Just won a car - but not entirely happy
Discussion
The Dictator said:
Great thread, which I immediately bookmarked and what's a real treat is that the OP hasn't buggered off never to be seen again (yet) whilst the only updates to the thread are from people asking if there are any updates to the thread :-)
What's happened with regard to the missing golf clubs? I know you said they weren't in the back and perhaps I have missed the outcome of that?
No golf clubs yet but I haven't asked about them yet. Despite being a huge golf fan, I think I've a new hobby - dominating roads, lanes, paths and dominating staircases in a powerfully built car What's happened with regard to the missing golf clubs? I know you said they weren't in the back and perhaps I have missed the outcome of that?
Someone mentioned earlier that this thread has achieved legendary status and just had look this morning and indeed it has!
Comrades - it's been an honour serving you and to be bestowed with this prestigious title.
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I've got to say, or even repeat what I said a couple of days ago, my face was actually sore reading all the posts from everybody - the joking, banter and general commentary has been a lot of fun for me. It certainly doesn't feel like 'my thread' but more of an incredibly weird story with lots of twists and turns on a road that we've all travelled on together!
It's been nice just waking up in the morning and checking out what everyone's been chatting about. The prize has exceeded my expectations 10 fold, and largely driven by the fact that (a) my daughter has had an absolutely brilliant time getting driven about in this monster car. And when it's parked in the drive, going into it with a few friends playing 'air stewardess on a private jet'
One thing money can't buy is precious memories and this prize has delivered in spades. The Escalade will be gone at some point, but it will never be forgotten. These will be lasting memories for all of us, the sheer absurdity of the car is making everyone smile - a lot!
And (b)
Pistonheads. Not only has it been a great thread to be part of, its also an online journal of my story. When the thread has run its course, I'll certainly be coming back time and time again in years to come to relive it all over again for nostalgia. So thank you all for that, and for all the brilliant posts. Maybe one day I'll get to reply to some more of them lol! Lots of questions that I simply haven't had time to reply to.
But yes, all threads eventually run their course and I'll be making sure I finish the job well on this one, with a few more pics and a couple of videos. You'll want to hear this engine sing for example, it's very nice. And a tour around all the features, which are plentiful. So I'll make sure I do all that for you all - I feel its now my duty to do so
One particular feature I like is the indicator led lights built inside the mirror...
It's an important feature, because it let's other road user know that:
I'M DRIVING A CADILLAC ESCALADE AND YOU'RE NOT!!!!
Comrades - it's been an honour serving you and to be bestowed with this prestigious title.
k.jpg' target='_blank'/>I've got to say, or even repeat what I said a couple of days ago, my face was actually sore reading all the posts from everybody - the joking, banter and general commentary has been a lot of fun for me. It certainly doesn't feel like 'my thread' but more of an incredibly weird story with lots of twists and turns on a road that we've all travelled on together!
It's been nice just waking up in the morning and checking out what everyone's been chatting about. The prize has exceeded my expectations 10 fold, and largely driven by the fact that (a) my daughter has had an absolutely brilliant time getting driven about in this monster car. And when it's parked in the drive, going into it with a few friends playing 'air stewardess on a private jet'
One thing money can't buy is precious memories and this prize has delivered in spades. The Escalade will be gone at some point, but it will never be forgotten. These will be lasting memories for all of us, the sheer absurdity of the car is making everyone smile - a lot!
And (b)
Pistonheads. Not only has it been a great thread to be part of, its also an online journal of my story. When the thread has run its course, I'll certainly be coming back time and time again in years to come to relive it all over again for nostalgia. So thank you all for that, and for all the brilliant posts. Maybe one day I'll get to reply to some more of them lol! Lots of questions that I simply haven't had time to reply to.
But yes, all threads eventually run their course and I'll be making sure I finish the job well on this one, with a few more pics and a couple of videos. You'll want to hear this engine sing for example, it's very nice. And a tour around all the features, which are plentiful. So I'll make sure I do all that for you all - I feel its now my duty to do so
One particular feature I like is the indicator led lights built inside the mirror...
It's an important feature, because it let's other road user know that:
I'M DRIVING A CADILLAC ESCALADE AND YOU'RE NOT!!!!
Video now ready.
Jesus, I can talk some s
t when I get going so I need to prewarn you, it's 27 mins long 
I thought it would only be 5 mins or so but turns out, there was a lot to talk about!
Its a private video, for PH members only and only viewable via link below. Hope you find it insightful
https://youtu.be/Gfwy4Fpxm-Y
Jesus, I can talk some s
t when I get going so I need to prewarn you, it's 27 mins long I thought it would only be 5 mins or so but turns out, there was a lot to talk about!
Its a private video, for PH members only and only viewable via link below. Hope you find it insightful
https://youtu.be/Gfwy4Fpxm-Y
bingybongy said:
A fine ending to a very amusing thread.
Thank you. My parting conclusion will be next week's road trip with the boys. It's a very special occasion for one of them. I'll let you all in on the plan which I've shared with one of my mates.
He's getting VIP treatment and he hasn't been allowed to see the car yet.
I'm ordering some chaeffuer gear from Amazon. I'll look kind of like this....
One friend will video me knocking at his door. I'll be all dressed up, with his name on plate with a mock up VIP sign, I'll courtesy him to the car under an umbrella, open the door and set up the rear bench as the "upper class" area, with a selection of fine beers and a selection of high end snacks. He'll get to travel with his feet sprawled out and be well looked after. Can't wait to see his reaction!
Shakermaker said:
Love it, great video there.
Who'd have thought.. an Irishman who can take half an hour to talk about something for 5 minutes
Anyway, couple of observations -
Where are all the cupholders, you showed us 4 but there must be another 25-30 hiding in there somewhere, its a luxury American SUV where luxury = cupholders.
That little vertical pocket next to the driver - maybe you could store your small handgun in there?
When you opened up the centre box and stuttered for a second over "12 volt socket" I was half expecting you to say "and in there is your 12 gauge"
Definitely need an FBI hat, FBI jacket and FBI sunglasses. Can't be illegal to mock up an FBI vehicle in the UK, can it?
Do not take this vehicle to Ikea. You WILL be able to get everything home, which is usually the point that stops you buying yet another Ektorp or Billy Bookcase..
unrelated directly but is that the house you built? Followed your build thread for a while and like the look of the finished product!
I know, jaysus, I did rabbit on a bit and despite talking for nearly half an hour - missed the other cupholders!Who'd have thought.. an Irishman who can take half an hour to talk about something for 5 minutes
Anyway, couple of observations -
Where are all the cupholders, you showed us 4 but there must be another 25-30 hiding in there somewhere, its a luxury American SUV where luxury = cupholders.
That little vertical pocket next to the driver - maybe you could store your small handgun in there?
When you opened up the centre box and stuttered for a second over "12 volt socket" I was half expecting you to say "and in there is your 12 gauge"
Definitely need an FBI hat, FBI jacket and FBI sunglasses. Can't be illegal to mock up an FBI vehicle in the UK, can it?
Do not take this vehicle to Ikea. You WILL be able to get everything home, which is usually the point that stops you buying yet another Ektorp or Billy Bookcase..
unrelated directly but is that the house you built? Followed your build thread for a while and like the look of the finished product!
2 in the front centre, console, 2 in the back of the centre console for the middle row and 1 either side of the rear bench - so 6 holders for 7 seats - they didn't really think that through for families of 7
Haven't ordered any FBI gear - however - I have ordered chauffeur gear - hat, gloves, tie and glasses all to match. I'm going to get dressed up for a laugh for next weeks trip away with the lads. Give one of my friends some 5 star treatment and have some goodies waiting for him in the back. Should be a laugh pulling in at petrol stations and pretending my mate is some sort of celeb - either that or people will just think I have lost the plot - should be fun either way
Yeah, we got that house built must be 5 years ago now. Thinking about moving everyone into the garage and using the house to park the Cadillac
RB Will said:
Just binged the whole tread. Congrats on the car OP Id be well chuffed with that.
Just thinking with sensible hat on. Considering what a ballache finding insurance was, have you informed the insurer of the mods? lights, wheels, tailpipe grille. These are pretty minor things really but having seen a few threads on here recently about people banging on about declaring every last spec of dust stuck in the cupholders that wasn't in the car when new it might be something to be wary of.
Thats a good point actually, because i haven't. Ill give them a ring. Good shout, thanks!Just thinking with sensible hat on. Considering what a ballache finding insurance was, have you informed the insurer of the mods? lights, wheels, tailpipe grille. These are pretty minor things really but having seen a few threads on here recently about people banging on about declaring every last spec of dust stuck in the cupholders that wasn't in the car when new it might be something to be wary of.
talksthetorque said:
Duncan Lang said:
What a thread!!!
I feel like I should give something back so here you go Soup!
https://my.buick.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmn...
Good Idea.I feel like I should give something back so here you go Soup!
https://my.buick.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmn...
I would also like to give something back. You may need this frequently.
https://youtu.be/MMiKyfd6hA0
Thanks for the pdf Duncan, just what i needed - much appreciated!
Did a road trip from Belfast area to Donegal on Friday to Sunday weekend away with the lads. Stopped for fuel 4 times!
To be fair, it would have done the journey on a full tank (I think, maybe) and everyone agreed to chip in for fuel. Bright-spark in the shotgun seat pipped up that we should just put in enough to get to the border and buy the rest across the border as it would work out cheaper....didn't quite make it to the border so had to stop again - and then got across to border to find it was more expensive in ROI.
So only put in enough to get to destination, and then back across the border....to stop once again....bit like a scene from a carry on movie although saying that, it was fun stopping at all the petrol stations and getting weird looks from everybody....about £80 all in for 180 miles which give it an MPG in the region of 'a very small number' I suspect.
Google maps had the journey as 2 hours but it took way longer. What with stopping for fuel, stopping for coffee (for me) stopping at the off license (for the passengers) and add in piss stops and some general fannying about, we finally made it there 3.5 hours later. Was a very nice drive for the most part and the lads loved it - no driving fatigue at all and my mates were all loving the comfort, nice sunny day, drinking beer - they would have been happy for me to drive them around all day I reckon.
The only hard bit was the backroads in Donegal - narrow, snaking roads which would have been awesome in a small sporty vehicle, but was pretty difficult/slow going in the Escalade. That aside, it was a brilliant way to travel for the road trip.
Lots of opportunities to be heavy with the right foot when coming out of junctions etc and I wouldn't tire of hearing that engine note all the time. The fact that it was fully loaded with 5 people and luggage didn't really make a lot of difference - with a starting weight of 3+tons before passengers, it doesn't make to big a difference when its loaded up I suppose. Will be hard to let go of the big girl when I do decide to sell it
To be fair, it would have done the journey on a full tank (I think, maybe) and everyone agreed to chip in for fuel. Bright-spark in the shotgun seat pipped up that we should just put in enough to get to the border and buy the rest across the border as it would work out cheaper....didn't quite make it to the border so had to stop again - and then got across to border to find it was more expensive in ROI.
So only put in enough to get to destination, and then back across the border....to stop once again....bit like a scene from a carry on movie although saying that, it was fun stopping at all the petrol stations and getting weird looks from everybody....about £80 all in for 180 miles which give it an MPG in the region of 'a very small number' I suspect.
Google maps had the journey as 2 hours but it took way longer. What with stopping for fuel, stopping for coffee (for me) stopping at the off license (for the passengers) and add in piss stops and some general fannying about, we finally made it there 3.5 hours later. Was a very nice drive for the most part and the lads loved it - no driving fatigue at all and my mates were all loving the comfort, nice sunny day, drinking beer - they would have been happy for me to drive them around all day I reckon.
The only hard bit was the backroads in Donegal - narrow, snaking roads which would have been awesome in a small sporty vehicle, but was pretty difficult/slow going in the Escalade. That aside, it was a brilliant way to travel for the road trip.
Lots of opportunities to be heavy with the right foot when coming out of junctions etc and I wouldn't tire of hearing that engine note all the time. The fact that it was fully loaded with 5 people and luggage didn't really make a lot of difference - with a starting weight of 3+tons before passengers, it doesn't make to big a difference when its loaded up I suppose. Will be hard to let go of the big girl when I do decide to sell it
TheInsanity1234 said:
I worked it out at just a smidge under 13 mpg too.
For a 6 litre V8 in an enormous 3 ton beast, that is stunning! Soupdragon, were you driving like Miss Daisy or something?
Yes, I was driving like miss daisy! I had 4 other lads in the car drinking, listening to music and having a load of banter so I took it pretty slow most of the way.For a 6 litre V8 in an enormous 3 ton beast, that is stunning! Soupdragon, were you driving like Miss Daisy or something?
Lazermilk said:
Keep it then, it was free after all
Kids can play in it while they grow up, could turn it into a mancave or cinema, as others mentioned rent it out for stag do's or instaslags etc, the possibilities are endless surely!
Its starting to look like that to be honest.Kids can play in it while they grow up, could turn it into a mancave or cinema, as others mentioned rent it out for stag do's or instaslags etc, the possibilities are endless surely!
I contacted the car dealer who had it previously, and they currently have an Escalade in stock, along with a lot of other imports. I asked them if they wanted it back at a reduced price - they came back with a no - weren't even interested in having a nibble at what that 'reduced price' might be.
The tax and insurance are relatively ok, so (ad-hoc repairs aside) its not going to be too expensive to have in the driveway for occasional use.
The Mad Monk said:
What do WBAC say?
can't get a quote from them - only for cars 2005 and above.Forgot to mention - got the golf clubs yesterday:
https://www.golfonline.co.uk/wilson-mens-x-31-pack...
Brand new, still in the box and wrappers - looks like they've just went to a shop, bought them and posted them to me.
Will put them on gumtree - I've already got Mizuno irons and Taylormade woods whereas these clubs are more of a starter set.
Missed a few posts on the thread resurrection but no, I don't have it anymore
I had some great times in it. Took the lads into rural Ireland for a few days break which was a great laugh but also, quite an ordeal. The narrow roads were a challenge and some corners had to be taken at walking pace. Some particularly tight bends left me pondering whether a 3 point turn was needed (not to turn around, but just to go straight!) I lost count of the fuel stops
On another occasion, we were flying out of Dublin airport for a holiday with family, and what would normally have been 2 cars was achieveable in the Escalade. 6 passengers, 6 suitcases and 6 carry on bags and the big boot (trunk) swallowed them all, leaving the passengers room to spread out in comfort
The kids also had fun getting dropped to school/bus stop/events in the big Escalade, plus bringing their friends when possible. When car wasn't in use, it became a bit of a play area for my daughter and her little friends too, so plenty of fond memories to look back on.
Would have been nice to keep it but sold it because:
(a) it did about 2 miles to the litre (taking it easy)
(b) getting parts was hard work. It had a wheel bearing issue which wasn't a big deal but anything complex was sourcing and importing.
While I would like to have had the time (and space at home) to have an extra car to look after and drive just occasionally, it just wasn't practical for us. Although, my daughter still complains now and again about me selling it and she won't let me forget about it in a hurry
I had some great times in it. Took the lads into rural Ireland for a few days break which was a great laugh but also, quite an ordeal. The narrow roads were a challenge and some corners had to be taken at walking pace. Some particularly tight bends left me pondering whether a 3 point turn was needed (not to turn around, but just to go straight!) I lost count of the fuel stops
On another occasion, we were flying out of Dublin airport for a holiday with family, and what would normally have been 2 cars was achieveable in the Escalade. 6 passengers, 6 suitcases and 6 carry on bags and the big boot (trunk) swallowed them all, leaving the passengers room to spread out in comfort
The kids also had fun getting dropped to school/bus stop/events in the big Escalade, plus bringing their friends when possible. When car wasn't in use, it became a bit of a play area for my daughter and her little friends too, so plenty of fond memories to look back on.
Would have been nice to keep it but sold it because:
(a) it did about 2 miles to the litre (taking it easy)
(b) getting parts was hard work. It had a wheel bearing issue which wasn't a big deal but anything complex was sourcing and importing.
While I would like to have had the time (and space at home) to have an extra car to look after and drive just occasionally, it just wasn't practical for us. Although, my daughter still complains now and again about me selling it and she won't let me forget about it in a hurry
I think I should add a little footnote about how it drove
Not joking, if you jumped out of the Escalade and into an old Range Rover, the RR would feel a bit like a hot hatch
Small steering inputs were sometimes acknowledged, sometimes not - all depends on the camber of the road or the general road surface. If you pointed dead ahead and didn't turn the wheel it would meander a bit. Not like it consistently leaned left or anything, it was truly random. Nothing huge, but enough to keep you concentrated.
Not sure if the big wheels (can't remember, 24 or 26 inch alloys) were having a negative impact but I'm familiar with the tramlining you get in wide wheels SUV's - this didn't exhibit that, it was more wierd and was sort of nearly always there. I've had it before where you go over the white lines in the road and the car tramlines but the escalade was more permanent, although more subdued compared to tramlining (if that makes sense)
I guess you could say it had 'character'
Not joking, if you jumped out of the Escalade and into an old Range Rover, the RR would feel a bit like a hot hatch
Small steering inputs were sometimes acknowledged, sometimes not - all depends on the camber of the road or the general road surface. If you pointed dead ahead and didn't turn the wheel it would meander a bit. Not like it consistently leaned left or anything, it was truly random. Nothing huge, but enough to keep you concentrated.
Not sure if the big wheels (can't remember, 24 or 26 inch alloys) were having a negative impact but I'm familiar with the tramlining you get in wide wheels SUV's - this didn't exhibit that, it was more wierd and was sort of nearly always there. I've had it before where you go over the white lines in the road and the car tramlines but the escalade was more permanent, although more subdued compared to tramlining (if that makes sense)
I guess you could say it had 'character'
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