Jump to content
Create New...

wjfox

Members
  • Posts

    42
  • Joined

  • Last visited

wjfox's Achievements

Newbie

Newbie (1/14)

0

Reputation

  1. 1. Two, an '01 Montana. Great milage in a minivan. I know they didn't get great reviews but ours has been frugal and pretty dependable. I also have an 08 Vibe. Maybe I saw the gas crunch coming because I got out of a 99 Catera (worst car I ever owned) and into the Vibe, which so far has been WAY more reliable and frugal, but crude compared to the Caddy. 2. I'd buy another Pontiac. I've bought more of them new than any other brand. I'd like another hauler like the Monatana. Since Pontiac doesn't have a Lambda that could force me into an Enclave, Acadia, Outlook or Traverse, or maybe a Torrent.
  2. 1. I haven't purchased a Buick since 1980, which was my first new cars. New Pontiacs and one Chevy since then but no Buicks. 2. I'd be happy to buy another Buick, now that my family is growing up and demanding less of my income. I love the brand, but the products haven't been all that compelling for the last 28 years.
  3. That's what I was thinking too. I sort of looks like a Durango minus the attitude. GM seems to have their styling edge back after a way too long break, now Toyota seems to be helping them by continuing to serve up bland to ugly designs.
  4. I can't vote in this survey because of the way the choices are worded. I don't know that any one is to blame or 100% right. I tend to favor GMs position because I think there are very few other kinds of workers that can get 100% health care and I don't think its right to expect that when it isn't the norm for workers in our country, or in competitive, foreign based auto companies that assemble cars in the US. I also acknowledge that its the Union's job to get the most it can for its workers. I'm hoping that the union / workers can take a longer term view and try to ensure job security for future generations. Because its much cheaper to produce goods else where and have them shipped to the US. I don't think the union will kill GM, not if GM is smart, and there are more and more signs (finally) of that being the case. But GM can and will assemble car elsewhere if their cost of production is too high here. Chinese Buick's anyone?
  5. I agree, there is a reason every blue haired lady in America either drives or wants a Buick, when they were young, Buicks were, indeed, what Lexus is today. Its a real shame that GM let Mercedes, Audi, Lexus. . . steal their thunder. I hope they can get it back. The Lucerne looks like an OK point in the right direction, the Enclave a step in the right direction, now I hope the new LaCrosse / Allure / Regal / Invicta is a leap in the right direction. I like the renderings of the new interior but I hope they don't do something stupid with the I-Drive like contoller. I've read a lot of bad stuff about I-Drive in the 7 series, and the best I've heard about "imporved" versions in other cars is that they weren't as bad as the 7 series. In my opinion the hood over the guages is too large. There's a lot of surface area there that isn't doing much of anything. I very much appreciate that Buick has a lot of catching up to do, but if they only aim at catching up, they'll only be caught up. Aim higher, Buick. The HVAC / entertainment / Nav controls look well integrated, but is there a better way than I-Drive to dial things in?
  6. When they get this system developed to the point of powering larger mid size and full size cars, I'd like to see the Buick variants sub branded Electra. But I do think they should focus the technology on smaller cars where it will no doubt work better than hauling behemoths around. And I don't think there is any need for a Hummer variant of this drive train. What would be the point - save the environment by smashing delicate ecological niches while off roading in your electric Hummer? An eco friendly Hummer makes about as much sence as a Cadillac for the tight budget.
  7. It might look a little like a '94 Cav, but it looks a lot like a Suzuki Reno, or a Buick Exelle or a Holden Viva. Maybe Badge engineering works if you do it on different continents.
  8. Not a bad looking car, but I think it looks a lot like the G6 coupe, which looks too much like a Nissan / Infinity coupe. One thing I don't like in current styling trends is the gun slit windows brought on by the Chrysler 300 and others. The Calibras of old looked lighter, more airy and no doubt had better outward visibility. I think they should stir in a little more of the old Chevy Monza belt line and open up the sides a little.
  9. I'd like to see the name Electra reserved for hybrid powertrain variants. I like Riviera better than Velite also. I think Buick has been trying to run away from some names that had some bad baggage like Century, and even LeSabre, but I don't think Riviera ever had a bad reputation. The market just moved away from the personal luxury coupe. Now that its moving away from SUVs maybe the name Riviera has place in the line up again.
  10. I like all three but I could tweak every one. Beat: Looks a little too much like a Renault Clio. Change the Gremlin rear window line and its way cool on the outside. The interior looks a little too much like a video game to me. The IP, steering wheel and center stack are all over wrought. The center stack in the best part, the wheel the most garish. Trax: I think I like this the best because I would change it the least. Slope the hood a little, it doesn't have to look quite so much like a brick. Make it one color. The Honda Element is a pretty functional vehicle, but it ain't pretty. Loose the fender vent. Anything Ford has adopted for the new Taurus as a styling element should be avoided. Groove: Looks big for a small car. The overall look is too much of an xB knockoff. But with some sloping and shaping it could be an HHR replacement. I love the tail lights except for the expensive cuts into the glass. Looks like lots of cost for little point. Its very good to see Chevy advancing 3 cool concepts. GM seems to be getting its stylilng groove back after a long hiatus.
  11. The thing that bothers me about this is that everyone has the right to delete the ad from their personal space if they are offended by it. Last I checked every TV comes with power swtich and a channel changer. However, since we have folks like this in the world it was probably in GMs best interest to pull the ad. They are getting a lot of publicity about it and looking like the good guys for changing thier ways.
  12. Its interesting that both the 500 and Montego names (or number and name) were both recyled from the early to mid 60s. Mark Fields said that only 4 out of 10 people knew that Ford sold a car called 500. Maybe more people know they offered (and I guess they will agin) a car called Taurus, but few people that I know of who owned the last gen Taurus would use that as a reason to run back for another one. Mr. Fields, make a competitive product and one that people want to buy and they'll remember the name. When the original Taurus came out Ford was in similar doldrums. Since the Taurus beat the GM10s out of the starting gates 8 out of 10 people knew Ford had a car called Taurus for sale within about two weeks. "Names" like 350Z, A6, RX8 and 528 mean nothing. Its the image of the car the carries the moniker that make these mean something Its really too bad that they launched these with tepid engines and warmed over styling. The platform is a pretty good one, but the execution is pretty dull. Giving it a better drive train only solves one major problem.
  13. I agree. If they are going to spend money to make anything look different, make a Buick version of this car that looks different. I doubt that the Holden name plate will be sold in NA any time soon, so preserve as much sheet metal and development money as possible. BTW, I think this is a very nice looking car. There are just two little things I'd like to see changed for the production veriosn. The bezels around the tail light can do without the ribs and the steering wheel has too many pieces and seams in the cover. I fear these things would lead back to the over festooned foolishness of 90s Pontiacs. Just as I thought when the Commodore was released, this doens't push any styling envelopes very far, but I like the understated look of competence.
  14. I agree. If they are going to spend money to make anything look different, make a Buick version of this car that looks different. I doubt that the Holden name plate will be sold in NA any time soon, so preserve as much sheet metal and development money as possible. BTW, I think this is a very nice looking car. There are just two little things I'd like to see changed for the production veriosn. The bezels around the tail light can do without the ribs and the steering wheel has too many pieces and seams in the cover. I fear these things would lead back to the over festooned foolishness of 90s Pontiacs. Just as I thought when the Commodore was released, this doens't push any styling envelopes very far, but I like the understated look of competence.
  15. In case anyone needs another opinion. . . I like this new design a lot. Much more that the original, which I though was catchy and break through, but a little to severe and busy. I think this design is much more harmonious. I don't even think its less Art and Science, just different art and science. The first one was trigonometry based physics and Piacso, the new one is organic chemistry with a side of optics and Rembrandt. For my taste, I'd like to see it softened and rounded a little more, made a coupe and sold as Buick Riviera. The little silver do-dad on the seats reminds me of my neighbors '59 Sedan De Ville. They are borrowing just the right amount of retro on this machine - the Caddy attitude of old. It looks like the days of coffin like luxury with coffin like excitement are over. The only thing I would do to change it is lose the front fender vent. They are quickly becoming too cliche'. If the upcoming Ford 500 has them, in all its ugly splendor, then save a couple bucks and get them of the CTS, now.
×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings