[Shotimes] (OT) CTS-V in Detroit Free Press

[Randy Smith]

I've driven the CTS.  Last time I was in Germany, we rented a BMW 320 with a
2.0 turbo DIESEL.  I'd pay a few thousand more for that than a CTS any day.
The CTS didn't impress me in any way.  Nor the woman I went to test drive it
with.  She bought an Acura TL instead.  The Acura was less money, same
power, more room, better quality interior, the list goes on.  I very much
want to buy an American car, but several factors leave me no choice but to
look to foreign makers.  First and foremost, American makers deny that my
market segment exists, ie the SHO.  They no longer make a midsize sports
sedan with a manual trans.  The CTS and LS were up over 30k, a bit out of my
pricerange.  And if I did have that money, as indicated above, I'd buy a 3
series or A4 3.0 in a heartbeat for the 33-35k they ask before I'd pay 30k
for the CTS or LS (not to mention the LS manual is no longer available)

As I write this I realize how pointless it is.  I'll never sway your opinion
and you'll never sway mine.  I just feel disgusted with American makers.  It
doesn't help any that my company supplies to the big 3 and makes us jump
through rediculous hoops and bend over backwards for the pleasure of doing
business with them.  After the last 6 months of dealing with Chrysler you
can be sure I'll never buy a DaimlerChrysler product.  Gotta see if I can
find the joke about how a Honda engineer makes a baked potato versus how a
domestic maker does it.  All my coworkers were amazed how familiar it
sounded.

No offense here Don.  I respect you and your opinions, but I feel they the
American makers have deserted our demographic and other factors have made my
opinion even more negative.  I think the car rags have tasted the same
things.

Randy
94 Moonlight Blue MTX - only reason I drive it is the Yamaha under the hood.
The Ford shell is falling apart around it.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald Mallinson" <dmall@mwonline.net>
To: <shotimes-admin@autox.team.net>
Cc: "Shotimes" <shotimes@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 3:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Shotimes] (OT) CTS-V in Detroit Free Press

> Also, have any of you actually driven the CTS?  I have, the
> base automatic version.  It wasn't under powered, it had as
> much power and performance as a typical more expensive 6 cyl
> BMW, but the BMW gets a pass on putting out 45k cars with
> only 225 hp, when Caddy gets hammered for putting out a less
> expensive car with modern styling and virtually the same hp
> and performance... How biased is that?
>
> The CTS is a superb handling car.  And something else, the
> DeVille is no longer a "barge" or "Land Yacht" as magazines
> like to say.  It rides firm, has 275-300 high-tech hp, and
> weighs no more and usually less than the competition from
> Japan and Germany, while offering more value for the dollar.
>   I have driven all of these cars and the Caddy offerings
> are right in there with them.  All that holds them back is bias.
>
> So the engineers at Cadillac work to solve that with a new
> high po version of a car that truly WAS developed in Germany
> so it could come up to the standards set by BMW.  They
> acknowledged that BMW was the target, and they spent more
> than just a "trip to run the 'ring".  They spent months
> there working to get it right, just what you would expect
> from BMW or any other company that you might respect.  How
> can you put down an American company for going the extra
> miles to bring out a truly competitive car?
>
> Put down the car just because it doesn't have four cams?  I
> thought the goal was performance, value, ability,
> reliability, etc.  IF it is just gadgets then, admit that is
> what you are after.  There is nothing wrong with the small
> block Chevy.  You don't need 10,000 rpm potential to go fast.
>
> Come on folks, let's evaluate the car BEFORE we make
> judgments.  At some point all of us had to give the SHO a
> chance, even though Ford had NO history of making
> sophisticated fast mid-size sedans.  And they managed to
> make a good one, that we love and wish they would make
> again.  Don't assume, just because it says Cadillac on it,
> that it can't be any good.  It just MIGHT be as good as a
> BMW.  It might be a better value, if people give it a
> chance.  Everywhere except in the enthusiast press, people
> know that Cadillac has been making superb cars for a long
> time now, and EVERYONE made some junk in the 70's, so don't
> drag those cars into the fray.  EVerybody is getting better,
> and Cadillac is trying.  Why not give them a chance and see
> if maybe, just maybe they can succeed?
>
> Don Mallinson
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