balthazar

Whoa !! I'll assume that's a Photochop, but still; needs. see. bigger....

Current Malibu is indeed an excellent handler and solid like a vault. W-Body GP is not bad, but is slightly mushier with a bit more plowing and slightly heavier steering (tho just as quick). You can still whip one around, enjoy it & not get into trouble.

>>"I'm even toying with the idea of selling-off the NOS stuff and using aftermarket pieces to do the car."<< Based on what you said earlier WRT the 'longevity love factor' for you & this vette, ^ this makes strong sense, IMO.

Understood WRT top up/top down. I've only ridden in 2 converts (both '68s). I loved both experiences... but I think the restorer in me shies aways from yet another complex system & premature source of deterioration. A Miata is so small that there's not as much stylistic contribution going on there, and then there's the 'cuteness' factor in anything so small. On a '67 GP, the roof alone is the size of a Miata. For EX- the gorgeous Charger in your sig: no WAY would I give up that flying buttress roofline for a wrinkled fabric top, even if it was down 95% of the time. Conceptually, the ideal would be a retractable hardtop.

The 'trepid is so clean, but I must pass on the 13-yr old's comment: "It looks like a middle-aged school secretary's car." Sorry!

>>"I wonder if Hyundai will start to include their high end bidet technology in their cars...... say if I'm driving along and I need a bit of a freshening "down there""<<

^ "Concern" is just not the way it read, and it's not the way it reads on other boards, either... but maybe that's just me. mercedes has a slow-selling s-class you might like, it's almost 'full-size", starts at circa $90K and will cost you more in depreciation than just about any car you can buy (specifically- the S65 would cost you $150K in 3 years- S550 must be on a similar sliding scale). I also firmly believe the 'upgrade path' theory WRT a brand's lineup is urban myth. Is the 3-series ABA 30, the 5-series 50 and the 7-series 70 ?? I doubt it.

What I am seeing is a fairly unique treatment; the vast majority of cars' roofs are connected visually via paint to the body. Mini & Start have no such visual connection- their roofs almost seem to 'float' IMO.

WRT lowriders : IMO, tho they look ridiculous at ride height on 13" rims... there is a certain intrique to be able to alter the stance & ride height at will, and a teense bit more in the ability to make a car move in a manner others can't. The 1-wheel-in-the-air thing & the bouncing thing; no, but to be able to drop the car very low is... intriquing. '67 GP is slick, but I generally take issue WRT converts- I hate to lose the stylistic contribution of the knife-edged greenhouse and the concave backlight for a wrinkled canvas 'roof' that looks the same as 100s of other (converts). I would take a hardtop first. Surprisingly, I don't really see many donks around here. No- I don;t like the look, either. Older, (real) full-size cars shouldn't wear wheels over 20", and intermediates ('60-80s) shouldn't wear over 18"s.

If all you are personally interested in from Cadillac is a "full-size RWD Cadillac with a smooth, quiet and powerful V8", what was all the rest about the CTS & ATS & SRX about, if not to convince others somehow ?? None of those are full-size.

I've slowly learned over time that excess stress & excess time in general spent at work has more of an effect on me than I used to think. I tend to think of myself as a kind of Terminator as far as work & my ability to handle it... but that's not entirely accurate. I once worked long longs days consecutively, wondering where my 'tipping point' was- turned out it was 28 days straight. Took a day off, then IIRC I worked the next 2.5 weeks straight (immovable deadline). I have also worked 80+ hours for a few weeks at a time. WRT to your team leader, no one (short of a dedicated medial inquiry) can answer your question, but I believe the majority of lay persons would agree (unscientifically) that it contributed at least somewhat. Everyone is different, tho. Periodic reevaluation is ALWAYS good practice. Good luck in working thru it, Cubie.

^ Thank you sir! The volume thing is especially glaring... at least to me. You can discuss the tangibles (motors, drive wheels, etc) but when you hopelessly intertwine them with the intangibles (image, consumer perception, etc) and try and make 1 a direct cause/effect of the other, your argument falls apart.

While Sal makes some (angry) discussion points WRT Cadillac, here's my issue with just about ANY heavy-handed coal-raking of Cadillac : the always-shifting grounds of comparison... which to my mind dips into hypocrisy. One of the chief examples here is the reference to a Cadillac's given sales. This is unlikely to stem from either research into, nor remembrance of, a time when Cadillac sold more in the U.S. than any other luxury make up thru today (late '70s, circa 375K units).... but is more likely to be the association that Cadillac, as part of General Motors, simply MUST! slather the market with volume, and that volume is the prime measure of 'success'. Cadillac, as a 'brand' of a business, must be profitable- that is the goal. Whether the marque makes -say- $500M on 75K sales or 250K sales is immaterial from a business standpoint. Yet Cadillac is continually held up against random volume numbers. Case in point: >>"who the hell cares about the CTS-V? Does anybody buy it? No. "<< Of course people buy it: 'no one' means zero sales. The CTS-V performs the exact same role for Cadillac the V-12 s-class does; 'no one' buys that one either, but it's 'necessary' for image-pumping. Bashers OK with a 4-pot S-class immediately point to the V-12 S-class, yet NEVER is the volume of that car mentioned. It's all about the image.... EXCEPT when it comes to Cadillac- where the CTS-V is a 'failure' because it doesn't sell in X-quantity, the CTS SportWagon is a 'failure' because it doesn't sell in X-quantity..... YYEETT the current SRX is a 'failure' because it doesn't have RWD (AWD doesn't factor here) & a V8. #2 sales in the segment is suddenly completely irrelevant- the vehicle is still a 'failure'.... because it doesn't fit the 'hardware agenda' of an internet poster. CTS-V is the flip of that formula and = 'failure'. That hypocrisy undermines the commenter immediately. BMW 7-series (starts @ $82K) rides on the same platform as the 5-series (starts @ $45K)- yet no one bats an eye. 82% price tag premium, but because the same brand badge is on it, it's 'OK' and NEVER mentioned. Proposed ESPII XTS rides a modified platform under an ESP LaCrosse, and it's all Kleenexs and hand-wringing. Hypocrisy, IMO. As a die-hard traditionalist WRT the industry, I am in a strict minority that values the image of a V-8 powered Cadillac. Since 1914, baby! However, in a consumer pool where 75% of BMW 1-series owners BELIEVE they just bought a FWD BMW (which begs the answer to how many think the 3-series is FWD- HAS to be at least 30% by extrapolation) and 'no one' does their own maintenance (never mind repair work)- only a freakishly-small micro-minority know or care how many cylinders are underhood, as long as the relative power is there. I guarantee you, if a V-6 Car X outperformed a V-8 Car Y and NO BRAND NAMES were mentioned, most posters would dump on the V-8 car for having to 'rely' on extra cylinders to do the same job. I've read exactly that countless times over the years. Any meaningful analysis is going to have to use the same terms/criteria and avoid breezy unsubstantiated subjectives, or nothing useful will ever come out of the discussion.

>>"Since we know Balthazar loves low riders and donks...."<< How'd you like a knuckle sandwich ? GPs are about the ultimate package in cars, beautiful expressive styling & detailing, luxury, sport & performance. '62-72 and not a clinker among them.

IMO, I get a Mini-vibe from the greenhouse- how the roof is completely separated from the body by glass & chrome (black in the case of the Mini). Not seeing the Stude in it, Cubitar.

CSpec ~ >>"Good point. There's a difference between rational steps to ensure that you and your property are kept safe, and surrendering yourself to Big Brother with the assumption that He knows best and will keep you safe."<< There is, no question. The key example isn't the best nor the deepest example, but it is still an outside source 'forcing' me to alter what may be my preference in a scenario.

I have heard numerous stories of vette build sheets, on much older models, surviving in legible form. Surprises me: paper, on the outside of the vehicle? Might be there & legible....

Sal Collaziano ~ >>"I think the ATS is a great idea - but it's still a move down market."<< What was the 1-Series ??? What about the upcoming FWD sub-1-series BMW; are those moves upmarket ??? Audi has the big Q7, but after BMW's X5, there's no 'MX5', but an X3 and talk of yet another, cheaper SUV. Are those moves upmarket ??? Years back there was an 8-series- been dead for decades- where's the replacement ?? Flagship M-1 exotic died after '81 - where's the replacement ?? You KNOW the BMW minivan is right around the corner despite what they protest; they HAVE to follow MB's r-wagon... They gripe and moan incessantly about 'no 3-series competitor', then when one comes, it's 'it's a down market move- how do you feel about that? {here's a Kleenex.}' The hypocrisy is something else.

While I like Franklin's quote, the fact remains we ALL do this, every day (give up a little freedom for security). What's in all of our our pockets at a given moment? Keys. Frankly, it IS the fearmongering that is the worst aspect of the whole issue.

Build sheets in 'vettes are commonly atop the gas tank, IIRC.

... just a FEW decades late. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/automobiles/collectibles/14IRAN.html

^ ocnblu said it. Another point to consider: if you look at the degree of change from -say- 1950 to 1960 in cars, and look at the degree of change from -say- 1990 to 2010 in cars..... you can understand the tepid response today.

Push button start- it's so !NEW! NICE beastie.

That. is. awesome.

Ford Start: