smk4565

Actually the Lincoln MKZ isa good used car buy also, they can be had for under $20k and they always did well on JD Power reliability ratings. And the chassis isn't from the 1980s like the Town Car or W-body.

I have a G-body car, it was not cheap to maintain. So hard to say with a Lucerne. I had 3 power windows break on my car, I think it is just GM build quality and luck of the draw. The 3.6 with a 6-speed shouldn't be much worse on gas than a 3900/4-speed. But again, if cost of ownership, then I go back to a 2011 Sonata GLS which used are about $18k.

With an uncertain job situation it may not be a good idea to get a new car, but if you absolutely need one, I'd go lower on the price scale which rules out $27k on a LaCrosse. The Lucerne is so dated dated though, it was dated when it was new, imagine it in 5 years time. Aside from the Hyundai Sonata (the best car ever) I would say a 2006-2009 Cadillac STS is actually the best choice. An 07 STS is around $20,000.

They ruined yet

A BMW 328i can cross $50,000 with all the toys. Although I think that is too much for a 4-banger, I can easily see a V6 ATS hitting $50k, since a C350 or Audi S4 can, and a V6 CTS does as well.

Nice, I like oddball classics.

True on all acounts. Dealer pricing anywhere is high, I think it is cheaper and easier to deal with the Jiffy Lube, Midas, Mieneke type service shops. And my car is hard to work on. But I will say they are friendly and fix the car right every time in Wexford.

Torque. 328i: 260 lb-ft @ 1250 rpm A4: 258 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm C250: 229 lb-ft @ 2200 RPM (and that is weak engine for the class) ATS: 190 lb-ft @ 4400 RPM ATS also has 6 gears, while BMW and Audi have 8. 328i and A4 2.0T both do 0-60 in 5.6 seconds so that should be the target for a base model ATS, and 34 mpg.

They are a dated dealer, they also charge a lot. I had a quote a couple years back for $2800 from them to replace a solenid and torque converter, and a transmission repair place did it for $1400. So to me the dealer doesn't matter too much on buying a car, I probably wouldn't go back to it very much anyway. I buy a car, not a dealership, although a fancy dealership may get some people to get a good feeling about the product that is in it.

A Lincoln MKZ is 34,755. Surely an ATS should cost as much as a luxury trim Fusion. I think $34,000 is a reasonable starting point for an ATS, around $40,000 for a V6. Although that 2.5 engine is bad, that might get the car cheaper. But if it is meant to take on the 3-series, it should have 3-series pricing.

It is a really nice car, $50k seems steep though, but at a lower price I say cheers.

Even with a great interior, it is still a slow electric car, that has heavy batteries and probably won't handle like a Cadillac should. However it is still less lame than a Ferarri hybrid.

If Mercedes and BMW have such poor images and are just fleet whores in Europe, why can't Cadillac make it in Europe? How many Cadillacs sold in Germany last year? And why can't Cadillac compete with BMW or Mercedes in the USA? What about China, where Audi is the government sedan of choice, and Mercedes and BMW are not the taxi, yet they are #2 and #3 selling 150-170,000 cars each there. Cadillac sold 28,000 cars in China last year, 3% of the luxury car market there. The Audi Q5 alone sold 32,000 in China, with the Audi brand doing 225,000 sales. China in 2015 is expected to have a larger premium car market than the USA does. Cadillac can't be a 3% player there, and in the USA see sales drop from 235,000 in 2005, to 152,000 in 2011, while having almost no presence in Europe.

Cheers.

Good buy if it didn't have the diesel engine. Since it has 17,000 miles already, the engine will probably blow soon. It is really nice car in good condition, but it has the wrong engine (unless you don't drive anywhere).

No.

I don't care for smallish SUVs, but that diesel engine is sweet. 8-speed transmission is nice also. The supercharged V6 is surprising, not sure why it doesn't make around 310 hp and lb-ft like it does in other Audi products. The gas V6 seems weak, better off with the diesel.

And yet, the CTS still has a plasticy interior, and Cadillac can't manage to get any sales in Europe. And Cadillac is still drifing around 5th place in sales in their home market. If Mercedes is so flawed, it should be easy for Cadillac pass them by and make a $100k car that sells 75,000 units globally per year, and get 500k sales out of the CTS and ATS. It would be easy but people are hung up on a name and GM still has to overcome 20+ years of Consumer reports and news bashing them even when they did not deserve it. No they still get no respectible press. Righ so how does one change that image? Better product, flagship sedan, halo sports car, longer warranty, expanded roadside assistance, better service/dealer experience, advertising, etc. But mainly better product, and not a Chevy Impala with extra wood trim and a touch screen.

We made fun of the Lexus Prius, here comes the Cadillac Volt. I suspect just like the CT200h sales will be low.

And yet, the CTS still has a plasticy interior, and Cadillac can't manage to get any sales in Europe. And Cadillac is still drifing around 5th place in sales in their home market. If Mercedes is so flawed, it should be easy for Cadillac pass them by and make a $100k car that sells 75,000 units globally per year, and get 500k sales out of the CTS and ATS.

I agree with that, there are many factors that lead buyer one way or the other. Some might not care at all about performance, others might make that their main priorty. But I do think on luxury cars brand image matters. This is where Cadillac falls short and what they need to repair.

SS Performance could just be a trim line on existing cars. But maybe it will be a Caprice cop car for retail customers.

CTS has a lot of plastic in the interior, it still feels cheaper and not as well built as the German cars to me. As a GM car owner that has spent a lot on maintenence, I still question if a current CTS 10 years from now will hold up, or will power windows/mirrors break, leather crack and wear out, interior trim pieces come loose, engine mounts break, engine sensors go bad, air conditioning compressor break, etc. Cadillac has to win people over time with rock solid build quality to keep people coming back. Cadillac for example offers 5 year roadside assistance, Mercedes is forever. Unlimited miles, years, and owners shows Mercedes has confidence in their product. Mercedes in Europe also offers a 30 year anti-corrosion warranty. I think you need a flagship too. Infiniti has two strong cars with the G37 and M37/M56 yet where are they? No flagship or halo car, no status, no image.

They won't be missed. Scion could be Toyota's Saturn. Loads of money invested for very little return and eventually just closing up shop.

Well the Accord has been pretty much benchmark for midsize cars for almost 30 years, and a really strong seller. In the past 25-30 years, I'd say only the Camry has been as successful. The Taurus had a run from 1986-1996 when it sold pretty well, but no single model in the mid-size segment has had the success of Accord or Camry, and the Accord was always much better reviewed than the Camry was. The 3-series is pretty much the Accord of the entry-lux segment. I'm sure GM in 2040 would like to look back over the previous 30 years and see the CTS in the top 3 in luxury sales every year, with 25 10 Best awards on the shelf to boot.