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Comments
Fri 12 Nov '99
Until last week I was the proud owner of a 99 Olds 88 50th Anniversary Edition and it had torque problems. The dealer had the car the first few weeks more than I did trying to solve the problem, and eventually did with assistance of the GM Engineers in Oshawa, Ontario. The car had torque steer accellerating PLUS while driving, it drifted continually to the right. Both problems were resolved by the following progressive steps by GM:
- tire rotation and 4-wheel alignment
- complete new rack and pinion unit installed
- right hand motor mounts shimmed 7 mm
- SPRINGS rotated 1/4 turn to right both sides
For reasons I don't understand, it was the SPRING rotation that finally did the trick and it drove beautifully for 12,000 km over a 4 month period until last week, when an idiot, who is a living example of why birth control should be made retroactive, pulled out in front of me on a through highway and the car was written off ...totally.
BTW, those GM Next Generation airbags really do work folks!... but keep your fingers out of the way... the explosive force on deployment broke my ring finger! Sounds like both barrels on a 12 Guage shotgun going off, and it filled the car with acrid burning fumes that made it very hard to breathe. The explosive and plastic smouldered on the steering column for about 1.5 minutes. It's quite an experience!
THE REPLACEMENT VEHICLE I CHOSE WAS A 2000 BUICK LESABRE with pretty much all the goodies on it including HUD. I have been reading posted comment on the Y2K LeSabre and Avalon with interest. My LeSabre was the first one into the dealership here a couple of days ago and they sold it to me before it was ever even cleaned up coming off the truck. Dealers just haven't been able to get product. It was the most car, and the most similar to my 50th Anniv. Olds that I could find BUT WAS MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE. THE 2000 BUICK HERE IS UP IN PRICE ABOUT $5000 OVER 1999 PRICES! I looked at and loved the Avalon XLS but it was WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!
It's a very impressive automobile but the LeSabre has enough toys to keep me occupied and happy.... I hope! -- Paul
This is Day 1 with the new car and it is a dream to drive, even at night. The insurance on this vehicle however is going to cost me $250 more annually than my 99 Olds 88... Bummer. This was due to the vehicle price increase this year.
I was surprised to learn the battery is under the left rear passenger seat.... but there is a boosting terminal under the hood. A good safety feature actually.
My LeSabre Limited shows absolutely NO symptoms of torque steer on acceleration and the steering is smooth and perfect. The variable assist feature is also effective.
I was also pleasantly surprised to find a lot of the 'toys' on the vehicle are more advanced than 99 vehicles... i.e. the Driver 1&2 Memory, the garage door opener, Stabili-Trak, Disk Brakes, etc etc and I was thoroughly delighted with the Heads Up Display and the speedometer Km/Miles display.
I think this will be a delightful automobile... it sure has all the creature comforts.
-- Paul
I just purchased a 2000 Le Sabre. It seems to make a whistling noise when I drive below 1200 rpm. The dealer & service dept. claim that the noise comes from the alternator & that nothing can be done. Does anyone else have this problem? Any solutions? Please help.
a mile deducted from invoice wont be enough incentive for me to jump at the car. Unless anyone else has some ideas, I'll head to the dealer this weekend and see what they say.
I had plenty of time to contemplate potential colors since it took over five months (June to November) for me to find a dealer in Northern California who had a 2000 Limited with the options I wanted. I finally went for the Emerald Pearl color, which I could live with.
I was able to get everything I wanted (astroroof, 16" cross lace wheels, prestige package, memory taupe leather heated seats, etc.), except for the Driver Confidence Package/Heads Up Display. I had even tried to order a vehicle through my local dealer just down the street, but after three months of waiting for an order confirmation (or for that matter even a return phone call) finally gave up.
What I kept being told by local dealers in the Bay Area was that Limiteds were in very short supply and that dealers were only getting what they received last year in terms of quantity. There were lots of Custom base models, but very few Limiteds.
I was ready to pay cash for the vehicle since last summer but couldn't find any available cars (also found similar shortage experiences with Toyota Avalon, Lexus 300, and the Mitsubishi Diamante - which I also was considering). I have never experienced a shortage of available cars like this year--Buick is probably losing hundreds of sales in this region every month because it is not sending out enough high end cars.
After faxing letters all over the state, a dealer in the Central Valley about 120 miles away finally found the above mentioned car and I purchased it about three weeks ago for just a few hundred dollars over invoice. I am very happy with the car so far, and after 1500 miles have found no glitches or imperfections.
It feels great to be driving a great car with all the bells and whistles for about $27K, when I know that many people driving vehicles with similar or even less features are often paying $40K or more. The steering wheel controls, heated seats, perimeter entry lighting, and other comfort aspects are especially wonderful.
Finding the vehicle I wanted took a long time, but it was worth the wait.
For future color options I would like to suggest some brighter hues, such as teal or brighter silver. They should give buyers the option of having a floor mounted center gear shifter, like they have in the Regal. It would also be great if Buick would release some cars in the Gold Firemist color that the company says in an option, but that I have never actually seen, either on the road or at the dealers.
I am completely satisfied with the Limited. The one minor problem I have had since day one is that I hear and feel a sound (tdunk!)when the car is driven from one level surface to another. It is most likely when I first fire up and drive out my driveway onto the street. I have mentioned it in this thread before and I raise the issue again in hopes that somebody new to this discussion has had a similar experience and found the solution. I have had a couple good suggestions in the past (heat shield) etc. and have had them checked out. I suspect it has to do with the auto-level control or suspension. I have had good service from the dealer but he has not been helpful in this matter.
Finally 0.9 % financing.Happy car hunting!!
-- Raoul
Buick I30
Length 200.0 inches 193.7
Width 73.5 70.2
Height 57.0 56.5
Weight 3567 3342
Horsepower 205 227
Wheelbase 112.2 108.3
Front Head Room 38.8 40.5
Rear Head Room 37.8 37.4
Front Shoulder Room 59.1 56.4
Rear Shoulder Room 58.7 56.2
Front Hip Room 56.1 54.3
Rear Hip Room 56.1 53.0
Front Leg Room 42.4 43.9
Rear Leg Roon 39.9 36.2
Luggage Capacity 18 cu ft 14.9
Don't let the numbers fool you. I really like the rear seat room in the I30. Now for some bad news - Infiniti recommends premium gas for best performance. Some are using regular and the middle grade and claim without any problems. But over the life of the car this only cost about $100 extra for every 10,000 miles. I suggest you go to your Infiniti dealer and look/drive the car. We are all different and like different things. The car may not be a fit for you. Post what you think.
my parents order a LeSabre Custom sedan with 1SA
package which has the two front power recliners,
also the options of 6-way power driver seat and the air filter for the AC. I put the order in in
October and the car arrived in December, just right before Christmas. When we went to pick up
the car, I noticed there were no recliners. I told the salesman and showed him my option list of my order confirmation. The Salesman started playing the waiting game - saying that he was calling GM to find out. My mother got tired of
waiting and took delivery of the car.
I was very disappointed at GM and that particular
dealer for not doing much to satisfy the customers. The dealer claimed that GM never called them about the option deletion. And as of
December 1SA package and 6-way driver seat could not be ordered together??? But my car was built in November. Our family has always been buying
GM cars in the past and I doubt the trend is going to continue. I will try to call Buick customer service myself and hear what they have to say. By the way, I am only getting about 18 mpg with mixed city and highway driving and I was expecting 22. Does anyone have any comments??
Thanks.
GET THE MESSAGE PEOPLE - VOTE WITH YOUR FEET.
I bought my car in June and did not order it. I have been completely satisfied. I have had no problems with the car or the dealer. I have had no reason to contact Buick.
From reading this thread over the last eight months I have come to two conclusions. First, there have been enough complaints about dealers and Buick Customer Service to convince me that Buick has not done a good job introducing this car and dealing with their customers and potential customers. Second, and I tell you this because I suspect you are new to this discussion, the primary contributors in recent months have been those who were most dissatisfied. While their complaints may be entirely legitimate, they have changed the character of this thread. Those, like myself, who were satisfied with the product and the service have either deserted or are sitting on the sidelines.
I'm getting tired of I30 owners posting to this site, they must have some type of buyer remorse as they keep coming back to this BUICK site to affirm the choice they made. I sure don't go to the I30 site to tell them what a great car my Lesabre has been for me.
Within a week a dealer about 100 miles away located a suitable vehicle and I picked it up the following week. The vehicle did not have the sunroof that I wanted, but the dealer made arrangements for a post-market sunroof to be installed. I bought the car for a price just a couple of hundred dollars over invoice and picked it up just prior to Thanksgiving.
There have been no problems with the car, and after driving 2,200 miles I have to say I am quite satisfied.
I agree that Buick is very difficult to work with in terms of factory orders. The company needs to address that issue. I was trying to buy a LeSabre with cash since last summer and it shouldn't take several months to have an order confirmed.
I generally found the Bay Area's Buick dealers to be difficult to work with and found the Central Valley folks more service-oriented.
I don't mind seeing the comparisons between the various vehicles. I seriously checked out other vehicles in the months of waiting, including the I30, Lexus 300, and Toyota Avalon. What I found were short supplies, higher prices, less amenities, and generally less comfort than what the LeSabre offered. The I30 back seat has much less leg room and the reviews mostly say it is an over-priced Nissan Maxima. It was better in some respects than the Lexus 300 or Toyota Avalon, however, and the pricing was close to competitive with the LeSabres in terms of MSRP.
I don't think it would have been possible to get Infiniti dealers down to invoice pricing levels, however. Furthermore, the current Japanese cars are just not cushy enough for me. I drove a nice 1989 Toyota Camry for 7 years and loved it, but the Toyotas now have hard seats and they seem to have cut a lot of corners in the comfort market since the mid-1990's.
I especially like the steering wheel radio and climate controls, perimeter lighting, and cornering lights on the LeSabre Limited. The comfortable seats, quiet operation, and smooth power train are also wonderful. The only thing I don't like is the somewhat drab exterior color options--I settled for the emerald green pearl, but would have preferred something in teal or gold. .
My advice is to shop around your region until you find a dealer who will take your business seriously and get you the car you want. I would not work with a dealer who cannot get an order confirmed within a couple of weeks and/or a car delivered to you within a couple of months. The internet was very helpful in getting me long lists of dealers all over the state to contact.
This is the only complaint I have about the car. I did not buy a Chrysler 300M because the two I drove had very strong torque steer to the left under heavy acceleration. I did not notice the problem with the LeSabre during the test drive.
The '95 Bonneville that I replaced had no torque steer under any conditions.
Have you had any luck yet getting your torque steer problem corrected?
Overall; I have been pleased with the handling of the car and my wife agrees that it takes the curves on winding roads more comfortably than our 91 Camry. I have never noticed any jitters on any road conditions. My surprises have come at the other end of the performance envelope. My Limited does not have the cushy, luxurious, feel that I expected a Buick to provide. This is not a complaint about this car. I chose it. Still, I will probably look at Park Avenue and the Sedan de Ville next time around.
Glad you are enjoying your vehicle as I am sure we will enjoy ours.....
A combination of city/highway mileage averages about 20-21 mpg. This is the same 3800 Series II engine that was in my 99 Olds 88 which gave me 28-32 mpg mileage. How are you other 2000 LeSabre owners doing with mileage?
As far as the rest of performance goes, it's a really great car.
--Paul
order Bucket seats and a full console (Transmission Selector in console).
Does anyone know if this really true?
Hard to believe.
on it. This is my 6th or 7th Buick and I always
keep them until well over 150000 miles. Thats the
background: Now the 2000 seems to have taken to committing suicide. Put it in the barn at night, its fine. Go to get it in the morning and the electrical system is deader than a salted mackerel. This has now happened twice. Has anyone else encountered this problem? My dealer has been very supportive but admits they haven,t been able to find the cause of the problem.