A Horse With No Name

Please understand that for many of us we do not share the same automotive passions. Some of us really, really dislike certain high end luxury cars. Worst thing that could happen would be for Cheers and gears to become an automotive "safe space" where we do not criticize certain vehicles. Ask us our honest opinion....and we are likely to respond. Wasn't it Tolstoy who said that happy families are all the same and boring, unhappy families are all different and interesting? We are unhappy, interesting, and cranky....one of the things I actually like about the place...

You are also open to alternate viewpoints, which I genuinely appreciate. CEO's get really caught in group think, focus groups can go way off track also.

Agree so much with everything here. Diverting to non political before we get banned or worse. Only Luxury cars I could see actually dropping coin for would be a F type jag if I had a ton of $, an IS series Lexus or a TSX/TLX series Acura. Acura not so much that I am a huge fan, but I find it less offensive in its appearance than the accord, which also brings out the "burn it with fire so I do not have to look at it" sentiment. It strikes me as a perfect car to blend in with the rest of humanity and go un-noticed in....with a decent stereo.... Lexus I kind of like more from a pragmatic viewpoint based on comfort or reliability. Jag would have to be a third or forth car, would not trust it from a reliability standpoint. Scratch perhaps even the desire to own an F type...it really strikes me as the pretty blonde who would be a complete PITA to live with. Cadillac has enough electrical issues to make the Lucas electrical of 1950's and 1960's British iron look reliable enough for manned space flight. Audi IMHO has some partially decent styling but they look heavy and un-athletic, the same thing I find so distasteful with the MKZ and Continental. ....and then getting back to the Lexus....tried to test drive one the other day...my wife dyed her hair grey...I had the theater department at my university make me up to look like an old man...we practiced walking hunched over and slowly...we borrowed a dowdy ten year old Toyota Avalon as a potential "trade"...thought we had it all made... Got busted when they checked out my drivers license prior to the test drive and they regularized that I was only 51 years old. Sales lady says I am welcome back in 19 years once I hit seventy. Probably getting rapped on the knuckles with a ruler by the sales lady when i tried to change the infotainment system from Frank Sinatra to Alice in Chains should have been my first clue...

Why do people trade cars when they cannot afford to? Hell, my 2003 MINI Cooper S is doing fine, been paid for forever...would love to sit down with you and pump a few beers down, just to understand the auto industry better. ...and as a car guy there are so many other things I would love to spend money on other than cars. I really really want a nicer band saw for my work shop. I cannot imagine putting every penny into a vehicle.

...or maybe GM needs to just keep bringing its A game to the table? They are doing it with Chevy, they need to step it up with Buick and Cadillac IMHO.

Actually, I find the pic of Reagan more offensive than the eighties cars...anyhow.... Yes, I want stylish cars to continue, but there are very few modern cars I actually like.

Agree with Olds, many older American cars just beat the pants off of these two pseudo luxury yachts in terms of style and charter. Please be aware that when i defend Benz, I am defending them in terms of being a rational corporation that builds products people want to drive. Given the choice between driving a Benz and drinking bleach....

I would upvote this with a cheeseburger and fries if I could.... Buick would be better, i agree....

I am reserving judgement until I see the actual car. That being said....

I don't know why people keep trading cars and getting further and further upside down. Once of my car buying experiences I was sitting next to someone trying to roll 15 grand of negative equity into the next vehicle... I drive them until they drop. Usually when I get rid of a vehicle, the battery and floor mats are the only valuable parts left....

Let's see what the actual product is like....they have been letting the CC rot on the vine for what feels like forever....

I am with Balthazar on this one....no thanks for either one, actually...

C class is in many ways a decent luxury car...

I still like it better than the Infinity, Lincoln, Volvo, Buick, And VW CC.

I like the Idea of GMC and Jeep...but wonder if ti might not be too much of the same thing under one owner.

I can buy this whole list other than that particular Audi...never was an S5 fan...

It really is the beginning of the end for them....

Or why they polluted the Jeep lineup with its brand equity with products like the Compass. Everything they build seems compromised in some ways... That being said, i do enjoy the Jeep lineup and the performance Charger/Challenger vehicles.

I agree, but to have the positive changes one must risk the negative changes. Nature seems to abhor a static world...

Alfa 4C Mazda Miata Subaru WRX STI BMW M3 Mini Cooper S John Cooper Works edition.

Diesel will never make a comeback for them, at least in the good ole US. They could have sued urea injection starting in 2009 but it would have added av bout $400 per car... Would love a GTI but hesitate with the parent company in so much trouble at the moment.

Given that the 1.8T uses a timing chain, and VW can't get timing chains right to save their ass...the real performance one would need would be from the Ford F350 Tow truck hauling it in for warranty work....

Agreed.... If I had to pick just two here....it would actually come down to the M3 and the SRT 8 GC....

It has to be mind blindingly frustrating to be a Chrysler engineer...they have a lot of good ideas and input, but are never alloyed tor really make their cars all that they should be.

Agreed. Had VW played their cards right, they could be owning quite a bit of brand equity at the moment.