The General Car Thread - The Facelift.

[Petrolheadia]

Cadillacs are the best when they try the "normal car + a bit of luxury" design language.

See 1965-70 C-Bodies.

I disagree. Slapping a Cadillac logo on a Chevy is just a Chevy.

The Chevy that does not exist?

[Novus America]

I disagree. Slapping a Cadillac logo on a Chevy is just a Chevy.

The Chevy that does not exist?

If we are talking the old C-bodies that is different.
If we are talking the 90s Caddys they are just a 90s Chevy.

[Petrolheadia]

The Chevy that does not exist?

If we are talking the old C-bodies that is different.
If we are talking the 90s Caddys they are just a 90s Chevy.

Which ones?

[Novus America]

If we are talking the old C-bodies that is different.
If we are talking the 90s Caddys they are just a 90s Chevy.

Which ones?

Well actually more Oldsmobiles and Opels true.
The Cadillac Catera is just an Opel Omega for example.

[Petrolheadia]

Which ones?

Well actually more Oldsmobiles and Opels true.
The Cadillac Catera is just an Opel Omega for example.

Most Caddies throughout the history had an Olds counterpart.

[Novus America]

Well actually more Oldsmobiles and Opels true.
The Cadillac Catera is just an Opel Omega for example.

Most Caddies throughout the history had an Olds counterpart.

Sure, but they also did make an effort to make the Cadillac a distinctive vehicle especially visually.
But not in the 90s. The design was beyond lazy.
Plus they gave up on luxury.

The 90s Caddys are just generic boring midrange sedans.

And as such nearly killed Cadillac.

Certainly it is indisputable they were horrible from a business perspective.
90s Cadillac is a case study in how to NOT run a brand.

[Auzkhia]

De gustibus non est disputandum: Motto of the car enthusiast subculture?

There's a variety of tastes here. Have yours changed.

I became more open minded and less of a brand fanatic. The only car I liked no matter my age was the Volkswagen Beetle, both new and classic.

[Cannot think of a name]

De gustibus non est disputandum: Motto of the car enthusiast subculture?

There's a variety of tastes here. Have yours changed.

I became more open minded and less of a brand fanatic. The only car I liked no matter my age was the Volkswagen Beetle, both new and classic.

I’ve been a Porsche fan since I was very young and remain so. Not a Porsche can do no wrong fan or a Porsche or nothin fan, more of a “my jay Leno garage will prominently feature Porsche’s as well as other cars” kind of way.

[Elwher]

De gustibus non est disputandum: Motto of the car enthusiast subculture?

There's a variety of tastes here. Have yours changed.

I became more open minded and less of a brand fanatic. The only car I liked no matter my age was the Volkswagen Beetle, both new and classic.

The Morgen Plus 4 was one that I loved as a kid and love just as much now. The Shelby Cobra was another in that category. Unfortunately, I cannot afford either one.

[Elwher]

It all started downhill in 1977 and the appalling trend has accelerated faster than a v-12 Ferrari since then. The late 60s - early 70's were the height of great caddy designs.

Nah, 57-64 were the height.
By the early 70s already getting lazy and blocky.

Sure the late 80s to the early 2000s were bad.

Does ANYONE like the 90s Cadillacs? Even the craziest Cadillac fanatics admit those were dark times.

But the 90s were the low point, things have gotten much better since.
Since 2003 things have improved greatly and the current line up is quite nice.

I'm willing to accept how one could prefer the 57-64 Caddys, while not agreeing. But the current line up? Really, the very concept of a Cadillac pickup truck is ludicrous, and most of the rest can not be distinguished from any other car at first glance. If you saw a Cadillac from the 60's or 70's on the street, there was no doubt it was a Cadillac.

[Novus America]

Nah, 57-64 were the height.
By the early 70s already getting lazy and blocky.

Sure the late 80s to the early 2000s were bad.

Does ANYONE like the 90s Cadillacs? Even the craziest Cadillac fanatics admit those were dark times.

But the 90s were the low point, things have gotten much better since.
Since 2003 things have improved greatly and the current line up is quite nice.

I'm willing to accept how one could prefer the 57-64 Caddys, while not agreeing. But the current line up? Really, the very concept of a Cadillac pickup truck is ludicrous, and most of the rest can not be distinguished from any other car at first glance. If you saw a Cadillac from the 60's or 70's on the street, there was no doubt it was a Cadillac.

They no longer make that pick up thing.
It was silly. But it is gone. It is not in the current line up.

And the current ones do have a distinctive look, you can still definitely see they are a Cadillac even if they are not as distinctive as they onece were.

And still a million times better than the 90s.

[Costa Fierro]

90s Cadillac is a case study in how to NOT run a brand.

You're forgetting 80's Caddy and the cynical marketing behind the Cimarron.

[Novus America]

90s Cadillac is a case study in how to NOT run a brand.

You're forgetting 80's Caddy and the cynical marketing behind the Cimarron.

Well sure the idiocy of the 90s began in the 80s.
The 90s was the Cimarron idea for all Cadillacs.

The Catera was the Cimarron idea all over again.
But by the 90s the rest of the line was just overpriced midrange vehicles.

Cadillac had been affordable luxury, but by the 90s became overpriced midrange.

[Cannot think of a name]

Nah, 57-64 were the height.
By the early 70s already getting lazy and blocky.

Sure the late 80s to the early 2000s were bad.

Does ANYONE like the 90s Cadillacs? Even the craziest Cadillac fanatics admit those were dark times.

But the 90s were the low point, things have gotten much better since.
Since 2003 things have improved greatly and the current line up is quite nice.

I'm willing to accept how one could prefer the 57-64 Caddys, while not agreeing. But the current line up? Really, the very concept of a Cadillac pickup truck is ludicrous, and most of the rest can not be distinguished from any other car at first glance. If you saw a Cadillac from the 60's or 70's on the street, there was no doubt it was a Cadillac.

I legit up until like a few hours ago thought my moms 80s El Dorado...Seville? I don't know. Anyway, totally thought it was a dressed up Celebrity but apparently that's a different platform for Olds and Buicks and Chevys. But looking at it and it looks like a celebrity with gold flake on it. I drove that and then my ex's Buick Century and still thought they were different trims of the same car. I actually thought in one of those moments that happens when you're a dirt mall rat where someone has Grand Plans, this time to be PI despite her not knowing anything about it really who talked to me about being her 'wheel man'...look, I knew this was dorky at the time but it meant I got to build a dream 'wheel man' car and thought, "Fucking Celebrity and just have a bunch of magnetic trim pieces in the trunk, I can make that fucker like six different cars..."

The moral of the story is gen x slackers who hang out at dying malls sometimes have really stupid ambitions.

[Cannot think of a name]

You're forgetting 80's Caddy and the cynical marketing behind the Cimarron.

Bu
Well sure the idiocy of the 90s began in the 80s.
The 90s was the Cimarron idea for all Cadillacs.

The Catera was the Cimarron idea all over again.
But by the 90s the rest of the line was just overpriced midrange vehicles.

Cadillac had been affordable luxury, but by the 90s became overpriced midrange.

But the Northstar...



...I don't know, that's all I remember about Cadillac in the 90s, the Northstar engine which was the Aurora engine in Olds. All the automotive journalists loved the Northstar engine. When Road & Track did their first Le Mons they did it in an Olds with a Northstar engine which saved them because it put up with a lot of shit including one of Le Mons' famous penalties.

[Elwher]

Bu
Well sure the idiocy of the 90s began in the 80s.
The 90s was the Cimarron idea for all Cadillacs.

The Catera was the Cimarron idea all over again.
But by the 90s the rest of the line was just overpriced midrange vehicles.

Cadillac had been affordable luxury, but by the 90s became overpriced midrange.

But the Northstar...



...I don't know, that's all I remember about Cadillac in the 90s, the Northstar engine which was the Aurora engine in Olds. All the automotive journalists loved the Northstar engine. When Road & Track did their first Le Mons they did it in an Olds with a Northstar engine which saved them because it put up with a lot of shit including one of Le Mons' famous penalties.

Then there was the V8-6-4 engine of the early 80's. Pure mechanical deactivation/activation of the cylinders, what could possibly go wrong?

[Petrolheadia]

Bu
Well sure the idiocy of the 90s began in the 80s.
The 90s was the Cimarron idea for all Cadillacs.

The Catera was the Cimarron idea all over again.
But by the 90s the rest of the line was just overpriced midrange vehicles.

Cadillac had been affordable luxury, but by the 90s became overpriced midrange.

But the Northstar...



...I don't know, that's all I remember about Cadillac in the 90s, the Northstar engine which was the Aurora engine in Olds. All the automotive journalists loved the Northstar engine. When Road & Track did their first Le Mons they did it in an Olds with a Northstar engine which saved them because it put up with a lot of shit including one of Le Mons' famous penalties.

The Northstar is likely the main reason for so many dirt cheap used Cadillacs being there.

[Petrolheadia]

What was the most interesting junkyard find you've ever had?

When I was younger and lived in Warsaw, my family sometimes used to drive by a junkyard near the Vistula. They mainly dealt with boats, but also had some cars.

One of them was a big old pink sedan, I think it was a '49-'51 Ford. It was hard to tell the trim, because it was stripped clean of anything of value. The only thing left was the throughoutly rotten body that looked like its last good times were in the 80s or even 70s.

Some runner-ups are a VW Phaeton at a yard dealing with damaged UK cars, and if we include internet listings, a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado convertible being parted out in Upper Silesia and a guy who had a small junkyard of six 80s LTDs/Country Squires.

[Vassenor]

OK, serious question - does anyone have any advice for judging gaps and distances at junctions? Because today I got told off by my instructor for jumping someone who I thought was further back than they actually were.

[The Two Jerseys]

OK, serious question - does anyone have any advice for judging gaps and distances at junctions? Because today I got told off by my instructor for jumping someone who I thought was further back than they actually were.

You mean for merging with traffic?

[Vassenor]

OK, serious question - does anyone have any advice for judging gaps and distances at junctions? Because today I got told off by my instructor for jumping someone who I thought was further back than they actually were.

You mean for merging with traffic?

Yes.

Stupid common language barrier.

[The Two Jerseys]

You mean for merging with traffic?

Yes.

Stupid common language barrier.

Lol.

Well, if the acceleration lane is long enough that you can actually monitor approaching traffic on the mainline in your side mirror, it's pretty easy to judge if someone is coming up on you like a bat out of hell and you shouldn't pull in front of them.

Other than that, the rule I always learned for passing and merging is to wait until you can see their entire vehicle in your mirror before moving over.

[Vassenor]

No wait we're on intersections not joining the highway.

-headdesk-

[The Two Jerseys]

No wait we're on intersections not joining the highway.

-headdesk-

Ah.

Honestly, the only advice I have for those situations is to know how fast your vehicle can accelerate, and if the gap looks too small it probably is.

[Vassenor]

No wait we're on intersections not joining the highway.

-headdesk-

Ah.

Honestly, the only advice I have for those situations is to know how fast your vehicle can accelerate, and if the gap looks too small it probably is.

Yeah, the advice I've seen elsewhere has basically been "try and measure a six second gap".