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tmp

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Everything posted by tmp

  1. After being gone from BH for decades, there is a new Cadillac dealership in Beverly Hills. Since Martin Cadillac in West LA closed recently (and Elhers Cadillac in Hancock Park was torn down for Beverly Hills BMW's new showroom) this is now the Caddy dealer for West Los Angeles. https://www.cadillacbeverlyhills.com
  2. Thanks guys; you're the best!
  3. It's stunning. Can't wait to see it in person. I also love that it's lighter than the outgoing model (which I liked a lot) I cam across this article, which kind of made me laugh. I can't consider a growth of 5 inches "whopping", unless it was in my height..
  4. They'll sell. I'm seeing more Volts where I live every day. It helps that cities in SoCal are installing charging stations (some free) and the Volt gets the sticker to get in the car pool lane. But also when Gas was flirting with $5 per gallon regular even my dyed-in-the-wool SUV friends were considering downsizing. The real issue is getting out the message what the Volt is and how it works and I think GM is doing a good job on that. The ELR will get market penetration where the Volt might not by being sportier, luxurious and by being a Cadillac. I remember when people on forums were saying the FWD SRX was the worst idea ever, and it's a sales smash..
  5. You guys forget one thing. You're young, enthusiastic car guys. I was at a table (as a guest) at a Beverly Hills charity event last week and apropos of nothing two of the couples at the table started talking about having seen the XTS at some other event or something. They thought it was gorgeous. They loved CUE and the tech stuff and commented on how well done the car was, especially the interior. They got the other two couples at the table asking questions. Granted, they're in their 60's but they're ambulatory and have the money to buy one like I have the money to buy a diet coke, and they were talking about Cadillac. With no apologies, no worries about resale and no RWD v/s FWD questions. Baby boomers aren't dead yet and they have disposable income. A lot of them don't care if it's front drive, rear drive or driven my chickens on Red Bull as long as it gets them there quickly and looks good. I've seen the XTS in person and it's a winner. I think Cadillac has room for this car in the lineup until the big daddy comes up, and even perhaps after.
  6. This past weekend was the 10th annual classic car show at the legendary Farmer's Market in Los Angeles. There was a whole strip devoted to Pontiac; the part of the market near Anthroplogie was Firebird central, while the north part of Gilmore Lane was completely about the GTO. The whole show was about American Iron and was a great time.
  7. Lexus also did well because at the time Cadillac and Lincoln had seriously dropped the ball, making cars that were smaller versions of their 70's ones. As much as I liked driving one on the freeway, on something like Coldwater or Benedict Cañon a 80's deVille was nausea-inducing. Trust me, I've done it. The Lexus hybrid sedan didn't do well because it was Lexus' Cimmaron (lite). It wasn't good looking or particularly luxurious, got good but not stellar mileage and didn't scream "I'm saving the planet and am better than you" like the Prius. The RXwhateverH is doing pretty well, at least in LA. Where, I think the ELR will sell very well. I just hope Beiber doesn't chrome his.. I think it's interesting that Lexus is going through their own "malaise era" and are desperately trying to convince the world that they're actually sporty..
  8. This is the last building that housed Beverly Hills Cadillac. Dated? Maybe a little. But with a little polish and an interior redo I can see them selling Kanye a Ciel or Leonardo an ELR..
  9. I drove one at a Chevy ride-and-drive and was really impressed with it. So much so that I tired to talk a co-worker into one. She chose to go with a Mini instead. From my experiences with friends who have had one, she might regret that decision. Certainly when she gets her first blow-out..
  10. Damaging another persons vehicle during the operation of yours is a property-damage accident. If the gunk hit someone's face and cut them then it becomes a personal injury accident. Especially when doing so by being a dick and showing off. You would preferably call the non-emergency number, but yes, you can report him as a dangerous driver. I don't know about your cops but in my hood the cops would have him pulled over before he got a mile.
  11. The guy on the bike was an ass. Having written that cutting a bike off isn't cool, even if he's an ass. Better to get his license plate # and call him in to the local constabulatory as a dangerous, possibly drunk driver. If there was damage to your ride then a charge of leaving the scene of a property-damage accident will hurt the little bastage a lot more than any invective you could throw at him, since it will hit him in his pocketbook and perhaps land him in jail.
  12. Hope it's okay to post this here Linky
  13. Part of it being so expensive is that it comes with a big honking lot in Montecito, the most expensive part of Santa Barbara (which is pretty expensive to begin with). Oprah & Rob Lowe are residents. I couldn't live there myself; too cold. I'd feel like I'd never be able to leave a glass on the counter or a magazine out. I'd prefer something more along the lines of this.
  14. calculating heat index This is what they refer to on Weather.com as the "real feel" temp
  15. At the other end of the scale on the way to work this AM I saw a puke-green first-gen CTS with a kelly-green fake cabrio top, gold accents (including rims), and vogue wheels. Just awful..
  16. I didn't have a place to pull over to take pictures but there must have been some sort of classic car meet in Malibu yesterday. There were old Aston Martins, Porsches, Corvettes, at least one gull-wing SL, a Caterham, a 68 Camaro, a few Ferrari and the oddest one, a Hillman Minx, all driving in the opposite direction from me over Piuma Road.
  17. That's why they make sedans and wagons. There are those of us who like coupes, can live with the smaller trunk and don't really need a backseat that Kobe can comfortably fit in or a 3-mobster truck. Kind of funny that they're complaining about too-heavy steering on a Cadillac..
  18. Autoblog tests the new fortwo Sorry, I'm not really seeing it. Urban commuters don't have a place to charge it and I think very few suburban commuters would want a car this small when they can have a Volt.
  19. Okay, I'm wondering a couple things. Like, did this guy do research on how much this is going to cost? I assume that this magical plate will have to have A) a power source that the state will maintain, since I'm not going to plug it in for you, B) some connection to a cellular network to get the ad signals to the plate and C) GPS, an accelerometer or some connection to the cars onboard computers to know when the car has been idle for four seconds to display these ads. Like someone else said, it's like strapping an iPad to your bumper and frankly I'm not paying for that unless I get cut in on the revenue. All so your license plate can cease to give the one piece of information it's sole job should be to ask you to "Eat at Joe's"? Why not do it with drivers licenses too? When the cop wants to write you a ticket he'll have to sit through a 30 second commercial for a donut shop!
  20. I'm really sorry to read this. What a rotten way to start your day..
  21. "A Times investigation shows the world's largest automaker has delayed recalls and attempted to blame human error in cases where owners claimed vehicle defects". By Ken Bensinger and Ralph Vartabedian During a routine test on its Sienna minivan in April 2003, Toyota Motor Corp. engineers discovered that a plastic panel could come loose and cause the gas pedal to stick, potentially making the vehicle accelerate out of control. The automaker redesigned the part and by that June every 2004 model year Sienna off the assembly line came with the new panel. Toyota did not notify tens of thousands of people who had already bought vans with the old panel, however. It wasn't until U.S. safety officials opened an investigation last year that Toyota acknowledged in a letter to regulators that the part could come loose and "lead to unwanted or sudden acceleration." In January, nearly six years after discovering the potential hazard, the automaker recalled 26,501 vans made with the old panel. In a statement to The Times, Toyota said that there was no defect in the Sienna and that "a safety recall was not deemed necessary" when it discovered the problem in 2003. The company called the replacement part "an additional safety measure." A peerless reputation for quality and safety has helped Toyota become the world's largest automaker. But even as its sales have soared, the company has delayed recalls, kept a tight lid on disclosure of potential problems and attempted to blame human error in cases where owners claimed vehicle defects. The automaker's handling of safety issues has come under scrutiny in recent months because of incidents of sudden acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles, which The Times has reported were involved in accidents causing 19 fatalities since 2001, more deaths from that problem than all other automakers combined. After Toyota this fall announced its biggest recall to address the sudden-acceleration problem, it insisted publicly that no defect existed. That drew a rare public rebuke from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which chastised the automaker for making "inaccurate and misleading statements." In the wake of Toyota's announcement of the massive recall, The Times examined some of the ways the automaker has dealt with safety problems in recent years and found that: * The automaker knew of a dangerous steering defect in vehicles including the 4Runner sport utility vehicle for years before issuing a recall in Japan in 2004. But it told regulators no recall was necessary in the U.S., despite having received dozens of complaints from drivers. Toyota said a subsequent investigation led it to order a U.S. recall in 2005. * Toyota has paid cash settlements to people who say their vehicles have raced out of control, sometimes causing serious accidents, according to consumers and their attorneys. Other motorists who complained of acceleration problems with their vehicles have received buybacks under lemon laws. * Although the sudden acceleration issue erupted publicly only in recent months, it has been festering for nearly a decade. A computerized search of NHTSA records by The Times has found Toyota issued eight previous recalls related to unintended acceleration since 2000, more than any other automaker. * A former Toyota lawyer who handled safety litigation has sued the automaker, accusing it of engaging in a "calculated conspiracy to prevent the disclosure of damaging evidence" as part of a scheme to "prevent evidence of its vehicles' structural shortcomings from becoming known" to plaintiffs lawyers, courts, NHTSA and the public. As a result, plaintiffs attorneys are considering reopening dozens of product-liability suits against the automaker. Toyota has called the allegations of the attorney, Dimitrios Biller, "both misleading and inaccurate" and noted that he is also suing another former employer. The company said it had "acted appropriately in product liability cases and in all reporting to federal safety regulators." In a written statement to The Times, Toyota said that it strove to keep government officials and consumers informed about potential safety problems with its vehicles, which it says are tested to meet or exceed federal standards. "Toyota has absolutely not minimized public awareness of any defect or issue with respect to its vehicles," the company said. Currently, Toyota is a defendant in at least 10 lawsuits alleging unintended acceleration that caused five fatalities and four injuries. Two of those suits are seeking class-action status. But few, if any, sudden-acceleration cases ever make it to trial, according to attorneys who handle such cases. After a 2007 crash of a Camry that accelerated out of control for 20 miles before killing the driver of another car in San Jose, Toyota was sued by members of the victim's family. Their attorney, Louis Franecke, said the automaker "didn't want to go to trial," and paid them a seven-figure sum in exchange for dropping the case and signing a non-disclosure form.
  22. Don't want to get 68 on this, but I see a b-pillar in there or is that referring to the concept?
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