1/25/15 2:59 PM

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I have no use for a 2 seater

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1/25/15 3:12 PM

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Federal rollover roof crush standards,

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1/25/15 6:38 PM

Was at the assisted living community last week when an older woman in an suv backed into a guy on one of those mobility scooters. He had no biz being where he was and she was completely distraught. No way she ever would have seen him without a cam or backup sensors.

Know an atty who backed over and killed his 4 yr old daughter on a trike in the driveway. Ruined him for life. Cam's are a necessity.

1/25/15 8:49 PM

My 2 seat Del Sol could be made to carry the tandem. I use it for bike moving a lot with an empty right seat. Two people, two bikes and all the gear no sweat. Trunk is quite large really

I pull the bike rack and stick it in the trunk along with my big gym bag that had my bike gear in it with room to spare.

I have had a Fender Super Reverb [4x10 speakers] and a huge pedal board in there. Guitar to long to go in the trunk, goes behind the seats...

1/26/15 6:18 AM

"Sorry, for me Cadillac will never have any image other than stodgy."

And for me, GM will never have any image other than junk. It's just a matter of time before they screw up and come begging for a bailout again.

1/26/15 9:04 AM

Well, that's part of the larger "Detroit builds crap" thing. It was a surprisingly true thing. My parents bought one of the last LTD wagons so my dad could tow his sailboat. You know what? Crap. Absolute, unadulterated, over-sized crap. From the plastic burled walnut dash to the grill and back to the license plate, crap.

That was one example of how Detroit lost an entire generation of car-buyers.

From that perspective, Chevy, Ford, Chrysler--all crap. The minivan moment saved Detroit, IMO. But now that we (as a family) are out of that moment, I see nothing to recommend an American automobile.

Remember when Honda was what you bought when you couldn't afford an American car? I think that's reversed now...

1/26/15 11:30 AM

true -- detroit made crap starting in the 70s and thru the 90s. things have changed, but i think for the "lost generation" that came of age during the big-3's period of darkness the negative perception for the big-3 will never change. but we'll all die and our kids and grandkids perceptions will differ.

in addition to the minivan, the SUV lined the pockets of the big-3 as well!

current domestic world-class vehicles, off the top of my head:
-corvette
-CTS
-ATS
-mustang
-F150

i'm sure there are more if i thought hard about it -- and i'm a Honda guy!

1/26/15 12:02 PM

Well, the 'Vette is one of a kind, and the Mustang looks ugly to me (but I remember the first-generation 'Stangs, which were gorgeous almost right up to the time of the abominable Mach 1, and then the suffering, simpering things that were called Mustang II).

The F150 I heard of as a standard when I lived in Wisconsin, but I live in Connecticut now :-).

ATS and CTS mean absolutely nothing to me. Except possibly having to do with RS232 ports.

1/26/15 12:18 PM

CTS ~= bmw 5-series, merc E-class
ATS ~= bmw 3-series, merc C-class

and as far as SUV's go, while they may not be your cuppa, cadillac pretty much set the standard for the high-end luxo-barges of today and the euro OEMs have caught up.

1/26/15 2:30 PM

I'd drive a Corvette anyday, but I always get a kick out of Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson belittling the Vette every time he pushes the back bumper in with a few fingers from one hand. It's even more amusing than his outward dislike of Porsche 911.

1/26/15 7:14 PM

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ATS ~= bmw 3-series, merc C-class

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1/26/15 7:32 PM

Cadillac's are niche vehicles now...no matter how good they are, they'll never in our lifetime live down the negative vibe. Modern BMW's are well performing junk (interiors fall apart, front suspensions made of bubblegum and silicone glue, electronic glitches yada) but the halo will last a generation.

The CTS V, had it come from Germany, would have sold literal boatloads at its pricepoint.

Modern Detroit stuff is pretty robust and capable for the money, but GM's dark years will linger on in a way that Ford's never did.

1/26/15 9:18 PM

Your perception, and that of many people like you, is tainted. Permanently.

Haters. ;-)

1/27/15 5:37 AM

Buicks are old fogey cars, Cadillacs are not.

Large Crysler's have a negative connotation also. Mostly driven by thugs with 22 inch wheels around here. There is no way I would drive a Chrysler.

1/27/15 6:48 AM

I associate Cadillacs with men wearing plaid pants who play golf.

1/27/15 8:22 AM

same perception here.

i always wondered why GM kept buick but killed oldsmobile/pontiac, when my perception of buick was the same as erik's. at the time there was more to like about either of those 2 than buick!

as i understand it, the perception and cachet of the buick brand is quite different in china. china -- the big growth market of today and the future.

back in the early 20th century, chinese nobility preferred buick for some reason -- i dont recall why, but it was thus. and this set the perception and cachet of buick quite nicely in chinese culture. it's baked right in, the way cadillac used to be here in the US.

as all the boomers age out of the "driving public" and leave the ranks of market making consumers, which is already happening to some extent, i think cadillac and and maybe other tarnished brands will re-establish a meaningful level of their former glory in the US with the next generations of drivers.

1/27/15 10:25 AM

Buick..how about Matthew "I drove a Lincoln *long* before they ever paid me." McConaughey?

I still recall TTCC's comments about tv commercials for cars, that they never show the real reality of everyday driving for most that being stuck in traffic or driving on mundane roads.

1/27/15 2:47 PM

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china -- the big growth market of today and the future.

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1/27/15 3:38 PM

Love my A4 Avant! 4 years down, hope it lasts another 6. Off warranty now, though.

1/27/15 4:23 PM

Is making some fantastic cars that no one cares about.
If I was in the market for a mid level luxury car it would be on my short list, but I know the perception, my wife said she never wants me to buy a Cadillac :) and my mechanic said the same thing.

1/27/15 5:28 PM

Another shame. Their cars, at least the Regal (?) are Opels with cosmetic changes. Damn fine drivers cars.

GM is building nice stuff. Even the Malibu is a real car. But they'll never live down their sins. Serves them (management) right.

1/27/15 8:17 PM

At one point not many years ago, the average age of a new Buick buyer was 69. AVERAGE! It will take a number of years to live down that reputation. In my home town if you read of a two car accident where both drivers were 70-80 years old, you could almost bet that both were driving Buicks. Conversely, if both cars were Buicks you could read farther down the article in the newspaper and see the drivers' ages: 80 give or take. Or so it seemed.

For some people, GM has lived down their sins. My daughter was surprised to hear me speak ill of Cadillac - she thinks they're pretty good cars and her boyfriend drives a CTS. Those of us of a certain age can only think "land barge with tail fins."

1/27/15 9:04 PM

We had a 1976 Eldorado Convertible when we got married in 1983. White, white top, red leather. Mint original condition, which was easy as it was not that old then. ;)

My best man chauffeured us away from the Church in it with the top down. It rained in the morning, and poured in the evening at the time of the reception. Few hours of sun in the middle for us.

What a boat! Huge 500 CI V8 and front wheel drive. And I think it was 20 feet long easily, long for a two door. ;)

Looked just like this...


<img src="http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2010/11/30/16/01/1976_cadillac_eldorado-pic-4539024281227378731.jpeg" width=584>

1/28/15 7:21 AM

'70s cars. Feh.

I learned to drive and took my first driving test (failed it) in a '73 Plymouth Fury III. Instead of having turn signal indicators in the dash, it had them out on the ends of the fenders in little bullet housings. Unfortunately, it took so long for the light to travel the length of the hood that you couldn't tell if they were working.

As I said, I failed my first test in that car--because of the parallel parking requirement. The next time I took it, I used my Dad's Mercury Capri and found it significantly easier.

Lesson learned.

1/28/15 12:26 PM

My last two cars have been Cadillac CTS models. I've really liked them, had virtually no repairs. Fun to drive, nice styling, etc. I'd turn around tomorrow and buy another, except that they grew the size of the CTS when they introduced the ATS. Too big now, IMHO.

So, Cadillac is back, right? Well...

Two people I work with own ATS models. The stories they tell about repair issues are lengthy and scary. Big stuff, too, including both had serious engine issues. Too bad, because it's a nice-looking car that seems to have caught the attention of young drivers (who don't remember people in plaid pants driving Sedan De Villes.)

Maybe a good opportunity lost...

Alan