smk4565
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Everything posted by smk4565
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Cadillac News: Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Cadillac
They are a dated dealer, they also charge a lot. I had a quote a couple years back for $2800 from them to replace a solenid and torque converter, and a transmission repair place did it for $1400. So to me the dealer doesn't matter too much on buying a car, I probably wouldn't go back to it very much anyway. I buy a car, not a dealership, although a fancy dealership may get some people to get a good feeling about the product that is in it. -
A Lincoln MKZ is 34,755. Surely an ATS should cost as much as a luxury trim Fusion. I think $34,000 is a reasonable starting point for an ATS, around $40,000 for a V6. Although that 2.5 engine is bad, that might get the car cheaper. But if it is meant to take on the 3-series, it should have 3-series pricing.
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Cheers or Jeers: 22,000 Mile 1968 Pontiac Firebird
smk4565 replied to wildmanjoe's topic in Auctions and Classifieds
It is a really nice car, $50k seems steep though, but at a lower price I say cheers. -
Cadillac News: Did OnStar Also Let Word Slip About a New Cadillac?
smk4565 replied to Blake Noble's topic in Cadillac
Even with a great interior, it is still a slow electric car, that has heavy batteries and probably won't handle like a Cadillac should. However it is still less lame than a Ferarri hybrid. -
Cadillac News: Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Cadillac
If Mercedes and BMW have such poor images and are just fleet whores in Europe, why can't Cadillac make it in Europe? How many Cadillacs sold in Germany last year? And why can't Cadillac compete with BMW or Mercedes in the USA? What about China, where Audi is the government sedan of choice, and Mercedes and BMW are not the taxi, yet they are #2 and #3 selling 150-170,000 cars each there. Cadillac sold 28,000 cars in China last year, 3% of the luxury car market there. The Audi Q5 alone sold 32,000 in China, with the Audi brand doing 225,000 sales. China in 2015 is expected to have a larger premium car market than the USA does. Cadillac can't be a 3% player there, and in the USA see sales drop from 235,000 in 2005, to 152,000 in 2011, while having almost no presence in Europe. -
Cheers or Jeers: 5,000 Mile 1966 Cadillac DeVille
smk4565 replied to wildmanjoe's topic in Auctions and Classifieds
Cheers. -
Cheers or Jeers: 17,000 Mile Cadillac Coupe DeVille Diesel
smk4565 replied to wildmanjoe's topic in Auctions and Classifieds
Good buy if it didn't have the diesel engine. Since it has 17,000 miles already, the engine will probably blow soon. It is really nice car in good condition, but it has the wrong engine (unless you don't drive anywhere). -
Cheers or Jeers: 15,000 Mile 1967 Plymouth Fury III Wagon
smk4565 replied to wildmanjoe's topic in Auctions and Classifieds
No. -
I don't care for smallish SUVs, but that diesel engine is sweet. 8-speed transmission is nice also. The supercharged V6 is surprising, not sure why it doesn't make around 310 hp and lb-ft like it does in other Audi products. The gas V6 seems weak, better off with the diesel.
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Cadillac News: Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Cadillac
And yet, the CTS still has a plasticy interior, and Cadillac can't manage to get any sales in Europe. And Cadillac is still drifing around 5th place in sales in their home market. If Mercedes is so flawed, it should be easy for Cadillac pass them by and make a $100k car that sells 75,000 units globally per year, and get 500k sales out of the CTS and ATS. It would be easy but people are hung up on a name and GM still has to overcome 20+ years of Consumer reports and news bashing them even when they did not deserve it. No they still get no respectible press. Righ so how does one change that image? Better product, flagship sedan, halo sports car, longer warranty, expanded roadside assistance, better service/dealer experience, advertising, etc. But mainly better product, and not a Chevy Impala with extra wood trim and a touch screen. -
Cadillac News: Did OnStar Also Let Word Slip About a New Cadillac?
smk4565 replied to Blake Noble's topic in Cadillac
We made fun of the Lexus Prius, here comes the Cadillac Volt. I suspect just like the CT200h sales will be low. -
Cadillac News: Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Cadillac
And yet, the CTS still has a plasticy interior, and Cadillac can't manage to get any sales in Europe. And Cadillac is still drifing around 5th place in sales in their home market. If Mercedes is so flawed, it should be easy for Cadillac pass them by and make a $100k car that sells 75,000 units globally per year, and get 500k sales out of the CTS and ATS. -
Cadillac News: Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Cadillac
I agree with that, there are many factors that lead buyer one way or the other. Some might not care at all about performance, others might make that their main priorty. But I do think on luxury cars brand image matters. This is where Cadillac falls short and what they need to repair. -
Chevrolet News:Did OnStar Accidently Confirm An SS Model In 2014?
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Chevrolet
SS Performance could just be a trim line on existing cars. But maybe it will be a Caprice cop car for retail customers. -
Cadillac News: Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Cadillac
CTS has a lot of plastic in the interior, it still feels cheaper and not as well built as the German cars to me. As a GM car owner that has spent a lot on maintenence, I still question if a current CTS 10 years from now will hold up, or will power windows/mirrors break, leather crack and wear out, interior trim pieces come loose, engine mounts break, engine sensors go bad, air conditioning compressor break, etc. Cadillac has to win people over time with rock solid build quality to keep people coming back. Cadillac for example offers 5 year roadside assistance, Mercedes is forever. Unlimited miles, years, and owners shows Mercedes has confidence in their product. Mercedes in Europe also offers a 30 year anti-corrosion warranty. I think you need a flagship too. Infiniti has two strong cars with the G37 and M37/M56 yet where are they? No flagship or halo car, no status, no image. -
They won't be missed. Scion could be Toyota's Saturn. Loads of money invested for very little return and eventually just closing up shop.
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Cadillac News: Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Cadillac
Well the Accord has been pretty much benchmark for midsize cars for almost 30 years, and a really strong seller. In the past 25-30 years, I'd say only the Camry has been as successful. The Taurus had a run from 1986-1996 when it sold pretty well, but no single model in the mid-size segment has had the success of Accord or Camry, and the Accord was always much better reviewed than the Camry was. The 3-series is pretty much the Accord of the entry-lux segment. I'm sure GM in 2040 would like to look back over the previous 30 years and see the CTS in the top 3 in luxury sales every year, with 25 10 Best awards on the shelf to boot. -
Jaguar News: Jaguar Introduces Two New Powertrains
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Jaguar
The V6 looks promising, that would give the XF a nice entry level engine here and broaden the range a bit, rather than just offering V8s. Perfect for a smaller sports car. A supercharged V6 would be nice in the XK also, it may get the weight down some, and almost makes the power the V8 makes. The Evoque engine I see used in a small sports car, not enough muscle for current Jag sedans and they have a turbo diesel four in europe for the frugal buyer. Now if (or when) Jaguar does a 3-series competitor, the turbo 4 would be a good base engine, then the super V6 as the optional. -
Cadillac News: Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Cadillac
Well the 3-series has been on the Car & Driver 10 Best award list for 21 consecutive years. That is a pretty good run. I generalized when I said 30 years, BMW has been a benchmark for over 20 though, and Mercedes much longer than that. Mercedes invented the car after all. And the CTS is no longer going to be an entry level car, if they push it to mid-lux against the E-class and 5-series Cadillac better not bring another knife to a gun fight like with the STS. -
Cadillac News: Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Cadillac
You all can bash Mercedes or other imports of the 80s, but that is when Cadillac started to lose, and it got worse in the 1990s. If Mercedes wasn't any good, why isn't Cadillac dominating them? And since this was about the CTS, can Cadillac add $10,000 or even $15,000 in price to that car and see a sales increase on it? That is a tall order. -
Cadillac News: Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Cadillac
BMW and Audi got a later start, Mercedes was the standard in the 1960s even, the other 2 came a bit later. But Cadillac did the Cimarron in the early 80s because they were worried about the sales BMW and other European imports were taking sales away. Lexus in the 80s built the LS400 to compete with Mercedes (albeit at a discount) even the CTS-V was done to compete with the M5, a car that came out in 1985. The Germans have been at this game a long time is all I'm saying. And in the 1970s when the top Cadillacs were $16,000, a Merecedes 450SEL 6.9 was nearly $40,000. The S-class has always been the standard, and that is the difference between Mercedes and the rest. Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac, etc can compete on $35-50,000 cars, but they can't play in the big leauges. Even the Lexus LS is about $30,000 cheaper than an S-class. -
That's terrible.
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150 hp and cloth seats for $25,900, what a rip off. I don't get why people still buy Acuras, they are barely any nicer inside than a Honda and Honda's aren't even that nice.
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Cadillac News: Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Cadillac
Moving in the rigth direction is good, and ATS and CTS seem to be doing that. But 10 years ago the first CTS came out, and we heard of a rear drive STS and rear drive convertible to follow shortly after. 10 years ago Cadillac was supposed to be moving toward being a global player and challenging the Germans. So we've heard this story before. We are also about 1 year away from a new S-class and a reminder of what Mercedes is capable of and why they are Mercedes and Cadillac, Infiniti, and the others are second teir. -
Chevrolet News:Rumorpile: GM Trademarks SS... Why Now?
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Chevrolet
Could just be to protect the name since they have had many SS models over the years, and a Camaro SS right now.