll say I am Gen X and leave it lie. It's not that I have an issue with the number itself, but I never wanted to have my opinion here dismissed due to that number- that's usually argumentative misdirection. My automotive area of interest predates my expected range of experience. Thank God. Example: the 20 vehicles I've owned to date have an average model year of 1965, and that is older than my birth year. That, and perhaps my avatar, I think make me out to be older than I am (493??) Camino- I didn't peek thru the window at the B-59 today, tho I was out in the shop Monday- separating some Mitsu cylinder heads for scrap. I did look at her then, but didn't touch.
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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.
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Nearly $50 (regular price) for a set of wiper blades?? I don't think so.
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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.
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Saw this in a photo thread elsewhere- thought we would like to see the frame/birdcage (minus windshield frame) of a (here: '69) Vette :
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Someone should put together a pic thread on interior wood/plood...
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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.
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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.
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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 ?
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2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Platinum: What a Cadillac Should Be
balthazar replied to Justin Bimmer's topic in Cadillac
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).
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2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Platinum: What a Cadillac Should Be
balthazar replied to Justin Bimmer's topic in Cadillac
Yet both blow the 295 hp s-class out of contention, right? -
^ They've NEVER stood for cylinder count.
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2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Platinum: What a Cadillac Should Be
balthazar replied to Justin Bimmer's topic in Cadillac
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 ??
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2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Platinum: What a Cadillac Should Be
balthazar replied to Justin Bimmer's topic in Cadillac
Flex was 32K thru Nov '10- not traditional 'Ford-esque' volume, but pretty good for a wagon with no SUV/CUV overtones, IMO. -
2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Platinum: What a Cadillac Should Be
balthazar replied to Justin Bimmer's topic in Cadillac
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.
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2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Platinum: What a Cadillac Should Be
balthazar replied to Justin Bimmer's topic in Cadillac
They shouldn't be in that it's a Cadillac... but you're prolly right.