Random Thoughts Thread

[daves87rs]

12 hours ago, dfelt said:

Very true, all the Buffet's here in Washington state are still closed and the note on the Chinese / Mongolian buffet by me in Lynnwood is they are closed permanently. Old Country Buffet's that were here are gone as the franchise owner went bankrupt due to Covid-19.

Worst yet is Airbus has stated it needs to lay off 10's of thousands of workers and the unions are saying no. HELLO IDIOT UNIONS, No one is buying planes, no sales, no profits, no money to pay the workers. Boeing is handing out pink slips as it slows all production.

I suspect the Auto Industry will have a heavy contraction this fall. I believe we could see a 25% reduction in work force.

I am appreciating companies where the CEO and Board are foregoing their salaries this year, have stated no pay raises or bonuses and froze hiring as they have committed to not laying off any employees during this pandemic.

Very happy I have a job right now. I feel for those here and everywhere that have lost jobs. I do believe we are at the start of a global contraction and change in education / job training that will change the way we work and move about.

It is already looking like it too...many of the local suppliers in Detroit metro have been cutting staff since January. Already had a friend lose a job a few days ago.

This whole opening and shutting thing is making it even worse. It has now delayed my return to work. Might even now it could become a permanent job loss. ? Even my second job is in danger now. Hoping I don’t lose both and try to job shop in a soon to be very quiet job market. Local Monster and Linkedin positions have dropped nearly 40 percent in the last week or so......

[trinacriabob]

As for the economic contraction, I'm not seeing much of an immediate one.  It was really quiet outside from mid-March to mid-May and now the roads seem the same again.  I think the contraction will be delayed.  I have no idea as to how much and how long.  Didn't take enough econ courses for that ... and am glad I did not!

Unbelievable tonight.  Crazy.  I try to support places that are in developments to repurpose previously blighted areas.  I was driving by one of these developments tonight and went in for dinner.  It was almost empty.  It took 1:10 minutes from when I ordered for my meal to arrive.  Before it did, the waitress did tell me it would be free.  It was at a known chain restaurant ... about $ 11 worth of food.  I still gave her $ 3.  The last few times I've gone into this place, and I sit by the windows to keep an eye on my car, the service has been quick and the food has been decent.  Not sure if the free meal was worth the wait while I played with my phone for over an hour.  I think most people would have walked out after eating and not tipped.  I don't think it was her fault.

[daves87rs]

12 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

As for the economic contraction, I'm not seeing much of an immediate one.  It was really quiet outside from mid-March to mid-May and now the roads seem the same again.  I think the contraction will be delayed.  I have no idea as to how much and how long.  Didn't take enough econ courses for that ... and am glad I did not!

Unbelievable tonight.  Crazy.  I try to support places that are in developments to repurpose previously blighted areas.  I was driving by one of these developments tonight and went in for dinner.  It was almost empty.  It took 1:10 minutes from when I ordered for my meal to arrive.  Before it did, the waitress did tell me it would be free.  It was at a known chain restaurant ... about $ 11 worth of food.  I still gave her $ 3.  The last few times I've gone into this place, and I sit by the windows to keep an eye on my car, the service has been quick and the food has been decent.  Not sure if the free meal was worth the wait while I played with my phone for over an hour.  I think most people would have walked out after eating and not tipped.  I don't think it was her fault.

Lots of places are short handed....for many reasons right now.

So much crazy.....

[ocnblu]

Yeah it's usually not the wait staff's fault, I guess.

[Robert Hall]

At the dealer for some service today, noticed a bird nest in the ‘e’ on the sign. 

[balthazar]

WI 1941 :

[trinacriabob]

Don't be so hasty to throw away old hardware.

I knocked over a cordless pod on my desk, it barely tapped the side of my monitor, but didn't detach any of the wiring.  I then noticed it wasn't working.

At any rate, an HP monitor from 2009 just rescued one that is one or two years old.  I've got a smaller screen and I'll examine the newer one when I have time, but at least I'm back and running.  

Any wonder if I am hanging onto my cast iron block / cast iron block 3800 V6 engine?

[daves87rs]

Man, this is quite a heat wave......well past 90 degrees at noon....  ? 

[riviera74]

2 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Don't be so hasty to throw away old hardware.

I knocked over a cordless pod on my desk, it barely tapped the side of my monitor, but didn't detach any of the wiring.  I then noticed it wasn't working.

At any rate, an HP monitor from 2009 just rescued one that is one or two years old.  I've got a smaller screen and I'll examine the newer one when I have time, but at least I'm back and running.  

Any wonder if I am hanging onto my cast iron block / cast iron block 3800 V6 engine?

But the 3800 is GM's best non-V8 engine.  It is no wonder you hung onto it.

[G. David Felt]

19 hours ago, daves87rs said:

It is already looking like it too...many of the local suppliers in Detroit metro have been cutting staff since January. Already had a friend lose a job a few days ago.

This whole opening and shutting thing is making it even worse. It has now delayed my return to work. Might even now it could become a permanent job loss. ? Even my second job is in danger now. Hoping I don’t lose both and try to job shop in a soon to be very quiet job market. Local Monster and Linkedin positions have dropped nearly 40 percent in the last week or so......

? Fighting, Stay positive and start shopping your resume. Better to be active while having a job than not at all. Some companies like where I work has frozen hiring, raises, bonuses and the executive staff have given up their pay to insure that the global workforce is not laid off. 

I appreciate what they are doing for us, but I know other companies that are more service focused, sales focused are starting to belt tighten as people hold off on spending money.

Stay positive, stay focused, You will come through this OK, I believe!

17 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

As for the economic contraction, I'm not seeing much of an immediate one.  It was really quiet outside from mid-March to mid-May and now the roads seem the same again.  I think the contraction will be delayed.  I have no idea as to how much and how long.  Didn't take enough econ courses for that ... and am glad I did not!

Unbelievable tonight.  Crazy.  I try to support places that are in developments to repurpose previously blighted areas.  I was driving by one of these developments tonight and went in for dinner.  It was almost empty.  It took 1:10 minutes from when I ordered for my meal to arrive.  Before it did, the waitress did tell me it would be free.  It was at a known chain restaurant ... about $ 11 worth of food.  I still gave her $ 3.  The last few times I've gone into this place, and I sit by the windows to keep an eye on my car, the service has been quick and the food has been decent.  Not sure if the free meal was worth the wait while I played with my phone for over an hour.  I think most people would have walked out after eating and not tipped.  I don't think it was her fault.

Based on statistics, we are already in contraction. While the freeways are busy here in the Seattle area, the lay offs by Boeing, Kenworth, Weyerhaeuser, are being felt. Depending on how big their employment rolls are, it will be minimal in many places to heavily noticed in others.

One gauge as we learned in statistic class is tax revenue. Clearly when you look at that figure, you see every state has taken a huge hit. Then look at the Fed tax revenue and it also took a huge hit. Contraction in everything even though many states have opened up and then closed back down but trying to keep employment going, I still believe there is worse to come sadly.

I hope everyone here is not hit as hard by this depression based on the current pandemic.

[trinacriabob]

2 hours ago, dfelt said:

Based on statistics, we are already in contraction. While the freeways are busy here in the Seattle area, the lay offs by Boeing, Kenworth, Weyerhaeuser, are being felt. Depending on how big their employment rolls are, it will be minimal in many places to heavily noticed in others.

One gauge as we learned in statistic class is tax revenue. Clearly when you look at that figure, you see every state has taken a huge hit. Then look at the Fed tax revenue and it also took a huge hit. Contraction in everything even though many states have opened up and then closed back down but trying to keep employment going, I still believe there is worse to come sadly.

I hope everyone here is not hit as hard by this depression based on the current pandemic.

The impact on housing prices has been negligible.  I'm one of those people who loves looking at the R.E. sites.

Anyway, check out these HIGH gas prices ...

... and check out that mint Buick Skylark coupe ... for sale ... see sign in rear window!  This was around Christmas 2013 and in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, which was once mostly Nordic and working class and, in the last few decades, became very in demand and full of new condos, like the complex beyond.  Its balconies and windows would have a view of the either the Ballard Locks or the Ship Canal.

[daves87rs]

3 hours ago, dfelt said:

? Fighting, Stay positive and start shopping your resume. Better to be active while having a job than not at all. Some companies like where I work has frozen hiring, raises, bonuses and the executive staff have given up their pay to insure that the global workforce is not laid off. 

I appreciate what they are doing for us, but I know other companies that are more service focused, sales focused are starting to belt tighten as people hold off on spending money.

Stay positive, stay focused, You will come through this OK, I believe!

Based on statistics, we are already in contraction. While the freeways are busy here in the Seattle area, the lay offs by Boeing, Kenworth, Weyerhaeuser, are being felt. Depending on how big their employment rolls are, it will be minimal in many places to heavily noticed in others.

One gauge as we learned in statistic class is tax revenue. Clearly when you look at that figure, you see every state has taken a huge hit. Then look at the Fed tax revenue and it also took a huge hit. Contraction in everything even though many states have opened up and then closed back down but trying to keep employment going, I still believe there is worse to come sadly.

I hope everyone here is not hit as hard by this depression based on the current pandemic.

Thanks! ?  I  have been working the two jobs even after I really no longer had to- as I really wanted to build a good sized emergency fund in case something happened. I’ve been unlucky enough to be in an industry as it was on the way down- from the tech bubble to the decline in car sales. Looks like my gut turned out to be right this time.....

I least I know my job is trying to keep me while working a plan the company back to work. The second job depends on if we have to close things up again. 

The good news in this is that my resume was just updated- and it is gandering some nice attention right now. While I am happy where I am at- I have started the search just in case.

I am hoping everyone here is doing well, and get to enjoy some family and car time....... ? 

[trinacriabob]

Happy Fourth of July, C&G folks ... wherever you may be ...

And, last but not least, C&G's headquarters:

Have a great holiday weekend!

 

 

[balthazar]

5 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

And, last but not least, C&G's headquarters:

I believe this is the actual C&G HQ building. Imposing structure, to say the least : 

[oldshurst442]

12 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Happy Fourth of July, C&G folks ... wherever you may be ...

From Montreal.  Happy Birthday USA!!!

 

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by oldshurst442

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

Naval air base, TX, 1942 :

[trinacriabob]

On 7/4/2020 at 1:31 PM, balthazar said:

I believe this is the actual C&G HQ building. Imposing structure, to say the least : 

Based on a quick glance at the phone, I thought it was the iconic Cathedral of Learning.  Evidently, it isn't.

On 7/4/2020 at 8:49 PM, oldshurst442 said:

From Montreal.  Happy Birthday USA!!!

 

Even if Molson wasn't in the photo, that's unmistakably the Pont Jacques-Cartier and Ile Ste.-Helene, two great things about Montreal.  The fireworks look like they're going off from La Ronde.  Thank you, merci, efharisto, and belated Happy Canada Day to you, frogger, and other C&G members from Canada.

Edited July 6, 2020 by trinacriabob

[daves87rs]

Haven’t seen this kind of heat in a while......

[G. David Felt]

Asian writing of English cracks me up.

[G. David Felt]

Seattle.city council is so stupid. Employee head tax on business just passed to be a range from .7% to 2.4% on high income employees.

Talk about running out big business, this is going to come back to hurt Seattle.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-city-council-passes-new-jumpstart-tax-on-high-salaries-paid-by-big-businesses/

[riviera74]

7 hours ago, dfelt said:

Seattle.city council is so stupid. Employee head tax on business just passed to be a range from .7% to 2.4% on high income employees.

Talk about running out big business, this is going to come back to hurt Seattle.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-city-council-passes-new-jumpstart-tax-on-high-salaries-paid-by-big-businesses/

WOW. That is sad.  Decisions like these will cause a lot of businesses to relocate . . . . maybe to a low-tax (and no income tax) state like Florida.  Isn't Seattle already expensive to live in?

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, riviera74 said:

WOW. That is sad.  Decisions like these will cause a lot of businesses to relocate . . . . maybe to a low-tax (and no income tax) state like Florida.  Isn't Seattle already expensive to live in?

Yes, a 400 SQ FT Studio Apartment will cost you $2,900 a month in Seattle.

I just got notified that ALL 1,200 Employees will be brought in over the next 2 weeks at designated times to clean out our Cubicles. We have to take all personal items home and if we want, we can check out our docking station and monitors to take home too. Nothing to be left in the cubicle but the desk and chair.

They say this is for Deep Cleaning and Sterilization to allow those critical employees back onsite. Yet our 7 story building lease is up this fall. I know we have the 7th floor subleased and the 1st floor. We consolidated everyone onto floors 4 to 6 so 3rd was vacated, which is an accounting move for writing off the lease cost for non usable space or so corporate said. The 2nd floor was our Executive sales briefing center. We had it half built out and the rest was supposed to be done 2yrs ago, but put on hold since the merger or the two Legacy companies into what is now Dell Tech. 

My gut tells me based on conversations with facilities folks local and in Austin Texas is we will vacate the bulk of the building and keep maybe on the big size floor 4 where a datacenter exists and 5 & 6 only. But I could honestly see them decommission the datacenter into our huge Durham NC site and do only floors 5 & 6.

Coworker who had bought a 1200 sq ft condo in Seattle for $350,000 3 years ago sold it in January for almost $800,000 and moved to the east side in Bellevue to be closer to family and her boyfriend. Got a 2,400 sq ft town home for $700,000. 

Crazy House Prices. To imagen I got my 2000 sq ft Split Level home on a quarter acre lot for $140,000 in 1999. The old homes around me have since been bought up and torn down with McMansions on them selling for anywhere from $800,000 to $1 million. My tax assessment came in that my house is now worth $550,000. Crazy, crazy crazy

[G. David Felt]

Chevy Sonic is DEAD. The assembly line will be used as a second dedicated EV line to build the Bolt EUV. Orion plant while being converted to a 2nd EV assembly line, will still have the option to convert back to building ICE auto's if needed.

https://electrek.co/2020/07/07/gm-kills-chevy-sonic-making-room-for-bolt-euv-at-companys-second-all-ev-plant/

[daves87rs]

6 hours ago, dfelt said:

Yes, a 400 SQ FT Studio Apartment will cost you $2,900 a month in Seattle.

I just got notified that ALL 1,200 Employees will be brought in over the next 2 weeks at designated times to clean out our Cubicles. We have to take all personal items home and if we want, we can check out our docking station and monitors to take home too. Nothing to be left in the cubicle but the desk and chair.

They say this is for Deep Cleaning and Sterilization to allow those critical employees back onsite. Yet our 7 story building lease is up this fall. I know we have the 7th floor subleased and the 1st floor. We consolidated everyone onto floors 4 to 6 so 3rd was vacated, which is an accounting move for writing off the lease cost for non usable space or so corporate said. The 2nd floor was our Executive sales briefing center. We had it half built out and the rest was supposed to be done 2yrs ago, but put on hold since the merger or the two Legacy companies into what is now Dell Tech. 

My gut tells me based on conversations with facilities folks local and in Austin Texas is we will vacate the bulk of the building and keep maybe on the big size floor 4 where a datacenter exists and 5 & 6 only. But I could honestly see them decommission the datacenter into our huge Durham NC site and do only floors 5 & 6.

Coworker who had bought a 1200 sq ft condo in Seattle for $350,000 3 years ago sold it in January for almost $800,000 and moved to the east side in Bellevue to be closer to family and her boyfriend. Got a 2,400 sq ft town home for $700,000. 

Crazy House Prices. To imagen I got my 2000 sq ft Split Level home on a quarter acre lot for $140,000 in 1999. The old homes around me have since been bought up and torn down with McMansions on them selling for anywhere from $800,000 to $1 million. My tax assessment came in that my house is now worth $550,000. Crazy, crazy crazy

That is crazy! I know my house is worth about 3x what I paid for it, but I also bought in in a down market back in 2012. 

Even here in MI houses are getting harder to find under 150k...

4 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Chevy Sonic is DEAD. The assembly line will be used as a second dedicated EV line to build the Bolt EUV. Orion plant while being converted to a 2nd EV assembly line, will still have the option to convert back to building ICE auto's if needed.

https://electrek.co/2020/07/07/gm-kills-chevy-sonic-making-room-for-bolt-euv-at-companys-second-all-ev-plant/

Yep, already knew that was happening. This is just the start......

[Robert Hall]

37 minutes ago, daves87rs said:

That is crazy! I know my house is worth about 3x what I paid for it, but I also bought in in a down market back in 2012. 

Even here in MI houses are getting harder to find under 150k...

 

Interesting how my neighborhood here in the Cleveland suburbs is doing...for three years after I bought my house in 2017, the estimated value of my house didn't go up much--maybe $25k with some fluctuations, but after the houses on each side sold in June,  my estimated value went up by $100k.   

[daves87rs]

24 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Interesting how my neighborhood here in the Cleveland suburbs is doing...for three years after I bought my house in 2017, the estimated value of my house didn't go up much--maybe $25k with some fluctuations, but after the houses on each side sold in June,  my estimated value went up by $100k.   

It is crazy....I get at least a 5-10 calls a week of folks trying to get me to sell my house. I’ve thought about selling- but even with the profit I would make it still wouldn’t buy as much....

[riviera74]

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

Chevy Sonic is DEAD. The assembly line will be used as a second dedicated EV line to build the Bolt EUV. Orion plant while being converted to a 2nd EV assembly line, will still have the option to convert back to building ICE auto's if needed.

https://electrek.co/2020/07/07/gm-kills-chevy-sonic-making-room-for-bolt-euv-at-companys-second-all-ev-plant/

Makes sense actually.  GM has been fairly unsuccessful selling small cars going back to the J, N and A bodies of the 1980s, especially against Honda and Toyota.

A Bolt EUV, huh?  More (electric) crossovers, please.

[ocnblu]

3 hours ago, dfelt said:

Chevy Sonic is DEAD. The assembly line will be used as a second dedicated EV line to build the Bolt EUV. Orion plant while being converted to a 2nd EV assembly line, will still have the option to convert back to building ICE auto's if needed.

https://electrek.co/2020/07/07/gm-kills-chevy-sonic-making-room-for-bolt-euv-at-companys-second-all-ev-plant/

What was once the greatest has gone totally down the tubes.  Ugh.  GM, you need new leadership, STAT.

[Robert Hall]

2 hours ago, daves87rs said:

It is crazy....I get at least a 5-10 calls a week of folks trying to get me to sell my house. I’ve thought about selling- but even with the profit I would make it still wouldn’t buy as much....

The funny thing is I get calls occasionally about selling my former Phoenix house..which was sold in 2017.  (and the price of it has more doubled since it was sold in 2017 and remodeled).

[USA-1]

Great housing market in Phoenix Metro, N. Scottsdale/PV area for sure, been holding strong and growing. Doing well with my early 80's 3 bed 2 bath Ranch Style slump block house with a 1/4 acre lot that I bought in 2012 for $325K that's now appraised at $485K as it sits with upgrades, but not a total remodel. Bought in my area for that exact reason and I'm close to everything you will need and far enough away from DT PHX and the freeway, but only 15-20 min. drive to Sky Harbor International. My RE agent tells me there are far more buyers looking than available listings. Supply and Demand holds the Command.

Edited July 8, 2020 by USA-1

[balthazar]

Had my house custom built in '92; about $165K plus about $15K for my 24x48 shop. Already owned the 0.9 acre land - bought it from my in-laws for $1.  Paid off the mortgage in 11 years, saved about $75K in interest vs. full term.  Zillow says it's $480K now.

[oldshurst442]

2 hours ago, ocnblu said:

GM, you need new leadership, STAT.

GM needed new leadership from the 1970s.  Got complacent.  Got too big.  Got too scared and greedy. Got too stupid to see that what they had was good if not great and all they needed to do was NOT to be CHEAP and UNDER-engineer. 

Cadillac needed a smaller, mid-sized European fighting luxury car. Too cheap to engineer from the ground up car so they chose a shytty mid-sized plebean platform car that even used F-Body underpinnings.  7 year old F-Body underpinnings at that. But were smart enough to spend the dough to at least re-engineer it as if it was a real Cadillac and it turned out to be a somewhat worthy Cadillac.    But, 2-3 other platforms that were new for the 1970s were very cheaply done. And those platforms were going to define the new fuel efficient era that was also going to stop the Japanese onslaught on American soil.  THAT was the fight to win. And GM lost! Too cheap and stupid that they UNDER-engineered almost EVERY single new platform that brung in the new era that was the '70s and '80s to keep at bay the Japanese.  UNDER-engineered the Citation II.  UNDER-engineered the Fiero. UNDER-engineered the Vega. UNDER-engineered the  Chevette.  UNDER-engineered diesels. UNDER-engineered  the W-body initially. UNDER-engineered the Northstar V8.  UNDER-engineered the Quad 4. Under-engineer the 1990s minivans. The 1990s bread and butter segment.  Spent too much phoquing money on establishing a new car company and  ultimately  UNDER-engineered their cars (Saturn) and eventually Saturn just became just another badge engineered GM brand.  Spent too much phoquing money on trying to be global in failing to buy Fiat, in which GM had to pay billions to and spent too much phoquing money  on buying SAAB which resulted in UNDER-engineered vital products for Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick in which GM already had the makings of PERFECT cars IF GM had not wasted time, money and energy on SAAB.  Opel would have NOT been  UNDER-engineered and Oldsmobile AND Buick could have had European styling and engineering from as early as 1990.  Cadillac too.   Imagine a better quality, better more reliable Northstar V8 in the STS?  Better interior... And the Northstar V8 would have been offered THE FIRST YEAR...along with a better engineered ALLANTE...  

What about a more refined Buick Reatta?  Could Opel have used a Reatta for itself?

I think so.  GM made an Opel roadster from a Lotus that preceded the Opel GT/Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky by at least a decade.  It was a transverse mid-engined car heavily based on the Lotus Elise.  A fantastic car.  Pontiac could have had one of those...   GM thought the Fiero failed because Americans didnt want mid-engined performance?   I guess too stupid to realize that it was their UNDER-engineering of the Fiero that killed the Fiero...  

What if Opel had a luxury roadster based on a Buick a decade before the Speedster? 

Speaking of Lotus.

How about Oldsmobile having this in its stable in the early 1990s?  Or even Cadillac? 

How about a correctly engineered Pontiac Fiero?

A correctly engineered Opel Omega for North America to which a better suited brand could have it?  

Which reminds me. The Cimarron...  But what if GM actually took the time and money to actually do a proper Cimarron even if it was a J-Body?   

GM offered AWD in a Pontiac 6000.  In 1989...but dropped it shortly there after.  Audi built their phoquing image with AWD just a few years before. But even then, THAT image was cultivated in the mid 1990s...

A Cimarron with AWD?  

GM had ALL the right cars but their execution was shyte shyte shyte!!!  

Hyundai is now occupying many of those areas that GM occupied in the 1980s and 1990s. Sad really.  Acura/Infiniti/Lexus has been occupying the other areas where higher end Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Buicks once occupied in the 1980s and 1990s. 

GM actually had OK market share even in the 1980s and 1990s.  All those FWD W-Bodies,  FWD H-Bodies, the G Platform, the J-platform cars from the '80s and '90s now lost forever to the Japanese and Koreans.   But something was off with a certain formula that GM management wanted in the 1970s and it slowly rotted the company from the inside out...

PS:  It aint about the EVs like you make it sound like.  Far-phoquing from.  

Edited July 8, 2020 by oldshurst442

[balthazar]

I have a few bones to pick out of the above.

[daves87rs]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

I have a few bones to pick out of the above.

Well, GM was always run by the bean counters hard in the 70s to 90s- messed up quite a bit from that....ruined product after product.....

[ocnblu]

5 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Far-phoquing from

Ah... social distancing...

[oldshurst442]

7 hours ago, balthazar said:

I have a few bones to pick out of the above.

Please do.  I want to hear what you are thinking about it.  

Obviously my post was a quick simplification, but I feel as if GM had not spent an ungodly amount of money chasing impossible dreams of acquiring Fiat, SAAB and creating a new brand, all that money spent could have been spent on the existing brands and their existing, immediate products as well as their future product and still have money left over to create awesome marketing campaigns for each and every car and truck the built during that time line. 

Sure, a Lotus Carlton/Opel Omega/Vauxhaul whatever maybe wouldnt have been a money pit (re-engineering it to meet North American safety standards, etc...)  but how is that different from buying up SAAB, and creating models for both EU and NA markets?  A TON of money was spent doing this and SAAB was a money pit for GM anyway...

A Lotus Carlton for Chevrolet and/or Pontiac and/or Oldsmobile and/or Cadillac  would have had an  impact  with car enthusiasts. A well engineered and reliable Lotus Carlton for the American branch brands 20 years BEFORE the Holden Pontiacs and Chevrolets and 5-7 years BEFORE the Catera would have been wonderful.  The Carlton in Europe was revered. That means diddly here and I understand that.   

If a first gen Cimarron was better made into a Cadillac, and it dont matter if it be a sales succes or not, if the Cimarron was an actual Cadillac worthy car,  (because as much as I defend the Cimarron myself, it really wasnt a REAL, Standard of the World Caddy) imagine what a 2nd gen Cimarron would have been like?  Combine the balls with Pontiac offering AWD with their 6000 and Cadillac choosing to do this, Cadillac would have had a ballsy first gen Audi A4 competitor in the mid 1990s with an AWD Cimarron.  

Like I said, I would LOVE to read your opinion on this. I love and want to hear your side of things.  Makes  me think that much more...   

Edited July 8, 2020 by oldshurst442

[riviera74]

Basically, If GM was as poorly run as it was and it was the size of Chrysler or AMC in 1970, GM would have gone bust by 1980.  Bad Management has ruined more companies and lives than anything in American capitalism.  Just look at all the companies that have gone bankrupt in the last 15 years: all of them made major errors in management and everyone else paid for it, regardless of industry.

[Robert Hall]

2 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

Sure, a Lotus Carlton/Opel Omega/Vauxhaul whatever maybe wouldnt have been a money pit (re-engineering it to meet North American safety standards, etc...)  but how is that different from buying up SAAB, and creating models for both EU and NA markets?  A TON of money was spent doing this and SAAB was a money pit for GM anyway...

A Lotus Carlton for Chevrolet and/or Pontiac and/or Oldsmobile and/or Cadillac  would have had an  impact  with car enthusiasts. A well engineered and reliable Lotus Carlton for the American branch brands 20 years BEFORE the Holden Pontiacs and Chevrolets and 5-7 years BEFORE the Catera would have been wonderful.  The Carlton in Europe was revered. That means diddly here and I understand that.   

 

Instead, GM NA gave us the Celebrity Eurosport...which was neither Euro nor Sport.  

[trinacriabob]

19 hours ago, dfelt said:

Chevy Sonic is DEAD. The assembly line will be used as a second dedicated EV line to build the Bolt EUV. Orion plant while being converted to a 2nd EV assembly line, will still have the option to convert back to building ICE auto's if needed.

But that means the Spark continues.  They need one econobox in the line-up.  I didn't realize Sonic final assembly was in the U.S..  I'm almost sure Spark is foreign (Mexico, perhaps).

Other weird "Seattle news" ... Why is Mary Kay Letorneau showing up on my homepage?  It's because she just passed away from cancer.  I remember when this saga was current and considered fairly scandalous.  She was a peaches and cream Orange County (CA) girl who goes off to Arizona State Univ. for college and ended up in the PNW as a schoolteacher and was married with 4 kids.  But none of that is what made her a household word.

Edited July 8, 2020 by trinacriabob

[Robert Hall]

19 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

But that means the Spark continues.  They need one econobox in the line-up.  I didn't realize Sonic final assembly was in the U.S..  I'm almost sure Spark is foreign (Mexico, perhaps).

 

Spark is made in S Korea.  So without the Sonic, they will be down to 5 cars in the US (Spark, Malibu, Camaro, Corvette, Blot) 5 CUVs, 2 SUVs, and 2-3 truck families...

Edited July 8, 2020 by Robert Hall

[trinacriabob]

5 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Spark is made in S Korea.  So without the Sonic, they will be down to 5 cars in the US (Spark, Malibu, Camaro, Corvette, Blot) 5 CUVs, 2 SUVs, and 2-3 truck families...

Maybe the next Malibu refresh will bring about some needed improvements and more options ... engines, trims, etc.

[Robert Hall]

30 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Maybe the next Malibu refresh will bring about some needed improvements and more options ... engines, trims, etc.

I suspect it will be eliminated soon also.  Or replaced with another CUV.

Edited July 8, 2020 by Robert Hall

[G. David Felt]

18 hours ago, USA-1 said:

Great housing market in Phoenix Metro, N. Scottsdale/PV area for sure, been holding strong and growing. Doing well with my early 80's 3 bed 2 bath Ranch Style slump block house with a 1/4 acre lot that I bought in 2012 for $325K that's now appraised at $485K as it sits with upgrades, but not a total remodel. Bought in my area for that exact reason and I'm close to everything you will need and far enough away from DT PHX and the freeway, but only 15-20 min. drive to Sky Harbor International. My RE agent tells me there are far more buyers looking than available listings. Supply and Demand holds the Command.

Stay safe my friend, I hear 25% of those tested are positive for Covid-19 and Arizona is now running the highest infection rate with highest death rate. Scary.

[balthazar]

It’s possible that all ‘cars’ might disappear, except for mass-volume mainstreams ones, like toyoter, mercedes and BMW. Yes 

[G. David Felt]

Seems Canada has decided they do not want us.  

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/8-in-10-canadians-want-border-with-us-to-remain-closed-due-to-virus-concerns-poll/ar-BB16uJ4T?ocid=msedgntp

8 in 10 Canadians want the border to remain closed to the US.

[oldshurst442]

5 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Seems Canada has decided they do not want us.  

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/8-in-10-canadians-want-border-with-us-to-remain-closed-due-to-virus-concerns-poll/ar-BB16uJ4T?ocid=msedgntp

8 in 10 Canadians want the border to remain closed to the US.

Yup.  fix yer shyte! 

Do your homework, tidy your room, take out the trash,  mow the lawn and walk the dog and then maybe we could go outside to play together....   Until then...

 

[ocnblu]

5 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Blot

Thank you Mr. Rorschach

[balthazar]

Canada... 'fanning the flames of hate, fear & xenophobia' - some guy.