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Drew Dowdell

Editor-in-Chief
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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    And don't forget that the CT6 is just getting up to speed as well. I wouldn't even call it up to speed yet.... it's barely hit the lots.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    I liked your Vette v Benz thread, I don't think it bombed
  3. Drew Dowdell
    Like it sounds....
  4. Drew Dowdell
    warranty work Hours get billed back to warranty cost centers at HQ. A GM tech being paid for non-warranty work is being paid by the dealership who charges the customer and takes a markup. A GM tech being paid for warranty work is being paid by the dealership who bills a specific number of work hours back to GM. Legacy Dealerships don't make much profit on warranty work.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Honestly, I prefer the 1989 - 2002 SL over the 2008 model... the 2008 model just don't do it for me on looks. Even better, because it is older, it's also cheaper.... I know that wasn't the criteria, but that's another reason for me not picking the '08 model.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    The benz you can get fairly cheap... get the vette and save up for the benz
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Electrical Engineers cost more per hour than SAE Certified Automotive Technicians...
  8. Drew Dowdell
    Vette... it will appreciate... the Benz will only depreciate.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    As I said to someone in private message: The reason the ATS wasn't included was because it was a comparison of mid/large cars. The reason it was only a mid/large car comparison is because that's where there is a double standard of complaints against Cadillac and for Audi in that segment (really any segment where they perform roughly the same, or Cadillac does better but gets criticized while Audi gets a pass) It was that double standard on Audi v. Cadillac that was being pointed out..... As the A3 is doing really well right now while the ATS isn't, that double standard does not apply, thus the ATS/A3 comparison not being included.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    Don't get too hooked on the money FCA....
  11. Drew Dowdell
    Yeah, but that rational is why I can get around in the winter with AWD & Snow tires (really... the Honda can climb walls) and they're sliding off the road in their AWD Mountanieers.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    Isn't there some document out there somewhere that says your particular VIN has a CPO warranty on it or not?
  13. Drew Dowdell
    May - August is typically our slowest time.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    Careful FCA.... Google has a habit of suddenly canceling projects.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    Not all Start/Stop technologies are the same. GM's is just a down-tuned version of their old eAssist without the assist. Much smoother than the Benz version.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    I also want to point out that not all AWD systems are the same. Honda's system is very mild. Haldex systems are very good. The system GM put in the Encore/Trax is excellent due to the way they tune it. I know the system Ford put in the Escape is very good (I've seen the tests)... and if that system is also used in the larger Fords, it's capabilities should carry over. The new Dual-Clutch system GM, Ford, and Land Rover are using in some vehicles looks to be the best new system out there. Jeep has multiple systems for their crossovers ranging from "meh" to "rock climber".
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Subaru's have one of the best crash safety records around and have for years. They are a Japanese Volvo in that regard. There really is no extra cost in running snow tires, just an early cost. You extend the life of your summer tires by 10s of thousands of miles of vehicle travel (If you drive 14,000 miles a year, in theory, you only put 7,000 miles on your summer tires)... that means a 40,000 mile set of summer tires will last 5 years instead of 2.5 years.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Welcome back old timer!
  19. Drew Dowdell
    More profitable….. but will that actually mean PROFITABLE?? Again, the entire development costs of the factory and everything is being put on the Model-S right now. The cars themselves are likely profitable per unit after you take out the factory construction costs etc. That's the reason Tesla as a whole is unprofitable right now... they don't have high enough sales yet to spread the physical costs around.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    No one is claiming that Telsa can lose money indefinitely, but likewise, no one should be surprised that they are still losing money today. They're still in factory building mode which is about as capital intensive as you can get. Compare that to GM's Lordstown plant which has been building cars since before I was born, the costs of building and multiple-retrofits of that plant have been amortized out ages ago. Scion died because with sales so low, it wasn't profitable to continue even the brand name.... but in that case we're talking low volume of $20,000 cars, not $80,000 cars. Even if the Model 3 is unprofitable, or just breaks even, it improves the overall financial health of Tesla. It's going to share a bunch of parts... particularly the expensive batteries and motors the Model S and Model X use... and make those vehicles more profitable.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    Erm... that's exactly what Tesla is working on doing. That's why they're building the biggest battery factory in the world. There's been a ton of start up and R&D costs to get things running. Even if you were trying to start up a gas powered car company on a single model, all of the R&D and initial investment would kill your profit for the first decade or so. I doubt even GM or Toyota makes much in terms of profits on a car run lower than 50,000 vehicles, that's a big reason why Scion died... and they'd be negative if they weren't sharing parts and resources with other vehicles.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    There are times when AWD is really needed... here in Pittsburgh, with my street and driveway... it's a must, because I have to go uphill, both ways, in the snow. (not kidding) But I still put snow tires on my cars because going uphill also means going downhill.....
  23. Drew Dowdell
    The biggest thing for me is NO DIESEL SMELL! I swear... the buses in Pittsburgh pump the diesel exhaust directly into the passenger cabin.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    This is a Continental thread, can we keep the Cadillac ads in their own thread?
  25. Drew Dowdell
    As I tell everyone who makes that claim.... "All cars have all wheel stop.... so buy snow tires"
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