Random Thoughts Thread

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, daves87rs said:

Well, besides the stop/start stuff (hate that on my equinox) they should be good drives....

 

Have fun!

Every time I get an escalade loaner for taking mine in for service, the first thing I do is turn off the stop/start feature. I honestly would rather not have that disruptive feature rumble through a luxury auto let alone any auto. Not found one yet that is silky smooth and not noticeable.

[surreal1272]

Did get some sit in time in a Stinger GT2 AWD. Love how it sits and I like the interior. However, it did not come with a shoehorn to get me and my bad back in and out of that thing. Still a nice ride though, if you want to shell out $55K for it. 

 

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, surreal1272 said:

Did get some sit in time in a Stinger GT2 AWD. Love how it sits and I like the interior. However, it did not come with a shoehorn to get me and my bad back in and out of that thing. Still a nice ride though, if you want to shell out $55K for it. 

 

Yup nice looking ride, but way too small for us big guys.

Gotta get that special extra slick lube to slide into and out of it!  

[trinacriabob]

9 hours ago, ocnblu said:

 

Spot on.  It said Olds 88 all the way.  I'm guessing those were 350 powered.  Most of them.

I don't think that hood design lasted very long on the LeSabres and Parks of that era.  We had a family friend who had a triple burgundy Park Avenue coupe, one of the first and with an oversized rear quarter window, that he cursed up and down.  Mechanically okay, but it nickel and dimed him with so many ancillary things going so wrong so early. I believe he kept it until he passed away.  'This (whatever) went out on the Buick.  I took it to the dealer.  You know how much they wanted for this stupid piece?  Can you believe that?'  Yes, he was Italian.

1 hour ago, surreal1272 said:

Did get some sit in time in a Stinger GT2 AWD. Love how it sits and I like the interior. However, it did not come with a shoehorn to get me and my bad back in and out of that thing. Still a nice ride though, if you want to shell out $55K for it. 

 

I saw a bunch of good reviews for these and then a couple of unflattering ones.  I know someone who has one - low $ 30K --- 4 cyl. and no AWD.  I sat in it.  Sits too low for my taste and visibility out the back is challenging.  I also don't like the three circular vents in the middle of the dash.

Are these based on already familiar architecture?  Any ties to the Optima and/or Kia engines?  If so, it makes it less of a "first year" wild card.

[surreal1272]

12 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Yup nice looking ride, but way too small for us big guys.

Gotta get that special extra slick lube to slide into and out of it!  

I’m 5’10” and 210. It’s not so much my size as it is my bad back. Damn thing should come with KY lol!

5 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Spot on.  It said Olds 88 all the way.  I'm guessing those were 350 powered.  Most of them.

I don't think that hood design lasted very long on the LeSabres and Parks of that era.  We had a family friend who had a triple burgundy Park Avenue coupe, one of the first and with an oversized rear quarter window, that he cursed up and down.  Mechanically okay, but it nickel and dimed him with so many ancillary things going so wrong so early. I believe he kept it until he passed away.  'This (whatever) went out on the Buick.  I took it to the dealer.  You know how much they wanted for this stupid piece?  Can you believe that?'  Yes, he was Italian.

I saw a bunch of good reviews for these and then a couple of unflattering ones.  I know someone who has one - low $ 30K --- 4 cyl. and no AWD.  I sat in it.  Sits too low for my taste and visibility out the back is challenging.  I also don't like the three circular vents in the middle of the dash.

Are these based on already familiar architecture?  Any ties to the Optima and/or Kia engines?  If so, it makes it less of a "first year" wild card.

I agree about the visibility. The back window has very little viewing height to it. I liked everything else about the interior though but I get people’s gripe about the vents. They are not everyone’s cup of tea. 

[balthazar]

9 hours ago, ocnblu said:

I see Pontiac in the intersection of bumper to stacked headlight, a recycling of '66.

Actually, even mores for '64 :
 

[ocnblu]

2 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Actually, even mores for '64 :
 

YES, my brain synapses were not firing properly... found out a family member has cancer, so I am not up to par, other things lurking.

[G. David Felt]

10 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

YES, my brain synapses were not firing properly... found out a family member has cancer, so I am not up to par, other things lurking.

My condolences ocnblu, cancer sucks and affects way too many people than it should. Sending positive energy your families way to fight and win against it.

[G. David Felt]

Call it my personal BITCH, but I have to agree with a point that @balthazar has made over and over about style, consistency and sticking with what people have come to know of a brand over multiple generations.

With that statement said, I have to say that right now Cadillac is FAILING to build on that luxury consistency. The XT6 clearly looks like a re-badge of the Chevrolet Blazer. The CT5 headlights are not consistent with the CT4 or CT6.

I get the feeling that they are rushing to fill in product gaps due to the lack of progress by Johan and instead falling back to the old stupid 80's / early 90's of cheap ass re-badge and these two photos tend to reinforce it for me.

Then you have the multitude of stories like this that say this is Cadillac's last chance to become and hold onto the distinction of being a luxury leader.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/26086/gm-president-says-cadillac-has-one-chance-at-an-american-comeback

Right now the current leader as a long term GM leader is NOT HITTING the Home runs to make Cadillac a comeback Luxury marquee. I really hope that the next Escalade and EV that they bring to market does this as right now the XT /CT mess is a failure to me.

?

[G. David Felt]

Seems the Feds are Loosing the EPA MPG battle as Colorado according to this story has become the 10th state to sign onto the California ZEV mandate and will follow CARB for auto efficiency.

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-evs-colorado-joins-ca-zev-program/

At the rate states are joining California, Said state will be calling the MPG shots with Auto companies rather than the feds. 

Seems Korea has decided that the country needs to change over to EVs faster than fast and as such, the Federal Gov of Korea is giving a $7,400 rebate for EV purchase and the provincial govs are giving another $9,100 incentive and as such, the Tesla 3 is now booking reservations super fast as people plunk down their $1,000 reservation fee to buy a $26,500 tesla 3.

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-3-price-under-27k-south-korea/

At this rate, Tesla will be keeping their Gigafactory 3 in China and the US at full production for a while.

Japan according to the Tokyo news is also considering incentives for EVs that would also cover outside of the country EVs such as Tesla.

[surreal1272]

So the Kia dealership had to keep my wife’s Soul until Monday for her alternator replacement. They gave me a Hyundai Kona until then. Not a bad driving little car but giving me a black one in Phoenix in August seems a bit lacking in weather awareness.

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by surreal1272

[balthazar]

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

the Federal Gov of Korea is giving a $7,400 rebate for EV purchase and the provincial govs are giving another $9,100 incentive...

Incentive, or tax credit? $16,500 is an insane carrot; Gov’t is really overstepping if they’re using tax dollars this way.

[ocnblu]

2 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Incentive, or tax credit? $16,500 is an insane carrot; Gov’t is really overstepping if they’re using tax dollars this way.

Seems obvious that Koreans don't want electric cars either.  Otherwise there would be no need for such robbery.

[balthazar]

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

Call it my personal BITCH, but I have to agree with a point that @balthazar has made over and over about style, consistency and sticking with what people have come to know of a brand over multiple generations.

There is NO current brand that is ‘hitting home runs’ in my opinion. Some are frozen in time & dated, like BMW, others are merely moving sideways rather than forward. Cadillac is just like every other brand, some product is quite good, others are disposable/shouldn’t exist. Same stuff, different brand; none are immune.

[ocnblu]

Real men.  And women.

[riviera74]

6 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

Real men.  And women.

Fine choice, but not everyone wants a Hemi in their next car.  I prefer my car NOT standing out , screaming "look at me; give me a speeding ticket officer".  Stealth with Hemi is much better.

[ocnblu]

Even at 25 mph it's a thrill

[regfootball]

5 hours ago, dfelt said:

Yup nice looking ride, but way too small for us big guys.

Gotta get that special extra slick lube to slide into and out of it!  

i think there is less room in the stinger than the optima

4 hours ago, dfelt said:

Call it my personal BITCH, but I have to agree with a point that @balthazar has made over and over about style, consistency and sticking with what people have come to know of a brand over multiple generations.

With that statement said, I have to say that right now Cadillac is FAILING to build on that luxury consistency. The XT6 clearly looks like a re-badge of the Chevrolet Blazer. The CT5 headlights are not consistent with the CT4 or CT6.

I get the feeling that they are rushing to fill in product gaps due to the lack of progress by Johan and instead falling back to the old stupid 80's / early 90's of cheap ass re-badge and these two photos tend to reinforce it for me.

Then you have the multitude of stories like this that say this is Cadillac's last chance to become and hold onto the distinction of being a luxury leader.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/26086/gm-president-says-cadillac-has-one-chance-at-an-american-comeback

Right now the current leader as a long term GM leader is NOT HITTING the Home runs to make Cadillac a comeback Luxury marquee. I really hope that the next Escalade and EV that they bring to market does this as right now the XT /CT mess is a failure to me.

?

Cadillac has become a trim level.  that approach may work, but i would like to see more high power offerings in their product line.. Cadillacs should not lean so much on the corporate 3.6 and now the 2.0 turbos.  The 2.7t is a nice choice for Ct4-v but then why not make it standard motor in the XT5, CT6, should be an alternate powertrain in XT4 also.

After all this time, GM still doesn't update its products fast enough.

Edited August 18, 2019 by regfootball

[daves87rs]

9 hours ago, dfelt said:

Every time I get an escalade loaner for taking mine in for service, the first thing I do is turn off the stop/start feature. I honestly would rather not have that disruptive feature rumble through a luxury auto let alone any auto. Not found one yet that is silky smooth and not noticeable.

Very True!!!!

[balthazar]

[ocnblu]

8 hours ago, regfootball said:

Cadillac has become a trim level

 

[Drew Dowdell]

17 hours ago, balthazar said:

There is NO current brand that is ‘hitting home runs’ in my opinion. Some are frozen in time & dated, like BMW, others are merely moving sideways rather than forward. Cadillac is just like every other brand, some product is quite good, others are disposable/shouldn’t exist. Same stuff, different brand; none are immune.

Not even Lincoln? I think their new styling has really come into its own. 

[balthazar]

I like the current Lincoln look, and within the lens of 2019/2020, they're nice. 
Are they knocking my socks off or standing head & shoulders above all else?
Not in my opinion.

I may have overstated in my earlier post, but not completely. I would like to see something new that takes my breath away stylistically. When I walked around a couple of C7 Corvettes, that was pretty close. I do think the current Ram (and the last few generations) have been extremely good designs. CT6. What else tho?

[G. David Felt]

19 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Real men.  And women.

Someone punched it in the nose and now it has a smashed face.

20 hours ago, balthazar said:

Incentive, or tax credit? $16,500 is an insane carrot; Gov’t is really overstepping if they’re using tax dollars this way.

South Korean Gov is a tax credit, local provincial govs are giving refunds. Their goal is to flip the country which is the size of Mississippi, Indiana, Minnesota or Portugal or Hungary to being ICE free by 2030 for NEW AUTO Sales with the goal of having all ICE Auto's off the road by 2075. Exceptions are for Class 8 semi trucks / commercial use.

I honestly can see them going this way, same for Japan and China.

[ocnblu]

3 hours ago, dfelt said:

Someone punched it in the nose and now it has a smashed face.

Sigh... no it doesn't.  IT smashes lesser cars "in the face".

[riviera74]

21 hours ago, regfootball said:

i think there is less room in the stinger than the optima

Cadillac has become a trim level.  that approach may work, but i would like to see more high power offerings in their product line.. Cadillacs should not lean so much on the corporate 3.6 and now the 2.0 turbos.  The 2.7t is a nice choice for Ct4-v but then why not make it standard motor in the XT5, CT6, should be an alternate powertrain in XT4 also.

After all this time, GM still doesn't update its products fast enough.

How often is GM supposed to update its vehicles? Every single year?  NOBODY Does that, not even Japan or Korea Inc.

Cadillac has become a trim level. . . . . really?  If true, then is a Yukon Denali better than an Escalade? 

What Cadillac does need is some significant distance between itself and GM corporate.  Better engines and much better interiors exclusive to Cadillac come to mind.  Cadillac does require a unique selling point to draw people away from Lexus and the Germans period.

[balthazar]

Gas tank gone, trunk floor gone, frame rails gone. Exhaust must've been aluminized…  

[balthazar]

[ocnblu]

9 hours ago, balthazar said:

Gas tank gone, trunk floor gone, frame rails gone. Exhaust must've been aluminized…  

 

[trinacriabob]

On 8/17/2019 at 3:40 PM, surreal1272 said:

I agree about the visibility. The back window has very little viewing height to it. I liked everything else about the interior though but I get people’s gripe about the vents. They are not everyone’s cup of tea. 

Circular vents really depend on the overall dash design.  On the venerable '76 Cutlass Supreme, they looked great.  On the '04 to '07 Pontiac Grand Prix, they really looked great.  Loved that dash board, except for the orange back lighting and the low build quality of the materials.  I think it has to do with the shape of the dash AND how the circular vents are distributed and placed across the dash. 

[balthazar]

3 minutes: 

[ocnblu]

HOW DID YOU DO THAT!?

[G. David Felt]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/finance/plummeting-confidence-in-broader-us-economy-drives-decline-in-economic-sentiment-index/ar-AAG1vKo?li=BBnb7Kz

The various indicators over the last 3 to 9 months are very interesting. Gonna be watching this come December to see where we are at.

[ocnblu]

*rolleyes*

[trinacriabob]

On 8/17/2019 at 9:12 PM, regfootball said:

Cadillac has become a trim level.  that approach may work, but i would like to see more high power offerings in their product line.. Cadillacs should not lean so much on the corporate 3.6 and now the 2.0 turbos.  The 2.7t is a nice choice for Ct4-v but then why not make it standard motor in the XT5, CT6, should be an alternate powertrain in XT4 also.

After all this time, GM still doesn't update its products fast enough.

Cadillac will need to overhaul its design vocabulary sooner than later.  It did a formidable job of this, having come from trunks and deck lids that were too long, fins, and engines with over 400 cubic inches.*  However, Cadillac's current styling is etched in consumers' heads as "oh, it's a Cadillac," which is not necessarily a bad thing (thinking of the CT6 et. al.)  It will still need to reinvent its own wheel.

* I think I told you all about a black woman named Velma I worked with as a teen who had this beautiful Cadillac Coupe de Ville.  It was a '78.  Of the '77/'78/'79 grouping, the '78 was the best looking.  Hers was the extra cost Cerise Firemist Metallic with a burgundy landau and a burgundy interior.  Too bad it had wire wheels instead of some more toned down Cadillac alloys.  I told her she had a 425 under the hood and showed her some features on her car. I also helped this other lady in the office buy a smaller Cutlass Supreme coupe instead of a Monte Carlo coupe and she was real happy with it.  These ladies liked me, for some reason.  We had one of those hippiesh office to office lunch vendors working out of some wicker basket who came around daily and she was from Germany.  They howled at my German accent impersonation.  Everybody was given carte blanche to be a little crazy in SoCal.  Those were the days, baby.

Whereas I couldn't tie break between which GM car I wanted in the past, I am now hard pressed to find a GM car I want to own.   I am not a happy camper in this regard.

Edited August 20, 2019 by trinacriabob

[riviera74]

If you want a car, get a CT6 if you can afford it.

[trinacriabob]

1 minute ago, riviera74 said:

If you want a car, get a CT6 if you can afford it.

I cannot.  I think that, right now, a CT6 with a 3.6 would be the closest thing to a GM heirloom.  I know that it would be wonderful for about 7 years and then give me fits with all the expensive gadgetry that will go sideways every other month after that.  

[surreal1272]

1 hour ago, trinacriabob said:

I cannot.  I think that, right now, a CT6 with a 3.6 would be the closest thing to a GM heirloom.  I know that it would be wonderful for about 7 years and then give me fits with all the expensive gadgetry that will go sideways every other month after that.  

That’s pretty much every car these days with a few exceptions. All new tech now comes with old tech hassles seven years from then. 

[G. David Felt]

39 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

That’s pretty much every car these days with a few exceptions. All new tech now comes with old tech hassles seven years from then. 

Heck at the pace we are going it could roll into a every 90 days pushed updates due to a security, browsing or some other functional issue bug. lol

Just reboot the auto and all will be ok.  

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

Olds' showroom, 1940 ~ 

[balthazar]

'62 Pontiac X-400 ~ 

[trinacriabob]

I read that the Italian government "officially" collapsed.  I don't exactly know what it means.  But is it any surprise, given that they've changed presidents and prime ministers as frequently as normal people change their underwear?

Sad.  You put the synergistic force of a bunch of pompous Italian bureaucrats who like to hear themselves talk in one big room and you expect something to get done?

[Drew Dowdell]

17 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

I cannot.  I think that, right now, a CT6 with a 3.6 would be the closest thing to a GM heirloom.  I know that it would be wonderful for about 7 years and then give me fits with all the expensive gadgetry that will go sideways every other month after that.  

Don't like the 300? They can be had for not much money at all on the CPO market. 

[ccap41]

For our bud @dfelt

https://cleantechnica.com/2019/08/20/this-ev-is-huge-bright-green-never-needs-recharging/amp/

 

[surreal1272]

10 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

For our bud @dfelt

https://cleantechnica.com/2019/08/20/this-ev-is-huge-bright-green-never-needs-recharging/amp/

 

Wonder if I can get financing on one of those. Traffic jams and being “green” will never be the same again!

[ykX]

30 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

For our bud @dfelt

https://cleantechnica.com/2019/08/20/this-ev-is-huge-bright-green-never-needs-recharging/amp/

 

I wonder if it will be spacious enough for him, might be tight on headroom ...

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

For our bud @dfelt

https://cleantechnica.com/2019/08/20/this-ev-is-huge-bright-green-never-needs-recharging/amp/

 

Love it, big bright and I can run over all the slow assholes in the left lane.

Plus it has a nice unique humm. For sure not quiet.  Should be big enough for me to drive comfy!  

[ccap41]

1 hour ago, surreal1272 said:

Wonder if I can get financing on one of those. Traffic jams and being “green” will never be the same again!

Banks will let you finance anything these days if they think they can make money off you! lol 

1 hour ago, ykX said:

I wonder if it will be spacious enough for him, might be tight on headroom ...

I love this so much! ??

48 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Love it, big bright and I can run over all the slow assholes in the left lane.

Plus it has a nice unique humm. For sure not quiet.  Should be big enough for me to drive comfy!  

I'm just impressed it can regen enough on its way down that it doesn't need to recharge, ever. 

Now this is the perfect use of the current EV technology on the industrial level. 

[G. David Felt]

For $148,000 you can buy yourself a fully loaded Rubicon Gladiator converted into a Hellcat swapped Gladiator pickup.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/29509/is-this-dealerships-707-hp-hellcat-swapped-2020-jeep-gladiator-really-worth-148k