Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Buick Regal

1111214161767

Comments

  • L8_ApexL8_Apex Member Posts: 187
    As I sit here laughing at the irony of the above post, I'm wondering if you're all seeing the American flag next to my time. I (honestly) have no idea what caused this...
  • peufanpeufan Member Posts: 53
    What did you do???

    There's flags all over the place that weren't there before.
    (look at the comments previous to yours).

    It is pretty amusing!
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    The "flags" were just rolled in a little bit ago tonight here in this International Town Hall.

    If a flag does not appear by your name, this means you have not selected a country in your profile - you can do so by clicking on the "My Profile" link at the top of the page.

    I think this is way cool - if you see a flag you don't recognize, you can just put your cursor on top of it and the name of the country will display.

    Just think - we can all learn LOTS from this.

    :-)

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
  • pacinpelopacinpelo Member Posts: 142
    FYI....Ironic you started posting...
    I had fun just this week putting a TL type S to the test.
    The GS was very much up to the test, on two traffic light to traffic light runs it was a dead heat, my GS was about a quarter car length up, but not by much. Each of us broke off at about 75 mph. The TL engine did not sound to pleasant on its high revs though almost like it was going to go into cardiac arrest.
  • pacinpelopacinpelo Member Posts: 142
    Which one to choose?

    I do not see Galapagos Islands. But there are some interesting choices.
  • jackjtjackjt Member Posts: 178
    tls vs the gs? Who won? The suspense is really building on this board:-)

    Yes! The flag was raised just in time!
  • tlswhiztlswhiz Member Posts: 19
    Hmmm, Mr. Pancipello,

    You're racing phantom TL Type S Acuras, my friend, it was officially released to anyone who owns one now on Thursday of this week. Perhaps you were racing a CL Type S, in which case is a little slower off the line than a TL Type S. I'm gunna take your word for it though, and it's interesting to see a post so soon of a GS vs. TL Type S race! Plus, the person racing you .. could you tell if he was... no you prolly couldn't .. whether or not he was using the sequential sportshift... oh well, my buddy and i are racing on Monday, I'll keep you posted -- especially you Mr. 141516.

  • tlswhiztlswhiz Member Posts: 19
    Interesting choice of words, but in my honest opinion, it sounds pretty darned refined to me -- now that winy supercharger of the Regal.. hmm, we gotta do something 'bout that at low rpms. Lemme know when ya do a true 1/4 mile, i'll be interested to see how ya fare 'gainst the high cholesterol, overweight, at-risk-of-a-stroke Acura..
  • L8_ApexL8_Apex Member Posts: 187
    You're going to race a car with what, all of a few hundred miles on it? Do you think that's a good idea? I run my cars hard but even I wouldn't do that...
  • tlswhiztlswhiz Member Posts: 19
    You're probably -- i'm just so trigger happy now that I have a car that can somewhat perform -- plus, it's only a 1/4 mile (but I suppose when it's brand new, that's when problems can surface if I run the engine too hard).

    However -- I'll easily have 1000 in a few weeks..

    Oh, I was in his GSE last night again, and I noticed something:

    When you accelerate (hard acceleration) the psi gauge goes from 0.0 to near 6.7/7.7 psi, but what I was curious to see is how many pounds it put out when you mash it at cruising speeds (40/50/60 mph) .. I noticed his didn't really go past 2.0 psi while still in overdrive, and then it very quickly dropped to 3rd gear (or 4th, i don't know how that car is geared .. well, since it's a 4-speed, then 3rd), and THEN the psi went up to 5.0. I thought that was interesting ..

    Also -- it was equally interesting how his fuel gauge moved faster to Empty than my tachometer in my '94 ES300 moved to 7000 rpms at full throttle!! Wow, whutta gas guzzler. He says he averages 12.0 mpg in city driving.

  • 14151415 Member Posts: 249
    You don't have to keep me informed about your drag racing events for this 0 to whatever speed is a non-event..

    You may have an advantage over the Buick; your friend's car may be getting tired from all this zoom-zoom action..

    If you lose; seek help immediately and try to move on...
  • jackjtjackjt Member Posts: 178
    If tls's friend is getting 12mpg for city driving, he is doing too much "mashing". If he would EZ up, 17 to 18 mpg is quite possible. I have been getting 17 plus for city driving.

    Or there could be something seriously wrong with his GSE. If that's the case, a win by tls over the gs would be quite hollow, wouldn't it?
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    At 12 mpg, he must be carrying a lot of deadweight in the car...
  • BushwackBushwack Member Posts: 258
    I tested the Acura CL-Type S a couple imes before going w/ the Buick GS.

    As for accelaration, the GS ' torque definitely made it the quicker car. But on the flip side, the Acura had a much more refined interior. For $33K+, the CL Type S is attractively priced for what you get in return (incl. Nav system). The interior is put together flawlessly.

    And again, for $26K+, the GS is a bargain in its own right.
  • pjonkheerpjonkheer Member Posts: 22
    I am the one that owns this infamous GSE everyone has been talking about on this forum... The only reason I am getting 12.9mpg right now is because I spent 3 days having the car idle because I was configuring my new amp and sub. Before that weekend, I was consistently getting 16 to 18 MPG. I do like to mash the gas, but I keep it under control most of the time.

    PS - Does everyone here change their oil every 3000 miles?? And...is premium gas necessary?

    Thanks.
  • peufanpeufan Member Posts: 53
    You *kill* me.

    Deadweight.... dry man....really dry.

    Glad to see you're still lurking.
  • L8_ApexL8_Apex Member Posts: 187
    ...and add another requirement. Let's keep this discussion civil and about the Regal. Posts have been removed.

    Thank you,

    L8_Apex
    Host
    Sedans Message Board
  • pacinpelopacinpelo Member Posts: 142
    Oops I realized it may have been the CL now that I saw one today. It was a two door Acura.
  • pacinpelopacinpelo Member Posts: 142
    What is up with that??!!!!
    There is just good competitive fun here with our GS cars and how they fair in the market place against other vehicles. Occasional visitors lead us a stray because they feel their cars may be better, this is a discussion room.....offering a chance for people to make choices...

    OR am I missing something that is foul in nature that has been deleted, if so I apologize......if not lighten up a bit.
  • jackjtjackjt Member Posts: 178
    Heck with the arrival of tls, the AARPers (that includes me:)on this board have come ALIVE! It's been fun and may the GSE---win.

    Yes I intend to change the oil every 3000 miles and your best bet is to use premium fuel. There is a brief discussion of fuel requiements, I believe over on the turbo buick site (3800 Supercharged discussion)
  • etharmonetharmon Member Posts: 399
    I'm not sure what the acceleration times of the TL-S are, but a stock Regal GS will do 0-60 in 6.6 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 15 flat. I would suspect that from 0-60 the two would be very close, with the Regal possibly being slightly quicker due to it's excellent low end torque. The TL-S might squeak ahead as the speed rises due to it's high revving OHC engine. What I would love to see is GM supercharge the wonderful DOHC 3.5 liter V6 thats in the Intrigue. The TL is a decent value and the S model should be even better, but it's still not my cup of tea. It looks too much like a fancy Accord which basically it is. Also, I'd hate to have the timing belt smap while doing a high rpm run. Honda still insists on using timing belts rather than chains and while I'm not sure about their V6, their I-4s are interference design engines so if that belt snaps at say 5500 rpms, you could do some serious engine damage.
  • etharmonetharmon Member Posts: 399
    Well, I'm decades away from being eligible for AARP(I'm 26 now) and I like Buicks. The Century is a bit too elderly for me, but the Regal is not a bad sedan at all. And I loved the Riviera. I still prefer the look of Oldsmobiles over most Buicks, but with Olds going away I may have to go with a Buick. That is until I can afford a Cadillac.
  • mthoskins1mthoskins1 Member Posts: 2
    Hello all,
    I purchase a used 1994 Buick Regal last August and it now has 80000 miles on it. It has the 3800. I was wondering if anyone had any performance improvements I can make to the engine. Ultimately to produce improved power and gas mileage if possible. If you could also direct me to some instructions or parts that I may need. I really have no complaints except for the ac compressor is shot and making a lot of noice but I am getting that replaced. Thank you for any improvements...
  • jackjtjackjt Member Posts: 178
    You can try http://www.thrasher-ep.com/l67_htm/L67.shtm


    for some performance information.

  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    I do not think so.

    The Trasher site is about performance modifications for supercharged Series II 3800 engine, 1997 to 2000 or 2001 Grand Prix GTP and Buick GS. The modifications are for race only: most of them are not street-legal.

    On the other hand, mthoskins1 have a 94 Buick. Probably with naturally aspirated Series I engine. Not a good candidate for Trasher mods.

    The car was bought used, now with 80k miles. Hard to tell, how it was cared for and used (or even abused) by the previous owner. The owner can be a parent, or trusted friend, or complete stranger. On the other hand, it is possible that stranger did all maintenance, while parents skipped some services...

    The obvious "performance modifications" would be tuning, valve / injectors cleaning, transaxle liquid / filter service, new plugs, etc., according to 60k mile schedule - if not sure that the car had the service.

    This is reasonable safe. Though things happens: I lost an engine (3.0l, 1988 Ford Taurus) soon after tuning it up. Probably, the first tuning in 110k miles. It was too hard for the old engine.
  • michaelpsumichaelpsu Member Posts: 24
    So, the typical Century owner is an AARP'er, but I bought my '99 when I was only 24. Yes, I get teased that I drive a grandmother's car, but who cares?!?! For about the same price that my friends were paying for little Corollas and Civics, I got a "loaded" Century Custom. AWESOME Concert Sound III system sounds better then my 16 year old cousin's $1000 system, the 3100 and auto shifter are seamless in operation, and I can get 35+mpg on the highway, while cruising in comfort!! I traded a 97 Legacy GT in "rio red" for my white Century, and it took a little getting used to. But, I kept my payment the same, and my insurance fell from over $1100 per year to just less than $600, so it was all worth it. Another plus, this car is almost invisible on the highway--I have blown past State Troopers going 70+ MPH in a 55 MPH zone, and they do not even flinch. Try doing that in a Maxima, Intrigue, or even a Regal GS!! I should have this thing paid off within the year, and it will be time to trade.... up to a Limited with leather and a sunroof!!
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    Congratulations with excellent car selection!

    And not only with car. If you know substance from appearance so well when 24, most probably will avoid a lot of life problems.

    Couple of words concerning the Regal GS. Well, in my experience the highway police does not get interested with the car either. Very probably, they do not care if this is a Regal, Century, 88, or Malibu, even less about the trims.

    Not only police. Looks as nobody knows the car. Friends, neighbors, colleagues. Even mechanics.

    When I changed oil at Firestone, my mechanic took the car in, drained the old oil, replaced the filter, lowered the car. Than opened the hood to put new oil - and almost run, agitated, to the waiting room. "Congratulations! What car! What engine! Supercharged 3800! Did not realize, till seeing it"...

    The maroon color does not attract attention either. Stealth cars... I like it so much.
  • jpstaxjpstax Member Posts: 250
    Are there any '99, '00, or '01 GS owners that have raced their cars? If so, What were your times? I have been to Route 66 Raceway (near Joliet, IL) for the past 3 years, and have yet to see any Regal GS races. I'd like to try it this spring, but don't want to make a fool of myself. Is the car fast enough to try it? I don't even know what class I'd be in. Anyone know? Thanks.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    Smokin the front tires. Probably be the only one there that could do it, too.
  • etharmonetharmon Member Posts: 399
    Okay, I didn't really mean the Century is an elderly person's car. Heck, in my opinion the Camry and Accord are just as conservative looking. And your correct about the Century's value. If your looking for a well equipped mid sized sedan, it's not a bad choice. I personally lean more toward performance though. Hence a Regal would get my nod over the Century. The Regal's biggest assets over the Century are it's 4 wheel wheel disc brakes, 3800 V6 engine, and firmer suspension. But for what a 4 cylinder Camry costs, you can get a well equipped V6 powered Century.
  • jackjtjackjt Member Posts: 178
    I looked at a whole raft of cars before settling on the GS. Looked/drove Maximas, BMW's, Passats, Linclon LS and for the horse power, comfort, room (esp. front seat leg room), price, I chose the GS! So far I have not been dissappointed. Why pay close to if not $40,000 for a BMW or LS, when you can get a GS in the mid 20's!
  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    Traded a Maxima SE stick shift for a Buick Regal GSE last month ( an old 2000 model sitting around for a while) so here are the observations.

    Supercharger very smooth, in fact, unlike a turbo, cannot even tell when it kicks in. Front end is sluggish, not as responsive as the Maxima, does not handle quite as well as the SE did. Power, yes, plenty. Rear seating space, smaller then the SE. Dealer/manufacturer issues read on

    Small paint chip by mirror, nut/wing nut that hold the plastic cowling on the engine was missing, all four tires had different air pressure and spare at 45 lbs in lieu of 60. License plate not on tight (put on by dealer) supercharged emblem missing (had to order from parts) and at 733 miles I was leaking oil profusely. Dealer had to tighten all of the oil pan bolts, loose from the factory.
    I hope that this is it, and police do notice it, I have a ticket to prove it.

    Great car, tremendous value especially when buying a 2000 model in Feb 2001, the dealers are hurting, cannot give them away, well not quite that bad.

    Who has had experience as to when the oil change light will come on?????
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    you should change the oil promptly at 3000 miles. The SC uses the motor oil for lubrication and adds wear.
  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    Something wrong here. If you say the supercharger uses the engine oil to cool I believe that you are incorrect as it has its own lubricant which the manual says to check at 30,000. Are you confusing superchargers with Turbos which can be coolant cooled but mostly oil cooled via the engine oil?????.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    You are correct. I thought that the GS used the Vortech supercharger which uses the engine oil for lubrication. My bad.
  • etharmonetharmon Member Posts: 399
    I think all GM 3800s use an Eaton supercharger. Any good finance deals on Regals right now? As some of you know, I have a 98 Intrigue which is a lease and the lease will be up this summer. I'm seriously considering another Intrigue, but of lately they are hard to come by as it seems GM has cut production way back. I don't know if this is permanent or will change, but if it doesn't change I will have to look elsewhere and the Regal GS is naturally my second choice. Olds has some good finance deals such as 0.9% for 36 months and 3.9 for 60 months and has been know to do 0.9 for 60 months as the model year winds down. Just wondering if there are any similar finance options on Regals.
  • pacinpelopacinpelo Member Posts: 142
    I checked the owners manual they say it comes on when the oil life is less than 10%. I will not waitthat long. I just did about 3400 miles before my last change and the oil change life said 41%. Just for the hey of it I reset the numbers before I changed the oil and it sat at 99% and did not change for the whole day of driving. Basically this feature, to me so far, has no value.
  • pacinpelopacinpelo Member Posts: 142
    What oil is everyone using?
    I was looking at the idea of a straight 30 weight racing oil from Kendall. I have found that this last very well after 3,000 and even more miles.
  • jackjtjackjt Member Posts: 178
    10w-30 Pennzoil every 3000 miles
  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    I have been using Amosil synthetic for 9 years on multiple cars and with oil analysis. On this Buick GSE I recently purchased I will cahnge the oil first time around 2500 to synthetic then go 5,000-7,500 and then probably 12,000 between changes with a filter change at 6 -7,000 miles. This Buick gets a lot of highway miles and my previous car I did the 12,000 mile routine and oil analysis great. Other cars and schedules are
    1992 Camry V6, every 7,500 miles 132,000 on it
    1996 Mercury Mystique 4 Cyl, once a year filter at 6 months
    1997 Isuzu Rodeo, V6, 59,000 miles, every 7,500
    1997 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 Twin turbo, every 5,000 miles, only 14,500 total miles
    All use Amsoil 10W30 except the Mercury which is on a 0W30 diet. All have synthetic tranny and gear oil fluids (Buick has not been changed yet)
    Even Consuemr reports says that 3,000 mile changes are a thing of the past, even with petroleum oils.
    Note, because of the oil change light on the Buicks they cannot void any warranty do to not changing your oil prior to the light coming on.
  • pjonkheerpjonkheer Member Posts: 22
    Do you guys think the GS is faster or slower with the Traction Control turned off?? I think the car is slower without it off because the tires will spin too much. My tires spin quite a bit when I have it on. Thoughts??
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    What transmission filter would you recommend with synthetic fluid?
  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    Almost every auto tranny built today has a screen not a true filter. So if you drop the pan normally the gasket and screen are replaced or the screen simply cleaned. I am not pleased tthat this GSE does not have a drain plug for the tranny fluid, so much easier to change when you can pull a plug in lieui of the really messy job of dropping the pan

    If you were asking about oil filters, my oil analyis over the years has said that there are a few that actually filter better then the OEM. These are Mobil 1, Amsoil/Hastings and the Pure One LIne of Purolator filters. AC Delco Gold is supposed to be good also. Frams are truly crap, poor construction, especially the anit drainback valve. Of course, on my GSE the filter is hanging straight down so this valve has little use in a this application.
  • papowellpapowell Member Posts: 6
    I'm seriously considering a '96 Regal with only 16000 miles. The Regal has the 3.8L 3800 V6 so it's very attractive from a performance standpoint.

    The car will become the "family car" which means my wife will drive the baby around in it, and we will take the Regal on long trips.

    Reliability is key so I don't want to buy a car that will give me a bunch of problems. I hear this car has chronic brake problems. Is this true? Are there other problems that will sneak up on me?

    The car is in excellent condition so I want to go for it, would you'll recommend it?

    Thanks!
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    Thank you!


    I am planning to switch to Mobil 1 oil / Pure One filter at 8k miles with Regal GS. Just to be sure concerning the break-in. Changed oil at 2k and 5k with what oil/filter Firestone and dealer put in.


    I am already using Pure One filter and Mobil-1 oil with my 98 Malibu. They are practically always available at my local Pep Boys. Learned late about synthetic, and started to use them toward the end of warranty, at about 35 k miles. Had only two changes with Mobil-1.


    Now the car is approaching 40k miles. GM recommends to do transmission service at 50k miles with severe driving conditions (Connecticut is a hilly place), and never with ideal conditions. I decided to do it now, either at Chevrolet dealer or Firestone, and to switch to Mobil synthetic fluid. Though, do not know what filter.


    AC Delco produces three kinds of filters: simple mesh screen, paper, and top-of-line composite:


    http://www.acdelco.com/parts/1195_set.htm


    but they have no catalog on-line for transmission filters. Hard to know, if all three kinds of filters are available for the Malibu (or other specific cars) and where to buy. Other manufacturers, like Hastings, offer one filter for Malibu.

  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    remember that a drain and fill by dropping the pan only gets about half the fluid, which is why I like a plug as it can be done more often. A flush will get all of the fluid which may be a consideration if you are switching to synthetic. Whether dealer does it or chain shop I suggest watching the whole process and never trust anyone to do it right. re check the fuild level Asap as noted in the manual because no one will take the time to do it right when it is replaced. The dealer will not spend the time to drive the car 10-15 miles heat the fuild up and check it. They will let it idle etc. but "its is not the same" they either overfill (worse beacuse it is more of a pain to get it out then to add some) or underfill it because they never measure how much drains out and it can vary!!!!!!! I have had my tranny fluid overfilled or under way too many times and I prefer to do it myself.
  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    Like almost all products today one cannot do a fair comparison. I just visited the Delco parts page noted earlier in a post. They give the comparisons of the Delco Gold oil fitler at 98% single pass efficiency. Who cares!!!!! How many filters do you use that get one pass? There is a test for multiple pass efficiency (which is what you really want to know) for oil filters (but not mandated by the industry as a test) which is really what you want but very few if any filter makers will publish those results??? I think Mobil 1 filters came out on top for the multiple pass test!!!!
  • rcarbonircarboni Member Posts: 290
    Here's an article on the Acura TL - notice the first line of the Performance paragraph. Hehehe.


    http://www.twcny.rr.com/carplace/cars/00-acu-3.2/00-acu-3.2.2.shtml


    Now, this is not a Type-S, so the power is a bit less at 225hp. However, I don't think there are any Type-S drivers getting into the 13's at the track with a near stock engine. On the other hand, here's a bunch of GTPs and a Regal with those honors:

    https://secure.westserver.net/motorsports/menu_13_sec_club.htm


    It doesn't take much to push a stock GTP or Regal into the 13 second club, and with some extra goodies, you'll be racing Vipers in the 12's. Better start looking at roll bars!

  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    I did not see comparisions with Mobil-1 filter, but it looks as Pure One is very good in this department:


    http://www.pureoil.com/pureone.htm

  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    Thank you so much for info about transmission service, and for good ideas!


    I had read before about the fluid capacity at GM site


    http://www.gmpowertrain.com/transmissions/4t40_main.htm


    (this is about Malibu, but the same with other transmissions). But it never came to me to flush the transmission. To the best of my understanding, without flush I will have a blend of new synthetic fluid and the old one. About 50/50 after the first change... To be more precise, 7l/12.5l = 56% synthetic to 44% dyno.


    On the other hand, if the natural oil based fluid is good enough for 50k miles even with severe service conditions, and up to infinity in light service, probably this does not matter so much. The 56% of synthetic is any case better than 100% dyno. Even more, than after the second service 80% of fluid will be synthetic, and 91.5% after the third one. Then the car will have 100k on odometer, 8 year old or so...


    So I will ask around about the transmission flush: availability, prices, etc. And how often they do the flush, how much experience. Probably better to have the service without flush at good place than with flush at "quick lube".


    As to checking fluid level after service, this is very good idea.


    Always need to check tire pressure. Every second time have to adjust to my preference, and once was way off high (inflated to the sidewall value!).


    Used to check oil level too, but in my experience there was no problem except slight over filling - about 1/2 qt. excess - roughly every second time. This is no problem with me.

Sign In or Register to comment.