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.

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.

The benz you can get fairly cheap... get the vette and save up for the benz

Electrical Engineers cost more per hour than SAE Certified Automotive Technicians...

Vette... it will appreciate... the Benz will only depreciate.

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.

Don't get too hooked on the money FCA....

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.

Isn't there some document out there somewhere that says your particular VIN has a CPO warranty on it or not?

May - August is typically our slowest time.

Careful FCA.... Google has a habit of suddenly canceling projects.

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.

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".

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.

Welcome back old timer!

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.

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.

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.

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.....

The biggest thing for me is NO DIESEL SMELL! I swear... the buses in Pittsburgh pump the diesel exhaust directly into the passenger cabin.

This is a Continental thread, can we keep the Cadillac ads in their own thread?

As I tell everyone who makes that claim.... "All cars have all wheel stop.... so buy snow tires"

I had to change the email server provider for C&G. This is the server that sends out password resets and the newletters. If you get stuck in a password reset situation and aren't getting the email, please email admin at cheersandgears.com directly and I will reset your password for you.

I don't believe so. I don't want to sound all fan-boy-like but why in the hell so people buy their stuff, for the most part???? I know none of it is junk but it's all just about out classed by everything else because of how stagnant they let their stuff get. Their bread and butter Ram 1500 is actually just getting old at this point. The other two just seem so much better overall to me. The LX cars are still great and get excellent fuel economy for their size... only the Avalon beats them in my experience, but the Avalon has other downsides. The 200S and 200C are excellent as well as long as you're not shopping for cubic feet of passenger room. And even though the Journey is old, they've kept it fairly updated... it's the only vehicle of that size with a V6 (plus if you like the power, minus if you're looking for fuel economy) and it is one of the least expensive vehicles you can get with a 3rd row unless you go with a Mitsubishi. The 4-cylinder is meh, but there's nothing inherently bad about the car. The LX cars are just so...old... now though. Isn't everything around it at least 3-5 years newer? I know they just had a big refresh a year or so ago to make it look more modern(and they do look pretty dang good). The 200 is leaving. Journey is being compared to a Mitsubishi.. 'nuff said. Hahaha http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2009-nissan-murano-vs-ford-edge-dodge-journey-mazda-cx-7-and-hyundai-santa-fe-comparison-tests Back in 2009 they still had it ranked poorly! I'll admit, some of this is bias as the Journey is one of my least favorite vehicles ever, let alone still being made and sold. It's like a van with different doors. I feel like there was zero effort to give it any style or character. They just slapped the cross-like grill on a very standard shaped box. Yes, it's got space for days for the dollar but that's about it. At least that is the only selling point that I can see. Space:Dollar ratio is favorable. Lots of cars are sold on value rather than being the newest. That old Car and Driver test is a head scratcher... the Journey is at minimum $9,000 cheaper than the rest of those (except the mazda for which I didn't see a price). I have no problem with an old platform hanging around when it is a good one... and in the case of the LX cars, it is a great one. They can do everything an Avalon or Impala or Maxima can do and more. Their primary downfall is some questionable materials choices on the interior... but that is a business decision by FCA, not a platform issue

Congratulations, Brother!! Glad to know it wasn't some personal/family illness/issue.. Must just be the pessimist in me thinking if somebody is missing it is because of a problem not a promotion.. Oh and other benefits, 3 - 4 days a week work from home will be nice, as will the shift from 80% - 90% travel to 10% travel.... My last scheduled trip ends on June 4th and then I get to work in my PJs most days. That totally rocks! I dont think Id ever be able to get any job done if I was working from home. Its awesome that Drew gets to do that....its just that Im the type of guy that NEEDS to LEAVE the house to go to work. If I stay home, in PJs, then its a day off....its a clean and wax the car day, its stay home and watch Star Wars or Good Fellas or The Terminator for the millionth time or just post at Cheers and Gears the whole day...its called laziness. However, I put on my restaurant uniform on, I leave the house, I get to the store, and Im a work-a-holic....unless a bunch of car guys walk-in with the whatever prized toy they arrive in and I chit chat the day/night away... I've been a work-a-holic all of my adult life. Even when I'm not at work, I'm working... whether it be on actual office stuff, or my rental properties, or C&G, or my other websites, or my consulting clients.... It doesn't really matter where I am, as long as I have a power outlet and an internet connection, I can work. In this new job, I made sure to make it clear that "work from home" does not necessarily mean my own home..... which means I can go spend a week in Germany at the place I say and still work. *sent from my living room floor on my work laptop while I'm ripping DVDs into my Media center PC.