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Buick LaCrosse
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Comments
No matter what system they offer on a car, there will be some people who always want something differnet for various reasons. If they offered a JBL system that wouldn't be right for some. And that's okay, it's just that putting a top line system ain't gonnal impress me beyond what I have.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It is just a matter of time til at least some insurance companies start demanding that drivers of GM vehicles use OnStar should they wish to receive discounts. I, too, would not buy a vehicle with OnStar, activated or not.
There is no way of knowing what data may be being sent to whom by such a thing, or for what reason.
As for the silliest reason to have it, to unlock the vehicle when the keys are inside, Ford answered that years ago. It's called an outside number keypad. And it works great. No monthly fees, either.
Not to mention that GM continued to market OnStar with analogue only cellular service for quite some time long after the rest of the world had taken all of their new equipment digital. With a tiny little warning that it would have to be upgraded (guess at whose expense) if the cell service were to be used in the near future. I have problems with people who hide such dastardly things.
I can and do take my business elsewhere. And I haven't even mentioned those VERY annoying radio ads they run with people in distress being saved by OnStar. People who market using scare ads (life insurance companies are another good example) frequently are making very high profit margins...
I have to agree. But there are a lot of products you won't be buying because of the scare tactics used. I don't like the scare factor to OnStar. Either. But I've found it useful at times. I am on a monthly basis. Probably will drop it unless they reduce cost for base level.
As for the sound system..., I've driven my nephews Ford Explorer and Chrysler midsize. My system sounds better than theirs.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Also, the analog cellular network will remain operational until at least 2008. After that it is a concern, but I don't believe GM is selling the analog OnStar system any more...
You could always just disconnect the OnStar system if you are that worried about big brother watching.
We will probably be buying one this year. Several questions: (1) Are there dealers out there who are substantially discounting below sticker yet or will I need to wait six months? (I'm not talking about incentives here but pure discounting). (2) Has anyone had a good purchase experience in West Central Florida? I was visiting my wife's mother in DeLand, FL, over the weekend and decided to test drive a CXS from the local dealer, Kaiser Buick. The dimwitted salesman would not let me test drive the car unless I was willing to say I was ready to buy the car that day. He claimed they were short staffed, even though it was Saturday afternoon and the place was crawling with salesman. Needless to say, I was not ready to buy. I had no idea there were still fools trying to pull that crap. (3) If you factory order the car, do you still get the factory incentives? Thanks in advance for your help.
Personally, I did not remove yet the gizmo form the Regal I bought recently. OnStar is in the trunk, attached by two big bolts to the rear left wheel arc. Removing them, most probably, involves removing rear wheel liner, than put it back. Had not time to do it, and the winter weather is not inviting. However, I am planning to do it in spring.
Some people even sell removed OnStars on e-bay.
GM was YEARS behind in adding digital capability for OnStar.
But lets go on and talk about the LaCrosse...
Are you one of those guys that hang out at the grassy knoll in Dallas?
;-)
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20031126-044216-1812r
Thanks priggly, for pointing out what I probably shouldn't here...
--john who can speak ironically when he needs to be furtive...
Maybe if you were at a chrysler/ford dealership they would secretly call the nearest GM dealer and tell them you were looking at competitive make???????
Anyway, being a Regal GS owner, I checked out the Buick floor-space and found...tumbleweeds. They had very few onlookers checking out what they had to offer, unfortunately. The Rainier SUV was getting a few cruise-bys and "butt-on-seat" comparisons, but that was about it. The LaCrosse did get a few folks to check it out, but nobody was lingering for very long. The auto show was a Thursday - Sunday event and I was there all day Saturday, so that is as wide a cross section of people as any day would offer, I'd say. Maybe more younger people but also more "older" people not having to be at work, also.
At the Toyota site, though, they were drawing a comparative crowd around the new Avalon. I had to wait in line for several minutes to get my quality time behind the wheel. When you're talking upper 20's - mid 30's price for a full-sized car packing a 280 HP/260 Torque engine, hwy mileage estimates ranging up to the low 30's, and Toyota quality (whether real or imagined)....it's hard to pony up nearly that same amount for the top of the line LaCrosse.
I'm not knocking what I don't own, trust me. I've had my Regal for 4 years now and am mostly satisfied with it. I've talked with two guys I know that have bought the LaCrosse and they both feel it's a quality car. That isn't my point. But I'd think most folks would look at the LaCrosse as evolutionary versus revolutionary (something that Buick could use, judging by the latest sales numbers for the brand).
(Personal Rant Section) It's just sad that GM has to pigeon-hole a brand in so many way. Buick can't go out and build a hot, top of the line car because we don't want to take away from Pontiac or Cadillac sales totals and we have to maintain a certain pecking order. Maybe shaking up the order once in a while would do the company good. It's ironic to see a 1987 Buick Regal Grand National on sale in my home town for $15,000 and see people checking it out each time I drive by. Yes, I've slobbered over it a few times myself.
It's not a business unit's only standard for success, but I wonder if there is anything that Buick is putting on showroom floors in 2005 that will be similarly fawned over come 2023???
We looked at the LaCrosse as an alternative to an Acura TL or Lexus ES330. Even in top form, we came away underwhelmed, mostly due to the lack of the following available options:
-- Navigation -- although many think it's a "toy", we've come to enjoy greatly the nav in our 01 Lexus RX300. GM makes it optional in cars like its Trailblazer, so I am mystified at this misstep.
-- Gauges -- An 05 Corolla LE now comes standard with Optitron gauges. While I will admit that LaCrosse has the nicest gauges I've seen in a Buick, they don't convey an image of anything more than "OK."
The different equipment levels has me puzzled, too. Acura is highly successful with a 'one level of equipment' platform. It's the car plus optional Nav, and that's about it. A TL is a TL is a TL. I think a LaCrosse should be the same...fully loaded, for $27K including an in-dash nav.
But hey, we're only government workers who happens to be in the age (38 and 42) and income bracket that Buick aims to attract.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
General Motors main site
You would see The company
It would drop down click on auto show
Click on Chicago
Then the menu
you would see a picture of the DTS Steering wheel and the Lucerne's which look the same.
Open those up and look at the interior and the place of the controls look like the same car
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Your air bag comment is also inaccurate, SABs are indeed available as an option. Perhaps you should check the facts.
-Andrew L
The question of which are more important, side impact vs. head curtain airbags, is unclear. The only way to get an approximate answer to this question will be to compare the injury rates of cars that have side impact, head curtain, or both side impact and head curtain airbags. To get statistically meaningful numbers, a comparison of injury rates in a large number of cars will be needed, and this will likely require several years of data collection. My hunch is that the head curtain will have the greater effect since; i) head impacts are more life threatening and lifestyle threatening than impacts near the throracic cavity, and; ii) the vehicles that do the greatest damage in a side impact due to their greater mass/momentum (SUVs, trucks, minivans) all tend to hit up high.