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3) I don't care about automatic transmissions. Autos are for sissies who don't know how to drive.
From the book, "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche":
"Real men do not drive stick shifts. They're secure enough to let their gears be shifted automatically."
Interesting to note that the 1963 Winternationals (drag racing) was won by a Mopar with an automatic transmission.
Autos were available on some very hairy (fast) production street cars... the limited-production '68 Hemi Dart and Barracuda, the aforementioned early '60s Max Wedge Mopars, the Baldwin-Motion 427 and 454 Camaros, etc. These cars ran from the 10s to the 12s in the 1/4 mile. So if you are stopped next to one and there is a straight stretch of road ahead, better not call the driver a "sissy."
Ahh hello Fleet! I am a fellow Cadillac aficionado. Right now i'm doing a resto job on my '68 DeVille and I picked up a '95 Fleetwood this past summer...
Hi JTraik, one of my Cadillac friends owns a '68 Sedan de Ville with about 11,000 miles; it only had 7,300 miles when he bought it.
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I have not been pleased with what the big 3 have been rolling out the door over the past 6 years or so... but thats changing and everyone knows it. I will never buy a foreign car, not that their junk, its just that it doesn't do this country any good to buy them, nor the American manufacturer that I am loyal to, GM.
I will also never buy a foreign car because American cars best fit the cars I like... big '60s/'70s luxury cars and '60s/early '70s muscle cars. I don't plan to buy a new car, but if I did, it would be an American one so I can do my part to buy a car built in the U.S.
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Hey Fleet, what clubs are you part of? Spend any time on CadillacForums.com? CadillacLasalleClub.org? Good to see a fellow enthusiast
Yes, I am a member of CadillacForums and have been a member of the Cadillac-LaSalle club since 1995. And am a member of the Cadillac Mailing List founded by Rik Gruwez.
3) I don't care about automatic transmissions. Autos are for sissies who don't know how to drive. On that note, I'm still waiting for an American automaker to develop a manual transmission that doesn't feel like trying to stir molasses with a boat oar
LMBO
I love your description of the typical American m/t feel, thats a classic. And Id also agree 100% there. I sat in a new Vette the other night and shifted it a bit and would have to say that its alot better than it used to be, but still far behind even a Civic.
The worst offender? The 6.0L GTO. Drove one 2 summers ago and about puked in my mouth. Worst feeling m/t on earth!!!!
From the book, "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche":
"Real men do not drive stick shifts. They're secure enough to let their gears be shifted automatically."
Interesting to note that the 1963 Winternationals (drag racing) was won by a Mopar with an automatic transmission.
Autos were available on some very hairy (fast) production street cars... the limited-production '68 Hemi Dart and Barracuda, the aforementioned early '60s Max Wedge Mopars, the Baldwin-Motion 427 and 454 Camaros, etc. These cars ran from the 10s to the 12s in the 1/4 mile. So if you are stopped next to one and there is a straight stretch of road ahead, better not call the driver a "sissy."
That quote should read:
"Real men drive stick shifts. Theyre not lazy or stupid enough to let their gears be shifted automatically".
The 'GTO' was/is actually an Australian car.
The transmission used was a tremec unit,same as in the Z06 corvette.
Yes, I know theyre a rebadged Holden Monaro, but still, the gearbox was inexcusable!! The Z06 gearbox feels better to me than the GTO's, I assume they shortened the throws for the Z06???? In any case, as much motor as the GTO has, its a shame that its shackled to quite possibly the worst M/T on earth. Oh, and crappy suspension too.
I will also never buy a foreign car because American cars best fit the cars I like... big '60s/'70s luxury cars and '60s/early '70s muscle cars. I don't plan to buy a new car, but if I did, it would be an American one so I can do my part to buy a car built in the U.S.
It's obvious that you and JTraik are still living in an era long gone by. Think what you may, but even your beloved Big 3 are major GLOBAL corporations. Your "money" is going all over the world. I doesn't support America anymore than buying a Bimmer, as I pointed out earlier. The hollow rhetoric of the chest-beating "Me American, me buy GM" is just plain old. You guys still live and die by the Chevy small block? Please. I couldn't tell you how many of those engines are replaced each year because of design flaws and poor materials. Take a look in the back room of any large GM dealer's parts department. You will see crates with engines and transmissions for all sorts of GM vehicles. You will be hard pressed to see any in a Toyota or Honda dealer. Yeah, sure they have to do some once in a while, broken t-belt and whatnot. Not nearly what you will see at a Ford or GM dealer. I just dumped my 99 Yukon. I promise you it will be the last GM vehicle I will ever own. I will drive a Hyundai before I drive another GM. Junk with a capital J. I'm sorry I kept it so long. And I take care of my vehicles with synthetics and lots of preventative maintenance.
Sorry, guys. You can keep going to the local car club and talk about days gone by, but me....I'll buy something that gets great fuel economy and will last longer than the tires. The best part? It will be safe, comfortable, handle and brake well and be fun to drive. You guys can keep buying 40 year old barges that have horrible brakes, boatish steering, sluggish handling and worse yet; CARBAURATORS!! Nothing you say can tell me otherwise. I have owned my share of fast cars--69 Olds 442, 70 SS El Camino, Mustang GT's, Sport Fury, etc. They are fun only if you use them sparingly and in a straight line. Even then I have my doubts. Modern upgrades (expensive) always help, but the underlying beast is still the same.
That quote should read:
"Real men drive stick shifts. Theyre not lazy or stupid enough to let their gears be shifted automatically".
For the record, when I owned my '66 Dodge Dart GT V-8, I would frequently manually shift the console-mounted automatic transmission (1st gear was good up to about 45 mph and 2nd gear was good up to 75 mph).
It was the best of both worlds... shift manually when I wanted to have some fun and leave it in "Drive" when I was in traffic and let it shift automatically.
As you probably know, a car with an automatic transmission is about as fast as a car with a manual transmission. The reason many people order a car with a manual trans is because they think it's "better" than an automatic.
I've always preferred autos... no clutch to wear out and the torque converter helps acceleration.
It's obvious that you and JTraik are still living in an era long gone by. Think what you may, but even your beloved Big 3 are major GLOBAL corporations. Your "money" is going all over the world. I doesn't support America anymore than buying a Bimmer, as I pointed out earlier. The hollow rhetoric of the chest-beating "Me American, me buy GM" is just plain old. You guys still live and die by the Chevy small block? Please. I couldn't tell you how many of those engines are replaced each year because of design flaws and poor materials. Take a look in the back room of any large GM dealer's parts department. You will see crates with engines and transmissions for all sorts of GM vehicles. You will be hard pressed to see any in a Toyota or Honda dealer. Yeah, sure they have to do some once in a while, broken t-belt and whatnot. Not nearly what you will see at a Ford or GM dealer. I just dumped my 99 Yukon. I promise you it will be the last GM vehicle I will ever own. I will drive a Hyundai before I drive another GM. Junk with a capital J. I'm sorry I kept it so long. And I take care of my vehicles with synthetics and lots of preventative maintenance.
You do know, don't you, that Buick is at the top of the list for initial quality, according to J.D. Powers and Associates?
I do know that money for "American" cars is going all over the world. It's just the principle; I could never drive down the street in a car with a "Toyota," or "Honda" or "Mercedes" or "BMW" emblem on it. And there is no reason for me to... with Cadillacs, Lincolns, Chevys, Buicks, Fords, etc available.
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Sorry, guys. You can keep going to the local car club and talk about days gone by, but me....I'll buy something that gets great fuel economy and will last longer than the tires. The best part? It will be safe, comfortable, handle and brake well and be fun to drive.
You must have forgotten that in addtion to my classic Cadillacs, I also own a '95 Lincoln Town Car. Good (not great) fuel economy (21 mpg), very reliable, longevity, safe, definitely comfortable, very good handling in normal driving, good braking and fun to drive for those who like a smooth and quiet ride. I like high-performance cars, too, but sometimes it's nice to drive a smooth and quiet car.
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You guys can keep buying 40 year old barges that have horrible brakes, boatish steering, sluggish handling and worse yet; CARBAURATORS!!
Motor Trend tested cars like a '69 Lincoln Continental and Imperial and a '71 Dodge Charger which stopped from 60 mph in 110-125 feet. Better than quite a few cars today! As for "boatish steering, sluggish handling," I can take curves in both of my Cadillacs posted at 35 mph at 45-50 mph. As for carburetors (that's how it's spelled), an advantage is that they can be rebuilt with ease by many car owners. A lot of '60s car enthusiasts rebuild their carbs. And once rebuilt, they work fine and last for years. They are also far less expensive to rebuild than fuel injection, that's for sure!
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Nothing you say can tell me otherwise. I have owned my share of fast cars--69 Olds 442, 70 SS El Camino, Mustang GT's, Sport Fury, etc. They are fun only if you use them sparingly and in a straight line. Even then I have my doubts. Modern upgrades (expensive) always help, but the underlying beast is still the same.
Actually, those 4-4-2s handled quite well... back then and now. A set of radial tires does help. And the frequency of having to drive them in hairpin turns is close to 0% (for me, anyway). I've driven my Cadillacs on the winding Big Tujunga Canyon in the San Gabriel mountains many times and I've never had to pull over because I was holding up traffic.
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Never again. Never again.
Regarding '60s muscle cars.... again for me!!! Let me know if you come across a '69 Dodge Coronet R/T 440-Magnum because that will be the next car I will buy.
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Oh, and crappy suspension too. 
