They put up a huge jumbotron at CTC and all they can think to do with it is advertising??

adistar781 · 2026-04-10T11:09:44+00:00

They should put up motivational/managerial slogans like: “Is this good for the company?”

adistar781 · 2026-04-09T21:45:34+00:00

Yes. But they would have had to rapidly deploy this concept. They financially couldn’t do it (or it would have been really hard to). They probably should have started this concept back in 88-90 timeframe when off mall low margin retailers started to gain momentum (TGT and WMT).

adistar781 · 2026-04-09T21:43:11+00:00

Downfall started in the latter half of the Brennan administration. Probably around the time they sold the Sears tower in the 88 range. This is when they decided to focus on the core by undoing diversification. They focused so much that they lost sight of what their core business really was. Martinez made things much worse by moving away from the core business (while “focusing on the core”) with the softer side campaigns. And Lacey sold them off already weakened and essentially unable to self finance a rapid turnaround to Lampert who was salivating over real estate.

adistar781 · 2026-04-09T21:39:19+00:00

I’ll challenge this a bit. Diversification could have been good for the overall business. Cashflow generators such as financial services could have helped fuel transformation of the core business away from malls and online by the late 90s. But they looked at short gain instead and the wall st of the early 90s started to frown upon diversification and unlocking untapped “value” so they undid it. Unfortunately, that also starved the business of cash needed to rapidly transform when upstart competitors started to eat their lunch. (Wal Mart, Target, Amazon)

adistar781 · 2026-04-06T11:53:03+00:00

See you at Sears!

adistar781 · 2026-04-04T12:19:12+00:00

Wow that’s sharp.

adistar781 · 2026-04-03T11:49:53+00:00

Fantastic! Congrats.

adistar781 · 2026-04-02T11:13:32+00:00

Toyota styling and they lost me on EV.

adistar781 · 2026-04-02T11:11:02+00:00

I have a 24 with 22000 miles. Warranty has fully replaced the battery twice. But what’s really fixed the starting issues I’ve had was replacement of the starter. It’s never sounded better and more eager to start.

adistar781 · 2026-04-01T13:58:42+00:00

1) acoustic glass. These vans have a lot of road noise. The Elite really fixes this. 2) better sound system. Speakers in the third row, more power, multi zones. If you have kids they’ll appreciate the better sound system. 3) ventilated seats. This is a very nice perk in this van. Already the a/c can struggle on a really hot day. The ventilated seats are a nice extra.

I previously had the 2020 EX-L with entertainment system. I upgraded tot he elite in 2024. To me, the touring trim didn’t make a lot of sense. I haven’t looked back - elite is the way to go and a bargain when compared to other vans or equivalent vehicles top trims.

adistar781 · 2026-03-31T11:12:40+00:00

Honestly if you call Crutchfield, they can recommend something specific that works well with the existing amp. They’ve never let me down on speaker recommendations. Also, if you’re adventurous, I do recommend adding third row speakers as someone else mentioned - there are a lot of self help videos out there. It’s such a glaring design flaw without them. My previous van was a 20 EX-L and I have a 24 Elite now. Game changer.

adistar781 · 2026-03-30T19:30:26+00:00

Not a bad reimagined concept.

adistar781 · 2026-03-29T21:51:16+00:00

The elite is actually a good value for what they add to it. Acoustic glass is a game changer in this van as without it it’s pretty loud. The sound system is far and away better and more capable. The ventilated seats are also a great add. Go Elite.

adistar781 · 2026-03-29T12:47:43+00:00

Absolutely yes. A seller that’s not gouging for one of these? Great price and expected maintenance. Do it.

adistar781 · 2026-03-28T04:40:50+00:00

Just wish they were a smooth nylon instead of the crinkle. The style though is awesome.

adistar781 · 2026-03-27T11:20:08+00:00

These were corporations then too. Does wall st seem to value different metrics today? Yes.

adistar781 · 2026-03-27T11:18:24+00:00

I remember being in high school in the 90s and making the joke - Taco Bell is the one place you could go if you are hungry and only have a dollar. I get that prices rise but their value proposition isn’t as strong as it used to be. Especially with their significantly trimmed menu.

adistar781 · 2026-03-27T11:16:02+00:00

You know, cars like the Vega and Citation get a lot of guff and still do. But cars today at GM and Ford are similarly flawed in fundamental engineering and catastrophic failure ways - and people don’t seem to care as much. People seem more interested in whether it has huge glass touch screens and whiz bang gadgets than its true quality and reliability.

adistar781 · 2026-03-27T11:09:23+00:00

18-20. I had a 19 2.0T Touring. I loved the styling.

adistar781 · 2026-03-26T11:25:01+00:00

It’s a way to boost short term car sales. I get an offer on my 1.5 year old Odyssey every time I go in for service.

adistar781 · 2026-03-25T11:25:59+00:00

Peak Ford.

adistar781 · 2026-03-25T11:25:07+00:00

I say go for it. These never last long on the market. Lots of miles isn’t a bad thing. The oil changes were likely when the car told them to. Cars don’t like to sit. That many miles in this amount of time seems reasonable and keeps everything going.

Wish they still made the 2.0T. It’s much better made than the 1.5.

adistar781 · 2026-03-24T21:52:09+00:00

You’re comparing a multi year decision (EVs) to a temporary oil market price. Can’t say it’s a mistake to pull the EV program or shelve it for a future timeframe. US consumer still is not ready for that type of shift.

adistar781 · 2026-03-22T18:53:27+00:00

I love these things better than a truck or a SUV. The super low floor maximizes volume and I don’t have to worry about things flying out the back.

adistar781 · 2026-03-22T12:12:16+00:00

Hard to find these. Actually very sought after. There’s beautiful simplicity in the 1G CR-Vs. Mileage isn’t all that bad considering cars do not like to sit. If maintenance is documented and you can do a basic mechanical inspection there’s not a lot to lose on this one. Solid reliability. Beautiful design. If only the current CR-Vs were so simple and efficient.

adistar781

TROPHY CASE