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hyperv6

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Everything posted by hyperv6

  1. hyperv6
    The stock market has jumped at the speculation and Mary has gone to Germany to calm nerves. Over capacity is a major issue not only for GM but many automakers. FCA is in real bad shape in over capacity in Europe and they have no easy way out.
  2. hyperv6
    Taxes here have been too high to move it all here but that is a door that could be opened. Spain is going bankrupt and Greece has been in trouble. England is tired of bailing others out with no say. France is not setting the world on fire. There will be a time the Germans will tire of Merkle. The question is how tapped out will The be as they have really been the only solvent country. With the large run of incoming refugees and a sluggish economy it will not get better soon. If they are forced to bail out any others it will only hurt them more. I agree the timing is right to poach companies to come here and work with them. The only real problem here is just work ethic. We can not get people to show every day or pass a simple drug test. We have a hard time even with good paying positions to get people that do not loose their job from missing too much time or getting nabbed in a very basic drug test. Keeping in mind these are the ones who could pass the background test due to the need to handed sensitive information.
  3. hyperv6
    Drew is right as this is an end around to get breaks in Germany from the government and Unions like I stated earlier. PSA is a Euro company from France and has special consideration from other countries in European Union. Germany is a bastard to do business in anymore and they have rejected GM's attempts for breaks. The Unions are worse than the UAW at their toughest. Give control to the French and they can deliver like Lafayette did to Washington. GM is still going to MFG and engineer these cars as the French know better than to do it themselves outside the Diesels. We see things like this happen in this country in a way. Often trucking companies will close down and sell out to a new buyer. Yet they reopen with the same drivers in the same building and the same trucks. The also get breaks from cities to remain and they get a new cut deal with the unions. What GM is doing here is not a sure thing to work but they got nothing to lose. PSA and GM have had a good relation for years when GM owned them. Also they sold their control of part of them before. I see GM getting what they need better deals and I see PSA getting needed capital with more income and at some point GM will regain their share back. It is a win win for both companies if it works out. As it is both are losing money. As for Buick and Holden they will go on just as they have under GM control with cars engineered by Opel. Too often socialistic governments will drive companies into the ground. We saw it in England and now in Germany. They get heavy handed to the point they drive out business or break them as they see them as evil and then everyone suffers. California is doing just this to many companies and that is why they are leaving. That is also why half of California is now in Colorado and Oregon. At least most here are getting to this same conclusion but on other web sites they are about to bust a blood vessel and thin Mary is the devil incarnate. They are really out in left field as they thing this is all about product and neglect the government and labor end. Lets put it this way GM has little option here as if they let Opel fail Germany will not bail them out. This is why companies in America file for bankruptcy. It is not a failure so much in many cases as it is a reset.
  4. hyperv6
    I think some of you forget GM used to own PSA. They sold them I believe in 2013. If such a deal is made GM has made it clear they would still be a partner in this deal. The truth is it is the opposite of what it was where GM was the primary they would change places and own the minority but still a sizeable chunk. I believe PSA being a true Euro company and also being a new owner will have leverage to do things about plants and labor GM already have their hands tied on. Too many people will look at this as a product deal and it is everything but. I expect that if this deal comes in we will see little change in GM product or plans for new models. Something has to give as they can not continue to lose money. They do not want to lose money in Opel as they have made changed to help but they are limited to what they can do. The thing today is not so much how big you are but how profitable and efficient you are. Like at a race track you can over drive the track and be slower or you can slow your lap and not over drive putting in a faster lap. It is the old go slow to go faster. It is all about efficiency. The 1800 pound gorilla in the room is while GM profits are up and things are going pretty well they need better stock performance. In fact many Automakers really need better stock performance. This is part of why there is such a rush to autonomous cars as everyone see it as a way to use technology to drive their stock. I think we need to really take a look at this with more info as it comes in but in the end while this is earth shaking in the headline I expect we will see little change in the products. Where they are built and who builds them may be the major change. FCA is way over capacity but they have major trouble closing their euro plants do to rules and unions. I see the sale as a reset for GM with out going though chapter 11 at Opel.
  5. hyperv6
    My take on this was shock at first but then a little more info appears to change the dynamic. #1 you can not look at this as a product deal as it is more economic and labor. Lets face it no matter how good GM makes the Opel it is a money looser due to labor and plant issues. Opel has been a big drain of money all along. It is reported that GM would remain a partner but not the principal. I some how wonder with the change in ownership PSA can close plants and renegotiate contracts with the unions GM can not do. I really do not see GM bailing on the global Buick/Opel/Vauxhall/Holden plans. While they may not own the whole thing they will own part of it and just put burden of dealing with the economics to PSA. I have seen many companies do similar to clean house. Also while GM may not have as much profit potential they really will lose less money since they have been years from profit and the outlook is little chance of near term profit. Product wise I see little change but how business is done will change and as it is now that may not be a bad thing. GM is like a guy hanging on a hot pipe 50 feet over a tank of sharks. He has a choice to hang on and burn his hand till they are useless to swim. Or he can drop now before his hands are burned useless and try to swim out of the pool before the sharks get him. Neither choice is great but you take the one that has the best odds.
  6. hyperv6
    Now use care when reporting hatch sales as you will see an increase in sales but they will report percentages. The true number of increases will be limited. Lets face we will have more models that never existed. Kind of like them saying Alfa sales doubled in December. While true the real numbers went from 23 to 52 models sold. This is why I hate them reporting percentages with lower volume models as it can be very misleading. We see it at Cadillac when they report a 15% drop but in sales but if you look it is 75 units of one model. The worst thing for Cruze hatch sales are all the new CUV models GM is introducing. Their worst competition will be from within.
  7. hyperv6
    The hatch will still have a hard row to hoe. Americans are just becoming anti car in general be it coupe, sedan and hatch. They do love the versatility of a CUV but most also like the higher ride height and the option of a AWD at not a large cost. Many hatches either do not add it or it takes the price beyond what it should be for a car like a Cruze. Lets face it the small Buick CUV is doing better than a if it were a hatch sedan. Just look at the HHR as it was nothing but a Cobal wagon but it sold generally 5 times what a Cruze wagon would have sold. I love a hatch but in America make it look like a truck or SUV and it sells. This is a truck/SUV driven market as people just like them and feel they are getting more for their money. It is going to be difficult to change this with more CUV models coming sucking all the oxygen out of the market for the hatch. At least with the global market now you will get small volumes of hatches here that you never would have gotten other wise so all is not lost. Same applies to the wagon if not for global sales and Opel we would not be seeing the Regal wagon. Sad how good it looks and it will still sell in small volumes. It looks better than the sedan.
  8. hyperv6
    As for GM cars they did have many issues from 1973-2005. But for their most part they were cheap to repair and always would start. The paint may have fallen off and the body may have rusted but they would always run. Years ago the Vega was a prime beater car as it may have rusted and used oil but it always would run and you could fix it for $20. Guys in school would just save the used oil from oil changes to put in as why buy it if it is going to burn. Along with The Fiat we had a Vega and a Sunbeam Alpine. The Vega had them all covered for durability. It did everything wrong but it always got there. The Sunbeam never had much oil pressure but it never blew up. Rust and electrical were issues. Lucas the prince of darkness. Jag has improved under Ford and the new owners but they are over priced and still have some nagging issues that should not be. I have a friend at work with one and he is over 100K miles now. That would have been unheard of years ago. But he can work on it himself so while parts are not cheap he can save on the labor. We had a 76 Jag sedan that was never reliable till it received a 4287 Pontiac V8 in place of the V12 that kept dropping valve seats. Rust was not an issue due to coming from TX. Note it was faster with the Pontiac.
  9. hyperv6
    The truth is Italian cars in general have been sub part for decades. Since WWII they were cheap and quirky. Even the Ferrari for too many years have suffered rust issues and the dreaded 30,000 mile overhaul. Most models are sold before that as the thrill is gone and they do not want to spend that much money changing belts and ball joints. The new models are much better but still have many very expensive things that need done that most normal cars do not need. I almost bought a Dino once. It was only $15K and no one wanted it. But the fear of rust and quality issues kept me out of it. Smart move back in 1985. Now today they are worth $500K. LOL! Who would have ever knew that the car everyone hated would become the car everyone wants today. English cars only got better with the influx of German MFGs. French are still an acquired taste. Good diesels but ugly and rusty cars. Germans solid and durable but some odd engineering at BMW at times and at times cold soulless feel. They all have their good and bad but with Italian cars styling was always great as was sound but quality was never a thing they were known for even years ago. Lambo only got better under VW.
  10. hyperv6
    58a0f8079e79a-HyundaiElantraSport1.jpg
    Look a little like a Fusion from the rear.
  11. hyperv6
    Smart comment! Trust me if there is a way to screw up a Miata Fiat will find a way. Let face it the Italians can style some of the best cars but the new Spider is not a real looker.
  12. hyperv6
    Why did you just pay full sticker price for a Fiat?
  13. hyperv6
    I am an old an old Fiat 128 veteran. Boy the stories I can tell on that car. There was good but there was more bad then good. Change a timing belt at 25,000 not 26,000 or you will need a new engine. Rust? If the humidity was 75% it would rust. Cheap the doors were as flimsy as a card board box. Odd? Spare tire in the engine compartment. A knob that says throttle but we called it Italian cruise control as you could pull it out and run over 70 MPH. If you ever got hit in the thing you were dead. No structure what so ever. Electronics did work ok in this one. We did use it as a winter car and a beater. It took a spare junk car to keep it on the road. Our wagon was from TX but the sedan from Ohio. So the Ohio car was dead at 50,000 miles but it has a lot of good mechanical parts. The car looked good but it would not lock as we had no latch for the rear. The struts held it down. We could leave it in down town Cleveland and no one would steal it. I know the cars today are build to a higher standard but with some time in a 500 you can still feel and see the cheapness of the car. Mirrors should not shake when you slam the door in a car today.
  14. hyperv6
    Every MFG has their trouble spots and models be it GM, Ford, Toyota, Mazda or FCA. The problem is more of the FCA products have been more trouble prone since the merger. Chrysler had their issues with some quality due to going broke just as GM did. But since the bail out GM has improved while FCA is relying on FCA engineered platforms that to me are not up to the quality that Chrysler used to make on their own. FCA is Debt heavy and that often leads to problems on quality. This is where they all fall down. The new Alfa platform has yet to prove itself yet as it is new. But many are wary as it had issues in development and was delayed due to these issues. Seeing FCA usually has more cars on the do not buy list due to quality than most from review firms they so have issues. GM has has issues on their large SUV models and they all ended up on the list. That tells me they have an issue with this platform. As for FCA they are having problems on multiple platforms and that is troubling and not a good sign for the new platform. Time will either clear of confirm it but I will not be shocked if they sell many that it ends up on some do not buy list. I see FCA about where GM was in the 90's where they do not have all the money they need for development. We know this due to Sergios insistence of a merger and that no one wants anything to do with him. If things improve they may be ok but if the quality continues as it is then they will continue to slide. The next couple years will be telling. My gut tells me someone comes in and takes them over or they get sold of in divisions in the next 5-10 years. A car is only as good as the bones or platform it is on. I have yet to see a platform from Fiat divisions that was at least as good as the others in the market. Like they would say about the Dart and 200 they were much better cars than they replaced but they were still at the back of the pack to the others
  15. hyperv6
    Like stated it is mostly not a bad looking cars but they really need to do something with the grill. I know it is traditional but today it appears as a large vagina in the front. Now I do not think they should scrap Alfa. But they do need to move the Voume focused to Dodge. Sergios plans of 400,000 global and 150,000 sales are just never going to happen even if they build a better BMW. Keep in mind in December Alfa sales in America doubled to a whopping 53 units. Hell 7 more cars they would have surpassed the Viper. The SUV is a better move over a wagon but their fate is already cast here. Also slipping the Alfa under the rest of the FCA line is ill advised. One they will have quality issues. Two it will delete an already weak Alfa image. Alfa is much like the 200 where it really is a much better good car but it is still not a leader in segment. Also the image of Alfa is so much more damaged than Cadillac and we all know the work GM has to do there.
  16. hyperv6
    I am not a big fan of a ton of chrome. Some done tastefully is fine but more is not better. I never understood the gold Chevy Bow Tie. I had wished they would better color coordinate the colors. Also the red out lined black bow tie was great and needs to be brought back. I put a polished aluminum bow tie on the HHR SS. It matches the polished aluminum wheels. Gold Bow Tie matched nothing. One of the biggest issues on the chrome today is that most of it is plastic. Stone Chips damage it today and usually it is a mess. I change out the hood cap on the wife's Terrain every winder with the old Chipped chrome cap. I put the clean good cap on for summer. The worst thing is the new Ford Trucks with the nose that is nothing but plastic Chrome. They have gone far beyond tasteful. They used to have a good mix but no more and the large LED lights just make it worse. Chrome should accent not dominate styling.
  17. hyperv6
    Here is my take. The Denali originally had a larger engine and a full time AWD. You got a lot for the substantial price increase. Today in most models it is the cheap chrome and stitching but there is a significant bump in price. The luxury aspect is not much. Take my Terrain. I have the V6 and 19" wheels and chrome that is shiny not satin. The red stitching would not make me feel any better and the plastic wood on the wheel is not worth the additional cost. These vehicles are more about status than anything else and that is fine as they make money. More power to them but for me the SLT2 is just as nice and generally several thousands cheaper. The Canyon doe $50K should get the Camaro V6 but I know the cost to get it approved for the Canyon may negate the profits they now see. There is what I wish and the fiscal and profitable realities. I do with they had carried the hash marks to all models not just the Camaro. But 6 months from now look for this package to be a different color or just gone all together. GM is not the only one doing these packages and they will continue doing them as they are easy to do and they prove to be popular. People generally are happy today with just the looks part of things. Even on the ZR2 I was shocked at how much work it got and how they kept the price down. I still would have loved to see the Camaro V6 offered but I understand the cost involved to put it in vs. how much money they would have made. It is about maximizing profits anymore not just making some money.
  18. hyperv6
    Well this is nothing but what Chevy also has been doing just this time it is a collective special trim on the entire line. For years Chevy did special editions in trim just for the Camaro and the trucks now they did once single trim package for them all. These packages normal last 6 months in production then they either change the color or move on. It is just a cheap way to stimulate sales, attention and excitement if you like the special color. Since there is no real engineering here and no regulations that add to the cost this is a cheap program to bring in more profits. New engines and suspensions are great but too often they do a package and on many cars they sell about the same number as special paint will and then with the added cost make little to no money. I agree they should do more but in the end they are doing what makes the most money. Case in point. Chevy did the SS package on the Cobalt and HHR and at the end of the day great cars much like the Redline but go back and look at the sales and figure out how much it cost to develop them. The Cobalt SS sold in low numbers the sedan in the last year of 2 sold in the hundreds. The HHR sold less than 9K units in 3 years. The problem for Chevy is to do special cars like this the price goes up as they really only have the North American market unlike Ford with the RS sell it globally and spread cost out over more markets. GM is better off doing this with the Buick, Opel, Holden, and Vauxhall line with the OPC models. They can spread the cost and they can get a higher price more easily. Lets face it people will only pay so much for a Cobalt or Malibu no matter what engine is in it. Would you pay $42K for an AWD 2.0 Turbo Cruze hatch? A few will but like we will see with the Ford NA sales will be low but globally sustainable. As for the name they could have gotten away with it for the most part because so few people knew about the Red LIne at Saturn. But they should have left the tag line "the First Red Line" off as not only is it not the first but they even stole the lame marketing line from the G6 Pontiac. So far the comments I have heard on these cars from the average person is nice looking but the lines on the wheels look a bit odd. The OCD people really hate them. None of this is my endorsement to not to do these cars. I think they should do them but there was some things that they could have done to make this go over a little better. I just hope they do not get stupid on the price. Lets face it the Denali package is pretty lame for what you pay for on most vehicles. But if you look to see how many are out there and how profitable it is God Bless them and more power to them for doing it. I really wish the Denali would be a top line AWD system with an engine with a little more power but it is just come cheap plastic chrome and stitching for the most parts. I priced the Denali Canyon and I can save a lot more money and get a much more fun truck with the ZR2. Nuff said. In the end hey if they make money go for it. These days it is difficult to make a special edition with more power and a special suspension if only 5K or less units are sold and make much more money with special wheels and paint.
  19. hyperv6
    Because I am not an idiot. Yes there is a mark up but dealers also earn discounts and they also get hold back fees that they can pass along. I have generally gotten $4K - $8K off by the dealer and then use my GM money from my GM car to get $1K to 2K off depending on what deals they offer. Anyone who pays sticker or close to sticker is leaving money on the table. The trick is to do your research into what the prices are and what people are paying. Then you have an idea of what they paid or close to it. Then add a little so they make some money. These ads where they say oh you only pay x% over invoice is a big scam as with their many other incentives from GM that go unadvertised is profits to them and money they can use to deal if they chose. My best deal was on a GTP Comp G Grand Prix in 2004. We got a $32K Stickered GTP for $24K and then got $2K off on the GM card. The SS It stickered at $28K and I got them to $21,750 Including $1K from GM card. I did that deal at work on the internet. It is a nice way to deal as there is no pressure and no BS. The Terrain we got $5K off sticker. The Malibu was $28K and we got it for right at $20K with incentives and GM card money. My Sonoma I got $7K off sticker with no GM card money as that was not offered. There is an art to the deal and so many people fail to take advantage of it. I have a guy here at work and he used to sell cars for 25 years. The scams are thick and heavy. The keys are to be informed and know your numbers in your head. Know what you want before you ever go to make a deal. Wait for times of the year when incentives come into play. Trucks tend to see incentives in the show season now and into spring also in the fall. GM had Truck month every year for a good while in Nov. Never buy on emotion. They will play you psychologically to get you involved emotionally to the car sitting in front of you. They will like to get you thinking not to let this one get away, Though the MFG is making more everyday. Go in and act like you do not know anything about the car so you can test the salesman to see if he knows anything. If you can deal with a manager do so it kills the back and fourth on price and the games. The Terrain I bought this way and he beat my price on the first attempt and he even included the tax and title in the price. If you have a trade do no show it till you are done making a deal on the new car. Even if you need to go get the car hold it back so they do not factor it into the price of the new car. Avoid the BS they try to tag on to the sale like paint sealers and other bolt on Options. You can buy them cheaper at Summit Racing and the sealants are bogus as is the Nitrogen in the tires. I hate and love making car deals. I have worked with some great sales people and I have walked out on many poor sales people. You bait and switch me or you BS me I walk. With the web I have so many dealers available it is easy to get a car anywhere and if they do not have it you can order or do a Dealer Trade. Once the deal is made it smells like victory. Smokem if you got em! I hope to work with a local dealer but I will go out of my region if someone will cut me a deal. I have done it before and will do it again if the price is right. FYI my buddy just bought his Colorado and did much better than $1500. He got a good deal. Note the more options you get and the more expensive the truck the more you can get off and they will make the same on it as the cheap truck they do little to discount. Each option added is a potential discounted amount. Some dealers will work from the cost of the option and mark it up just a few bucks on each one. Generally it is well below the price on the sticker for the option.
  20. hyperv6
    I anticipate it may be 8 months before they start to come off sticker price. It will be a long wait as they will not even hit dealers till May. But I refuse to pay sticker. I will play all my options and hope to get the payment down pretty good. I just need to get the HHR sold but with only 48K miles and in show like condition I should do ok on it. Most of them out there today are over 100K miles and many even with lower miles were rode hard and put away wet. I love driving the SS but the Z is the first thing as a daily driver that really has captured my attention. I am using the Malibu as a daily driver now but that will go to my son to get him to a Job he will need to get in the coming year. I though about putting him in the SS but the Insurance would be crazy. Also no 16 year old needs a 160 MPH 4 cylinder FWD. I remember all that I did at that age. It is amazing I am still here in spite of it all. By all rights my buddy and I should not be here. The real scary part now is he has an airplane and we take to the skys. At least we do not do anything stupid now but like I told him we really should not be up here with all we have done. LOL! It does make it nice to fly to a race and come home in a half hour vs. 3 hours.
  21. hyperv6
    The order info is due March 16th. https://www.gmfleetorderguide.com/NASApp/domestic/proddesc.jsp?year=2017&butID=1&regionID=1&divisionID=1&vehicleID=20604&type=0 Might not show much since most is standard but we get a few more details. I also need to make sure it will fit in the door to the Garage. I have 14 foot ceilings but a standard doors, It should my father inlaws Z71 fits fine.
  22. hyperv6
    Talked to the wife and she is all good on this. Now I just need to wait for supplies to come up to where they will deal. I have the luxury that I do not need to have it right now and I refuse to pay the price just to be an early buyer. it has been a while since I have been excited about a vehicle. i had considered a Camaro but I would never want to take it in the salt or get stone chips. Though it would be a blast on snow. I miss my olds car days with posi. With this it is a truck. Drive it.
  23. hyperv6
    I figured around $44.999 as base on the crew and then the options would take it to around $47-48K. The Diesel I expected $49-50K. I did not ever see it coming in loaded at $40K. Looking at the list there is really nothing to add but the Bose radio. I would not want plastic floor liners and I would skip the bed spare. It looks neat but I am not removing it every-time I want to haul something. Now the question is will they add more power with the Camaro engine? It would appear as a natural addition at some point. Not everyone wants a Diesel. Now I just need to sell the HHR and talk the wife into it. To be honest the HHR will help as my buddy just sold his for $10K and made money on it from what he paid 2 years ago. It has more miles and more stone chips. Mine is nearly show room clean. I should get s decent price out of it. I am excited. I just hope I can work all this out once they get more on dealer lots. I will not go get one and pay sticker or anything close to sticker. If needed I will wait it out a bit and also I have a ton of GM card money. I will wait for double value offerings.
  24. hyperv6
    I was wrong and I with pleasure will say I was about 8 grand off. Now you be honest and admit it is even cheaper fully loaded than you even expected. I just saw a magazine that predicted base price of $42K so there is a lot of people who never expected it. Sorry I missed this you want a piece of crow too. There is enough for all of us.LOL!
  25. hyperv6
    Hmmm! With a crew cab and a little off sticker with my GM money on the GM card I might actually may consider this. I had not expected it this low price. I expected loaded up $48K and saw even Motor Trend or one of the magazine estimated starting price would be $42K the only option I would want is the upgrade on the stereo as the rest of the things I want are standard.
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