Finally, I will be renovating & updating the site, and that’s happening over next few weeks. . .

During that time, you may see some broken links. . . so please be patient.

Thank you ! ! !

CWK

PS: Please find some upcoming diecast car previews below . . .

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Anyways, today, I am not writing about my diecast collection.  It’s about my experience at a GM dealership, a day after GM announced that they are closing down 1,100 dealerships.

What was I doing at a GM dealership ?  To buy a brand new Cadillac Escalade ?  No.

I am currently looking for a used Mercedes wagon, and a listing on cars.com lead me to a GM dealership in Central NJ, coincidentally on a day after the GM’s announcement.  To be honest, I wouldn’t have gone there otherwise. . .

The visit was a depressing experience.  Not because salespersons were rude; in fact, they were very nice.  It’s because the beautifull showroom. . . was empty.

Have you EVER been to an auto dealership where there are no cars in the showroom ?  Can you imagine, what it feels like to be standing in a big auto dealership, where there are. . . no cars ?

I was never a big GM fan, and I will admit that. . .  But there is SOMETHING SEVERELY WRONG here.  For an auto enthusiast like myself, that was really, one of the most emotional, depressing experience I’ve had in a long time.

After a very nice gentleman accompanied me to a test drive, we came back to his desk at the empty dealership.  (The car, the used Mercedes, drove fine, but at this point, that’s irrelevant.)  Trying to make sure that I was being as polite and natural as possible, while making sure that I didn’t sound rude, I’ve quietly asked, “. . .so is the business kinda . . . quiet these days ?”

A tall, senior salesperson with white hair took a deep breath, and answered very quietly:

“You know CWK . . .  I’ll be honest with you. . .  It’s not like how it was used to be anymore. . .  we’ve been in this business for 30 years now. . . ”

Let’s just say that was one sad, depressing day, that I have not had in a long time. . .

It’s a very well crafted, detailed model, although the color “blau” is nowhere near the “navy blue” that I was hoping to get. . .  really, it’s closer to “plain black”.  If I knew it was THIS dark, I would’ve considered getting one in the Astral Silver.  Oh well. . . 

Anyways, the recent releases by Revell have been quite interesting.  Good thing about this particular German manufacturer, is that they don’t just follow the other diecast manufacturers by creating endless variations of BMW 3 series. 

A while back, Revell has started selling the 1/18 Mercedes 240D (W123) model, as well as 1/18 Volkswagen Corrado VR6, and they are very solid, unique diecasts.  I think they are becoming more like Norev in concentrating more on the niche kind of cars.  I believe that there are already too many diecast manufacturers creating “same” cars like the 3 Series, 350Z or the PT Cruiser, so I really look forward to the future releases by Revell.  If anyone at Revell is reading this. . . can you please make 1/18 diecast of Mercedes-Benz 560SEL (W126) ? 

One thing about the Revell diecasts, although I am not too sure if this is true or not, is that they are not officially, officially imported to the United States.  There are some retailers selling these models, but I believe that they are importing these units on individual basis . . . resulting in a much higher price here in the U.S.  I think it would be great if the collectors here, incl. myself,  have better access to these Revell diecast models. . . especially when AutoArt is charging an arm and a leg in selling its diecasts. 

Primarily, I will be using this section to list the recent updates done to my website.  Also, as a serious diecast collector and a car enthusiast, I have a lot to say about today’s diecast world, and have always hoped that I can share that thoughts with some of the Cars18.com visitors and fellow diecast collectors.

Believe it or not, in the first 2 month of year 2009, Cars18.com have recorded 632 visitors from 54 countries , and for that, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all, for your continuous support ! ! !

For me, that number was more than enough of a motivation, to continue on with never ending renovation of this website. 

Welcome, and once again, thank you very much for stopping by.

I hope that you enjoy your stay

Sincerely,

CWK.