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riviera74

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Everything posted by riviera74

  1. riviera74
    Nothing wrong with buying a base model vehicle, even though few cars are sold that way these days. There are few relatively used cars of any model year that are base model these days that are actually available for sale since it seems a lot of people want a lot of features in cars these days.
  2. riviera74
    Well the 2018s are coming out so the temporary layoffs make some sense. A better question would be how many days does it take to sell an Enclave or Traverse now given that the 2018s are forthcoming.
  3. riviera74
    Very true, but Speth is not adjusting for one thing: perception vs. reality. The perception is wrong and out of date compared to reality, but few buy any car based in reality. Most people start and end with perception, hence the non-purchase of an allegedly bad vehicle.
  4. riviera74
    People actually try to BUY and DRIVE cars that have been totaled? WHY? That sounds so unsafe.
  5. riviera74
    Good for VW that their diesels are selling again. Still no substitute for torque. Electrics may be the future, but there are good reasons they should be: nearly infinite torque and you can change the source of how you generate your electricity. Winston Churchill said prior to WW2 that it is a good thing that crude oil is in so many places that any one country could not totally dominate oil supplies. Unfortunately, OPEC showed up not long after Churchill died and has made a (partial) mockery of that thought. Because electricity can be generated from so many domestic sources, no one here will be subject to foreign interference. Both nuclear and renewable sources will be more than enough to end our dependence on oil, at least within a reasonably short time. Electric vehicles are not the threat some people think it is (in theory), They just need to be made reliable and fun to drive, and that will come soon enough.
  6. riviera74
    So I am not the only one who thinks that the Lexus's Predator-like grill is ugly as . . . . sin. Personally, I am glad that somebody said YES to the Buick and not just NO to the Lexus crossover. If I had to buy a crossover, I would probably go for the Envision since the Encore is way too small and the Enclave has Family Vehicle written all over it (a very stylish one though). Both the GS and the LS could stand having that grill replaced, but I think their real problem can be summed up in two words: Cadillac and Genesis. Cadillac is back (with rising sales) and the Genesis G80 and G90 make Lexus seem rather expensive without any sound reason to buy either the GS or the LS anymore. This is 2017, not 2002, when Cadillac still had issues and there was no Genesis at all.
  7. riviera74
    Buick and Cadillac did well given the current market. Especially that 17% rise in Buick sales. I never thought I would see that kind of double-digit increase in sales for Buick, and Caddy up by nearly double digits is good news too.
  8. riviera74
    Silicon Valley believes that everything is a platform to be monopolized: think Uber or Lyft. The notion that car sharing will take over the whole USA is laughable because it makes so many assumptions that turn out to be weak or false. In large cities, it could probably be done, but not out here in Florida. Cities with great public transportation could swing this but I fail to see how this would work in say rural Texas. As for why car sales are slowing down, check out how many really good 2-3 year old used cars are available for sale, especially off-lease. When the next recession comes, expect used car sales to greatly eat into new car sales quite rapidly.
  9. riviera74
    While it would be nice if automakers delivered a real price cut on their products, they do not want to. Ideally, a $3000 to $6000 price cut depending on the model would do a lot of us a lot of good. Here is the thing though: NOBODY wants to buy a no-frills cheap car anymore. Even if all the safety equipment put in during the last 15 years were removed or made optional, NOBODY would buy a stripper model of any car, especially if the LS trim were $1000 more and the LT trim were $2000 more than the VERY BASE trim. I forgot where I read this (possibly TTAC), but there was a time a few years back when KIA was selling the base trim Rio for about $12K. Bad idea since they all sat on the dealer lots! The highest model trim level was maybe $2500 more and everyone either wanted that one or was steered to it by salesmen. Selling cheap Cavaliers was actually possible because higher trim levels were comparatively expensive 25 years ago, but thanks to 72 month financing the payments are ultimately quite manageable. Show me where selling a base trim cheap subcompact for $12K makes sense, especially when you can get a really good off-lease used car for about $15K!
  10. riviera74
    Smk4565, The Lexus ES is a same-year Toyota Camry XLE V6 upgraded with the Lexus package. It has been that way since day one. If the Avalon were to become a casualty of the crossover revolution, that would be sad. Nowhere nearly as sad as the demise of the LaCrosse and/or Impala, but just as bad. It would mean the end of large sedans in general.
  11. riviera74
    I am sure that BMW can buy some CAFE credits from . . . . . Honda? Maybe Hyundai/Kia? As for the diesel thing, how many BMW diesels have sold since the VW diesel debacle during the last few years? I suspect not that many.
  12. riviera74
    Who would Buy a subcompact CUV such as the Acura CDX here in the USA, particularly a luxury one? I fail to see where there would be any space to sit in it and drive it. It is not as if subcompact CARS are on fire from a sales perspective.
  13. riviera74
    Too bad Sergio has no guts. If he wants to kill off Chrysler and/or Dodge, then be quick about it. If Chrysler can ditch Plymouth in 2000, what is he waiting for? Chrysler and Dodge vehicles NOT named 300/Charger or the minivans (Pacifica included) basically are bottom of the barrel and are undesired by most consumers (unless acquired on the cheap). While I sympathize with those who will be fired as a result of Auburn Hills eventually disappearing, few auto consumers will actually miss Chrysler or Dodge. Every once in a while, I still think of Oldsmobile and wonder what could have been (or at least I used to). GM's survival and currently health trumps that, of course. Unfortunately, it simply proves that Sergio is a businessman who is tasked with the health of FIAT, not Chrysler. I bet he never really cared for Chryslers and Dodges as such.
  14. riviera74
    In the long run, the brand mark will matter a little. Ultimately the Chinese will probably do what Hyundai/Kia did 25 years ago, which is sell cheap and then build up from there. How else do you think Toyota and Honda essentially took (a lot of) market leadership from GM starting in the 1980s? Few people bought a Honda or Toyota back in the '70s but then built the factories here and more and more Baby Boomers went for those cars as time went on over the decades. I cannot believe that the Chinese will be successful within five years after they show up in dealerships here. Europe is an even longer shot because that market is very saturated and sales are slowly sinking as we speak. Without a proper unique selling point, SAIC and Geely and GAC would be better off selling in China and India for the next decade simply because those markets are growing rather than mature/stagnant.
  15. riviera74
    I do hope it works out but I have my doubts. Tesla needs to nail everything down and the Model 3 may need another six months to be fully baked. It would be better to push back the self-imposed deadline and Get It Right than push out an inferior product into the marketplace.
  16. riviera74
    Given the assessment of the current MDX, maybe the tweener aspect can be solved with a discount...... say $3000 off MSRP across the board. I know luxury and value don't mix, but it would allow the MDX to be less at cross-purposes and a little clearer for all to see. I do agree with the notion that the MDX needs a stronger engine. Why pay $60K for an MDX when you can buy a Pilot for around $40K for similar equipment and features?
  17. riviera74
    Remember the 2-mode hybrid GM put in the Tahoe and Escalade? What happened to that? Are they still building those? Either way, they can refine that technology and then apply it to all the CUVs in GMs stable, not just the large SUVs. The only reason Honda hybrids are not as successful is because Honda did not market an iconic, unique hybrid like Toyota did with the Prius. The Insight might have been just as good or better, but all the buzz all went to the Prius. What Honda should do is market and promote a great hybrid CUV (separate from the CR-V) to counter Toyota and make itself the hybrid maker of this decade.
  18. riviera74
    Two issues: Chavez took over when oil was $10 a barrel and the populace was looking for a populist. Chavez dies before his "revolution" breaks down and his successor refuses to take responsibility and just leave office and the country. Socialism has failed there. Moreover, if Venezuela had NO OIL whatsoever, the people would be better off because the government would not waste their time trying to paw off bad policy under the guise of high oil prices. Venezuela: another case of the resource curse, especially when the government owns it. It is better when Exxon Mobil and not PDVSA owns the oil; at least Exxon Mobil will not screw it all up. Still no substitute for privatization and private enterprise.
  19. riviera74
    Everyone needs to check this out. http://centurylink.net/news/read/category/news/article/the_associated_press-venezuelas_opposition_seeks_to_keep_pressure_on_ma-ap
  20. riviera74
    Hmm. Someone explain to me why anyone would create a new car and export it into one of the most crowded auto environments ever (especially a stagnant European market) and have a vehicle whose unique selling point sounds more like a car-sharing service than car ownership. Call me skeptical. Good luck though.
  21. riviera74
    The Genesis JUST became its own car marque under Hyundai within the last 18 months or so. Give the Genesis brand another five years before you write them off.
  22. riviera74
    Do people in the Snowbelt really BUY vehicles with AWD, or do they just get snow tires which would resolve traction issues? Another question: Why is the LaCrosse not being sold in China? An Impala-based LaCrosse would be fabulous, especially in the Middle Kingdom.
  23. riviera74
    I hope not, if only because not everyone wants an SUV or a CUV. It was not that long ago that Oil prices peaked at $149 a barrel, which directly led to $4-$5 a gallon for gas. Ending the LaCrosse (and Impala) would be deeply foolish on GM's part, especially if oil prices spike again.
  24. riviera74
    Subarus are known for their safety features and surviving a car crash. One can argue the cars are too heavy for the engines provided. Just develop and put in a larger engine in the cars, or at least cut weight by a few hundred pounds.
  25. riviera74
    Oldshurst442 is right. The 1999-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue had a DOHC Northstar-derived 3.5L V6. The '98 model had the 3800 series II engine; I know because I used to own a '98 Intrigue. The fact that the Buick Regal GS is where the Intrigue would be now if Olds made it past 2004 is mere speculation, but it is accurate to say that this could have happened. The real issue is not whether the new Regal needs a V6 (it does) but why the LaCrosse is so similar to the Regal in terms of dimensions. When the Lucerne and the Lacrosse were side by side seven years ago, it was obvious which car was bigger. I fear that a LOT of current LaCrosses will be left on the dealer lots while Regals (and especially Regal GS models) literally fly off the lots. The LaCrosse needs to be at least the size of the current Impala (or go Alpha) in order to give people a reason to buy one. Then again, in a time where Buick has 3 crossovers, the LaCrosse may end up being the odd man out in this current environment.
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