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Assman

By Assman
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drewlaws
drewlaws

Submitting a new frivolous acquisition - 991.2 Carrera GTS in agate grey with 7MT. I haven't had a "fun" car in years. The itch has been growing and I settled on a manual 911. I've been patiently wait

Assman
Assman

I've been looking for over 2 years for a Miami Blue 991.2 slick top with a 7MT and RAS, and finally found one. Carrera T with all the aforementioned options and 9k miles. Fucking love this thing.

Atxracer
Atxracer

Hah. It couldn’t go over 20mph at that point and was just going to the dealership from the truck. She’s home now. Will try to post more pics tonight but here she is.  

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PittsburghTiger

PittsburghTiger 6340

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From today's Wall Street Journal.

 

 

By 

Tim Higgins
Updated July 22, 2018 9:50 p.m. ET
 

Tesla Inc. TSLA -5.78% has asked some suppliers to refund a portion of what the electric-car company has spent previously, an appeal that reflects the auto maker’s urgency to sustain operations during a critical production period.

The Silicon Valley electric-car company said it is asking its suppliers for cash back to help it become profitable, according to a memo reviewed by The Wall Street Journal that was sent to a supplier last week. Tesla requested the supplier return what it calls a meaningful amount of money of its payments since 2016, according to the memo.

The auto maker’s memo, sent by a global supply manager, described the request as essential to Tesla’s continued operation and characterized it as an investment in the car company to continue the long-term growth between both players.

While Tesla said in the memo that all suppliers were being asked to help it become profitable, it is unclear how many were asked for a discount on contracted spending amounts retroactively. Some suppliers contacted about the request said they were unaware of such a demand.

Tesla declined to comment on the specific memo. But it confirmed it is seeking price reductions from suppliers for projects, some of which date back to 2016, and some of which haven’t been completed. The company called such requests a standard part of procurement negotiations to improve its competitive advantage, especially as it ramps up Model 3 production.

The surprising requests raise further questions about Tesla’s cash position, which has dwindled after it struggled to boost production of its first car designed for mainstream buyers, the Model 3. After months of delays, Tesla last quarter reached its longstanding goal of making 5,000 Model 3s in a single week, which, if sustained, will help it generate cash.

 
Auto makers and suppliers have complicated relationships, each fighting for the best deal under immense pricing pressure. Supply-chain consultants say sometimes auto makers will demand a reduction in price for a current contract going forward or use leverage of awarding a new deal to get upfront savings on a contract. But they say it is unusual for an auto maker to ask for a refund for past work.

Dennis Virag, a manufacturing consultant who has worked in the automotive industry for 40 years, said a solicitation like Tesla’s could put suppliers in financial peril and jeopardize its future supply of car parts.

“It’s simply ludicrous and it just shows that Tesla is desperate right now,” he said. “They’re worried about their profitability but they don’t care about their suppliers’ profitability.” 

Tesla has sought to balance its desire for rapid growth with paying for the expensive launch of new vehicles and building out infrastructure to compete against much larger auto makers.

Chief Executive Elon Musk has said he wants to avoid raising additional cash, promising the company can become cash-flow positive with the continued Model 3 build rate and turn a profit in the second half of the year. Many analysts expect Tesla eventually will need to raise more money.

Tesla has been burning cash at a rate of about $1 billion a quarter, and finished the first quarter with $2.7 billion in cash on hand. Tesla pledged to pare back planned capital expenditures this year to less than $3 billion from $3.4 billion last year. Its loss attributable to common shareholders in the first quarter was $710 million, the fifth consecutive quarter of record losses. 

Tesla will need to pay down a $230 million convertible bond this November if its stock doesn’t reach a conversion price of $560.64, and a $920 million convertible note next March if the stock doesn’t reach $359.87. Shares closed Friday at $313.58, and are down about 4.5% over the past 12 months. 

As part of Tesla’s bid to become profitable, Mr. Musk cut Tesla’s workforce by 9% in Juneand promised to slow other spending as well. He’s become focused intently on becoming cash-flow positive, a person familiar with his thinking said. 

Last month, he told employees in an email: “What drives us is our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable, clean energy, but we will never achieve that mission unless we eventually demonstrate that we can be sustainably profitable. That is a valid and fair criticism of Tesla’s history to date.”

As a younger company, Tesla indicated it had trouble getting the attention of some of the most important suppliers. Mr. Musk has complained in the past that he wasn’t getting parts makers’ best teams, but he has said that changed with the Model 3.

Tesla has made changes with its suppliers in the past to help preserve its cash position.

In August, Mr. Musk told analysts Tesla was able to negotiate longer payment terms to about 60 days for Model 3 parts, in what he described as “the nirvana” that would allow the auto maker to make the car and get paid for it before the bill is due to suppliers.

“Obviously, that’s like the promised land right there,” he said.

 

Write to Tim Higgins at Tim.Higgins@WSJ.com

Appeared in the July 23, 2018, print edition as 'Tesla Asks Suppliers for Cash Back.'

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PRONG HORN

PRONG HORN 3219

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Lambo is king of the ring again.

The Lamborghini Aventador Super Veloce Jota has lapped the Nurburgring in 6 minutes 44.97 seconds. In doing so, it undercuts the time posted recently by the Porsche 911 GT2 RS by just a few seconds to set the production car lap record.

 

 

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milkman

milkman 428

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My 2004 svt cobra torch red.  Major mods are a 2.3 whipple, fuel system, RXT twin disk clutch, runs 93 octane at 17psi or E85 at 22psi.  The motor is factory original.  Rims are polished bare aluminum CCW sp500 18x9.5 up front and 18x11 out rear.  
 
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Very nice! I have started to get the itch for a similar year model cobra.
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Prepuce of Doom

Prepuce of Doom 21285

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I drove an ATS-V on an autocross-ish course before they hit the dealer lots. It's a fun, capable, versatile car. 

The one I drove had a half-baked CUE entertainment system that was even more unreliable than the production versions. The GM rep was embarrassed and just turned it off, basically telling me to pretend that I didn't see anything. 

I'm not in the market for a midsized sedan, but if I ever was, the ATS-V would be a strong contender. 

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 32071

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20 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

No, but Cadillac resale has always been like that. Half price after 3 years type depreciation. 

I think it might be because people that buy new cadillacs like driving new cadillacs and not 3 year old cadillacs, so there’s good inventory. 

Very true of American cars in general these days, at least the bad resale.  But this seems to be a super-special case for whatever reason.  I'm in a CTS coupe now and it wasn't nearly as bad (referring to the sedans, though).  The CTS has been one of the best cars I've owned, both in terms of fun to drive and reliability.

Edited by TwiceHorn
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G650

G650 14437

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21 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

No, but Cadillac resale has always been like that. Half price after 3 years type depreciation. 

I think it might be because people that buy new cadillacs like driving new cadillacs and not 3 year old cadillacs, so there’s good inventory. 

I suspect you are correct.

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gasman

gasman 114

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1 hour ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I have a 335i, but I need something luxurious and sporty for the 200 days a year it spends in the shop. 

I haven't been in one, but most reviews seem to be solid. I think the hatch/sportback makes it a pretty practical option as well. Maybe also consider the Genesis? If you are willing to go with the turbo 4, the G70 will offer a MT option for 2019.

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Bozo_Casanova

Bozo_Casanova 26841

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Get the giulia. That should cover maybe 100 of those days. Then you’d only have to spend 100 days driving a Kia.  Though why not genesis instead?

 

Responding to multiple people here. I might actually look at the G70. I’m extremely impressed by the quality/performance of these cars and Genesis so far has great styling. That being said, the Stinger seems like it will be the better value, and is longer, heavier and apparently quicker.

 

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pepper brooks

pepper brooks 580

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 8/3/2018 at 1:22 PM, Bozo_Casanova said:

I have a 335i, but I need something luxurious and sporty for the 200 days a year it spends in the shop. 

That’s way more reliable than my x5m ever dreamed of being. It once spent 243 consecutive days in the shop.   That thing was like owning a boat  two happy days  the day I got it and the day i got rid of it  

New 911 coming soon.  

https://jalopnik.com/2020-porsche-911-here-it-is-way-before-you-re-supposed-1828036559

Edited by pepper brooks
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52-80

52-80 19377

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3 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Responding to multiple people here. I might actually look at the G70. I’m extremely impressed by the quality/performance of these cars and Genesis so far has great styling. That being said, the Stinger seems like it will be the better value, and is longer, heavier and apparently quicker.

 

if you want longer and heavier, why not the g80? 

or one of the predecessor hyundaikia like the equus.  you get v8 or large v6 and executive wheelbase for peanuts-price due to resale

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Buzzrock

Buzzrock 15136

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The finish on my "phantom black metallic" 2012 A6 is still in really good shape. A couple small white scratches here and there but in general most people can't believe it's six years old. I'd like to have a hardcore detail to get it as like-new as possible and then do one of those ceramic seals or some other long-term polish. Anyone have any experience with that?

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Okie State

Okie State 3889

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To follow up on that, the clay removes the deposits that are embedded in the paint. Should feel like glass after you do it. It's really a pretty simple process if you have the time. I wash the car, apply Iron-X, wipe down and rinse. I then use the Clay Magic blue bars and Chemical Guys clay lube purchased on Amazon. Keep the paint wet and move the clay in straight lines. Wash and rinse again before polishing. Use a Porter Cable 7424XP or equivalent with a medium to mild pad and Meguiars Ultimate Compound. Watch YouTube videos and work in small sections. Rinse and wipe down with a diluted isopropyl mix. Apply Zaino or some other type of synthetic sealant afterwards.

 

That's about as easy and cheap of a detail as you can get although it's still a lot of work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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G650

G650 14437

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57 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:

I’m willing to pay for the detail and I have a guy. My question was really more around the ceramic coatings. Are they as good as they say?

I just had some other guy ask me about them. I've done several boats with the stuff, it's pretty good from my experience. You won't get quite the depth of shine that traditional sealant and wax will, but close enough no one would notice outside real detail geeks. The key is to make sure you have a capable installer. The paint has to be prepped for it, and you don't want some clown wrecking your shit,

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G650

G650 14437

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10 hours ago, Okie State said:

To follow up on that, the clay removes the deposits that are embedded in the paint. Should feel like glass after you do it. It's really a pretty simple process if you have the time. I wash the car, apply Iron-X, wipe down and rinse. I then use the Clay Magic blue bars and Chemical Guys clay lube purchased on Amazon. Keep the paint wet and move the clay in straight lines. Wash and rinse again before polishing. Use a Porter Cable 7424XP or equivalent with a medium to mild pad and Meguiars Ultimate Compound. Watch YouTube videos and work in small sections. Rinse and wipe down with a diluted isopropyl mix. Apply Zaino or some other type of synthetic sealant afterwards.

 

That's about as easy and cheap of a detail as you can get although it's still a lot of work.

Makita rotary if you are feeling brave bro.

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Bozo_Casanova

Bozo_Casanova 26841

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To follow up on that, the clay removes the deposits that are embedded in the paint. Should feel like glass after you do it. It's really a pretty simple process if you have the time. I wash the car, apply Iron-X, wipe down and rinse. I then use the Clay Magic blue bars and Chemical Guys clay lube purchased on Amazon. Keep the paint wet and move the clay in straight lines. Wash and rinse again before polishing. Use a Porter Cable 7424XP or equivalent with a medium to mild pad and Meguiars Ultimate Compound. Watch YouTube videos and work in small sections. Rinse and wipe down with a diluted isopropyl mix. Apply Zaino or some other type of synthetic sealant afterwards.
 
That's about as easy and cheap of a detail as you can get although it's still a lot of work.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Quality post
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Buzzrock

Buzzrock 15136

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I just had some other guy ask me about them. I've done several boats with the stuff, it's pretty good from my experience. You won't get quite the depth of shine that traditional sealant and wax will, but close enough no one would notice outside real detail geeks. The key is to make sure you have a capable installer. The paint has to be prepped for it, and you don't want some clown wrecking your shit,


Thanks. It’s either that or a color-shifting carbon fiber wrap. So many decisions.
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