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Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave
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Comments
Please email to Jerry.horta@motorola.com
We see the need to haul adults on the odd occasion in the third row so third row comfort is important. The Lambda's room behind the 3rd row for a stroller,etc make it that more the compelling choice. I'm 6'2" with short legs and long torso and found that the MDX and Ody felt like i was eating the steering wheel. I did not have that feeling in the RX350 but not having a 3rd row seat eliminates that choice.
Best thing you can have is warranty. No matter who you buy from today, chances are about 50/50 you will have some issue. Either some thing simple like a bad switch, or something major like engine failure (Toyota's latest big problem...) Most cars, once remedied of minor defects in building are as good as you treat them throughout their usefull life with you.
If you like to get a good feeling from reports in magazines and such, Buick is second only to Lexus in consumer reported quality. I personally would say they are equal, but I think the Buick owners are more harsh on the consideration of their machine's quality than Lexus drivers are. Especially since I see the rude driving habit of so many Lexus drivers today. If they don't care about the road and others, I can't see how they care about their cars. But, that just a personal opinion, not real useful here.
I can say however, with no doubt, a Buick will give you as good if not better quality than any other purchase you could make today.
Spoken like a true sage. This is some of the best automotive-related advice that a person will ever hear. I got burned very badly one time with an introductory year 2002 Chevy TrailBlazer LTZ. In my lifetime I have only purchased three introductory year vehicles. Amazingly, one of them was the most bulletproof vehicle I have owned to date. Another one was only slightly problematic with a single recall that didn't result in any sort of major hassle or downtime. So, I've dodged two out of three introductory year bullets to date. The TrailBlazer fiasco is still fresh enough on my mind that I wouldn't purchase an introductory year vehicle of any make at the moment. I'm sure some of them will turn out just fine for many different owners out there. But personally, I'm just not willing to take a chance at the moment. Yeah, yeah, I know. Why be so boring and predictable??? Live on the edge man.
I've driven it 1,600 miles so far. Drove it from Minnesota to Florida.
Overall I am very happy with the car so far. The tires (18" Fortera) are fantastic. They are very quiet and offer an excellent tide, much better than the Michelins on the X5.
I'm not sure if my Outlook has had an update to the transmission yet. The car accelerates fine, a little stronger than the X5 did. It does downshift every now and then when cruising at 75-80. The ride of the Outlook is very smooth and quiet, much better than the X5. I am amazed at the job that GM did with the ride on this car. The steering is also very good. A little light for my tastes, but it does offer some road feel. The X5 steering is a little better.
I did have someone brake hard in front of me and cut hard left (blown tire) when I was doing 75. The Outlook handled that emergency very well, I was surprised how it handled. The brakes are excellent.
Gas mileage is improving as the trip goes on. Last tank was 22 MPG, doing 75 MPH the entire tank.
Two minor issues so far. The doors open fairly easily and do not catch like other cars I've owned (meaning they swing wide open easily when it is windy). I also had a vibration from the drivers side mirror at around 77 MPH under certain specific wind conditions. It's happened around 5% of the time, still haven't figured it out.
I'm also still getting used to the rear view on the car. The rear wiper is a little small. Rear mirrors work great, but behind the vehicle is tough to judge.
Unlike the other reviewer here, I think the advanced audio system is very good. It is much better than the standard or upgraded BMW system. Solid bass and a nice high-end. For an OEM system, it ranks high for all of the cars I've owned.
I have NEVER owned a GM vehicle before. This is the 16th new car I have purchased. The Outlook/Acadia was the first GM that I actually considered. GM has done an amazing job with this SUV. For the price, it stacks up well.
I wish that Saturn offered less options, more like Acura does. My buying experience at Saturn wasn't that great, they tried to sell me warranties, paint protector, scotchguard, mudflaps, gap coverage, etc.
Post your questions and I'll try to answer them. I'll add some more thoughts after I've driven it back to Minnesota.
Any Enclave pictures?
Lookup edmunds.com or forbesautos.com, and price out the vehicle, then go 500 under invoice and you have a price. The dealer picks you up at the airport, and you go get your car, or you can pay to have it shipped. GM does repair and warranty at any GMC dealer. Most dealers love the maintenance business as it pays better than car sales.
What kind of deal did the dealership give you on the X5?
Does the Outlook really out accelerate your old 4.4 X5?
If so, is there a maintenance problem with the X5's engine or transmission?
Has your MPG improved? 22 MPG is not impressive.
I would be interested to hear more about your car adventure.
Online retailers are a great leverage point with your local dealer. I prefer to shop local to keep the money in town, (thats why I wont buy anything foreign, unless used - I want to let our domestic makers keep the profit here, and it builds prde - The bad quality was in the past, and they deserve my buck for all the improvements). Try to work with your local dealer, and tell him you can get it for Invoice on line, but you want him to have the business (remember they get a 3% holdback (about 1K), so thew will usually work with you. The salesman does not get the holdback, so going over invoice gives him something for answering the phone. Anything more, and you are paying too much in my opinion, and I would shop elsewhere.
Its all personal, but I believe in paying reaonable, not ripoff. The internet works great if they wont deal, and you want a no hassle experience. Order - pay - pickup - drive home - no dickering. I live a few hundred miles from Dave Smith, and he has a huge dealership in the pan handle of Idaho. He must be doing something right, as he has been sued by the local dealers to try to shut him down - the courts sided with the consumers, so he stayed in business. I am sure all the internet dealers which have good BBB rating are worth looking at.
Wow! A car salesman that got you to feel bad for him? That's a good salesman.
What is the best place to look for any real data on long term reliability? Is it Consumer Reports? I am not a fan of their studies, but every single Toyota and Honda model is listed in the recommended list of used cars and not a single Toyota or Honda is in the "avoid" list of used cars which is littered with European and American cars. Any other decent sources for this type of info? I don't put much stock in "initial quality". What the heck is that? It didn't fall apart when you drove it off the lot?
These boards are worthless for evaulating quality since, as you said, everybody has problems. Personally, I had bad luck with my '95 GMC Sonoma. I had the motor replaced at 4000 miles and the clutch went at 60,000.
My '97 Honda Civic had no problems until about 125,000 miles when my ABS light came on. Basically, I have no ABS now, but it's not worth fixing. The jury's still out on my '03 Sequoia. We had the VSC computer go out at 40k miles. We complained to the regional manager and thankfully got it replaced under warranty even though it wasn't.
Having said all that, if you have any empirical evidence to backup your statement that "GM, Ford and Chrysler build machines with as good if not better quality than any import (or semi-import) sold today.", I'd like to see it.
$500/$800 under invoice is the price that the dealer is selling the car, then you subtract all incentives for the final price paid by the customer?
How many extra fees to they ad to the deal?
Thanks
My X5 was the 3.0, the 0-60 times are very similar. The Outlook has a little more high-end grunt/torque feeling to it, but the transmission is slower to respond. I typically drove the X5 in Sport mode (more aggressive shifts).
The X5 engine was solid as was the transmission. It did take BMW a while to get the transmission right (and note that GM made the transmission for BMW).
For the MPG, note that the 2008 EPA numbers will be 24/16 for the FWD versus the current 26/18. I'm guessing that mine will improve while the engine continues to break in, but it may not hit 24 when doing 75 MPH.
Here is the EPA info on the new FWD numbers for 2008. Surf around and you can look at the adjustment for all cars.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculatorSelectEngine.jsp?year=2007&make=Saturn&- model=Outlook%20FWD
I'll post more info next weekend after I complete my Florida trip.
If I had it to do over again, the only thing that I would change is I would probably not get the touring package (although these don't seem too bad yet, I generally HATE Eagle RS-A tires with a passion), and would have gotten the memory seats and power passenger seat. I'm not super impressed with the advanced audio either, but I don't know what the standard audio sounds like. I might sell it when the '08s are out to get exactly what I want if it works out financially. Still leary of first year vehicles, but other than the expected recalls we've had no problems.
They have 2 major polls. Initial quality which is the problems per vehicle the owners report in the first 3 months of ownership. YOu are correct that this is not as important anymore since MOST everyone is down to about 1 problem per vehicle. The rank order (starting at .9 problems) is Porsche, Lexus, Hyundai, Toyota, Jag, Honda, Cadillac, Infiniti, GMC, Acura and it continues from there. But again the range is from .9 to 2 with an industyr average of 1.2. Not much difference anymoer.
For longer term Power does a 3 year vehicle dependibility study and the ranking is Lexus, Mercury, Buick, Cadillac, Toyota, Acura, honda, and it continues with a range of 1.4 to 4.4 problems per vehicle with an industry average of 2.3.
Again not a heck of a lot of difference.
Please remember, GM is very secretive about upcoming promotions (they do not want people to put off purchases until a future date), so do not expect the dealer to tell you what you will be eligable for in 6 weeks when your car shows up.
If the dealer is clear and up front, it is a good sign, and probably worth doing business with, as he will be there for you in the future. I am willing to pay a little more for straight answers.
My question is focused on your statement: DaveSmithMotors is 500 under invoice for preorder, or 800 if on lot.
I would like to know if that price is before or after incentives and/or fees?
If it is before incentives then the final price will be much lower.
A few years ago, I purchased a new car at $1500 below invoice ($500 below the invoice price and $1K of factory incentives plus a factory backed discounted interest rate. (there were no ad-on/BS fees) The manufacture also extended the warranty to 100,000 miles at no charge to me or the dealership (the warranty really paid off for me)!
You need a below invoice car price, then minus the incentives (which could be cash or 0% or a combination of the two) Never hurts to have GM points or other credit card points.
Let's review the bidding:
A invoice or below invoice car price.
(-) incentives
(-) No BS Fees (Just padding for the dealership)
(-) GM Points or other certificates
That should be a fair deal! If you cannot get a deal like that they walk.
Good Luck!
You can call and get a free quote.
In addition, they are now one of the few dealers who have the Enclave up on thier web site, so they are preparing for delivery.
This was reported at the Minneapolis auto show
http://www.startribune.com/535/story/1044947.html
or
http://finance.comcast.net/www/news_body.html?ID_SUPPLIER_CATEGORY=18011&ID_NEWS- =43104119
Kelly
Acadia..not Arcadia.
Wait time right now is 6-10 weeks.
It's working: I hardly see any on the road!
Kidding aside, I don't think GM will need deep rebates to sell the Lambdas. Lots of press and activity on forums, and reviews look good. If people are willing to pounce on these, why not flood the market? Let's not forget that once the Veracruz, CX-9, Highlander, and Pilot get into full production, GM will have to fight a little harder to get customers' money. They have a lead right now, it'd be stupid to screw it up by limiting the number of vehicles out there.
Highs:
- Great engine.... smooth, powerful, quiet and get's decent gas mileage for a 4500lb CUV
- Manual Shift mode. I use this around town a lot and it really showcases how powerful the engine is and is easy to use.
- Exhaust note. Never expected this one but the dual exhaust sound very throaty, Cool bonus.
- Handling. Never in a million years did I imagine this huge CUV would drive like it does. It just amazes me.
- Roominess. This one needs no explanation.
- Stereo. I am impressed with the standard sound. I like loud quality music and for a std stereo this one is very good
- Quietness. Car is very quiet at speed. no tire or wind noise to speak of
- Quality. This will be tested over time but everything has a solid feel to it. The doors close with a solid thunk, the panels all line up nice, paint is top notch, the interior is nice and the wood trim seems like a nice touch to on a base model.
- Styling. This is subjective but I love the way it looks. I happen to think the new Acadia, Outlook and Enclave are the best looking new CUV's out there right now. Sort of combines the smooth lines of the Murano with the rugged stance of a bigger truck. That's my opinion of course.
Lows:
- Transmission. It just is not as smooth as it could have been. And yes, it has a lag. When you ask for a downshift sometimes you have to push the pedal way to far to get it. It also depends on what gear you are in. And in general it has to downshift too often to move it along at a good pace. It has gotten better or I have just learned how to work around it but I understand there is a SW fix in the works. It is certainly not as bad as some folks have stated.
- Stereo. The only problem is no multi-disc changer in the std stereo. BUT, it has an MP3 jack and a nice placeholder for my ZEN so I can listen to my music library.
- Mirrors. This is not really a low as I like the cool shape but beware the car wash. Make sure you fold then in before you go through as they stick out far. I already cracked the pass side mirror.
That's about it. Overall I am very happy with it so far. I also have a Caddy STS and a Lincoln Zephyr and I prefer to drive this. I do miss all the goodies some times (memory seats, heated seats etc.) but not too much. It is very good in the snow even with FWD. I guess because it's heavy but it was great in the snowstorm we just had here in NY.
GM has a winner on it's hands with the lambda's and if your in the market for this type of vehicle I would recommend a look at these.
GM has already issued a software fix for the shifting issue. People that have had it done seem pleased.
I believe the explanation because my friend knows that any untruths (and I am pretty good at discovering them) will cause me to go elsewhere.
Hope that helps.
The reason that worked is they produce below the expected demand. That builds a fervor in some people thinking if the car is hard to get it must be even more desirable.
I am offended by your posting the first part of your statement here to imply that GM cars being discussed as NOT desirable. I could mentioned problems with Hondas since 03 and before with transmissions and build/engineering quality on brakes, steering, body flex, rattles, but I won't and the same for Toyota's current problems with software for motors and transmission engineering and past problems with sludge and how all these were handled. But I won't mention those.
But in reality they have been successful with maintaining the image rather than losing it when typical problems hit through help of those who don't do research and through the media. But I believe now more people are aware the those companies actually represent nearer the mean than anyone would have believe three years ago.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Some people ordered the car in early January and took deliver last month so it appears thay have been taking orders (unless dealers found the 'ordered' car at another dealership and just traded for it) .
I have to agree about the logic of not adding a second shift.....they should get them out while the competition is weak. I have seen a lot of tv spots for the car but here in Los Angeles I think I have seen just two acadia's and one outlook on the street. When I get my car I will be looking forward to other driver's reactions. You often get it with a brand new model. I remember buying an explorer in 1990...people would stop me in gas stations to ask about the 'new' suv.
Honda has flooded the market with Accords/Civics/Pilots, yet resale value remains high, so the logic of trying to keep the car rare doesn't really apply. Good solid reviews are what keeps the entire fleet with high resale values, something that GM struggles with because of so many years of lukewarm reviews.
I think the Lambdas are a new start for GM, and starving the market just shows me that management doesn't seem to really believe in their product. GM could really build momentum off these CUVs, so it makes no sense to try to keep them rare.
I love the way people make assumptions on what GM Management is doing and then make assumptions from that on how GM does not believe in their vehicles.
1.) GM never said they were starving the market
You are very perceptive. You'll have to be careful; the trolls will start calling you a conspiracy theory believer.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Not sure what you mean. I didn't imply anything. I simply stated the obvious to that poster who always uses Honda or Toyota as examples to make his point about the new Lambdas Vehicles. I actually think they are nice looking vehicles. :shades:
Guess I should have been more eloquent in my response