Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Time will tell.
I believe Buick, with its superior cars, MAKES MONEY.
At least, we hope so.
"near luxury" division with lots of room to
go after whatever gap Olds will leave.
In my perception, Olds, despite their attempt
to establish themselves as an Import fighter
seemed a duplication of Buick.
The way I see things:
Caddy - Lux
Buick - Near Lux/performance
Pontiac - Young, impulsive performance
Chevy - American Pie, can't afford a Buick or
didn't want the image
Saturn - Patriotic, didn't want a Corolla
GMC - My truck is more serious than the Chevy truck.
GM could save even more cash by junking
Chevy Trucks, keeping GMC and combining
Pontiac & Chevy for more of a full range;
sporty performance all the way into american
pie family fare.
Well; that oughta make some people mad
(not meant to though).
I hate to see Olds go but the weak die and the strong go on.
So, what do we have now? [These are the findings of my low-priced "focus group of one-namely, me].
We have LeSabre, which outsells all the others in its group put together [which includes Crown Vicky and Marquis].
We have Century, a good-selling Camry fighter [which could use some of the Camry's build quality].
We have Park Avenue, a true "Baby Caddy", well worth the money that beats any Olds design by many miles [except, maybe, looks vs Aurora].
And, we have Regal, a brilliant design combining baby Caddy content, Century compactness, Park Avenue power and low-key looks. Plus BMW-beating performance [in a straight line]. Plus it's cheap for what you get. Does the old guy image of the name, "Buick" keep GM from selling 100,000 of these every year? Maybe.
And don't put much faith in the new SUV. It's based on the Pontiac Aztek platform at a time when SUV's are a glut on the market.
What we need is good management, something GM hasn't had for at least 35 years. Olds simply had the worst of the managers.
Judging by build quality, I think Buick has some of the better ones. [Many fingers crossed].
http://www.speedster.opel.com/
Pontiac will sell this baby...I guess Pontiac and Chevy will get some of the Opel gems within the next few years.
Buick is not far behind. I like my Regal, but let's face it, Buick only sells 2 lines of cars, the Park Avenue/LaSabre and the Regal/Century. Hopefully the new SUV will do something, but I doubt it. Buick should go back to the old days of Wildcats and Roadmasters. Give both Cadillac and Lincoln a run for their money! But I dream....
I feel the interior of the Regal is excellent. Only slight improvements are needed. The exterior is good but the rear of the car should maybe be squared off some for a bit more style.
The Regal should sell as well as the Camry and Maxima. I don't think 20 somethings will ever buy Buicks, but they should sell a ton of Regals to people like me. I'm 33 and bought the car mainly for my wife and 3 year old, but find myself loving to drive it.
Buick's marketing and advertising is a joke. At least open the hood and/or show the leather interior during a commercial.
Just my opinion.
1. The single stalk is not as convenient as two when working with washer and wipers. And I'd prefer the high beam to be switched on by pushing the stalk from me, as with most of other cars.
2. The air condition and radio buttons all looks and feel alike. Must remove my eyes from the road and look on them. Not a right thing to do when driving.
3. The vents are not adjustable enough for my taste.
Last week, after finding the GSE I was searching for, I made a deal with a Buick dealer in the San Fernando Valley (here in Los Angeles). Bought the car at $340 under invoice (for a GSE model). Showed up the next day to sign the papers and they try and hit me up for a $600 documentation fee! I walked.
A couple days later, went to a Buick dealer near Hollywood. To make a long story short, this sales manager was a piece of work. He was willing to let me have the car for invoice as long as I signed over the GM rebate to him. I couldn't help but laugh in his face as I stood up from the chair and walked away. As I headed to the door, he kept knocking $100 off the price until I turned around and clarified to him: "So Danny, you'll sell me the car for $26,300 + T & L and you get my rebate. So the deal you're giving me is $1,600 under MSRP". Sure enough, he proclaimed it was the best deal I'd ever get. I laughed as I walked out the door. Should you live in L.A. and come across a Buick dealership on La Brea Ave., continue driving - unless you want a good laugh at the 'great' deal you'll be offered.
Today, went to a Buick dealer in another section of L.A. Without haggling, I explained to the salesperson I was a knowledgeable buyer (as I mentioned to the previous dealerships) and I gave him a price of $750 below invoice for a GS model (couldn't find a GSE in the desired color). I expected the salesperson to return showing me the invoice and telling me he couldn't go lower. But after a few minutes, he returned asking for $100 more...and the deal was done. No moaning, no bitching, no haggling - it was a pleasure! It took another 60 minutes to get the papers in order and off I went in a new 2000 GS loaded with everything except heated seats. Throw in GM's $2000 rebate _AND_ a $500 Buick coupon that "Peufan" was so kind to offer me and the car left the lot (including T & L) for over $3,500 less then the $28,510 MSRP. BTW, documentation fee was $45.
For those in SoCal looking for a loaded 2000 GS/GSE, there are less then 6 remaining. Personally, I highly recommend Alhambra Buick-GMC just a few miles east of downtown L.A. Aside from getting a fair deal, the professionalism was top-notch as was David, the salesperson.
One more thing: Dealing with E-Loan was also a pleasure. If you're seeking financing, search out companies like E-Loan on the net. The rate was favorable and the paperwork process with the dealer was smoooooth. Much, MUCH smoother then cars I have bought in the past using conventional bank loan financing.
If it aint broke, don't fix it!
I haven't had any trouble posting but I am a fairly fast typer. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. I don't like how the topics change positions everytime I visit the Sedans page though.
I looked seriously at a '98 black Intrigue with the 3.5 a few weeks ago. It really looked nice and the interior was also really nice. I really like the car, but I think I want a little more power.
This is more of a "test" than anything else, just to see if I can post.
Bushwacked, glad to hear that it *finally* worked out with the
deal you wanted.
Like I said to you privately, some of those dealers assume
all buyers are uneducated idiots just frothing at the mouth to
overpay them for their cars.
Nuff said (testing 1, 2, 3 I'm gonna hit the post button
After driving a '93 Pontiac Transport mini-van for 134,000 miles of sterling performance, I finally broke down and traded it off on a spiffy little 2000 Regal LSE. What sold me on this was the leather interior, sunroof, and 3800 engine (which is what I had in the Pontiac).
Now granted, my Regal isn't as quick and aggressive as most of your GS supercharged vehicles, but I still love it.
What I'm wondering is, any tips, comments, "watch out for's" that you can advise me? Also, this is my first car with a leather interior -- what is the best way to take care of it?
Thanks for any info.
John aka jdinstl
jdinstl- Congratulations! Even the unsupercharged 3800 is very peppy and no slouch in the performance dept. either. There's really not much to look out for because there really aren't too many problems to report. Some have reported an annoying dash rattle, but that's about it. As far as leather, I use Meguires (sp?) leather treatment that you just rub right into the leather. Works great. I do it two or three times a year. Keeps your leather soft and clean.
Any info/specific recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
My car is rather new, bought it only two month ago. I hope the smell is not from leather, but from wax, or something of this kind and will go away.
Did anybody else feel this? Did the smell go away?
Thanks for the feedback!
Bushwack-Let me know what you hear from Monsson on CD changer.
(I do not like the new posting format)