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Buick Rendezvous

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Comments

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,284
    Today, parked out back at the local dealer, interestingly, nose-to-tail with an Aztek. It looks much better than the Pontiac of course, but I didn't realize how different the roofline is. It still looks bulky in the rear end but it's acceptable.

    This was a CX and looked OK except for 2 things that turned me off. The color was that nondescript metallic beige (pewter? sanddrift?) that every second car seems to be painted these days and did nothing for me. A personal opinion of course and easily overcome with other choices. The CX interior (this one was tan) has fairly unattractive fabric patterns on the front seats which would be enough to cause me to upgrade to leather to avoid. Other than that, a good-looking vehicle, though the Buick trishield emblem on the front grille needs some color.

    BTW, this one has non-chromed alloy wheels with Firestone tires.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • swencelswencel Member Posts: 4
    Rad1er5; I must admit that you had me completely sucked in as well. I was flabbergasted that your wife hated it so much, because my wife loves it. Great prank! I am very happy you both like the RDV. I am sure we will feel the same way when we get ours.

    Sucked all the way in,
    SW
  • john325john325 Member Posts: 237
    tth rrrrrss rrr ackkkk! Wait, let me get the hook out of my mouth. There, that's better. The Raiders are back, the Raiders are back!!!

    Well, that was a pretty good one! I just couldn't believe it. At dinner last night, I was telling my wife about your woeful tale. I was thinking I was going to have to definitely get rid of the AWD for the sake of power and defitinitely stay away from the beige interior since your wife HATED it. But now, my worries have ceased. I too will get the CXL w/1SD, and with the gray (non-color) interior.

    Did you have any luck w/the replica. Be honest now. No screwing around. We're wise to you now.

    btw: I was surprised you didn't hook more folks as well.

    Congratulations Silver & Black!

    John B.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    What can I say that hasn't already been said? I'm glad you're still with us and impressed that you got the best of a (trained?) federal investigator.

    Go Mariners.
  • ra1der5ra1der5 Member Posts: 86
    Fed,

    As an auditor who also does investigations (more fraud than anything else) I know those interrogation techniques don't work as well when you can't look the suspect in the eye. Just goes to show you, you can't believe everything you read on the Internet!

    Glad to be here also. If I remember correctly, you ordered around the same time I did. Any word on your vehicle?

    Go (Texas) Rangers!

    R5
  • ra1der5ra1der5 Member Posts: 86
    We have discussed the replica with the dealer a couple of times. It appears that, there was a limited number of replicas made. When the dealers received the RDV pre-sell information, the received one replica with it. They were told they could participate in the replica program at their discression but what they needed to do was order the replicas at that time.

    Unfortunately, although our dealer had seen the pre-sell "game", trading cards, etc., they didn't really pay attention to it. Indeed, we knew more about the program and the RDV than they did... but that was the same at each dealership.

    Bottom line, we don't have a replica. The dealer said they would do everything they could to get one for us, but I'm not holding my breath. No big deal... We've got the real thing.

    R5

    RE: Scotts Valley... I grew up here and went to school at Scotts Valley junior high and Harbor High. If your friends grew up here and have lived in Scotts Valley, chances are I might know them.
  • bertolibertoli Member Posts: 49
    You almost had my wife going out to take another close look at our RDV to see if she could find fault with it...whew.

    You was suckered me too, so that bewteen Fed and I that makes two feds you got, but I'm glad to hear you both are happy with the RDV.

    Brian - On an off topic note, it looks like Customs may getting one of your former Administrators, (Robert Bonner), as our new Commisioner. Care to offer an opinion of him..;).

    Tony
  • btate2002btate2002 Member Posts: 64
    The Olds $1000 is good on any new GM car/truck/whatever, not just Buicks. My mom has the certificate and I plan on using it soon (Not on a RDV, a truck). It was supposedly their way of making up to all the Olds owners for ditching the brand. It will help me out though!!
  • john325john325 Member Posts: 237
    btate2000: are the Oldsmobile coupons transferable; can you buy in your name if they were issued to someone else? Just curious...

    r5: My buddy & I acually went to school together in San Mateo County; he had lived up in Bonny Doon (Off Empire Grade) for lots of years. About 2 yrs ago, he mved down to S.V.; incidentally, he just built/is building S.V. High School. BTW, I may be coming down in the next week or so to order the RDV in Capitola. Just waiting to see what stock becomes available...

    John B.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    bertoli - I didn't know Bonner was coming your way, in fact I though he had retired. Anyway, he was a little before my time but I have heard only good things about him. He has a great reputation and is well remembered by agents in the field.

    ra1der5 - I know that you lied and there is no reason to debate that matter further. You know, lying doesn't make you a bad person, I think you simply used some poor judgement. I really do understand why you lied to us. Heck, we've all made mistakes at some point in our lives. The point is to learn from those mistakes and move forward with our lives. Why don't we talk about what happened and work this whole thing out. You do want to work this out, don't you?

    P.S. I did order at the same time and then re-ordered after my wife saw the oak interior. My "1st" RDV was built last week and is on a truck to Seattle as we speak. My "new" RDV order went in last week so, I have a bit of a wait.

    Regards,

    Brian
  • ra1der5ra1der5 Member Posts: 86
    Yea... I lied. But you're right. I'm really not a bad person. It was my wife. She's the real criminal here. I'm the victim! I'm glad you understand.

    She liked the car, and I did too. But she HAD to have that leather! Of course, at the time, the leather on the CX package wasn't an option. Oh, we looked at after-market leather and all that... but when it came to the final decision, she just HAD to have her way. It's all about her! What about me? What about what I want. The RDV over the Venture/Montana/Siloette... the leather over the cloth... who did all the research? Who did the negotiating? Who made the calls to the Buick hotline? So I slandered her! Five... six... seven times. I don't recall... it was a crazy day. Can I have a glass of water?

    Fed - You're good. That was the funniest thing I've read on this board since I started posting.

    Now I remember about your re-order. Well, at least you can rack up those GMCard earnings.

    R5
  • tpkentpken Member Posts: 1,108
    This is very entertaining for us civilians here - even us non RDV guys! Where else can you go to discuss every guy's (second most) favorite subject, have a little fun at one's wife's expense, have a go with the Feds over this or that and all for free!

    Makes me want to go out and buy an RDV!

    Ken
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    Touche. You responded just like a character on NYPD Blue after Sipowitz gave him the once over. Hilarious!

    I am indeed racking up some GM Card earnings (COSTCO only sells so much, however), but I would rather be driving my (wife's) RDV right now!

    We're planning a camping/whale watching weekend trip to the San Juan Isls. in August with a few friends. I'm really hoping we have it by then. Great road trip for the RDV!
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    You too can become a "RDV guy" in just four easy steps:

    1) Order a RDV without the benefit of either seeing or driving it first.

    2) Frequently visit every Buick dealer within a 50 mile radius until they laugh at you when you pull into their lot.

    3) Sign up for my new and improved RDV Self-Study Correspondance Course where you will learn to ask important questions like, "Is the self-deploying integral mirror globe included in the 13RWZ3-15 Disco Inferno Package?"

    4) Ignore your wife for weeks as you hang out here, with us.

    What are you waiting for? Act now!
  • cwjacobsencwjacobsen Member Posts: 293
    Ignore this topic for a day and look what happens.

    R5 - Was I suckered? If by that did I believe you? Of course. Was I surprised? No. But now you've got to ask yourself why everyone was so willing to believe that you'd blow off the Rendezvous. Hmmm?

    By the way, "Gammera" arrived yesterday evening. I'm picking him up Monday evening and will give an update then. In the meantime. Yes, he has the chrome rims and Uniroyal tires. And yes, Sedona Bronze with Dark Bronzemist trim and Oak interior is very uptown and nothing short of spectacular. I'm so glad everyone else is staying away from this combo since that makes Gammera the truly unique vehicle he deserves to be.

    CWJ

    P.S.: I still don't get this "orange" business that keeps popping up whenever the oak interior is mentioned. For goodness sake, throw a basketball in there for comparison and THEN tell me the interior's orange.

    P.P.S.: Go Packers!
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    It came, it came! Congrats CWJ. I hope you'll give us your full report soon. You are among the most well spoken of the group and I am anxious to read your observations.

    Are you owners now going to create a RDV owners club and make me stand on the sidelines for 2 months? I hope you can wait for me.

    Brian

    P.S. I don't think it IS orange, I said the pillars appear to have an orange hue as they approach the roof and the steering wheel is a mustard-like colour. Personally, I think the interior would look better if the steering wheel was the same colour as the dashboard. My wife probably would have gone for it. Oh well, we are happy with our choice and you should be too, as I know you are.
  • ra1der5ra1der5 Member Posts: 86
    Oops... I mean... Congrats! As I see your post, it reminded me that you ordered about the same time I did. I'm glad you're satisfied with the color combination. We certainly like ours! I wonder if the Chrome wheels have anything to do with getting the Uniroyals.

    Funny thing about the Internet... everyone believes what they read. Especially when the topic involves whether or not to spend $30K. There's no reason for us all NOT to be suckered in. But when you look at the alternatives, I really feel the RDV gives us the best of several worlds (minivan, SUV, sedan) and a good bang for the buck.

    Man am I glad our deal with the Venture fell through last year... I'd be kicking myself!

    R5
  • cwjacobsencwjacobsen Member Posts: 293
    I'm not surprised that you two were the first to offer Conga Rats (BTW, these are quite tasty prepared tempura style). However, I've not yet picked up the vehicle, so let's hold off on congratulations until the deed is done. Thank you guys nonetheless.

    And of course, I'll stick with this board to give updates as time goes on.

    Brian, I do remember you backing off the "orange" observation. All I'm trying to do is kill this "orange" business in its infancy before it takes on a life of its own like the "I wish it had more power" comment that seems to haunt nearly every new vehicle introduction. It seems that as long as a company has a bigger engine in its lineup, there will always be someone who will say that that was the engine they should have used. I'll live with the "mustard" comments (while not necessarily embracing them) because there's some basis in fact for those.

    I see that R5 seemed so surprised that he forgot his "Go Raiders" in the last post. I'll lend him one of mine.

    Ahem, Go Raiders!

    CWJ

    P.S.: Go Packers!!
  • john325john325 Member Posts: 237
    cwj: your color scheme sounds sharp (Sedona Bronze & Dark Bronzemist). It's the most unique one we've heard about at this forum. I look forward to your "on-the-road" report.

    As for the "shade-of-beige" leather, it seems that Buick is installing a shade somewhat different than what most folks are accustomed to seeing in car interiors. I normally would have gone for beige in a New-York-minute, but now I'll have to hold-off 'til I actually see it in person.

    As for the power issue, while most folks here at this forum have decided that the power will be "adequate" w/ the RDV, it seems inevitable that next year's model will offer a larger engine. As I mentioned sometime back, even gmdrone, a GM engineer for RDV (post #31), had mentioned that he would have gone w/ a larger engine, had it been up to him. To say that the "power-issue" is a "non-issue" is to downplay a real concern among many consumers/engineers. Just my opinion...

    r5: I saw a White CX w/ the SD Pkg. at a local dealership last night. It had the Uniroyal Tires. On the spec sheet, it listed "Touring Radials". I believe that is the item one needs to have to insure the Uniroyals. The CXL offers the "touring radials" w/ the SE pkg. I don't believe it comes on the CXL w/ SD.

    BTW r5, now that you're probably an expert on programing the many components of the RDV, do you know if you can ever turn-off the "rear-parking- assist". I realize that might defeat the safety aspect of it, but I'm just wondering... Thanks.

    John B.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    Wise observations. I agree that Buick will probably offer a larger engine next year. Likely candidates are the 3.8L or more likely, the 3.5L. I think the 3.5L would be more desireable to consumers and it will be on the market longer (I question how much longer the 3.8L will be in use).

    I figure Buick went with the 3.4L because they didn't want the added time and expense to adapt the existing minivan platform to a new engine. It probably would have added thousands of dollars to the sticker price and delayed introduction. Not to mention the difficulty with production on the assembly line.

    I admit I will probably be a little jealous of folks that get the RDV next year with a larger motor but, the 3.4L is just fine and besides, my wife will drive it 80% of the time. If I get shut down at the stoplight too often, I'll just use the upcoming 12 months to save for a supercharger. Come to think of it, the rear storage compartment is just the right size to hold a bottle of NO2. Hmmm.

    P.S. You can turn off the rear park assist with a toggle switch located among a row of switches below the climate control panel.
  • btate2002btate2002 Member Posts: 64
    They are only transferable to ppl that live at the same household/address.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    The 3.5L is toast within the next 2 years. Oldsmobile Intrigue and Aurora are the only 2 cars that have it and apparently is an expensive engine to make. GM killed it last month. It will run until the Intrigue dies in 2003. I suspect only 4.0 Auroras will be available come 2004. Sad because I have an Intrigue and it's a fantastic engine.

    raider5 : Totally had me going also. Congrats on the Rendezvous!! They still have none at the local Buick store. Seems to have about 5 of the 2002 Envoys though. Nice truck, but I can't afford one nor the gas it would consume.
  • bymclaughbymclaugh Member Posts: 103
    Well, R5, I can say you suckered me too! Told my wife the whole story and now had to recant it all. You're just a bad little boy! (and I'm just a sucker!)

    But I'm gald ya like it. I know we both like it a lot as well. And the backup assist is pretty cool too. We showed that to the In-laws a while ago and they were just flabbergasted that the vehicle could do that. I guess I just take some of this for granted since I work in the industry, as I don't think I had ever even mentioned it here. Anyhow, congrats, and don't ever do that again! :)

    BY
  • bymclaughbymclaugh Member Posts: 103
    Well, let me just offer my congratulations as well on your new arrival! I actually saw your color combo Friday in a parking lot at the Milford Proving Ground, and while I'm not a big fan of the color Brown, I did think it looked nice, esp with the Bronzemist lower. However, my friend went over and looked inside it and saw the Oak interior and said "Eww, Mustard!". So there's another vote against. I, however, didn't have any problems with it, although I would have liked to open her up and check it out closer. All in all, I like the Grey better, but I don't dislike the Oak. Maybe you can take some pics for us so we can all see the new baby! :)

    And I'm glad to see you got the Chrome and the Uniroyals, although, I have to ask you if you can hear the booming noise inside as well, esp on things like concrete. I finally got a chance to drive our RDV again this weekend (my first time in about 2 weeks to drive it), and I still heard the noise, although it didn't seem as bad. My drive was a bit short however, so I didn't get a chance to drive on a lot of different road types. Perhaps the noise is related somewhat to the tires, and maybe now they're getting broken in enough that the noise is lessening. I'd really have to drive it more than 10 miles, however, to fully be able to evaluate it. Maybe I'll drive it in to work one day this week and try it out some more. (Anybody else with the Uniroyals hearing the same noise, or anyone with the Firestones?)

    Oh, and BTW, for everybody who got their RDV in April, we should feel pretty lucky. According to sales figures from GM, only 36 RDVs were sold in April. That's an average of 0.72 RDVs per state (including Alaska and Hawaii, of course). Wish I had known we were that lucky, maybe I would've played the lotto! :)

    Congrats again!

    BY
  • tpkentpken Member Posts: 1,108
    Your comment #4 about being in trouble with one's wife over Forum time vs spousal time hits VERY close to home!!!

    I got the lecture just last week about my Bonneville buddies getting more face time than her. In fact, I invited one of the SSEi guys over for dinner last week - figured it was a good way to keep up the Bonneville chat and include her at the same time. Her enthusiasm was somewhat more muted than mine although she did not object to the idea.

    About getting an RDV - I've got to try one out someday - but the Suburban will not be going away anytime soon.

    Ken
  • john325john325 Member Posts: 237
    I'm not sure I can qualify; I meet criteria 2-4 w/ no problem, but since I haven't orderded my RDV yet, and have test driven twice, I can't pass item #1 criteria. I could always lie, like R5, and deny my transgressions. No my wife wouldn't like that. Perhaps I can be "grandfathered-in" since I've asked so many crazy questions here ...

    tpken: what's the Bonneville site you're at? I assume it's here at Edmunds. I have a '99 Bonneville, but not the SSEi; I'd be curious to see what issues are coming up.

    Another question: What's the benefit of "traction control" on a FWD? How does it work? I know it doesn't come on the AWD, perhaps because it becomes a moot point. The AWD, I would assume, is always controlling traction. Thanks for any info.

    John B.
  • ra1der5ra1der5 Member Posts: 86
    By,

    How can I send you pictures? We don't have a digital camera or scanner... but we do have a digital video camera. I would like to share our color combo with the rest of the users. Can I send you some pictures in the mail? If so, please email me at:

    Ra1der5@hotmail.com

    Go Raiders! (How's THAT... Cheese Head! er... CWJ!)

    R5
  • tpkentpken Member Posts: 1,108
    John - yes, we are here in Edmunds Sedans category under "Bonneville" Forum and have had a Bonneville Owners Club there as well in which we keep photos and have the maintenance and modification boards too. Stop by for a visit and say Hi sometime.

    You guys here in RDV land might want to try an owners forum eventually. It has worked out well for us. We have even had one Bonneville meet already this year (in NJ) and may have more coming.

    Best to all you RDVers

    Ken
  • bymclaughbymclaugh Member Posts: 103
    John,

    You are right that the traction control is not necessary on AWD, as the AWD detects slip on the front wheels and then transfers power to the back wheels in order to increase the traction and get ya going. With FWD, of course, you don't have that option. In this case, the CPU then looks for front wheel slippage ( essentially by determining the speed of the wheels and comparing it to vehicle speed. If the wheels are moving but the vehicle isn't, you've got slippage). When slippage is detected, there are several options for reducing slippage. The CPU can pulse the brakes, much like when the ABS does, therefore slowing down the wheels, and increasing traction. Or the CPU can reduce engine power, thereby reducing the wheel speed, and increasing traction. Or the CPU can do a combination of both, which is really the most effective method. Personally, I'm not sure what type of traction control scheme the RDV uses, but my Bonneville has traction control, and while it doesn't eliminate wheel spin, it really helps, especially in the winter or when trying to get going on a gravel road.

    Hope that helps!

    BY
  • bymclaughbymclaugh Member Posts: 103
    You said you have a Bonneville owners club, and you mentioned that you keep pictures, etc there. Does Edmunds have a space for posting pictures, or do you keep the pics elsewhere? (or are they just posted in the thread of messages?). Kind of curious, as I have no problem hosting pics on my site, but if Edmunds has an area for it, that might be more convenient.

    Thanks,

    BY
  • tpkentpken Member Posts: 1,108
    Pics need to be maintained at a site like Yahoo that can be referenced by the URL string into the posting on Edmunds. If you go to Bonneville Owners Photo Gallery you will see that there is a reference to the linked site. Posting #1 at our Photo Gallery forum describes how to post pics.

    Ken
  • john325john325 Member Posts: 237
    by: Thanks for the explanation on traction control; that was real helpful.

    tpken: & thanks to you for the Bonneville info. I'll stop over & say hi and see what useful information I can glean from you Bonneville folks. Who knows, we might even see BY over there too, seeing he has a Bonneville as well.

    John B.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Here's the way to the Bonneville Owner's Club message board.

    Picture posting info can be found in Town Hall Help on the left navigation bar link.

    Steve
    Host
    Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • cwjacobsencwjacobsen Member Posts: 293
    Picked up Gammera tonight. It was interesting. There were some outstanding issues and a last miniute attempt to change the price, but the former were resolved and the latter was successfully resisted. The upshot was that Gammera cost LESS than dealer invoice without benefit of GMO, card points, rebates, or anything.

    I was so busy picking this vehicle solely because it was the right one for us, that I had not considered the novelty factor. My wife Laurie followed me the twenty miles from the dealership to the restaurant where we had dinner tonight and told me that she caught a number of drivers coming the other direction checking out Gammera as I drove by. We had a window seat at the restaurant, and sure enough, it seemed every other head was on a swivel as people caught sight of Gammera while coming in or going out. BY, Buzzbo, First in Austin, Tony, and R5. Any of you noticing this behavior with your Rendezvous's? Jaguars are pretty rare in deepest darkest Indiana, but neither of my Cats ever received as much attention as has Gammera in one evening.

    Laurie really liked all the bells and whistles that our salesman demonstrated while we waited for the On-star guy to finish registering us while we were on-line. One of the (few) cool things about being middle aged is that things like On-star are still magic to me. Never lose the capacity to be captivated by wonder.

    Cool things. The heads up display is adjustable up and down on the windshield as well as for brightness and override. The memory feature adjusts far more things for each driver than I thought it would. Things like your radio volume and pre-sets as well as seat and mirrors. The captain's chairs have met with mixed reviews on this board, but we love them. They are more comfortable and supportive than the split bench seat. They are easy to get around to gain access to the third row, and I found the third row far less claustrophobic with the captain's chairs than with the split bench second row.

    I'm sure I'll notice many other new things after my first full day with the vehicle tomorrow.

    BY, I'll keep looking for it. But I've not yet noticed any noise, vibration or booming coming from the Uniroyals.

    CWJ
  • john325john325 Member Posts: 237
    cwj: Conga Rats are definitely in order! It's amazing that the RVD is turning more heads than your jags. That must have made you and your wife feel real good. - The "memory feature" on the RDV is sounding cooler all the time - my wife can have her "Dr. Laura" program & whatever else on her pre-programed stations and I can have my news &/or music programs on mine; that's too cool.

    Let us know what happened re: the changing of price issue. Also, how did they come to not use your GMO, card points, or rebate? It would be interesting to hear about.

    r5: I see the Raider-rats picked up one of the 9er's all time greats today: Jerry Rice; We'll miss him. Hopefully he does well for you guys.

    Go 9'ers!
    John B.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    To add to what Steve has mentioned, Instructions for embedding pictures can be found in the Town Hall help. Please also have a look at this post: KarenS "MB M-Class Owners: Photo Gallery" Jan 29, 2001 12:28pm

    Please limit your image size about 640X480 to prevent the pictures from messing up the page width. Also, please post no more than 4 or 5 images in one messages so that other participants still using dial-up connections won't have to wait a long time to load this page just to read the new messages.

    Finally posting copyrighted images is a no-no, so please watch out for that. You can however provide a URL to the image(s).

    I hope this helps!

    Drew
    Host
    Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
  • ra1der5ra1der5 Member Posts: 86
    Ohhh Yea CWJ... Heads ARE turning!

    We dropped the "Red Bret" off at the Chevy dealership to get a smog check. My wife followed me in the RDV and waited while I filled out the paperwork. As we were leaving, a lot of the sellers were staring at the car as if to say "Man! I wish Chevy had something like that!" Then as we were driving home on the freeway I noticed a couple people staring at the car... NO REALLY! IT'S TRUE!

    We really haven't driven it much however, that will change in days to come. The "Red Bret" is sold... that took all of five days!

    Again, "conga rats" on the purchase. The RDV I test drove before purchasing mine had the HUD and I found it to be pretty cool also... not something we needed, but pretty cool. How do you like it while driving at night?

    I do wish we ordered the memory seats. I knew it controlled the mirrors (inside & out) but had no idea it also would allow for different pre-sets on the radio and controlled the volume... that's too cool.

    Raider Regards,

    R5
  • bymclaughbymclaugh Member Posts: 103
    Oh, yeah, I notice people turning their heads watching this vehicle, more so when the wife is driving and I can look around a bit more. Like the time when we passed two guys near the side of the road working on a tractor, they both stopped and just stared at the vehicle for several seconds, their heads turning to watch it as we drove away. Even noticed a few people doing the ole double take, first they just glance at it as if its just another car on the road, then their head whips back around to take a closer look as they drive by. Kinda fun to see that. :)

    And as for the memory seats and mirrors, they are pretty much a necessity for us, as my wife is about a foot shorter than I am and I typically can't even get in the drivers seat after her without cranking it all the way back. With the memory seats, I can just press the button and the seats, mirrors, radio all go to my settings. The only thing that you can't program in that I wish you could would be the up/down position of the HUD. Since my wife is so much shorter, I can't even see the HUD when I get in after her, so half the time I'm driving down the road before I remember to lower it into my field of view. A minor inconvenience, but I still think its something they should be able to automate.

    Anyhow, CWJ, congrats on your purchase, and you better not come back in two days and tell us you were kidding and that you never did get the RDV, like some other scoundrel on this board. :)

    BY
  • ra1der5ra1der5 Member Posts: 86
    As a Raider fan, I represent that remark!

    I'm surprised, actually very surprised that they didn't program the HUD with the memory seats. I would bet that people would rather that they program the HUD than the radio. Go figure.

    First "Bad Boy" and now "Scoundrel". I'm beginning to have an identity crisis.

    Go Lions! (Not!)

    R5
  • bertolibertoli Member Posts: 49
    In sunny, that is when the brush fires aren't a blazing, Fort Myers, FL, we seem to have the only RDV on the road at the moment. The local Buick dealership has only recieved a single CX, Opal Blue, so far and it's still on the lot.

    We've had quite a few looks at the RDV, which is only normal I guess, what I'm curious to know is what the their take on the RDV is...no one has stopped the wife or I in a parking lot and commented on it yet.

    All in all, we're very happy with the RDV, our other vehicle is an RX 300, and at the moment I like them both equally.

    CWJ, I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying your RDV, I'm also curious as to why the dealer tried to change the price on you at the last minute...
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    Tony, now that you live with both, I'd like to hear your opinion of the RDV vs. the RX in terms of quality, ride, comfort, etc.

    Also, do you plan on keeping the RX for a while or is it too similar to the RDV in concept. When I replace my Accord down the road, I think I might get something of a completely different purpose than the RDV. My wife wants a rag top Saab (I prefer the BMW).
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    My local dealer finally got their first 2 RDV's this week. The one I saw was Pewter/Greymist (of course) with luxury pkg and moonroof. The other is Red/Greymist, but I didn't see it.

    The moonroof is nice! And yes, the chrome wheels had Uniroyals.

    BTW, I saw all manner of anchor points and hooks in the back rows and I'm wondering what purpose they serve. Are they related to the child seat anchors? And what about the straps located on each side of the 3rd row seatback?

    Brian
  • cwjacobsencwjacobsen Member Posts: 293
    Dear Brian,

    I was all ready to respond to all the other posts that have appeared since I took delivery of Gammera, and then you post this poser.

    You sent me scurrying to my owner's manual and I found out that my salesman was NOT blowing smoke when he said these third row straps were there for you to use to pull the seat up into its up position from its down position. So flip the switch to drop it down and pull the strap(s) to to bring it up. You and I can be forgiven for thinking there was some other purpose given that these straps (including clips no less?) seem far more elaborate than what's necessary to pull up the "stowable seat" as its called in the owner's manual. However, there are stitched in pockets on both sides of the "stowable seat" for you to hide these straps when not in use so they are not flopping or rattling around. Yet another nice design touch that would have been SO easy to have blown off for cost or "could care less" reasons. I really am quite impressed with the degree this vehicle has been thought through before production.

    As far as all the other anchors are concerned, it would appear that you're right that these are all there to cover seemingly every conceivable child seat option there is. Brian, when your personal Gammera arrives you'll discover that no less than the first 80 (yes that's right) EIGHTY pages of your owner's manual is devoted to "seats and restraint systems." You get the idea.

    Now as far as Laurie and I are concerned, they should have had a DINK version of the manual (dual income no kids) so we could figure out which of those 80 pages pertained to us and which were for those of you maintaining the future of the species. If they can swing a French Canadian version of the manual (yes they DO have one), then they could have at least thrown us childless couples a bone.

    Tongue thoroughly in cheek.

    Go Packers!!

    CWJ
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    Sacre bleu!
  • cwjacobsencwjacobsen Member Posts: 293
    "Le livre en francais Canadiens." Don't know how this might differ from the Paris version, but the owner's manual is quite specific that this particular version is specifcally for our Canadian friends. Presumably the French themselves, Algerians, Vietnamese (showing my age and draft status again) and French West Africans would find it totally incomprehensible.

    CWJ
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    I stand corrected. Vive le Quebecois! Actually, French Canadian French isn't too different from Parisian French. Mostly differences in vernacular.

    By the way, thanks for the info. I can't imagine what they need 80 pages to explain!

    I understand from reading several articles and watching the video that the RDV design team basically consisted of parents who designed the vehicle for themselves. If only it came with a Cheerios dispenser!

    For our friends to the north, a Wheatabix dispenser.
  • cwjacobsencwjacobsen Member Posts: 293
  • cwjacobsencwjacobsen Member Posts: 293
    Since you two asked. Several hundred posts ago, I told how the presell program had allowed me to purchase Gammera for dealer invoice plus $100. That dealer invoice included "advertising;" which as Brian pointed out at the time is a legitimate but frankly rather shall we say "variable" component of dealer invoice.

    I made the sale manager actually sign the quote he gave me at the time I ordered on the total price. When Gammera actually came in, the manufacturer's invoice was the same, but the dealer's invoice had gone up because regional advertising was now $340 rather than the $200 that was the basis of the original quote. Did the dealer "brain fart" on the advertising when they gave me the original quote? Who knows? But it was clear that when Gammera came in the Advertising charge to the dealer was in fact $340. Sales manager tried to play the invoice plus $100 card, and I pointed out that he had signed a total price quote. He backed down when I said we'd walk rather than play his game. Maybe it was all legit. Maybe "regional advertising" had gone up $140 in the meantime, but so what. It's no less likely they lowballed the Advertising to get my business away from the other dealers in the first place figuring they could make up the difference at delivery. But its all irrelevant. We had agreed to buy Gammera at a price, not some future price plus $X. Word to the wise.

    John B. - I didn't have GMO, or GM card points, or rebates. My comment was just to point out that even without benefit of those other sources, we were able to get Gammera at what turned out to be something like $40 below dealer invoice.

    CWJ
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Lots of English in today's Quebec French.

    Le Pizza. Le Palm Pilot.

    It's quite laughable that the government there has such strict rules for French signs.
  • cwjacobsencwjacobsen Member Posts: 293
    There's no denying that the head's up display is beyond cool. It is in no way distracting both during the day and at night, and I was frankly alarmed at my willingness to ignore the "real" gauges and rely on the heads up alone.

    It's kind of like cruise control. When you have it on you pay attention to other things and stop worrying about checking the speedometer. In many ways you can be a more attentive driver. OK, when you're in traffic and the cruise is off, the HUD allows you to pay more attention to the world around you and not be distracted by checking your guages. I consider it a safety as well as a luxury feature.

    Go Packers!!

    CWJ

    P.S.: I couldn't believe this but when I got home last night I found that Buick had sent me the 1/24 scale Rendezvous model. How's that for strange. Instead of "please accept this model while waiting for your Rendezvous to arrive." It turned out to be please accept this Rendezvous while waiting for your model to arrive.

    Anyway, Have you received one for yourself yet? I remember your son wanting one quite badly. If you get stiffed, let's trade info and I'll be glad to mail my version to you so you can give it to him. Let me know.

    Your Packer Pal,

    CWJ
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