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Another Japanese SEV from Cadillac

Started by denise 20352, April 03, 2006, 07:37:35 PM

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Bill Gauch

Denise, have you ever considered buying a "hot rod"? Im talking about one of those high end builds with the air bag shocks and nice soft tires. You could probably get a really nice ride in one of those and they would certainly be maintainable. A lot of times, you can pick one up for the price of a new mid-high priced car. If it were one of those insanly lowered dealies, it would probably not roll much in the turns either. Just a thought.

Pete B. #16534

It IS. It is amazing to me how you consistently choose to miss the facts of life: Denise, with all due respect, Cadillac may no longer be making YOUR kind of luxury car, but it sure is making exactly that for a lot of other people, and if in fact Cadillac has chosen to "pass you up", you can bet they are making it up in sales to the customer base it has decided it does want.

For the life of me, I cant begin to see what looks Japanese about the new models, and as far as claiming that sales overseas being all they have left, how do you explain that it is in THIS country that its sales have been increasingly so dramatically in recent years?

My parents had Cadillac throughout the sixties, seventies, and eighties, fabulous cars - all of them, and Im crazy about my 90 Fleetwood Coupe, but a neighbor just bought an 06 STS. It looks, rides, and handles like a zillion dollars, and I am THIS close to getting one myself. What else can I say......?

Ed Dougher

And may I remind you that it was the years and years of watering the product down for the masses that eventually left it with none of its former cache or exclusiveness.  

Short term sales increases are not necessarily best for the companys long-term interest.  

They can do better than a Maxima knockoff with and egg-crate grille.

Rhino 21150

I have the Oldsmobile my dad never liked, a 1976 Delta Royale. "Mothership". My dad preferred them small from the get go. His Oldsmobile was the Cutlass Cierra w/180hp quad four. He loved it! I love my Delta, blown tranny and all.
Now my dad isnt allowed to drive the Olds, so he sold it. Got another GM car, a Subaru Legacy wagon! Oh, and his 1940 5219. Dad is just old enough to pick on for his sloppy driving, too fast and too erratic. I dread getting there.
Yes, there is a market for the old style "lead sled". The carmakers, right or wrong, dont think it is big enough, the market, not the car. Tis a shame, there are quite a bunch of aging boomers that grew into the things.

denise 20352


  Im not sure I know what you mean.  Can you give me an example, model and year?

thanks

-d

denise 20352


  Maybe Im the only one in the world who thinks that they look like Japanese cars.  To tell you the truth, I dont even know why I care.   New cars are never going to be roomy and comfortable again, any more than airline seats will, and Ill spend the rest of my life working in a tiny plastic cubicle.

  Enjoy your DTS, SRS, CRX, or whatever it was that you said you were going to buy.  I have trouble remembering the names of the new cars.

-denise

Bill Gauch

Actually, anything made between 1900 and 1970 seems to be fair game as hot rod material. You can get all sorts of cars from the 30s-50s that have been fully modernized with modern suspension, braking and steering systems. Most anything that has been fitted with an aftermarket "Mustang II" type IFS can be upgraded to use air bags. With the right amount of persuasion and welding, you can make pretty much anything drive like a big cushy med-sled Caddy. If you buy it that way to start with, so much the better.

Bill Gauch

You can say that you will buy one for me too! Yeah... Yeah, that will prove to everyone just how much you like modern Caddys. Cmon... Please?  :)

Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397

Whether we like the cars that Cadillac is currently producing or not (I personally do), US sales have increased significantly in the past few years and continue to increase yearly leading several publications to call the Division the best thing going for GM. Having recently passed Mercedes-Benz, the marque trails only BMW and Lexus in US luxury vehicle sales. Cadillac sales in Europe remain as abysmal as they have historically been and I wouldnt look to the new Saabillac to change that at all.

STDog

Quote from: Pete B. #16534My point is simply that it IS possible to appreciate and respect the merits of both, and to respect and admire Cadillac for taking the risks it has.

But wouldnt it be nice to get a reall full sized sedan. One that seats 6 adults (not 5) and Has room to actully put stuff in the trunk?

Maybe Im, skewed, or warped. But at 16 in the spring,I fell for a 69 SDV. Broke it that fall, and have been after one since. Finally  found a 70 Coupe I liked 6 years ago, when I finally had a real job that paid enough to start on one. At 34, I still like the old Cadillacs, and have for 20 years. My 12 year old son is well his way too.

Yeah,  The latest stuff is at least a step in the right directon. Finally A car that doesnt look like everything else. But still a long way to go. And a sporty performer is great. The CTS/XLR (and teh V series) are good moves.

Now, how about a 6 passenger car as a sedan and a convertible (like the 60s deVilles) with the V series engines. Make it look longer than it is, and wide enough for 3 real adults. Make the trunk big enough for kids bicycle with the lid closed.  Then with all the ride control stuff make an option for "luxo-barge"/ float, along with they others.

denise


  Thatll be the day, when I can afford a truckload of groceries!  I just spent $200 and didnt even fill the trunk of the car.

-d

denise


  I have a 76 Chrysler New Yorker as my daily car, and I really like it.  The problem is, I dont know how long I will be able to maintain it.  I have a permanent injury from a shoulder belt, and doing anything strenuous means days or weeks of agony.  Im  just finishing an engine job now, but its killing me.  Im determined to finish it, but it might turn out to be the last one that Im able to do.

  I also have a 76 Cadillac hearse, which is fairly comfortable and easy to drive, and a 92 Chevy truck, in addition to the 2004 Mercubox that I dont drive.  The hearse also needs the engine done, but I dont know if Ill be able to or not.  Maybe after a long rest.

  After the accident, I was in so much pain that I never expected to be able to work on cars again, so I bought a new one.  I hated the car, and I got so depressed over abandoning my projects that I had to take them up again, despite everything.  I built a little motorized crane to lift things for me, and I use cheater bars and long-handled wrenches wherever possible.

  A picture of Mr. Crane:

  http://www.americansoapbox.org/mrcrane/motors2.jpg TARGET=_blank>http://www.americansoapbox.org/mrcrane/motors2.jpg

  I had already started letting people have parts from my 78 Deville, so I got the New Yorker.  It was a really nice deal, $2000, 58k original miles, and was in excellent mechanical condition, until someone dropped a handful of junk hardware into the carburetor.  Then since the pistons had to come out anyway, I raised the compression to 10.5:1 and put a Commando cam in it.  Then I decided that I needed a tach, and an oil pressure gauge, and since my speedometer wasnt working, I decided to do a digital dash project.  See how these things get started?

   These are pictures of my Chrysler.  

   http://www.americansoapbox.org/pics/76ny/ TARGET=_blank>http://www.americansoapbox.org/pics/76ny/

   The fact that someone can look at cars like this one, a Lincoln, Eldo, or Fleetwood and then tell me that new cars are attractive and luxurious, and dont look Japanese, just tells me that these things are totally subjective.  ;)

   My guess is that Ill rest up until Ive forgotten how painful it is to do this stuff, then Ill tackle the engine in the hearse, but sooner or later, Ill have so much arthritis in my system that I wont be able to do anything.  Maybe I can find a good mechanic, or a so-so mechanic who doesnt mind an old lady telling him how to fix cars.  ;)

   Whats kind of annoying is that buying a new car isnt an option.  There was a time when the showrooms were full of cars that I would have loved to have had, but now that I can actually afford one, there isnt anything for me.


-denise

STDog

Quote from: deniseMy guess is that Ill rest up until Ive forgotten how painful it is to do this stuff, then Ill tackle the engine in the hearse, but sooner or later, Ill have so much arthritis in my system that I wont be able to do anything.  Maybe I can find a good mechanic, or a so-so mechanic who doesnt mind an old lady telling him how to fix cars.  ;)

If you were closer, Id be happy to help out :)
My 472 rebuild is still going after 8 month of daily driving. I guess I did something right.
Too bad youre so far from Mississippi :(

George UK

I love being a dinosaur. I love my 59 Cad, and I love my Elvis records.

Ed Dougher

Is it?  Im 42.  I used to be one of those guys who read Car and Driver from cover to cover every month.  I wanted a Bimmer.  As a poor college student, I desperately wanted something that was "competent" on the skidpad, according to Car and Driver.

Now that Ive had a wide variety of cars, both new and used (and old), experience has taught me some things.

Perhaps some of the biggest revelations came when I used to help a friend who owned a car lot drive his new acquisitions home from the auction.  At the time I was using a 77 Coupe de Ville as a daily driver, so thats what I was used to driving.  To say that its eye-opening to drive a Chevy Beretta home from the auction and then
get back in your Cadillac would be the understatement of the century!!!

I still have a similar revelation on the rare occassion that my Mazda is in the shop and I need to drive my 79 Caddy for a day!

Theres just no comparison.  A real car is a real car.
 

G. Brown

Reliability? MAZDA???? Japenese F*rd. My 138,ooo mile SDV was much more reliable than the almost new 98 Mazda 666 I owned.

Ed Dougher

Lost in this discussion seems to be the fact that Cadillacs recent sales increase comes with its return to RWD in the newer models driving that sales increase.

Lost in this discussion seems to be the fact that the truck market has boomed in recent years as people have rejected the little plastic boxes called cars these days, in search of some real vehicles.

Lost in this discussion seems to be the fact that the resurrection of Chryslers image is being driven by a relatively big, meaty, RWD 300 model not seen since around 1970, and its various spin-offs like the Charger, not to mention the hoopla surrounding the Challenger.

Lost in this discussion seems to be the excitement Ford brought to the Mustang by redesigning it to be much more closely aligned with its roots.  In other words, they built a MUSTANG, the way Cadillac needs to build a CADILLAC!

And a Cadillac with an anemic engine and crushed velour is no more a CADILLAC than a 74 Mustang II is a MUSTANG.  I dont know how you came to that conclusion.

denise


   Were sort of far from anything here.  ;)

   I actually have a 472, almost ready to go.  I removed it from the stand because of the Chrysler, but Ill be putting it back on now.  Ive only been working on it for two years!

-denise

denise


  The weak engine is very easy to fix.  Seats dont have to be crushed velour.  Ill take leather or cloth seats, as long as they have pillows on the top.

  The Mustang resurrection does look sharp, I agree.

  Have you driven the Chrysler 300?

-d

Rhino 21150