Frisky Dingo

To answer your question, a number of reasons. Chief among them are just poor financial decisions. Some are nothing more than knee jerk impulse buys. Some are the result of being ignorant and getting taken advantage of. Some are due to reasons beyond their control- vehicle needs changed, can't afford the car because of other expenses or lost job, etc, etc. Sometimes it's a result of people trying to be frugal and practical, only to realize they are unhappy with their purchase and turn around to trade right back out of it. The problem is that with rebates and the way dealers can structure deals, it's very easy for it to seem as if you have little to no negative equity at all. Here's an example- -You owe 20K on your trade. -It's worth only 17K. You have 3 grand negative equity. -You're looking at a car that has $2,000 of mark up. -It also has $2,000 Bonus Cash/Trade Assistance/whatever the dealer doesn't have to give you, or doesn't have to disclose what it is. -The dealer discounts the car you are buying by $1,000. -They use the other grand of mark up to over allow on your trade. -And then use the $2,000 and add that to your trade allowance. The deal now looks like- List Price- $32,000 Selling Price- 31,000 Trade Allowance- 20,000 Difference- 11,000 Payoff- 20,000 Total Financed- $31,000 In such a scenario, it can be almost impossible to figure out that you had negative equity. The discount and incentives covered it up. But had you NOT been upside down, the purchase price of the new car would have been 3 grand cheaper. It's all in how you present numbers. As for your second part, I'd enjoy that. Then again, I'm not sure how much you'd learn, as I sometime struggle to figure it out myself, lol. For better or worse. What I see and think can (and seems to be, usually) very different from what CEO's, focus groups, and bean counters see and think.

I don't recall FWD slugs (Buick) or smog-choked barges (Lincoln) being choices. Nice utter lack of attempts at playing, though, thanks.

The demograph for such vehicles is only so broad because of those vehicles. When they arrived, that was not the case. You had the handful of established players, just like you do in today's truck market. The Blackwood was an attempt at luxury done by a brand that hasn't been a true luxury player in several decades. Quite a difference. Of course volume helps, but it's not a necessity by default. MD could easily build this truck off one of the chassis that underpins their SUV's. I couldn't care less if MB builds it or doesn't. I'm not buying it. But to build it for other markets and not sell it here would be incredibly short-sighted, and I think you'd have a very difficult time finding someone to disagree with you. The US is the biggest truck market there is. To ignore it and go into other markets with a from-scratch truck would be a business blunder.

I find this incredibly hard to believe. That number is shocking, and having been in the business for several years and worked for a variety of MFR's in different areas, I struggle to accept this as fact. Based on what I see, I'd have guessed it much, much higher. At least 50% being conservative.

Cars like this- stylish, exciting, modern- are essential for VW's relevance in today's marketplace, as well as making a positive impression moving forward from Dieselgate. They HAVE to get this car right. If not, don't even bother.

What about the Q7 and Touareg?

So much wrong here. 1) The Blackwood (first one) was far ahead of it's time. The Mark LT was just nothing more than F-150 with some extra (ugly) bits. Not the same thing as an MB truck. 2) Trucks make money because they sell a ton AND because there is massive profit margin in them. There is literally NO other vehicle on the market that makes it's MFR as much profit as trucks. Massive sale numbers help, but they're not needed to justify trucks themselves. Maybe the development of other vehicles that DON'T make profit. MB has no such problem. 3) The EXT was nothing more than an Avalanche with a badge job and some extra goodies. It wasn't some special one-off vehicle they developed, and I'm really confused why you are insinuating as much. MB building a truck like this and not doing it for the global market is just beyond dumb. It's an easy cash grab and there won't be a second chance. By the time this truck runs through it's life cycle, the market will have shifted far too much towards EV's and/or autonomous vehicles.

You could more or less apply this very same logic to the BMW X5 and MB ML. And we all know how that played out.

This vehicles occupies a really strange, and if we're being honest- superfluous, spot in the market. With those 21's, and low overhangs, this is really only capable of light off-roading. And how many people are going to be even doing that in their near-100K SUV? Sure, it may be comfortable and have stellar reliability, but you can say the same thing about the substantially cheaper and infinitely better-looking Land Cruiser. If this thing isn't at least bringing a better powerplant to the party than the Land Cruiser, I'd struggle to understand the reasons behind it's existence. In reality, there are no shortage of better options for both slightly more and even less than it's price point.

This is no contest for me. I'm fortunate enough to have driven both of these cars in their 12-pot guise (and w/ a roof), and my choice is the Bentley by a landslide. The article really sums up the difference in the two cars' demeanors quite nicely. The AMG is polished to a fault. It's a rolling techno-tour de force, albeit a damn comfortable one with mega power and acceleration. And props to MB for delivering a product that's quicker and has a better interior than it's rival for less money. The Burmeister stereo crushingly good. You haven't heard a stereo until you've experienced this thing. But the Bentley. The Bentley just oozes charisma. It feels heavier (because it is) and more ponderous. The interior is decidedly lower tech and old school. But when you are driving it, none of that matters. It has a personality and charm that the AMG can't come close to matching. From the deftness of it's controls, to it's carved'from;granite gorgeous looks, to it's velvety smoothness, it's a car that truly embodies personal luxury, imo. If I were buying an outright luxury 2 door in the 200K+ range, there's nothing else I'd even consider.

Yeah, it took about 4 episodes for me to really get into it. Then about 2-3 more and I was hooked.

It was actually the I4. I need to try a V6 car.

Our usual comparos and dream garage threads typically center around sport sedans and super cars, but these heavy hitters are exciting in their own right. One has been around a while now and is a familiar face- the Bentley Continental GT. The other is a newcomer- the S63 AMG, in drop top form in this case. C&D got the two together for a shootout recently, and I thought this would make for a fun 'WYR' thread. Here's the link- C&D: Bentley Conti GTC vs MB S63 AMG Cab So, which you rather have- Bentley Conti GTC V8 or MB S63 AMG Cabriolet

In honor of Turkey Day, I thought I'd make a special 'UDG' thread. The premise here is simple, you will only be allowed to pick cars that are built overseas, and must make the trip to YOUR nation via water. Rules- 1)Production models only. 2)These are your only vehicles. 3)Maximum of 5 choices. 4)Nothing older than 20 MODEL YEARS OLD......a wildcard for fun. 5)Your picks must have been built OVERSEAS and transported across a body of water to reach you market.

Yeah, you can't but wonder how they didn't think to make the simple fixes necessary to make this a compelling offering in it's class. It's blatantly obvious.

Porsche 911 50th Anniversary Ford Raptor Jaguar F-Type V8 S Roadster BMW M3 Competition Pkg 360 Modena Challenge Stradale

It's really not. The overall driving dynamics of the car are pretty solid and crisp. It feels very Accord-esque in that regard, if you can believe it.

A shame. They were really at the forefront of diesel cars starting to catch on and gain popularity here. Some of the TDI offerings were really sweet, too. I could really take it or leave it in the regular Golf and Jetta. It was nice in the Passat. The standouts were the Jetta/Golf Wagon and especially the Touareg. I'd love a TDI Touareg.

Just had homemade carnitas tacos for dinner. Mind blowing good. Screw turkey, this might be my new Thanksgiving tradition.

Okay, gents. Plenty of somethings for everyone in this range. I expect good lists! Rules- 1) Production cars only. 2) These are your only vehicles. 3) Any era and market is allowed. 4) MFR's power ratings MUST be AT LEAST 400hp, but NO MORE THAN 499hp.

And hot damn, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little impressed. Nice steering. Great ride but not at the compromise of handling, which itself is pretty nice. Low noise levels. Solid brake feel and action. It's let down by the transmission, which is painfully slow to respond under heavy throttle and can deliver harsh shifts. Under part-throttle upshifts, it's generally fine. The smallish back seat, cheap interior, and Chrysler reliability would keep me from buying one, but I can't in good conscience say it drives bad. Which is rather surprising.

So wait, they're going to build this and sell it only in other markets?? I'm not a big MB fan, but that is an incredibly, incredibly stupid decision.

@ccap41 and @ykX Great lists as always, gentlemen. @A Horse With No Name There's numerous old cars I could pick, and indeed, I came very close to putting a Miura on my list. But when I stop and think about having only 5 cars, there's not usually any that I have that strong desire for to nix vehicles that I could enjoy on a much more frequent basis. The Miura is one of all-time favorite cars, but I'd mostly just stare at it in my garage. I'd be terrified to drive it often. And the more muscle side of the spectrum, I just don't enjoy the way most of them drive. They're cool as all hell, and some of them look incredible, but the few times I've driven them, I usually find myself being just fine that it was a 'one and done'.

Looking forward to seeing the decked out 'Dragon Edition', lol.

That is Calypso Green, and was limited to Cobras, IIRC. Sweet Fox, though!