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The Grand Marquis is still offered to the public. However, you have to special-order it. The dealers don't keep them around on the lot any more.
Interestingly, the local Ford dealer is now also a Lincoln Mercury dealer, and I don't believe that there are ANY brand-new Panther-platform cars on the lot.
At that rate, that LaCrosse is going to be around for a long, long time! By the time it wears out, you might be looking at whatever ends up replacing the LaCrosse that just came out!
Holman Lincoln/Mercury near me still keeps a few new GMs in stock and always has a quite a few late model used GM and TCs. I don't care what anyone says they are really great cars. .
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
A used car lot local to me had a 2007 Grand Marquis on their lot about a year ago. It only had around 10,000 miles on it, IIRC, and I think they only wanted $12-13K. It was just a GS model, but for the price seemed like a steal. I briefly thought about buying it. Heck, if I really needed a car at the time, I probably would have!
Now they don't even offer the GS its only the LS and a scant few options. Same thing on the Town Car they pretty much only come one way now, loaded.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
What are the thoughts about a new Buick compact sedan slotting below the 2011 Regal? From what I understand it will be similar in size to the 2011 Chevy Cruze.
Do you think a compact Buick will sell? GM is betting it will and Motor Trend said this month that GM thinks the compact sedan will be the vehicle of choice for future U.S. car buyers.
Thoughts?
Wait a few more months (I think I'm gonna wish I did); rumor has it the 2010 Regal may have a GS model w/ the 3.6 and a 6 sp Manual.
Gosh, I dunno. But there was a post on Autoblog while back about that car being built along side the Cruze, and---get this---EXPORTED to China.
I am surprised Buick is going that small with a new sedan but it may turn out to be a good move if GM is even around in 2012.
The 2011 Regal seems like a no-brainer and that is a car I'd be very interested in purchasing....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
A stronger dollar would be beneficial from some important aspects, however. One of these is that a strong dollar reduces the risk of inflation, although inflation doesn't seem to be an immediate problem. Inflation is likely to become a problem, however, if the economic recovery strengthens and unemployment is reduced. It could also become a problem without these positives, if the decline in the dollar's value should accelerate.
Let Chevrolet handle the market for smaller cars. That is why Alfred P. Sloan wanted all of those brands in the first place. The market isn't crying out for a cheaper Buick. And if Buicks are supposed to be premium motor cars, then not everyone should be able to afford one. I guess we are back to "every division offering a full line of cars." So the new GM isn't that much different from the old one.
Couldn't the platform the G8 is on serve as the Buick flagship? Its a nice roomy car, with a big V8 and RWD. Seems to me that it could be done. I guess GM doesn't feel they have the market for it.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Here you go. You planning on buying all 25,000 per annum for the next five years?
Really, it makes much more sense for GM to take the trend it started (with the GM-DAT purchase and 10 years of production relocations to Mexico) to its logical conclusion and start building all Buicks in China for export to the U.S. Not the other way around.
They could even go so far as to make it a China-only brand during periods when the dollar is too weak to make importing Chinese Buicks profitable.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Nice Buick!!!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Well, a couple theories here. If (IF!!!) GM intends to keep Buick here and market it as entry level premium, could importing them give them a bap rap, as people in the US perceive that Chinese made goods are of a lower quality and lack the control of harmful chemicals (ie; lead paint in toys)?? Many people laughed a couple years ago at the thought of Buick being perceived as high quality luxury in China, but as we have come to learn, it's no joke. Perception IS reality, whether it's true or not.
Another loose theory. Could part of Hyundai's sucess in the past 12-18 months be due to the fact that people who could normally afford the $20,000 or so Camry or Malibu are now opting for a $16,000 Sonata in order to cut back some, yet still get that new car??? If so, could part of the reason that the new LaCrosse is flying out of the showroom (outside of it being a new model) be that a comparably equipped model is several thousand dollars cheaper than a Lexus or Acura, thus allowing people to buy new (and American), yet still cut back the payment somewhat??
Also, I'd assume it costs very little to ship to China these days. Think of all those EMPTY cargo ships heading back to China. I'll bet the shipping companies would like to start sailing full both ways
And there goes the image Buick is so carefully trying to craft . Here's what i think of when a Buick Park Avenue is mentioned:
1. Big
2. Bloated
3. Living room on wheels
4. Zero road feel
5. The kind of car my 85 year old FIL might consider
If Buick is really serious about reinventing itself, it needs to stay away from many (maybe not all) of the names from the past.
Good looking car, from the front at least. It's enough to make me consider going over-budget the next time I buy a car! And even now, every once in awhile I throw around the idea of trying to find a nice used/leftover new Pontiac G8.
I will second that, and will add that naming a new Buick a Regal is a bad idea. They should just come up with something new and luxurious-sounding.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
And as of a few years back, when it was still in production, the Regal was the most "youthful" Buick sedan, with an average buyer age of around 57. While that might sound ancient, for that class of car it's really not, when you consider that teens and twenty-somethings, for the most part, don't shop for mid- or full-sized cars. I think the average buyer age for the Intrepid was around 45, and that was probably about as youthful as a mid/full-sized car got!
However, while the Regal's average buyer age was around 57, the LeSabre was more like 67, and the Century and Park Ave were around 70!
I always liked the name "Electra", but to me that's better suited for a bigger flagship car. Maybe that would be a good replacement name for the Lucerne? I can see how a name like "Park Ave" can come off as old and stuffy, but "Electra" conjures up images of something smooth, sleek, and voluptuous...even if the old Buick Electras didn't always fit that description!
There are exceptions!
How about Invicta? It was a short-lived but pretty cool Buick name.
I would like to see a leSabre replacement. I don't need a Park Avenue and that eventually cooled me on the Lucerne. The lower price end was not as fully equipped as the higher-priced models.
As for "Park Avenue" meaning no road feel, sofa, etc., as an earlier poster posits, they haven't spent much time in a recent Park Avenue. You can have full comfort for a 7 hour trip with one stop and arrive without feeling like you've been beaten up by tar strips, sunken pavement pieces on the interstate, etc.
It looks to me as if the new LaCrosse has combined quality features into a slightly smaller and well-equipped package. I'm afraid to go test drive one.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
And yeah, Lemko, as I typed that statement about teen and twenty-somethings tending to not buy larger cars, I did have you in mind! :P
One thing I appreciated about the LeSabre, and the older Park Avenue, is that they got pretty good fuel economy, and weren't so heavy that they strained the 3800's performance. However, the Lucerne seemed to push the limits of the 3800, and and suffered a bit in both fuel economy and acceleration. If you went with the V-8, you got good performance, but a further hit to fuel economy, and you also got hit with a noticeable price increase.
In reality though, it wasn't a huge hit in fuel economy. I think the LeSabre was rated at 20/30 and the Park Ave was 19/29 (less if supercharged though), while the Lucerne was something like 19/28 with the 3800, before they started with those dumbed-down 2007 ratings.
I wouldn't mind a nice, low-mileage used LeSabre or Park Ave. Only problem is, they've both been out of production long enough that it's not like you can just go and find a nice 1-2 year old example anymore and get an almost-new car at a fraction of the price.
As andre1969 points out, not many single kids in their twenties are shopping for a full size sedan with ability to carry people and luggage in comfort, so aiming the naming at them is a waste of money.
Actually, I did take a little bit of ribbing when I bought my Intrepid. I was 29 at the time, so about 15-16 years (or more, if I was wrong about its average buyer age) below the median buyer age. I remember one of my friends, who had a Civic, asking me why I bought a car like that..."it just screams FAMILY", he commented. Coulda been worse though...or better, depending on your perspective. A week or two before I bought the Intrepid, I went to a dealer to look at a '94 and '96 Caprice, and was kinda hot for the '96.
I see lots of younger people buying used Park Avenues and leSabres and Bonnevilles that are in their price range. What effect will their ownership of a used Park Avenue have on their openness to buying a vehicle in the future with the name Park Avenue on a new offering from GM?
In this region, used Auroras, Park A's, leSabres, Bonnevilles, Rivieras, and others all seem to be very popular as lower price purchases. I've seen lots of great-looking Auroras and Rivieras that have been traded in for something or sold outright by owners who must have kept them in their garage and driven them only on Sunday. They are really good looking. Some are being urbanized with larger wheels, but most are kept more or less original.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
When I was 22, I bought a new 1987 Chevrolet Caprice Classic
When I was 24, I bought a new 1989 Cadillac Brougham
When I was 29, I bought a new 1994 Cadillac DeVille
I like Buick's traditional names: Special, Century, Super, Roadmaster, and Limited.
Well, Century's a no-go. Century used to refer the to the "Banker's Hot Rod" when Buick put the big Roadmaster engine in the lighter Special in 1936- sort of a proto-muscle car. Today, "Century" has the perception of the average age of its drivers.
Roadmaster's an excellent name blighted by the failed 1992-96 car. Still, I'd love to have a 1994-96 Roadmaster with the LT-1 derived engine.
I think "Special" would still be a great name for an entry level Buick - entry level meaning something like the current LaCrosse and not what is essentially a low-end Chevrolet with the tri-shield slapped on it!
I've seen "Super" used on recent trim levels of the LaCrosse and Lucerne.
Limited should be reserved for the ULTIMATE Buick - I'm talking LOADED Lexus LS level. Buick Limiteds were once a preferred conveyance of royalty.
17 - 89 Grand Marquis
20 - 98 Olds 88 (total lemon didn't last long 9 months)
21 - 2000 Toyota Solara (how'd that happen?)
21 - 79 Continental
23 - 89 Town Car
Now 31 and drive a Genesis after two Japanese Buicks (Avalons)
Love the big "boats" I took plenty of heat from my friends for my car choices. Would also love the idea of big RWD Buick, GM has the hardware to do it.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
The newer 3.9 may be a good compromise. Being a 60 degree V6, it should be smoother and more refined than the 90 degree 3800, even though the latter has balance shafts. It's probably a little quicker than the 3800 too, and less front end heavy than the V8. Don't know if the 3.9 is as rugged as the 3800, though.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)