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Comments
About the Torque steering, I think it is fairly typical on the 2000 Buick. I have it on mine also but it doesnt seem to be very strong. Before I bought the car I read a road test report that had mentioned the problem so I guess I wasn't surprised when it happened.
NOT RESPONDING WELL,WILL NOT STOP !!!!
Asking price is 8500. Very good condition. Does that sound like a good price?
Now for the bad stuff; the factory rep says the following are considered normal; blurry drivers side mirror, brake pedal clicking sound when brake is applied (it didn't do this for the first four months), engine that idles smooth then suddenly hiccups and idles rough causing steering wheel to vibrate, pulsating steering wheel when turning at low speeds.
I have contacted Buick customer support requesting their assistance. Now waiting to see what happens next.
To say that owning this car has been a major disappointment is an understatement. Really thought that by now Buick/GM would have its act together, especially for a car in this price range. I appreciate Folsom Buick's efforts in trying to resolve these problems, but if they can't be fixed then what? It's up to Buick to see how much they truly value their customers.
Your comments would be greatly appreciated, am I being too particular about this car?
Lastly, no kazoo noise, just everything else, and torque steer is a byproduct of front wheel drive.
I once had the wheel literally jerk a good 4-6 inches when accelerating in a turn. Not a good feeling.
The problems you describe are NOT normal on any car.
I test drove a LeSabre and was very disappointed.
Although it was big, fast and heavy and drove and rode really well, it had lots of little stuff wrong with it. The air conditioning didn't work at all, the trunk release had a problem and something was wrong with the driver side power seat.
The design was also flawed by the very distracting reflection of the defroster vent in the windshield. Very annoying. I came away wishing I had bought a 99 LeSabre which I liked much better overall. We wound up buying a 2000 Impala LS.
This torque steer thing shows up to a degree on our Implala and I don't know why.
I previously had a 1989 OLDS Royale 88 and it had no trace of torque steer even under the hardest acceleration.
Your stated problems are more than annoyances - especially the engine hiccup and pulsating steering wheel. No way is that right unless you're straining the steering at the end of its range. According to the LEMON LAW, I think they get three chances to fix a SERIOUS problem.
Good Luck.
Has anyone had the same experience or has anyone had any experience with their dealership or with Buick on this? Thanks.
I think the Impala competes more with the Intrepid than the other two. I don't think the Impala is quite as wide, and has a smaller trunk. Not a bad choice, just want a bench seat.
So it will be a close argument on the other two, and the decision has not been made, but the pro's and con's (You decide which is which) seems to be the following:
LeSabre
Better gas mileage, front wheel drive, GM build quality, torque steer, higher price but more standard equipment
Crown Vic
RWD, V-8, old but bulletproof design, excellent build quality, lower price, lower gas mileage, less equipment on base model
I am looking at the Crown Vic base model with the Performance and Handling Package good for 240 hp. It seems the LeSabre requires a lot of other stuff to get the good performance items. However, if Buick is offering a ton of incentives, could change my mind. But in the Crown Vic you can do big smokey burnouts and feel like a teenager again.
One thing to be said, the competition only makes each car better.
Looking at the 01 prices, on the LeSabre Custom, to get the touring package, one must order the Luxury Pkge for $1,105, which is nice, but includes stuff I don't really need. With both of those packages, the LeSabre lists for about $26,102.
One can order a CV base with the Handling & Performance Package and CD player for $23,695, or about $2,400 less.
It is true the LeSabre has some nice stuff standard, like keyless entry and a seemingly nicer stereo.
It really boils down to whether one can live with rear wheels' drive advantages & disadvantages, and the poorer gas mileage. I have not compared insurance and repair expenses. I do think the Crown Vic has the advantage in reliability and build quality, but the LeSabre is probably a little nicer. Over 100,000 miles, the gas on the CV is probably going to cost you about $1,250 more.
I doubt if a FWD car can handle more than about 200 hp easily. Had an old Sundance Turbo that would lose traction in any kind of dampness if I hammered it. (Funny thing, that old Chrysler Turbo was probably the most reliable part of the car, never had any problems with that)
Thanks for all the info, I will definetely look at both, as well as the Avalon, but Toyota's don't do much for me.
Next day sound is very loud on way to work. Complete failure on the way home. Stranded in a busy intersection with stripped out tranny. Turn car off and wait 10 minutes. Then it starts but needs 5K rpm to go 5mph. I limp home making 2 more stop and waits. Buick roadside is called and we start again. Now I have a complete new tranny. By the way I'm the same guy that just went to war earlier this summer with dealer on getting out of round General tires replaced with Michelins. Anyway I thought readers may be interested in my Lesabre experience. Good car, poor build quality, Dealers mean a lot in satisfaction. Mine gets an F.
We also have a cousin who bought a 2000 LeSabre last summer, and she has had no problems with hers at all and loves it.
No dreaded kazoo sound on either of them.
Did tuneup, oil change, tranny fluid change, new struts and last weekend replace the brakes (she tended to ride the brakes a bit and there was a shudder during high speed stops.)
Just drove it from St. Louis to Columbia, MO for a service call and wanted to check fuel economy, so I filled up before I got on the freeway. Drove to the site, about 10 miles of the 124 was in town, and then filled it up. I had to work hard at getting 4 gallons in the tank. Now I realize that there is more error in such a short trip, be we are talking in the neighborhood of 30-31MPG for a nearly 4000# 13 year old car.
Of course, I set the cruise on 65 (the under 40 crowd can do this, but it was hard.) Driving back I did my usual 80-85 MPH on the freeway and since I was going home, it was 147 miles from the station to the station near my home. On that leg, the LeSabre used 5.8 gallons of fuel, or about 25MPG.
So speed does greatly impact fuel economy. Of course the 25 minutes I saved is worth that extra gallon of fuel over that distance. I got to see my kids before it was bed time.
But have to admit, that is was less stressful to go 65. But I didn't hang out in the left lane, only used the left lane to pass and always made sure I was not impeding faster traffic by my passing maneuvers. I know how I always hate those last minute lane changers who couldn't wait another 5 seconds for me to pass and they pull out in the left lane, passing the vehicle they were following at about 0.1 MPH faster than they were going in the other lane.
Cheers,
TB
Bought a 2000 Lesabre and have the kazoo noise.
Dealer refuses to test car since Mass. speed limit is 65mph and they will not go above speed limit. They will not read the Edmund's postings I brought with me. Literally!! I read it to them.
I suggested they call some dealers who might have solved the problem. They said get me some names and we will call. (can you believe this).
Therfore, I am asking Dandbhood1, Marvd or anyone else if they could give me the names of the dealerships and their phone numbers as well as the service tech they dealt with.
The car is great. The dealer response is mind boggling. thank you for all your help.
Brog227
I'm getting the same exact response from my dealer. Since my kazoo noise happens at 75 and above they can't check it out due to the speed limit. I volunteered to drive one of the service tech's but that didn't work either. Also, mine only makes the noise when the outside temperature is above 90 degrees. this makes it hard to get the car to act up with fall coming up. I told the dealer about the results others were having by resealing the windshield, but he said they haven't received any service bulletins on such a repair and that out of all the cars they have sold, I'm the first to have this problem. I'm with you, I need all the advice or help I can get. Keep us posted.
I'm getting the same exact response from my dealer. Since my kazoo noise happens at 75 and above they can't check it out due to the speed limit. I volunteered to drive one of the service tech's but that didn't work either. Also, mine only makes the noise when the outside temperature is above 90 degrees. this makes it hard to get the car to act up with fall coming up. I told the dealer about the results others were having by resealing the windshield, but he said they haven't received any service bulletins on such a repair and that out of all the cars they have sold, I'm the first to have this problem. I'm with you, I need all the advice or help I can get. Keep us posted.
;-)
Pocahontas,
Edmunds.com/Roving Host
I have to confess to ambivalence at his reaction to his father's almost- an -Oldsmobile. On the one hand, as an enthusiast, I was pleased to see him express an opinion of a car, even if it was bitterly negative. On the other, I have never met a car I didn't like, and assumed that junior would follow on in my Will Rogersish footsteps.
But it appears that Fastbuck the younger isn't alone in his rejection of the domestically produced full size product. Only yesterday I rode shotgun with a 59 year old accountant who cursed and railed at the seemingly inoffensive Mercury Marquis that fate (and Hertz) had burdened him with. He'd requested a Volvo (I didn't know they even had them available), and his disappointment was visceral.
What is it about these large, comfortable automobiles that so troubles so many? And who actually chooses to buy them, apart from purchasers of rental, police and taxi cab fleets?
If the problem were merely dullness, certainly Mazdas and Toyotas would inspire equally strong reactions, yet they don't seem to. Likewise, it can't be generational, since my almost a senior colleague reacted identically to my just bearly a teen.
Perhaps there's something deeper going on. Like all cars, both the Buick and the Mercury make statements about their drivers. I suppose that my son and my friend didn't like what the cars were saying about them. I suspect that neither would have been as bothered by a Chevrolet or a Cadillac; the problem had something to do with the rental cars' timid in-betweenness, their projection of some kind of whitebread middleclass
comfortable domesticity. Neither cool enough for a surfer, nor refined enough for for a professional. If that's the case, then the designers at GM and Ford have some serious thinking to do if they want to maintain a future for their profitable midline dreamboats.
Call the owner of the dealership. I did, he called me back and I explained calmly what transpired and about Edmunds and offered to send him copies. He was honestly amazed at the info. on the internet. I did not send him anything I just reminded him of the catch 22 we are in and there seems to be a reasonable cure that is inexpensive to try.
he said he will have to speak to the service manager and he would call me back.
Two days later he called back and authorized the re-sealing of the windshield and apologized for the inconvenience.
Tell me what happens. The owner may not know what is happening and may not be happy when he finds out his service people are not being creative nor helpful. Tell me what happens.
thanks to all who helped me.
Brog227
We used the Grand Marquis for our primary family vehicle over the last 7 years and the addition of a used green Surburban to our driveway has certainly given us an alternative - but at 13 mpg for "Reptar" and uncertain future gas prices, it still makes sense for our 'second car' to be able to accomodate the family if/when needed. I'll probably buy another one - or maybe one of these 2000 blue hair LeSabres or maybe a Bonneville (smooth riding but sexier looking).
Just call me Tpke Ken - cruising in comfort.
Turnpike Ken
tpken: I do not care for the art deco wheels either and that is an excellent description of them. Our cousin got them on her '00 (I do not think she thought twice about it), and they are alloys. When my folks were picking out their '00 I was happy when they said that they did not like them either (my dad hated them, my mom did not care).
The GTP wheels look nice, but they are what I call tooth brush wheels since you need one to clean out the brake dust.
rhraasch: I have not heard anything either about the Firestone Affinity tires. No problems with ours either.