balthazar

I apologize for inserting this out of chronological order, harley, but it is such a beautiful shot of a '64 I could not pass it up:

Blame the imports for making "this kind of retarded crap" popular again. PurdueGuy- good point!

In what mental health asylum is a kia a benchmark but a Chrysler isn't? Obviously the same one where a toyota with a 4/5 rating is a benchmark but a 5/5 GM isn't. Same world?: Sit back, do nothing, pay more doing it. 'Practices that have been proven both regionally & nationally are not going to work because I personally don't like the guy pitching them, and the situation in general is so terrifically rotten I would rather keep methods exactly the same without trying even a single step offered.... because.' Shouldn't mercedes throttle back their dealership experience & marketing efforts to better match what their vehicles "deserve"? How about mitsu simply stopping all advertising cold turkey and openly slapping the customers who wander into their dealers... to match what their vehicles "deserve"? What is this; business or a cookie for cleaning your room? Just.... wow.

>>"I have to admit to some generally negative preconceptions about American cars..."<< Anti-American bias from the british? No wayyyyyyyyyy...... :rolleyes: >>"it felt faster and more agile than my Audi with no sacrifices in ride comfort, and a pleasure to drive."<< These guys are really going to rack up some therapist bills trying to wrap their roten teeth around reality, eh?

Sorry- it's not nearly so rough to turn away a potential buyer just because of that. Had a 3.8 in the driveway for 105K and it was absolutely competitive and completely livable and non-intrusive. I would wind it out regularly; I enjoyed the powerband it had. No- it would have to be a combination of overall attributes..... or a closed mind that would turn down the 3.8 specifically. BTW- it also may be more reliable than anything out there. ;)

Nope- there's no problem at the dealer level with marketing & representation; none at all. When even the seller of the goods talks negatively, death & discontinuance cannot be far behind. What a stupid stupid STUPID dumb-assed dealership.

Like I was wrong about the titan?? Let's not miss an opportunity to dwell on & beat-to-death the recent past (and in turn completely condemn the future), as is the ubiquitous practice with GM discussions: Why has toyota produced 15 years of completely uncompetitive trucks when they make 75% of their global profit in the same market the best trucks in the industry are built? Is it deliberate?

I do. Now... who can explain why they haven't?

True BrewS, but there is the wheelbase neighborhood between stretched limos & factory sedans. Late '70s deVilles rode 121" wheelbases, the Fleetwood Series 75s rode 144". 23" difference yet the FS75s looked very elegant & 'factory'. I find it difficult to call a factory car lengthened a mere 6" a "limo"....

Unless these cars are directly racing each other... I fail to see the point about slightly different performance numbers. I mean- would a -say- 4 tenths of a second quicker to 60 force me to buy the one I didn't otherwise like? No.

If Michigan is not "realistic" because it's domestic-slanted, surely CA is not "realistic" either because it's heavily import-slanted. A realistic market would match the overall breakdown of domestic vs. import (60% / 40%??) and not be located near any manufacturer's facilities. The point, I feel, is still being glossed over. Sure, perhaps the steps would not return the level of success that Jim has seen in MI, but it doesn't have to; the intent is to INCREASE sales, not match MI sales. If great cutomer treatment & benefits produce outstanding results in MI, if they produced "merely" better results in other markets.... it's a success, right?

They don't seem to understand the segment at all. With the money they have they should have a full lineup ramped up & running already: 6-cyl, V-8, turbodiesels, multiple cab & bed configurations, trim levels, a ladder of tonnage capacities... instead theres practically nothing. Dodge was in almost the same position in '93 with a dried-up line-up and nowhere sales. They blazed out of the gates so hard in '94 that it shook up the entire segment and they're a major player once again. THAT's what toyota needs to do to at least gain a toehold in the market vs. the compeition and consumer perception, but they're dragging their heels: the segment has already peaked and everyone including nissan has a better truck on the lots.

I like the idea but a mere 6 inches hardly seems worth it. Many folk like others to know they're riding in a limo; this one is very subtle over a production 300.

Well pumps are commonly electrically-powered, as opposed to -say- windmill-powered. :P Sounds like a sucky time out there. I have my wood stove going today, so my furnace won't run until probably 2 or 3 AM if the stove runs until say 11PM. Otherwise, my house is intentionally set for 60 at night: not far off your 55. One of the benefits of living in an endless suburbia with limited pockets of rural, is that I live right off a major US Highway, and apparently I am on the commercial powergrid: in 12 years living here the power has only gone off for more than 2 minutes 1 time.

I thought Dodge truck & Jeep were the prime non-car makes at DCX; what is mercedes up to for trucks/SUVs- like 7?? Someone do a listing: number of Dodge cars vs. trucks and mercedes cars vs. trucks; who has a higher percentage of truck/ SUVs?

Flint is an old fool who's pseudo-coherant ramblings are largely based on opinions formed in the 1980s. I can no longer subject myself to point-by-point analysis of his 'journalism' for mental health reasons, but one thing that jumped out at me from skimming above is he likely has his camry hybrid & tundra projections reversed: hybrids continue to gain in 'buzz' while the tundra's claim to fame is it's lack of choices and lack of power- no way is capacity holding that turkey back. After 15 years of lame uncompetitive product, no consumers in the segment are holding their breath for the next tundra, either.

You find it "hard to believe" because of this personal perception/ opinion: and because you have unilaterally rejected the plan as completely ineffective. The vehicle specs show the car to be completely competitive in the major areas that the average consumer looks for (general performance, MPG, room, price, etc). I know you'd find it hard to believe anyone would chose a LaC over an accord or camry after a test drive, too. I'm sure none of the marketing ideas Buickman uses had anything to do with even 2 of those 80 sales per month, so it must be every other possibility under the sun, because it can't be the marketing...

Or not capitalizing proper nouns... you know, like countries that aren't the US or makers of non-domestic cars. Ahh, so someone finally noticed, eh? Merely a little intentional Reverse Snobbery.

I voted '50s, thos to be true my favorite 'decade' would be '56-65. But like Harley, I appreciate cars from nearly all eras. Future stuff will always interest me, tho the trends in the present & where the future is undoubtedly going are depressing...

'Acts of war' are events that happen after war is declared. 'Terrorism' is everything else in this vein outside or prior to that declaration. I've been and it was quite emotional and thought-provoking. Anyone that can make the trip owes it to themselves (like Hawaii being so damned beautiful isn't any sort of draw itself!)

Keep 'em coming, Harley! So far I have agreed pretty much unilaterally with your opinions on the Big E. I never really noticed the '71s harkening to the early '50s in a few details, but it is there. I used to pass a commuting '70 last summer- a bit worn but still an imposing beauty. I have the half-handful of collector vehicles I really want, but on my short list of others I'd like to get one day is a '67-70 Eldorado.

Blorf!! I'd infinately rather have the New Yorker in the background.

It's a terminal illness and the patient's condition is worsening.

It simply looks dated. Specs~ HP & weight numbers are admirable, but acceleration & MPG aren't anything great. $34K is overpriced for what I see.

Haven't heard anything beyond Transistor off the new one. I have Follow the Leader and it has both its good & bad, Life is Peachy which I thought sucked and Korn, which is by far the best of the 3, and is truely excellent, IMO. Most rocks bands' best & most inspired work is their earlier rather than later stuff. Millions of dollars always takes the edge off hard rock/ metal.