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Comments
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/07/buick-regal-five-door-possible-wagon-unlikely- -w-poll/
But people were getting 60 miles out of old converted Ford Escorts back in the 80s. With lead acid batteries and no fancy electronics, either. So fast forward almost 30 years and... no better range?
GM is seriously doing something wrong here.
Ebay #260597364157
Here is a 2000 Ford Ranger EV. 60 miles range.
http://www.davisengineering.net/Jet.html
This company made them back in 1980. *1980*. No regenerative anything, lead acid. Old school stone-age technology.
GM isn't even trying. Een Toyota's old Rav4 EV got twice the range. And it was a kludge - basically an existing SUV with an EV system added.
Regards,
OW
But, that hatchback Insignia is pretty sharp looking. I like hatchbacks that don't LOOK like hatchbacks. Sort of like those old Nova hatches they had in the 70's, which had the same overall shape of the coupes. And Mazda's made some attractive hatches, IMO. The late 80's/early 90's 626 hatch was decent looking, and I've seen some Mazda6 hatches that look nice. So, a hatchback Regal might actually work.
Plus, now with stuff coming out like the Honda Crosstour, whatever Acura calls theirs, and that weird BMW thing (which I actually like the best of the three), maybe the stigma of hatchbacks being cheap will wear off.
They depreciate big time so a 2010 with less than 10k miles is under 20k cpo. Buying new isn't a good idea. There are tons of low mileage new ones out there which keeps prices low.
No, I don't flip burgers for a living. But what if there was no one in Mickey D's to give you your $1.19 Double Cheeseburger, Meed fries and gigantor $1.00 Coca-Cola? What would ya do? Steal the food?
2) What is at all wrong with these new world order Korean automobiles? If anything.
Be specific but please limit your comment to 27 characters. Or...less.
Better yet, what if all people could be honest enough to operate on the honor system, and you could just grap your double cheeseburger, fries, and Titanic Coca-Cola and simply drop $3 in the box? No need for McDonald's Cashiers and servers, just cooks. They could probably lower their prices to $2 a meal with people operation on the honor system.
Better yet, what if we got rid of all the car salesman and sales managers and you simply dropped $25K in cash inside a big chest at the auto dealer and took the keys of your choice on the honor system? That might lower the price substantially too. :P
I've sat in a few Impalas at auto shows, and find them to be comfy up front. My issue though, is with the back seat. Now, it's not all that often anymore that I have anyone in the back seat anymore, let alone 4 people in the car which would force one to sit behind me. But it just bugs me that a car that big is that cramped when you put the seat all the way back! And, my head hits the ceiling back there too, although it's not like the Impala is the first car where I ever experienced that.
Still, when I was forced into the market for a car last year when my trusty Intrepid got hit-and-runned and subsequently totaled, I had thought about an Impala. It wasn't tops on my list, but if I ran across one I really liked, I certainly would have given it consideration. While the cramped back seat bugs me, I could deal with it the vast majority of the time. Actually I do remember finding a 2008 Impala SS, seemed to be fully loaded, with sunroof, leather, et al, and it was pretty low-mileage, all for around $21K.
I'm not talking range, I'm talking about the life of the battery pack itself. They claimed to have had over 1 million miles on over 200 cars. That amounts to an average of 5000 miles per car. I don't doubt that the batteries could last 60 or 100 or 200 miles per charge, but how many charges could they handle before they were spent?? There is no evidence that the batteries could last for years (BTW, there is no proof that the Leaf or Volt battery packs will last either).
Regards,
OW
Um.... I'm approaching 63K miles with my over 4 year old Audi A3 Hatch/sportback/wagon, and it doesn't have any rattles or noises to speak of. The '92 Honda Civic DX Hatch we used to have was fairly noisefree too that I remember.
What hatches and wagons have you owned that had rattles and noise?
Mazda GLC
Toyota Camry Wagon
Mercury Colony Park
Ford Explorer
Honda CRV
Honda Odyssey
Had a Windstar that was pretty rattle-free
Neither of my Odys rattled, nor my Maxima wagons. My hatchbacks - a 73 Saab and an 80 Rabbit didn't rattle either. They didn't run often enough but they didn't rattle.
And, it's also a small car, with a small hatch opening, so that's going to help with a more solid feel.
I did note with amusement that when that person posted their list of "hatchbacks" owned, the only one that was actually a hatch was a 25-year old Mazda that sold for like $5000 brand new.
The notion that hatches are creaky and rattly runs completely counter to my experience though. The only downside I have noticed to hatches is that you get more tire roar in the cabin because the rear wheel wells are in the passenger cabin, not shut away in the trunk behind the back seat.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
But, by all means, whatever you like....
For one, the Sport Packaged equipped A3 (this may have changed with the new MKVI 2010 GTI) is 10 or 15 mm lower than a base A3 or GTI with a sportier performance oriented suspension. I'd bet money the sway bars are beefier and damping/spring rates tauter than in the Golf. Also, I don't think the Golf has a state of the art dual clutch automated (DSG) transmission available while the GTI and A3 do. I doubt the Golf has all the electronic enhancements such as an electronic differential and anti slip controls. The A3 also has more interior and exterior color choices, along with better leather and sport seats (nice support for high G turns).
Back in 2006 when I got mine, the A3 also came with 50,000 miles of free maintenance and of course free loaner cars from the dealer when you need it for service or warranty work. The warranty is also 25% or more longer depending on how you look at it. I have a suspicion the gear ratios may be different too.
While the VW is a value at thousands less, you get what you pay for with either the GTI or the A3. If you aren't detail oriented and lack attention to details and interior refinement, then the GTI is for you (which is a quality interior in and of itself).
And for my 2 cents, the A3 LOOKS better inside and out too. I like how in 2006 my car's entire body got painted the same as the body, including the lower parts on the front and rear fenders, the side skirts, and the side mirrors. I hate how lots of new cars these days don't paint the lower parts of the car's body.
Some of my favorite features are the little details, like the REAL aluminum vent round/ring trim, glove box handle, and door sills with real metallic aluminum inlays (Front and Back). When they don't skimp on the little details, it shows what a well built car really is.
I think GM is guilty of decontenting the Malibu in recent years, meaning they are guilty of showing what a truly poorly built car is.
Oh, and for the record, I almost bought an A3 when they first came out, have a coworker who LOVES hers, and I think it is a great value. (Or at least it was, when it started at $26K). The GTI? NOT such a good value.....
I was sad when GM killed the Malibu Maxx, I thought that thing was pretty cool. Was behind a Magnum R/T today on the road, I would have one of those as a third car if it had windows bigger than gunslits. Did GM ever make a Malibu Maxx SS?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Yup.
link title
Yup.
Oh, the HUMANITY! I'm shocked...SHOCKED, I tell you, that GM would dilute a great, time honored badge like that!
Oh well, at least I can look back fondly on such classics as LeMans, GTO, 4-4-2, Cutlass, etc. :P
Actually, compared to some of those, a Malibu Maxx SS with a 240 hp 3.9 V-6 doesn't sound so bad. Probably pretty quick too, with 240 hp, lots of torque, and a body that's not all that heavy. But still, it just doesn't seem right.
On bigger cars, like my Park Ave or your DTS, which have a long rear deck, I don't think a hatch would make much sense. My 2000 Intrepid would have benefited from it, though. While the trunk itself on that car was pretty big, the opening wasn't all that huge, as the rear window came back pretty far. If the whole trunk/rear window was one assembly that would lift up, I think it would have made the car a lot more versatile.
The Impala with the flip-up rear seats is a really cool idea, though.
I test drove a Malibu Maxx once, but not the SS, just a regular ol' 3.5. Was very decent to drive. Had too cheap an interior for its sticker price though.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Did the Maxx have hydraulic steering or electric steering? I drove a regular 2004 Malibu 3.5 with the electric steering once, and found it a bit disturbing. The feeling was so isolated, devoid of any kind of feedback or anything, that it made your typical 70's mastodon feel like a BMW in comparison! :surprise:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100511/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gm_auto_financing
Never saw or knew of the possibility of a Maxx SS though - they are nifty!
There are a few new 2010 HHR SS lurking at dealerships today for us all to consider - "don't look now"!
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
"......A profitable quarter coupled with a slowly rebounding U.S. auto market could mean that GM would have the cash to make an acquisition or start its own business.
GM executives have said the company is taking in more cash than expected from rising prices for its newly redesigned vehicles, including the Chevrolet Equinox crossover vehicle, Buick LaCrosse luxury sedan and Chevrolet Malibu midsize sedan."
Gee, look at that. "taking in more cash than expected" and "rising prices for ....newly redesigned vehicles" (read: people are paying more for their cars).
It's good that GMs newest products are selling well.
I meant that it could be a mistake for GM to get back into the business of making financing too easy >>> makes buying cars on credit too easy for the public >>> another bubble.
He bought it over an Audi A4 :P
I can't see where there's going to be a big market offering a vanilla-shape/size sedan at $27K+, that offers a relatively tame 4-cyl engine.
Maybe like that article states - they are targeting the car guys
I can't see where there's going to be a big market offering a vanilla-shape/size sedan at $27K+, that offers a relatively tame 4-cyl engine.
I think we should commend them for not coming out with a rebadge.
We should also commend them for not having Pontiac, Saturn, Saab divisions that also need rebadges.
I think GM is going to fail here because even if it's just an option, you still need to offer a V6 to play ball in this price-range and segment. It's caught in-between the Malibu and the CTS. Now, that might seem like a good place at first, but 28-30K is a really tough in-between area where success is hard to come by.
This reminds me of the 1986 Monte Carlo my Mom had bought, which ultimately got handed down to me, and then got t-boned 3 months later. It was a base model, but had the 305 V-8. Back then, if you wanted, you could get a Regal Limited or Cutlass Supreme Brougham, either of which would be more luxurious than even the nicest Monte Carlo LS, let alone my base model. But, if you got them with the 3.8 V-6, you got a dog.
But, at least back then they gave you more variety, so you COULD get a V-8 (307) in the Regal or Cutlass Supreme if you wanted (and if you were smart). But nowadays, if you want a Regal, you're stuck with a 4-cyl that has maybe 10-15 hp more than the one in the Malibu. For now, at least.
I don't think the Japanese have quite this much overlap, do they? For instance, if you bought an Accord or Camry V-6, would it be any faster than an Acura TL or Lexus ES350? And with Nissan, I don't think Infiniti really has anything you could really compare to the V-6 Altima, as I think Infiniti has pretty much gone RWD these days. Even though it's FWD, I imagine a Maxima would probably give some of the Infinitis a run for their money, though.
Perhaps there will be the same problem with the Regal, perhaps not. I think the Buick name is too poisoned at this point to try and sell Buick models that are either smaller than the Lacrosse or that attempt to be "sporty".
Someone above mentioned that the first Regal was bought by someone who rejected the A4 to do so?? My first thought is that comparably equipped the Regal probably sells for many thousands less, and this choice was made on price alone. But perhaps I'm wrong and the Regal competes on its own merits (price excluded) with the A4...
And then again, if Buick can establish itself as the cutrate Audi, maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing either - Audi makes cars that are pretty much tops in their class (but overpriced IMO), and GM still has the Cadillac line to chase the higher-profit luxury brand buyers.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I can't see where there's going to be a big market offering a vanilla-shape/size sedan at $27K+, that offers a relatively tame 4-cyl engine.
Yeah, there could be a few other factors...for instance, maybe the buyer preferred the style of the Regal over the A4? Or needed the extra interior room and trunk space that the Regal offers? I'm sure the A4 and the Regal are both fine cars in their own way...just depends on what your needs and preferences are. I gotta admit, I like the looks of the A4, but it's just too small for my tastes. And I'm not about to pay A6 money for a midsize! I like the A8 alot, but I've heard that's the kind of car you just lease for a couple years and then turn in before the maintenance/repair costs start to bankrupt you. And, I'm sure even a lease would be like a mortgage payment to me!