Drew Dowdell

SMK has issues with anything and everything Cadillac does. Cadillac could sneak an S-Class off a Benz lot and swap the badges out and he would suddenly have all sorts of complaints about the shape of the radio knobs to the feel of the ash tray liner, to the type of screws used to hold the radiator in place. He'll complain about the SRX Being FWD while extolling the virtues of the CLA and looking the other way when Audi comes up. When Mercedes models sell poorly, they're "exclusive". When Cadillac models sell poorly, "Is this the end for Cadillac?!?" The SRX outsold the X3 and GLK (sometimes combined) for years, but the SRX "sux" beause it is front wheel drive and is slightly larger outside while having the same interior room. The Escalade is "just a Chevy" while the G-Class is "best evar!!" exposed screwheads and all. If you're looking for a laugh, wander over to the Benz forum and find the thread on G-Class quality. I took pictures at the auto show just for SMK.

Nothing about how it must automatically must suck because the engine is mounted transversely?Does this mean you'll finally being to accept the SRX, which has been ahead of all of the Germans in sales (sometimes even in combined terms) for most of its model run?

They need to do cheap leasing on the TDI models. Those are the ones that hold their value the best and yet they have the highest lease costs.

You didn't snap a pic? Shoot first, upload the pictures here, then ask questions! Edit: That plate is apparently a "Vehicle Dealer" plate

To some degree... it is essentially already happening, as many of the suppliers are selling to all manufacturers. Engines, some transmissions, and styling are the most exclusive components to each company. Right.... Serg is looking to expand that. The poorness of his timing can be summed up in one word: Takata

Oh and MB is only selling the Plug-In Hybrid S-Class in California and a couple other states.... it will have roughly the same distribution as the Chevrolet Spark EV. Real "brave".

Actually, by my reading, Serg wants both. He wants to merge FCA with someone but he also wants to homogenize technology.... everyone gets the same 2.0T engine..... everyone shares transmissions. He wants to turn the auto industry into the computer industry. HP didn't build your laptop.... they assembled it using off the shelf parts from many other companies and put an attractive wrapper around it. Those same parts are used in the Dell and the Apple sitting next to it. That's what Serg wants to do. ... and to some degree, he's right.

F = Leyland

The hazards of the job.... today I literally had to dig the skeleton out of the closet in order to get to the tech equipment I was supposed to be working on....

I don't think FCA is in that much trouble. Jeep and Ram will keep them alive. Chrysler actually sells okay for only having 3 models. What they need to do is stop with this fool hardy attempt to make Alfa into the next BMW.

I'd want the greenhouse to move the other direction

My go pro burns through battery really quick. I wouldn't use one as a dash cam.

That sounds really nice. There is a semi-local resort here that I've been thinking of doing that with if I ever catch some time to breath. It would violate my cheapwad tendencies a bit, but I've stayed there once for business and I was smitten with the place.

I'm the same way. It makes it even bigger that I travel all the time for work so I'm never home. Vacation for me would be a week in my own bed. That said... if I ever get caught up at home, i'd like to go back to Boulder, CO again and spend a week hiking. Going away for vacation always sounds good until you actually get there. Then you find yourself in a hotel room that isn't as comfortable as home, away from the various things you're used to, paying a lot more for food because your well-stocked fridge isn't right there. Then you actually go to some attraction or another where things get more expensive and you wind up blowing your budget on the souvenirs everyone just HAS to have. Then again, if I'm doing something like that, it isn't for me, because my fun will be minimal. I would do all that for my son, though, and no matter how much it sucked it would be worth it to see him have a wonderful time. So, I get wanting to just stay at home and relax for vacation, it is my ideal option generally, but I also get the draw of a getaway vacation, at least if you have kids. Oh I don't travel like that at all... I pretty much never buy any souvenirs. I like to use AirBnB for that sort of travel so I eat at the location I'm staying a lot instead of eating out. For me, it's all about getting out into nature.

Modern car? I'm really looking forward to the Cadillac CT6. I'm currently a fan of the Benz C-Class and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland EcoDiesel

The stock is a questionable investment at this time... but that doesn't mean Tesla can't succeed. I was reading an article today about someone wishing Apple would get into the car business but not wanting to do it because the profit margin is only 10%. Apple has enough free cash between the couch cushions right now to buy out the entire market cap of GM, Ford, and Telsa combined. If they bought just the minimum to take control of the companies, they could own all of the domestics, at least one or two of the Germans, and American Airlines.

Even a blind squirrel gets the time right twice with his hands behind his back.

Doesn't matter to them, they're going to want a new car in 2 - 4 years anyway. Those people already were lease-ees. I don't think I understand someone who is going to complain about how much they are spending but then enter into a perpetual infinite monthly expenditure cycle. They're probably already in that cycle. They buy, go upside down, trade in 3 - 4 years before the note is paid off, and roll the balance into the next car. Leasing will probably cost them less money than that scenario. Don't get me wrong... I much prefer to buy and hold also. I'm just explaining what I think is the reason for the shift. Besides, GM says you don't even own your car anymore, you just license the software that runs it.

This is why we can't have nice things.

Doesn't matter to them, they're going to want a new car in 2 - 4 years anyway. We leased the Buick, but our reason for leasing was that we were anticipating a major life change after 2 years and we weren't sure if we were going to want the same sort of vehicle. We were a 1 vehicle household if you don't count the Toronado which doesn't get used much.

I think this goes right along with the news story about 84 month finance terms. We're setting ourselves up for another financial bubble where people "move up" through longer financing terms instead of wage increases.

I'm the same way. It makes it even bigger that I travel all the time for work so I'm never home. Vacation for me would be a week in my own bed. That said... if I ever get caught up at home, i'd like to go back to Boulder, CO again and spend a week hiking.

The big ones are all there, but the quality of the apps is poor on many of them. I'm pretty set on staying with android... I have a lot in the ecosystem and am comfortable there. Also, I'm now hearing rumors that the S4 will get the update to 5.1 or 5.1.1

All changed. All of your old posts will also have your new name.

If you have a smart phone, there are apps you can download and get a windshield mount. Maybe try that setup out first?