balthazar

Yes I did, because those sold so many more. Therefore, by inference; the CTS and the is and the c-class and the es are ALL 'uncompetitive'. Fair is fair.

I love that site but it is so F'ing slow to load on my machine! Happy Anniversary, Tech Center! Your outdoor turntables have seen more stylistic genius than any others'!

Cadillac is "hemorrhaging cash"? Oh wait, you were talking about the corporation as a whole, weren't you? I thought this thread was addressing "Cadillac's Renaissance"... CTS(61k)... MB C-Class (60k)... Infiniti G35 (69k)... Lexus ES (67k) These are negligable volume differences. But if we are going to make points using the numbers above, clearly the CTS is competitive.

The designs in general have a distinct... homemade appearance. Some have had velour dashpads (Elvis would've loved 'em) and straight-sided consoles that smack of upholstered plywood boxes. Really looked dated and bush-league; not the things of 6-digit cars at all. Some pictures have elicited out-loud laughter on my part. I am not exaggerating. Very recent ones must have greatly improved.

Oh; good to know the CTS "isn't competitive"! I wonder how 55K or so consumers were so easily hornswaggled into buying one? Let's ge tthe word out. And that's right above: Cadillac is without a doubt 'under seige'. Of course this begs the question- what, then, is mercedes? I suppose I'm in error for weighing sales data as any indication of success...

Heard something on the radio. There exists focused directional radio waves that are so powerful they will bring down any man to his knees at 100 yards with intense head pain. Move back and everything's normal with no lasting effects. Point them at Mexico.

¿Dónde está la cerveza?

OK; I see. However, you might be interested to know that my core opinions on GM run very similar to what brought them to a circa 58% marketshare, so maybe people like me should work for GM. Again. And no; that doesn't mean I would shoot down express-up windows.

20/15 vision says otherwise. Must be all that ribbed cladding that does it for you; you like(d) Pontiacs in the past. And since when is subaru "upscale"???

I don't think it's so much 'paying homage' as it is IDing who we'd like to bang... then chop up into little slippery pieces. Sorry, that's another fetish for another time.

No; it's unattractive and of legendary substandard quality. Or didn't you hear?

>>"People like you are why GM is having issues. You can't see past your own nose when it comes to what GM needs to be in the industry, so hopefully people like you will never work for GM again."<< Wow; you assume I'm an ex-GM employee. Fascinating.

I'd touch it; I'm sure the cooties were 'embalmed' too. EDIT: I found the original uncropped pic of my avatar; it is indeed from rotten.com. There were a half-dozen or so naturally-preserved corpse pics from Mexico, tho I don't recall the link title. Another warning: the site is not for the weak of constitution. There's some pics there that will haunt you...

Well, DeSoto offered a 2x4 set-up on the 383 and Chrysler did not, tho DeSoto also offered a 2bbl and 4bbl set-up, which Chrylser did. CR was the same. Hm-mmm, the dual quads are all that 'bubble up' for me, too.

Does it look as sexy in the service department of the subaru dealer? Never mind "ugly up"; are we ever going to see some 'beautying up'??

Cunningham C7?

>>"...but when both companies already have a luxury brand selling $80k vehicles, the market just has to ask: Why?"<< If the vehicles are truely sufficiently differentiated, the market should never focus on the fact that they share the same parent corporation. This was never a problem with GM until rampant inter-divisional sharing became commonplace. VW & audi are not at that autonomous level (like vinatge GM) of course. >>"I guess it will be rare. So, I expect it to grow in value as it becomes a collector car in like 15 years or so."<< 15 years is far too soon for a non-exotic/non-specialty to become a collector vehicle. The phaeton, regardless of my general opinion of it, is not going to appeal to collectors in general for a lot longer than 15 years- by that time what kind of shape are all the electronics going to be in? Lot of scarce cars never achieved notable value in the collector market.

Wow- sorry but: "That's hot!" That shot alone makes me want to see more retro/modernized cars! My request- a modern '63/'64 GP.

Sixty8- I hear you, brother. But just think how much nicer most of those cars could be if 9/10 body panels weren't carelessly bashed in- some of those 'art' cars would still be 'parts' cars.

Oh no you don't. Jen is my girl- you stick with (to) Claire and your grapes.

Never ridden/driven a ferrari and only been around a few. Those (statically) failed to impress me, especially for the price (which curiously was mentioned as almost a positive above). For the same money a car could easily be built that would destroy a ferrari and have an interior from the current millenium (based on those cars' & pics I've seen: horrible interiors). And not have a starter that sounds like a '70s MoPar. Ahhh- that's just me I suppose. Nice write-up, tho.

Wow- awesome creepy stuff. The pieces strongly remind me of the 'statuary' in the basement of House on Haunted Hill. I have to admire those who are able/driven to follow their vision thru over the course of years.

Yeah...um, OK; that was indeed sarcasm. I really didn't think a smilie was necc on that one, but apparently so.In all seriousness, if the vehicle's power, drivability, comfort, room, styling and reliability are in order, no half-handful of 'missing' features are going to ever turn me away from it. What- my wittle finger might get tired pulling up for 4 seconds on the non-power express-up button? I think I can handle it.

>>"it retains Saab's like-it-or-lump-it interior design, with its odd but distinctive ergonomics. This is surely the most grown-up interior of any GM car sold in the U.S., with rich black soft-touch surfaces, affirmative switchgear and -- in the Aero -- warm metal accents. I love the car's cockpit, though it's by no means flawless."<< Lessee: 'like-it-or-lump-it', 'odd', 'no means flawless' vs. 'most grown up'. Doesn't sound quite like 'the top' to me, but everyone has a different opinion.

Oh good. Let me add my '94 F-150: still rock solid at 143K. Great trucks.