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Cadillac Allante forum boards???


Guest THEHKP7M13

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Guest THEHKP7M13

:confused::confused::confused::confused:

I am not naming names (of websites). I use to own a Cadillac Allante so as a passing interest I googled to see if there were any forum boards dedicated to the car. There sure are and it seems they all want a yearly membership fee just to access the forums. I was pondering purchasing one, but if the case is I need to pay money to access a forum for the car???

It seems wrong to me. It is enough for me to not buy the car. I have been spoiled by other websites and the cars I have owned. I understand the nature of car clubs from the 1970's and 1980's when there was no internet and information had to be printed and mailed and obviously information was at a premium versus todays google it world. I could see getting away with this in the mid to late 1990's in the infancy of the internet, but in todays world it seems a little too snooty for me.

Edited by THEHKP7M13 (see edit history)
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This could be an interesting topic.

My comments are not directed at you for starting this thread but are my opinion, because you struck a nerve I thought I should comment on...

Based on the column from Pete Phillips [who challenged each member to sign one person up to join the BCA] in this months Bugle, regarding dwindling membership, I think that non-members should be charged to come onto the forum.

The cost of forum membership?

The price of club membership.

Lets face it... the reason most people who are not members come to the forum is because they are experiencing problems with their cars or need parts and don't know how or where to get the work done or to get parts.

Of course, then some of these same people hang around because they like the forum, but have no urgency to join. I have no problem with that [participating on the forum], but can't they see the importance of joining?

How long do they think the forum and the magazines and the reunions are going to last if they don't join?

The typical comment to not join is that they either can't afford it [but they never factor in the FREE advice or the LOW COST of parts from a generous member] or they don't agree to the politics [most of us don't agree to all the politics of our government either]of the club.

I say either sign up and be a member or be charged to use the forum.

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Guest THEHKP7M13
This could be an interesting topic.

My comments are not directed at you for starting this thread but are my opinion, because you struck a nerve I thought I should comment on...

Based on the column from Pete Phillips [who challenged each member to sign one person up to join the BCA] in this months Bugle, regarding dwindling membership, I think that non-members should be charged to come onto the forum.

The cost of forum membership?

The price of club membership.

Lets face it... the reason most people who are not members come to the forum is because they are experiencing problems with their cars or need parts and don't know how or where to get the work done or to get parts.

Of course, then some of these same people hang around because they like the forum, but have no urgency to join. I have no problem with that [participating on the forum], but can't they see the importance of joining?

How long do they think the forum and the magazines and the reunions are going to last if they don't join?

The typical comment to not join is that they either can't afford it [but they never factor in the FREE advice or the LOW COST of parts from a generous member] or they don't agree to the politics [most of us don't agree to all the politics of our government either]of the club.

I say either sign up and be a member or be charged to use the forum.

I answered you with Joe_padavano down below.

I belong to this one : AllantéNet Forum/Board

It required an approved registration, but it didn't cost me anything for access.

Just did it. Thanks RAWJA.

Well, hosting a website is not free. The money either comes from membership fees or advertising.

I would assume in todays world it would come from the advertising and sponsership. Look at sites like google and facebook. Both are free and enjoy tremendous success. Look at a site started in the same vein in Reunion.com and Classmates.com. Both wanted a fee. Facebook ruled the day. It is human nature to seek the cheapest way. The magazines I want I subscribe to and pay. To me a forum (internet based) should be sponser driven at this point in the internet age.

I am not saying or inferring if the Cadillac Allante site or any car forum board site was free that it would enjoy the success of a google or facebook, but I do believe that it drives people away along with their knowledge base that they would care to share. Obviously they might ask questions along the way or have their primary reason for joining be a parts hotline or seeking advice. I am stating that knowing that I would have to pay $$$ for access to the forum is def. a knock against the Allante in my next vehicle acquision.

Still seeking that elusive 1991 Buick Reatta that hasn't been smashed 14 times or has some asking price that is beyond opening the door to negotiations.

Edited by THEHKP7M13 (see edit history)
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Membership is a personal choice. I joined the clubs I've joined to provide monetary support for the organization, not for the magazines which in this day and age should be done away with, just put 'em up electronically.... hell I suspect that that is one of the largest costs of running the clubs, printing and mailing out these beautiful but worthless magazines.

My other "gotta-have" vehicle is an '89 Allante, just got too many other demands on my limited resources.

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Guest THEHKP7M13
I guess then when you finally get the car of your choice you will be going to face book and google and craigslist and ebay for your parts and advice.

I commend you for your wisdom!

I can work on them. I would only buy one with a 4.5, no 4.1 or northstar (nostart lol) for me. I have access to all Manuals and TSBs. Actually the cost of the membership is food for thought in weighing purchasing one of these now, at least to me.

Membership is a personal choice. I joined the clubs I've joined to provide monetary support for the organization, not for the magazines which in this day and age should be done away with, just put 'em up electronically.... hell I suspect that that is one of the largest costs of running the clubs, printing and mailing out these beautiful but worthless magazines.

My other "gotta-have" vehicle is an '89 Allante, just got too many other demands on my limited resources.

I agree on badking a club because you want to. The magazines should be done away with because I do agree that they are probably the largest expense incurred. I still say in this day and age the forums should rely on the sponsers for a bulk of their revenue. Most do. The fact that $45 dollars a year is required either tells me the club is poorly run, has no sponser support, or someone is really looking to profit.

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I agree on badking a club because you want to. The magazines should be done away with because I do agree that they are probably the largest expense incurred. I still say in this day and age the forums should rely on the sponsers for a bulk of their revenue. Most do. The fact that $45 dollars a year is required either tells me the club is poorly run, has no sponser support, or someone is really looking to profit.

This is personal opinion, but I'm sure other people my age and older have trouble or do not like to read long articles on line. I like to have a nice magazine, like the AACA magazine, to hold in my hand, read through, and even keep on my living room coffee table. I'm that proud of our magazine. I also love the smell of new magazines.

I score newsletters for the AACA and a requirement is that they must be printed and mailed to our committee members. This has nothing to do with magazines, but again, they are a lot easier to read each month.

The fact that $45 dollars a year is required either tells me the club is poorly run........

That word poorly hurts, even if it wasn't directed to the AACA, because our membership fees cover a lot more quality benefits then just the magazine. Things like free admission to the AACA Museum, some free research time at the AACA Library, and the many new personal contacts and friendships that you make throughout a year with the different Meets and Tours you can join in on, which require one becoming a member.

Yes, the web is very useful, but, in my opinion, it'll never replace a magazine. ;)

Wayne

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This is personal opinion, but I'm sure other people my age and older have trouble or do not like to read long articles on line. I like to have a nice magazine......

I'd make the magazines available (in perpetuity) online for members and offer a reduced-rate membership to those who go the electronic-only route.

Should i add an allante forum here?

I guarantee it'll see about as much traffic as the Japanese Car Forum. There's already at least three pretty active forums for the Allante.

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Peter, I don't have an Allante but I would suggest you go ahead and add it. There are lots of Model A Ford owners and the Model A Ford forum here does not get much traffic here because there are several very active Model A Ford only sites. In spite of that, the Model A Forum here does get some traffic. While it is not very active, it still serves a purpose. An Allante forum would serve a similar purpose.

While the idea of on-line content for reduced membership fees may have some merit, I am under 50 years old, (I still feel pretty old, but by AACA standards I guess I am still among the younger generation), and I agree that the magazines will never be totally replaced by online content with the demographics of the club. I predict that even our young web-connected generation will eventually reach the age that they will enjoy being able to sit down with a magazine or book instead of reading everything on a screen.

There are lots of good reasons to pay the reasonable cost to be a member of AACA, in my opinion, the magazine alone is worth the annual cost. I am usually logged onto the computer for about 18 hours a day, (I am multitasking, I am not always reading on-line), but I still find time to read three Antique Car Club Magazines per month.

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I can work on them. I would only buy one with a 4.5, no 4.1 or northstar (nostart lol) for me. I have access to all Manuals and TSBs. Actually the cost of the membership is food for thought in weighing purchasing one of these now, at least to me.

I'm not sure why the cost of membership to a particular website should matter or not - no one is forcing you to join the website. I own a 93 Allante and would only own a Northstar car (sorry, but you can't beat the extra hundred horsepower), however the real problem with the 93 is the large number of one-year-only parts. I also have a 93 parts car, which has helped. I do all my own work. The first thing I got was a factory service manual.

The car has 150K miles on it (it had 77K when we bought it) and my wife uses it as a daily driver. Not one problem with the N* in those 70K miles of driving. The worst maintenance job was replacing the alternator, and the large amount of disassembly to get the alternator out resulted in a lot of MIGHTASWELLS being done at the same time.

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Guest THEHKP7M13
...That word poorly hurts, even if it wasn't directed to the AACA...

I wasn't. This is a quality organization and does offer a lot for its dues, but does not charge the dues for access to the forums.

Should i add an allante forum here?

Yes, go for it. If it is a success the AACA has gained. If it fails it can always be removed. I have a feeling it would at least garner as much traffic as the Chrysler TC forum...very neat cars by the way.

Peter, I don't have an Allante but I would suggest you go ahead and add it. There are lots of Model A Ford owners and the Model A Ford forum here does not get much traffic here because there are several very active Model A Ford only sites. In spite of that, the Model A Forum here does get some traffic. While it is not very active, it still serves a purpose. An Allante forum would serve a similar purpose.

I agree.

I'm not sure why the cost of membership to a particular website should matter or not - no one is forcing you to join the website. I own a 93 Allante and would only own a Northstar car (sorry, but you can't beat the extra hundred horsepower), however the real problem with the 93 is the large number of one-year-only parts. I also have a 93 parts car, which has helped. I do all my own work. The first thing I got was a factory service manual.

The car has 150K miles on it (it had 77K when we bought it) and my wife uses it as a daily driver. Not one problem with the N* in those 70K miles of driving. The worst maintenance job was replacing the alternator, and the large amount of disassembly to get the alternator out resulted in a lot of MIGHTASWELLS being done at the same time.

joe_padavano, GONNA HAVE AGREE TO DISAGREE ON THE NORTHSTAR!!! I left the auto repair industry about 7 years ago and still dawdle in it and have many freinds there. There is not a single wrench I know that owns a Northstar or has any desire to do so. I wish you the best with it. That engine has been a nightmare from day one and the all kinks will not be worked out of it when GM kills it off. I do agree that the extra 100 HP is nice, but not at the servicing levels it(northstar)requires. One of my freinds is a former CADILLAC/OLDS dealer wrench that opened his own place and his nickname for the engine is DEATHSTAR. Ironically the dealership that he worked for closed up and now a lot of the customers come to him.

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joe_padavano, GONNA HAVE AGREE TO DISAGREE ON THE NORTHSTAR!!! I left the auto repair industry about 7 years ago and still dawdle in it and have many freinds there. There is not a single wrench I know that owns a Northstar or has any desire to do so.

I hope you find the car you want, but count me as one who likes the N*. I do every bit of the work on the car myself. Maybe I got lucky by purchasing a used car that had the bugs worked out of it. For a "wrong wheel drive" car, it's fun to drive (well, until the traction control kicks in... ;)). I also have no problems whatsoever with operating the supposedly hard to handle convertible top. One thing to be aware of on the pre-93 cars is the ABS that can cause total brake failure if it is not flushed annually. The 93 cars have a redesigned system which is "failsafe" - loss of the ABS unit does not cause the brakes to fail. That is NOT the case on the older cars. Clearly that was not the best design solution...

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Guest THEHKP7M13
...One thing to be aware of on the pre-93 cars is the ABS that can cause total brake failure if it is not flushed annually. The 93 cars have a redesigned system which is "failsafe" - loss of the ABS unit does not cause the brakes to fail. That is NOT the case on the older cars. Clearly that was not the best design solution...

What if you disable the entire ABS system? Oh boy it starting to look a lot like TEVES all over again! Ironically the only year Reatta I have a atrong desire to own is a 1991, just because it is the only year with real brakes!

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Oh boy it starting to look a lot like TEVES all over again!

It's exactly like Teves, but made by Bosch. The brake issues with both systems are inherent to their design, but are for the most part avoidable with proper maintenance.

These electric pump/accumulator systems were widely used as no one had figured out how to achieve anti-lock braking with a vacuum system at that point in time. So every ABS-equipped vehicle (foreign or domestic) prior to say, MY 1991 (Allante to 1992) is going to have a system of this type and should be looked after accordingly.

I've experienced "brake failure" (which isn't actually a complete loss of brakes) a number of times over the years with my Reattas. It never happened completely without warning, and primarily happened when I had recently took possession of the vehicle which hadn't had the "proper" system maintenance.

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This really is a topic that could be personal to many. I happen to be one of those who HATE sitting in front of a computer, reading! My butt gets tired sitting in that chair for extended periods! I used to work ALL DAY on computers and when I got home I may or may not even check my e-mail. Who wants to sit there and stare at a screen and read when you can curl up on the sofa and read a magazine with pictures in such detail?

For those who want a hard copy of the magazine, let it continue, for those who don't why spend the limited resources of the organization on this unnecessary printing and postage? Hell, make the opt-out discount cheaper than the clubs printing/postage costs and the E-members can "subsidize" the old-schoolers.

As far as the detail in the photographs, an electronic magazine can link through to pictures with such resolution that you can pick out the orientation of the screw heads of the wheelwell trim, if that's the native resolution of the original photo. They can all be in living color too as there's no limitation due to printing costs, there is no cost associated with having a pile of related photographs that can be gallery-linked to the article either.

Not all electronic magazines have extended archive files for researching old articles. I hope and pray that there will always be printed magazines, newsletters, etc. for us to read. We are a nation that relies too much on the electronics around us and it has deteriorated many aspects of our lives.

There is absolutely no reason that the ENTIRE archive of the AACA or BCA magazines couldn't be online right now and no reason they would ever have to be taken down.

If you use a forum for research, selling or purchasing parts, and pick the brain of all the experts available here in one place......My Lord! Don't you thinks that's worth a lousy $45 a year!!!

I pay totally optional supporting membership fees on other forums, I just believe in paying for what I get, but that's just me, I understand there are others who have differing philosophies on spending their money as is their right.

Besides-what else would you put in the bathroom if they stopped printing magazines!!???

Might I suggest more fiber and/or more coffee? :P:D:rolleyes:

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What if you disable the entire ABS system? Oh boy it starting to look a lot like TEVES all over again! Ironically the only year Reatta I have a atrong desire to own is a 1991, just because it is the only year with real brakes!

You would likely have to bypass the ABS pump and valving. That's not too hard to do. Depends on how much you want to modify the car. Everything I've read from folks who own them seems to indicate that annual flushing of the brake system prevents the accumulation of crud that causes the ABS system failure.

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Guest THEHKP7M13
...If you use a forum for research, selling or purchasing parts, and pick the brain of all the experts available here in one place......My Lord! Don't you thinks that's worth a lousy $45 a year!!! ...

I own a lot of vehicles and am a member of a lot of forums, including some gun specific and political ones. If each was $45 a year it would add up to a lot of $$$. Heck, if each forum I am a member of (grant it some I check monthly or so of past cars I owned) I might be out $1,000 a year. Heck, thats the price of a car in some instances (albeit one that needs some work).

SO YES, IT ADDS UP.

Old fashion is nice, but just that. In todays world if you want the web traffic your site better be sponser driven.

RAWJA is right if you want the magazine you pay for it. I have magazine subscriptions because I want them and I pay, but it is for periodicals I want adorning my bathroom and not the ALLANTE NEWSLETTER.

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You would likely have to bypass the ABS pump and valving. That's not too hard to do.

The issue isn't the ABS system, but the basic design of the system. An electric pump pressurizes an accumulator to provide hydraulic pressure. If the accumulator (which is a wear item) is spent or a pressure switch goes bad, the pump runs too much and when it fails, no boost or alternatively a switch or a relay fails to trigger the pump to run and no boost.

Crud jamming up the ABS valving or other parts of the system is also problematic, but the system generally will operate (sans ABS) if the ABS side goes inop.

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The issue isn't the ABS system, but the basic design of the system. An electric pump pressurizes an accumulator to provide hydraulic pressure. If the accumulator (which is a wear item) is spent or a pressure switch goes bad, the pump runs too much and when it fails, no boost or alternatively a switch or a relay fails to trigger the pump to run and no boost.

Crud jamming up the ABS valving or other parts of the system is also problematic, but the system generally will operate (sans ABS) if the ABS side goes inop.

I have not driven a pre-1993 Allante. Others who own them have described TOTAL brake failure when the ABS goes bad. I am only relaying information. This has been described by numerous people as pedal-to-the-floor brake failure, not simply lack of boost or lack of ABS. I do know that as you suggest, annual flushing of the system seems to prevent the problem. The 1993 cars have a completely different system from the earlier cars.

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I was toying with the idea last week, that is buying another Allante. This would be my 3rd, the 2 previous ones were troublesome cars to own. ABS brakes, terrible soft top operation, electrical gremlins, bad radios, parts getting too expensive, and so on. I always loved the look and rarity of them but they aren't the easiest car to live with and have not aged well. There seemed to me to be enough info on the web without having to pay for it. Try cadillacowners.com. They have a decent Allante forum. For me I'm going to wait til the XLR's come down in price and drive my 66 Deville convertible til then.

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I was toying with the idea last week, that is buying another Allante. This would be my 3rd, the 2 previous ones were troublesome cars to own. ABS brakes, terrible soft top operation, electrical gremlins, bad radios, parts getting too expensive, and so on. I always loved the look and rarity of them but they aren't the easiest car to live with and have not aged well. There seemed to me to be enough info on the web without having to pay for it. Try cadillacowners.com. They have a decent Allante forum. For me I'm going to wait til the XLR's come down in price and drive my 66 Deville convertible til then.

Well, again, we're on our second 93 (the first met an untimely end due to black ice - but it is a great parts car) and have experienced none of the things you describe. Maybe the 93 top mechanism is different (it does have the motor driven front latches), but once I'm out of the car, it takes me maybe 30 seconds to put the top up or down. Mechanical parts are common with Eldos and Sevilles, so those are not a problem. Allante-unique parts have always been expensive (and the 93-only parts, like outside mirrors, are even worse), but having a parts car helps a lot. The warped dash is annoying, but this car is a daily driver for my wife. It's a blast to drive and the styling is light years ahead of the XLR. I just wish it weren't wrong wheel drive...

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Quote...

:I agree on badking a club because you want to. The magazines should be done away with because I do agree that they are probably the largest expense incurred. I still say in this day and age the forums should rely on the sponsers for a bulk of their revenue. Most do. The fact that $45 dollars a year is required either tells me the club is poorly run, has no sponser support, or someone is really looking to profit."

An organization that I used to belong to printed a mag. for it's members and the publisher sold advertising space and paid the org. $XX for each pageIt was a moneymaker as well as a service to the members.

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  • 1 month later...
Guest Sailpilgrim

The Reatta folks sure are helpful. I too thought an alliante, but the websites turned me off too.

Rod H

90 Reatta coup

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  • 1 year later...

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