Who killed the Cimarron? (^-^) | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Who killed the Cimarron? (^-^)

Discussion in 'General Automotive Discussion' started by tlake, Jul 17, 2015.

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  1. ForzaV12

    ForzaV12 Formula 3

    Sep 15, 2006
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    Steve
    An ill conceived design. However, that is no longer the case as the ATS is the true sport sedan in the segment. Not that its done them any good as the lemmings continue to flock to Germans for an inferior product in that segment. I can't believe how much better the Cadillac is(chassis wise) than the European cars.
    The magazines are getting desperate to continue awarding the Germans comparison victories. The latest Car & Driver was laughably bad. Even though the Cadillac was the best sport sedan by far, they dinged it for gloss black surfaces that show dandruff(I kid you not) and a small back seat.
     
  2. rdefabri

    rdefabri Three Time F1 World Champ

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    The Caddy that zigs!

    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMUff04cjhY[/ame]
     
  3. rdefabri

    rdefabri Three Time F1 World Champ

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    I watched Motor Week, almost the same thing. ATS-V was obviously well liked, and voted best all around on the street, but lost to the M4 because it was better on the track (!!!).

    While some will track their M4 / ATS-V, it's a fraction of who will buy it. So based on that, the Caddy should have won (at least based on what I perceived from their commentary). The BMW was quicker, but not by much.

    Not that I really care - I do like the BMWs as well as the ATS / CTS, but it seems a little bit biased IMHO.
     
  4. Tcar

    Tcar F1 Rookie

  5. OhioMark

    OhioMark Formula Junior

    Feb 16, 2006
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    Simply answer! It was killed by GM when they attempted to go the cheap route and turn a Chevy into a Cadillac!
     
  6. climb

    climb F1 Rookie

    Sep 19, 2006
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    I didn't think the question was real. Figured it must be in jest. If you have to even ask no explanation would make you understand.
     
  7. MNExotics

    MNExotics F1 Rookie
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    Cheap seems to be GM's MO and they embrace it. They still rebadged Chevy trucks and SUV's for Cadillac. Their truck engines are a joke being the least powerful in the segment despite larger displacements compared to the competitors and still hanging onto the single cam pushrod design. Think what the corvette could be with dual overhead cams. 15 years ago GM seemed to be leading the U.S. In auto design and forward thinking but in typical fashion for them they laid back tightened their R&D budget and let everyone else pass them by.
     
  8. zudnic

    zudnic Formula 3

    Nov 13, 2014
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    GM obviously thought you put a luxury badge on an economy car and people will buy it. They should have driven European cars of the era. They would have seen it was more then just a badge.

    My mom didn't like the early Jaguar XJS convertible because with the top down it left the convertible top frame up. It did look horrible. She didn't like the Mercedes 560SL because it didn't have rear seat room. She tried the Chrysler Lebaron convertible but knew it drove ****ty. She settled on a BMW 325ic. sure it wasn't great style wise. But it had great handling. It was rock solid well above freeway speeds. No American car except maybe the Corvette felt good above 80mph, that's what people bought European cars for.
     
  9. tfazio

    tfazio Formula 3
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    What GM did is still being done today by nearly every major automaker out there? Take Lincoln for example. They are basically rebadged Fords with nicer interiors and an optional engine upgrade. Not much different than what Cadillac was trying to do in the 80's. Of course that doesn't make it right :)

    When I was 16 the first car I drove on a regular basis was an 85 Cimmaron. It had a 2.8 liter V6 engine, power leather seats, I believe a 4 speed automatic and an upgraded "dolby" sound system. It also had the digital dash which was a 16 year old's dream - I would routinely switch the mph to kph :) I have driven a ton of cars over the years and frankly the Cimmaron was not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Dealers were giving them away and you could fit 4 comfortably in there. Power was decent in the V6 too. When I turned 17 I graduated to a Lebaron turbo convertible with a 3 speed automatic and frankly felt that car was crap. I much preferred driving the Cimmaron to that one.
     
  10. white out

    white out Formula 3

    Mar 3, 2010
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    The difference is that the J Body is one of the worst chassis ever made. . . and GM did a terrible job deciphering the Cadillac from the Cavalier. Further, the Cimmaron was fighting with the E21 and E30 BMW lines, which are still considered one of the best. The Cimmaron never stood a chance in that segment with GM's game plan.
     
  11. jm2

    jm2 F1 World Champ
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    And let's not lose sight of the fact this took place 30+ yrs ago. In automotive terms, that's an eternity.
     
  12. Smiles

    Smiles F1 World Champ
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    You HAVE to be from Michigan! :)



    I'm not sure Lincoln proves your point for "nearly every major automaker out there".

    Where does BMW do this? Honda? Mercedes?

    Outside of some shared platforms and parts, which hardly counts, there's no badge engineering outside the US.

    Matt
     
  13. DrewH

    DrewH F1 World Champ
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    Cimmaron? Aaah, the days of badge engineering. We can all thank the Japanese and Korean car manufacturers for ending that nonsense.
     
  14. Tcar

    Tcar F1 Rookie

    I remember (in the 80's) when GM's Caddy, Olds and Buick all had the exact same car with different end caps and dashes. Ford even made a great advert making fun of them (Guy valeted his gray Caddy and the kid keeps bringing up gray Olds' and Buicks...).
     
  15. jm2

    jm2 F1 World Champ
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    No badge engineering outside the U.S.? Seriously.
    Looked at Toyota/Lexus lately?
    Or Nissan/Infinity?
    VW's strategy going forward is to share basic platforms amongst it's various brands
     
  16. zudnic

    zudnic Formula 3

    Nov 13, 2014
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    I actually kind of like Lincoln. Back in the 90's when SUV choices where limited, I bought a Navigator. Nicer fit and finish over Cadillac. Better drive, less truck like over the Escalade. But what really sold me on it was the warranty. Ford had a free service for 3 years or 80k kilometers. It covered unlimited oil changes, two sets of brakes, two sets of all season tires or anything that broke. Saved me several thousand dollars in service bills over 3 years. If they did the free service deal again Id get another one.
     
  17. tfazio

    tfazio Formula 3
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    #42 tfazio, Aug 6, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2015
    Yes I was going to say this. VW has shared platforms, engines etc. with Seat, Skoda,Audi and Porsche... The R8 and Gallardo/ Huracan is an example of badge engineering isn't it?
     
  18. climb

    climb F1 Rookie

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    I can remember driving around in friends GM cars of the era and being used to the cheap plastic and buzzy engines of the day. Always felt like I was in kit car. THEN I drove my sister's E30 she''d left in my parents garage while traveling to Europe for a semester. OMG..it was like a revelation. Everything felt right. Great shifting and wonderful feeling in the steering wheel. I remember pulling over and just laughing to myself and wondering how anyone that could afford one would turn a BMW down.
     
  19. Smiles

    Smiles F1 World Champ
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    No, it isn't. Not at all.

    An Alfa 164 is not a SAAB 9000. Shared platform, but very different cars.

    That's not badge engineering. If you think it is, you just don't know how bad the Cimarron was, or how it insulting it was to the car-buying public.

    Matt
     

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