AD #2738 – JLR Uses 3D Printed Dog Paw in Tests; Passenger Car Sales Down; BAIC Wants to Be Daimler’s #1 Shareholder
December 16th, 2019 at 11:37am
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Runtime: 7:22
0:07 BAIC Wants to Be Daimler’s Largest Shareholder
0:53 Jeep to Add New Subcompact in Europe
1:14 Passenger Car Sales Continue to Sink
2:04 Cadillac Launches Digital Showroom
2:47 JLR Uses 3D Printed Dog Paw in Durability Tests
3:36 Big Chevy SUVs Use New Electronic Architecture
4:31 Inside the Development of The C8 Corvette
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BAIC WANTS TO BE DAIMLER’S LARGEST SHAREHOLDER
Last month, reports surfaced that Chinese automaker, BAIC, wants to boost its 5% stake in Daimler. And now Reuters has more details about BAIC’s plan. It wants to double its stake to around 10%, in order to become the largest shareholder in Daimler. Chinese automaker Geely is currently the largest Daimler shareholder with just under a 10% stake. If BAIC hits its target, it also wants a seat on Daimler’s supervisory board. BAIC and Daimler are joint-venture partners in China and build Mercedes-Benz’s in the country. But this has got to make Germany nervous that Chinese automakers are looking to take a controlling interest in one of the country’s most iconic brands.
JEEP TO ADD NEW SUBCOMPACT IN EUROPE
Jeep is planning to expand its lineup in Europe. Auto Express reports that the company will introduce a subcompact utility vehicle in 2022 that will slot below the Renegade. It will compete with the Suzuki Jimny and will likely have an electrified powertrain which would come from FCA’s merger with PSA.
PASSENGER CAR SALES CONTINUE TO SINK
Sales of passenger cars in the U.S. market continue to sink. They were down 10% last month and are down 10% so far this year, while the overall market is down less than 1%. Despite the on-going market shift to CUVs, SUVs and pickup trucks, passenger cars still account for one out of four vehicles sold. And consumers will buy about 4.7 million cars this year. Even so, that’s about half a million fewer passenger cars than they bought last year.
CADILLAC LAUNCHES DIGITAL SHOWROOM
Cadillac is trying to take some stress out of the car buying process. The brand launched its online shopping experience, called Cadillac Live in the U.S. Shoppers enter a digital showroom from either a mobile device or desktop where they can look at features and specifications of 10 models, video chat with a product specialist who can answer questions and shoppers can even invite a guest to join them. With so much of the car buying process being done online, automakers are trying new ways to improve that process. And what should appeal to buyers is the Live specialists can be booked on-demand or scheduled for a later date and are available 7 days of the week, although times vary.
JLR USES 3D PRINTED DOG PAW IN DURABILITY TESTS
Many of us invite our furry friends into our vehicles, but that can often times lead to more wear and tear. So, to help test the durability of its vehicles, Jaguar Land Rover engineers developed a 3D printed dog paw. It was modeled after a mid-size dog, named Yogi who also was recorded jumping in and out of the trunk of a Land Rover Defender with pressure mapping technology. JLR uses that data and the 3D printed paw to perform a 5,000-cycle abrasion test on painted panels and says the bumper of the Defender can stand up to more than a decade’s worth of use by dogs.
BIG CHEVY SUVs USE NEW ELECTRONIC ARCHITECTURE
One of the most significant aspects of the new Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban is that they are equipped with GM’s new electronic architecture. GM says it offers over-the-air updates, far better cyber protection and can process 4.5 terabytes of data an hour, which is five times faster than the old system. One thing drivers will really appreciate is that it will reduce the delay for acceleration when using adaptive cruise control. People who tow will be able to monitor the tire pressure and lights in their trailer. GM does not use centralized computing like Tesla does. Instead, it has broken computing power into segments. But GM says the architecture can accommodate centralized computing, where a few powerful microprocessors handle all the computing power in a vehicle, rather than having microprocessors in components scattered throughout the vehicle.
INSIDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE C8 CORVETTE
General Motors had to pour much more time and effort into the development of the new C8 Corvette, since the company didn’t have a lot of knowhow developing a mid-engine vehicle. And one of the challenges engineers had to tackle was getting the engine noise to sound right inside the car because of the new engine layout. On last week’s Autoline After Hours we were joined by Tadge Juechter, the Executive Chief Engineer of the Corvette and he explained how they got it to sound just the way they wanted.
Tadge Juechter, Executive Chief Engineer, Corvette
“And so one of the puzzles we were trying to figure out was, how do we have a car that sounds good. You want to hear the intake, you want to hear the exhaust. Well, the intake breathes out of the back of the engine, the exhaust goes out of the back engine. We just put those things farther away. And you don’t want to hear the high frequency stuff, we put that closer. So what are the architectural secrets of making the good sounds audible and the bad sounds distant? And so one thing we were shocked at, we took apart this Ferrari and a lot of the parts are very lightweight but the back window was really thick glass and we knew we were going to have to do that. We didn’t realize how much were going to have to do it. I mean the back window on our car ended up almost 9 millimeters laminated glass, so it’s twice as thick as a windshield back there. And the reason is, is its one of the primary sound paths between you and that high frequency noise. So we started with thick glass. We’re using heavier than normal fiber glass around that glass. We’re using the acoustic on both the clean side and dirty side, to try to create this barrier between you and all that high frequency noise. And then we had to use some very clever solutions to actually plum the good noise around towards your ear around that barrier, that sound barrier. And that’s why the side intakes you see, the top third of that is actually the intake for the engine, the throttles on the back. We go through a big air box, it comes around the sides and we actually use the body structural panels as the ducting to get to the top of that side inlet. And so it’s breathing, you hear that intake sound, so it’s nice and throaty intake sounds coming right through that corridor. And so that bypasses that opaque barrier and gets you close to the thin side glass, that’s very thin relatively speaking, thinner than a windshield, way thinner than a back light. So you can hear that.”
There’s a lot more, great insight into the development of the new Corvette in that show and you can watch it now on our website, Autoline.tv or you can find it on our YouTube channel.
But that wraps up today’s report, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (53)
December 16th, 2019 at 11:59 am
Almost Half the show was that video from AAH. ( I skipped it, but others may find it interesting).
JLR Silliness. What do they want to become, an unreliable SUbaru??? They already ruined the onetime luxury interiors, today’s Jags, esp the breadvans (aka crossovers) look like HYUNDAIS. A tragedy, for Jags were once very luxurious inside AND very affordable for cars in their category. (I assume if they were reliable they would not be as cheap).
December 16th, 2019 at 11:59 am
Sean; Any predictors on where passenger car sales might level out? Sounds like its currently around 25% and I’m sure there will always be some but could that market drop to as low as 10% ?
Oh Caddy your helping make a case for Elon and is there really a need for a dealership?
I will defiantly have to go back and watch the AAH as I know my Lamborghini does not have a real thick rear window and that is something I can still change.
December 16th, 2019 at 12:10 pm
@Lambo – Who the heck knows? I’ve felt like the drop in passenger car sales were leveling off several times, only to see them drop again. We’re still seeing the impact from Chrysler and Ford pulling out of the segment and we’ll probably see more automakers adjust the mix of their lineups. I could easily see Nissan drop a model or two.
December 16th, 2019 at 12:30 pm
At some point, cars will start to be “cool,” as the soccer mom-mobile trucks make up 80% of the fleet. Also, when gas prices rise, cars will make a comeback. Even the most efficient CUVs, like the RAV4 hybrid, get substantially worse mpg than a Camry or Accord hybrid.
December 16th, 2019 at 12:33 pm
I do think passenger sales drop is partially due to the drop in “supplies” rather than demand. Personally, I’ve owned several Chevy Cruze, but now that it is out of production, my next vehicle will likely be a small GM SUV rather than the Malibu. Likewise on Friday’s show, the drop in plug-ins and hybrids may be due to the Volt going away more than demand falling.
December 16th, 2019 at 12:36 pm
Makes you wonder what Honda’s strategy will be with car sales continuing to dive.
December 16th, 2019 at 12:40 pm
6 Honda saw HUGE GAINS recently, all from its CROSSOVERS.
4 WHile I like car styling for luxury cars especially, and even more “Grand Coupes” like the MErc CLs, Cars have an Achilles’ heel which will always put them at a disadvantage, crossovers have way more UTILITY than cars, for all those who shop at IKEA and Home Depot and the like.
December 16th, 2019 at 1:00 pm
When the dust settles in ten years, Daimler wants to be sure that among the now vulnerable western carmakers, it will still be standing. And so it has no fear of a hostile takeover, in the near term.
Who’d a thunk that sleepy BAW would morph into the behemoth BAIC has become?
December 16th, 2019 at 1:04 pm
Are there any doubts that the Chinese Communists are taking over. The Germans blocked the takeover of BMW way back during the Iacocca times but now the Chinese are doing this block by block of shares and will soon have access to positions on the board and their technology.
December 16th, 2019 at 1:05 pm
5 @BobD, Have your Cruzes been hatchbacks? If not, and they have been sedans, why would you not want a Malibu?
December 16th, 2019 at 1:08 pm
10 because he can have a far better ACCORD?
December 16th, 2019 at 1:09 pm
6 Honda still sells a lot of cars, with Civic and Accord, but I heard that they will quit selling the Fit in the US. They dropped the Accord coupe a few years ago, but it seemed that they were actively trying to come up with an excuse to drop it the last few years, as they had almost no color choice. If the only color choice is black, that will reduce sales numbers.
Does anyone know the body style mix of Civic, between coupe, sedan, and hatch?
December 16th, 2019 at 1:11 pm
10 and even more if they were Sedans, he probably will have to buy a crossover because of their far better UTILITY. My back seat can drop, but it is a royal pain, so I cannot easily go to IKEA and get a few more of those “Billy” $60 or less, bookcases, which are 7-8′X1′X6″ boxes. In the crossover you can easily put four of these on the right side and have half the space behind the front seats available for all your other shopping for the week.
December 16th, 2019 at 1:13 pm
7 The thing is, car-height wagons have most of the utility of CUVs, without compromising efficiency and handling. Europeans appreciate that, but Americans barely even have the chance to experience it. Of course, hatches like Civic, Corolla, and yes, Prius, have a lot of utility while driving like cars, and getting good mpg.
December 16th, 2019 at 1:16 pm
11 No, if you’d READ HIS POST, it sounds like he will buy a GM product of one type or another. GM doesn’t make Accords.
December 16th, 2019 at 1:22 pm
13 7 and 8 foot boxes don’t fit in most CUVs, without hanging out the back with the hatch open. The seat back of most CUVs doesn’t fold all the way forward, and even those that do, there will not be 8 feet of length, except with the larger vehicles.
December 16th, 2019 at 1:36 pm
15 OF COURSE I assumed he is one of those who will, for whatever reason (discount, or worse) will not buy the BEST of cars in his category. I know the kind.
December 16th, 2019 at 1:38 pm
16 the passenger seat reclines all the way and allows one to put 4 boxes on that side. I could even put three boxes in my tiny CIVIC hatch 1991 that way, and if it was not just 51″ tall, I could have put a fourth.
December 16th, 2019 at 1:40 pm
18 con’d when I had the 740iL, a superb car, but utterly useless for UTILITY, I had to ask a friend in a small Jeep Cherokee (not the ‘grand’ or anything) to bring me a 7′ bookcase (assembled, not in a box) I was given by another friend, and it fit fine in the Jeep. There was no way in hell this thing could have fit in ANY sedan.
December 16th, 2019 at 1:43 pm
And speaking about sedans, in China the second Sat of November I saw a “his and hers” sedan in immaculate condition in a ‘garage’ (storage room) at some famous estate – Garden. These sedans were 500 years old (1522 was when the amazing gardens were developed) and were about 4″ long and 7″ tall (but got taller when moving), and about 3″ wide. Each had probably just one door and was powered by two to four Coolies. They were exquisitely decorated inside and out and you could tell by the colors which was his and which hers.
December 16th, 2019 at 1:44 pm
20 of course these were both Sedan CHAIRS. I wonder why they did not use Horses and Carriages instead, maybe these had better handling in dense traffic.
December 16th, 2019 at 1:53 pm
18 Your sedan my have more utility for long items than the “utility” Merc GLE, depending on how the passenger seat reclines, or folds forward. The GLE has only 68 inches of length to the front seat backs, according to a C and D chart.
December 16th, 2019 at 2:07 pm
22 as i said, reclining the rear seat is a royal pain in my E, and in the 740iL it did not recline at all, just had an opening in the middle for a couple of skis.
I know what I have seen, and I saw that 7 foot bookcase fit into a SMALL jeep Cherokee. There was no way in hell it would fit either in the 740iL or the E.
December 16th, 2019 at 2:14 pm
Larry @ #1 Subaru unreliable. ? My wife’s 016 Crosstrek has been bulletproof. We will own it 3 years in Feb and have had ZERO problems at all. Funny you say that and there ads claim that there are more 10-15YO Subarus on the road then most other makes of the same age. As long as they don’t overheat and cook the head gaskets many run beyond 300K miles. I worked with a guy who had over 1/2 million miles on his and only ever did routine maintenance to it. That is the key with most vehicles is doing required work. Seeing as most people are keeping a vehicle 2-3 years they don’t bother and let the next owner deal with it. Beat the carp out of anything and it won’t last.
December 16th, 2019 at 2:16 pm
23 Did the front passenger seat in the Jeep recline all the way, or fold forward to where it was flat? If not, I guess the hatch wouldn’t close with the book case.
17 I don’t know, but maybe BobD’s works for GM. When I was a salary employee with GM, I was expected to have a GM car, and drive it to work. Some bosses expected employees to have only GM cars, but fortunately, I never had one of them, and I usually had a non-GM car too.
21 Did they have some gold leaf decoration?
December 16th, 2019 at 2:18 pm
Mini-vans used to be all the rage but they came and went (finally settling into a niche), so will car sales; each category will ebb and flow as conditions change, evolve and technology varies. I suppose all the reporting agencies will go for their predictions and the ones that win will say, I told you so, the missed ones will just go unnoticed for the most part. Whiles things (as a whole) remain the same, arguably they’re changing all the time. And that’s why the auto companies are pulling their hair out (but that for the most part has pretty much been from the beginning too).
December 16th, 2019 at 2:20 pm
24 I think he meant “like a Subaru, only unreliable,”not that Subarus were unreliable. My sister has a ~3 year old Forester, and to my knowledge, has not had any trouble with it. It uses a little oil, though, more than most recent cars.
December 16th, 2019 at 2:30 pm
26 Minivans are the most unappreciated vehicles on the market. If not “loaded up” too much, they are a good value, and are better for carrying people than even big SUVs, like Tahoe. Also, the Pacifica with “stow and go,” and probably some of the others, are much more versatile for switching between carrying people, and carrying stuff, than the CUV/SUVs..
December 16th, 2019 at 2:38 pm
You had me curious at “3d printed paw”.
Very cool.
I now wonder how long our vinyl floor will last in the laundry room as one of our cats insists on covering the tray of food after he eats but will never understand that there is no actual covering taking place lol.
December 16th, 2019 at 2:42 pm
17 What kind of person is that Larry? Ones that support American jobs, and our economy? Ones that wont sell their sole to save a few bucks? Or ones that don’t care about future generations and our reliance on foreign countries and the affect it has on our deficit.
“Buy American!” might sound like nothing more than a slogan advanced by American manufacturers to sell products made in the USA, but the truth is that there are many reasons to consider buying American-made products.
1) The one that stands out most here is basically allowing foreign investors to slowly take over our economy because if we buy everything elsewhere they will have all the money. That in turn allows them to come buy our businesses. (as in todays show)
2) The labor standards in the US are not required by other countries and so items like clothing may be made by children they don’t have labor laws like we do. So the use of kids or the saftety of employees and no minimum wage means no OHSHA requirements and not near the concern we expect of our employers.
3) As more jobs move out, that’s less jobs for future generations and will make it more difficult for future Americans.
The bottom line is that the more money we send offshore, the deeper we sink our collective fortunes. We can’t survive by exporting money. We need to demand the best products possible, but we also need to support American industry in order to protect our jobs and our country’s well-being.
Its a very simple philosophy that even the most economic illiterate person should understand.
Yet we as Americans will continue to cut our own throat for the sake of the quick fix right now. Huge car sales potential in China so lets agree to partner with companies and educate them so they can build them. This way they can learn from us and then build them cheaper due to the many reasons mentioned above and wonder why we lost another industry.
December 16th, 2019 at 4:17 pm
Maybe car sales are down because not many make them any more!; Even those that sold well, like the Fusion. To worsen the matter, it’s almost impossible to find a car with a 6 cylinder.
Manufactures made a profit making cars for generations, now they claim the opposite. What they are really saying is they can’t over price cars high enough to offset EV investments.
But they can’t make polluting gas hog large SUV’s fast enough, then have the nerve they are going green and making EL cars again that most of the public doesn’t want.
December 16th, 2019 at 4:40 pm
31 There are Ford fans who will be replacing a Fusion, who will buy a CUV, because Ford dropped all of their mainstream cars. I know one that would buy another Fusion, if they still sold them, and had a newer generation than than the 7 year old one. For unclear reasons, they will buy only Fords.
December 16th, 2019 at 5:38 pm
28, Agreed, Minivans have got to be the most pragmatic vehicle to own for a vast amount of the buying public (at least for families) but pragmatism hardly ever sets the direction of the market. And of course, variety is the spice of life.
December 16th, 2019 at 6:09 pm
33 Minivans are also good for carrying “stuff,” which is why I bought mine 30 years ago, mainly for model airplanes. The new ones are much more convenient for “changing over,” though. With my ’89, you need to remove a 100 pound seat, rather than it folding into the floor.
December 17th, 2019 at 9:14 am
24 You need new glasses, I NEVER said Subarus are unreliable. I was referring to their use of dogs in commercials, and Jag doing the same, the JAGS will be the unreliable Subarus. Come on!
25 I did not see their inside, did not bother after a very long walk around the gardens, but the exteriors were strikingly different (his from hers). You may find pics of them if you google “Humble Administrator’s Garden”
30 I am a CONSUMER who looks after MY own interest. I will NOT support domestic makers of CRAPPY or even MEDIOCRE cars. Their incompetent makers and their workers and their corrupt union never supported ME and I WOULD NEVER ASK THEM either.
You (Lambo) look like a MAJOR LEAGUE Hypocrite. Nobody helped poor performers by forgiving their shoddy work and buying their products, they would keep making shoddy cars if one did that. So spare me.
December 17th, 2019 at 9:18 am
35 30 and BTW, I payed my dues, when I started my job here and I bought that lousy Pontiac 2000, NEW. I kept it for 11 years but it dropped dead with only 65k miles. I’m sure it was built in the US and whatever profits went to GM, but that car was essentially an Opel Ascona with the 1.8 engine and a god-awful 5 speed manual. It was not as unreliable as some would think, it was just poor quality inside and out. I would not make the same error again.
December 17th, 2019 at 9:25 am
36 Your Pontiac 2000 was made in Lordstown.
December 17th, 2019 at 9:33 am
re: Sedan Chairs
I suspect humans were cheaper, more plentiful, and not prone to soil the streets like a horse would.
re: Hauling stuff
It only takes about 60 seconds to pop off the passenger-side headrests front and back, toss ‘em on the floorboards, drop the back seatback, and then fully recline the front seat to provide an 8′ long load space in my 2006 Outlander. I’m good to about 6′ with back seats down, but have to tie down the hatch for anything over 6′ long furniture. (short trips only. Carbon monoxide and all that.)
re: Ford cars
Ford started disappointing me with their passenger car offerings about 20 years ago. The 2003 Crown Victorial LX Sport was the last hurrah for me. An enjoyable rig, but too many little niggling disappointments. (driveshaft, for instance) Traded it in on Old Red in 2006 and have only had Mitsus ever since. The Focus hatch was appealing, but that transmission…
December 17th, 2019 at 9:44 am
38 on top of your three reasons why humans, I also think the sedan chair had much better handling in the crowded streets of Shanghai than a carriage and horse would. I believe for this owner, the “Humble Administrator”, who was a very wealthy retired high official in China, given the size of his gardens and the amount of work (he had hundreds of workers building the about a dozen houses and pavillions and all the landscaping), a few horses would not break his bank account (or equivalent).
December 17th, 2019 at 9:46 am
37 Did not know that. I believe the 2.0 engine was developed in the US but my 1.8 overseas, and was made in Brazil if I remember well.
December 17th, 2019 at 10:05 am
35 Thanks for the clarification. Maybe I do need stronger readers. LOL.
December 17th, 2019 at 10:20 am
40 The ’82s had a US developed pushrod 1.8 that was soon enlarged to 2.0. You would have had the Brazilian ohc 1.8.
I had an ’82 that was a real lemon, the only one I’ve ever had. The rear main seal failed early on, the engine control had glitches, rain water leaked in through the drivers door, all in 30K miles.
Interestingly, in about 10 years, that awful pushrod 1.8 evolved into the 2.2 in my friend’s Sunfire with almost 250K miles, that just keeps going, with no major problems since new.
December 17th, 2019 at 10:25 am
39 Maybe the Humble Administrator also had horses and carriages, for longer trips out of town. They’d be faster, and would have more range without needing to change power source.
December 17th, 2019 at 10:44 am
42 Yes, I already said I had the brazil made 1.8. Mine was not a lemon, just poor quality inside (interior) and out (paintjob), and the 5 speed was really bad in 1st and 2nd gears, very rough and unpleasant gearchange. But when I had it, knowing no better, I liked it was far more reliable than my previous car, a much nicer Passat (Dasher) Wagon 79, and that it would get 42 MPG with tires well inflated and at modest speeds (those were the times of the infamous 55 MPH limit).
December 17th, 2019 at 10:46 am
43 He might, I did not see stables there, maybe he kept them at a distance so he would not smell the horse manure.
Also, that city (only 34 mins from Shanghai Train Station by fast train), which has lots of other major gardens, has lots of canals, so I bet they traveled by boat too. There were also much longer canals joining Shanghai and Beijing and other cities, if I’m not mistaken.
December 17th, 2019 at 10:50 am
The Dasher Wagon was a 75 that I bought in 79. Was popular with my friends, everybody wanted to drive it, and made for an emergency transport when a friend’s mint blue MG burst in flames right in front of our eyes as our 3-4 car convoy was going from Boston to NH to see the foliage on a weekend. (I took him and his date in the already full Dasher, they had to sit in the trunk and they did not complain)
December 17th, 2019 at 10:52 am
44 My ’82 J2000 had the 4-speed manual from the Citation, that was even worse than your 5-speed. It didn’t fail, but the shift quality was, putting it mildly, not very good.
From what I’d heard, the Brazilian 1.8 was an Opel design, and was made in different displacements, and used in a lot of different cars.
December 17th, 2019 at 10:58 am
47, I had a ’80 Citation X-11 with the 2.5 liter and 4 speed tranny. I didn’t think the tranny too bad as long as you didnt try to rush it. The cable actuators did give it a rubbery feel if that’s what you mean.
December 17th, 2019 at 11:01 am
47 As I said, it was the Opel Ascona (the 2000 clone) and in Europe it was offered with the 1.8 and smaller engines. A colleague at the TU Berlin who is 86 now always bought Opels, in 88 he had a little red Kadett or equivalent, then he bought an Astra hatch. A colleague of his had 12-cyl BMWs, a 750i in 88, and an 850 in 99 when i went back, and the students would disapprove and gossip that he did too much “Gutachten” (consulting). And a third colleague there surprisingly always bought Citroens and disapproved at the speed trends of the time (he considered 300 KPH too excessive, now Bugatti has topped 300 MPH in a street-legal Chiron)
December 17th, 2019 at 11:05 am
48 My 5 speed manual on my 83 2000 made very disturbing sounds (I was worried the gears were hitting each other and would wear off) when shifted to 1st and 2nd gear, but after that it was OK.
December 17th, 2019 at 11:07 am
48 My reference would have been a 1979 Omni with the VW engine and 4-speed, which had rod linkage, and was more precise, and seemed smoother. The 5-speed in my ’89 van is cable, and doesn’t feel very slick compared to newer cars, but like the GM 4-speed, it gets the job done.
December 17th, 2019 at 12:22 pm
17, 25. I was a career GM salary employee (now retiree)and I’m not obligated to buy GM, I do so by choice. I’ve owned three Cruzes (I ordered a 2019 the last week they were still accepting retail orders) and have been very happy with them from a value and fuel economy standpoint. They might not be the BEST, but they suited my needs well for everyday driving. I also have a 2018 Colorado ZR2 for when I need a pickup (for hauling and off-road work). I might try a Malibu, but that is incrementally larger and I’d prefer something the size a Cruze or smaller, so my next “car” will likely be a Trax (depending what is offered in a few more years).
I used to read the comments daily, but got turned off by a certain contributor so it has been a few months since I last read or contributed. Since this same contributor still seems to like to demonstrate his superior intellect (I’m obviously too stupid to buy what he thinks is the BEST), I’ll go back to skipping the comments. Thanks for the rest of you.
December 17th, 2019 at 12:39 pm
Sorry to hear Bob.. Yea he has the mentality that the most important person in the world is himself which is why he would have no problem watching this country go in the toilet as long as he was able to take care of himself. Which shows his lack of intelligence as every purchase does make a difference and comparing cars of the 80s to today means he is living in the past 40 years ago. Cars have changed and improved a lot. Even by his own admission a car made by the supposed best engineers in the world the Germans made a unreliable Passat. So he paid his dues at the time when cars were at their worst. I guess if you want to live in the vary distant past.