sooner1

A new review of the Lucerne at this website: http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jm/06lucerne.htm

Sorry folks. I didn't see this picture was already posted in the Chevrolet truck forum for the 2007 Avalanche. Sorry about that. I leaped too soon.

Edmunds's Inside line has a picture of the new Avalanche. It's what you would expect. Go here: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/AutoshowsLanding

The two auto reviewers at the Detroit News online paper, Anita and Paul Lienert, named the Lucerne one of the top picks for 2006. Article at link: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...331/1149/AUTO01

My situation was the same - nearest dealer hosting the VIP event was 95 miles away, which is odd since three Buick dealers are between here and there. I contacted the hosting dealer and they said it was a come and go event from 6 to 8 (central time). However, they did not have a Lucerne as one had not arrived yet. They said it was something to do with the rail system. By contrast, my non-hosting local dealer has a platinum CX, sandstone CXL, and crimson red CXS on his lot. He's offered to let me test drive one at my next oil change in March. Is this the sort of coordination for a "premier event" we should expect from Buick? Despite the courteousness of the hosting dealer, I am disappointed and won't be attending after all. R. Allen 2001 Regal LS

Looking at the Buick website, I thought I would like it. It doesn't look as gold colored as the Buick website suggests. It looks like a mocha color, like coffee with cream added or like hot chocolate. Look at getauto.com for some examples of the sandstone and some of the other colors. The lighter colored cashmere seems to have a stronger gold color. I'd really like to see the dark garnet red but the crimson red is the color they show most often.

This 01 Regal is my first Buick. I've mostly had Fords/Mercurys before that (74 Pinto, 78 Fairmont, 93 Tracer, 98 Contour) and one incredibly bad 86 Olds Ciera (paint flaked off the roof daily, radio and power antenna both failed, cup of engine collant disappeared daily with no driveway puddles, all with 1 year remaining on car payments). I didn't really start liking Buicks until the 95 Riv, the 97 Park Avenue (I love that ridge that starts at the front and goes along the windows like the Riv), and the 97 Regal. I saw a section on the PBS program "Motorweek" on the Buick Seat Comfort team's work with these models and was impressed, having driven a rental 95 Lumina with lousy seats. Last March, I drove to Kansas City (5 hour drive) for the car show there. They had a black CXL, a steel grey CXL, a cashmere CX, and a red CXS on display. They also had a silver Lucerne on a rotating display. It was a great car show - they had the new Lexus 430, a Ford Fusion, a Mercury Milan, a Lincoln Zephr, a Charger, and a Pontiac Solstice on display. But I love Buicks - if there was three car garage, a Lucerne, a LaCrosse and a Park Avenue would be in it. Our dealer, the only one in town, has a silver Lucerne CX and a standstone CXL on the lot. I really like the silver one and hope to drive it if it's still there in 3 months. They had a red CXS in the show room last weekend but it's gone now and not seen on the lot. A silver 06 DTS is in its place in the showroom and it is incredible, though way out of my league.

Nice to see you've had good experiences with the LaCrosse. Like you, my Regal was loaded. Aside from not having the heated seats, spoiler, or sunroof, it's all there. LOVE the Monsoon stereo. What I didn't mention last time was the steering. It seemed much improved over the Regal. Despite my car's Yokohama Avid touring tires, the car still seems to wallow a bit on sharp turns - the LaCrosse did not. One of my reservations about the LaCrosse was the instrument panel. The close proximity of the gauges in what seemed like a small opening just didn't seem to look attractive compared to the more spread out Regal dash. However, use while driving suggests it is a tighter, more efficient display. The gauges are attractive as well. The attention to minor details, like the less tinny sound of the turn signal, is appreciated. I saw 2 LaCrosses (LaCrossi?) on the way home - one silver like the one I drove, and one white. The more I look at them, the more I like it. I hope a silver or blue one is in my future next year. Red would be nice, but not in dusty Kansas. I did sign up for a Lucerne VIP premier next week at a dealership 90 miles away, though, so we'll see what that experience is like.

While getting my 01 Regal LS winterized this morning, the salesman who sold me the Regal offered a one-owner 05 Lacrosse with 10,000 miles for a test drive. It was a silver CXL. I checked to see if it fit the garage (it did) and took it out 10 miles out of town to check highway driving. It was hard to tell if it was quieter than the Regal, as we have a lot of wind in central Kansas right now, but it seemed so while in town. Ride was very tight and controlled and brakes felt confident, and much improved over my Regal. In fact, the ABS brakes on my car have been checked twice because of pulsing, but no problems have ever been found. Seats, while somewhat less conforming and somewhat flat, were much firmer than the Regal, with significantly better lower back support. It was harder to see out the rear window, making the bumper radar a good deal. The windows did not seem to have the same height as the Regal; my elbow rested high despite seat adjustment. Stereo, though pretty good, lacked the precise clarity of my Regal's Monsoon system. The car's style does grow on you. I like the nose; it looks a lot like the last Riv. Check out the tail lights in a darkened garage (I did). While everyone is doing that round-light-in-a-parabolic-or-square-frame, the illumination is quite sharp looking. All in all, a very nice experience. Fit and finish were excellent. Had thought that my next car would be an 04 Park avenue or a pre-owned G6 but this drive has really swayed me toward the LaCrosse. It's no GT but it's an exceptional value. If the Regal didn't have 13 more payments, I would have driven home with a new car today. Two last comments: The car was not traded in due to dissatisfaction. The couple traded in on an '06 LaCrosse. In fact, it was the same couple (yes, 85-year-olds) who were the previously owners of my Regal. These are the things one learns in a small town. As for being an old man's car, I'm 44 and will stay with Buick if they keep building cars like this. And last note: the salesman offered a Lucerne for a drive the next time the Regal comes in for an oil change. Randy 01 silver Regal LS with touring package. Central Kansas

Detroit news has a very interesting article, and a couple pics, of a consumer panel's reaction to the Lucerne. Some comments reflect change of attitude, while some reflect the same tired attitudes about Buicks people have always had and have posted here. Hopefully the link will work. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...313/1149/AUTO01 Randy Proud owner of a silver 2001 Regal LS with monsoon stereo and gran touring package.