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Buick Regal

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Comments

  • tpkentpken Member Posts: 1,108
    Congrats to you Bralley on that nice Regal. Program cars are a super way to get into a car that looks and feels new without paying the hefty first year depreciation. I just bought a 2000 Pontiac Bonneville that way and saved $10K from sticker on a gorgeous 6 month old car. Good luck with yours. BTW - my experience with Toyota dealsers is that they are the SLEAZIEST around!!

    Yurakm - glad to see your dash problem hasn't got you (or the wife) 'Rattled'!! Good luck there.

    Best to all

    Ken
  • pinettedpinetted Member Posts: 104
    Congrats on your Mustang, that is what I would be driving if I did not need the space of the Regal. Hopfully I will be able to keep the Regal and put either a 60's vintage Mustang or a newer one in the garage with it. I have had very good luck with Fords, I owed a 87 5.0 LX for 6 years and currently own a 96 Ranger.
  • pinettedpinetted Member Posts: 104
    Sorry for the type o but I did owe on the Mustang for many years as well as own it.
  • frankkfrankk Member Posts: 35
    Anyone seen the new Camry commercial...the one with the homely looking guy driving the Camry while "Love is in the air" is being played and a bunch model type chicks turn away from their GQ type boyfriends to get a better look, while the words "Reliable", "Dependable", etc. float in the background.

    In other words the Toyota Camry is akin to a fat, nerdy and ugly boyfriend (or girlfriend too I guess). It won't excite you, but it won't dump you either. I laughed the first time I saw the commercial.
  • tpkentpken Member Posts: 1,108
    that today's chic, sexy women prefer us middle aged, folically and cholesterally challenged accountants to those flash-in-the-pan Boy Toys!!

    I get the same looks in my old Grand Marquis - drives my wife crazy!

    Hey - can't a guy fantasize a bit??? LOL
  • etharmonetharmon Member Posts: 399
    That commercial is so lame. It's almost as bad as the "I'm too sexy" ads they ran for the Camry. I guess I'm driving the wrong car. I need to trade my sleek Crimson Red Oldsmobile Intrigue for a grey Camry. Complete with plastic wheel covers and a four cylinder engine.

    Bralley, back in the summer of 98 when I was car shopping I did consider the Accord. I kind of liked the new body style and they finally offered a nice V6 in it. Trouble was, they wouldn't budge on the price of the V6 models. Salesman said "those babies sell at full retail" but said he could get me a decent discount on 4 cylinder LX as well as a good lease deal. When I told him that the lease deal I could get on an Olds Intrigue which has a standard V6, 16" alloy wheels, ABS, traction control, etc. was about what the 4 banger Accord was, he started the old "Hondas are the best when it comes to resale." "You'll never get that kind of resale value from an Olds" and so on. He might have been right but he missed the point as I was looking at lease deals and with leasing, resale is not all that important as I don't have to worry about selling it and covering the note. Anyway, I left and that was the end of that.
  • lkohnlkohn Member Posts: 13
    the Camry commercial. What do I think when I see a guy driving a Camry - "Get out of my way you slow poke!".

    But, this comment comes from a woman with a GS in the driveway and a '67 Mustang in the garage.
  • mwdreammwdream Member Posts: 91
    Anyone made any modifications to their GS to try and get more HP or Torque? Does a K&N filter work? Also has anyone figured out if a K&N improves gas mileage?

    I just got a 98 GS, used to drive a 95 T-bird V8 and that was not very good with the gas mileage around town and definately not as quick as the GS.

    Was also thinking of adding spoiler, anyone know of cheapest place to order spoilers on the internet?
  • legcnelegcne Member Posts: 8
    We were in need of a new car. We went to the LA Auto Show in January. Did a lot of looking. Came away with two cars in mind, the Chevy Malibu and the Buick Regal.

    I went to the internet, discovered my price through CarsDirect.com, then found a dealer close to me. I was very surprised. Both dealers had web sites through GMBUYPOWER. I was able to look through their inventory and find the cars that I wanted to test drive. It was so easy.

    Nearby, are hills with 8% grades. Perfect. The Regal LS had a lot of engine growl and muffler noise. The Chevy was quieter. All in all, I would say they were pretty close in value. My cost difference was $12 when similarly equipped. The Chevy would have got my vote except for the seat. It had a roll around the shoulders and was very uncomfortable for me. My wife voted for the Chevy too. She liked the up to date styling. About 3 inches more knee room in the back seat but about 4 inches more length in my garage.

    Then we drove the GS. With $1000 discount Auto Show discount, $1000 Buick discount, $2500 dealer discount and my $3500 GM credit card earnings, there was no question that we were going to buy the Regal GS. Bordeaux Red Pearl.....

    I only have a few hundred miles on it now. No squeaks or rattles. A little over 25 MPG is great. I never expected that kind of mileage with this size of car and lots of torque. I have nothing but good things to say about it. Wow!

    The last GM car I owned was a '77 Chevy Caprice. I swore I would never even set foot in a GM car again. What a difference 20 years makes.
  • bralleybralley Member Posts: 20
    Did any of you purchase an extended warranty for your Regal, and if so, how much did it cost? I've been researching - there doesn't seem to be any one 3rd party warranty company that has a "clean" record. I seem to be able to dig up dirt on all of them. I'm thinking my safest bet is to purchase the GM warranty through my Buick dealer. (My dealer has an excellent reputation for taking care of their customers.) Anyone have any advice to offer?
  • legcnelegcne Member Posts: 8
    My opinion is that cars now last longer than the extended warranty. Probably not a good investment. I purchased these on the last two cars I had but did not have to use them.

    Of course there is always the other side of the coin - Murphy's law.

    Some time ago, I bought a new Mercury Sable. Within thirty days, you name it and it broke. Motor mounts, transmission, alternator, ac, even the pin stripes came off. Ultimately, I shamed Ford enough that they forced the dealer to give me another one. But, they really, really didn't want to. Haven't had any problems with the replacement. The other car was made on a Monday. Must have been a bad weekend.
  • regal00lsregal00ls Member Posts: 7
    I've been reading posts in this topic for a while now. I purchased a 2000 Regal LS in November 2000. My mother owns a 1999 Regal LS with about 40,000 miles and my father owns a 1996 Regal Custom with 190,000 miles. Yes, it's only 1 1996. They have not had a problem with either. Between that and reading all the wonderful things you Regal owners had to say I bought mine. I must say I love it. So thank you for letting people know just how great these vehicles are and good luck with yours.
  • L8_ApexL8_Apex Member Posts: 187
    The factory warranty on my wife's GS is about to expire. That was fine with me as I was going to tinker with some modifications. However, we've not owned it very long and aren't "comfortable" with it's reliability just yet so I was thinking of sticking with non-warranty-voiding upgrades and possibly extending the warranty. ...at least for a year or two in case I inherited the previous owner's problems and they've just not manifested themselves in the last month. I'm concerned about some of the pricey items like the climate control, the radio, the several hundred dollar control stalk and last but not least, the automatic.


    I did purchase AcuraCare on my Legend and it paid for itself. The radio was replaced once and the power lock actuators (both) on several occasions. I'm not so much concerned about getting my money out of it as I am about the fear of the unknown. With an extended warranty, you pay the piper up front, once.


    Anyhoo... You can purchase a factory (Major Guard) extended warranty from any GM dealer. Markup amongst dealers varies widely. I did some poking around on the net and found this:


    http://www.team-chevy.com/warranties.htm


    Compared to my dealer and several others in the area, they're willing to cut their margin (though still healthy) considerably more slim.


    Oh.. one more thing. Thanks etharmon. I've never noticed this light-dimming phenomenon on any of my previous four ABS equipped cars so, to me, it seemed odd.

  • etharmonetharmon Member Posts: 399
    A Major Gaurd warranty would be your best bet. It is the only extended warranty backed by GM and it should be available from your Buick dealer.
  • mwdreammwdream Member Posts: 91
    I'm getting about 19 around town average now with Premium gas in my GS. I plan on adding a K&N to see if I can bump up a couple miles per gallon. I don't know if it will work but even if I get just 1 extra mile per gallon at 15,000 miles per year and $1.50 per gallon, thats a saving of 40 gallons a year or $60. Filter costs $40.

    Anyone else using K&N in their Regal GS??? whats your gas mileage result?
  • drzoom1drzoom1 Member Posts: 86
    LEGCNE - I've never been to a car show. Did you need do something special to get the car-show discount? Are there coupons at the display cars? I'll be going to a regional show in Grand Rapids MI this weekend and would not mind picking up any discounts.
  • legcnelegcne Member Posts: 8
    No, there were no coupons but the discount was effective only within certain zipcodes. Go to CarsDirect.com. They will show you all of the current discounts for you zipcode, or at least they did for me. Their price was terrific, except for trade-in. This will give you a price that you can compare with your dealer's.

    If you have an interest in GM products, go to GMBUYPOWER.com. They will allow you to search dealers inventory in the zipcode area you specify. You can also read and print out the window sticker. If the dealer is internet aware, they will treat you with kidd gloves. Most of the dealers I dealt with were, saying that they were overwhelmed with internet queries from the auto show. The dealers that were not, I judged to be old style salesmanship, unethical, corrupt and crooks. Not because they were not internet aware but because they didn't want to sell their cars at that low of a price ($200 to $400 above dealer invoice - which I don't necessarily hold as gospel). In fact one dealer red-lined the price $3000 to $5000 above sticker, then tried to deal down. Thanks but no thanks.

    Good luck buying your new car.
  • regalluvr1regalluvr1 Member Posts: 53
    As I have stated before I'm no big fan of extended warranties.Since 1976 we have driven over 750,000 miles and in that time peroid an extended warranty would have paid for one $250 power window motor.
    In the past (11) years I have saved over $6,000 by not buying extended warranties.This money is set aside in case we would ruin a motor or tranny.I have confidence in Buick Regals as we have driven them for years with no major problems.

    Our current (5) liscensed Regals have a total of 361,000 miles on them and I wouldnt be afraid to drive them anywhere.Our 91 Limited has 123,000 miles with no major problems.We need to sell it but I hate to see it go as its been so dependable.

    I guess it all boils down to your confidence in the car,how long you plan to keep it,and can your finances stand major repairs out of your own pocket.In my own situation I can't justify an extended warranty but in some situations I can see where an extended warranty would be the way to go.If you need one shop around and get the best one you can for the least money.
  • mwdreammwdream Member Posts: 91
    I guess it depends on how old the car is, how many miles, what kind it is. I paid $600 for my T-bird warranty and so far have used $1100 total AC overhaul and $850 torque converter... I would say it was a smart purchase especially if your making payments every month.

    You just never know when or what will happen, I would rather be safe than sorry and if your pushing 100k miles on American car you can bet things will happen... (I have Warranty Direct for both cars) look at 1 source warranty as well, good rates.
  • L8_ApexL8_Apex Member Posts: 187
    19? Jeez... I drove like a little old lady for the last tankful just to see what kind of mileage I could extract from the GS. I barely broke 17!

    I wouldn't expect any measureable increase in gas mileage by adding the K&N, especially if you're just going to replace the OEM filter, not the intake. I've never seen any difference in mileage from K&N filters of either type, only better throttle response from those units that replace the intake plumbing to reduce restriction caused by the resonator box and/or air filter housing.

    In my opinion, OEM-filter replacement K&N's aren't worth it. If you replace the intake with a conical filter yeilding more surface area with less restriction, you'll notice a difference in throttle response as well as intake roar at WOT.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    hissing sound at idle as airflow is increased over stock.
  • BushwackBushwack Member Posts: 258
    Sheesh! I thought I was the only one getting 17 in city driving! With 2,200 gentle miles on the odometer, I guess this is as good as it gets (I get 24 MPG HWY). My sister in law, who bought her Regal GS a couple weeks before me, has been getting 19 city/26 hwy (she has 1,500 miles on her odometer). Of course living in L.A., stop and go traffic is typically more stop then go.

    On a related issue, it seems the DIC for mpg seems to show a consistent 1.5 MPG higher then actual MPG. Big deal...but is anyone else seeing such a discrepency?
  • mwdreammwdream Member Posts: 91
    It does show 19 MPG avg and I have a decent stop and go commute... I guess I am wondering how accurate these readouts are in our little Driver Information Screen ???

    I don't think I will be replacing filter with K&N based on others responses... $40 seems like a waste for what may or may not add a couple MPG or horsepower... Should anyone be able to prove differently in the future I may reconsider.

    The only thing I will be adding in the near future is window tint and maybe some new floor mats... Also I'm looking into ext. warranty and will be posting my results soon as my 1998 factory will be up soon.
  • jpstaxjpstax Member Posts: 250
    I thought I read where the Regal came in dead last in overall Buick sales last year. Anyone else read that? I was shocked to see that, because I've seen so may new GS (and LS) cars on the road lately. We bought a 2000 GS (Bordeau Red) last July, and my wife and I love it!! She especially loves to beat the pants off Lexus, Toyotas, and Mercedes at traffic lights. I can't understand how imports outsell the Regal, given the fact that you can get basically the same equipment options for a LOT less money.
  • regalluvr1regalluvr1 Member Posts: 53
    We only use our 98 GS for trips and weekend get aways and usually get 24-25 mpg.Most of the time thats with (3) people,lots of luggage,and AC going full bore in the Summer.I have a heavy foot and usually drive 80 mph or faster.A couple of years ago I follwed a Corvette across eastern New Mexico at 90-95 mph.The wife wasnt very happy with me!

    The 95 Regal Custom we traded off for the 98 GS usually got 27-28 mpg on trips.The SC3800 costs you about 2-3 mpg over a regular 3800 but I love that SC3800 in the mountains and elsewhere.
  • frankkfrankk Member Posts: 35
    I get about 21.5 with my commute (1/2 stop % go, 1/2 highway). On longer trips I get 24-25. Mind you, I do not take it easy on the pedal. Perhaps my high altitude locale (5000+) helps here. I have noticed that every caqr I have owned gets worse mileage once at sealevel (air resitance?)
  • bralleybralley Member Posts: 20
    I've had my 2000 LS for a little over a week and got 21.4 on the full tank the dealer put in it. (I had one 50 mile interstate cruise on that first tank - the rest was stop and go.) We just filled it up with 87 octane to see how it goes - will let you all know.
  • bporter1bporter1 Member Posts: 229
    I have a 99 GSE and I bought a K&N air filter to replace the stock filter. I did not see nor expect much of a difference in performance.
    I mainly bought it for the maintenance issue, it lasts a long time and it is reusable. As for gas mileage; I live in NJ and in the summer I was getting about 24 MPG. In the winter I am getting about 21 to 22 MPG. I guess that is pretty good considering the size of the engine.
  • beechjet21beechjet21 Member Posts: 26
    I have a 1999 GS with about 12K on it. In town with speeds of 45 mph and under, I get between 15.5 and 16.5 mpg. However, I did get 29.3 mpg on a 160 mile trip last November with the cruise control set at 80 mph. It appears to me that the highway mileage is equal to my 1996 GS, and the city mileage is 2-3 mpg less. I think that the parasitic effect of the blower is minor, and the city mpg is less because it is difficult to resist the urge to boost the engine at stoplights etc.
    I do find that my mpg read out consistently shows 1-1.5 mpg more than actual despite clearing frequently .
  • pacinpelopacinpelo Member Posts: 142
    Its been awhile...but I have been reading. Now at 5200 miles I average about 19-21 mpg in mixed driving. On all highway I can easily get 26 at 75 mph. Our recent cold snap in S. Fla really made me realize just how powerful this car is.....and the surprise look on the Bimmer 5 series that I blew away the other day, his amazement as he told me at the stop light was he could not believe I kept up with him......I told him I really did not try that hard....laughing out loud. Then Perf shift on gunned at the light and took it further to beat him to 70 by a fender, thought his 5 series German machine was going to explode......
  • etharmonetharmon Member Posts: 399
    Are you sure the Regal was last? I was thinking the Park Avenue was their slowest selling model. The Regal sells in the 60,000 anually category and I personally don't see why it(and the Oldsmobile Intrigue) don't sell more. As for the Regal compared to imports. Back in 97 when Motor Trend first tested the then new GS, they said to the effect that excluding acceleration, "to touch a similar import, you'd need to spend about $30,000." Now to match the Regal GS's performance, they said you'd need to nearly double the sticker. And thats about true. 0-60 in 6.6 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 15 flat is pretty impressive for a midsize sedan with an automatic. The big reason imports like the Camry and Accord outsell the Regal by large margins is they have lower priced 4 cylinder models. I'd dare say 3/4 of all Camrys sold are 4 cylinders and a similar number for the Accord. Those cars sell for around $20 grand so you can imagine that at a lower price, they will sell alot more than a $25K+ car.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    Must be the 528...cause no way would it be a 540. Damn things are way to fast. Of course I'd be embarassed too, being blown away by an after "50" type of car....LOL!!
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    The GM sales data are available on Internet, in the Excel format (*.xls). Can be read also in Quattro, etc.


    http://www.generalmotors.com/company/investor_information/operating_data/index.html


    It is easy to see that both Century and LeSabre are outselling Regal about 2:1, and that Regal outsells Park Avenue in about the same proportion.


    Most strange and unexpected, IMHO, is the very deep fall of the Grand Prix sales.


    The Lumina data look funny: turned to be, the venerable car, available for the second year for fleets only, is still alive and well, with its sales increasing...

  • legcnelegcne Member Posts: 8
    Well, I'm over 60. My son is 34 and owns one of those cute little Volvos. My daughter is 36 and owns one of those cute little Bemmers. Well, I am happy to say that I am comfortable in my over 50 car, thank you very much. Can't say that I am in those other little cars. Kind of strunched up.

    Dollar for dollar, pound for pound, my Regal GS is better than theirs any day of the week.
  • regalluvr1regalluvr1 Member Posts: 53
    In my opinion Buick is doing a poor job of advertising the Regal.They threw away their money having Tiger Woods doing commercials for them.He's not bringing them much business.

    I'd have a comercial showing a Regal GS pulling away from a Mustang GT at a stop light and showing him nothing but tail lights.The Regal GS seems to be a well kept secret along with the LS.

    Alot of small dealers dont have very many new Regals even in stock.Take our local dealer for instance.Its an old family owned business thats been around for 40 years in a town of 10,000 people.The owner is in his 70's and wont let his son take over.He thinks the only Buick is the LeSabre.He will keep (10) new LeSabres in stock and right now he has one 2001 Olympic Regal LS and thats it.He will still have it when the 2002's come out.

    The next town west of us is 20 miles away and has 10,000 people.It has one huge full line Ford,GM,Chrysler,Toyota dealership and is the only one in the US like that.We were recently over there and they had no new 2001 Regals even in stock.Of course they had tons of new LeSabres and Centurys.When I trade cars I use this dealer to get my local dealer down about $1500-2000 everytime.

    Back in Aug 1998 when we traded off our 95 Regal Custom for our 98 GS,our local dealer had to get us one in the color we wanted at Ardmore,OK which is almost 400 miles away.The Buick dealer (20) miles away had a 98 GS in a color we didnt want but he was $1700 cheaper than our dealer.I told our local dealer he'd have to match that or he lost the deal.He gave in and got us the one in OK.

    In order for us to see more than one or two new Regals at any one dealership we have to drive 100 miles to Kansas City or 100 miles to Springfield,MO.Buick dealers in small towns dont want new Regals on their lots for some reason.

    We are seeing lots more newer Regals on the road now but that body style is (5) years old now so I suppose thats why it looks like there are lots around.

    The Regal LS and GS are excellent cars and should be selling better than they are.The small town dealers arent pushing them like the big town dealers are.
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    1. Concerning the tire rating:


    The OEM Regal tires, Goodyear Eagle LS P225/60R16, have the S or T speed rating:


    http://www.goodyear.com/us/tires/tirecatalog/EAGLELSSize.html


    i.e. 112 or 118 mph respectively:


    http://www.goodyear.com/us/tire_school/tirespecs.html#loadindex


    The Regal is electronically governed, and at about 110 mph the gas flow stops. The weak link are the tires: I had read, that the same Regal GS sold in Europe with the better tires have the top speed limited to 220 km/h (137.5 mph). This number looks very reasonable: for GP GTP and Olds Intrigue with performance package the top speed is the same.


    By the way, even lesser cars like Chevrolet Malibu are very capable to speed exceeding 100 mph.


    Of course, all of this is pure theory. It would be reckless to drive so fast on the US highways.


    2. Concerning the prices for Camaro/Firebird with V-8 engine:


    It is easily check the prices at http://www.gmbuypower.com/


    2001 Camaro Z28 starts from about $22,300, Firebird Formula - from $24,500, TransAm - from $27k. All of this are MSRP for coupe, without options. About the same price range as with Regal.


    Though, it is possible to load a convertible TransAm up to almost $39k...


    3. Regal GS have very good acceleration from stop. Much better than any other sedan in the price range, except GP GTP. With the same engine, transmission, and underbody, the two cars have practically the same specs.

  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    I live in a suburb of New Haven, CT. Our places are densely populated: the greater New Haven have the total population of about 350,000; our town - of 50,000. Cities of Hartford, Bridgeport, Waterbury are in about 1/2 hour driving from us; Stamford and New London, CT and Springfield, MA in one hour. Two hour to New York and Boston, 80 and 120 miles respectively (the roads to NYC are overloaded).

    Nevertheless, concerning the Regal availability, the general picture is practically the same as with your smaller town.

    According to gmbuypower, there are 5 Buick dealerships around, 1 to 15 miles from our home. Three of the dealerships currently have no single Regal GS in stock; one have 2 cars, and one - three.

    We saw Regals on the streets and parking lots of out town and city, but not often. On the parking lot of the school our son attends, with about 550 students, two GS (including the our one) and one LS can be seen. On the parking lots of out apartment complex, 6 buildings with total 500 apartments, with most of families possessing two cars, I saw only one Regal LS in addition to our GS.

    We have a close friend in Boston and visit her often, five or more times per year. Yet only once we saw a Regal GS in the city. The same with our other trips.

    People usually do not know the Regal, and several person already did confuse it with Chevrolet Malibu, the both of our cars being of almost the same color.
  • mwdreammwdream Member Posts: 91
    It is about that time for some new tread... anyone have any recommendations on tires?

    I found T rated tires 75,000 miles for $75 each at Sam's club...

    Is T a good rating for the GS or not? any suggestions ????

    Thanks
  • frankkfrankk Member Posts: 35
    From test #'s I have seen posted a GS has comparable acceleration to a 540. Now an M5 is another story.....
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    540 0-60 5.6 secs
    GS 0-60 6.6 secs
    M5 0-60 4.7 secs

    source Motor Trend magazine

    One second is a whole lot of real estate when talking cars...
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    T rate for tires: the maximum speed is 118 mph.


    http://www.goodyear.com/us/tire_school/tirespecs.html#loadindex


    I believe the factory specs call for T or even S rated tires for GS, so this is good enough. Any case, you probably will never drive so fast in real life. Of course, the higher rates rates give extra margin of safety in case of underinflated tires (nail, etc).


    Even more important than the speed rate, though, are such things as dry and wet traction and cornering, resistance to aquaplaning, and, probably, snow traction - depending on where you live.


    Next question is the resistance to the tread wear. And, last not least, ride comfort and noise. This very personal.


    A lot of info you can find www.tirerack.com


    See also two tires conferences on the Edmunds board:


    "Tires, tires, tires." Feb 2, 2001 4:06pm


    and


    "Tires" Jan 17, 2001 4:01pm

  • BushwackBushwack Member Posts: 258
    Of more importance is the treadwear and temperature ratings. Try and get an 'A' rating for both or at minimum a B rating. The temperature rating of 'A' is more crucial then the treadwear rating.

    ..and here's a little known fact: The C rating on tires signify that you have bought a Cheap, Crappy tire. :)
  • pgorgespgorges Member Posts: 28
    I agree with you 100% about Buick's advertising. They don't even talk about the Regal's performance. The car should have much higher sales. On the other hand, I really don't care. Let it continue to be a sleeper car and my wife and I will just continue to enjoy driving our GSE.
    It almost seems like it is appreciated more by luxury car owners than the average Accord owner. I think the import, 4 cylinder owners just don't get it. Maybe they don't know that a 33 year old father can enjoy accelerating from 60 mph to 90 in an instant while having Metallica blaring from the Monsoon speakers. OK, anyone under 30 can make fun of my musical taste, but it is still a great stereo system.
  • etharmonetharmon Member Posts: 399
    GM seems to do a poor job marketing alot of their cars. Witness the demise of Oldsmobile. I hope this isn't case, but if they don't do something, Buick will surely be next. I agree with you guys in the performance aspect of the Regal and how little is ever mentioned about this in their ads. Anyone who has been in the Oldsmobile Intrigue forum knows that have beaten this drum over and over there about how their ads talk more about the car's 27 fuction driver information center(the new Aurora's) than the car's excellent mechanical features and sophistication.
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    The temperature rating for tires have very high correlation with the speed rating.


    Yes, the two parameters are different, but in practice tires became hot when running at high speed, and this means the performance tires are designed to resist the high temperature.


    I read a lot of tire specs while shopped for replacement tires for my 98 Malibu. All "S" and "T" speed-rated tires I checked had the "B" temperature rating, while the "H" speed-rated tires (130 mph maximum) got the "A" for the heat resistance.


    By the way, I bought FireHawk SH-30 for the Malibu. Not for its temperature rating, but for outstanding wet handling and resistance to hydroplaning.


    I like the tires very much and most probably will install them on my Regal after the OEM tires will wear out. Other users like the tires as much as me, and praise them even better than the much more expensive Michelins:


    http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/hpas.jsp


    Though, the SH-30 are performance tires, not touring one. They do not isolate the driver from the road pavement imperfections as much as the OEM tires do. Fine with me, but this depends on personal taste.


    The user survey for touring tires is here:


    http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/touring.jsp

  • jackjtjackjt Member Posts: 178
    When I bought my 2001 GS in November, availabilty in the Chicago area was quite good.

    Have really enjoyed to car and look forward to having it around for a long time! Love the power that's on tap; it's fun...........
  • verdi942verdi942 Member Posts: 304
    1. Here in the NYC area, Regal availability is fine.
    2. No, they don't advertise it properly. IMHO, due to the plain styling inside and out, they should tout Regal's PRACTICALITY - as a good looking family car with Buick quality, with great perfomance thrown in at no penalty in noise, gas mileage or insurance.
    3. Speaking of MPG, I have to sit in traffic for hours to dip under 20 mpg; but a few "stoplight Grand Prix's" will do the same. A steady 70-80 on flat ground gives the advertised 30+mpg. Hills, our Northeast "winter gas" or constant changes in speed get me back to 25+.
    4. Did anyone notice the terrible build quality that helped deep-six Olds?
    5. Can't wait for the new Regal to buy another.
  • jackjtjackjt Member Posts: 178
    ON A DIFFERENT FORUM, I GOT THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS:

    "Hi, I actually just compared the Regal GS and the Maxima SE and went with the Maxima. I purchased the Maxima. If it were a lease I MIGHT have considered the Regal but reliability hands down goes to the Maxima. The supercharger is what concerns me on the Regal. It will break eventually, just hope that it will do so while still being under warranty. I like the fact that the Maxima has almost as much horsepower naturally aspiritated which makes things less complicated and reduces the chances of problems. It is very quick, and handles incredibly. The attention to detail is that of a much more expensive car. The only thing that seperates it from the Infiniti I30 is the Infiniti special care. It has everything "physically" that the I30 does. The Regal would have been more appealing to me if it was cheaper. I would have never been able to live with myself buying a $28000 Regal!"

    WHAT DO "WE" TELL THIS GUY? WHAT ABOUT RELIABILITY OF THE SUPERCHARGER? WHAT ABOUT RELIABILITY OF THE MAXIMA VS THE REGAL GS?

    THANKS!
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    that we agree? lol!

    It was the same choice for me also. I went with the Regal because it was on a lease and figured it would be fun to drive for a couple of years. If I was buying a keeper...I would have bought the Maxima.
  • bralleybralley Member Posts: 20
    Verdi942 - I sure DID notice the poor quality of the Olds! In the spring of '97, I purchased a '96 Ciera SL which had been a program car and had 25K miles on it. I expected better than average reliability (because it was an OLDSMOBILE)- but didn't get it. The last two years, we've spent nearly $2500 on repairs including the steering box, alternator, and BOTH front power window motors. The last straw was just after Christmas when my son drove the car to PA (we live in SC). At 76K, the car had water in the oil -caused by the failure of the port that separates the coolant from the oil - and very nearly lost the whole block. (If my son had driven it any further after it ran hot, then the block probably WOULD have warped). "Luckily", we got it fixed for $800 - mostly labor to replace all the gaskets and clean out all the sludge.
    I traded it in on a 2000 Regal LS program car (and love it so far) because my budget put me in the category where the Regal was competing with low end Camrys and Accords (which the Regal beat hands down). If I could have afforded a Maxima or Avalon, I'm afraid the Regal wouldn't have had a chance. I don't regret buying the Regal, but will be buying a good extended warranty to go with it.
    Now that I have it, I can't say enough good things about how powerful and comfortable it is, and surprisingly nimble (in my opinion) for a car that large. Only time will tell if I made the correct decision.
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