Guess I shoulda been a drug dealer...
I opened up this week's copy of Business Week magazine to find an ad for the 2007 Cadillac Escalade. It's described as "nicely equipped at $58,565." What does nicely equipped for 60+ large all in get you? An on-board Jacuzzi with a Fillipino towel girl? Your own rocket launcher? The dealer arranges to have "idiot" tatooed on your forehead? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this thing just a tarted up Tahoe designed by the same guy who designed the cinder block and with about the same coefficient of drag? Somebody please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks the world's gone mad...:eek:
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Hear - Hear Sam! I fully agree with you. I beleive the affluient American has gone completely off their collective rockers!
Jerry
53jetman0 -
Hi, I've thought that ALL vehicles are so far over-priced it just isn't funny anymore, it's just sad. The thing that really gets me, in 1972 I purchased a 1952 Hornet for $35.00, and drove it daily for over 4 years. putting over 120 miles a day, 6 days a week on it. It was dent free, paint and chrome not that great, but a really nice interior, and no rust. My dads new Buick, complete with factory air cond., was $3300. in 1955. In 1969 dad got a new Pontiac Catalina Station Wagon, to tow his trailer with, and it was only $6800Steve0
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The price of money has changed a lot over the last 40 years. The median price of a home in 1968 was $20,100 - in 2004 it was $185,200. If you use the same ratio, your dad's Pontiac cost $62,696 in 2004 money.
BTW - I really like my Cadillac SRX - and it cost $10,000 less than a comparably equipped VW SUV.0 -
royer wrote:
BTW - I really like my Cadillac SRX - and it cost $10,000 less than a comparably equipped VW SUV.
Gee, Matt, if I didn't offend somebody, I wouldn't be doing what I do best...:D My son lives in Mali, West Africa, where the Toureg is a nomadic tribe in the Sahara that keeps annoying the villagers around Timbuctu. Malians who can afford vehicles drive Toyotas. :cool:0 -
No offense taken! If it makes you feel any better, today I drove my $400 '94 Dodge Dakota to work. It's the "anti-Cadillac".0
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I think 51hornet just ordered the 2008 extended wheelbase Escalade.0
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Yes I did Dave and damn proud of it. I had to wait a little longer as the bastards were trying to push an engine on me that got 9mpg I was having none of that. I got the new coal burning V36 that is real nice, it comes with two guys on the back and a coal tender. I really like it, cost me the same as my house but I have an image to upkeep so it was well worth it. For anyone else thinking of getting one I got the "Casey Jones" limited edition model comes with 32" steel wheels and saloon doors on the side, and the cow catcher grill.....very bling, bling.....0
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Sam - You must have a lot of time on your hands. Norm0
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I like my tahoe...0
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51hornetA wrote:Yes I did Dave and damn proud of it. I had to wait a little longer as the bastards were trying to push an engine on me that got 9mpg I was having none of that. I got the new coal burning V36 that is real nice, it comes with two guys on the back and a coal tender. I really like it, cost me the same as my house but I have an image to upkeep so it was well worth it. For anyone else thinking of getting one I got the "Casey Jones" limited edition model comes with 32" steel wheels and saloon doors on the side, and the cow catcher grill.....very bling, bling.....
Doesn't the Casey Jones model seat about 20 and include a conductor? So, how many miles per ton are you getting?0 -
Let's see - how many years (4 or 5) and how many miles (around 95,000) did I get out of that 1987 Dodge D-150 pickup truck I bought around 2002 for One Dollar and a six-pack of beer!!! Only cost me around $200 a year in maintenance (exhaust system, power steering repairs, etc)
Hmmmmmm - 2 years ago I bought a 1997 Cadillac that cost me $3500 initial purchase, then $1500 to replace the engine (garage did take $1000 of the price because it was pretty much their fault the problem occured.
Oh, well, I still have the Caddy, it did tow 10 x 12 UHaul trailer weighing between 2000 and 2500 pounds to TN, and it's still running great now.
Hudsonly,
Alex Burr0 -
hudsonkid wrote:I like my tahoe...
I'm kinda fonda my 144,000 mile Grand Cherokee, too. But how many great secondhand Tahoes can you buy for $60,000+? 3 maybe? For only $20 large you could add an on-board Jacuzzi to your Tahoe...or keep it like it is and buy a Hornet Convertible or two Hornet coupes. Dosen't anybody know what opportunity cost means anymore?
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hudsontech wrote:Let's see - how many years (4 or 5) and how many miles (around 95,000) did I get out of that 1987 Dodge D-150 pickup truck I bought around 2002 for One Dollar and a six-pack of beer!!! Only cost me around $200 a year in maintenance (exhaust system, power steering repairs, etc)
Dang, I thought I got a great deal on my old Dodge for $400. You got me beat!0 -
Hey Sam,
If you check off all the boxes on the order form, a new Jeep Cherokee Overland will set you back about $48,000. In the grand scheme of things, that's not much less than the new Caddy.0 -
Just to put my 2 cents in, the $58,000 range a buyer could choose a the new Escalade or for more $$ a nice Hudson convertible, I think I would take the Hudson as I know it will be worth more in five years vs the new car!
29 Vic0 -
herm wrote:Sam - You must have a lot of time on your hands. Norm
Sam,the "entertainer and editor"!!!!!!!!!! LOL0 -
:eek: The Escalade is nothing but a dressed up tahoe with an exspensive plastic name plate. I won't say much more for the Hummer. The Hummer is just a bit more ugly. I guess they have status but no one gives them a second look. When I park my Hudson in any parking lot it gets attention and not from someone trying to steal the wheels or what ever is inside. My Hudson gets the high five, thumbs up. Plus all of our Hudsons are appreciating and they won't be in Pick n Pull on the way to the crusher in six years while the origional purchaser is still making payments on the overpriced imposter. Have a great day.:eek:0
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Who can say that owning a Hudson isn't addictive, and that Sam isn't "dealing" (i.e., the WTN)...? :rolleyes: LOL!
Now that you mention it, he does use the old 'first one's free' tactic to get new people hooked on the WTN!0 -
SamJ wrote:I'm kinda fonda my 144,000 mile Grand Cherokee, too. But how many great secondhand Tahoes can you buy for $60,000+? 3 maybe? For only $20 large you could add an on-board Jacuzzi to your Tahoe...or keep it like it is and buy a Hornet Convertible or two Hornet coupes. Dosen't anybody know what opportunity cost means anymore?
Sam, the tahoe's I was looking at, I was thinking about 7. I guess if I stepped into those expensive ones, then 3.
When I was looking to replace mine after the accident, I would have considered a stepdown coupe, or early olds (49-56) 2 door as a driver. What made sense was to get something 4WD and able to transport me and family, safely, and reliably, hence, the tahoe.
I got to agree that 50-60K is a lot to spend on a new vehicle, Heck, I think that 20-40K is a lot. In reality, even 20K doesn't get you a lot of car nowadays.0 -
While $60K is a lot to pay for a new vehicle like an Escalade, There's lots of people that can afford this. The other thing to consider, many of these are leased at $500-600 a month instead of financed for 5-6 years at $1000+ month. They're nice vehicles, but certainly not attention getters like an old Hudson. It doesn't have to be completely restored, just presentable and running.
Anytime you stop you better plan to spend several extra minutes talking to people that flock around. I especially enjoy the attention every now and then you get from a middle-aged lady that might just have a fond memory or two that an old car brings back.....................0 -
Yeah, driving mine around Sunday, with all of the die cast off, the hood bars off, center off, right rocker off, primer spots on the roof, I still had a flock of people that stopped me. Kind of funny, even is a state of disassembly, it still draws a crowd.0
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SamJ wrote:I opened up this week's copy of Business Week magazine to find an ad for the 2007 Cadillac Escalade. It's described as "nicely equipped at $58,565." What does nicely equipped for 60+ large all in get you? An on-board Jacuzzi with a Fillipino towel girl? Your own rocket launcher? The dealer arranges to have "idiot" tatooed on your forehead? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this thing just a tarted up Tahoe designed by the same guy who designed the cinder block and with about the same coefficient of drag? Somebody please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks the world's gone mad...:eek:
The next time you see a business person driving one, ask them about the whopping tax credit they got for buying such a ponderous tank.0 -
Forget inflation, I still think the average joe will only pay 8000 to own a car outright, everything else is leased practically, no class, no style, and I just hate to think that I might hit some poor guys $60000 Escalade with my $5 K stepdown and do an equal value amount of damage to it. hehe I could take the same 60 K and buy a runner stepdown for every day of the week and turn more heads and between the 7 step downs all together will be just as reliable. (I need 7 for that)
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Just finance it! We just go into a bit more debt to own those $60K vehicles (or pay high monthly rents, I mean leases), American consumerism at its best! lol0
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Dave53-7C wrote:The next time you see a business person driving one, ask them about the whopping tax credit they got for buying such a ponderous tank.
I was under the impression that tax loop hole had closed.0 -
royer wrote:I was under the impression that tax loop hole had closed.
Never was a "tax credit" except for propane conversions, which hardly anybody did. There was a "tax deduction" available for vehicles with GVWR's over 6K lbs. of up to $100,000 for pre-10/2005 purchases and $25,000 max deduction for post 10/2005 purchases (I may be off on the exact date of change). This deduction would be multiplied by the business use percentage to arrive at your actual deduction. Many auto dealers advertise "tax credit" when referring to this deduction which is false. A tax credit is worth 100 cents-on-the-dollar; a tax deduction is worth the deduction amount multiplied by your ordinary tax rate. And if you sell the vehicle (versus a trade-in) prior to 5 years after the purchase date the tax deduction is recaptured at ordinary rates.
I have quite a few clients who bought big SUV's just for this purpose and now are crying because of the bad mileage and high fuel costs. Now they are stuck.
And if you buy a fuel efficient vehicle there are tax credits available, but no where near the savings given to the business SUV.
Or something like that! lol0 -
Jay, lots of people (not your clients of course), lease these vehicles through their companies and don't claim any personal mileage. I guess in some businesses, bling is important...real estate sales, the music biz, pimping, Hudson parts and service leap to mind...but that doesn't prevent me from thinking they're all nuts...:D0
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Sam,
Just so you know, you're not the first one to compare Piano sales with Pimping and Drug Dealing, LOL!:D0 -
My wife buys the pianos in our family. She bought one from a neighbor when our kids were small for $500 and sold it a couple of months ago for $700. And one of our sons took lessons for 9 years on it. Just the kind of person you don't want to hear about! 0
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You Guys Have To Remember That Alot Of Theses People That Drive Around $50,000+ Cars Have Made The Mistake Of Pulling Seconds On There Homes Just For Toys That Will Depreciate To Nothing In Just A Few Years. So They Dont Nessesarly Make The Cheddar, They Are Just Not Financially Savy. But Then Again What Good Is Money Sitting In The Bank. I Sure Hope My Last Check Before I Die Bounces!0
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