Drew Dowdell

Yes. The use profiles of government security vehicles is substantially different. My Avalanche sat in warehouse the first 7 years of its life only accumulating 12,000 miles in that time. Secret Service vehicles get used and abused.. My Avalanche is still under 28k miles and already had its first set of front brakes because of a stuck caliper from under use. If it weren't for the time limit, my Avalanche would still be under mileage bumper to bumper warranty from GM. But again, what is a minor inconvenience to you and I could be a huge deal to the Secret Service. The standards of reliability are so much different for government than for civilian duty. I have to replace the generator in the building I work and because we have a 911 call center, the specs make it expensive. But as I learned after multiple generator/battery failures this summer, if we're in a situation where we need a generator, we're probably also in a situation where we're getting lots of 911 calls. It's been a major learning experience for me on just how different the reliability requirements are just for local government work. I'd imagine it is equal or higher for the Feds. They're probably already tearing down and rebuilding Suburbans now just to keep them on the road with their requirements.

I am absolutely baffled. I have no idea what changed, but everything is working find now. We're back to our original configuration.

As @David pointed out, the last time GM built these vehicles was 2017... so yeah, they are reaching the end of their service lives. And also, read between the lines.... this is basically a contract for Secret Service support vehicles. They have a duty profile unlike most any other in the world. The existing vehicles last entered service 5+ years ago. You're correct that they won't get passed down to other departments but they're also such a tiny percentage of the overall federal fleet that they're less than a rounding error. Also, the current administration did not put a timeline on when the fleet conversion would be completed and they were likely informed by GM and Ford (the likely only two bidders on the contract) that there would not be a BEV platform that meets the requirements of the Secret Service (and similar) in time for when the 2017 units need to be retired. Along with these, the government is going to have to replace the aging Fusions and Impalas as they reach the end of their service lives. Bureaucrats driving these cars are going to switch to.... what? What is on the market as a BEV that will: 1. Be a like for like replacement for a Fusion or Impala 2. Be cost effective 3. Be built in the US with US parts As for the need, the standards of reliability are so much higher for the Secret Service that it is more economical to replace the entire vehicle than to do tear down and rebuilds at 50k miles (just a guess on the service interval). You can't have a Suburban breaking down over a bad lifter actuator while the Pope or Queen Elizabeth is visiting. Things that are inconveniences to you and I are international incidents to any administration. We have 50% more police cars than officers on duty at any given time for exactly this reason.

Depending on their purpose, the vehicles they are replacing will filter to other agencies. The Suburbans referenced are likely only for the highest level security detail and the units they are replacing are reaching the end of their lives for front line use... but they'll get passed down to other agencies/departments. When Obama came to office he started the program to replace the government fleet with more efficient vehicles. This was partially to help the domestic auto makers during the financial crisis, but replacing general purpose V8 Crown Vics with 4-cylinder Focus, Fusions, and G6es matched up with the desire for a more fuel efficient fleet. And when you think about it... why do some Dept. of Transportation worker need a 22mpg Crown Vic when at 32 mpg Fusion will do? At the Municipality where I work we repurpose old police vehicles to other departments when possible. We have our own TV station/New Station and the TV Station Director just got a decommissioned Police Explorer with all of the armor removed. When the public works director gets a new truck, her old one goes to one of the lawn crews. A lot of those cars started to age out of the system at the beginning of the prior administration and started to get replaced. That batch will begin to age out by the end of the current administration. The current admin has also not put a timeline on BEV conversion which gives them a lot of wiggle room. But by declaring their intention now, they can encourage manufacturers to get production ramped up to replace those vehicles when the time comes. It won't be the entire fleet all at once like during the financial crisis.

Server is a little shaky at the moment and I can't find the cause. I am literally on the sand at the beach right now, please be patient.

2000 Oldsmobile Profile concept with a light bar on front.

Yeah, as long as it has a quick detach mount id be fine with that. I’m going to need tires in the spring and I don’t mind making a bit more scrambler looking

I know, I know, but the risks are much lower. It also wasn’t really feasible with what we were doing. I need to find a bag solution that works with a second rider. My current bag that I use for commuting leaves no place for him to put his right leg.

Why even bother with this as a concept? It looks like a cartoon clown car. Virtually none of it is buildable. I don’t even care about it’s propulsion since it wouldn’t be legal as a vehicle in any 1st world country. people get paid to come up with this crap?

The dealership has no say. When I bought out the Encore I just arranged my financing through the credit Union and they sent the buyout to Ally bank. Dealership was never involved in the process at all.

This has been such a cool trip!

Na, it was all slow speed cruising. 90% under 30mph and the other 10% under 55 on some 2 lane highways. Aside from a cicada to the face shield I didn’t get hit with anything. Higher speeds than that, yeah I wear gear.

leader of the motorcycle gang waiting for the ferry back to Rehoboth Beach.

Third adventure sticker achieved. This morning we got on the bike and took the ferry to Cape May. Toured the Victorian houses, got some seafood for lunch, went to the boardwalk at Wildwood NJ (90% closed for the season), and then went to the Cape May lighthouse to wait for the ferry back. If you’d like to see some of the other pics you can follow my Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rocketfella307/

So I’m riding this all the time now and I finally got Albert to 2up with me a couple days ago. I always intended to take it on adventures so I bought some plain black plastic frame fillers and I’m collecting stickers on it from the places I go. Back in July I loaded it up on the truck and drove down to Miami with it to finally go riding with my dad which was a bucket list item for me. On that trip I also rode the bike from Miami to Key West with my sister and nephew following in the car. So I got badge one: Today I scored badge 2 for Rehoboth Beach Delaware: Sometime next week Albert and I are going to take the ferry over to Cape May and score badge 3.

The Lincoln Mark LT came out in 2005 at a time when Lincoln had virtually zero brand cred. They were still selling Town Cars and they had the Aviator as a similarly bad badge job. The only credible entry at the time was the Lincoln LS which did fairly well but died due to corporate turf fights. If Lincoln did a Mark LT today with the interiors that Lincoln is putting in their vehicles today, put in their new high end navigator suspension, and I think they'd have a $100k+ truck easily. You are partially correct, the Avalanche is just a Suburban from a parts perspective except for the rear seats, mid-gate, and tailgate apparatus. The rest of your statement is you just agreeing with GM's shortsightedness. Avalanches still command a premium on the used market. The people who have them love them and won't give them up. On the multiple Avalanche groups I'm in, people are regularly keeping them alive into the 300k - 500k mile range because there just isn't an exact replacement out there for them. And often times when they do replace it with another truck they go to Ford or Ram because there is no loyalty since "their" model is gone. When GM decided not to continue with the Avalanche they thought (as with Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn) they they'd just be able to push those customers to another model/brand. That hasn't been the case. Their analysis was also faulty in that they didn't account for the large price increases on the Suburban/Tahoe platform that would later be decided on. The Avalanche should have been continued but only as a premium priced truck with no "base" models like it had originally been marketed. Basically LT and up at a minimum... no bench seat, no base radio, probably leather as standard. They would have sold all of them and filled a chunk of excess capacity at Arlington Yes I do... maybe not from Lexus because there aren't enough Tundra owners out there who want "more" to make it worthwhile. I don't see a place for Ram to go... I mean they're not going to make a Maserati or Alfa Romeo truck based on the Ram, but if Jeep really wanted to stick it to GM, the Grand Wagoneer is built on the Ram frame and a Grand Wagoneer EXT with a proper mid-gate would make a splash. But a new Escalade EXT or a Cadillac version of the Denali with the 6.2 and super cruise? They won't sell a lot of them, but they'll sell at $110k+ all day. A Lincoln truck with the Navigator interior, the new magic suspension, and the Aviator Plug-In Hybrid's drivetrain sporting 630 lb-ft? With all of those parts already on the shelf, it's just about pure profit to run a few of those down the F-150 assembly line at $110k+ a pop. they look so dumpy

*Denali has entered the chat* *F-150 King Ranch has entered the chat* *F-150 Platinum has entered the chat* *Ram Limited has entered the chat* The Lincoln Blackwood was a limited edition truck, available only in a shortbed with a wooden liner and only in 2wd. The Lincoln LT was a victim of badge engineering.. it offered nothing but a grille and a navigator dash over the F150. The suspension and transmission were the same. The only hardware difference is that it was AWD rather than 4WD. The Escalade EXT was more than a badge job most years. It came with a bigger motor (6.0L) than the Avalanche (5.3) in the first generation. The second generation got the 6.2 while the Avalanche only got the 5.3 and for a couple years an optional (and very rare) 6.0. The Escalade had AWD instead of 4WD and they got air shocks (air shocks were only an LTZ option on the Avalanche, I have them) In addition to the Escalade dash, the door panels were upgraded as well. The only reason the Escalade EXT died was because the Avalanche died... and the Avalanche died due to GM stupidity. The Avalanche and EXT for some reason were not built on the Suburban/Tahoe line, instead they were built on the Silverado/Sierra line. GM wanted to sell more Sierras and Silverados to compete with Ford. They decided there wasn't enough room to build the Avalanche/EXT in Arlington next to the Suburban, so it got canceled. I think there absolutely is a market there for a luxury truck. Denali and the premium offerings from Ram and Ford prove that. Plus there's the luxury 250/2500 series trucks as well... I see a LOT of Denali 2500 Duramaxes around me. The reason there's no Lexus version of the Tundra is because Toyota has enough trouble moving the Tundra as it is. It isn't a compelling offering in the truck market and it is the second worst fuel economy after the Titan. Toyota had hoped to sell 200k Tundras a year and they barely crack 100k. The Titan sells a pathetic 26k a year, but the only reason it survives is because it rides on the same frame/platform as the Armada/QX80 and the NV Vans... but with the NV getting discontinued and Armada/QX80 sales under 45k.. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Titan discontinued entirely in a few years.

Trailboss is diesel standard and turbo4 optional with no V8? Or is the 6.2 still there and just not a change?

That just points back to my original statement of laziness. They didn't want to spend money to develop technology that all of us can see was a big improvement to both performance and fuel economy, and eventually reliability. It took Ford until the 80s as well... but when they finally got around to it, the results were drastic. The '83 Continental had the carbed 302 with 131 horsepower and 230 lb-ft. By 85 they added throttle body fuel injection that brought hp to 140 hp and 250 lb-ft. In '86 they went to multi-port fuel injection and that brought power up to 150 hp and 270 lb-ft in the Continental, but with other modifications could go as high as 225 hp / 300 lb-ft in Mustangs with less restrictive / dual exhausts. That big of a swing on essentially the same block shows what they could have done had they just put fuel injection on there in the first place instead of stubbornly sticking with carbs. I can attest from personal experience that the '85 Continental with throttle body fuel injection was good for 26 - 27 mpg highway. GM didn't fair as well because they went on the misguided trip of downsizing engines (something they're repeating today) to gain fuel economy and they went so far that not even adding fuel injection could help. Tiny 135 hp HT4100 V8s with 190 lb-ft of torque trying to move Sedan Devilles and Fleetwood Broughams and working so hard it defeated any fuel economy gains they might have gotten. It took multiple upsizings of the engines to get back to... 4.9 liters just to get 200 hp and 275 lb-ft... and those required premium to do it. The Chevy 350 went through a similar metamorphosis as they added fuel injection ranging from 145 hp in 1976 to up to 330 hp in the LT1 in 1996.

If it was done right, then yes. A lot of forums will tell you to just snip a wire and it disables the system and while that's true, it also means you don't get torque converter lockup so your fuel economy suffers and eventually (I hear) you do damage to the torque converter and/or transmission. Apparently one needs to route that wire back under the dash and tap it into another wire there so you get the full transmission functionality back.

ah, yup, I did get the year off for the 8-6-4 in the Seville, but the power numbers are the same. The gas 368 was a zero-cost option... so "standard" didn't really mean any difference... it's just the box that got checked by default.

Fuel injection had been around for decades by '76. If it was an option on a '58 Plymouth Fury, it should have been standard on a Cadillac 3 years post fuel crisis in '76. You and I both know that just slapping a TBI on a previously carbureted engine takes the bare minimum of engineering to do. Heck, I can retrofit my 307 today for about $1500 or about $312 in 1976 using aftermarket parts... GM's total cost would likely be less than half of that and they would have passed that on to consumers as a "new fuel saving technology that increases power". Also, making the 500 the standard engine in all Cadillacs (minus Seville) in 1975 was extraordinarily tone deaf on Cadillac's part. Cadillac did introduce the 425 as a new engine. While the overall design was based on the 472/500, with the smaller displacement they were able to shave 100lbs off the block. But the fact that the carbed 425 made the same horsepower as the FI 350 should have told them something right there. In 1980, the Seville got a fuel injected 368 (it was the 8-6-4) with 145hp, but in California it got the fuel injected 350 and even though it was smogged for California emissions, it still made 180hp, carbed and unsmogged versions also made 180 hp. But outside of Cadillac it was just as bad. They weren't spending money on development.. it was the era of malaise after all. Most of the "new" engines of this era are just lipstick on old pigs that failed to keep up with the times.

They were being lazy. Even though the first oil crisis happened in 1973, they didn't take that as a sign of the times and start developing more efficient engines. The Cadillac 8.1 remained in production until the end of the 1976 model year run. They replaced it with a 7.0 liter but still put old fashioned carbs (180hp) on it in base form. The fuel injected form it got 195 hp. The Olds 5.7 in the '76 Seville also got 180hp though at a higher RPM than the 7.0.

Well Maybachs are supposed to be one-offs. They’re sold as bespoke cars like Rolls and Bentley. You don’t buy one off the lot, you order to your exacting standards. 2 tone done perfectly

I think they look more 30's 2-tone.