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story.
Anyway, I mentioned the figures from Edmunds, and the salesman looked at me like horns were coming out of my head, and he showed me the factory sheet with the figures that are on the Buick site.
Is the info here on Edmunds regarding the financing correct? Sounds too good to be true, unless Buick hasn't gotten the word to the dealers yet.
But if the info's correct-another question, does anyone know of any good Buick dealers in the Metro Pittsburgh area? I live about an hour away, and I'll drive to make a deal.
Thanks!
http://www.buick.com/regal/pricing/current.html
Though, the 0% financing is mentioned. There is also a link to GMAC pre-approval form from this page, and the link to this promotion:
http://www.buick.com/promotions/spring/index.html
0% financing till end of May, details available at dealers only.
But they have proven to be a complete disaster thus far.
The car is fun to drive and the SC is nice, but the hurricane is no fun. In addition, the transmission failed at 4,000 miles and the driver's door sticks all the time. The trim on the door overlaps the trim on the body, not allowing the door to be opened easily. It is back to the dealer again for repairs on this item. Buick and the dealer have been great handling repairs, but I really don't want to see any more problems.
I have 8,500 miles on the car now and am looking forward to getting a better car.
AS for the tranny failure, it is unfortunate, but I have never heard of a GS transmission failing at 4,000 miles. Ever. Did the dealer tell you WHY it failed? Did it run dry, or was it a mechanical failure?
Now you want to find a "better" car. Good luck. The GS is quicker, more affordable, returns better gas milage, is cheaper to maintain, has lower insurance rates, is more comfortable and costs less than the competition and by a wide margin for most of these categories. Happy hunting!
Though, it is a bit less than ideal in the noise respect. At least my car, 2000 GS, 6k miles. I would say, not good enough to really enjoy the classic chamber music in all road conditions.
The fan is somewhat noisy. The dash had very annoying rattle. Currently fixed, after three days at dealer, but I have doubts this is for long.
And, when I took a long trip last fall, New Haven CT to Niagara Falls NY, the tires somewhat "slapped" the pavemement on the sews of concrete slabs. Even when the slabs were covered by a layer of asphalt.
I-90, NY state, mostly to the West from Albany. And the fast roads / local highways from Rochester, NY to Niagara Falls.
Of course, the very idea that you can enjoy such a music while driving, in any road conditions, spells a lot about how quiet is Regal.
As for the transmission, it is rare to have problems with a GM transmission. GM trannys are the benchmark of what other manufacturers strive for. Someone correct me if I'm mistaken, but doesn't Rolls Royce, BMW, Jaguar (even though they are owned by Ford) and some Toyotas purchase trannys from GM?
Finding a better car for the money is going to be difficult. Before writing the $24K check for a loaded GS, I found nothing comparable. Maxima, TL, Aurora - all fine cars but lacked the 'bang for the buck' and value of the Buick.
The car has not developed the annoying dash rattle, and seems to be pretty quiet on the road. So far, so good.
As far as the transmission goes, it had oil but a bearing failed. This car was never driven hard, so I guess it is just bad luck.
I bought the GS because the price was very good compared to other cars, but I guess I should have paid more.
"Buick Regal Problem" Apr 5, 2001 6:23am
the dash (or under the dash) rattles are very common with Regal. It can be a loose wire, or a loose clip or something else. Reason for a specific rattle is hard to find even for dealership mechanic, after removing the dash covers.
I had a dash rattle from the very first day i bought my 2000 Regal. Or two different rattles - am not sure: passenger and driver heard different noises from different places.
The first service adviser it my dealership failed to write down my complaint concerning rattle. The second refused to deal with rattles, explaining that it takes too much work. After the rattle became even more developed, I make an appointment for test driving with service manager.
He heard the rattle and suggested to bring the car for a whole day, because it is so hard to diagnose. Well, when I took the car back the following morning, the rattle became even stronger. Took two days more to fix. And i am not sure at all it will not return back...
On another issue, for the first time since I bought the car (6,100 miles ago), I decided to check the various fluid levels. With my last oil change at 3,500 miles, I noticed (with the car hot) that I was low 1/2 quart of oil. Of course, the dealer could have given me 1/2 quart less at last LOF service. But I was wondering whether being 1/2 quart low on a GS was common for this engine? There are no oil spots where I park the car and the exhaust looks 'clean'.
While I was in, I thought I would have them look at my heating/air cond. fan; it's a bit noisy and I do have some minor dash rattles.
Will let you know what happens.
reliability, two previous Maximas never saw a dealer, new buick, been in twice for oil leaks.
GM dealer trying to talk me into 3000 mile oil changes regardless of indicator light! Typical American car service rip offs but all are similar in this regard.
With all this said, the next time I buy a "sports" sedan, handling will count for more in my decision making process. Hopefully by then, Buick will have retained all the pluses and significantly improved handling!
http://www.allroadster.com/mall/tm1114.htm
Supercharged rear emblem ($16)
http://store.clubgp.com/sidedecals.html
Supercharged decal stickers ($6) script decal
In speaking with someone this weekend who owns a 97 GS and has 93,000 miles and has been very reliable. Sugestion on handling: Eagle LS offers no support for this car (as we know). Suggestion was to install the sway bar that is present on the Pontiac GTP but not Regal, also BF Goodrich type tires work well.
??? A thought ???
All Wbody cars have what i would call high road noise. GM added additional rear wheel well liners on the '01 intrigue and impala. They have helped some, but it is still too much.
I believe the regal has a rubber donut between the suspension and the car. The grand prix and intrigue have it bolted directly to the body, hence the better handling but higher road noise in those two cars.
Yhe dash rattles are intersting in a car with such a soft suspension. My intrigue's dashboard creaks at the A pillar and rattles at the console. Do your regals do that too?
Do your cars have the clunky suspension and popping sounds when turning right?
For those of you looking for more refinement try looking at the intrigue, its DOHC engine is smoother than the 3800.
I have noticed that regal sales are way down. Do you think buick will be the next on the chopping block?
*I* don't think the DOHC in the Intrigue is any smoother then the bullet-proof 3.8 ltr. It's a fine engine, but the maintenance will cost an arm and a leg (as it does with most DOHC).
All in all, if others do not care about the DOHC, I would recommend the car if for nothing else, its 5/60 extended warranty.
Obviously, when the vehicle doesn't change, the sales volume tapers off. Buick needs something better to get more people interested, and drop these "theme" models (Olympic, Abboud). If I were running things, I would tune the suspension, get some better rubber, and bump the hp up to 300 as it was in the concept GP. Then copy all the little bells and whistles from the likes of the Lincoln LS and Lexus, and price the GS under $30K and the LS closer to $25K.
Its highway passing power is something else.
I think that once Olds is gone we'll see the 3.5 appear in Pontiacs and Buicks, and maybe even the Chevy Impala. Hopefully by then they will have gotten all the bugs out of it. If it is ever offered with a supercharger it could be something special, but I suspect that once the 3800SC is laid to rest that there will be no more SC engines from GM.
Park Avenue: geezer city (I know, if I'm lucky I'll be a geezer someday)
LeSabre: Around 40 years. Especially with the new model I don't see too many seniors behind the wheel.
Regal: Its Across the board. From 30's to seniors. GS's seem to gravitate around the 40 year old crowd.
Century: Curiously, mostly seniors. Perhaps because they are cheap and lees affluent seniors can afford them.
Now in California, I would expect a different picture. Yesterday I talked with friend in San Diego and he was suprised that we have two GM cars.
As for the 3.5 engine, it is already slated to be discontinued in its current form according to some of the other sites.
Unfortunately, like in many large, bulky corporations, GM has developed an anal retentive Marketing Department that can not, will not and is not allowed to think out of the box. Take a look at LM's Lincoln LS it's an example of out of the box thinking, of a big corporation taking a risk! It's been a success. Go over to the LS Town Hall site and see the excitement that has been generated. It's about time Buick!
Enough, I am a bit frustrated with GM right now and it shows!
http://www.bgnra.org/
http://www.aquamist.co.uk/dc/coollinks3/index/street/smdex/denis/denis.html
http://www.flash.net/~rjgeorge/cosner.htm
http://userdata.acd.net/lance/mygn.html
Oh and BTW I hate it when people ask me if my parents bought my car for me. I work really hard to get me the things I have.
I must say I really don't mind the 'by products' of the "older folks" image Buick has. I maybe the only 'young person' at the Buick dealerships and service centers but I am treated with respect. When visiting dealerships while shopping for a car, the Buick salesmen were always polite, let me ask all my questions, let me do all the talking, and put up with my driving style when test driving. At the Service Centers, I get the same treatment. Wish I could say the same for the Chevy, Pontiac, and Ford Dealerships I have visited in the past. The best thing about the Buick image has to be the reactions I get from other drivers. You should have seen how upset some guy got in his gold badged V6 Camry when I went faster than him going around a corner coming off the freeway! He even tried to beat me off of the red light at the next intersection. Don't even get me started about going up hills..., lets just say I wish I had a copy of the song entitled "Bye, Bye, Bye" to play while passing.
Maybe Buick should have NHL players in their commercials. They'd be cheap compared to other sports players and attract a younger audience.
Matixfrog, my 17 year old neighbor likes my car. He always wants me to race EVERYBODY though.
BTW We have over 7,000 miles on our car with no rattles or any other problems. Knock on wood.
Buick's goal was to produce an intermediate, quality luxury car with a comfortable ride and lots of straight line zip - which is exactly what this division of GM has done. On the other hand, GM uses Pontiac as its performance divison. Same engine, same frame but with better handling characteristics; sacrificing ride and a bit of quality/craftsmanship. As for Olds, well...
All in all, setting aside my personal opinions of my GS, Buick gets kudos for filling a niche in the marketplace. How they market/advertise the car is a separate issue.