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Drew Dowdell

Editor-in-Chief
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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    And yet... Mazda and Chevy are coming out with diesel vehicles. BMW is still building theirs... and if the rush on 2015 VW diesels is any indication, VW may not want to step out of the game there either if they can get their cars right. There is a buying contingent out there that likes diesel cars. I am still very much in favor of electrification, but the hybrids are still too far on the eco side of things for my taste. If you're going to go to all the trouble of electrifying the powertrain, at least add the benefit of the large amounts of torque that electric motors provide. The Volt is the one that sort of gets it right, but even then it's technically not a hybrid. I'm interested in trying a CT6 PEV
  2. Drew Dowdell
    I spotted a CT6 Platinum today in bright white... Beautiful car
  3. Drew Dowdell
    I want to say another manufacturer got hit with something similar about a year ago... airbags that didn't go off in certain situations and it was programming related. I know from researching the GM ignition switch recall that the NHTSA already knows there is a certain percentage of crashes where the airbags do not deploy... and even in the GM scandal, the percent of crashes where the airbags didn't deploy due to switch failure was well below the national average. It makes it really hard to detect a defect in coding or the series-of-unfortunate-events-on-an-ignition-switch that ends up causing a fatality. You're talking a sample size of a percent of a percent of crashes at best, and then you only start to see the defect when large numbers of vehicles are cranked out.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    Too much like my old kitchen floor
  5. Drew Dowdell
    I actually like it. I hope the V-Sport continues, though I doubt it will.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    Well I stopped by @balthazar's place on my way from DC to Edison NJ for him to take a look. I popped the hood, he shook his head and said, "The problem is that you have too many vacuum hoses". Kidding aside. I continued on my trip another 12 miles after I left Balth's, parked the car at the hotel, made a quick run to Target (5 miles round trip), and this morning I barely got it started when I was leaving for work. I tried to find an open place the sold AC Delco batteries, but their website must be pretty out of date as the first one I got to looks like it had been closed for years. I gave up on AC Delco and went to PepBoys. I am now the owner of a Bosch AGM battery. $143 out the door. Thanks for the advice everyone.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    AGM? Update. I just started it 4 times in a row after going through and snugging up every connection I could find. I removed the wired from the alternator, resnugged them. Let's see what happens.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    One thing I forgot to add... about a month ago, I took the battery to Autozone for them to test it. They said it was fine and just very very low. They recharged it and handed it back to me. However, I feel a little suspicious... if it was as low as they said, they "recharged it" very quickly. It was done in 30 minutes. Alternator was done in November
  9. Drew Dowdell
    So, recently I have been needing to jump the Toronado if I let it sit more than a few days. Last night, in anticipation of a road trip this morning, I put the battery on the charger for about 4 hours. This morning, it fired right up, no trouble. I head out on my road trip, 250 miles total. I had my headlights on for most of the trip due to rain. During the trip I made at least 3 stops where the engine was shut off. Each time, on restart, she fired up like she just rolled off the line at Linden NJ. I arrived at my destination around 1 pm. At 4:30pm, I run out for a quick errand, no more than 5 miles each way No problems starting at either of my stops. I pull into the driveway here to unload the car, intending to move it out of the driveway after the car was unloaded. When I went to move it, the starter tried to crank, but died and the lights died. My digital clock reset back to 12am. I was able to jump it fairly quickly (albert drove down in the Encore also). I made sure the posts were tights... they weren't finger loose, but I was able to snug Neg up a little bit with a wrench. I moved it to it's parking spot and shut it off... disgusted, I didn't bother to try and restart it. I don't know the exact age of the battery, but it's over 5 years. I replaced the battery not long after I bought the car in July of 2011. Thoughts? Should I be battery shopping or should I look at something else?
  10. Drew Dowdell
    It's a tall hatchback... it's barely even a crossover.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    I argue against the idea that this is an RX fighter. The RX is a full size-class above the Stelvio. X3 fighter, maybe.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    The 6-series interior is way too tight for a car that large. I get that it's supposed to be a grand tourer and not a 7-series sedan, but it's just too small inside. The CLS is much better feeling in comparison.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    Glad to have you here. Also glad to have you here. The format will be updated a bit in the coming months. If you need any help, you can PM me directly.
  14. Drew Dowdell

    Pictures!

    Drew Dowdell replied to Enzora's topic in The Lounge

    It was the long hair that made me know it was you
  15. Drew Dowdell
    Just about the most irrelevant model on sale today.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    UK - Off-Roader - Land Rover Range Rover Germany - Lux - S600 Maybach Italy - Weekend/Fun - Fiat 124 Abarth Japan - Do I have to? US - Family - Escalade ESV Sweden - Daily - Volvo XC90
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Maybe Maserati could buy it.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    He does have a point. The entire industry shouldn't suffer just because of one bad company.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    In a single picture for your sharing convenience....
  20. Drew Dowdell
    I think you just did....
  21. Drew Dowdell
    If Royal Enfield really has the money they claim to have... I think Ducati is in better hands with a parent company that has billions in cash rather than billions in fines.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Volkswagen, still under steep financial pressure from their diesel emissions scandal, is apparently looking to put some of its many assets on the auction block. Up first looks to be famed Italian motorcycle builder Ducati. In July of 2012, Volkswagen originally acquired Ducati for $909 million through a complicated transaction involving subsidiary Audi which in turn owns Lamborghini which is the current holder of Ducati. The purchase was the brainchild of then VW Chairman Ferdinand Piëch, a long time motorcycle enthusiast. Analysts at the time felt that it was more a trophy purchase for Chariman Piëch than one that made financial sense for VW. Sources have reported that VW has enlisted Evercore, an investment bank, to investigate the possible sale options for Ducati. Estimates currently peg Ducati with a value of around $1.63 billion (1.5b €). Speculation is that Indian automaker Eicher, maker of motorcycle brand Royal Enfield is interested and exploring possibly acquiring the brand. While not as well known in the US, Royal Enfield sells more motorcycles globally than famed maker Harley Davidson. Eicher, which also partners with Polaris and Volvo Trucks for production in India is aggressively looking to grow its global portfolio. Eicher Motors recent growth means it has over $540 million* in cash reserves to put towards that global expansion goal. Ducati sold 55,451 units in 2016. Other possible buyers of Ducati could include Harley Davidson, Polaris, and Suzuki. Source: Times of India Pictures courtesy of Ducati and Royal Enfield *In an earlier version of this article we converted Indian Rupee to US Dollars incorrectly. -DD View full article
  23. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Is Ducati Up For Sale?"
    Volkswagen, still under steep financial pressure from their diesel emissions scandal, is apparently looking to put some of its many assets on the auction block. Up first looks to be famed Italian motorcycle builder Ducati. In July of 2012, Volkswagen originally acquired Ducati for $909 million through a complicated transaction involving subsidiary Audi which in turn owns Lamborghini which is the current holder of Ducati. The purchase was the brainchild of then VW Chairman Ferdinand Piëch, a long time motorcycle enthusiast. Analysts at the time felt that it was more a trophy purchase for Chariman Piëch than one that made financial sense for VW. Sources have reported that VW has enlisted Evercore, an investment bank, to investigate the possible sale options for Ducati. Estimates currently peg Ducati with a value of around $1.63 billion (1.5b €). Speculation is that Indian automaker Eicher, maker of motorcycle brand Royal Enfield is interested and exploring possibly acquiring the brand. While not as well known in the US, Royal Enfield sells more motorcycles globally than famed maker Harley Davidson. Eicher, which also partners with Polaris and Volvo Trucks for production in India is aggressively looking to grow its global portfolio. Eicher Motors recent growth means it has over $540 million* in cash reserves to put towards that global expansion goal. Ducati sold 55,451 units in 2016. Other possible buyers of Ducati could include Harley Davidson, Polaris, and Suzuki. Source: Times of India Pictures courtesy of Ducati and Royal Enfield *In an earlier version of this article we converted Indian Rupee to US Dollars incorrectly. -DD
  24. Drew Dowdell
    I echo the surprise that you got a pre-refresh Escape... usually that would have been out of the rental fleet by now. AFAIK, the interior changes are so minimal, you'd have to look at them side by side to really tell much of a difference.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    Wrong alien...
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