For those who want to add pizazz to their morning commute, a study in technique...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuAAJw55RB8#t=153
Incidentally, I think I've found why some of my YouTube links wouldn't show as a window in the post. Some of them begin with an https and they don't show. If I delete the "s" from the URL, it renders as a window.
...and probably didn't spill a drop of his latte'.
My toy car is a 99 Miata with an add on supercharger and nitrous kit. I like driving in the twisties, but I'm an old school guy and drifting just violates that school of thought. I like to kick the tail end out a little on curves, but this drifting thing is spooky to me :o. I feel a hole lot better when the tail end remains planted a bit more ;D.
Rick
Shewt... I wish I was behind that guy on the freeway! Most of the Caddys in front of me are doing twenty under the speed limit :D :P
Sounds like a TIE Fighter sliding around those turns!
Good time! Can't say I've seen a Caddy do THAT! My friend Randy used to be chief steward of Formula Drift, but I never made it to an event. Never tried it in my Mustang, but I have been on the twisties a couple of times (Road America and Autobahn - Joliet, IL), and let me tell you - you have NO idea how HEAVY your car is until you take it out and whip it around a road course. I need tires.... :mrgreen:
Caddy has done a fantastic job of changing its image in the last decade. Love the styling, and I'm intrigued by the power. However, even at age 63 I still find myself tempted to think of it as an old guy's car. I hope they're succeeding in impressing their new image on 30-somethings, which is where they want to move their market.
I'm starting to break the stereotype, though...I'd love to drive a good used example of the newer Caddy models, just to see what they're like.
this...
http://www.thetorquereport.com/2010/10/2011_cadillac_cts-v_wagon_pack.html
..ain't your grandpa's caddy!
Quote from: nofi on December 31, 2013, 11:04:52 AM
this...
http://www.thetorquereport.com/2010/10/2011_cadillac_cts-v_wagon_pack.html
..ain't your grandpa's caddy!
I bought a Lincoln MKX two years ago and when I was shopping on line I also was looking at Caddys STX. I accidently came up with some of the stats on the Caddy wagon and just about fudged my undies :o. I thought I was looking at the STX. This wagon will run with anything on the road 8).
Rick
Quote from: nofi on December 31, 2013, 11:04:52 AM
this...
http://www.thetorquereport.com/2010/10/2011_cadillac_cts-v_wagon_pack.html
..ain't your grandpa's caddy!
Did you ever think there'd be a day when you could get Recaro seats and a six-speed stick in a Caddy wagon? Dang!!!
I won't buy GM. Period. Too many bad experiences before the bailout, no way afterward. I don't care how good the reviews are. Never.
Quote from: nofi on December 31, 2013, 11:04:52 AM
this...
http://www.thetorquereport.com/2010/10/2011_cadillac_cts-v_wagon_pack.html
..ain't your grandpa's caddy!
My boss drives one. What's not to love?
Best bass rig hauler ever!
Dodge Power Wagon with a hemi comes to mind
Quote from: Dave W on December 31, 2013, 02:49:58 PM
I won't buy GM. Period. Too many bad experiences before the bailout, no way afterward. I don't care how good the reviews are. Never.
Agreed one the most unreliable cars I owned was a Chevy Lumina company car. Had to be towed every other week!
Quote from: Dave W on December 31, 2013, 02:49:58 PM
I won't buy GM. Period. Too many bad experiences before the bailout, no way afterward. I don't care how good the reviews are. Never.
I agree they totally screwed the pooch on styling and almost every other aspect of desirable passenger cars for decades. Chevy hasn't made a car that appeals to me other than the Vette since about 1980. However, I think that underneath that, they still had some solid drivetrains and I have always liked their truck and SUV stuff. I believe that GM is improving, and cars like the Caddy and the new Camaro and the SS (similar to the Impala but a different model) give me hope.
Our '99 Blazer was kind of an "appliance" - nothing interesting or exciting about it - but it was trouble-free, dependable, had good power and gave us 150K good miles before having a problem with the 4WD that I wasn't interested in fixing, so I traded it.
Now it's a matter of principle with me, I couldn't care less about how good their current lineup may be. The stockholders' and bondholders' legal rights were wiped out and given to the unions. It was a deliberate subversion of the legal process.
I come from a die hard GM family , but I kind of broke the chain many years ago. I have been on Fords Z plan for 20 some years and have had very good luck with Ford. I did look real hard at the Caddy STX two years ago , but the Lincoln MKX won in the end. The engine had a little more juice and it was considerably more roomy in the back seat . I had an issue with driving a Caddy and having cramped passengers in the back >:(.
Rick
The caddy seats were rock hard as well. I don't think it would be comfortable on a long trip. Why can't Volvo make seats for all cars?
Quote from: Barklessdog on January 01, 2014, 07:46:59 AM
The caddy seats were rock hard as well. I don't think it would be comfortable on a long trip. Why can't Volvo make seats for all cars?
I had a couple of Volvo P1800s with the most comfortable seats ever. When Ford owned Volvo, they used the same basic seat with cheaper leather in my 2001 Escape. They were still great with the cheap leather ;D.
Rick
Quote from: Dave W on December 31, 2013, 09:00:35 PM
Now it's a matter of principle with me, I couldn't care less about how good their current lineup may be. The stockholders' and bondholders' legal rights were wiped out and given to the unions. It was a deliberate subversion of the legal process.
I couldn't agree more.
While GM has made much progress they still can't get their electrical right to this day. Start looking at anything GM, even new stuff, and notice just how many brake lights, turn signal and running lights you see not working - they just can't get it right. I've been in company vehicles for 30 + years and have been through three lifetimes worth of vehicles for an average driver - GM anything was always a PIA and the common issue was electrical. Of course not being able to keep the lamps dy might have been an issue :rolleyes: Maybe they'll have better luck with LEDs.
I must have been lucky. My dad was also a die-hard GM customer. I've been through 50 cars in my lifetime. The cars that have been the best were the Saturns. My '95 SL-1 led me to get a 2002 Vue 6 cyl AWD. It has been an outstanding car. At 218K, it doesn't burn oil, and gets better gas mileage than when I first bought it. It has its quirks - door frames that pull away from the car in high winds/speeds, and a rear windshield wiper that is packed with too much grease - but I expect to hit 300K easily. I do the regular maintenance, so I expect my next big repair to be about $600 for new tires in a little over a year.
Caddy is still an old man car, it's just that these days, us old men don't think we're old men. ;D
GM styling - Their trucks went to hell years ago. And I saw a rendering of the re-revamped Camaro that had the nose of a Malibu. I'm gonna laugh my ass of if that goes to production! I will say, I had a '89 S10 pickup that I bought new, and aside from the delaminating paint, it was great. Got me and my gear all over the Midwest for ten years. 4.3 V6 is a great motor. I'm from a Ford family (my dad was a mechanic at Ford dealerships), and it's been nothing but Fords for me since like 2000. They've been treating me well. Mustang is six years old now, and all I've "had" to do is a new battery and alternator.
I would also add corvettes and Harley's been old man vehicles. "Real" young people go elsewhere.
Quote from: Barklessdog on January 02, 2014, 03:49:44 PM
I would also add corvettes and Harley's been old man vehicles. "Real" young people go elsewhere.
That's true but not to the same degree as Cadillac. It's got an image that is probably impossible to shake after all these years.
Quote from: Barklessdog on January 02, 2014, 03:49:44 PM
I would also add corvettes and Harley's been old man vehicles. "Real" young people go elsewhere.
Definitely some truth to that. I get a kick out of how much Harleys have become a yuppie toy. Right down to all the spiffy Harley themed merch and accessories you can buy.
With apologies to fans, Harleys have become a real cliche.
Last time I drove to Jackson WY in the middle of summer, I saw a number of high-dollar Harleys, ridden no doubt by dentists and attorneys, all sporting much leather and usually with grey pony tails. Following their $15,000-$20,000 motorcycle was a $50,000 Chevy Yukon or Suburban chase car, often pulling a trailer which had tools to repair the bike or carry it home.
All I can do is shake my head. I can't personally imagine having any use for a vehicle that requires a chase car for an everyday trip...nor the $70,000 investment made in order to play Peter Fonda in Easy Rider.
Once I got to Jackson, there was a row of 20 or so Harleys parked carefully outside the famous Cowboy Bar (with the silver dollar bar surface) on the square.
(https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqJM5nempSjFt9qZ2QJeoQ-N_8oZjAyoYzUmiRDcpuDUacs-yONQ)
Every one of them was spotless, like right off a showroom. I walked down the line and finally spotted a dark red one which actually had some mud splashed on the rear fenders. I pointed it out to my daughters and said "Look girls, here's a REAL motorcycle. Someone has actually used it to ride on!"
I have nothing against car and motorcycle shows, but I'm not impressed by poseurs...which was how I regarded the guys riding those Harleys.
Quote from: Pilgrim on January 04, 2014, 09:32:29 AM
With apologies to fans, Harleys have become a real cliche.
Last time I drove to Jackson WY in the middle of summer, I saw a number of high-dollar Harleys, ridden no doubt by dentists and attorneys, all sporting much leather and usually with grey pony tails. Following their $15,000-$20,000 motorcycle was a $50,000 Chevy Yukon or Suburban chase car, often pulling a trailer which had tools to repair the bike or carry it home.
All I can do is shake my head. I can't personally imagine having any use for a vehicle that requires a chase car for an everyday trip...nor the $70,000 investment made in order to play Peter Fonda in Easy Rider.
Once I got to Jackson, there was a row of 20 or so Harleys parked carefully outside the famous Cowboy Bar (with the silver dollar bar surface) on the square.
(https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqJM5nempSjFt9qZ2QJeoQ-N_8oZjAyoYzUmiRDcpuDUacs-yONQ)
Every one of them was spotless, like right off a showroom. I walked down the line and finally spotted a dark red one which actually had some mud splashed on the rear fenders. I pointed it out to my daughters and said "Look girls, here's a REAL motorcycle. Someone has actually used it to ride on!"
I have nothing against car and motorcycle shows, but I'm not impressed by poseurs...which was how I regarded the guys riding those Harleys.
Galveston hosts a motorcycle rally every November called the Lonestar Rally. This year they estimated 200,000 plus flooded the island. I live 25 miles north of Galveston and right off of I-45 which dead ends at Galveston. For two days I watched people come in for the damn thing and Pilgrim is correct - shiny new bikes that rarely look like they leave the garage. Mostly with a fat bankers or other weekend fat cats riding them. Lets not forget all of the lazy sacks that trailer their bike in to crawl around the island at 3 miles an hour. I had the misfortune this year to have business in Galveston that Saturday and like mentioned before a verifiable poseur convention to be sure. I sure didn't see any of the local Bandito guys there.
Yeah, there was a time when a half a dozen Harelys pulled up, you could rest assured that there was at least some degree of bad ass going on in that group and if you weren't careful an opportunity to get your ass kicked could present itself. Nowdays, it's more likely to present an opportunity to ask for free legal or financial advice from an off duty pro ;D .
Rick