Buick Rendezvous

denis9 · August 2001

Had this problem once. I had a hard time for about 30 seconds. I took the key out and back in a few times but I don't really know what fixed it. Please keep us updated.

Good luck and hope you like the Century

richardb6 · August 2001

Thanks for the reply. Dealer has ordered replacement parts - probably a broken tumbler. New issue: I come home and see about 15 feet of skid marks in my garage and out to my driveway. Apparently, the Buick flatbed tow driver dragged my RDV out of the garage with the wheels locked, and had to push it back in a few feet to straighten, before dragging it all the way out. I had called Roadside Assistance earlier and asked them to repair it in my garage, but they refused. Can the dragging cause any damage - other than to the tires? (I purchased a CXL).

john325 · August 2001

Just made it back from a week's trip in Yosemite. Not surprisingly, I did not see another RDV anwhere in sight. Lots of people's heads were turning to see the RDV though.

The power was, as bym likes to say, "adequate". I had 4 bikes on the back (attached to bike rack via tow hitch) and clothing items, sleeping bags,etc up on the roof, tied down w/ one of those spider-bungee cords. In the inside were my wife and 2 children; the back cargo area behind the 2nd row was filled up to the top of 2nd row seats (included golf clubs, food, etc..). So with a pretty full load, I had no trouble going up and down windy hills, nor accelerating on the freeways. I liked the steering as well as the braking of the RDV. My overall avg. mgp per computer is showing about 19 mpg.

rem933: thanks for that link to the RDV models; I'll have to order a couple for my kids.

mecsable: that accessory tool for the roof rack was in the cargo storage area in my RDV. I noticed you did not get the 3rd row seat, so perhaps that cargo bin doesn't exist in yours. btw, for those without sunroofs, I don't know of any reason to re-install the roof rack "stoppers". It obviously serves a purpose for sunroofs, but otherwise I think one can just leave them off.

Anyone notice a short operating distance for the remote control. It seems sometimes that beyond 6 or 8 cars distance and it doesn't transmit. I wonder if the batteries could be weak???

Fedlawman: sounds like you're off to a great trip. Looking forward to hearing your feedback, and that of your friends. I too was glad to see all the new posters to this forum. I do feel bad, however, for golddf and richardb6. Hopefully their problems are resolved soon.

R5: glad to see your post. 9'ers vs. Raiders this week. Will you be watching?

Go 9er's,
John B.

golddf · August 2001

I'm glad to see that so many of you are having good experiences with your new RDV's. Unfortunately, I can't say the same. My RDV has been in the shop almost the entire time I've owned it. I didn't even have the car long enough to get the seat adjusted to a comfortable position - it was towed to the dealership just three days after I bought it - with less than 300 miles on it. The service department has no idea what is wrong with the engine. They are waiting for direction from GM on how to fix it and they can't give me any idea of how long I'll be without my car. This dealership has sold 4 RDV's and two are in their service bay with the same problem. The dealership and GM customer service are not being very helpful at all. I don't even have a loaner car...good thing I still have a second car to drive. I'm beginning to think I should have waited the 4 months it would have taken to order the Acura MDX.

john325 · August 2001

golddf: your situation sure seems very, very unusual. I cannot imagine Onstar and/or the Buick Premium roadside service telling you to "drive your car" 50 miles with brakes & steering that do not work. I would think that that advice would be frought with legal problems for negligence if there had been an accident. If that were me & my family in the car, there's no way I would have driven it even 2 miles, with the condition you said it was in.

On the one occasion that I had to call OnStar (son locked keys in car) they were extremely accomodating to me. Although I was parked out in the boonies (sp?)(another camping trip), the Buick premium road side service was going to come out to help us as well.

Also, no loaner-car arrangements for you when you only have 300 miles on it! I think it would be a good thing for people in your area to know of the "dis-service" you're getting from your dealer. Tell us, if you would, who the dealer is & their location. This would obviously be a dealer that folks should avoid.

Hope your problems are resolved soon. Keep us posted.

golddf · August 2001

I'm located in New Jersey and the dealer is the Malouf Auto Group. I've purchased many cars in my lifetime, and this is hands down the worse car buying experience I've ever had. Even if I had not experienced the problems with the car, I would not be able to recommend the Malouf Auto Group to anyone. The enitire purchase experience was extremely painful. Unfortunately for me, they were the only dealership in the area with the RDV that was equiped the way I wanted it. And unfortunately for me, that dream car has turned out to be my worse nightmare!

3ms · August 2001

Just noticed in my Sunday paper that one of the local Buick dealerships, who had been advertising the RDV for MSRP, had an ad for a 2002 RDV CXL, leather, 6 CD, alloy wheels, 3rd seat, and more for $31,502 MSRP - on sale for $28,708. This is the first time I've seen or even heard of the RDV being advertised at a sale price.

This is the same dealership who had an ad a few weeks ago saying they had 5 RDVs in stock. When we drove past the dealership today after church, there was only one parked in front and one parked in back near the service entrance.

Too bad we're not at the point of purchasing a car....yet! :-)

mmeehan · August 2001

Well, my kids and I just got back from a 1500 mile trip to Atlanta and the RDV performed flawlessly. I'm just now catching up on all the posts and there seem to be quite a few more repair problems than when I left.

While we were away my dealership called to let me know that the tool to fix my problem is finally in. Now I should be able to get my Traction Control Problem fixed.

I averaged 22 MPG on the way to Atlanta (average speed of about 76 MPH) and 23 MPG on the way back (average speed about 72 MPH), pretty good considering we encountered a lot of hills, but our load was not all that heavy. I can't believe how smooth the RDV rides, and I got MANY looks from people passing me (or cars I was passing:). I did, however, only see ONE RDV on the whole trip. I guess they haven't caught on yet in my part of the country. Didn't have any problems passing, even at higher speeds.

Does anyone know if and when crash tests are planned (other than bumpers)?

90mercsable · August 2001

Still enjoying my first week with my RDV. I've only seen one other on the road so far.

1) Anyone try to re-set the TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR in the DIC? I toggled through the system and found all options EXCEPT "tire pressure". RDV orig had 30psi, dealer said "ok", but I changed to 35psi as indicated in car spec. I'm correct, right??

2) Also in DIC, does the outside temperature appear under the compass direction (as indicated in the manual)? I have the ouside temp in the comfort controls,does that delete the DIC indicator?

drew_ · August 2001

The IIHS 40mph offset crash test results are typically released about 1 month after the bumper tests. This would mean probably about 3-5 weeks from now.

Drew
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fedlawman · August 2001

Well, we had a great trip! The Rendezvous performed flawlessly.

I picked up my friends at the airport and stuffed and squeezed EVERY bag into the driver side 3rd row, and also got three bags behind the 3rd row (by moving the seatback to the more upright position). The RDV would not have taken another bag...but my friends hardly packed light!

There were several full-size rolling siutcases, a couple of standard suitcases, three back packs, and a couple of gym type duffle bags...definately a full load.

Once the bags were loaded, all six of us climbed into the remaining seats and we were just fine. The 3rd row passenger was probably the least comfortable because of the upright seating position, but she didn't complain.

Once we got to the hotel and unloaded our bags, the RDV was perfectly sized for hauling six adults in comfort around the island. None of my friends had ever seen or heard of the RDV before and they were all impressed with the room, comfort, and style.

We left it parked at the hotel for much of the trip as we mountain biked, kayaked, etc...but we did take a couple of trips to the woods. On Friday night, we went to a performance of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, which was located on a stage next to a farm house in the boonies. It was a great show and the gravel road and muddy dirt parking lot gave the RDV it's first "off pavement" excursion. It was hardly challenging, but who cares? Last night, we found out about a concert in the woods. We had to drive a twisty mountain road until we saw a mailbox with balloons on it, and turned left. Then, another muddy dirt road and a bumpy field to the parking area. As we were parking, one dreadlock bedecked fellow commented on my "Aztek". I let it go...this time.

All in all, it was a great weekend. We had a pod of Orca come within 10 feet of us while we were kayaking. We sat in the water for about 45 minutes and watched them in awe, despite the motorboats and harbor cruise ships that were harrassing them.

I found the RDV to deliver exactly what it promises. It handled a very respectable amount of people and cargo on this trip, and also proved to have satisfactory power, even when loaded. Also, the headlights are excellent on dark country roads. Their light is very clear, bright, and well focused.

BTW, 1300 miles and no problems. Still tight as a drum and still has the new car smell!

cwjacobsen · August 2001

Hi 90Mercsable: As far as I know, the tire inflation monitor is not yet available, nor do I know if Buick plans to offer a retrofit once it is available. I think you've assumed correctly about the outside temp guage that if you have the automatic climate control, it is displayed there rather than in the DIC.

Speaking of outside temperature, like many others I too have noticed an occasional unexplained swing of values in the display. But it always comes back and settles down to a decent approximation of the actual outside temp. I tend to agree with the individual who commented that inaccuracy is common in a guage like this. If you think about it, it can't be all that easy to completely isolate the sensor in a moving vehicle generating its own heat, constantly going from shade to sun, from high traffic to low, from hot blacktop to cooler concrete, from wind to calm, etc.

John B.: Thanks for the roadtrip report! You too Brian! I have also noticed that Gamera's keyfob transmitter is not the long distance champ. I've been trying to figure out whether this varies by angle, i.e. whether I'm in front, back, or to either side of Gamera when I depress the button, or how long I hold the button down, or whether there are clear lines of sight to Gamera, i.e.: intervening vehicles, or what, but no clear pattern has emerged.

As for those experiencing major problems with their Rendezvous, you do have my complete sympathy and if I knew anything that would help you I'd share it, but I'm no mechanic and have nothing with which to compare, so I just don't know what to say. I'm very sorry for your experiences.

CWJ

john325 · August 2001

mmeehan: glad to hear you had a great trip w/ your family. I'm curious. When you compute your mpg, are you using the DIC or are you computing it separately. My mpg on the DIC is showing about 19. Btw, we have about 3,500 miles on the RDV w/ no problems at all - it handles very well.

cwj: thanks for your post. Nice to see you on the forum again. re: the keyfob - My '99 Bonneville's range seems much, much greater that the RDV's. I don't recall what the manual said re: normal operating range, but I believe it was something like 30 feet. That would be kind of in-line w/ what I was experiencing up in Yosemite.

Brian: Glad to hear about your trip. The pod of Orca has to be a once in a lifetime! That's pretty cool. BTW, I had a good laugh when you said the young fellow called your RDV an Aztec. - - Did you have a tent hanging off the back? ha ha... Glad to hear your RDV performed "flawlessly".

islandpete1 · August 2001

richardb6 #1203 & denis9 #1204 , Just received a call from the wife. She was in the garage trying to start the car and the key would not turn. I told her to try turning the wheel, but it was locked and the key would not turn. All you could hear was the chiming of the key when you put it in the ignition. I told her to try the spare key and that did not work either. Finally as denis9 said it started. I had her shut it off and it started fine. Hope this is not something to worry about. I have had this problem on other cars and was always able to clear it by some hard turning of the wheel. Trouble is, most women do not have the strength to do this. Hope this does not turn out to be a major problem like yours richardb6. Up until this incident the RDV has been flawless (980mi).Anyone else having this problem?

mmeehan · August 2001

I am strictly using the DIC to computer MPG. I also reset it to 0 after I fill up each time as well as resetting gallons used. Keep in mind that my 22-23 MPG was strictly highway. When I do my normal around-town driving I'm getting around 19 also.

mmeehan · August 2001

For those of you who are discouraged by the stats released by IIHS, when you look at the data on all SUV's for 5 MPH bumper tests you can see that the RDV didn't fair as badly as many of the other SUV's. Check this link out to compare all

Notice the Mitsubishi Montero and Isuzu Trooper!!

cwjacobsen · August 2001

mmeehan: Sorry I forgot to say thank you for your report as well. The road trips are fun and I agree with you about the ride quality.

John B.: As for MPG, I've been logging both DIC and pump values, and have now filled up enough times to see a pattern emerge. Like mmeehan, I reset everything after each fill up. As would be expected, the data don't necessarily match on any one fill up, but over time I'd say the DIC is a reasonably accurate reflection of how much gas is being burned and average MPG. However, the really interesting thing is comparing the Trip Odometer to the miles traveled implied by the DIC. Every single time so far (2000+ miles), the DIC's fuel used times the MPG gives a number equal to 97% of the trip odometer reading. Now I have no idea whether the DIC miles are pessimistic or the odometer is optimistic, or both are wrong. But nonetheless that's what's come back each time so far.

CWJ

drew_ · August 2001

Here's a new topic that some of you may be interested in. Feel free to join in!
drew_ "Trips that I have taken in my SUV this summer" Aug 6, 2001 12:01am

Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

suvshopper4 · August 2001

A little help, please.
Edmunds shows the RDV as built in "USA", as does Carpoint and Intellichoice. Where in USA?
On some other site (not sure now which one - still looking) I saw it written that it is built in Mexico.
They are probably not built in 2 plants, being relatively low in sales volume.
Can one of you owners/leasers tell me what the door jamb plate and/or sticker says?
My brother is considering leasing one, and he is a union guy. It makes a difference to him.
Thanks.
ejp

john325 · August 2001

Relying on my memory, they are being built in "Los Alamos", Mexico. They are definitely being built in Mexico. I'm not sure if NAFTA has played a part in this, but I suspect so. Adios amigo.

dlh4 · August 2001

It seems only natural that more problems will arise for this vehicle as a perfect ride is not available anywhere. I have put on 600 miles in the 7 days I have owned my RDV (sorry no pet name yet) and have encountered no problems so far. I sympathise with those few who have had mechanical difficulties and hope they are resolved soon. Will be driving north to Chico CA this weekend for a professional soccer playoff match in which I will be one of the officials (Assistant Referee or Linesman to you old timers). It is about a 400 mile round trip so I will have put on 1000 miles in the first 10 days. I am averaging 19.8 mpg with about 60% freeway driving. I had the perma-plate finish put on the vehicle and it looks and feels great. It's expensive, but no waxing and the finish is protected for a guaranteed 7 years. See ya on the road.

john325 · August 2001

Correction on place in Mexico where RDV is being built. I had time to check, & found that it's the GM Ramos Arizpe facility in Mexico. I should have known that Los Alamos is in New Mexico. - That's what happens when you're a bit hasty. Apologies to you NM folks.

dlh4: Congratulations on your new RDV! Glad to hear your rdv is doing so well. You'll probably get the award for most miles in least # of days, although I think mmeehan put on a huge chunk in a short time as well. - Post a photo of your RDV if you get a chance. We can all check out that new protective coat.

Btw, what part of the bay area are you in? SF? I'm also going to be involved w/ Soccer, but at a slightly lower level. I'll be coaching 6 & 7 yr. old Boys for AYSO (San Bruno); we'll start practices next week. I'm looking forward to it. - Bring lots of water to Chico, I'm sure it'll be a scorcher.

spiritman1 · August 2001

Anyone know the price and details on this process?

Spiritman

suvshopper4 · August 2001

I've learned, thru john325's post #1225 above (thanks), and from a reply email from Buick, that the Rendezvous is built in Ramos, Mexico.
Why then is it shown as being assembled in USA here on edmunds.com when I research new vehicle info?
(In fairness, I've found that others, CarPoint and Intellichoice, show it as a USA vehicle as well.)
Thanks.
ejp

boondocks · August 2001

I did most of my research/dealer harassing in the late spring and early summer. Then I decided to wait until fall to purchase. So I haven't been near the dealership for over two months. So imagine my surprise when I stopped by last night and saw a row of *22* RDV's lined up in front of the dealership! And another inside! The sales guy said they were receiving the second largest allocation in the country. I was there to do a quick measurement on how far the 3rd seat was from the rear hatch, and once that was done, I strolled through and checked out just about every RDV color combination available. I wish I had my camera along. I just might have to go back over there with it in hand.

boondocks · August 2001

I also checked out carseat installation last night. Some of you had mentioned that the seat belts had the retracting lock so you wouldn't need to use a locking clip. Maybe I was missing something, but I couldn't get them to do it. They were anchored at the bottom, and I couldn't get the top to lock upon retraction. Is there a lever to flip somewhere, or a computer component to program? Do they work differently than mine? The ones I have, and all the ones I've seen, you just pull them all the way out and they click and lock when they retract.

dlh4 · August 2001

Hi spiritman, The cost of the perma-plate for the entire surface inside and out was $995, although with the GM employee discount it was $695. If you want just the outside surface done the price was $395. This is in the Nor Calif. area, so I'm not sure what your cost would be, but that should be in the ballpark.
Hi John325, As soon as I figure out how to download from my camera to the computer, then I will try my hand at posting a photo. As for location, I live in Fremont and referee anywhere in the United States concentrating mostly in the Western Region. For youth games mostly in Fremont and Newark, but usually U16 to U19 boys or girls. The Chico game is at 2:00 pm so yes it will be hot, I'm hydrating for that game already.

denis9 · August 2001

Has anyone heard a funny sound each time the motor revs up at aroung 1700 RPM? This is happening to me everytime I go very soft on the gas pedal like in heavy traffic. Also, one of the electric blower is making some noise. Not too impressive.

I'm going to have GM check this ASAP... I'll post the results probably next week.

fedlawman · August 2001

The shoulder straps do not "ratchet" to lock. The "lock" occurs at the place where the belt scrolls through the buckle. When the seatbelt is fastened, the angle of the buckle to the lap/shoulder belt causes the belt to "lock" in place. It is very secure.

I hope this makes sense.

Brian

spiritman1 · August 2001

Thanks David for the numbers....I stopped in my dealers today and was happy to hear that he had a copy of my invoice and that my RDV was on its way at last.....only I think it may be here 2 days after I leave upstate NY for a trip to Canada , on which I was hoping to take the new buggy.....oh well it may make it. It was shipped 8/6/01....wonder if it can make it to upstate NY by 8/20/01.

Anyone else have the permaplate? I called the dealer after I got the invoice today cause I walked out in a coma in the 102 degrees and he was talking about something they would run on the finish for $195 and do the rustproofing also for $395.....must be we were on different planets.

Spiritman

fedlawman · August 2001

My wife was backing out of the garage tonight and scraped the side of my company car with the side and corner of the rear bumper cover (thank goodness for the cladding...no body damage whatsoever).

It gouged the plastic pretty well and of course, took off some paint and left scuffs all over. Polishing compound mostly took care of the scuffs, so it doesn't look too bad...from a distance.

I guess I don't need to worry about fixing those paint chips on the hood anymore...it's a true family car now!

John, interested in some slightly used Klasse polish/wax and sealant? I guess I can use the drive-thru car wash from now on...I'm so relieved!

Brian

john325 · August 2001

How's that lyric go, "If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all." Well, don't give up. Hang in there tough; stay away from the shopping carts. Take care of the hood like we talked about. Then, if ever someone rear-ends you (softly) on that side of the bumper, voila, the bumper's fixed. Normally the odds wouldn't be too good of that happening, but the way things have been going, I don't know...

I haven't even opened my Klasse products yet. I've barely read the instructions. I hope things take a turn for the better.

r5: Are you still lurking? Raiders/9ers this weekend. Are you ready?

Go 9ers,
John B.

mmeehan · August 2001

To give the RDV the benefit of the doubt, I hope that when you measured the distance of the 3rd row to the tailgate, you had the 3rd row in the upright position. When you just normally put the 3rd row up, it will go into a sort of reclining position. Then, if you lift the latch a little on the back of the third row and move the back of the seat more vertical, the seatback will snap into a more upright position, which gives about 5-6 additional inches of space. It really does make a difference.

john325 · August 2001

Yes, mmeehan's point is a good one. That was originally mentioned by cwj, I believe, quite a while back on this forum. As he said back then, it's not mentioned anywhere in the manual, and he just stumbled upon it accidentally. And as mmeehan says, it does work, and it does make a difference.

Fedlawman had one of his passengers on his recent vacation in that back row in it's "straight-up" postition w/ travel bags filling the space between the 3rd row & the tailgate. He said his passenger did not complain at all.

I think cwj mentioned you can sandwich grocery bags between the 3rd row (in its upright position) & the tailgate, keeping them from rolling around. As we usually keep the 3rd row flat, we've used the cargo net a lot for that, but you can only fit so much in that net.

Boondocks, good luck on your purchase. Now that you've seen them all, let us know what color combo you're leaning towards.

boondocks · August 2001

Fedlawman - ahhh, yes, that makes perfect sense. Thanks for clarifying!

mmeehan - yup, thanks to this forum, I was able to show the salesman the upright position, and measured from there. Depending on how tall you are, you have 6 to 8 inches between the back of your head and the rear glass. It was not an uncomfortable seating position either, although the reclined position is more comfortable. I wanted to make sure that if I were ever rear-ended that any third row passengers that might be back there would have at least a little cushion.

john325 - I am leaning towards the black (the color of my current SUV) with greymist, or the pewter with greymist (which I think would go a long way towards hiding the dust from my dirt path of a road). I had also considered the red and dark blue, but the black and pewter are my favorites.

john325 · August 2001

I was just telling my daughter yesterday that the black RDV was the 1st one I've seen being driven by an owner on the road. I told her, & I agree w/ you, the Black looks very sharp. I'm not sure of how it shows dirt, etc..., but I know it's an exellent color. We went w/ the standard pewter & graymist; we're very happy with it.

spiritman1 · August 2001

How useful is the HUD? I'm assuming some of you lucky RDVers have this feature and I'm wondering how you like it? Is it helpful or annoying? Is the recessed hole that the display is mounted in a distraction on a sunny day when the dash is reflected on the winshield?

thanks

Spiritman

90mercsable · August 2001

Spiritman1:
I love the HUD on my RDV. I had test driven a model without it, and was surprised to see the box in front of the driver when I got mine. Yes- the box does reflect somewhat, BUT I can never see the speedometer on any car (always blocked by steering wheel), and this is just the greatest for me.

RDV owners with D-I-C,
Has anyone found the "tire pressure monitor" feature? This is the only function that I cannot locate with the MODE control. There was no indication in any Buick literature that this feature has "late availability".

Thanks for any help.

fedlawman · August 2001

The Rendezvous website states that the tire pressure monitor is subject to late availability. As I recall, the availability of the colour "silverleaf" also falls into this category.

I don't remember what the brochure indicates, but there is the waiver which states that Buick is not responsible for changes that occur after the brochure was published.

I'm pretty sure we early posters knew about the lack of availability of this feature for some time before the RDV was introduced.

Hope this helps.

Brian

bertoli · August 2001

denis9, check out post #1168 under this topic. I'd be interested to know if your noise is similar to what I was trying to describe.

Also, Brian...sorry to hear about your RDV's brush with your GOV. I'm dreading the inevitable day that our RDV gets it's 1st door ding, window crack, etc...

Tony

mmeehan · August 2001

After reading your post re: the engine noise at 1700 RPM I listened to mine and I have what sounds like sort of a "fluttering" at 1700. If you accelerate quickly through 1700 you don't hear it. If you linger at 1700 you hear it. I wouldn't have noticed it had it not been for your post as I usually have a CD playing. It doesn't sound like anything serious to me but I'm not a mechanic, but keep us posted after you have it checked out. Good luck.

P.S. Mine goes in on Monday to have my "service traction control" light fixed. The dealer finally called to let me know that the tool is in to fix it. Will let everyone know what the problem was after I know.

rkuehn · August 2001

The August 27 issue has an article by David Welch on GM's hiring of Bob Lutz. While addressing the need for better product for GM's "sagging divisions" he states "the Pontiac Aztek and Buick Rendezvous SUVs (have) bombed."

No arguments regarding the Pontiac, that's a known fact. But isn't it way too early to deem the Buick a "bomb"? Are results on it in yet? I suspect the writer was confused between the two and/or not a car guy, but who knows...

fedlawman · August 2001

I was shocked and dismayed to learn that David Welch says that the Rendezvous is a failure after only 2 months on the market. It is very compelling information considering it was published by Business Week magazine.

So compelling, in fact, that I took my Rendezvous out on an objective, grueling test drive tonight. You know what? He's right. I don't know how I could have missed it. I feel so ashamed. How could I have been so foolish? Mommy. Mommy?

islandpete1 · August 2001

Look for more critical comments from RDV naysayers. Thanks Fedlawman for David Welshs comments and your equally grueling ones :-). Just read "Newsdays" Tom Incantalupo and he tears into the "Lack of Power" for a 4000 lb vehicle and that the RDV is constantly searching for a lower gear when going up a hill. Has anyone found this un-normal for most cars? The tranny is just doing its job:-)Just got back from putting another 400Mi on the RDV and it is such a smoothy. Tom I. also claims that the rear end "Wallows".Not on my RDV:-)JD Powers gives it a good response rating and that we should have A pleasant driving experience owning one. Two quick comments I will have regarding the "185HP" . This car will never have a tranny problem due to an over torqued power plant and wait till the government starts penalizing the "Gas Guzzlers".;-)Enjoy the RDV folks. You all made a wise choice

drew_ · August 2001

Buick sold 2740 Rendezvous for the month of July, and so far (year to date - July, that is) has sold 6380 Rendezvous. Admittedly, the monthly figures are quite a bit less than the vehicles that GM considers the Rendezvous a competitor to, such as the MB M-class (3870 for July), and the Lexus RX300 (6008 for July).

Pontiac dealers managed to sell only 1682 Aztek's for July.

Drew
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mfarmer2 · August 2001

Let's not forget, the economy has been in a down slope for the last several months, and vehicle sales in July were down for most all makes. Aside from that all that, owning a car has never been a popularity contest for me and my husband.

We test drove the Rendezvous a couple days ago, and we like it based on the features it offers. In addition, we've never considered a Buick till now. So I think Buicks efforts to attract new buyers, with this model, must be working to a certain extent. I'm also here to say that I posted a message about price in another Rendezvous discussion, and would be interested in any feedback. Thanks ahead of time. :-)

Mary

bporter1 · August 2001

I have read every post with great interest. I do not own an RDV but I do own a Buick. I am 30 years old and drive a 99 Regal. Now back to the topic. To me it seems that the RDV is underpowered and maybe a lttle overpriced. Everyone has their opinons about the engine power and honestly I have not driven one, but when the primary competition all have engines with at least 200hp and OHCs, the RDV is already behind. Another thing is the standard equipment available is pathetic.On a CX you cannot get heated power mirrors, traction control on FWD models,a tire inflation monitor, and dual zone climate control. Yet on a Buick Century these items are standard or an option. But Buick wants to make everyone pay for a CXL and the average price is around 32kThe RDV sounds like it is great and so far very little complaints about it but I think Buick did not do their homework very well. I hope for Buick/GM the RDV is not a bomb, they could use a hit but so far here in Central New Jersey I have only seen three.

90mercsable · August 2001

You're right Pete. These auto writers must be frustrated Indy 500 wannabees. I assume you also live on LI. Where are we going to go so FAST?? To the next in an endless series of traffic lights on Sunrise Hwy? To the next of hundreds of Stop Signs in our neighborhoods?

This RDV is a truly nice car for very pleasant,modern, quiet, driving experience. The NEWSDAY article is not really bad. There are many superlatives in it, he just took the power issue, and blew it WAY out of proportion.

Everyone I've shown it to was STUNNED that it was a Buick,loved it, and was quite unaware that it even existed. Maybe those artsy commercials that don't even show the car until the last 10 seconds, should be junked. Just SHOW the car already, and not only on golf tournament shows.

"Out of it's depth on the interstate"? The Long Island Expressway? At 3 a.m.? Isn't the speed limit 55mph?

I hope these writers don't doom this car before REAL drivers get a chance to drive it!

mfarmer2 · August 2001

No it won't leap tall buildings, but the power is more than adequate. Is it because gas prices have temporarily fallen that people are now back to the old HP debate? Once gas prices start rising again, and they will, people will appreciate the small sacrifice in HP for the better gas mileage (19/26). In this area, the Rendezvous beats all it's competitors. :-)

Mary

fedlawman · August 2001

I have not read the article so I was unaware that the RDV was described as "out of it's depth on the interstate."

I'm sorry, SUV's are not drag racers. Test numbers clearly show that the RDV is completely average in 0-60 and 1/4 mile acceleration...mid-pack with V6 SUV's and minivans. In the real world, the difference in performance between any of these vehicles, including the RDV, becomes insignificant. Just how noticeable is 0.4 seconds?

Anyway, here is a little anecdote for you all...please do not try this at home. Two days ago, as I was coming home from Ft. Lewis, I saw an Acura MDX merge onto the freeway behind me. I watched casually as he wove through traffic, obviously in a hurry. As is usual with a**hole drivers, he tailgated me for a while and tried to pass me on the right a couple of times, always getting stuck behind another car and slipping back behind me. Well, to make a long story short, he finally passed me when traffic cleared north of Tacoma, so I decided to play with him a little bit. We both were single occupants and I was curious how my 185 hp would do vs. his 240 hp. I found out. Although he was definately quicker than me, he wasn't able to run from me...or even walk from me. It was more like an inch-by-inch crawl away from me. Whenever traffic cleared in front of him, we'd both accelerate at full throttle through the gap. Every time we did it, I saw him watching me in his rearview mirror as he gained those precious inches on me...one inch at a time.

My point? If you think the RDV is underpowered by SUV standards, you better get a V8 because nothing else is significantly better.

Buick Rendezvous

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