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Comments
-Loren
ONLY GM cars since I was a kid,(1Chevy,6Buicks)and recently
tested Avalon and Azera before CHOOSING Lucerne for it's
Comfortable ride and quiet cabin.
In contrast, while driving Avalon,I could NOT avoid feeling even minor road irregularites and hearing the engine scream when asked to accelerate just a little more than IT wanted. The Azera made a loud thud sound TWICE
when the transmission shifted,later the sales person said "it was normal, and was learning how I drive". I said no thanks.
Have you read the enormous amount of problems with the transmissions in the Avalon as posted on the Toyota Edmunds forum ?
My present 1994 Park Avenue(bought new) has 155,300 miles on it, and we will be sorry to see it go. The paint is less
than perfect, but the car's engine,transmission,etc,are ready for more miles,and more oil changes!
I have read most of the over 1500 messages posted here, with the positives FAR outweighing the negatives.
Some, would like to see more "advanced engine+transmission combinations in place.
However,rarely has anyone posted such a TOTALY BLEAK and 100% NEGATIVE opinion about a quality car, that a GREAT NUMBER OF PEOPLE STILL CHOOSE TO BUY, and ENJOY for many,many years!
Just telling another story that shows that GM needs to do something about there quality problems in order to increase there sales.
-Loren
This forum is titled "Buick Lucerne", and seeks REAL positive and negative comments ON THIS CAR.
People take some of their time to read and talk about THIS CAR
before they buy it (or not).
It is NOT called "the anti GM Forum".
Look at it this way, many readers would AGREE with you about the
hondaandtoyota, if you post in THOSE Forums!
Thanks for your cooperation!
PS: You can find the Auto News forum by using the "browse by board" drop down to your left.
Lucerne's "end of model year pricing" offers you a $1500
rebate, untill the end of June.
IF you plan to keep the car a long time I have been told it's a good deal.
Only a heated steering wheel and 2 new exterior colors and more two-tone interior color schemes, await in 2007 models.
Rebates in Sept.-Oct.?? GM does not say now , but I would
think it to be more like $500 IF THEY CHOOSE to do anything. at all.
I looked at the Lucerne and I was very impressed,have not been on a test drive yet. I'm in my late 40s, and I think its a beautiful car,but.........is'nt it a northstar engine and will it be the same problem that other caddy owners and myself had with the oil thing around 70 thousand miles.
Has anyone heard that it is loud at high speeds and a little light ?
Thanks for your time and input :confuse:
The car seats can be had with adjustable lumbar supports.
I have read that a new "engine cradle" was designed for
the V8 to further reduce vibrations from reaching the cabin.
The V8 WAS more fun to drive but it raises the price about 2K and gets about 25mpg where V6 gets 29mpg,highway. I think the vast majority of Lucernes will be sold V6 equipped and it DOES have enough power for most any situation. Obviously it's YOUR choice and that's part of the fun!
If you read some of the previous messages in this forum,
many of us (me included) praise the LONG trouble-free life of the V6(3800)motor. I have 155k on my V6,
( NO major repairs at all!)
The Northstar has been around long enough that by now all
"bugs" should be out and yearly refinements are implemented.
We ordered CX as we insist on cloth seats. (lumbar support not avail)
No the V8 was not loud nor did the car feel light at higher speeds,in fact it's so quiet it would be easy to get a speeding ticket if you dont watch the speedometer!
http://www.gm.com/automotive/vehicle_shopping/currentoffers/SE_Consumer_IOU.html-
On the engine issue, while mileage is similar the Northstar is alot more expensive to work on but more then that I don't want an engine that runs on premium fuel....granted the Northstar is a blast to drive
From media.GM.com on the 2006 Lucerne:
"premium recommended but not required"
So - sounds like you can have good performance & save money or pay more and have more performance.
- Ray
Solidly in the "more performance" camp . .
Why wait. Got to your GM dealer this week and get the same rate.
will offer zero percent financing for up to six years on many of its
cars and trucks as it tries to clear inventory off lots in preparation
for the new model year.
Company officials said the financing would be offered on Chevrolet,
Buick, Pontiac and GMC models during a sale that begins Thursday and
ends July 5.
Ford didn't offer it on their better sellers
Excellent highway manners, even in the rain. The traction control and ABS worked fine. I found it a bit ponderous to park and maneuver around smaller spaces, but I drive a Honda Accord at home so there's my bias. I also found the visibility to be a little lacking, especially around the very thick A-pillars. It did feel well-controlled and much more responsive than Buicks of the past.
I liked the interior a lot; the quality of materials was much better than any GM car I've seen. It wasn't hot in D.C. so the leather (titanium, non-perforated) felt fine to me. No squeaks or rattles were heard. The displays and controls were easy to learn. I did not like the "old school" tilt steering column without a telescoping feature or infinite adjustability. As expected the climate-control worked flawlessly (but GM has always excelled in this area).
Loved the harmon-kardon speakers and sound system. XM plus my Zen audio player was a godsend while sitting in traffic. I also loved the rain-sensing wipers. The rear parking assist was also a nice tool when adjusting to that big back end!
I was about 90% impressed; it felt safe and confident in bad weather and I got 22 mpg in mostly suburban and slow highway driving. And it looked great in those colors.
http://www.gm.com/automotive/vehicle_shopping/currentoffers/SE_Consumer_IOU.html-
The Avalon ride does not begin to come close to Lucerne. I felt every tar strip,seam, and patch, in the road,(Forget about potholes.)
Ride is my #1 priority,then quiet, then performance.I hope I give Lucerne a compliment when I say it's ride is "Limo-like". For those who want to take the exit ramp faster ,CXL,or CXS awaits.
When I first read your message I thought YOU were saying
the 3800 engine was "noisy and rough" but in a re-read I
know you mean this is the unique view of CU.
I've had that engine for 12 years and just bought another!
I own an '06 Chevy Impala LTZ (almost completely loaded) that I bought last Sept, 12K miles to date and I love driving it. However, even at this early juncture in my ownership I'm considering an upgrade to something with a larger rear seat (my main complaint about my Impala), more comfortable seating overall, and a few more creature comforts. And I happen to like an "American car ride". The Lucerne CXS thus made its way onto my shopping list.
I test drove a Lucerne CXS loaded with just about everything I would want, except the tester didn't have a sunroof nor the touch screen nav/stereo system. Still, enough to get the impressions I needed.
I found the driving experience to be about what I expected. Comfy and roomy interior, front and rear (I stand 6'3" and tote just over 300 lbs), somewhat floaty but quite acceptable ride and handling, and the dash/controls sharing equipment with my Impala's (albeit with a few more internal features), and since I really like my Impala's controls, a familiar and positive review on that front as well. Great sound system, too (love the HK over my Impala's Bose). And yet, the Lucerne is now off my shopping list. Why?
I had read in the reviews and also on these forums that the Lucerne, esp with the V8 squeezed under the hood, sacrificed turning radius. I pulled my tester into what I considered to be an average parking lot and gave it the test there. Sure enough, it took me 4 moves to complete what would be a typical 2-turn turnaround maneuver for my Impala or just about every other car I've driven. I got back behind the wheel of my Impala and reflected upon my Lucerne test drive, and while I enjoyed every other aspect of it, I couldn't get past this low-speed, limited-space maneuverability shortcoming. I also couldn't help thinking in comparison, "Gee, I really like how my Impala drives and handles."
Everyone's got their own aspects of a car that they consider "less than positive but I can deal with it", vs. "this is a showstopper", and I surprised myself to find that this seemingly-minor shortcoming in the Lucerne was my showstopper.
I'm shying away from the Avalon at this point due to the repeated reports of reliability issues (at least by previous Toyota and Avalon model standards (I owned a '95 Avalon several years ago)), and the Azera isn't up to my creature/feature standards just yet (I'm VERY discriminating about my sound system req'ts, XM and iPod input capabilities, etc.), and I'm not sure I'm ready to break the $36K price barrier for the obvious choices above that. So for now, it's "Onward, Impala..."
Discussion?
those dumbarses at ford (I used to be a ford guy) have gone giant console on ALL of their cars but the crown vic
larger consumers that drive all the trucks as commuter vehicles when they don't really use them as trucks will start going to larger cars because they can fit and the mpg just makes more sense
Buick Lacrosse same platform as Impala. Has a premium 3.6L
engine with a text book flat torque curve, that might be great to drive.However it's still MID-size and has standard radio.
Caddy CTS 3.6L engine with 5 speed auto,BOSE high-end audio
but still is a MID-size car.
Finally as I've only owned GM cars I hesitate to suggest #3&4
Mercury Grand Marquis RWD has THE MOST INTERIOR ROOM
We all know it's old school design and would need a radio aftermarket upgrade.
Chrysler 300 Touring FULL-SIZE Sedan 250HP V6, with 5speed auto. It has a 276 watt Boston Acoustics Radio with Sirius Sattelite option.
I think this version retails for less than 30K.This car has an exceptionally long wheelbase ,and think it affects turning radius,which is large also at 1or2 feet less than Lucerne?
Remember when selecting the sunroof option you give up 2 INCHES of headroom.
Car shopping was easier when we had a few more American
choices like Olds88,Pontiac Bonneville,etc.
Keep readers here informed,Thanks.
Don't shoot the messenger please. I own one with the blacked out grill. They're all plastic, I assume, just chrome coated.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,